Chapter Text
The Darlings started out as an ordinary family. Husband and wife in a small cottage with a little bit of land to their name. It started with their marriage, or perhaps when they met one rainy afternoon. Or perhaps it started when the missus left after a visit with the doctor to tell her husband that their little family was going to grow. Perhaps it started with their first child, a healthy little boy they decided to name Patton.
Patton was full of energy from the day he was born. He loved people and found everything amusing. As he grew, so did his sense of wonder and adventure. He played pretend in the backyard with sticks and jumped around on rocks, getting himself dirty and covered in bruises. He played with the chickens even after his parents told him not to, chasing them around a little to corral them back in their coup. He was a brave child who wasn’t afraid of anything! Except when he was about four, his mother became pregnant once more… or twice more…
Soon, the Darling’s little family grew and grew until there were quite a few of them. Patton became the eldest of seven children, the only boy in the group to help his sisters. He promised to take care of them no matter what, just like the heroes he would read about in his books. He kept that promise as much as he could with little hesitation.
He kept that promise when he saw his parents struggling with money and trying to keep food on the table. He kept that promise when he saw his siblings struggling with school. He kept that promise when he took up a job in the afternoons after schooling for a few copper ‘a week. And again when’ he dropped out completely to keep food on the table. He tried keeping up with schooling until the eldest sister could help with their lessons so Patton could focus on more important things, but he always made sure, no matter what, that he was there for his family first and foremost, even if it meant letting go of that little boy who had once dreamt of adventure.