Bambi and the Duke

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As they reached the town, Paul pulled the horses to a halt before jumping down the carriage to place his feet on the ground, "There you go," he said lifting the little girl and placing her in front of him. They were at a small market where not many visited compared to the local market which was situated close to the river of the bank of the town.

Holding her small hand in his, he walked into the shop, asking for the vegetables which had to be restocked in the mansion before he came back here after two to three days.

Vivian looked at the almost deserted alley, her black eyes taking in the surrounding quietly while Paul spoke to the shopkeeper. When the shopkeeper picked an odd vegetable, she looked at it.

"Could you pass me a glass of water, lady," Paul asked the shopkeeper who obliged, going in and coming out with a copper glass filled with water. The man then washed one of the tomatoes he had bought and turned to the little girl, "Do you want to try it?" he asked her to which her refusal was quick as she shook her head vigorously. "Are you sure?" he asked her again and then bit into the fruit. Tugging her hand, he pulled her along as they walked towards the carriage to place the vegetables inside.

Once they had made two trips back and forth to the carriage and the small market, Paul decided to give the girl a little tour around before they would head back to the mansion. Nothing interested her as she seemed to walk next to him but it was when they reached the fair that was taking place did her eyes get stuck to the colour-filled atmosphere. The fair was set up on a large empty space to fit in everything they could from the little stalls which sold goods and food to the games which were set up randomly without any organization.

Vivian hadn't seen something like this before and it only made her curious as to what was what. It was a busy place, people bustling and chattering around, making her push towards Paul as she was small for the men and women to notice her. There were colourful balloons on the side and next to it where children of her age hovering over the counter for something that was pulled out of a cup which she strained to see by moving her neck. A boy held something pink like a cloud in his hand as he tore and ate it which fascinated her to no end. Though they hadn't got in to look around things and enjoy like the rest, Paul had given the girl enough time to look at the fair before they headed back to the carriage.

By the time the families returned dusk had broken, the sky painted red and blue which was rare for the land of Bonelake. The people of the town had consulted with the high priests after receiving the approval to host the fair in the town. Soon there was chatter in the halls and the mansion wasn't as quiet as it had been a few hours ago. That night, Vivian found it hard to sleep due to the recurring dreams of her parents. Beginning to miss them, she got out of the bed, her small feet padding down the corridors and halls. She wanted to see her mother. Candles burned softly on the walls and the sides as she walked towards the main door. Her small pale white gown brushing the ground as she walked so that she could meet her mother. The housekeeper had told they would come to see her but for some reason, they hadn't. Did they not know where she was?

Reaching the main door, she tried reaching for the handle but due to her height, her hand couldn't reach it. Standing on her toes which was turning painful, she stretched her hand as much as she could to no use. Seeing the table at the corner with a vase, she went to touch the vase,

"What are you doing?" the sudden voice in the darkness scared her. She had meant to pick the vase and place it down but instead, she ended up pushing the vase with a force which fell on the carpeted floor in clinks of noise as it broke into pieces.

Leonard who had been bored had stepped out of his room to stroll through the mansion when he found something to move past the corner of his eye. He had followed the person to see it was the human servant who walked in trance. The first thought of his was that she was sleepwalking but the sad expression on her face gave away.

"You keep breaking pots and vases like this, you will be punished for not being careful. It was an expensive vase which father received as a gift from the lord," said Leonard looking at the vase with a frown, "Where were you trying to go in the middle of the night?" he questioned her.

"Home," she answered, her hands clutching her nightdress tightly in fright.

Home? thought Leonard, "Where is it?" he continued to ask her to which the girl had no answer. He saw her lips tremble as she repeated, "Home," repeating the word like it was something precious which she wasn't aware that it no longer was her home.

"I don't know where home is if you don't tell me. Martha or Paul might know about it. Why don't you go sleep and go home tomorrow?" the young Carmichael boy asked her to see her shake her head.

"Vivian!" Martha who had dropped by the kitchen for water had heard something break in the hall, deciding to look if a thief had broken into the house she had gone to find two children out of their beds, standing at the main door of the mansion. With hurried footsteps, she came to ask them, "What are you two doing here at this hour of the night?" Her eyes that fell on the broken glasses on the ground widened and that was when she heard the little girl sob.

"H-home," Vivian sobbed, hiccuping every time she said it.

"Oh dear. Come here," the old woman carefully took the girl into her arms and patted her head gently, "Didn't I tell you, you have to be a good girl for that. Good girls don't get out of bed at this hour," she picked the girl, hoisting her on one side of her hip as Vivian cried into her shoulders.

"I want to see mother," came the muffled words from Vivian which both Leonard and the housekeeper heard.

"Shh," the old woman cooed at the girl who had her hands around her neck and faces hidden as sobs erupted from the girl's lips. The woman patted her head gently, sighing internally, "There there, now," turning to look at Leonard, she said, "Young master, you should head to bed too," Leonard nodded his head whilst standing in the hallway when the housekeeper carried the girl back to the servants quarters.

If Vivian had lost a few years in growing up who was forced to get in sync with the human ways of growing up, Leonard was wiser for his age than the other vampire children. Mentally, his growth had already begun tremendously for his age, maybe it was one of the reasons why there was the brewing anger that was hidden under his skin. It was something he had acquired from his maternal grandfather. Walking back to his room, he climbed his bed to lay on his back, looking at the ceiling where the curtains began to drop around the large bed.