Part III
The Reins
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Blodwen Wonderland
Hidden among the pine trees was a chateau, standing lonely surrounded by the colony of the dead. The residence wasn’t so enormous to greet an eye from afar, especially now that the darkness overruled the earth, yet not so small to be lack of the sense of wealth. Elena led the way to its entrance, then offered to walk the horses to a barn which she said was at the backyard. A gentleman shouldn’t allow a lady to do that at this state of coldness. But Elena said firmly that she would let him walk the horses, being showered with rain, in the only condition that he swore not to get sick and used the frilled umbrella. The argument was quickly settled. The General silently gave her the rein.
When she came back, the house-guest had already made himself at home in front of a fire-lit fireplace. He looked around curiously, peeking into every jar and vase on a shelf. Elena cleared her throat.
“Oh,” The General jumped. He spun around, awkwardly smiled as he tucked his hands into the coat’s pockets like a little kid being found by his mother when he was sticking a finger into a jam jar. “Um… I’m… sorry.”
“What are you doing, milord?” Elena knitted her brows. Although she could guess that he beyond doubt was looking for something that could be found in a witch’s castle, she asked him anyway, teasingly. “Are you hungry?”
“No.” He looked up to the ceiling, hugging himself and shuddered. “I’m just… curious. I’m sorry if you found my behavior intruding.”
“And if I didn’t find your poking your nose into vases intruding?”
“I’d say ‘let change the topic.’”
Elena shook her head. But a smile also appeared on her rose-colored lips. “You must be kidding me, milord. Who would buy it if I told them that yesterday you were searching for Santa Claus and now you are trying to find a talking toad? People will accuse me of reading too much fairy tales.”
He looked at her, losing for words for a few seconds. Then he took a deep breath. “Well, milady. At least we both know that witches exist.”
“Unfortunately, they do.” She tried to maintain the serious face. “I’ll let you off the hook this time for that comment.”
“Thank you.” He gave a joking bow. Then the General tilted his head to a table near the fireplace. “I promised to give this to you, didn’t I?”
Elena saw the ruby-colored box he brought with him sitting on the table. The box was already opened but the witch had yet to see what was kept inside. The General beckoned her to come closer. In the box, there were a doll of an eastern woman and a man. The woman had a pearl-white face and lips like rose. They both wore strange clothes and strange hair styles. The man was half-shaved. The remaining hair was folded on to the top of his head. The woman was writing a letter in a room while the man, standing just outside the room’s paper door, was peeking at her. The woman was sitting at a table with a brush in her hand. Along side the letter, there were coins and a candle. General picked the toy out of the box then place it on the table carefully.
“This is an automaton. Do you know what an automaton is?”
Elena shook her head.
“They ain’t dolls. They can move. Like a Cuckoo clock.”
“You mean, like a clockwork doll?”
His finger blushed the woman doll’s head softly then rubbed down her neck. “Let me wind it up.” He pulled a winding key from under a little table that the doll was sitting at. He stuck it in her back then turned a few time.
Elena expected to hear a song played, like a music box, but what she heard were a sound of scratching and cries of nocturnal animals. The woman began to write. But all she could do was drawing. The ink started to form a shape of a butterfly on the paper as the General began to tell her tale.
“This woman is an oiran or a prostitute. She is trying to write a letter to her lover who lives outside the city. She hopes that he’d one day come for her. The man,” He pointed at the other doll, “is a pimp.”
The man looked through the door for awhile then he stepped back, drew out a piece of paper from his sleeve. He tore it apart and threw the paper into a fire.
“Is that her letter?” Elena asked but she needed not an answer.
While the prostitute was wondering why her lover had never shown up, while she was crying days and nights thinking her lover didn’t need her anymore, the pimp laughed. A sound of a woman sobbing and a husky laughter echoed with a sound of fire digesting wood.
“Why do you give it to me? Isn’t it precious?” The witch whispered.
“I have the full story at home. This one is a prototype. Meaning I have the other same thing. And it makes a good gift, don’t you think?.”
“It’s wonderful. Thank you.” Her praise met with his smile.
“So,” Elena looked at him while untying her cape. “Why don’t you peel that well soaked coat off before you catch a cold?”
The guest obeyed. He took his coat off then placed in onto the hands that were waiting and watched as Elena hung the cloth to the wall. “You wait here.” She said. “I’ll fix something for us to eat. I think we could have at least dry meat and cheese.”
