A/N OH MY GOSH IT'S ACTUALLY A LONGER CHAPTER! -_- I know, okay? I'll probably stop uploading so much once I run out of pre-written chapters. I kind of have writer's block rn. Well, have fun!

Will curled in on himself as much as possible. Fists were painful, but a chair hurt so much more. He bit back his cries of pain and fear as the chair hit his back again. Each blow chipped away at Will's self-control and sanity.

The words hurt even more than his aching back.

"Useless b####! Stupid, ugly, worthless! Waste of space! I wish you were dead!"

Will let one sob loose and the beating grew a hundred times worse. Every inch of his body ached horribly.

Suddenly it stopped.

Several screams reached Will's ears and he slowly sat up.

Halt was standing ominously over the three women Will knew too well. He must have made a whimpering sound, because Halt gently turned to him.

"Hello, Will. Are you alright?"

Will nodded quickly and scooted away from Halt.

"Will, I'm going to need you to come with me," Halt began softly.

"Am I in trouble?" Will blurted out.

Halt gently shook his head and forced the three women to their feet. They made their way to the baron's office. Halt knocked once and walked swiftly in.

"Hello, Halt! What brings you here?" Baron Arald said cheerfully.

"Baron, I believe these three women have been hurting this boy." Halt was direct and to the point.

The baron looked quickly between Will and the women. His gaze turned dark. Will shrank back from his gaze and tried to disappear.

"Sit down, we must discuss this."

Will could barely move, but he managed to sit down next to Halt.

"Will, was it?" the baron asked. "Is this true?"

Will glanced fearfully at the women and back at the baron before quickly nodding his head.

"Do they hit you often?"

Nod.

"Do they feed you?"

Violent head shake.

"Do they make you feel bad or call you names?"

Nod.

"Do they do this to other children?"

Head shake.

"Do they make the other children hate you?"

Nod.

"Alright, I believe we have enough evidence. I'm sentencing you three to banishment from Redmont for life."

The baron had barely finished growling out the words before one of the women lunged at Will. He screamed and flung himself on the floor. Halt restrained the women and some guards took them to a dungeon. Will cowered in a ball next to the baron's desk.

Halt gently knelt next to him. He began to whisper to him. Arald blinked back tears of frustration and anger. It would do no good to scare the boy.

Eventually, Halt got the boy to sit in his chair again. Pauline walked in and sat next to Halt. Will flinched away from her, but Halt explained she was his wife and wouldn't hurt him.

"We would like to adopt you," Halt said softly.

Will's eyes filled with tears and he trembled.

"Really?" was all he could say. They nodded. Will seemed like he was about to crumble into pure happiness.

Baron Arald smiled and told them it would take about a day to get all the paperwork filled out and they could take Will home tomorrow. Will's face hurt from smiling so much but he didn't care. Someone wanted to adopt him. Him! With all his problems and mistakes! He could hardly believe it.

He couldn't wait for tomorrow.

Will quickly packed the small bundle of items he could call his own. He then lay down in bed, tossing and turning in excitement and fear. What if they hated him? What if they hurt him? What if he broke something special and they sent him back? What if...

Will fell asleep worrying about tomorrow.