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Oh no.
This does not look good.
No half-heartedness and no worldly fear must turn us aside from following the light unflinchingly.
It might be a bit longer before I post the next story. I have one story, possibly two that are already partly written before I post the next story. Sorry for the wait.
You're extra special <3
#AnduthForever (💕)@ellette-giselle @keilah-h @whalekeeper @hybridlore
Eighth story! I hope you enjoy 🙂
Little Joy
Baron watched a little girl run across a meadow, flowers woven into her long silver hair. She was laughing in childish joy as three other children chased after her through the meadow grass. The youngest of the three, a boy who was probably only three years old, more stumbled along after them than chased. Trailing behind the children was a man with dark blonde hair and a cheery smile, a baby of probably only a year nestled in his arms.
As Baron watched, a breeze welled around him, playing in his hair. He hid beneath the shadows of the trees that lined the meadow, hoping that the little girl with silver hair wouldn’t notice him. He had only come to catch a glimpse, to know that she was okay and happy with her new family. But despite his hiding in the shadows, the girl, Rya, stopped running, turning to meet his gaze.
“Baron! Baron, hi!”
Baron almost turned to leave, he could not stay long here anyway in case the Bloodsilver came. But something in Rya’s joyful face and voice made him stay.
Rya bounded over towards him, embracing him about the legs. “Hello, Baron! Have you been a hero? Have you saved tons and tons of people!?” She asked with excitement.
Baron knelt down, his eyes watering a bit. “Yeah, yeah I’ve been a hero, Rya. And every time I help someone, I think of you.”
Rya smiled, dimples appearing in her cheeks. “Good! I missed you, Baron.” She gave him a hug, wrapping her arms around his neck. Baron hesitated, then returned the hug.
“I missed you too, Rya.”
The other children came running up. The oldest of the three other children, a boy of six or seven, stopped the younger ones before they got close. The man caught up with the children quickly. “It’s alright, Simeon. Baron is a friend.” Max’s gaze fell upon Baron with a smile. “It’s been over two years. I didn’t think you would return.”
Baron stood, a faint smile still on his lips. “I came to make sure Rya was safe. I will leave now.”
Rya grabbed his arm. “No! No, you can’t leave yet! Mrs. Ru will want to see you, and you only just got here!”
“I’m sorry, Rya, but coming here just for a moment was a bit of a risk. I probably shouldn’t have come at all.”
“But…but…” Rya’s large green eyes grew sad.
“You’re a little paranoid, Baron. Stay. If I could hold my own against you, I can handle Faren if he comes.”
Baron met Max’s grey eyes, lifting his light blue scarf over his mouth and nose. Yes, yes, it was true. Max would have beaten Baron in that fight over three years ago now, when they were enemies, if Faren had not come to rescue Baron when Max didn’t expect him. “Alright, but I leave by evening,” Baron responded after a moment’s hesitation.
Rya erupted with joy, and went skipping away, calling for Baron to follow her. The other three children did so too, though Simeon still placed himself somewhat protectively between Baron and his younger siblings. As the blond-haired boy ran, Baron could sense little wisps of wind. Little Simeon was a Wind Charmer, just like Baron and Max, and if he could, even at such a young age, fiddle with the wind, one day he could become a powerful Wind Charmer, just like his father.
Leaving the meadow, it was a short time before Rya burst through the front door of Max and Ruby’s house, shouting at the top of her little lungs, “Come, Mrs. Ru! Baron is back!” A woman with light brown hair and blue eyes looked up from her work, setting it aside as she saw the signature white hair, and unique green eyes of Baron. She looked him up and down, noting the blue scarf that hid the scar on his neck that she knew to be there.
“Baron! I’m glad to see you’re okay, though you look much thinner. How has life been for you?”
Baron gave Ruby a faint smile. “Life seems to me smiling on you. Four children, plus Rya.”
“Yes, God has blessed us.” Ruby smiled as her children and husband followed Baron into the house. “I don’t believe you’ve officially met all of them. This is my oldest, Simeon,” Ruby said, pointing at the boy with blond curls. “My second oldest, Esther,” Pointing to a girl with bluish-grey eyes and dark curls. “My third, who you saw as baby, Uriah.” Uriah came and clung to his mother’s shirts, shyly hiding behind her from Baron. “And the new baby, Sandy.” Sandy reached out her little arms, groping for Ruby. Max handed Ruby the baby.