“Don’t bother.”
Elena looked at him. “You aren’t hungry?”
“Yes. But... I don’t think I can eat. I don’t eat meat.”
Her brow went up. So, this was the reason he gave the meat to his bird at the inn. “What about cheese?”
“No either.”
“If we have potatoes, I’ll make soup.”
“Listen. I said don’t bother.”
Another goddamned order. Elena didn’t back away. The witch threw the commander a sharp glare. “Well ,milord. You could save your habit of giving orders because in my house you listen to my words. If I tell you to sit down, you sit. If I tell you to drink tea, you drink. If I command you to eat soup, you eat. And I have never said that making tea or potato soup would cause me a headache, haven’t I?”
Stanley blinked. “No, milady. But...”
“Sit down and warm yourself up. You are shaking.” Elena interrupted. “We’ve already had too many corpses around here.”
She crossed her arm, looking dagger at him until he sat down in front of the fire. “Now what?” He sounded almost pouting.
Elena fought the urge to laugh. But she couldn’t help let a little smirk escape. “I’ll prepare food. Rest assured. I won’t poison you.”
When she came back, the house-guest had already made himself at home in front of a fire-lit fireplace. He looked around curiously, peeking into every jar and vase on a shelf. Elena cleared her throat.
“Oh,” The General jumped. He spun around, awkwardly smiled as he tucked his hands into the coat’s pockets like a little kid being found by his mother when he was sticking a finger into a jam jar. “Um… I’m… sorry.”
“What are you doing, milord?” Elena knitted her brows. Although she could guess that he beyond doubt was looking for something that could be found in a witch’s castle, she asked him anyway, teasingly. “Are you hungry?”
“No.” He looked up to the ceiling, hugging himself and shuddered. “I’m just… curious. I’m sorry if you found my behavior intruding.”
“And if I didn’t find your poking your nose into vases intruding?”
“I’d say ‘let change the topic.’”
Elena shook her head. But a smile also appeared on her rose-colored lips. “You must be kidding me, milord. Who would buy it if I told them that yesterday you were searching for Santa Claus and now you are trying to find a talking toad? People will accuse me of reading too much fairy tales.”
He looked at her, losing for words for a few seconds. Then he took a deep breath. “Well, milady. At least we both know that witches exist.”
“Unfortunately, they do.” She tried to maintain the serious face. “I’ll let you off the hook this time for that comment.”
“Thank you.” He gave a joking bow. Then the General tilted his head to a table near the fireplace. “I promised to give this to you, didn’t I?”
Elena saw the ruby-colored box he brought with him sitting on the table. The box was already opened but the witch had yet to see what was kept inside. The General beckoned her to come closer. In the box, there were a doll of an eastern woman and a man. The woman had a pearl-white face and lips like rose. They both wore strange clothes and strange hair styles. The man was half-shaved. The remaining hair was folded on to the top of his head. The woman was writing a letter in a room while the man, standing just outside the room’s paper door, was peeking at her. The woman was sitting at a table with a brush in her hand. Along side the letter, there were coins and a candle. General picked the toy out of the box then place it on the table carefully.
“This is an automaton. Do you know what an automaton is?”
Elena shook her head.
“They ain’t dolls. They can move. Like a Cuckoo clock.”
“You mean, like a clockwork doll?”
His finger blushed the woman doll’s head softly then rubbed down her neck. “Let me wind it up.” He pulled a winding key from under a little table that the doll was sitting at. He stuck it in her back then turned a few time.
Elena expected to hear a song played, like a music box, but what she heard were a sound of scratching and cries of nocturnal animals. The woman began to write. But all she could do was drawing. The ink started to form a shape of a butterfly on the paper as the General began to tell her tale.
“This woman is an oiran or a prostitute. She is trying to write a letter to her lover who lives outside the city. She hopes that he’d one day come for her. The man,” He pointed at the other doll, “is a pimp.”
The man looked through the door for awhile then he stepped back, drew out a piece of paper from his sleeve. He tore it apart and threw the paper into a fire.
“Is that her letter?” Elena asked but she needed not an answer.
While the prostitute was wondering why her lover had never shown up, while she was crying days and nights thinking her lover didn’t need her anymore, the pimp laughed. A sound of a woman sobbing and a husky laughter echoed with a sound of fire digesting wood.
“Why do you give it to me? Isn’t it precious?” The witch whispered.
