~At least a day and a half or two later~

"Jack's death..." Sebastian says, he is standing at the front of the apostal church of Christ, his black clothes fitting his body well and making his dark eyes seem darker and much more menacing as he looks at among the crowd. "Is a tragic loss, but it doesn't compare to Troy's-who had yet to begin to live." Sondra sniffles, wiping her eyes and dabbing at the escaped tears that keep on coming at the thought of her son and husband. Her nephew...Perry sat beside her. Sebastian continued his monologue, "it was an accident that took the both of them...and I feel horrible that I wasn't able to do anything more to save them."

Perry reaches over to grab his aunt's hand, he squeezes it lightly. But...there's something wrong wrong with how he- even getting ready for the service, him and his father...they just didn't have the grey cloud of sadness and mourning when they all rode in the carriage this morn.

"...that is why," Sebastian says, Sondra coming back to the present. "I will assume the throne the my brother held...and we will build a new age," suddenly the doors opened and walking in were the kind of people that didn't associate with nobles, Sebastian grinned maliciously, "an age where us and the poor live together as one...as brother and sister. Cousin's." more of them walk in, moving to stand behind and around Sebastian; who motioned for his son to stand up and come to him.

Perry obeyed. "My son, Perry, in Troy's honour will assume Troy's position as next in line...should anything happen to me." Whenthe doors finally shut, the church hall was filled and Sondra suddenly felt suffocated.

She didn't like this. At all.

"This will be the start of a new age. A golden age. And I...am your king." Sebastian says, raising his right fist


He was tired of running, his legs grew tired when he crossed the thorn patch; his hands were prickled and bleeding from the ones that pierced his skin. He was just...confused of everything, why would his uncle...? His father was...?

It seemed so surreal, like everything is just all a bad, horrid nightmare that Troy is unable to wake up from. "Daddy..." he whispers, walking slow with a painful grimace escaping his lips occasionally. The pain in his leg and arm grows, and he finds himself collapsing under the shade of a tree with over hanging branches. Surely, his mother is worried about him, how long has he even been gone? He wasn't keeping track. "Mom...daddy..." his voice cracks.

All he wants is to go home, but...why does he feel that if he goes back it won't make things any better? Breathing through his nose, and shutting his eyes to at least make the pain somewhat bearable.

Didn't work.


"Michael! Careful with those berries now! There's thorns! Don't get poked!" Yells Mara Danforth, her dark skin seeming darker against her pale peach cotton work dress. She grips a handful of big, fat mullberries and pulling them free from the vine to set them in her basket that hangs off her left arm. If there's something that she cooks best than meals for supper, lunch and breakfast it would be a delicious, melt in your mouth mullberry pie. She gasps as she remembers, turning around to watch her oldest son nearly run off to the otherside of the clearing that is at least two miles from their cottage. "Michael! Watch Chad! He runs off you know!"

A vague, "Yeah Ma! I know! I'll watch him!" was the response she received. She shakes her head and continue's picking the berries. Two boys, a loving husband who works during the day as a black smith. She loves her boys, she does...sometimes they get rowdy and her husband is a big kid himself too.

Like raising three children instead of two.


"Chad!" Michael hollers, "where are you fool?" Michael Danforth, 16 years old, and manipulative for a good cause.

"Mike!" yells 9 year old Chad Danforth, his obsessively curly hair all bunched into a huge knot at the back of his head. His face covered in dirt and mud smudges, his dark brown eyes shining brightly. "Guess what! I found a mullberry bush untouched!"

Michael rolls his eyes, grabbing Chad by the scruff of the neck like a dog, "Ma wants you...she don't want you running off."

Chad squirms in an effort to get away, "I wasn't running off Mike, I was just searching for more mullberry bushes! I swear!"

The older brother starts to drag him back to Mara, "Don't matter to me, I don't care...but Ma is going to tan your hide when she finds out you run'd off again."

Chad sighs, "but I wasn't-"

"Quit fighting me, man and just-" Michael looks over his right shoulder when he hears something that sounds like...a...what is that?

"Mike-"

"Sh," Michael walks closer to where the sound is coming from and halts to listen again. Sounds like..groaning, the kind a person makes when their in pain.

"Mike-" Chad tries again, Michael shush's him. "Would you shut your mouth boy? Go get Ma, tell her I think I found something..." Chad nods, backing up slowly and turning on his heels as he runs back to his mother. Michael turns back to the sound where the painful groans are coming from. He moves a thorn covered branch out of the way, squinting his eyes to see in the bright afternoon sun that swam through the cracks of the trees to land in near perfect shapes of circles and stars in the grass.

"Dad...Daddy..." a voice cries, Michael squints his eyes even more and continues walking into the bushes. That's when he see's the small boy, about Chad's age possibly younger by at least a year, huddled in a tight ball but with his right arm laying on the ground and his left leg bent at a slightly unnatural angle. The older boy makes his way to him and kneels.

"Hey, what you doing out here? The sun gonna set on you...you should be home, you lost boy?" the boy sniffles and looks up at him. His lips trembling, Michael closes his mouth and moves to sit in a comfortable postion across from him.

"I'm lost, but I don't want to go back. I can't." Huh?

"What you talking about?"

"I just...my dad-"

"Let me guess he's out huntin' and he told you 'stay put, I'mma come for you later' right?" the little boy was about to speak when Chad comes running (and screaming) with a woman behind him. Michael sighs, standing up and holding out his hand to the boy.

He looks at it, Michael rolls his eyes, "I ain't gonna kill you...I don't bite and I'm not poisonous-"

"Michael, fool, back away before you scare that child to death." Mara scolds, shoving Michael back to where Chad is standing awkwardly. She kneels in front of him, her face calm and serene. "Hey there, you're a handsome young man...do you have a name?" The boy bites his lip, as if debating to say a word to her. She smiles warmly, "You don't have to tell me now...but I would like to know your name.."

"Troy." he says, putting his chin on the knee that was drawn up to his chest.

"Last name?"

"B-...nothing. Just Troy."

Mara sighs, looking at Troy then at her son's then back at Troy, standing up and dusting off her dress, "well Troy, I know a thing or two about mendin'...and you look like you could use a warm meal in ya."

He nods slowly, she holds out her hand to him. "It's all right...take your time. We have all afternoon."

Chad's jaw drops, "I thought daddy was going to be home tonight?" Mara looks at her youngest, "that's why you and your brother will be home. Doing your chores or you'd both get a lickin'...bare skin." their eyes widened and they ran back to their small cottage as she looks at Troy.

He didnt' speak.

"Troy," Mara says, sitting beside him. "I know that you haven't come here by accident...mind telling me-"

"No."

"okay, well are you hungry?"

He nods.

"Okay then, can you walk?"

He shakes his head.

"Want me to carry you?"

He nods, holding up his left arm, she looks at him, "what happened to your arm and leg?" she asks as she lifts him up.

"I fell."

"Fell?"

"From a horse."

"Oh...well, I'll see what I can do about mendin' those limbs for you."

He nods wordlessly, laying his head on her shoulder. His eyes drift closed, she smells like honey and...baking salts.

"Troy, where's your mama and daddy?" his eyes shoot open and he tense's. But doesn't say anything.

He cries though.