“What have you been doing the past couple years?” Max asked.
Baron shrugged. “I worked as a farm hand for a while, but then the Bloodsilver caught up with me. I haven’t found a place to work since then. I left Albandra, and went to Rand, hopefully the Bloodsilver won’t find me there.”
Esther tugged gently on her father’s pant leg. “Daddy, what’s the Bloodsilver?”
Max knelt down to his daughter’s level. “They’re a group of terrible people that basically run the country of Albandra now.”
“They’re why Rya doesn’t have family?” the child innocently asked.
“Yes, Sweetheart. Baron is the one who saved Rya.”
Esther turned to look up at Baron in childish interest, but she didn’t speak a word to the strange man.
“Baron! Baron, can I show you my doll? An elf made it for me! And another elf gave me a doll house!” Rya bounced on her tippy toes with joy.
Baron gave a small smile. “Sure.”
Rya grabbed his hand, leading him towards the living room. She sat on the floor by a hand-carved wooden doll house with little details like a tree bark roof and little fabric flowers in the tiny bit of front lawn. Rya opened up the back of the house, pulling out a carved doll with fine strands of golden hair, and delicately painted features upon the face. She showed the doll to Baron. “This is Sarah. Isn’t her dress pretty?”
Baron admired the rosy pink dress with a smile. “Yes, Sarah’s dress is very pretty Rya.”
Rya almost seemed to burst with pride. She sat down on the couch with her doll in her lap. Baron sat next to her, watching her intently as she began to tell him about the many troubles and adventures of she-elf Sarah. Esther watched the two of them shyly before grabbing her own doll (named Princess Eldia) and sitting upon the other side of Baron, joining Rya. Within ten minutes, Esther lost all her shy nature around Baron, talking as fast as her little lips would let her. Baron smiled, nodding at key points to make the little child think he understood everything she was saying. In reality, he was very much lost.
Max smiled at Baron, flashing him a thumbs up.
Within an hour, the two girls were done telling Baron all their perplexing stories, opting to play. Somehow Baron found himself playing with a Pegasus figurine with the two girls.
“Does the Pegasus have a name?” Baron asked them, admiring the fine curves carved into the figurine.
“His name is Pegasus of course!” Rya exclaimed. Esther nodded emphatically, her dark curls bouncing.
“And what am I supposed to do with Pegasus?” He nervously looked for Max, but couldn’t see the fellow Wind Charmer.
“You have him say hello to Sarah who is tending to her flowers of course!”
“Okay, um…hello, Miss Sarah, how are you today?” Baron asked awkwardly.
“You can’t use your normal voice!” Rya chided.
“Why not?”
“It doesn’t sound Pegasus-y enough! Can you do a different voice?”
A nervous look paused over Baron’s face. This entire doll idea was new enough to him, he didn’t play much as a kid, now they wanted him to do different voices too? What does a Pegasus voice even sound like? “I…can try,” Baron hesitated before saying in a very bad Rand country accent, “Good morn’ Missus Sarah, how be you this fine day?”
The two little girls erupted in giggles.
Baron watched them in confusion. “Does that mean I did well or terribly?”
They couldn’t answer him, they were laughing too hard.
The day waned. Baron had quit playing with the two girls a little bit ago, opting to sit on the couch and watch them. They would often turn to him and tell him what they were doing. He’d nod and smile, still very confused.
Max was laying on the floor with Uriah, building a castle of blocks with him.
Peering out the window and seeing the sun ready to set, Baron rose from his seat and pulled on his dark blue gloves. He opened his mouth to say good-bye, but a stern voice stopped him.
“No, you don’t. You aren’t going anywhere until after dinner.”
Baron turned to see Ruby in the doorway to the room, hands on her hips and wearing an apron. Most of the apron and her face were splotched with white flour. Simeon was laughing in the background, the white powder also all over him. Apparently mother and son had been having a flour fight.
Max laughed with his children at the sight of Ruby covered in flour. Baron shut his mouth and sat down again.