“I have the full story at home. This one is a prototype. Meaning I have the other same thing. And it makes a good gift, don’t you think?.”
“It’s wonderful. Thank you.” Her praise met with his smile.
“So,” Elena looked at him while untying her cape. “Why don’t you peel that well soaked coat off before you catch a cold?”
The guest obeyed. He took his coat off then placed in onto the hands that were waiting and watched as Elena hung the cloth to the wall. “You wait here.” She said. “I’ll fix something for us to eat. I think we could have at least dry meat and cheese.”
“Don’t bother.”
Elena looked at him. “You aren’t hungry?”
“Yes. But... I don’t think I can eat. I don’t eat meat.”
Her brow went up. So, this was the reason he gave the meat to his bird at the inn. “What about cheese?”
“No either.”
“If we have potatoes, I’ll make soup.”
“Listen. I said don’t bother.”
Another goddamned order. Elena didn’t back away. The witch threw the commander a sharp glare. “Well ,milord. You could save your habit of giving orders because in my house you listen to my words. If I tell you to sit down, you sit. If I tell you to drink tea, you drink. If I command you to eat soup, you eat. And I have never said that making tea or potato soup would cause me a headache, haven’t I?”
Stanley blinked. “No, milady. But...”
“Sit down and warm yourself up. You are shaking.” Elena interrupted. “We’ve already had too many corpses around here.”
She crossed her arm, looking dagger at him until he sat down in front of the fire. “Now what?” He sounded almost pouting.
Elena fought the urge to laugh. But she couldn’t help let a little smirk escape. “I’ll prepare food. Rest assured. I won’t poison you.”
*******
Elena brought two bowls of soup and a tea set to the living room where the General was sitting by the hearth. He had removed his tuxedo jacket. Bow tie hung loosely around his neck. He sat leg crossing on a carpet. Two guns and a dagger, as he had mentioned before, were laid beside him. The man lifted his hands to his month then yawned blowing warm breaths against his stone-cold palms. As soon as he noticed her shadow, he turned his face around and watched. Just watched. But who would expect a man with the reins of army like him to offer a hand to help with woman’s duty.
“Thank you,” he said. “Really, you shouldn’t trouble yourself.”
“Please eat.” She sat on her knees and gave him the food. “If you want to sit at a table, we can move to the dining room.”
The General shook his head. “I’ve already felt comfortable here.” He raised the spoon to his lips to take a sip.
“Drink this.” She carefully poured a cup of heavenly smelled tea. “It’s herb tea. So far, it suits everyone’s taste.”
“You are enjoying ordering me around, ain’t you?”
The question raised some eyebrow. She looked up and saw him watching her, too, sideway. “Do you think so?” Elena chuckled then ducked her head keeping on setting up the tea. “Ordering you around is easier than I thought. I thought you’d yell at me.”
“No, I won’t. I’m a good boy especially to a lady that can cook tasty soup.”
“Hmm… don’t flatter me.” She smiled. “What if I did everything against your will from now on?”
“That must be challenging.”
“If you get angry, you lose.”
He chuckled. “I won’t. I’ve never been unreasonably angry.”
“What if you had a reason to lose your temper?”
He thought for a second then put the soup bowl down, looked at her. Between them were his weapons and the cup of tea she had served.“What if lost my temper? Your question has the same answer as ‘What if I, too, did everything against your will from now on?’”
An evil grin showed up on the corner of the General’s lips. His green eyes, flashing by the fire, watched as her peaceful expression faded away. They observed her slightly parted lips and traveled down her neck to her body. Finally, the eyes reached their destination which was the same place that the witch’s eyes had already landed.
The guns.
“I’m kidding.” He said. “Apologies.” But the tense atmosphere wasn’t eased up. Elena had just realized what she had invited herself into. There were only two of them in the house, no, in the whole forest, and this crazy guy just dropped a hint that he could, by all odds, force her if he wanted to. Elena knew his eyes still fixed at her and she didn’t dare take a look back.
“I shouldn’t have said something like that.” The General rubbed his neck. “If you are afraid, you can have the guns.”
Elena bit her lips. Finally she took a deep breath and became again able to look him in the eyes. “Who would be afraid of you? I’m a witch.”
He let out a soft laughter then went back to the soup. This time he didn’t use the spoon. He lifted the soup by a hand and sipped directly from it. When he felt her curious eyes on him, he provided an explanation.
“I drink like this at home.”
