Tired.

I was tired at the moment. Not physically but mentally. I couldn't grasp the idea of why I had saved a random child from death.

Speaking of the child, I couldn't help but spare a glance his way. He was lying in a makeshift bedding of webbing that I made that stretched across a corner my home.

My home was comfortable, from my perspective anyway. Webs traced along the walls of the cave I called home, a rather large one nestled right above the black throne that I sat in when I was tired, contemplating, or both.
I had a bookcase full of books that I've gathered across my lifespan shuffled neatly in the corner.

The small boy shuffled in his sleep. Something I hadn't done
in centuries. Sleep, among other things, I had given up once I became "Elise the spider queen."

I wondered what he was dreaming about. Was it his father's death, or was it something sweeter. Maybe it-

The child stirred, shifting and turning in his bed before finally sitting up. He screamed a hellishly annoying scream that seemed to pierce my act of kindness, and for only the briefest of moments, I wanted to silence him forever, but I withheld.

"Quiet!"

The brat -thankfully-shut his dam mouth, his chest heaving as he looked at me before down at my webbing.

And then back at me.

Then his eyes darted across the room, the look of his eyes akin to a trapped animal. I watched and waited in silence for him to stop being so finicky.

"Where am I?" So it would seem that he can speak complete sentences.

"You are in my home. What you're lying on is my own webbing. You should be grateful," I answered coolly.

"How did you make webs? My dad- what happened to my dad?" The boy whined, tears wielding up in his eyes.

Inconceivable!

"Stop whining boy! I did not rescue you to hear you whine and cry about everything. Your father is dead and whining about it won't fix it!" I fumed madly, taken back myself a little at the harshness of my tone.

The boy's eyes welled with even more tears, the child making pitiful noises as well.

I stood up and walked towards him slowly before pulling him into a hug. It was awkward, for him as well as me but it felt like the right thing to do. After all, humans loved this whole 'shoulder to cry on thing' right?

I stood still as he cried his little heart out, prickling my skin with his warm tears. I tried my best to ignore the foul smell that surrounded him, but it was growing increasingly difficult.

After a couple of moments, or hours-I didn't really know-he stopped crying, reduced to only sniffles.

"If you're done crying, you can take a bath in my bathroom," I said hesitantly. I wasn't sure which I was disgusted with the most: the boy smelling horrendous or him taking a bath in my personal bathroom.

The boy nodded, and gave me something that I wouldn't have expected to see from him.

A smile.

It wasn't exactly illuminating, but it was something. Wait, when did I care if he was happy or not?

I scoffed to myself as well as letting the boy go before standing up from the makeshift web bed.

In fact, why was I sheltering him in the first place?

"Because he is but a child,"

Hmph. No good comes from pity, it only breeds hope for kindness, and there is none in this world.

Only darkness. The feeling that's there with you, even after the end. It's has always been with me, even before I became the spider queen.

"Come boy, let's get you cleaned up."

I lead the boy to my bathroom, his small feet pattering behind me.

My bathroom was one of the few things I've kept humanized, for obvious reasons. It was about the closest things I've had to human civilization then I would've liked, but I had no choice. It was a plan cream color, a smooth marble sink along with a mirror. Finally was of course the toilet and my shower. More of a nice gesture to myself, I've always had nice clean towels laid out to wipe myself off with.

I gestured the child into the bathroom, to which he obliged obediently. Something told me that I wouldn't have any problems with him obeying me.

That was a start.

"You shall take your bath in here." I stated while I also showed him how to work the shower. After I received a nod of understanding I was about to leave him to it, when I felt him grab my wrist.

I wanted to snap at him right there, but my sudden anger was outweighed by how weak his grip was, it was if I was bring tugged at by the wind.

"I don't have any clothes," he whispered, the sound of his voice barely reaching my ears.

"I'll have some for you when you're finished...when's the last time you ate child?" I asked him.

"I don't know," he whispered truthfully.

As if his stomach was listening, it growled an unearthly growl. Embarrassed dust gray eyes met mine.

I laughed.

Not a forced laugh, not an alluring or seductive laugh, just a pure a genuine laugh. I found myself uncontrollably laughing like one of those immature women in my cult. As much as I hated to admit it, the action wasn't unwelcoming. I felt knots that I didn't know unwind from my body, leaving me only with a somewhat high state that I could only relate to when I finish feeding-

"I'm kind of hungry," he said softly, embarrassment lacing his voice of course.

I was snapped from my high by his voice, the smile on my face dissipating with the laughter as I was faced with a slight dilemma.

Finding him something to eat.

"After you take your shower. I'll have something for you to eat ok?"

It was hard, for some reason to lie to him. I had lied many times, but this one disturbed me. Maybe it was because I was lying to a child. He probably hadn't even grasped the concept of lying.

It was hard as it was to find fresh souls, so where in the seventh circle was I supposed to find human food.

He nodded his head without question before closing the door to my bathroom gently.

I sighed quite loudly once I heard the water running. I haven't even had this boy for a whole day and he was already causing me problems.

"You seemed troubled Elise. Maybe this'll help."

I turned towards the voice and almost gasped in joy. Standing a few feet away from me was none other than Evelyn, with a brown sack in her hand that I could only guess was food.

"But how did...right," I trailed irritably.

"Hey, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't spy-I mean check up on you occasionally," she teased in that same low seductive tone she always used.

I reached out and accepted the bag from Evelyn, brow raising slightly as I looked at the contents.

"In my time as a human, I'm pretty sure they ate more than just fruit," I murmured as all that was currently in the sack was a small assortment of fruit.

