Broderick was awake long before Neville. Actually, he'd hardly been able to sleep at all with the emptiness in his chest, but with just two hours of slumber under his belt, he was wide awake enough to catch the sounds coming from outside. Already the village of Grigory was alive with the population. Just by the shouting coming from the second story window beside the bed, Broderick could hear a brawl was taking place, hollering and the blowing of whistles from authorities intervening. Laughter of children rang through the streets as well as the bells that chimed along with the rolling of horse drawn carriages. This would mark him and Neville's first day alone in the world, a day that would determine if they could actually make it as the teenagers they were in a nation that was against them. If they could go on dwelling in secrecy as mere boys trying to make a living, Broderick thought it should be no problem. Besides, he already knew exactly what his plans were to come by the money he needed. Each name of the person he'd get it from was provided for him.
Lying back with Neville nestled against his chest, Broderick brushed the boy's hair with his unconscious fingers, stroking the brunette tresses as he mapped out his day. It was nearly twelve in the afternoon, but the sun did not shine in a village like this. Though light entered through the crack in the thin curtains over the window, it was dim, gray in color with not much luminescence. It was far different from Islesbury. But that place was not his home. And neither was this. It was temporary.
A voice came beyond the room door then and Broderick's ears perked up to it. A man was walking up from down the hall, boots heavy on the wood with every step, and each was followed by a minor drag as if he had a severe limp. There was a knock on the door next, and suddenly Broderick could feel his palms dampen with nervous sweat. He sat up, but when it seemed he wasn't moving quickly enough, the man on the other side of the door banged a little harder.
"Just a moment, please," Broderick stood out of bed, Neville coming awake when he gently placed him aside. Thinking on his toes, Broderick went for the second bed in the room that hadn't been touched and messed up the covers, making it seem like he in fact used it during the night. When that was done, he went to the door of the room and opened it carefully. On the other side was an old man with white hair and a clear spot atop his head. His skin was pale and the color of his blue eyes appeared faded with time. Skin loose from age, he was rather thin and walked with a wooden cane with a brass handle, and when Broderick looked down, he could see the man's right leg was dispositioned in a manner that kept it at an angle, causing it to drag behind whenever he walked.
"Oi, oi, laddy," the old man started, "Yous be Edwards, or that be 'im?" He gestured into the room at Neville who was just sitting up tiredly from the covers of his bed.
Broderick nodded, trying to switch up the manner he spoke to fit in more with his new surroundings. If he came off as too proper and well-spoken, he was sure the people of Grigory would suspect him of being different from them, so he tried to give himself a more falsetto type accent than his usual smooth flowing voice, and slurred his words here and there to match up. "I'm Edwards, William Edwards. Got in with–" he thought and then nodded towards Neville, "with me cousin real late last. Needed some place to stay for the night."
The old man nodded, not seeming very interested in Broderick's reason. He held out his hand then and a jingling pouch of pence sat in the center of his palm. "Payments for the morning, lads. That'll be one pound for each of ya."
Yesterday the announcement of a two pound payment wouldn't have shaken Broderick as much as it did right now, but for one mere night in a hotel was a ridiculous cost. "Two pounds?" he asked, that was far above the wage most common folk made in a single day of labor. "Listen, sir, I haven't the money for something that costly at the moment, but—."
"You planned on stealing from me a free night?" the old man questioned, upset in his almost ghostly eyes. "Ain't no thief gonna make it past me doorway if ya plan on runnin' free of charge. Yous hand over ya payment and that'll be that."
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Wondrous Master | boyxboy | (alternate happy ending)
التاريخيةLord Broderick Thorne was born into a world of responsibilities, but he has no other choice than to take care of business affairs. When a lost, traumatized young boy enters his manor one stormy night, he'll be faced with the conflicts of a lovesick...