After dinner, and after the kids were put to bed, Baron stayed a bit longer. “There was a question I thought to ask you during dinner, but I didn’t get the chance with the kids around.”
Ruby, as appeared to be her custom when visitors came to talk, brewed some tea, and set it on the table in the living room. Just like when Baron had last come to talk, he sat in the large armchair, while Ruby and Max sat on the couch together.
“I’ve met a few people; you two, an older couple, an old lady and a young man, and a young woman. All at different times and places, all so different, but in one thing all of them were the same. They all were kind and caring, loving. I didn’t understand it at first, and I still don’t understand it, but I think the reason they were all like that was because of this God you worship. All of them talked with Him through Prayer. All of them tried to show His love to the world. And this love is…something so beautiful, something so strong.” Baron reminisced about how Andy forgave him even after Baron was the cause of Granny’s death. He looked to the ground as the sharp pang of Granny’s passing hit him. After a moment of silence, he looked back up at Max and Ruby. “It was wonderful. How do I become like them?”
“You must believe that He is God, and that He sent His Son to die for our sins. You must believe that He can wash away all your sins, all of them, if you repent and turn to him,” Max’s grey eyes were serious.
“There is no way He can wash away all that I’ve done. I’ve killed so many. I was even responsible for the death of that old lady who showed so much love for me.” Baron turned his eyes away again. He was the cause of Granny’s death, and yet…and yet Andy forgave him because of that great love that he said came from his God. This God sounded like a wonderful person to Baron.
“When His Son died, there were two men who were being killed with him. Both were worthy of death. Originally, they mocked Immanuel, saying if He was really the Son of God that He would escape His painful demise, but then, somehow, one of them came to a realization. While the two of them deserved death, Immanuel did not. He recognized Immanuel for who He was, and Immanuel said that that day, He would see that man in heaven. That man was worthy of the death he was dying, by his own admission, yet despite whatever terrible crimes he committed, Immanuel still forgave him.” Ruby sipped on her tea, almost dropping the mug on the floor. “Too hot!” She swiftly set the mug down and regained her composure. “Sorry.”
“There are many examples of similar things happening in His Word,” Max began speaking, his features serious yet still holding a soft kindness. “One man hunted Immanuel’s followers, murdering them, but one day he met Immanuel, and changed. He lived the rest of his life as a minister for Immanuel and died a martyr’s death. If God could forgive him, a man that called himself the greatest of all sinners, He can forgive you, Baron.”
Baron was silent. He didn’t know what to think of this. Two men, one possibly a murderer, and one a confirmed murderer, both forgiven. But…but, what if they had only killed once or twice? Baron had claimed almost a hundred lives. Surely, God could not forgive that many deaths at one man’s hands. There was no way that God could be that merciful.
There was no way.
His mercy had to be only for those who were good enough, people like Max, Ruby, Shire, Heather, Granny, Andy, and Jenna. People who made the world better. God’s mercy has to be only for them, people who have earned it. No matter how much good Baron could try to do, he would never be worthy. He’d never be able to wash away the blood. He’d never find God’s mercy. He’d never find peace. He’d never be able shake the blackness on his heart. He’d never become as white as snow. Never. Never. Never.
There was just no way.
After his long bit of silence, Baron rose from his seat. It was dark outside the window now. “I should leave.”
Ruby rose from her seat. “Wait, let me give you a copy of His Word.”
“Thank you Ruby, but I already have a copy. I pull it out to read occasionally.”
“Good, but please, Baron, please promise me you’ll think about what we told you,” Ruby pleaded.
Baron gave a faint smile. “I promise. Keep Rya safe. She is such a little ball of joy, I’d hate to see the Bloodsilver ruin that.”
With that, Baron left.
You're extra special <3
#AnduthForever (💕)@ellette-giselle @keilah-h @whalekeeper @hybridlore
Also, I have a question, if you could give Baron a passage/verse of scripture, what would it be?
You're extra special <3
#AnduthForever (💕)Oooo!!!! I really like this!!! This is getting good! I was really laughing during the doll scene!
Hmm, I would give him Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
At least, that’s the verse that came to mind while I was reading. I would put a little emphasis on the “all”. I could think of lost of others, but like I said, this is what initially came to mind.