"I got that from the boy's ship darling." One of the few things I hated about Evelyn was how she dragged out every possible word she spoke.

"Where's his ship now?" I asked curiously though I already knew the answer.

"Probably buried beneath the black ocean by now." She cast a glance towards the bathroom, her golden eyes twinkling with curiosity." So what made you decide to keep him?"

"I don't know...and that's what troubles me. "

"So your morality is questioned when you met a child? "Evelyn asked incredulously and quite nosily.

"My mission is still very clear, what I have for this boy is...nothing more than a grain of pity," I said coldly.

"I see," she whispered before clasping her hands, "I'm sorry for doubting you then darling."

"Did you need to discuss anything else? If not I'd like you to leave as I prepare a few things, and I mean leave."

Despite me and Evelyn's different goals in our unique lives, we respected each other. We had even point of becoming friends you could say.

"As you wish, my darling," she purred before disappearing.

I sighed heavily before sitting the sack on the boy's makeshift webbing of a bed.

Clothes.

I needed to get him something to wear. Brainstorming proved to be fruitless as I was still at a complete lost. The only thing that came to mind was magic weaving his clothes. With no other options, I transformed into my true form, my spider appendages protruding from my back as well as the majority of my arms becoming black. My fingers shaped to more like talons, my nails becoming crimson.

I set to work, silently weaving basics clothes for the boy. So deeply concentrated in my work, I failed to realize the door swing open

But not the gasp that followed. I turned to the child, the boy frozen in what I could only imagine was terror at my true form.

Dumb on my part I suppose.

"Calm down Guan," I said calmly, pausing in my work to look at him.

"You're-re a monster too," he whispered fearfully, gripping the blue towel around him protectively.

The word monster didn't really faze me, I was used to it from my colleagues (if you could call them that) along with some of my most faithfully stupid followers.

"Your right, I am a monster, "I whispered before continuing my weaving, "but unlike thresh I have no intent on harming a defenseless child. If you do not believe me, you are more than welcome to leave Guan."

Silenced filled the air between us, the only sound emitting from my constant weaving, my black silk forming into that of a robe somewhat. I should have stopped when I gave him the choice to leave, but something told me that he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. As harsh as I may have been, I was probably a better choice than death.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, he spoke, his voice barely a whisper.

"Why are you a monster?"

Such a simple question.

"Because, it was my fate to become one," I answered, and that was the short truth.

Again, his voice rattled through the air.

"Do you like being a monster?"

Again, such a simple question.

The words escaped me. I loved my immortality, my youth but, did I really enjoy being a...

"Monster," I said quietly, my weaving slowly down to a crawl as my mind raced.

All the killing I've done, and all the lives I've ruined by my mere presence. Was it really what I enjoyed? Was I no better than thresh or Karthus at this point.

"But you have a reason," my mind soothed me.

The thought calmed my small self-quarrel, but I still felt uneasy. ]0 was a small part of me that was thrilled to take away someone else's life, to watch it trickle from them into me.

"The ends justify the mean," I thought solemnly.

"I suppose I do not." I continued my weaving before adding, "but there are some things in this world that you must do that you don't want to do Guan." I had to lie. There was no logical way I could tell a mere child that I enjoyed being a monster.

Was I already a monster to begin with I wonder? Before Vilemaw bestowed upon me his gift of immortality.

"They made me into a monster. Vilemaw only shed light upon me."

Silence filed the air between us yet again, I finding relief that I was almost done with his clothes for some reason. My ears perked up as I heard him ruffle in the sack that laid on his bed.

"Crunch!"

My left eye twitched as the air was filled by the boy's lips smacking on an apple.

"Oh for gods sakes boy," I screeched, immediately causing the boy to look at me with wide eyes. "Chew with your mouth closed or so help me," I threatened. Never in decades have I ever heard someone so callously devour their food.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled before letting out a loud sneeze...without covering his mouth.

So disgusting!

"Boy...did your father not teach you manners?" I asked eerily calm. When he shook his head 'no' I wanted to strangle his father for not teaching the young boy proper manners.

"He's cold," my thoughts whispered softly.

I took a good look at the boy and indeed he was shivering. I had forgotten how cold humans get when they were visitors of the shadow isles.

"Here boy," I said as I handed him a black robe, similar to what my cultist wore but with a twist. I had imbued a little of my magic to keep him warm if need be.

"My names Guan," he said fiercely as he accepted my handiwork. Did I detect attitude from this cretin?

"I suppose you are right...Guan. But you better watch your tone or I might have to show you what a monster I really am," I said coldly, flexing my claws to prove a point.

"yes ma 'm," was all he muttered before eyeing what I gave him.

"What are you waiting for boy, put it on," I grumbled somewhat impatiently for some reason.

The boy seemed to snap at attention before a slight blush adored his face. This is the first time someone's ever made me something, "he admitted softly.

I wanted to dismiss the silly idea of him feeling special over something so trivial and insignificant... But the look in his grey eyes, I couldn't ruin that.

"You're welcome Guan," I said calmly, trying to mask my confusion at my own actions.

Why, why was I being so nice to this brat! He contributes nothing but irritation yet-

I was snapped from my thoughts with the sound of a door closing. I spared a glance towards Guan and was not surprised to find his body absent from his bed of webs along with the robe I gave him.

I had to get rid of him, before he became problematic, then he was right now anyway. But I couldn't just cast him away back into the wilderness of the shadow isles, I had done too much to keep him alive. If I was to be rid of him and return him to human civilization, there was only one who could help me.

Yorick.

Xxx

Thanks for reading guys and sorry for the wait. Expect an update on welcome to my web sometime in the few days.