Bambi and the Duke

The young boy carried the books in his hands as he walked down the corridor. His blonde hair hovering over his forehead which he had combed neatly. He had pulled out five books from the study room so that he could read them in one go than keep walking back and forth by wasting time.

The Rune mansion was quiet not because they didn't have guests often but because at this hour of the night with the clock striking two in the morning as he had just passed through a standing clock that had come out with the bat before going back to its home. It was late at night but the young boy wasn't sleepy. Weeks had passed since he was sent here to fix his anger which in truth he didn't know needed any fixing.

The time when he had only arrived, he had locked himself in the room. The Rufus had been nice but the same didn't hold when it came to the Lord's mansion. Since the time he had laid his eyes on the man, there was something odd about him like a mask he could see through. And as he continued to walk down the corridors, he caught sight of a shadow that hovered in the corners of the walls. His face turned hard at the sight of it.

The ghoul, young Leonard noticed the way it hovered, moving from one wall to the next as it moved away from him. The first time the boy had noticed it, it had scared the soul out of him. No matter how brave, a creature this tall wasn't something he was used to nor had the knowledge about it. It was a secret of the Lord the man had let him in with which made him wonder if he had allowed him to see it for the sole purpose to make him feel welcomed. Not bothering with it, he went up to his room and locked the door. Placing the books neatly on the side table, he went around the bed to take notice of the chair than he was yet to fix as it was broken by him when he came here.

The Lord had spoken to him after witnessing the dent marks on the wall of this room.

"Does it make you angry of how unfair life is when you have to take the blame for someone else's doing?" the young boy hadn't said a word, his rage still hot and coursing through his veins.

Young Leo didn't speak on the taunting words of the Lord and instead only stared at him.

"Why don't you show me how angry you are?" the boy's eyes narrowed at Lord Nicholas' words. Though Leonard was young it didn't mean he was stupid, "What's the matter?" the man smiled down from the entrance of the room, "Letting a little steam helps. How about this, I will let you go home if you can scratch on my skin."

It didn't take the little boy to break the chair near to him, with the sharp edge he went straight to the kill without hesitating to make Nicholas chuckle just when the sharp edge of the wood came close to his before the boy stepped away to throw the broken wood across the room. The Lord thought that the boy had given up easily before young Leonard came right at him again this time in a surprise where he placed his claws right above the man's neck. It was hard to say if the Lord had let the boy win or if the boy had pulled himself back from doing any damage.

"Don't taunt me just because I am little. I know what you are trying," young Leo's eyes flared up before finally stepping away from the tall man.

"Do you now?" Lord Nicholas beamed with a smile that annoyed the younger male in the room who turned away to pick the wooden chair which he had broken on impulse, "Do you know Leo-"

"Leonard," corrected the young one which the Lord didn't take into account.

"Leo," Lord Nicholas tested playful for the boy to roll his eyes and ignore the man's presence, "Anger is a very good trait. I am serious," the Lord said walking to the piece of wood which had been used previously to attack him, "Emotions need to be controlled and I believe your emotions are fine for a vampire."

"What am I doing here then?" questioned young Leo for the man to continue to smile.

"You broke a boy's fang, do you know what it means in the vampire world?"

"Breaking a fang means bringing shame to the vampire. Fangs are one of the valued assets for a vampire, especially a pureblooded vampire. If you are planning to educate me over it I am already aware of this," answered the young boy as if bored with the Lord.

Lord Nicholas had then smiled, "There is an edict in the council, edict thirteen which states the reversal punishments. You broke the boy's fang which is of grave importance. If the word went up to the council, regardless of your age, your fangs would be broken too. What was the need to break it for a mere sheep? Was it your pet?" the Lord asked, his eyes curiously waiting for an answer. The man didn't have an issue with pets but he found it quite strange that a pureblooded boy would attach himself to a sheep.

"It wasn't," replied the boy which intrigued the lord more.

"You don't seem to me to be the type to go hitting your own cousins for no reason."

"It was Vivi's pet," A girl? questioned Lord Nicholas in his mind, how interesting.

The young boy after remembering the little chat he had with the Lord who seemed overly friendly as well as suspicious, he had taken him out to hunt in the forest the next day. Getting on the bed and placing the lantern close to his side, he leaned back to read the book that was at the top. He read the book for an hour before closing and placing it aside from the rest.

