Chapter 17

Randell awoke under the light of the moon and sun, his back an aching mess from sleeping at the desk. Jedreck was usually the one to remind him to return to the room before it was too late. He shamelessly would be the first to admit that it was quite easy for the man to lure the General away from whatever he was doing and vice versa.

Of course, neither of them wished to disturbed the other when the other was tasked with something heavy. Their careers, at times, held the difference between life and death, and a slight delay might leave behind consequences that could never be undone.

The two understood each other, respected each other, and this tacit collaboration was part of why the two were able to work so well as colleagues and lovers.

Randell rolled his stiff neck and joints, each one letting out a satisfying pop before relieving the tension. His mind clear even having just woken up, he swiftly washed his face and mouth before heading for the child's courtyard.

As he walked, the rest of the mansion began to rise with the sun in the east. Each time he passed someone, the servant knowingly greeted him like the unspoken madam of the estate. Maybe other men might have found this behavior demeaning as he was most definitely a man, but Randell wasn't bothered in the slightest. In fact, he was proud - proud that these people accepted him as the rightful lover of General Jedreck Lovel.

Even if their relationship was kept down low, at least in the comfort of their home, were they able to rightfully be together - hopefully, over time, the child would come to understand this too.

As he passed through the gate, the guards stood a little straighter, chins lifted in alertness. 

Returning the nod, he questioned, "Has there been any news through the night?" 

"Yes, the young master seemed to have woken up a few hours ago. Miss Pipa had prepared a meal and bath for him but he returned to sleep."

Randell's worries fell before rising again. "If this was the case, why wasn't I or the doctor informed?" 

To this, the young guards didn't know what to say.

"One of you go and call for Doctor Imire. Tell him exactly what you told me."

Randell didn't explain any further, his main concern was once again on the child. If this were a simple illness, there would be no problem in the maid's actions, but this was the act of an uhyre.

The yard was tidy with a few idle things the child brought back from the market placed on the side. Freshly fallen leaves crunched beneath his feet as he strode to antechamber. In three swift strikes, he knocked on the servant's door. In one or two seconds, footsteps softly padded and opened the door. The young girl's face were leaden with sleep and dark circles, but then her tired eyes flashed in a gleam of trepidation. "Sir, you've returned early."

Stepping inside, he headed through the side hall toward the boy's room. "I have. The guards informed me that Soleil has woken up. Why have you not informed anyone?"

As a first-class servant whose aim was always to impress her masters, Pipa wanted to explain, but then her young master's orders popped in her head. Overloaded with conflict, she closed and opened her mouth several times.

Such behavior had his distrust deepen. Moving passed the girl, he opened the child's door only to see the unexpected.

~

Jamie felt warm. 

Not warm in the way that his fever returned, but warm like those hot summer nights that even an open window and rotating fan couldn't quell.

Slightly kicking the blanket, he tried to roll away from the heat source but was met with resistance. Groggily, Jamie opened his eyes and saw Cieran stickily nudging closer to him, legs splayed over his own and arms across his torso.

If he didn't have a full bladder, Jamie might have been gushing at how cute it was. Who was he kidding? Jamie still gushed. Turning over to take a closer look at the child, the dim of the fire coupled with the blue cast from the window allowed for him to see the boy's face.

The cheeks were still gaunt and the raven hair was still brittle, but it didn't affect the natural straight nose and curly lashes. There was just something so innately cute about the child that reminded him of a woodland creature that could bring even the manliest of men to their knees.

On the edge of the bed, the real woodland creature spied on his master naively falling for the child's tricks. If he could communicate in human speech, he'd be reprimanding his master with the harsh reality. The child had already woken up as soon as Jamie tried to get away. 'Humph! The conniving brat is just pretending.'

Unfortunately, he couldn't speak and the master unimpressively had instincts akin to a farm animal's.

At some point, Jamie's bladder really couldn't hold any more. After he struggled to detach himself from the sleeping boy, he scurried to the restroom that was just a fancy bucket in room the size of a coat closet. 

And so, as the saying goes, when the cat is away, the mice would play.

In an instant, the small snout of sharp canines went straight for the throat. Yet, before the foxes teeth could sink into the flesh, tiny hands knocked the animal away, sending it flying of the edge of the bed and onto the floor

Cieran sat up in annoyance, letting the soft covers that smelled slightly like the young master with a hint of medicine slip.

He just had the best sleep of his entire life, waking up feeling cozy and warm. When the young master left, he planned to continue to feign sleep so they could doze a little longer when he returned, but the dang fox had to ruin it. 

In the faint light of morning, black orbs looked down upon the animal whose raised hackles resembled the quills of a porcupines. Both fox and boy wished they could pierce each other with their stares. 

But before another minute battle could occur, their attention turned to the side room.

First their was a feint knock and a murmur of voices. And then, the door was opened.

Randell didn't know what to expect when he opened the door. Although the maid seemed young and diligent, she was acting erratically. Such behavior sent his internal alarm bells off.

Pipa panicked behind him, but there was no way for her to stop the unspoken madam of the estate from checking on her young master.

Randell stepped inside to see an unknown child sitting in his son's bed. "Who is this?"

"You see.. He is... The young master said... Um-" The maid stumbled over her words as she searched the room for Jamie.

Said young master had been midstream when he heard his Uncle arrive. Darn it, he's early.

Hurriedly, he washed his hands, wiping the rest of the water on his clothes as he rushed back into the room. With a cheery disposition, he exclaimed, "Uncle Avery!"

Randell's eyes that had been scanning the dull-faced boy then went to his beautiful son returning from the toilet. "Soleil, you're awake." In two quick strides, he picked up the child and touched the cool forehead. "You've given me and your father an awful scare."

Jamie felt uncomfortable being held by the big man, but easing his uncle's worries should soften him up a bit for what was to come. "Mhmm. Thank you for looking after me. You're really the best!"

Although his words were honest, Jamie wished to internally throw up. To with hold his up-chuck, he had to silently chant in his heart: Do it for the children. Do it for the children. Do it for the children.

As for the children, or child in this matter, Cieran watched on with lowered eyes as the young master was picked up and held by the big man... The black orbs looked down at his short and thin limbs. Surely, one day, he'd be big enough - no, bigger - to do the same.

In a soft, encouraging, and somewhat forcibly acquisitive tone, Randell had to ask, "Soleil, who is this child?"

Using the cute face of Soleil for innocent deception, Jamie tilted his head and batted his lashes like those anime characters his friend, Daniel, secretly kept as a screen saver on his phone. "Uncle... This is Cieran, my friend from the orphanage... He was adopted a long time ago, but the people who took him weren't good people, just like the people that Isla and Gale were fighting in the streets," he began slowly. Randell looked over to the small child on the bed. He did look gaunt and smaller than the one in his arms; a bit of pity began to form.

"Those people dyed his hair and did some weird stuff to his eyes to make him look like that... he was trying to get away, it was hard for him.. And no one helped him because of the way he loo-"

And just like that pity popped like a balloon.

Pulling away and holding his nephew with straight arms, he interrupted "Wait! Wait! Wait! What?"

Jamie did his best attempt at puppy dog eyes. "They dyed his hair and did some weird-"

Randell's face twisted in realization. His head turned so fast looking back at the raven haired child that he almost had whiplash. Fuck. Uhyre.