SECTION III - The Stories

The Forest Prince
Chapter Three - The Oath

        "Hello?" It was the next day, Savannah hurrying in to say goodbye to Aaron. She stood in front of the door, this time waiting. She would´ve entered but the door was locked.
        "Ah, Lady Savannah, how are we?" Henry walked up the porch, carrying a bag of food.
        "I came to see Aaron," She said cheerfully. "But I probably missed him."
        "He left very early. But please, come in and rest your feet."
        She followed Henry, studying his clean uniform. "How can you stay so prim and proper?"
        "I´ve had a lot of practice. I´ve been with this family since I was a child myself."
        "Really?"
        "Quite," he entered a spacious kitchen, glimmering clean with silver strewn over it.
        "Ow..." She covered her eyes with a giggle. "So clean.."
        "I like cleanliness," Henry nodded primly. "Now, I haven´t any idea when Master Aaron returns so.."
        "You know," She mused, not listening to Henry. "This place is huge, I mean, look at it. You can´t possibly be doing everything. I know! How about I help you after school? Free of charge, if you want!"
        Henry blinked. "I´m not quite sure that is a wise idea. Don´t people.."
        "Oh, not this again! How many times to do I have to repeat myself. No one -cares- at all about me. I could stay away for weeks and they wouldn´t miss me!"
        Henry nodded. "I understand.." His eyes glimmered for a moment, as if he had unshed tears but that passed as a smile bloomed. "I would be most grateful for your company. I will pay by meals and a tuppance a week. How does that sound?"
        "Wonderful!"

        She came by often, spending hours and hours with Henry. She learned the paths of the mansion, as well the gardens and forest itself. She began to lag in anything outside the forest, since she was far more interested in what was inside than outside.
        "Henry, are you sure he´s coming home today?" She quipped to the butler, who was as covered in a mess as she was. They were in the kitchen, trying to cook up a good meal for a small party to welcome him home.
        "I received a telegram and he is usually on the ball," Henry was eyeing her soup. "You have.. unusual taste, Lady Savannah."
        "I followed the book" Savannah said confused.
        Henry flushed. "Oh, well, it looks.. nice."
        She carried out what she had finished, eyeing the decorations with a critical eye. Henry fretted, knowing that either a scene was ensured or Savannah was going to be sorely disappointed by Aaron´s reaction.
        "So why is Aaron always gone?" She asked him, fixing a tablecloth.
        "He is a very busy man, a businessman. He works for the Royal family, acting as a ambassador at times. He is usually in reserves but he´s become more popular over the visits to people so he has to make appearances."
        "So does that mean he´s Royal too?"
        "I wouldn´t know what to say about that," Henry said carefully.
        There was a large thwack, as if a door had been slammed shut. "He´s here!" She giggled. "Quick, hide!"
        "Oh but..." She shoved him with her to hide behind the table.
        "Henry?" Aaron entered only to jump back as Savannah jumped up.
        "Surprise! Welcome home, Aaron!" She gave her trademark smile, beaming even as the dark scowl grew on Aaron´s face. Dressed smartly in a black tux, he looked stunning. But she didn´t have much time to admire as he opened his mouth.
        "Get.. out..." He was so angry, the words came out nearly strangled. "Get out and never come back!" He literally screamed.
        Her 100watt smile faded only slightly before she reached to the table, plucking a small, crudely wrapped box. Wrapped in used newspaper, she carried it like it was a precious thing as she beamed and handed it to him. "For you."
        He took it, grimacing. Careful to open it, his eyes widened slightly. It was a simple chain necklace, with one painfully polished stone in its center. It was still slightly rusty but it clearly looked like it had been polished over and over in attempt to make it pure again.
        Savannah´s eyes widened with glee as he rubbed his eyes tiredly before placing it on. He touched it carefully, with a barely there smile before his gaze moved toward her, a frown covering it yet again. "Leave."
        "All right, then! Enjoy your party," She quipped cheerfully. "Welcome home again!" She gave an impromptu hug, as Aaron´s face turned white. She danced off, as he stood frozen in momentary shock.
        "My lord, she made you... dinner," Henry said carefully, glancing at the food.
        "Is it even edible?" Aaron stared at the poor attempts. "Did she follow anything?"
        "She said she did," Henry said helpfully.
        He slowly raised a serving spoon of the soup, the liquid very congested and slime-like. "Hmm.... Henry, you try it."
        "Oh, look at the time, I must prepare your bed."
        "Henry!" He watched the butler leave hurriedly. "I cannot.. eat.. this.." he eyed it. But he saw the hard work placed into it so he took a tiny bite. His eyes opened as he shoved it away. "Augh.."

