Excerpt:

Crack!

The sting of the lash bit into the flesh of my bare back.

Crack!

It tenderly caressed my shoulder. Like a mother, it reassured me that everything was normal. Everything was as it should be. It was as close as I had to a mother. I embraced it. Expected it. Welcomed it.

“Devil-cursed orphan! The king does not pay for your upkeep without recompense. Two meals a day, and you do not produce your quota!”

Crack!

I had gathered more oysters than the other children. Twice as many, in fact. However, that was not enough. More was expected of me. I was an orphan. Without anyone to provide for me, the King was required to. In return, I had to repay my upkeep. The quotas were set by the Undersquire. More was expected of an orphan. It always was, it always would.

Throwing me my shirt, I was given another task. Cleaning the ashes from the cooking hearth.