Bambi and the Duke

They sat in front of the fireplace of Leonard’s room or was she supposed to call it their room? wondered Vivian to herself. By the time she had returned back to the mansion, all are clothes and other belongings has disappeared from the room she was residing in since the past few days. The drawers were empty and so was the cupboards, making her worry until Jan had come to note her on the small change that had taken place while they were out.

The chair that they sat on was a single seating one but it had enough to space to have another person that Vivian sat with her back laid against Leo’s chest as they read a book in hand. They had done it before and this was just turning to a sweet habit. The fire and light were warm in the cold weather where it was heading towards Winter.

Vivian was sad, yet at the same time, she was happy to have Leo open up to her. With having shared what he felt, he had gone back to his usual quiet self while she accompanied him on his path of silence like a shadow. She knew he had been in pain for a long time, holding in his feelings and bottling it up which opened up after going to Paul’s grave.

When Leonard went to turn the page, Vivian stopped him, ”I didn’t finish it yet,” her voice was as soft as the crackling of the fire.

”What were you thinking instead of concentrating here?” he nuzzled his nose behind her ear before leaving a small kiss, ”Do you want to sleep?” he asked her and she shook her head immediately.

”No!”

”Okay, but if you are, we can head to bed and finish this tomorrow. The book isn’t leaving anymore nor am I or you,” his arms tightened around her waist and she pushed her back, letting him hold her because it felt good to have him hug her. These innocent moments were what filled up her heart. To spend the time like this with him with no restriction. Turning herself so that her legs hanged beside, she faced him.

Running her hand through his blonde tresses which always looked kept and in place. As far as she could remember, his hair had stayed the same and he asked him,

”You never thought to cut your hair?” it was a simple question but for Leonard her every word meant a lot.

”Why? You don’t like it?” he asked her casually with raised brows to see her smile and shake her head.

”I never said I didn’t. It was just a question,” she placed her head on his head to feel him place his chin on her head, not putting much weight.

Leonard placed the book aside so that he could hold her better as they sat in front of the fireplace with the cold approaching Winter. The doors to the patio had been shut close as it had her shivering out of the cold. Looking down at her, he noticed her concentrating on something to realize after a few seconds that it was his heartbeat that she was listening to.

”Leo?” she called his name, ”Why didn’t you place a soul bond on me?” she lifted herself up to look into his eyes.

Vivian had read about the bonds, the soul bonds, master and temporary bonds and now that they had got married she wondered why he hadn’t placed one on her.

He tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, asking, ”Does that bother you?”

”A little,” hearing her answer he smiled.

”Good. It should,” he responded, ”I had be disappointed if didn’t bother you. What would you like to do, Vivi? Are you ready to call yourself to be my wife? Because I don’t mind,” he stated staring into her midnight black eyes to see nothing but blackness in there where the red specs weren’t in there, ”You wanted to complete the exam on your own merit and I want to protect you because the tasks that take place during the exam, I won’t be there to look after what happens.”

It was very common for the examinees to pull down another person during the task to have a better opportunity of being picked by the council examiners. People were vile and would get to any extent to pass the test.

”You want to keep me safe,” he could hear the smile in her voice, ”Then later?” it seemed that she was looking forward to it as if it were a candy treat she had only dreamed of.

”Believe me, Bambi. I want nothing more to leave a soul bond on you but let’s wait a little bit longer. Just a little longer which is less than two weeks for the exam to get over. If I bite you now, I am not sure how that’s going to work out for us,” said Leonard bringing her head back to his chest so that she wouldn’t strain her neck.

”Will it work if I try?”

”You mean you bite me?”

”Yes,” Vivian replied.

”Maybe if you were a vampire, it would have. A human cannot leave a soul bond, it would be nothing less to you biting me,” he chuckled. His mood had considerably lightened since the last one hour.

Leonard hadn’t able to look at his previous housekeeper’s grave at the thought of what he had done. Believing in something you did was right and finding out later that the reason was right yet wrong at the same time was something he wasn’t able to digest. For a man with a pride like Leo, he was ashamed. Ashamed that he had let people down. But what had happened was done and there was nothing he could do to fix it. It would take him time to let the guilt disappear and it would in time but right now it weighed in his mind.

