Enlarged pupils, opened mouth gasping for air, his whole body especially his legs is completely numb because he stayed in that position for too long as he fall asleep.
Eliot wishes to get up, so he lifted his neck while adjustinng his elbow for support. But he decided to lay down again because he is dizzy.
Other than that, he throat is somehow dry as if he's sleeping for a whole day.
I was walking to see mother? I was here? But
Eliot looked around. The curtain of the coridor leading to the balcony outside of his room swiftly moving.
The ticking sound of burning firewood that warming up his surroundings. Even Igor's that slept at the end of his feet could be heard clearly. It is too quite. He don't like it.
"Mother, I want to see her" He moved.
"But It's dark" Eliot woke up halfway. He don't understand that much why he dislike the idea of dwelling in the dark. It was just fine before this. And even he still walk properly though stagger here and there when he walk without candle this whole time.
When did I detest the dark? Somehow one day his body won't move if he was about to enter a place that he could not the end passage of it. It's not his guts, he just knew it is not safe for him.
His mother told him, her family side had a sickness of the head that the illness will gradually eating their memories from time to time. And eventually those suffer would lose their identity and cannot remember themselves anymore or what they did.
Definitely something must have happened when he was younger that he can't even remember. But for it to happen if he's still a baby or a toddler, that fact didn't intertwine with how he was just doing fine before this.
"mother must be sleeping right now. I should not bother her" His mother and his father is a lover bird in the eye of citizen, yes they did. The king love his queen to much that he build a whole mansion planted with Magnolia trees for the sake of his beloved wife when she said she misses her home.
For a child like him, maybe he misunderstood it if his the value of memories from her hometown is far precious than his husband that she spend most kf her time in that mansion.
His eyesight is good so from his bed he can see the sky filled with stars, those breathtaking sights causing his feet to move on their own and he stand between the curtain.
Igor casually meowing at his owner informing Eliot that he is awake too but will stay in the bed and continue to sleep.
He often think, this palace is not his home. Is not suited for him and is not meant for him. Initially he will be move to another place where he will be silence and alone for a while.
"suffocating" he mumbled.
"isn't that Lady Cathlyn" There is no other people had that type of hair in here except for Lady Cathlyn of Ambrose,second daughter of Ambrose Household. She has been around working at the palace for 2 years through the recommendation of his uncle. Rumored the Ambrose Household is on the verge or extinction results due to her brother's corruption that involves royal family. He was sentenced to death.
The execution of her brother soon after revoked the moment she came to Wisteria Palace. Such a sacrife for an 18th year old daughter. She was supposed to celebrate her coming of ave ceremony, yet she became a maid for someone else.
"what is she up to?" creeping around without the Queen around but it is a fault for taking a stroll late at night maybe she had trouble sleeping just like him.
His mind felt empty, he is sleepy but he rather to be wide awake than having the same nightmare every second he closes his eyes.
This is the third time he yawned, droopy eyes with dark circles formed under his eyes. Feeling bored, he took a deep breath and let it out just to see wasps coming out of his mouth.
"It's cold" Enough with the gasp the boy ended up with a sneeze. Quickly he got up from the bench and walked into his chamber directly toward the fire.
Sat on the carpet, the young prince let out his hand. That is when he reliases bandages around his wrist.
"why is it here?" He tapped the top of his wrist nothing is wrong. He did made a lot movement but it's not hurt at all. So he squeezed it.
"ack!" there is one odd thing he often wonder but he just assumed it to be normal. Bruises simply came to him whenever he rise for the day. It is not everyday, he woukdl sometimes woke up to dizziness, pain, unwanted small injury and numbness that unable to make him walk for 5 minutes at the very least.
"it is bleeding" He didn not remember how did he get this injury, where did he go before this? All he recall was he was feeling sleepy after dinner and dozed of on his study chair waiting for his mother.
There noticeable faded scars formed through his arm, those scars looks quite deep as if he was thrust by something sharp, and that five sharp items stucked to his bone and dragged his flesh.
Feeling bewildered, he cover that bandages with his sleeves not bother to fix the gap between the bandages and clasped his palm together.
"AAAAAAAA!" Eliot jumped from the carpet. He got a goosebump from that sudden scream. He is ready to get up and hide.
Silence.
"Haa" Eliot tucked his hand inside his jacket and ready to jump on to his bed. The clicking sound of burning firewoods that half burn by raging fire made him anxious.
The way toward his door feels to hollow to reach. Eliot turned his face to the veranda again with a beating heart. Why do I feel someone is watching what I do?
He tucked himself in the blanket and shut his eyes forcing himself to sleep. "aummmm" Eliot tossed aside his fear because he hears a whimping of a puppy.
"was it a puppy that scream?" Eliot pulled down the blanket covering his face. "bark! - aummmm" He is not mistaken. It is definitely the sound of wailing puppy.
Those weird feelimg he felt vanished. His surrounding is not that dark as he think now that he is worrying the puppy is in trouble and he needs to help it quickly.
"That puppy must have lost its way, if father sees it he will kill it"
Reluctant to wear his shoes, Eliot bare footsteps echoed through the dim lighted hallway. "I need to get him before father does" He once asked his father for a dog, but his father refuses his wish even the pup he got from his uncle's companion when he joined their hunt last summer, the next morning he found a dead puppy floating on top of the lake. The death of the puppy is not drowning, since there was a slashes of a sword on the chest.
When he cried to his father to find the doer, his father coldly looked at him and answered "I told Samuel to take care of it, is it wrong?"
He wanted to ask, why would he do such thing to a thing that still blindness of its surrounding? He could have said no to his proposal.
His room was the nearest to the garden that is why he could her the scream clearly more than anyone one. Besides, that scream must have been from a strartle maid. But that scream was from a man?
Bark! Bark!
There were three willow trees existed in left side of the palace with a swing underneath those trees for him to play.
Hiss..
Eliot lifted his knees, he bend his waist to see and saw a black liquid similar to a mucus across the grass and he stepped on it.
What is it? The black liquid burn his toes. Is that why the puppy was crying? This black liquid hurt him?
Bark! Aummm,
Avoiding the the black liquid while following it. The sound of that whimping puppy is getting closer. Eliot saw a tiny golden retriever hiding under the hole of a big stone. The puppy's ear and its torso is coveref by the black liquid.
"there you are, I have been looking for you-" Eliot gasped. He was ready to pick the golden retriever, yet the sight of a headless dog behind the stone tertified him.
The hands that was about to hug the puppy, he pulled them again. He gulped. It seems that the mother was trying to protect its pup from the assaulter.
Was it my father that did this? No!
He doubt it. His father was not the type to torment a live being he will instantly kill them to lessen their suffering.
Bark, it was not the puppy that was barking. It was a barking of an adult dog. It can be the headless dog, it's dead. The stars began to hide among clouds. Even his shadows terrifies him.
Aummmmm...
The whimpering sound was close to his ears made him trembled. Eliot bend his knees, and pulled out the puppy underneath the hole and hide it inside his jacket. Luckily, the puppy understood and did not make a fuss and crawled deeper inside his shirt.
The black liquid on the puppy's fur got to his stomach and pain the boy. He ignored it.
Slurp,
Under a willow tree, a silhouette of a woman could be seen kneeling down. It were not just her hand, but her entire body is in a rapid movement.
However, he had no idea what is she doing in the dark dig with her bare hand, he almost laughed.
Crack...
That dress, he gotten closer ignoring the fact that the puppy was howling, he knew the inner robe pattern, the only woman that had that astonishing golden thread embroidered to her lower dress was no other that,
"mother?"