With the weeks that had gone by, he was still getting used to the lifestyle here. The quiet mansion which only had the servants and the Lord living it, not to forget the two ghouls that came in and out without anyone's notice. Thunder growled up in the sky, the fireplace that had been burning brightly now dimmed with most of the logs turning bright to only reduce to ashes. The rain continued in the land of Bonelake where the Rune mansion stood tall and proud.

The boy stepped down from the bed, placing his warm feet on the cold ice-like floor. Pushing himself up, he walked to the balcony doors, pushing it to see the rain that poured down without a stop. It was one of the nights with heavy rain and thunder. The smell of the rain heavy in the air as the wind blew. He closed the door.

It was the little girl's birthday today, thought young Leo without a hint of expression that came to pass across his features. It wasn't that he had forgotten about it. He remembered it since he had got to bed last night but he had been stubborn t not go back to Carmichael's mansion, his home. He was a little boy yet the pride was too high that reached the length of the ceiling.

Going back to sit on the bed, he turned his face to look at the window where the rainwater slid down the windowpane. Pushing the mattress of the bed, he picked the little box that he had hidden. The box made a clinking sound as if the music box coughing just as he opened it.

He had given his music box to her while buying a new one for himself. Not that he wanted to give her a used one because but the music box had been tuned to his liking. He had meddled it around as it had been broken before getting it fixed by his own hands and that had more value. Things that were old were always precious.

The blonde boy didn't smile but that didn't mean he didn't smile internally at the thought of the girl.

He wondered if she was crying due to his absence. The cry baby Bambi, thought the boy. The last time she had cried it had startled him enough to go chasing through the forest to find her on the ground with her knee bleeding.

Leo had then given her a ride back home on his back before being caught by the housekeeper.

Paul had looked shocked, running towards them at the sight of the blood that continued to trickle down from her knee, "Master Leonard. Vivian!" the housekeeper's voice a little harsher towards Vivian. Not because she was a maid like a housekeeper but because the man had taken her as his responsibility. And it was always easier to scold people who were close than the one with boundaries.

"Paul!" Little Vivian hadn't picked the scolding and instead, her voice came out elated with happiness with the ride she had had on Leo's back, "We are back."

"What happened to your leg? Master Leonard, you can drop her now. I will take her," offered the housekeeper while also making sure to see that no one had caught them. No matter how young they were, it didn't look good for the young master to be carrying a maid who was beneath him.

"No!" the girl wounded her hands more securely around the boy's neck while pressing her lips tightly.

Paul who went to reach for her felt the distance increase. He then looked at Leonard who had a similar expression as Vivian, "I will take her to the room. You can prepare warm water and bring a cloth with you." The housekeeper was already aware of the stubbornness of the young man and nodded instead of bickering here in the hallway. Paul was trying to be careful but the entire mansion knew the friendship the two little children shared together.

Vivian was then made to sit in her bedroom, her wounded leg placed on Leo's knee as he crouched on the floor so that he could clean it. The boy had taken the initiative to take care of the wound without letting Paul help. It worried the older man in the room, wondering to himself how long this friendship would last. Every time he subtly tried to take the girl away it seemed like the little boy already knew about it and would quickly close the distance with an unsightly glare at him.

"Vivi, why did you go to the forest? Didn't Martha ask you to stay inside the mansion?" questioned Paul with a stern voice.

"I saw Leo going there," the little girl answered as if it were an obvious thing to do, "Ah!" she yelped in pain when Leo dabbed the wet cloth on her wound so that he could clean it, his hand's gentle. Little Vivian occasionally flinched with pain when the little stick with the tip of cotton touched her red skin, removing the dirt and dried blood. The young boy had done an excellent job in giving the girl a first-aid, her knee wrapped around with a bandage to be tied securely.

The housekeeper though wanting to scold, he had been worried when he had seen the girl hurt, "Master Leonard," Paul took the matter to the boy so that he would aid in the little problem which wouldn't occur again in the future. Seeing the boy nod, the housekeeper let out a relaxed sigh.

"The next time you want to go, call me instead of crying in the middle of the forest. I will take you along with me," the housekeeper snapped his head not expecting this turn of words.

"Every time?" little Vivian asked.

"Any time," he promised the girl.