        In the several weeks that passed, Savannah trespassed many, many times. Henry never minded and Aaron rarely put up a fight. He seemed too busy. Savannah tried and tried to get his attention but what she couldn´t get from him, she got from Henry.
        "So he´s an only child? What happened to his parents?" She asked Henry one early afternoon. She was scrubbing the porcelian floor carefully, humming when there was no talk in the air.
        "They died, a long, long time ago. He was just a child," Henry was dusting the statues, his back turned toward her.
        Her hair fell down, let down from the normal bun. She was covered in soot, dust, and mud, having done many things in just one day. She plucked at a leaf before continuing. "So who raised him?"
        "I did."
        "He´s lucky then."
        She was rewarded by a warm chuckle. "He needs more than me, though. I think sometimes he´s too afraid.."
        "Afraid? Of what?"
        "Of losing everything. He works hard at his services but he hasn´t any one to confide in."
        "Hey! He has me!" Savannah stood up. "Poor fellow, I know what it´s like to have no one. But he´s not really alone, he does have you," she said pointedly.
        "Not just one person does make a person happy. There are other needs and wants that I simply cannot stand in for," Henry said dryly.
        She stared at him. "What do you mean?" She asked curiously.
        To Henry´s credit, he hid his blush quickly enough that she never noticed. "Perhaps you should talk to Sir Aaron about this?" He offered. He needed her gone for just a few moments to get himself together.
        "Sure!" She stretched. "Need to get my blood flowing again. I´ll be back," She sang out as she nearly skipped out the room.
        He let out his breath slowly before chuckling. "Such a innocent person but she´s not as naive as she seems.. I hope she´s not, at least," he added to himself, shaking his head.
        "Aaron! Aaron?" She called out. She found him in a library, engrossed in a thick book. "Hi! I wanted to ask you something. Henry was having trouble answering and suggested you."
        Aaron looked up, an eyebrow twitching. "All right, I suppose."
        "He says that you´re lonely but I said he had you," she began. She stilled as he lowered the book, his face unreadable. "I mean, I," she pressed her hand to her chest. "Know all about being alone and you´re not completely like me. A lot like me but not quite, you know?"
        She waited but he didn´t say anything so she pressed forward. "So then," she was waving her hand in the air carelessly at this point. "Henry talked about needs and wants that he couldn´t stand in place for and I tried asking what he meant and so.." She trailed off, seeing a strange look in his eyes. "What did he mean by that?" She ended, flushing. She was being to think she asked a rather foolish question.
        "What I do is my discretion," Aaron began.
        "Oh but that doesn´t really answer.." She stopped again at the hard stare.
        "I would prefer it if you did not talk about me.." Aaron started.
        "But how else am I going to learn about you?"
        "I don´t want you to learn about me," Aaron said through tight teeth.
        "But I want to.."
        "I don´t care," His voice was thin.
        "But.. but.." Her usually bright smile was dimming. "Do you really want to be alone, Aaron?"
        He stared at her, looked away, looked back at her, and looked away again. Emotions flew on his face before he said with a shrug. "I would rather be alone, yes."
        "Because of your loss?" She asked hesitantly.
        "What.. loss?" He asked, very carefully.
        "Your.. parents.." She answered.
        He looked at her though it was more through her. "I don´t know what you´re.."         "It´s all right, you know," She interrupted. Approaching him, she gently touched a hand, gripping the arm of the armchair. "To think you´ll only lose but I always believed, if you had enough faith, something good will come of the bad."
        He stared at her hand. "Is that your philosophy? To always believe in the good, no matter how bad things are?"
        Her smile faded. "I suppose.. it´s just a joke to you. I mean, you have everything at your beck and call. You have a person who loves you like a son. I have nothing but I believe.. that there´s more to life than what I have. I can wait for it, I can believe in it."
        She pulled away, her eyes tearing. "People like you don´t understand what being lonely is. About being left out of everything. I´m the joke of the town, I´m the one that everyone knows no one wanted. You think, with your pretty house, your money, and whatever fame you´ve got makes you lonely... you´re wrong. It´s you. It´s your fault you´re lonely, that you think you deserve it. Well, you know what! You don´t deserve to be lonely! I´ll show you just how good a person can be for another!"
        With a straightened back, she crossed her arms. "Mr. Aaron Daniel, I hereby pledge to win you over! I´ll show you the other side of the coin, what it means to be happy!"
        He stared at her with a strange gaze, compromised by humor, surprise, and something else that was too mute to read. His hand drifted to cover his mouth as a chuckle echoed in the room. He was soon with his head thrown back, laughing out loud.
        "My but you are a treat. I´ve seen wild women before but you´re just too..." He didn´t finish as he stood up, placing the book on the pedestal. "Tell me, Savannah, why do you keep coming back?"
        "Henry´s my friend," She answered automatically.
        "Aren´t you about to leave school? Don´t you want to make something of your life?"
        She blinked. "I really don´t know what I want."
        "That´s the thing about you, you think too much of others. Try thinking about yourself for a change. It makes life easier."
        He walked past her.
        "No wonder you´re alone," she called out. "That´s a bad philosophy right there!"


....Return to Section I - The Beginning?
....Return to Section III - The Stories?

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      Worlds Within (title/site) 2003 - 2009 Wildnature. All stories, characters, writings by and (C) Wildnature.