Dance of the Damned

Another One?

"Wait, Bri-" Briar did not wait. He ran out of the room instead, passing the other servants as he greeted them.

"Briar. How is your father?" A maid asked, smiling at him.

"He is fine. Still very strong." He said, running past her and some other maids.

"Will you help me in the garden in a little bit, Briar?" A man asked, looking at him over his dirt-covered clothes.

"I will have to ask Micah first!" He said, waving at him. "But I think I might be able to help!"

"You are looking after the young master now?" Another older woman asked, she had a basket at her side full of ripe, red apples.

"I am just going to be with him for a while, Karla." He said, stopping in front of the woman.

"That is good. He will be needing company after what happened." She said, shaking her head as a man walked to them.

"Who?" He turned to Briar, eyes lighting up as his bears turned up as well. "Briar! How are you, my boy?"

"Fit as a fiddle," he said staring up at the massive man. "What about you?"

"I am as fit as a fiddle as well." He said grinning. "You know my daughter is-"

"Those are lovely apples, Karla." Briar suddenly said, turning to the basket in the woman's arms.

"Harvest is wonderful for apples and all the other fruits this year." She beamed with him, looking at the man from the corner of her eyes with a kind of teasing expression. "Would you like one?"

"Thank you!" Briar said, taking the apple from her. "Will you be making your pies today?"

"Perhaps I would. The young master does like them." She turned to the man, "What do you think, Rodger?"

"Sure! I almost forgot he was to come today." he solemnly turned to Briar. "How is the young master doing?"

"He is weaker than before and even thinner. When I carried him to his room today, he was all bones, poking at me." Briar complained, biting into the apple.

"Did he not eat in the hospital?" The woman asked, raising an eyebrow at the boy. "Was the food not good?"

"He ate. But did not seem to have much of an appetite." Briar leaned in the two as they did the same. "He will murmur in his sleep, like he is in pain.

"I have to wake him up several times during the night because I feared whatever was hurting him in his dreams will succeed in killing him."

"The poor child," Karla said, placing her hand on her cheeks. "I heard about what happened, it must have been terrifying."

"You saw it too, Briar?" Rodger asked, frowning. "How bad was it?"

"Bad," Briar said, letting the apple fall to his side. "He was covered with wounds and the one at his side was still bleeding even as we reached the hospital.

"Many times I wonder how he is still alive when I remembered his injuries."

"Well, we should just be happy he is alive. Now we should just give him time to recover and he will be well again." Karla said, walking away quickly.

"You need to pardon her, Briar." The man sighed. "She had been worried sick ever since she heard about what happened. You know that she was there with his parents, right?"

"I do," Briar said, looking at the place the woman stood. "They are like family to her. To hear about this must have been hard. I am sorry I spoke of it."

"No, don't be." Rodger placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure him as he leaned in closer. "I read the papers. Do you think the Lord and Lady-?"

"I do not know," Briar said quickly. "But I think we should be alert. Micah's fifteenth birthday is coming up very soon."

"I agree." The man nodded. "I will keep an eye out and tell you if I see anything."

"Thank you, Rodger," Briar said, waving at him as he walked out of the estate feeling like he could finally breathe again.

He stretched with the apple still in hand and then rubbed his shoulder. I am tired, no wonder Micah likes being outside so much.

_____________________

"Dad! I am here!" Briar announced, walking into the house as the smell of porridge filled his nose immediately making his stomach growl.

"Briar?" His father called from the kitchen. “Is that you?”

“Of course it is.” He rolled his eyes walking to the kitchen and straight to the fireplace where the pot was boiling. “I am hungry.”

“Aren't you always?” The man laughed. “Sit down. Lunch will be ready in a while.”

“Ok.” Briar walked around the kitchen overlooking a large garden outside with all kinds of vegetables and fruits.

The kitchen is also filled with dried meat and vegetables hung all along the walls, the smell coming out of them filling the boy’s nostrils as he took a dried piece of beef from the string of meat hung on the wall and began eating it.

The entire house is made out of stone and was a little too big for two people at the moment.

“So, how is the young master?” Philip asked, pouring the porridge into a bowl and placing it on the table in front of the boy. “When did you all arrive?”

“Not too long ago. And Micah is still very weak.” He said, scarfing the porridge down like he was drinking juice. “Can I have more?”

“I am glad you have such an appetite,” Philip said, refilling the bowl as the boy dug in again. “I wish the young master had half of your appetite.”

“I wish that too,” Briar complained, biting the dried piece of meat still in his hands again. “He is all bones, dad. No matter what we try to give him to eat, he couldn’t eat that well.”

“You need to remember his condition, Briar.” The man said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. “You know why we are here.”

“I know,” Briar said, looking at the porridge in front of him. “Hey, dad?”

“Yes?”

“How are they? Have you heard from them?” Briar asked, turning to his father though he refused to look at him.

“I haven’t,” Philip said, staring out the window. “But I am sure they are fine. We would know if they aren’t. This silence means they are fine.”

“Right.” Briar nodded, finishing the rest of his porridge and took it to the sink to wash. As he tried to wash the plate, his hair would not allow him to as it kept coming in front of his face. Even after he tucked it behind his ears, as soon as he bent down, it would come in front again.

Philip watched the boy struggling and, without saying a word, talked to him, pulling his hair back with his hands said, “I think it is about time we cut your hair.”

“Don’t you dare,” Briar said, not looking up. “Do you know how long it took to just get it to this length?”

“It can grow again.” The man said, fiddling with his hair.

“You remember why I grew my hair, right?” Briar asked, trying to put the bowl he used away but his father held him in place still fiddling with his hair. “What are you doing?”

“I remember. The young master was frightened of you when you both first met.” Philip laughed, twisting Briar’s hair back and forth.

“He was frightened of you too.” Briar huffed. “He was frightened of everyone.”

“That is true.” His father nodded. “And you were trying so hard to get him to like you. I didn’t understand it when you came back one day and declared that you were going to grow your hair.

“I only noticed the reason why when I would see the young master and you, together, and he would always be playing with your hair.” The man laughed at the memory. "It was cute."

“He is so strange, don’t you think? I mean who likes a person just because of their hair?"

"Well, who would grow their hair just to be friends with someone who likes their hair?"

"Whose side are you on, dad?"

"No one." Philip aid, letting go of his hair. "There you will not have any troubles for now."

Briar touched his hair, feeling the braids and twists that helped keep the hair out of his eyes. "Thank you, dad. Now I am going to watch the grass grow."

Before he could run away again, Philip grabbed him by the shoulder and gave him a determined look in his eyes. "Look after him well."

"Of course," Briar said, smirking. "Just you watch."

_____________________

Walking out of the cottage, he made his way to the estate and passed his reflection, seeing how his hair looked and as quite proud of it.

I suppose there is no problem making it a little longer if I do this.

Staring up at the estate, he could have sworn he saw someone looking at him from the windows but no one was there when he checked again.

Not taking any chances, Briar ran into the building as quickly as his legs would carry him.

It's nothing. Definitely nothing. Right? Please be nothing.

A scream filled the room, making his heart faster as he ran faster.