No half-heartedness and no worldly fear must turn us aside from following the light unflinchingly.
Aww, so cute!! 🥰 Ellette’s verse is a good one.
"Don't shine so that others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him." ~ C. S.
@rae awww! Baron trying to play with the girls was so cute!!
also I agree with Ellette’s suggestion.
"When in doubt, eat cheese crackers."-me to my charries who don't even know about cheese crackers
@ellette-giselle @hybridlore @whalekeeper @keilah-h
Sorry for not posting in eight days. I hit Writer’s Block while trying to edit the next story to go on here and writing the next one 🙁
I’m not sure how long until I can post the full thing, but until then, I’m gonna post a snippet of the next story:
“’O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth! Who hast set Thy glory above the heavens.’” Jenna’s sweet voice rang clearly.
Baron lay in a guest room of the Handel Mansion, a cold cloth over his feverish brow. His heartbeat pounded loudly in his temples, shoots of pain pulsing through his head in time with the steady thump thump. It didn’t help that it was still a bit painful to breathe. He guessed that a day had passed since Jenna had brought him to the mansion, but he wasn’t sure. His mind was hazy.
“’Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou ordained strength because of Thine enemies, that Thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.’” Jenna’s soothing speech lulled Baron as she read from the old leather-bound book upon her lap, “’When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou visitest him? For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels-”
“Angels,” Baron muttered feverishly. “Are they like Lady Wind? I think I’ve seen them in pictures.”
Jenna looked up from her book, halting her reading. “Angels are powerful servants of God, while Lady Wind is merely a physical depiction of an element in art. The one who wrote this is marveling that even in all the vast reaches of God’s creation, He doesn’t forget about lowly man, that He has still placed us, sinful, rebellious us, a little lower than the angels.”
“Angels,” Baron muttered again, before breaking off into a coughing fit. When his coughing stopped, he asked with a curious, far-off look in his eyes, “Are an onion a bird or a mammal?”
Jenna noted the strange question with concern, but didn’t answer, picking back up her reading, “’And hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet: all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.’”
Before she could read the last sentence to the psalm, Baron bolted suddenly upright in the bed with surprising energy. “Wolves!” He shouted. “Wolves have Rya!” A weak wind rustled his sheets and Jenna’s hair. “I need to go to her!”
At the shouting, Jenna’s blond-haired bodyguard rushed into the room. “What is the matter?” he demanded.
“He’s just delirious Ken,” His mistress replied, before reaching forward to gently grab onto Baron’s arm. “It’s nothing but your imagination, Brutus, lie back and rest.”
“But Rya!”
“Even if Rya was truly in danger, you are too weak now to help her. Lie back and rest, then you can go and save her.”
Baron calmed, lying back as Jenna had instructed. She picked up the damp cloth that had fallen from Baron’s forehead onto his sheets. “Ken, would you please be so kind as to soak this with cold water again?”
“As you wish, Miss,” Ken responded, taking the cloth from Jenna.
Baron had been quietly mumbling, tossing a bit with a weak wind still ruffling the sheets. Jenna turned her attention back to him as Ken left, concern over her face. Ken returned quickly with the newly wetted cloth in his hands. His mistress thanked him as she lay the cold fabric over Baron’s forehead. Baron continued to mumble almost incoherently.
“Anything else you need, Miss?”
Jenna glanced quickly at her bodyguard and then back to the sick man on the bed. “No, thank you Ken.”
“My pleasure, Miss. I will leave you,” With that, the sturdy man left.
Baron’s mumbling had quieted.
Jenna looked down at the book still open in her lap, and read the last sentence she had not been permitted to read earlier, “’O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth!’”
Baron’s eyes were now closed, his lips shut and the wind still. Jenna assumed that he had suddenly fallen asleep, so she rose from her seat, setting the book she was reading on the stand by the bed. Quietly, she attempted to leave the room, but she halted when she heard a curious voice, a voice that sounded to her almost like a pleading child’s, “Don’t go, please don’t go.” She turned around, seeing Baron’s eyes partly cracked open and watching her.
“Do you need something?” She came back to his bedside.
