As the family crossed the inner ward, lots of people gathered around them. Handing out their congratulations and good will towards Harvick, who had managed to bond with such a splendid dinosaur! None of them seemed fazed at the sight of the sick boy. For sometimes people would get injured and sometimes those injuries would guide them to death’s door… That was life…

Grettel however, was overcome by rage when she witnessed her son could barely walk.

She whined and exclaimed “What happened to my son!? What have you done!?”. William’s father turned a deaf ear to the woman’s shrill screaming and muttered “Now, now Grettel. You’re putting a damper on the festivities. Can’t you see that your son has returned proud with a catch worth praise and honor?”.

Hearing these pretentious words, Grettel wanted to kidnap William’s family and skin them all alive. How could this stubborn man not realize that Harvick was her golden goose!? Without that boy, she would be a fortune poorer and stuck in a ditch the rest of her life.

The old lady hurried over and huffed “What are you waiting for! Bring him into the servant’s quarters, immediately! He needs to see a doctor!”. The woman flicked her eyes among the criminals and landed them on Joss’ face. Then she ordered “You there, boy! Fetch the doctor! I don’t care if he beats you or declines to help. You have to ge-”. The father interrupted the crazed woman with a sneer and said “How dare you give an order to my son!?”.

Grettel wanted to flash her sharpest tooth and sink it into that man’s face! But she held back and said “Then who will get a doctor for my son?”. Vanessa felt the tension built and deemed it to be unnecessary drama. So she volunteered and darted away to find the healer…

William and Joss, followed the chaos. They witnessed as Harvick was being placed safely down onto a bed. Both children came up to his side and pitied the boy. His complexion was ghastly and as white as the bedsheets.

Before long they were dragged away by their father who said “Okay, we have delivered Harvick to get some rest. It’s about time we join the others… I trust that you can look after him, Grettel?”. The father suggested this with a cold and void tone.

As William got dragged away by a bloodstained hand, he felt reluctant to leave.

He thought: How can I leave Harvick to be nursed by that monster? She would clearly rather beat her son healthy, than actually give him some care. Who knows when the doctor will arrive and what he’ll do and who is going to fetch Harvick some water and wipe his sweat off? The poor boy, cleary can’t fend for himself in the company of such a witch!

William was filled with feelings of heroism. If he could help save his friend he would gladly miss out on this annual occasion. That’s what friends do! They stick with you when your going through rough times.

So William twisted his hand out of his father’s and said with great resolution “I want two stai with Hawick!”. His family might want to feast and be merry, but William wanted to make sure, Harvick was safe and be his support.

When this plea reached the adult’s ears, silence spread through the room. Something was boiling...

Inside of Grettel, greed and ambition boiled. She would happily have the little girl stay and do the work for her. She might even get the chance to check out the goods and see if they are worthy the trouble.

William’s father on the other hand, was boiling with irritation and guilt. He didn’t want his daughter to act cross! Especially not when it came to staying with that disgusting wretch, Grettel… But guilt also plagued his heart, as he was looking forward to getting hammered and ripped away with the flow. Even if someone he admired could be found dead the next morning…

The first one to break the stifling silence was Grettel. She smiled with a wide grin and said “Of course, you can stay little one… It’s nice to see, that at least one of you love my son enough, to stay behind and nurse him”. This remark made William feel queasy.

He couldn’t help but wonder why, when Grettel said such things, it made it seem like William was acting like a lovesick little girl… Nursing people and letting them sleep on his lap and such… This wasn’t at all what he was intending! He just wanted to see that poor bastard through this ordeal! Nothing more!

William wasn’t the only one feeling wronged by that sentence. His father was ready to explode.

He argued back “Loving him or not, he has you hasn’t he! How about you treat him like a proper mother would, you vulture! If you didn’t have sagging breasts obscuring peoples view, one might think you were a sly old man looking to become the next lord! Curb your ambitions woman. They don’t suit you!”. Both children became wide eyed at the language leaving their father’s mouth.

Joss couldn’t help but smile a bit. He despised Grettel too. Said woman, was not amused at his father’s remark.

She could only clench her teeth and retort “What proper mother!? I have sacrificed my everything for this child! And to even dare smear his proud mother in shit, while also being responsible for his possible demise... Who exactly are you preaching to!?”.

Their father shot out his chest and stood proud as he said “As someone who has made it possible for your son to gain a bonded beast of such value. I believe I have the right to question your person and actions!.. If it weren’t for your three other sons at home, you would find it hard to utter such words… Especially if your tongue should happen to be found in my hands...”. 

This threat didn’t seem to scare Grettel. On the contrary she mocked the man and said “What grace… Merciful is the sinner towards his victim. I must laugh… Why don’t you show some dignity and true loyalty as my son’s uncle? Leave your daughter here and let her nurse him… Such a small thing… Don’t tell me that your position means so little to you?”.

As the adults argued, William felt more reluctant to stay than leave… It had now become a great dilemma…

His father seemed to find the solution easy and replied “Clean your ears Grettel… My daughter is coming with me to enjoy the Harvest Feast. We’ll come by tomorrow and witness just how much you truly love your son… If he is dead, I guess the answer is pretty evident…”.

Grettel glared with contempt at the man and his children. She then muttered “Oh… Leave it to me… Enjoy the feast…”. William’s father needed nothing more said and quickly continued to drag his children outside.

William stumbled while he kept his gaze focused on Harvick’s injured leg…

Without meaning to, he saw Grettel’s lips move and mouth of some syllables. He could guess what she whispered under her own breath… Something along the lines of: “If he dies… You’ll follow along too...”.