His father no longer trusted him to work the jobs designated to his gender, not believing him to be tough or strong enough to do even the slightest, simplest task. Although this hurt him, Toris was happy in the cool shade of the house, helping his mother with the cooking and cleaning: now that Toris had found his purpose he could not be stopped.

He scampered about after Ugnė and Milda, catching the clothes that fell from the loads in his sisters' arms. Toris learned how to scrub out the dirt in buckets of water pulled up from the ground, he learned to set and test the line and how to drape the clothes so they would flap in the wind and the water would evaporate into the sky to join the ever watchful clouds. He stood on a stool in the kitchen and peeled potatoes and carrots and onions, he and Milda de-boned chickens and cracked eggs into bowls.

Toris wasn't allowed to tend to the fire, or was even told how due to the fact he was boy. He learned that only woman were to build and care for Gabija; but he managed to learn what there was to be taught because he had only had to be scolded once that regardless of who was calling him or what he had to do, when the fire was lit all were to watch he had to do, when the fire was lit all were to watch with full intent,honoring the burning goddess. And as the family would stare, his mother would sing in the most wonderful voice:

"The fire is burning, tuta, tuta...

Gabija is burning...

On the mound

ON the hill-"

Toris, still so young and not used to the early hours his family kept,

"Fire Gabija

Shine as lit

Smolder as covered

Zemynele, dear earth

We are your children-"

would feel his eyelids grow heavy with sleep,

"Saule – sun, dear mother

We are your daughters

Menuo – moon, dear father

We are your sons

Stars, dear sisters

We are your sisters-"

and they would close, his small head drooping to rest against his chest, mouth slightly agape,

"Fire, Gabija

Shine as lit

Smolder as covered

Give us strength

Unite us-"

and Toris would sleep against the makeshift lullaby,

"Zemynele, dear earth

Help us prosper

Laima, destiny-giver

Bless us..."

Toris would be startled awake when a wooden spoon cracked down upon his head and he would be sent to sit in the corner to hold his bump and cry. Fortunately, Lietuva learned much faster than a boy normally did and this occurrence was rare.

-/-

The tall grass tickled against his pale peach skin as he ran up a small mound. Ugnė was walking a few feet behind, observing her younger siblings. Toris laughed as Milda set a crown of flowers atop his head.

"Now you're king of the faeries, Toris!" she giggled, curtsying to her brother.

Toris picked a flower of his own and set it behinds her ear. "I am! And you can be the queen!"

Ugnė scoffed and picked the little boy up, cradling him in her arms like a baby. "You can't be king and queen if you're brother and sister!" she playfully scolded the laughing children, spinning around. "You two are so silly." Ugnė set Toris back upon the mound and sat next to him, her long dress settling atop her legs so that only the tips of her leather slippers could be seen.

Toris huffed and fixed his crown. "As king of the faeries I can do what I want!" He took Milda's hand and mimed a curtsy to her. "Your majesty!"

"Your majesty!" she mimicked after joining him on his post. They sat only when Ugnė gave in and halfheartedly bowed to them.

The grass at this time of year was brown and limp, ready to be buried by the coming snow – which had already started to frost their land during the night. The wind was crisp and fast, but not as biting as it was during the season's peak. Most of the plants were shriveling or browning or drooping in preparation to hibernate. Toris could hear, off in the distance, his father's deep harvest song as Petras and Liudvikas sang along, but it wasn't long before his mother cut through his voice to call him and his sisters back to the house.

Ugnė was the first to stand, brushing dirt and clinging grass from her dress. She gave Milda a hard look as the younger began to complain and she too stood with a huffy pout. Lietuva smiled and took Ugnė's hand as the returned. They passed the cattle grazing freely and it brought him contentment. He had always enjoyed being amongst the cattle and flocks of the castle and his encounter back at Valdas' home had furthered his belief that animals should not be kept in pens. Lietuva removed his crown as they entered the house and left it on the ground by the door, hiding it between the step and a bush of rue. Ugnė and Milda were washing up in a bucket of water – warmed due to its proximity to the fire – while his mother was checking the doneness of several loaves of bread. Toris climbed upon his stool and sat with his legs on either side of him.

Lietuva giggled as Ugnė nearly hit her head on one of the lumps of dried meat that hung from the ceiling and his mother gave him a look of reprimand. "Is dinner almost ready?" he asked, a look of playful innocence on his young face.