“I need you to stay,” his voice still sounded a bit like a child to Jenna.
“Why?”
“I like it when you’re here, I like you. Will you please stay?”
Jenna quietly sat down back in her chair. “Is there something you’d like to talk about or something?”
“Could you, could you read a little more?” he asked, coughing between every couple words.
Jenna smiled tenderly, taking up the book again and opening it randomly. “Sure.” She flipped through the pages, and began reading again in her soothing voice as Baron closed his eyes and relaxed. “’I love the Lord, because He hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because He hath inclined His ear unto me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live. The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul. Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.’” To this, Baron soon slipped into a peaceful sleep.
Jenna solemnly closed the book, listening to Baron’s uneven, shallow breathing. Setting down the book, she stood and quietly left the room.
You're extra special <3
#AnduthForever (💕)I like this a lot!! This section is good. I was trying to remember what happened beforehand. So far the stories have flowed, even though they are individual stories. This one seems a little out of place regarding the last one.
otherwise, i like this!!
No half-heartedness and no worldly fear must turn us aside from following the light unflinchingly.
thx.
I did have a scene before this one, but I didn’t deem it ready for posting, since there are a few things I want to smooth out first. Hopefully that scene will make it flow better.
You're extra special <3
#AnduthForever (💕)@rae I like it! What happened to Baron? He sounds like he got really messed up. Poor guy.
"When in doubt, eat cheese crackers."-me to my charries who don't even know about cheese crackers
I just realized that the reply I wrote for you didn’t post. Sorry.
He caught pneumonia, at least, that’s what I wrote his symptoms to fit, I never officially name it in the story.
You're extra special <3
#AnduthForever (💕)@raxforge (you haven’t read this one yet) @ellette-giselle @whalekeeper @keilah-h @hybridlore
So, I haven’t finished this one yet, but it’s getting long so I’m gonna post it in two parts.
Also, I posted a section of this story above, and I will be making that section bold so that those who already read it can skip with ease.
With that, i present Story 9, part 1
Baron coughed up a strange greenish phlegm with a streak of red. Baron sighed, he was so tired. He had slept the entire night away without waking once, yet he still felt as though he had barely gotten a couple hours of sleep. It didn’t help that his head ached terribly, and though he felt warm despite the late winter air, his body still shook with chills and aches. His breath was short, and when he pulled off his gloves, he found his fingertips turning a purplish color from lack of oxygen. He knew he was ill with something worse than he could handle by himself, there was no way of denying it.
He called upon the wind, lifting himself up to one of the rooftops of the many shops in the city, getting out of the way of the carriages and pedestrians in the street. Baron stood there for a second, trying to regain his breath. He forced the wind to enter his nostrils, and a sharp pain hit his chest as his lungs inflated. He looked up from his perch, seeing the familiar form of the Handel mansion a little ways off. He knew Jenna would help him. He should’ve gone to her earlier when his cough first appeared, but he had hoped the sickness would go away on its own. Now he struggled to breathe at times. He needed to seek her help. Calling upon the wind again, he traveled by rooftop, using the wind to jump the gaps. It was quicker than to weaving in and out of the other people in the streets.
He made it about halfway to the mansion, having not broken through the thick areas of houses in the city yet, before he felt light-headed and dizzy. His footing slipped on the roof, and he fell. In his weakened state, Baron failed to call upon the wind to save him. He barreled towards the street below, trying to gain control. Last minute, a gust broke his fall, but his head still hit pavement and his vision went black as a woman screamed.
Baron’s eyes cracked open as a groan escaped his lips. He was moving, or more correctly, in something that was moving. His head hurt. His body ached. He was hot and shivering at the same time. Something soft was pressed to his forehead. Someone large and blurry was seated in front of him.
“Brutus? Brutus, can you hear me? Answer me.”
“Jenna?” The clouds of confusion rolled away. The soft object pressed to his forehead was a handkerchief to a small cut, the thing that he was in that was moving was Jenna’s carriage, and the large object in front of him was Ken. “What happened?” Baron tried to turn to look at Jenna, but his body and head screamed at him to not move. He stopped and closed his eyes.
“Ken and I found you unconscious. You’re burning up with fever, and you fell from one of your rooftop perches. We’re taking you home.”
