When she finished washing his face and tending to his wounds, Gray's mother fixed him some stew and set back to doing her work. She sat down in front of a spinning wheel and began to spin their leftover wool into cloth.

"Mama." Gray said when he finished his meal. 

"Yes dear." She said while still working.

"Am I really going to turn into a beast when I grow up like Rufus said I would?"

She stopped her work and turned to face him.

"No of course not. Don't pay any attention to what those boys say. They don't know what they're talking about, they're only repeating things that they've heard that nasty duke say."

"But Mama if it's not true then why does everyone say that? Why does the village hate me? Is it because of what I did to that horse? I didn't mean to hurt him I swear!"

What Gray was referring to was an incident that took place a few months back. You see Gray had not been born like most of the children in the village. From an early age he showed signs of being able to use magic. But it was dark magic so a lot of villagers feared him and it didn't help that he had no idea how to control his powers. One day when he had been walking through the market place with his mother he saw that a farmer's horse had broken it's leg, Gray decided to try to use his powers to fix the horse's leg under the belief that if they saw that he used his magic for good then maybe they wouldn't be so afraid of him. But again he didn't know how to control his magic so he ended up accidentally turning the poor animal into stone.

Now Gray's mother knew all too well that it was an accident and that the boy meant no real harm but the villagers automatically assumed that he did it on purpose and was a threat to all of them. Ever since that day Gray did everything he could to avoid using his powers.

"I know you didn't mean to hurt that creature." She said gently. "It's just that most of the time people don't react well to what they don't understand. But you are not a beast, you are a very beautiful young boy and you will grow up to be a beautiful young man."

"You really think so?"

"I know so. I knew it from the day you were born which was the happiest day of my life."

"Are you happy now?"

"Yes I am."

"But how can you be? We're so poor and the villagers are mean to you just like they are to me."

"Perhaps but I have you so I'm happy."

"I just wish I didn't make things so much harder for you. That's the reason why so few people buy cloth from you, they're scared I might have hexed it or something. If I had never been born-"

"Now don't you dare finish that sentence. You being born was not what made life so much more difficult for me. It was my fault, mine and your father's."

"What do you mean?"

She sighed for a moment before answering.

"Gray when I was young a made a mistake. I was very naive and foolish and I...I believed your father when he said he loved me so I did something that I wasn't really proud of and sometime after that he left me."

"I don't understand. Why did he leave?"

"He said it was because I couldn't give him what he wanted."

"Well maybe we could go find him and talk to him. Maybe we could convince him he was wrong to leave and to come back. He could take care of us and we could be a family."

"No Gray. No that can never happen."

"Why not? Doesn't he love us?"

She became silent and was so very afraid to answer his question because he knew the truth could hurt him. But she couldn't just lie to him. That was something she would never do, lie to her boy.

"No Gray. He didn't love us. He wasn't even happy when I told him I was pregnant with you. He said that you were my burden to carry not his."

"I'm a burden?"

"No darling!" She said embracing him. "No. Your father foolishly saw you as a burden but the truth is you were a gift. A gift that I love and cherish with all my heart."

"Do you really feel that way Mama?"

"Always have, always will."

To prove it she planted a kiss on his forehead. Gray smiled, his mother always knew how to make him feel better about himself. He wasn't sure what he'd do if she wasn't around anymore.

"Now then I think I'll get back to work."

"No Mama you need dinner too. Why don't I finish your work while you eat?"

"That's sweet but you're still learning and I think you're much too young to be doing my work."

"I don't mind. I like it. Please."

"Well...Alright. But as soon as i'm done with my dinner you let me takeover okay?"

"Okay."

She watched him work as she ate and she was surprised that someone so young could learn to spin so well in such short time. When she first started spinning it taken her months to get it right. 

"Gray you astound me." She said smiling. "You could spin for kings and queens one day."

"Really? I didn't think I had any talent."

"It's more than talent it's a gift. You could probably spin something from anything."

"Something from anything?" 

He thought about that for a moment, trying to think of what he could spin. As he thought he glanced outside the window to where they kept the straw to feed the sheep. Funny thing about straw is was basically just dried grass best used for feeding livestock but he always thought it's color was very nice. In fact he thought that when the light shined on it the color resembled gold. Gold. Straw and gold. That give him any idea.

