Darkwood (closed)

KieranSoares

Literotica Guru
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Early winter had set into England, leaves fallen from the trees, but no snow quite sticking yet. The last snow had melted as it was just above freezing outside, but the wind was still biting and harsh, the mud and light Misty rain stuck to everything and the damp and cold seeped into even the hardiest winter clothes. A ways off from London on the quiet countryside, astride a massive forest and on the edge of a small rural town called Southall, stood the Darkwood Estate, its grounds turning muddy and brown as well with the rain and melting snow. The Lord of the great manor, Sir Ashien Vincent Ghis, Cavalry Master and Major in the English military, was away visiting his twin sister Queen Kayla Ghis of Norway and aiding her in a sudden war with the Rus.

Left to look after the three-story manor named for its dark wooden construction was Lady Dylandra, the lord's wife, and the Wolf groundskeeper Kiva and the few housekeepers. Despite the brown and grey of early winter in the isles, Darkwood was warm and welcoming and particularly cheery with a few decorations for Yule and Christmas. But more than the warmth and appearance, there was a joy about the place after the lady of the manor had been visited by a doctor for a minor illness, only to learn she was pregnant with her first child. That had been a week prior and letters had already been sent off to Ashien and other family members in Scotland in Clan Inverness. Upon finding out, the King of England, Henry Beauclerc the First who was close with Dylandra and Ashien, had thrown a small celebration in Dylandra's honor, just for her, himself, his daughter Isabella, and Isabella's husband Sir John Davies who was still very close with Dylandra even after their own romance had ended some time ago.

It was the morning after Dylandra had returned home, and she was sitting in her studio a while after breakfast. While she sketched in a new blank book, her faithful, lazy companion- a great white tiger named Ballas with a purple bandana around his neck- sat beside the arm chair with his huge head in her lap, purring absently just at the contact.

There was a knock on the door, which made Ballas lift his head with his ears perked forward. It swung open halfway, and the dark-furred canine face of the groundskeeper peered in. Kiva, a Wolf long in service to Darkwood, was dressed in dark winter clothes over his dark ruddy fur, and there was a look of concern on his face. "Milady... Ah... There's a child wandering the grounds. I'm not sure how he got in..." He motioned toward the huge studio windows letting in the grey late morning light alongside the blazing firelight.

Outside in the large estate garden, long barren after the growing season had ended, was a small figure wandering the rows of cut husks, looking around himself hopelessly as he saw there was nothing growing anymore. He knelt a few times in the large potato patch to dig, and the one time he did find a potato, it was rotten and unfit for consumption. Even from the second floor, Dylandra could see his clothes were ragged, and he had only a shirt and trousers and no shoes. He looked broad and strong for a five year old, but pale and thin. Kiva looked out at him with clear concern. "I saw him once this summer, raiding the garden... But he was gone before I could catch him and ask where he lived."
 
It had turned brutally cold almost as soon as Ashien had left to go to his sister's side, leaving Dylandra confined to their home most of the time. She had done her best to make it cheerful for the holidays, putting many modern touches on the manor such as decorations and trees with dozens of candles. It made her happy to know that she could still honor her past there in more primitive times.

She anxiously awaited news back from Ashien about becoming a father. Parenthood was something that they had discussed, but it was still a shock to learn that she was expecting her first child with him. They hadn't done anything to stop a pregnancy, but they also hadn't considered that one would happen as suddenly as it did. She was over the moon and from the reaction of their friends that knew, they were just as happy too.

That morning, Dylan had come home by carriage from Henry's castle, tired and a touch ill, but happy to be back. Van was gone on his weekly shopping trip, leaving only herself, Ballas, and Kiva on the property. She had tucked herself under a thick blanket in the studio, the place that she shared with Ashien and where she felt closest to him when he was gone. Drawing absently in a new notebook, she was slightly startled when Kiva knocked and entered.

"A child?" Dylan asked as he mentioned the little boy that was out on the grounds, searching through the corn field and the potato patch.

She stood from her chair, leaving her blanket behind as she looked out the window to where the little boy was desperately digging in the dirt for anything that might have been left behind from the last harvest. She didn't like the idea that a child was suffering, especially after Kiva mentioned that this wasn't the first time he had seen him.

"And he won't let you approach him?" She asked, looking over at the wolf. "No one else in town has seen him before?"
 