Home. Home. The word brought memories of Granny and Andy, and of how Faren burned their house. How Granny died. “No! Not home!” Baron exclaimed, starting in alarm. “Faren will come again!”
Jenna laid a gentle hand on Baron’s arm. “Brutus, calm down.”
“But Faren will come!” A small gust of wind blew about the interior of the carriage.
“Brutus, it’s okay. I’m sure Faren would have come earlier if he knew where to find you.”
“I should have left this city, I should have–“ Baron was broken off by a coughing fit, coughing up that green phlegm. Afterwards, he leaned back, finally relaxing. The wind in the carriage died. His body and head were shrieking at him for his sudden movements. Despite the uneven ride in the carriage, Baron found himself slipping back to sleep. He was barely aware of the carriage stopping and Ken and someone else carrying him out of the carriage, with Jenna telling them to be careful. Ken and the other person took Baron inside the Handel Mansion, laying him out on a couch temporarily. Jenna asked the maid Bell to prepare a guest bedroom for Baron before turning her attention back to the sick man. As she leaned over him, Baron’s hazy vision turned to black.
“’O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth! Who hast set Thy glory above the heavens.’” Jenna’s sweet voice rang clearly.
Baron lay in a guest room of the Handel Mansion, a cold cloth over his feverish brow. His heartbeat pounded loudly in his temples, shoots of pain pulsing through his head in time with the steady thump thump. It didn’t help that it was still a bit painful to breathe. He guessed that a day had passed since Jenna had brought him to the mansion, but he wasn’t sure. His mind was hazy.
“’Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou ordained strength because of Thine enemies, that Thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.’” Jenna’s soothing speech lulled Baron as she read from the old leather-bound book upon her lap, “’When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou visitest him? For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels-”
“Angels,” Baron muttered feverishly. “Are they like Lady Wind? I think I’ve seen them in pictures.”
Jenna looked up from her book, halting her reading. “Angels are powerful servants of God, while Lady Wind is merely a physical depiction of an element in art. The one who wrote this is marveling that even in all the vast reaches of God’s creation, He doesn’t forget about lowly man, that He has still placed us, sinful, rebellious us, a little lower than the angels.”
“Angels,” Baron muttered again, before breaking off into a coughing fit. When his coughing stopped, he asked with a curious, far-off look in his eyes, “Are an onion a bird or a mammal?”
Jenna noted the strange question with concern, but didn’t answer, picking back up her reading, “’And hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet: all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.’”
Before she could read the last sentence to the psalm, Baron bolted suddenly upright in the bed with surprising energy. “Wolves!” He shouted. “Wolves have Rya!” A weak wind rustled his sheets and Jenna’s hair. “I need to go to her!”
At the shouting, Jenna’s blond-haired bodyguard rushed into the room. “What is the matter?” he demanded.
“He’s just delirious Ken,” His mistress replied, before reaching forward to gently grab onto Baron’s arm. “It’s nothing but your imagination, Brutus, lie back and rest.”
“But Rya!”
“Even if Rya was truly in danger, you are too weak now to help her. Lie back and rest, then you can go and save her.”
Baron calmed, lying back as Jenna had instructed. She picked up the damp cloth that had fallen from Baron’s forehead onto his sheets. “Ken, would you please be so kind as to soak this with cold water again?”
“As you wish, Miss,” Ken responded, taking the cloth from Jenna.
Baron had been quietly mumbling, tossing a bit with a weak wind still ruffling the sheets. Jenna turned her attention back to him as Ken left, concern over her face. Ken returned quickly with the newly wetted cloth in his hands. His mistress thanked him as she lay the cold fabric over Baron’s forehead. Baron continued to mumble almost incoherently.
“Anything else you need, Miss?”
Jenna glanced quickly at her bodyguard and then back to the sick man on the bed. “No, thank you Ken.”
“My pleasure, Miss. I will leave you,” With that, the sturdy man left.
Baron’s mumbling had quieted.
Jenna looked down at the book still open in her lap, and read the last sentence she had not been permitted to read earlier, “’O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth!’”