Elena tilted her head. “You eat soup like an easterner?”
“I lived among them when I was young. They use their hands and chopsticks. When they eat soup, they eat from the bowl. Not all easterners eat soup this way, though. Some use a spoon. But I prefered sipping from the bowl. It’s easier and warmer. You should try it yourself.”
Elena did as told. She lifted the bowl with two hands and ate the soup while the other man was drinking the tea. When they finished the supper, she brought the empty bowls back to the kitchen. It was too cold to wash the bowls so she just left them there. When she came back to the living room, the General had already lied down in front of the fire.
“Milord, I will show you a guest room.”
“Don’t bother.”
The same old game.
“I thought you’d listen to me.”
“I mean it. I’ll sleep here.”
“I’ll bring you a blanket.”
“Don’t inconvenience yourself.”
Elena sighed. She went to the second floor to get a very warm blanket and a pillow then went back to the living room. General Stanley looked at her amusedly, his hand accepting the pillow and the blanket. “Wow. You really do everything against my will, don’t you?”
“Did you say ‘don’t bother’ to tell me indirectly to get you a blanket?”
“No. I really meant ‘don’t bother.’ And now I want to say ‘thank you.’" Like a mouse that found its nest, his body quickly disappeared underneath the blanket.
Elena pulled an annoyed face. “Seriously, you should sleep in a bed unless you want to experience the process of freezing to death. The temperature will drop after midnight.”
The General smiled. “Goodnight, Lady Ivanova. Go to bed.”
The host just stood her ground crossing her arms on her chest. After awhile, the silence broke.
“Fine.” The houseguest let out a soft sigh. “You may stay.”
“Fine! If you get sick, suit yourself.” She scowled then walked to the stair.
“Lady Ivanova.”
His voice made her pause the plods.
“I’m really sorry for what I said earlier.”
The witch bit her lips. She was so annoyed she didn’t even want to face him. “Apology accepted.”
“What if I meant it?” He asked.
“Meant what?”
“What I said earlier.”
She heard him shifted on the floor.
“Or when I told you to stay.”
Elena turned around only to see that he was now showing his back to her. He fell into silence as if he was waiting for her to choose her choice. Or his choice. Their game of words was messed up no one knew if any words meant anything anymore.
“Goodnight, milord.”
“Thank you for your hospitality, Lady Ivanova. I’ve bothered you tonight.”
Elena dropped him a curtsey, whether he could see, before going upstairs to her room.
*** The End ***
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1 comment:
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พาร์ทแรกนี่โก้อ่านแล้วขำมาก ตลกก โดยเฉพาะตรงร่มด้วย มันเป็นการแก้แค้นที่เคยโดนสั่งชัดๆเลย! แต่อะไรที่ทำให้ก็คงห่วงนั่นแหละน้า เพราะงั้นห้ามปฏิเสธ (ฮา) ชอบตรงเรื่องของโอยรันด้วยค่ะ อยากรู้เนื้อหาเต็มๆเลย/รึนี่เต็มแล้วนะ/ซับ
ตรงจุดที่โดนขู่ขึ้นมานี่ ฮื้อ มะ ไม่ได้กลัวหรอกนะ อีกอย่างเอาปืนไปก็ใช้ว่าจะใช้เป็นสักหน่อย (...) รู้สึกขึ้นมาเลยว่าเอลพลาดมากจริงๆ/ซับ/หรือเพราะเห็นอีกด้านของแสตนลี่ย์ด้วยเลยเหมือน ว่าไงดีล่ะ เหมือนไว้ใจมากขึ้น? ล่ะมั้ง พอโดนขู่ขึ้นมาเลยรู้สึกว่าตัวเองก้าวผิดไปพอสมควรเลยล่ะ
จะว่าไป ถ้าหากตอนสุดท้ายให้เลือกจริงๆ ก็คงไม่เลือกแหละนะ ส่วนนึงคงไม่อยากคิดถึงว่าจะเกิดอะไรตามขึ้นมาหลังจากนี้หรือเปล่า หรือยังไงดี orz อธิบายไม่ถูกเลยค่ะ แต่ก็คงรู้สึกว่าตอนนี้ทุกอย่างดูยุ่งเหยิงเกินจนเลือกที่จะปล่อยไปก็แล้วกัน
สุดท้ายแล้ว ขอบคุณอีกทีเน้อที่เขียนถึงเอเลน่านะคะ! (≧∀≦ )
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