Audra shook her head at the boy, smiling despite herself. "Just about, call your father please, Toris." She set the bread before him on the table and he breathed in deeply before jumping down.

Like a bird, Toris sped around the house with his arms out. He ran through the living room and felt Gabija's heat lick his legs and he let out a small sound before laughing again and he went through the door. "Tėtis!" he called as he went around the house, slowing as he rounded the corner. "Tėtis," he said again, looking around for his father and older brothers in the nearly empty field.

He heard a small whistle and he spun around seeing Petras peeking around the back of the barn. "Hey there little sparrow – where yuh been all day?" The older brunette leaned against the house, smiling at him.

"Hey!" Toris moved closer, leaning in slightly. "Where'd your tooth go?" Sure enough the harder Toris looked the wider Petras smirked showing the gap where his right front tooth was gone.

Suddenly, his older brother grabbed his arm, leaning in closer. "Like it? This is the third time I lost a tooth – Liudvikas has a tooth loose too!" Leaning down closer to Lietuva, Petras tilted his head to show off the swollen gum. "it means I'm closer to being a grown-up."

Toris' shoulders hunched as he retreated away from the closeness, but his head tilted opposite of Petras' and he looked at the gap with wide, curious eyes. "Did it hurt?"" he questioned quietly.

"A little," he answered, moving his head a bit more, "and it bled a whole bunch. Tėtis sent me out here to try and stop the bleeding but, ah, I didn't want to go back to work so I'm hiding." Petras paused, tightening his grip gently. "Hey Toris – we...we aren't really brothers, right?"

Intrigued by the question, and slightly hurt by it too, Toris made a small sound. "I-I guess not...but I want to be – why?" Before getting an answer, Toris felt soft lips pressed against his own. His eyes widened and Lietuva turned his head away, struggling against the bigger boy. "L-let go!" His command was obeyed and Lietuva fell on his bottom in the dirt. "What are you doing?" Toris' voice cracked as he shuffled away, heart pounding wildly.

Petras' face turned to that of a look of fear, knowing that he had severely screwed up. "I-I just-! Please don't be scared, Toris," he said, waving his hands in a surrendering manner. "Tėtis told us what happened to you, about how that bad man...touched you in...you know, your pants. I don't want to do that to you, I just..." Petras rung his wrists, looking away. "I just feel like...I don't know, I feel like, really nice and safe around you."

Lietuva blinked sadly at his older brother, the child of his land; he wondered if Petras was really in love with him or whether or not he was feeling the paternal devotion the animals felt towards him. The instinctual sensing of their fatherland. "Does it kind'a feel," he paused, "like Mama-safe?"

It was now Petras' turn to pause. He slid down the wall of the barn, holding his legs to his chest. "I guess...sort of...maybe."

Nodding in understanding, Lietuva scooted across the dirt like a dog with worms, finally settling next to his brother. It was odd, he began to realize, to be in this situation. He wanted to be Toris, son of Mykolas, a farmer, a child, a human, but he wasn't, he couldn't. He had to be Lietuva, he had to be the fatherland. He swallowed the thick lump in his throat, Toris wasn't ready for that. He didn't want to be that. "What do-" he cleared his throat, "what do boys, kids, do when they like each other like they want to kiss and stuff?"

Too clearing his throat, Petras shifted about. "Well, they kiss obviously a-and they could cuddle and hold each other." The older boy angled himself to be more facing Toris while still sitting next to him. "Milda sometimes plays house with a boy a few farms over."

Toris nodded again, he felt his chest constrict with nervous excitement, he felt his stomach flop and twist and churn, he felt sick and like he wanted to run, but not away, he felt like he had a ball of energy just sitting in his belly, waiting to make him scream and jump and move around or else he would surly vomit.

But he didn't. Instead he stood, a deep breath filling his lungs, and extended a hand to the older boy. "It's dinner time," he said, helping Petras stand. Together they walked into the barn and brought in their father and other brother.

Keri: I'm really sorry this chapter's so short and sucky. I wanted to put a lot into it, but it just wasn't happening so I figured I'd post what I have. We'll be getting to the real plot in the next chapter I really, really promise.

Historical Notes:

• Fire ritual song: [www dot infinityfoundation dot com forward slash mandala forward slash h_es forward slash h_es_trink_i_fire_frameset dot htm]