"Some have, but none know who he is," Kiva sighed. "He apparently shows up with the odd farthing on occasion at the taverns, but he doesn't talk beyond asking for food and paying for it. And he runs when anyone goes outside. Some of the housekeepers have tried to coax him, but nothing seems to work. They left a basket with food and a few blankets out for him to find, but... I think he needs medicine. He looks sick. I don't want to trap him just to get him some help..."
 
"Well, I suppose I'll have to see if I can coax him in." Dylan said as she turned from the window and started downstairs.

Grabbing her cloak and a small basket of food items, she was soon exiting the kitchens with Ballas at her heels. She approached the young boy cautiously, pausing when he caught sight of her and seemed about to bolt. He had been digging in the ground, his hands and face covered in mud, and she felt her heart absolutely break at the sight.

"Hello there, little one." She said, standing in her spot as they both sized up one another.
 
The boy, digging around the carrot patch now, froze on the spot when he heard Dylandra's voice, having not heard her approach over the wind. His brown hair looked to have been recently shorn short, a common practice of poor folk- selling their hair to wig-makers to survive- and his eyes were wide, bright and almost electric blue flecked with bits of yellow. They weren't quite the right color to be were, but there was something a bit wild about this boy.

He slowly stood, his gaze turning to Ballas who had kept back a ways, and then to Kiva who was standing near the corner of the building. He didn't say a word, slowly backing away and staring at them as if he was staring death in the face.
 
"No, no, sweetheart, please don't run." Dylan said softly as she watched him look at her with wide and frightened eyes. "I don't want to hurt you."

She let those words settle for a moment before she took a step forward, offering him the basket of food. "You can take this and be on your way if you really want, but I have a nice warm home and even hotter food. Would you like to come inside before the rain starts up again?"
 
The boy paused as she offered the basket for him to take and go, and he considered her words for a long moment before taking a tentative step forward, and slowly reaching out with one very quiet phrase. "Thank you..." He accepted the basket, but didn't seem willing to follow Dylandra inside. The fear seemed to be from experience, as if the boy didn't trust people in general.

"If you need a dry place to sleep," Kiva called gently, making the boy pause again, "the back door to the hay barn will be unlocked." He knew they couldn't force the boy into the manor, but they could at least provide a safe, dry place for him to hide from the rain if nothing else.
 
Dylan crouched down in front of the boy, trying her hardest to not seem threatening in any way. The boy was traumatised, obviously not willing to come and join her inside of the house, but she wasn't going to give up that easily.

"My name is Dylandra, but you can call me Dylan." She said simply, watching as his little fingers tightened over the handle of the basket, holding on for dear life. "Kiva is our stable master and Ballas is my pet. You might see Van out and about too. None of us will do you any harm. Would you like to tell me your name?"
 
Letting the basket come to rest on the ground between them, the boy met Dylandra's gaze with a mix of suspicion and curiosity. He took a long moment to answer, but finally murmured, "... Burke." His eyes darted to Ballas as the great tiger was distracted by some small creature nearby, and trotted off to investigate.

But just as Burke seemed to begin to relax, he suddenly bolted on instinct as horse hooves sounded coming around the side of the manor, an English soldier having just arrived and seen Kiva and Dylan from afar. He pulled his horse to a halt seeing the boy flee, leaving the basket behind in panic.

"Uh... Forgive me, your ladyship," he spoke up. "I didn't mean to interrupt..."
 
Dylan gave the little boy a smile as he told her his name before he took off running at the sound of horses coming towards the manor. She let out a sigh, watching as he ran for his life before she stood and faced the riders that had come into their fields.

"There's nothing to interrupt. How can I help you, sir?" Dylan asked, wrapping the cloak a little tighter around her body to fight off the chill.
 
"Word has reached the King about the conflict between the Rus and Norway. While I'm sure Lord Ashien has letters on the way, His Majesty the king received some reports just after you left and asked me to bring along a small compilation for you about what's happening."

The rider produced a small packet of pages and handed them down to her. "We're keeping an eye out for Lord Ashien's ship as we aren't sure when he might return. You'll be the first to know when it's spotted, milady."
 
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"Of course." Dylan said with a nod as she glanced towards Kiva. "If we can retreat inside. It's too chilly to be out here long and I find myself weary."

As the soldier nodded and went to stable his horse for a while, Dylan moved towards the wolf and paused beside him. "Take Ballas with you and see if you might be able to track the boy down. I don't want him out here if the rain is coming back."
 
"I'll see what I can do... I don't want to drag him back if I can help it." Kiva sighed and set off, whistling to Ballas. The great tiger was on his heels in seconds, following where they'd seen the boy flee to- a heavy back gate that he'd managed to get under and slip into the grounds.