"Mama do you think that I could spin straw into gold?"

"What?" She giggled.

"You said that I could spin something from anything. If I could spin straw into gold then we would be rich. We wouldn't starve and we wouldn't always be so cold and we wouldn't live in this drafty house. We could move away from here and live in a castle."

"Oh Gray that is a lovely thought but you misunderstand. When I said you could spin something from anything I meant you could spin any kind of cloth from any kind of material. Spinning straw into gold is impossible."

"It is?"

"Yes."

"Oh..."

"But we don't need gold to get by and we most certainly do need it to be happy."

"But don't you ever get tired of living like this?"

"It is a struggle but it's not all bad. You know not everyone in village is cruel to us or scared of us. Macao the toy maker has always been very kind to us. Remember him?  He still comes by to buy my cloth and he's the one who always makes a special toy just for you every year on your birthday."

"Yes he is nice. You know you'd think with all the toys he makes he'd have some kids of his own to give them to."

"That's thing Gray he wants to have a child so very much but unfortunately his wife left him and he hasn't be able to remarry so it doesn't look like he'll ever have a child of his own."

"Wow that's really sad. But he always looks so happy."

 "I suppose he copes with the loss by bringing a smile to the faces of other children with his wonderful toys. Which reminds me, your birthday is next month and he's been asking me what kind of toy you would like for him to make you. Any ideas?"

"No not really. I'm sure I'll think of something."

"Well whatever it is you think of I promise you I'll do whatever I can to get it for you. Now tell me if you could have anything you want in the whole world what would it be?"

"I don't know. What would you want Mama?"

"Gray it's your birthday coming up not mine."

"Maybe what you want could give me an idea about what I want."

"But there's nothing in this world I want. Once you were born you became all that I ever wanted."

"What about before I was born? Don't tell me you didn't want anything before."

"Okay you got me on that one." She chuckled. "There was something I wanted very much, before you came along that is."

"What was it?"

"When I was growing up one of my favorite things to do was admire the beauty and smell the sweet perfume of roses. They were all just so lovely and I thought they were more beautiful than anything in the world, even more beautiful than gold and jewels."

"Really?" Gray said looking at her like she was crazy.

"I know it sounds odd but roses are alive Gray. Alive, warm, sweet smelling, soft. At least around the petals that is. Jewels and gold on the other hand have no life and they're cold and hard. I guess what I wanted most was to have my very own rose garden. One where there were different kinds of roses with different colored petals. I would water them, prune them, smell their fragrance, and admire their loveliness for hours."

"And you never got what you wanted?"

"Your father promised me one once but that was just another one of the many lies he told me. Now you know why I don't like lies."

"In that case I'll get you a rose garden Mama."

"Sweet of you to offer darling but it can't be done. The soil on our land is no longer fertile."

"Then we'll move someplace where the soil is fertile. When I grow up I'm going to make a lot of money. I don't know how I'll do it but I will. I work very hard and once I have enough money we'll move away to a place where people won't be afraid of us. I'll build us a castle to live in with and it'll have a rose garden just for you."

"You dream big my boy but you know big dreams require a lot of faith and hard work."

"I can work hard. I know I can. I promise you that one day I'll make you a rose garden."

"Gray don't make promises you can't keep. That's how you disappoint people."

"But I can keep it."

"You don't know that for sure. Making a lot of money is one thing but enough to build a castle and a garden is very difficult thing to accomplish."

"Alright how about this then. I promise that if I manage to build a castle I'll add a rose garden to it for you."

"That's better. But for now I just want you to focus on growing up to be a healthy, kind, hard working, and honest young man. Understand?"

"Yes Mama."

"Good. Now get ready for bed, I'll be there in a minute to tuck you in."

Gray quickly went into the other room to do as she said while she put away her work. She had just finished when there was a knock at the door. She went to answer it and on the other side stood someone she really didn't want to see. It was the Duke.

"Good evening Alina." 

"Good evening Duke Lore." She said. "May I help you?"

"Yes I heard your boy was causing trouble again. Rufus told me that he was acting very suspicious. Might have been planning to attack someone."

