In His Castle. In Her Presence.

He who Stayed for Forever.

"Until tomorrow, miss Gwyneth..."

I sat on the edge of my bed, the black silk sheets pushed to the left side of my king-size bed. In a way, my bleach feet seemed interesting. There was no avoiding it. A sigh escaped my mouth. My eyes traced the little ray of sunshine that escaped between my big curtains. "Maybe some sunlight..." With a heavy sigh and a heavy heart I pulled myself together and stood up. "Maybe some other time..." On the way to the walk in closet, I unbuttoned my shirt and tossed it away in a corner. With a few claps of my hands the candles, which were on different places in my bedroom, created flames and provided some light. I opened the big sliding door and let my hands travel trough the hangers. Suddenly my shirt started to move.
A black hole formed next to my shirt and a boney index finger hooked the shirt. From the black hole a man of some sort rose up, pulling the shirt with him. He had a medieval suit on, gray curly hair combed backwards so it fell a bit on his shoulders and he had a good posture. His grey and emotionless eyes looked at me. I bended my head more to the right to see more of this man. "You look like a coat rack, standing like that." I blankly greeted him. "Sir, your shirt, you dropped it." My head fell backwards of annoycance. With a sigh I replied: "Yes, Roderick, I know." The man moved a bit more to me. He didn't walk, he didn't stroll, he floated a few centimetres above the ground. "May I give you some advice, sir?" I looked at him, my body posture a bit sloppy. His pale face looked like he hadn't eaten in decades, not only his face but his whole body was boney. "Of course, Roderick. You of all people are allowed to do that, your advice has always been helpful." I replied with a sigh. Roderick folded my T-shirt neatly and handed it over. "Please spare your magic, your power, your energy. Please sir, if you would clean up after yourself, you would spare your energy. So you don't have to use me or the others for that." I accepted the T-shirt and layed it in the closet. I strolled to the sofa and as I let myself fall on the couch. A little shadow hurricane captured my body and before you could blink I was laying on the sofa with a whole new tuxedo on. "I hear your advice, Roderick, thank you." I waved my hand, thinking he would go in the shadow again. "Anything else.... Roderick?" A little pause filled the room before he talked. "What about her, sir Cobalt." I squeezed my eyes a bit.
"What about her, Roderick?"
"I am highly convinced that she is hungry, thirsty and her heart is filled with sadness." I didn't reply.

I don't know what to do either, Roderick, I don't know it either.

"And if I may continue, sir..." but he didn't wait, it was a rhetorical question anyway. "... I watched her and you, sir Cobalt, from the shadows, and she was so much different when she entered the Blair mansion. Her heart was one, that we didn't see in a long time. It is similar to..." There I stopped him with my cough and I let myself sit up straight. "Can I assume that you have seen or, perhaps, felt it to? Her aura was so colourful and alive." I stood up and let my hands slip in my pockets. "Of course, Roderick, I have seen it, I have heard it and.... I have felt it." I stopped, my hand traced my chin. "And I don't know what to do with her." A little sigh of thought escaped from my loyal butlers mouth. "I see, sir, you don't want to hurt her, but you want her close."

I do and I do... But what do I do?

I let my hand fall by my side. "Can I assume you have a solution, Roderick?" I asked him, with knowing it was useless, for he is Roderick. I used to call him, the All-knowing Man for his wisdom and he was never wrong, back when times were right... When times were good.

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Flashback:

A child was heard crying of pain. The cry was coming from the stalls outside.
"Why are you crying, here, young master Cobalt?" The 7-year-old kid looked up with tears running down his face. He sat there hugging his knees on the hay. Before he wanted to wipe his tears away with his sleeve, young Hugo was stopped, for the tall man bended his body more forward and began to speak again. "I can see you are crying here, not to show your tears to master Cobalt and make him mad, but it won't help if you make your blazer wet too." Hugo placed his left arm back were it was a few moments ago and looked up. "You know why, young master Cobalt?" He sniffed a bit and started to talk with a hesitant voice. "B-because else p-papa sees that my blazer is wet..." He stopped, the tall man stood straight again. "Do not stop on my count, young master." He spoke.
"Else p-papa will.... Will see that I cried and then... Then hiding from him was useless..." A loud cry escaped from little Hugo. With a satisfying smile on his face the tall man replied. "Indeed, young master Cobalt. Now why don't you tell me why there are tears shed in a happy place like this? The horses...." But the tall man couldn't finish his sentence, for the child was hugging is legs. "He made me shoot Thalia, Roderick! Thalia! To make me tougher and stronger.... S-so I would become a real man... But I do not feel strong o-or like a real man..." He screamed in the coat of the head butler of family Cobalt. First Roderick was shocked, but he patted Hugo's head. "I feel sorry..."The sobbing continued. "Blair is going to kill me! T-Thalia was her favourite chicken!" Hugo looked with tears in his eyes at the tall mans small and long face.
"But young master Cobalt, you know not to call things or animals names, do you not?" The 7-year-olds head hid in the dark blue coat again. Hugo knew it was true because his father told him that if you name things or animals, you will get easily attacked to them and that was, in the family Cobalt, a useless way to spend energy and time. A little yes was heard from the boy, still sobbing. "B-but it was Blairs idea to do so..." "But it was your choice to do so too." Roderick replied.
The wind was lightly made its way to the stalls. "She will be mad at me, won't she Roderick?" The boys arms released the body of his butler. Rodericks right knee was placed on the ground and he gave little Hugo his handkerchief for his tears. "Miss Cobalt will understand your actions. She is likely to feel more sad for you, then for the chicken." Hugo whipped his tears away. "Y-you really think so,... Roderick?" A little smile appeared on the mans face. "When was I ever wrong, young master Cobalt?" The 6-year-old child smiled through his tears. "Never, Roderick. You are never wrong!" Hugo dusted his cloths and fixed his hair. "Let us go to the main house, young master Cobalt, so I will cook another diner for you and miss Cobalt. If you go to your sister and talk to her." They walked over the grassland to the mansion. The little boy almost had to run to keep up with his companion. With a smile he looked at Roderick. "I will! Thank you Roderick." With that the boy took of and was welcomed by the maidens who were doing laundry.
Roderick stopped to look at the stalls again. For all we know, he might see the family's horses or the autumn wind making its way through the trees. Or maybe he was trying to make this moment a memory for later.
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"Why do you not let me talk the girl, young master Cobalt?" I looked dumbfounded at him. Roderick saw, it made him smile a bit. "What do you have more in mind, Roderick?" A bigger grin formed on his small and pale face." Do you not trust me in my advice, sir?" Dramatically hurt I looked at him, with a hand on the place where my heart is. "I, Hugo Oliver Theodore Cobalt, would never doubt your advice, after your long time of service for my family." My voice trailed of as I looked at one of the family portraits, of many, that hung in my bedchamber. In a way, I did miss their presence. A hand was placed on my right shoulder, but I knew from who it was so I did not bother looking at it.
"I miss them too, sir. Still not knowing what happened back then terrifies me most of all." Roderick was right. Betrayal, torture, even death wasn't as scared as not knowing what happened years ago. "But she can fix that." With a shocking look on my face I turned around.

He does know something...

Greedy for an answer I asked what he meant with that statement. Roderick, on the contrary, replied calm. "The only thing miss Cobalt wanted for you to have was love. You might know that too, sir." It was true, but I didn't get, at that time, what it had to do with Gwyneth. With a suspiciously tone I replied "So? What does that have to do with Gwyneth?"
"Almost everything, young master. Trust me on this one and let me talk to her." I bit my underlip as a signal of being in thought.

Why do I even think about this? I trust Roderick with my life, he wouldn't hurt a fly... At least if I don't ask him to.

"Fine, do with her what you want. I do not care. I do wish you the best of luck, my friend, for she is feisty one." I simply replied and weaved my hand so he would be gone. With my loyal butler gone, I seated myself back on the sofa again with my arm resting on the back.
"Of to the basement you go, Roderick."

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#AUTHORS NOTE#

Finals have ended and I am finally back!!!!
It takes a while to get into the story again, therefore this chapter....
Hope you don't find it boring, I will do better next chapter PROMISE!

So yeah, a bit of Hugo's past and a new character: Roderick, the loyal family butler, he who stayed forever by Hugo's sight.
Please don't ship it.... Hahahaha

Oh and I almost forgot! Nemishra has a really good book called The Flame, please read it too!

'Till next time!
-MadeleineL2