The soldier didn't stay long, only elaborating on the notes he'd brought. He explained that Grand Prince Monomakh of the Rus had been trying to make forays into Scandinavia, and hearing of the deaths of King Sigmund and Prince Kolr, he had aimed for Queen Kjotva of Sweden. He had considered a more peaceful marriage alliance, but upon her refusal, he took drastic action and kidnapped her to force an annexation of Sweden either via her surrender, or her death. But Kayla and Elhardt had reacted immediately and were in Lithuania ready to sneak into Kiev and interrupt Kjotva's potential execution. Ashien was there to help organize cavalry and tactics, being a bit more experienced than Christopher. Between Ashien and Kayla's adviser Ulfric, they had a much better chance of success.

Long after the soldier had gone, not forgetting to thank Dylandra for her hospitality, Kiva finally returned looking a bit dejected. "We couldn't find him. He ran off toward town as far as Ballas could tell." He looked down to the soaked, muddy tiger. "I think we both need a bath, friend."
 
“I hate the idea of him out there in the dark and cold, but he must have somewhere that he goes when he’s not here. Leave out the basket and leave the back of the stable unlocked for him in case he comes back.” Dylan said as Ballas tried to groom himself of the mud and water that stained his white fur from their hunt. “And give Ballas a scrubbing for me, please? I haven’t felt well since I returned this morning.”

Kiva knew about the pregnancy and rarely turned down a request that she made. However, Dylan would stubbornly try and do as much by herself as she could.
 
"Come on, friend," Kiva gave Ballas a pat and they headed off to bathe. The freezing rain came along in the next hour, growing heavy and staying that way for hours. All the hearths in the manor were lit to fight off the oppressive, sapping cold. Eventually it grew cold enough that the rain turned to snow, and the wet landscape froze. By nightfall, it was a blizzard and everything outside from the manor itself to the trees was frosted entirely white.

Kiva ventured out occasionally to make sure the horses were faring well, and he never saw the boy return, nor was the basket he left just inside the back door of the stable ever disturbed. He only hoped the boy had had somewhere to hide in town after he'd run off that way.

Come the next morning, the white world outside was practically blinding despite the overcast sky. Kiva was already up to feed the horses, Ballas following him around. But when Dylandra came down to the kitchen, she found a curious sight. That same small boy, the start of frostbite clear on the edges of his ears and fingers, was sitting in a chair near the oven where it was warmest, still shivering as two housekeepers doted on him in between preparing breakfast. Burke looked terrified, but not scared enough to flee. Either he'd finally been caught, or he'd come seeking help early that morning.
 
“Well, hello.” Dylan said as she stepped into the kitchen for her plain morning biscuits that would settle her stomach before eating breakfast. “I thought you had disappeared into the night.”

She didn’t make a fuss over the boy, simply taking her plate as it was offered by a house keeper and taking a seat at a nearby table. She watched him for a long moment, the way he trembled so violently that the chair creaked, and the way that he eyed everything so suspiciously.

“Would you like some tea? Maybe even some hot chocolate? Van makes the best hot chocolate in the whole world.” Dylan offered, tempting the frightened boy as if he were a wild animal.
 
The boy only managed a slow nod, seemingly unwilling to really speak beyond the couple of words she'd gotten the previous day. Now getting a look at him in better light and up close, Dylandra would be able to see some scars on his neck and one on the bridge of his nose, as well as evidence that his nose had probably been broken at one point. He was likely an abused runaway of some sort, or else an urchin who'd gotten into trouble too many times.

Van, the tall, broad Italian working across the kitchen at the hearth, lifted his head as he heard his name. Though blind, he seemed to know where everything and everyone was, and he turned to face toward Dylandra. "Good morning, milady. Kiva told me about our young guest. He hasn't said a word since we found him huddled against the back of one of the chimneys outside."
 
“Well, at least he had some sense to try and get warm last night.” Dylan said softly as she’s rose to pull down a mug from one of the cupboards. “Some hot chocolate, please, Van. It seems out young guest here needs some warming up before he goes back outside.”

Glancing over at Burke, she looked him in the eye and gave him a kind smile. “His choice, of course. He can stay just as easily, but i know he will make his own decisions.”
 
"He's a stubborn one," Van said with a nod, turning to the cupboards to take down cocoa powder and a few other things before putting some fresh milk in a small cauldron over the fire to warm. Burke, in the meantime, stayed silent and out of the way with his head down most of the time, trying not to be noticed though he often earned concerned and caring glances from the cooks. Ashien's staff was made up of Kiva, Van, and two other housekeepers, and all four of them wanted to help the poor boy, but knew that they needed to leave it to just one or two people for fear of crowding the nervous child.