How many people did Vivian and he lose? So many, in such unexpected circumstances that now he worried for the girl in his arms. He loved her too much and as the lantern that lit brightly in the midst of darkness, he didn’t want to let off the lantern.

His parents, both his cousins, Paul, and his family. They had lost them all and now they had nothing but memories to hold on to.

”If you want we can miss Winter’s ball that’s in a few days. It has a lot of high society members who are a prude,” said Leonard wondering if she would be comfortable, ”There are chances of finding your parents there so maybe...” his words trailed when he heard Vivian’s steady breathing, her fists held loosely on her lap with her eyes closed. She had fallen asleep.

Picking her, he took her to bed and tucked her in carefully. In sleep, Vivian turned to her side, pulling the blanket and snuggling against the pillow which he used. Bending down he kissed her forehead softly so that it wouldn’t wake her up. He wanted to join her but there were things he had to do. Amends. And maybe until he didn’t fix it, he wouldn’t be able to settle his heart.

Putting one more log of wood so that it wouldn’t be cold for her to sleep, Leonard picked up his coat and closed the room. Taking his horse along with him, he went to the cemetery he had earlier been to but had never stayed longer than five minutes.

Walking to the graves at the far corner, Leonard looked at the headstone which only had names written on top of it. If it weren’t for taking account Vivian’s feelings he would have thrown the bodies in the lake of bones and he was glad he had loved her enough to consider she would want to visit them, despite knowing the man had killed his parents. Only that now he knew Paul had been innocent and had stayed true to the family.

Even during his last hours he had uttered nothing ill about Leonard or his parents and maybe that is why it hurt now. Who knew kindness could hurt. It seemed that Paul had been a good man, enough to know that Leonard had been in pain too as he had lost his family. He placed the roses he had picked from his garden before coming here, placing one on each he turned his face away before looking back at them.

Seconds turned to minutes. Wind blowing through the graveyard, a calm eerie night where the villagers had left the cemetery alone due to the folklore of ghosts coming alive at the stroke of midnight leaving the place deserted.

Leonard opened his mouth to speak, hoping the man whom he had executed was somewhere and somehow listening to what he was saying, ”Forgive me for what I have done, Paul. I should have known better. Seen it better to know you would never betray our family. I am sorry for bringing down something like this upon yourself when you deserved nothing close to what was done to you and your family,” the truth was no one could have changed the fate of their death as it was already written by the switchers when they had taken Paul’s form, ”I don’t ask you to forgive me but enough to lend an ear to what I have to say to you. In the hope that one day you forgive my actions as I was only protecting what was mine,” he apologized, his eyes were cast down a grave expression marking his features as he spoke every word clearly.

The wind continued to blow, quivering the flowers which were placed on the graves but not enough to move them away.

More time passed as he stood there in silence, letting his mind speak to the graves when he heard the crickets stop chirping. Finding it odd, he looked around, his eyes catching the sight of the bell that rang once to denote the hour that had been passed. When he looked back he saw a misty white ghost-like Paul standing there and he wondered if it was his imagination or if something like this actually existed and he could see the deceased man.

Paul looked as good as he was before he had been taken in by the council guards. There was no bruise on his face, not a cut nor a drop of blood on his face. He looked healthy. Leonard’s eyes that had slightly widened stared at the man, not blinking his eyes at the thought that this person in front of him who had appeared would disappear if he did.

Leonard didn’t speak, nor did Paul. They continued to stare where the deceased man gave Leonard a gentle expression which had a smile on his face. An apologetic one as if he had wronged his master.

When the Duke opened his mouth, Paul shook his head as if already knowing what he was going to say. He gave him a hopeful smile then and when a strong wind blew he blinked and the next moment the ghost or the imagination of his broke to see no one there.

”Vivian must have already told you about us. I hope you give us your blessings, if not for me for her. I know you looked after her like your guardian. Both you and Martha did a wonderful job of raising her for the fine woman she has turned out to be. I will cherish and love her for all the time I have and see no harm comes to her. You have my word.”

He spent a few more minutes there and then turned to leave the cemetery, still wondering if what he had seen was part of his imagination or reality. Before he left the local graveyard, Leo turned back to look around, taking a decision on wanting to move the graves in a better environment than what they were in.