"You know very well my son has never harmed anyone. The only one causing trouble was your son and his friends and it's because of your influence."

"Is it my fault that he's a monster."

"He's a child!" She defended. "An innocent child who only wants to live peacefully and make friends like every other child in this village. Why can't you just leave him be?"

"Perhaps I would be willing to overlook some of the boy's flaws if you would reconsider my offer." Has he spoke this he moved his shifty hands to her waist. She moved away from him in disgust.

"You will maintain your distance sir." She said.

"You know it pains me to see you living like this Alina. Just accept my offer to give you a better life."

"You mean your offer to make me your mistress." She snipped. "I would rather rot than give myself to a man like you."

"Yes we all know what kind of men you give yourself to." 

That insult was painful but she didn't let him know it got to her.

"I gave myself to a man I loved and I thought he loved me. I was proven wrong but I gained something very precious from that short union so I do not regret my actions."

"You consider that bastard child precious? All he's done is brought you misery and anguish from the very moment you birthed him."

"Duke Lore I'm going to have to ask that you leave this house immediately."

"And I'm going to have to refuse."

"Is that so?" She grabbed a carving knife her table and held it toward him. "Leave now Duke because you should know that I am prepared to defend myself and my child to my last breath."

"You would dare raise a blade to me?"

"Do not underestimate a mother's love for her child. I would do anything to protect my son. Even if it meant I had to kill you."

Lucky for Alina no one who could or would defend the duke was there and he had no weapons with him so in the end he chose to leave the house. Alina then locked the door, put the knife on the table, and went to tuck Gray into bed.

...

Elkis never thought she would end up taking advice from Gren but she was desperate. So she suggested that the two go outside with her to play a game of catch. Nasha as expected refused but Greige agreed to because after Elkis had comforted him, he wanted to make their relationship better. 

"I've never really played catch before." He told her.

"Never? Not even with the other children in foster care?" She asked him.

"I was the only kid in my other foster homes."

"Well did your other foster parents ever play with you?"

"No. They just fed me and after that they pretty much ignored me."

"Oh Greige I'm so sorry. Well I'm different. I'm not going to ignore you."

"I know."

They tossed the ball back and forth between each other. It seemed simple enough but Greige tended to be a little clumsy and would end up dropping the ball or missing the catch. It would make Elkis laugh but she wasn't making fun of him, she just thought he looked so cute. They played for a few hours, went inside for lunch, then played a board a game before dinner. Elkis decided to make dinner special tonight by allowing the kids to help her cook. Before she got started she tried one last time to Nasha to join in the fun.

"I'm going to start cooking dinner now." She told Nasha after the girl allowed her to enter her room.

"Okay." Nasha said in an uncaring tone as she tried to get the boombox in the house to start playing another song. 

"I thought it would be fun if you and Greige helped me cook tonight's dinner."

"No thanks. I don't cook."

"That's too bad because what we're making is very tasty."

"What is it?"

"Meat pies."

Nasha almost dropped her CD's when she heard Elkis say that. Now Nasha usually didn't talk about the things she liked best but her favorite food in the whole wide world was meat pies. The warm buttery crust, the salted meat filling, and the other savory ingredients added in to give it that extra flavor. Just thinking about it made her mouth water. 

"Meat pies?" Nasha said trying not to show how hungry she was.

"Yes. I heard that they were your favorite. That's why I chose to make it for dinner. Was I informed wrong? If so I can always make something else."

"No!" Nasha cried desperately and when she saw the smile of victory on Elkis's face she realized that she had fallen for her trap hook, line, and sinker. "I mean...I do like meat pies so you don't have to make something else."

"Okay. Would you like to help me cook them?"

"I don't know how to cook."

"I can teach you. It'll be fun plus you can pick whatever goes into your pie. So what do you say?"

Nasha's pride and cynical nature demanded that she say no. It told her that this was just a ploy and that she would end up regretting her decision to do this. But to be honest Nasha was almost touched that Elkis had decided to cook her favorite food. None of her foster parents had ever cooked her something she really wanted nor did they teach her how to make it. Her favor had been won and her desire to learn had been peeked. 

"Can you really teach me how to cook them?"

"Yes I can. Go wash your hands and meet me in the kitchen."

"Alright."