Soon Van took the mug Dylandra had retrieved, filling it with the rich, dark hot chocolate. "Here you are," Van spoke to Burke as he brought it over, before topping up the mug with some cold cream from the cellar to make sure it was cool enough to drink. Burke murmured a 'thank you' that could barely be heard, but Van smiled gently. "You're welcome. Don't drink it too fast before you have something to eat. Helen's making a proper spread to welcome you."
 
Dylan watched him closely, knowing she had to play this very carefully. The way the weather was, she was sure that he would die on the streets if he ran away again. She sat back down in her seat, giving Burke another smile as she saw him shoot her a glance out of the corner of his eye.

“No ones going to take it from you. It’s all yours.” Dylan encouraged him, watching as he slowly took a sip of the drink. “See. We’re not all scary monsters in the world. I’m sure it feels like that sometimes.”

She noted the scars on him that were visible and the dirt caked on his skin and shorn hair. Someone had been cruel to him and it made Dylan angry to think about that. Who could be that mean to a small boy?

“If we got you some new clothing, would you feel better? You don’t have to take it, of course, but I think it would keep you warmer.” Dylan asked as he silently looked at her. “We also have a certain dress code for the dining hall. I’m afraid dirty little boys aren’t really allowed.”

She was teasing, of course, trying to make him laugh, but something told her he might be too wounded to see the humor.
 
Burke only nodded slightly, looking down at himself and sliding down from the chair. Hearing Dylandra's offer, Helen stepped in. "My boy's about your size, dear. That'll do til we get you some clothes of your own." She left the last of the cooking to Van and the other housekeeper, taking her cloak to go to her small home just outside the estate grounds. It wouldn't be long. But in the meantime, Van showed Burke to one of the washrooms and got a bath for him, leaving him to his own devices as he seemed to be plenty smart enough to do everything himself.

By the time Helena returned and Burke emerged in the clean, warm clothes, he looked entirely different. While washing the grime away had revealed more of the frostbite damage and scars, it also showed that despite a developing cold, he was made of sturdy stuff for his age. Helena had also taken a moment to cut his remaining hair so it was even and neat, and she'd brought him a pair of boots that he seemed particularly preoccupied with, probably not having had shoes in a long time.

He stepped into the dining hall standing a little straighter, trying to be polite and proper in what he knew was a noble home, and he quietly came to the table when bidden by Helen, sitting across from Dylandra. Nervousness had given way to a stoic, strong, silent personality as the people around him had proven gentle and helpful, though he was definitely still on guard.
 
Dylan waited for him to reappear before she started her own breakfast. She gave the young boy a smile as he stepped in, his shyness gone and replaced by a calm and quiet nature. He seemed thankful but he wouldn’t put that into words just yet.

“Have a set, young Burke. I’m about to start eating myself.” Dylan said as she motioned to his seat and gave him another smile. “Anything you like, you are free to have and if you don’t see something you really want, all you have to do is ask.”

She started to make her plate then, not waiting for him as he took his time. Her stomach was growling fiercely and she could feel the edges of nausea creeping up on her again. Hopefully food would solve the issue, or else Ashien would have hell to pay when he finally arrived home.
 
Burke filled his own plate, neat and careful about everything he did. He had impressive table manners for his age, sitting up straight and eating slowly, not like the starving mite he really was. But at Dylan and then Helen and Van's encouragement as they joined the table as well, he ate all he liked, which amounted to far more than anyone expected of a child twice his size. When he finished, he dutifully helped Helen gather up the dishes and take them to the sink, and he began rolling up his sleeves to help her.

"Oh, sweetie, you don't need to," Helen chuckled, but Burke quietly insisted, proving he was no stranger to work and chores. So Helen let him dry as she washed, and he neatly stacked the dishes aside.
 
Dylan watched Burke closely but from a distance. She was studying him, getting to know the little as intimately as possible without asking her questions that might hurt him. He worked efficiently, as if he had been raised in that environment. She wondered just where he had come from and what his story was.

“When he’s finished with the dishes, bring him to the studio.” Dylan said to Van, gently resting her fingers on Van’s forearm. “I need to rest but I want to talk to him in private.”
 
"Will do. I hope we can figure something out for him. Something tells me he's seen the work houses... All those scars and his temperament..."
 
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