Dance of the Damned

Bread with Chocolate Fillings

"Micah!" Briar shook the boy awake, making him shoot up, startled.

"What? What happened? Who died?" Micah asked, looking everywhere, breathing slightly panicked, heart drumming against his chest.

"No one," Briar said, holding the boy's shoulders tight as he looked intently into his eyes. "Are you ok?"

"Me?" Micah asked, pointing to himself. "Why wouldn't I be ok?"

"You were tossing and mumbling in your sleep," Briar said, putting his hand on the boy's head. "A nightmare? Are you ok?"

"Nightmare?" Micah tilted his head to the side, not remembering a thing that happened. "I had a nightmare?"

"You don't remember?" Briar asked, breathing a sigh of relief. "Then that's a good thing. I'm glad you didn't remember."

"What was I mumbling about?" Micah asked, smiling softly at Briar ad he took his hands in his.

"Nothing," Briar said quickly, clearing his throat. "Nothing at all. Why would you say anything?"

"Bradie, you are not a good liar at all." Micah chuckled. "Just tell me."

"Don't worry about it," Briar said, patting Micah on the head as they heard the doors open and a woman walked into the room with a tray of food.

"Young master! I have your favourite." Karla said, grinning brightly. "Is it alright if I fed you today?"

"Karla!" Micah greeted happily. "I can feel myself but you could sit here and talk to me. I want to hear about the food that will be there tomorrow."

"Of course." She said brightly, turning to Briar who had s solemn expression on his face. "Briar. Good morning."

"Good morning." Briar greeted, putting on his best smile as he turned to Micah. "Eat well ok? You are getting thinner and thinner. I told you to gain some weight."

"It is your favourite too," Karla said, brightly as the two exchanged knowing looks. "You don't want the people to see you tomorrow and think you have been starved."

"Sorry, appetite is hard to come by for me these days," Micah said, shrugging as Briar place the small table in front of Micah, Karla placing the tray of food in front of him. "It smells delicious."

"I will tell you everything about the party tomorrow as you eat," Karla said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Oh no!"

"What's wrong?" Micah and Briar asked at the same time.

"I forgot the bread back in the kitchen." She said, winking at Briar. "Briar, dear. Could you be a lamb and bring them for me?"

"That's not needed," Micah said pleasantly. "I can do without the bread."

Karla and Briar looked at each other, exchanging words with just their eyes.

"But, young master, this is a new receipt I tried especially for the party. It has chocolate fillings." Karla said as the two watched Micah's expression turn conflicted.

"C-chocolate fillings?" Micah asked, looking at them with desire in his eyes. "R-really?"

Briar had to suck in a breath to not suddenly ask Karla to make a hundred of them that moment itself.

"I will bring them!" he shouted, running out of the room as quickly as he could.

Upon reaching the kitchen, Briar walked to Rodger and asked, "Where are the bread?"

"Ah, I remember Karla placing them beside the stove." He said, pointing to the clay made oven where a basket covered with a cloth and the smell of freshly baked bread came from it.

After checking to make sure that was the one he was supposed to get, Briar was about to take off but Elise stopped him.

"Where are you going?" She asked, grabbing him by the arm.

"To take these to Micah." He said, confused while everyone in the kitchen stared at him blankly. "Oh right. I was supposed to tell you about Micah. I completely forgot."

"That was why Karla was the one that brought the food up instead of me," Elsie said, raising an eyebrow at the boy. "Also why she 'forgot' the buns-"

"I already said I forgot!" Briar said, feeling a blush creep up his cheeks. "Let it go, Elise."

"What happened to the young master then?" Rodger asked, amusement dancing across his face.

"Any nightmares? What about during the night?" Elise asked as everyone leaned in closely to listen to Briar as he took a seat on top of the counter.

"He woke up several times during the night," Briar said, fiddling with the basket in his hands. "We would both drift in and out of sleep continuously. I don't know if he got a proper sleep at all.

"And ... this morning." he bit on his lower lip, just from remembering what happened. "Elise, how bad can his nightmares get?"

"They can get pretty bad," Elise said, thinking. "Especially the day before and of his birthday. He will dream of the accident again, waking up in cold sweat."

"Well, this time Micah had a nightmare that he did not remember," Briar explained, watching all their reactions. "He ... he was begging and pleading to someone in his dreams."

"What was he begging about?" Rodger asked, while he continued to play with the leaf of a vegetable.

"He was saying, 'No. Take me instead. Please. Leave them alone. Please. I should be the one. Not them'."

Collapsing into a chair, some maids brought a glass of water of Elise to drink as she fanned herself with a cloth.

"The young master said that?" She asked, looking at briar who would not make eye contact with her and nodded. "Oh, the poor child."

Sobbing, Elise pulling out a handkerchief from her pocket and began wiping her eyes. "Does he not think his life is worth living?"

"You said that the young master didn't remember anything?" Rodger asked, walking to Briar.

"He looked at me like I was the crazy one when I asked him if he remembered what he dreamt of," Briar said, gripping at the basket's handle. "So I am sure he doesn't remember."

"I see," Rodger said, thinking. "Well, for now, we just need to keep an eye on him until tomorrow is over."

"I will not let him leave my sight," Briar promised, getting off the counter and made his way to the door. "I need to take this to him. Please look after Elise for me."

“Of course,” Rodger said, grinning as Briar rushed out of the room again.

___________________

“We are thinking of making a list of guests to invite,” Karla said, looking at Micah happily eating his bowl of Red Herring soup. “Do you have anyone you wish to invite, young master?”

“How many people are we preparing for?” Micah asked, drowning the rest of the soup with a satisfied sigh. “And where is the place?”

“We have cleaned up the entire hall and even decorated it, young master,” Karla said happily. “We will be using the old Pober’s hall usually used for parties.”

“Then … why don’t we invite the common people around the town?” Micah asked, grinning brightly. “You all have been saying that it is a very important day for the Pober family. Since my parents have always employed the common people, I think I should do the same.”

“That would be wonderful as your debut,” Karla said, beaming as she wrote down on a piece of paper. “What about the king? He may wish to come.”

“I am sure he is busy,” Micah said, fiddling with the spoon in his bowl. “I heard about what happened to the neighbouring kingdom. How are the people?”

“I read that our king is still working to settle things down and has provided a place to stay for the people from Silisus. Those that did not find a place.” Karla said, thinking. “I believe I heard that some of them have come here so there is quite a bit of unrest.”

“Then we can do something about that, right?” Micah asked, leaning back on his pillow. “My parents would have immediately done something about this the moment they heard about it.”

“You are not wrong.” Karla said, “So, what do you have in mind, your master?”

“Have in mind for what?” Briar asked, walking into the room with the basket of bread. Taking out bun out and making sure it wasn’t too hot, Briar gave it to Micah who bit into it happily.

“Do you like it?” Karla asked, watching Micah devour the bread in a flash.

“I really, really like it,” Micah said, brightly, while Briar handed him another bread. “We were talking about the refugees that came to this town from Silisus.”

“The young master wishes to help them somehow,” Karla said, hands in front of her as she turned to Briar. “I am assuming you have some ideas, young master?”

“I do,” Micah said, finishing the second bread. “Thought I will be needing help for Karla and some of the other servants. And … they will need to be discrete. The power of the Pober’s isn’t mine just yet. Until tomorrow that is.

“So, will you help me out? Karla? Bradie?”

The two exchanged looks for a second before breaking into a smile.

“Of course we will help you, Micah,” Briar said, brightly, excitement dancing in his eyes. “Your introduction to the world as the heir of the Pober will be unforgettable.”