Baron’s eyes were now closed, his lips shut and the wind still. Jenna assumed that he had suddenly fallen asleep, so she rose from her seat, setting the book she was reading on the stand by the bed. Quietly, she attempted to leave the room, but she halted when she heard a curious voice, a voice that sounded to her almost like a pleading child’s, “Don’t go, please don’t go.” She turned around, seeing Baron’s eyes partly cracked open and watching her.
“Do you need something?” She came back to his bedside.
“I need you to stay,” his voice still sounded a bit like a child to Jenna.
“Why?”
“I like it when you’re here, I like you. Will you please stay?”
Jenna quietly sat down back in her chair. “Is there something you’d like to talk about or something?”
“Could you, could you read a little more?” he asked, coughing between every couple words.
Jenna smiled tenderly, taking up the book again and opening it randomly. “Sure.” She flipped through the pages, and began reading again in her soothing voice as Baron closed his eyes and relaxed. “’I love the Lord, because He hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because He hath inclined His ear unto me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live. The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul. Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.’” To this, Baron soon slipped into a peaceful sleep.
Jenna solemnly closed the book, listening to Baron’s uneven, shallow breathing. Setting down the book, she stood and quietly left the room.
A black carriage with gold trim and two black horses with glistening coats rumbled up the drive to the Handel mansion with the horses at a light trot, for Dr. Duke Handel was eager to be home. As the carriage stopped out front of the door, two servants came to take his luggage. After them came his daughter, bursting out of the mighty front doors and flying into his arms. They shared a quick embrace before he ushered her quickly inside, worrying she’d catch cold. Jenna had forgotten her shawl in her haste to greet her father after his short trip.
Mrs. Handel greeted her husband once he came inside.
As he handed his hat and coat to the butler, he turned to his daughter. “And how is the patient?”
A sorrowful shadow passed over Jenna’s features. “Not any better. If anything, I think he might have gotten worse.”
“Hm. Shall we go up and check on him then?”
Jenna nodded.
“Oh, and by the way, where is your shadow?” Dr. Handel looked around for Ken, not seeing the familiar face.
“He’s probably still out in the stables. I went for a ride earlier and he stayed behind at the stables to help Andy with a horse who hurt himself in the field yesterday. Poor Andy was having trouble making the colt stay still.”
“Ah.” Dr. Handel stopped one of the servants who was taking in his luggage, digging through it quickly to find a bag with a few supplies. “Shall we see your Brutus now?”
Jenna led her father to the guest bedroom, slowly cracking open the door. “Brutus? Are you awake?”
As they entered, Baron started upright in bed, eyes wide in confusion, and hazy with fever. “Where am I? Who are you?” he demanded loudly before coughing up some phlegm. As his coughing subsided, Baron’s eyes fell upon Jenna. His pupils widened faintly. He opened his mouth, but it was a few moments before he spoke, “You’re beautiful.”
Jenna smiled, flattered, her gaze dropping to the floor, hoping her father didn’t see the faint rosy color spring into her cheeks. “Thank you.”
Dr. Handel looked between his daughter and the sick man, one eyebrow subtly raised at Jenna’s reaction. He strode to Baron’s bedside, setting down his bag on the bed stand.
“You’re welcome,” Baron coughed. “But who are you?”
Dr. Handel responded, “I am your doctor, and this is my daughter. Will you please open your mouth so I can put in this glass stick?” Dr. Handel held up a thermometer.
Baron obediently opened his mouth.
After a few minutes, Dr. Handel took out the thermometer, gravely staring at the temp. “Tell me, do you truly not remember us or where you are?”
Baron’s eyebrows scrunched together. “No, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before…” He coughed again, then looked up at Jenna. “I vaguely remember her face.” Suddenly, Baron felt tired again, and Jenna propped a couple more pillows behind him to lie upon.
“Do you really not remember anything, Brutus?” Jenna asked with concern.
“Why are you calling me Brutus? My name is Baron, and this isn’t my room.”
“Was he this delirious earlier?” Dr. Handel asked, looking at his daughter.
She shook her head. “He was definitely delirious, but he at least recognized me.”
Baron still watched them with confusion from under his mostly-closed lids. “I’m not delirious, I just feel like I’ve just fought Max again. Did I go after Princess Eldia again? Is she still alive?” He mumbled weakly. “Is that why it hurts to breathe? Did I use all my power again?”
