Bambi and the Duke

Running his hands through his thick blonde hair, Leonard got up from the bed and walked out of his bedroom. His feet padded quietly on the marble floor, taking him to the door which was made of darker woods, carved in simple designs from top to bottom.

He opened the door which hadn’t been opened and used for several weeks now. He had asked the servants not to step into it. He didn’t want anything to be changed in his parent’s room. When he was a young boy, he often came here to talk to his parents but after he had moved to the Rune and Rufus’ mansion the visit had stopped. The last time he had spent time in his parent’s room was when he had found his father’s body splayed on the ground next to the bed with a pool of blood surrounding him.

He bent down at the foot of the bed, his hand moving in the air as if his father laid down there. Turning around, he sat with his back against the bed to support himself, stretching one leg long.

”Leo,” he heard his mother’s voice from his memories, ”What is it?” her elegant voice was fresh even now, recollecting a memory from the time he was young. The young boy shook his head at his mother’s question, ”Did you get into trouble again?”

The boy stood still, his brows furrowed too deeply for his age. His mother waited for him to speak, knowing he was gathering his thoughts, ”Is it true that Dana left?” at his question, the woman’s smile faltered slightly before raising her hand, silently asking him to come near her which he did. She brought him close to her, almost hugging him whilst keeping enough room so that she could look at her son.

”Was she made to leave?” he questioned her, his eyes staring right into hers.

His mother pursed her lips, knowing well a lie wasn’t something she wanted her son to grow up with, ”Uncle Sulvian doesn’t believe she would fit in right in the mansion.”

”Why not? Is it because she didn’t comply with Uncle Sullivan?”

”Hmm, you could say that. We live in a time where there are lines that separate each of us. Few lines just happen to be longer and wider where people need to know not to cross it,” she ran her hand gently through his hair, ”It is a rule that a servant or a maid listens to his or her master. It is a rule that they shouldn’t cross the line but sometimes you can erase those lines. Do you know why Paul brings you a watermelon every time he goes to the market?”

”Because he is supposed to?” this made his mother laugh.

”No, darling. He’s not supposed to bring things we haven’t asked for. He brings it because he knows you like it,” she explained, ”He cares for you because we didn’t create those lines among the people who live here. Living in harmony is necessary, else life will turn out to be very lonely. Unfortunately, some welcome that kind of living and some don’t in our society.”

”What is right then?” he asked her curious for an answer.

”Nothing at all. It depends on what you feel is right. Live for yourself, Leo, not for others opinions,” she bent down to leave a kiss on his forehead.

The colored memory turned grey and then to the color of the darkness of the room. Leonard touched his forehead, remembering the gentle kiss his mother had placed when he was young. Before the light began filling up the room, the door was closed with no trace of Leonard in the mansion.

Vivian woke up a little late that night. Having waited for Leonard to return back at the mansion, she had stayed up until Jan, the housekeeper had asked her to retire to bed as he would be there to server Leonard. Going to her master’s room, the bed was empty. If it weren’t for the disheveled covers on the bed, she would have guessed he hadn’t come back since last noon. Wondering where he went, she made his unkempt bed.

With the master not in the house along with the housekeeper, it was a breath of fresh air for the maids and the other servants who were always under the watchful eye of the vampire housekeeper.

Though the mansion was merry again after a very long time, it still felt empty and lonely to her. With not even Leonard around, the feeling of anxiousness rose in her chest. Doing her morning Chores, Vivian left for the market to buy groceries for the mansion along with another maid and the coachman. The grounds of the market was wetter than the other lands, bringing various people in and out of it with a lot of hustle that went by.

Keeping her at the safe side of the streets, she shopped for the vegetables while the other maid left to buy other things. Picking up the watermelon, she swung it as if to feel its heaviness. Watermelons were rare in the land of Bonelake which was brought from other lands.

It was when she was trying the third melon did a boy come running from the other side of the street, knocking off her balance. The boy who was no lesser than eleven or twelve grabbed the fruit from her hand to trip not far from the shop. He fell down crashing into several baskets while getting yelled by people.

The melon shopper walked around his shop to leave a punch on the boys face before taking the fruit which was going to be stolen.

”Little rat!” she heard the shopkeeper curse the boy, ”Trying to steal without money. You should be happy I’m not reporting you to the guards,” he yelled keeping the fruit back in it’s place.

Knowing that it was normal for something like this to happen in the market place as everyone were trying to strive, Vivian continued to shop before paying bronze coins to him.

Turning around she noticed the boy who had tripped, hadn’t moved from his place and instead sat right where he was. Feeling it to be a little out of place, she decided to go check on the boy.

”Little boy, are you alright?” she asked him to see him holding his leg with his eyes shut close. The market was a place where no one bothered or worried about another who weren’t concerned. That is was why Vivian wasn’t surprised when no one came to aid the boy except to curse him. Placing the gunny bag next to her securely so that it wouldn’t be stolen, she crouched in front of him. The boy was small and as he looked at her with bloodshot eyes in pain, he opened his mouth but no words came out. It was then did Vivian realize that he couldn’t speak, ”Let me see,” she said moving his hand away from his knee.

Pushing up the torn dark pant, she found blood oozing out of his skin. Upon touching it the boy cringed in pain.

”Vivian?! What are you doing?” The maid she had come with found her sitting on the ground, ”Who is the boy? Master will be home soon. We need to head back.”

”The boy is hurt,” Vivian frowned as she held her hand, covering his knee in an effort to stop the blood.

”Someone he knows will come help him,” said the maid, ”We are already past the time. Master Leonard won’t be happy if he finds out we were outside longer than the time that has been allotted.”

”It won’t take long,” Vivian murmured to receive a frustrated sigh from the maid.

”I’ll go get some water. You’re going to get me into trouble,” the maid disappeared in the crowd while Vivian held both her hands on the boy’s knee.

After a while the maid returned back to Vivian holding a battered tumbler in her hand.

Vivian didn’t know what happened but when she moved her bloodied hand away from the wound, it seemed like the blood had stopped bleeding but that wasn’t what surprised her. It was when she started pouring water to clean the wound did she see it.

Confused she looked up at his knee and then the boy who looked at her with an equally surprised look. There was no wound present there at all.