“No, Brutus,” Jenna answered, growing some purple flowers with her Earth seedling powers in a vase by his bedside, filling the room with a calming scent.
“Why do you keep calling me Brutus?” Baron coughed a couple times before continuing to mutter. “My name is Baron, the Silver Streak.”
Dr. Handel froze as he was checking Baron’s pulse. “Of the Bloodsilver?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes.” Baron responded, before falling silent. Dr. Handel made Baron take some medicine, before telling him to rest. “Where is Father?” Baron asked as another coughing fit took him.
“I’m not sure…Baron. Rest for now.”
He motioned for Jenna to leave with him. Closing the door gently behind them, he asked quietly, “Do you believe what he said?”
Jenna looked at her father. “Brutus? The Silver Streak? He’s just delirious.”
Dr. Handel nodded. “He is definitely delirious, but his claim holds weight. Ken has told me about how he claimed to have a death count of ninety-three and how his hair glistens silver in the moonlight. The Silver Streak has an official death count in Albandra very close to the one he gave you and Ken, and many believe he has more than officially recognized. Plus, have you forgotten that his silver hair is the very thing that gave him his name? The Silver Streak is also said to move quickly, a trait Brutus, or Baron whichever he truly is, has with his Wind Charmer ability.”
“I know he said he’d killed people before, but he doesn’t anymore.”
“From what I’ve seen of him when he has visited here, to what Ken and you have told me, he seems to genuinely care about others and regret deeply his past. In any case, in the condition he is in now, he would be too weak to hurt anyone. When his fever is down, and his delirium gone, I will speak with him.”
“Okay.”
“Until then, even if he is weak, I ask that you keep Ken with you at all times when taking care of him.”
“I understand.”
“I have one more thing to ask you. Are you falling for him?” Dr. Handel asked with a playful smile tugging at his lips.
Jenna blushed, looking slightly away. “Maybe.”
“Finally a fellow you like, and he’s a possible assassin.” Dr. Handel shook his head. “I will never understand a girls’ attractions. But enough of Brutus, shall we get some tea and cookies and talk about my trip?”
“I’d love that.”
Dr. Handel wrapped an arm around his daughter, pulling her close to kiss her forehead as he used to do when she was a little child. “Very good then. C’mon, let’s go.”
When Jenna, with Ken, returned later with some soup, Baron was sitting up, having propped himself up on pillows.
“Feeling better?” Jenna inquired.
“A little,” Baron replied before coughing a couple times. He offered her a smile. He ate a little, before growing tired again and lying down fully. “How is your father?”
Jenna smiled, “He’s well. He will be glad to find you remember him and me.”
Baron’s eyebrows furrowed together, “How could I forget you? You’ve both been so kind.”
“Don’t worry about it, Brutus.” Jenna fell silent for a moment before cautiously asking, “What about your own father?”
Baron stiffened, before coughing again. As his coughing calmed, he answered her, “I know nothing about my birth father.”
“That’s sad.”
Baron shrugged weakly. “The sad thing is I was born.”
“Don’t say such a thing! I’m glad you were born, and I’m sure Bell is too! If it wasn’t for you, she might still be on the streets.”
“If I was never born, almost a hundred people would still be living.”
At Baron’s last statement, both Jenna and Baron fell silent, a silence that stretched for minutes before Baron suddenly broke it. “I love you, Jenna.”
Ken started, his blue eyes flicking to Baron as if Baron had gone mad.
A little color rose to her cheeks and she held her breath a bit, but Jenna shook her head. “You’re just delirious.”
“Maybe.” Baron turned his face towards the window, his eyes gaining that far-off look. “I don’t know. All I know is that your eyes are the prettiest green, and your heart is gold.”
Jenna didn’t know how to respond, she stared at Baron. Silence reigned for a couple minutes more before she suddenly said “You should rest. I’ll come back later to check on you, okay?” as she pulled the coverlet up to his chin.
Baron watched her, before nodding, closing his eyes as she took the soup and left, Ken following her like a shadow.
I’m sorry if I missed any italics.
Hope you enjoy!
You're extra special <3
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