Secrets Behind The Roses

Puppets And Shadows

The shadow man walked into his tent with his beautiful star. He had to keep this secret from the world. No one could know about this nor could her world know about this. She would be ruined if they knew she was in love with nothing more than a man who does parlor tricks. He couldn't provide for her let alone afford her lifestyle. She was the governor's daughter, Governor Fe. The governor was a very jolly man but he was known for having an iron fist.

He had tried for years to end the circus and their treatment of their other people and creatures. He was against it, but at the same time highly enjoyed it. His actions and his words constantly contradicted itself. The only thing that was for sure this man was one that you shouldn't get on his bad side. But for tonight, he had his beautiful star for the night.

He held the beautiful woman in his arms thinking about the past that led to this point. He thought about how terrible his life was and how he finally had the chance to be happy but he couldn't take it. She had a far better future without him. She had more a future than he could ever give her without him.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked him. Noticing that he had a worried look on his face.

"My past." he leaned back. "Since I can't see the future or anything for that matter." he chuckles to himself.

"Tell me about it." she looked at him.

He looked towards her for a moment, then started telling his story.

He used to be a carpenter's son. He started training with him by the time he was 5. That's when his sister was born. Sadly she was born without legs. His father got to work creating some for her. For each stage of her life or at least he tried. His father died shortly after over a dispute about something he had made. A man had shot him over nothing more than how high a table was. The boy tried to save his father, but in that man's rage, he injured the boy so badly he was almost blind. All he could see was light and dark. No colours, nothing that he could see before.

His mother couldn't handle the loss of her husband or the injuries of her son, she decided to abandon the children in the woods because she couldn't care for them. He was about 8 at the time and his sister 3. He tried his best to care for her despite his own ailments. He wandered around carrying her on his back until he found a city. There he tried to get any form of work to help support them. But no one would hire a child to work for them, especially since he was blind, until he ran into a couple.

"Please spare a coin. We're alone and hungry." He thought surely that they wouldn't mind. His tiny sister was asleep under his coat with her head resting on his leg. No one would pay any attention to them, and if they did, they made comments about them finding their parents or calling the police on them. With winter coming people had other things to worry about.

The man looked at them kneeling down to their level. "How old are you two? Where are your parents?" The boy looked towards him hearing his voice.

"Our father is dead. Our mother abandoned us in the woods. I'm only 8 and my sister just turned 3." He looked down at her and moved her hair out of her face. They were so dirty moving her hair did little to show her adorable face. Or what he remembers of her face. He loved his sister more than anything.

"It's too cold for children to be out. Come with me. You two need a warm bed and a hot meal." He smiled picking up, well trying to pick up his little sister. The boy was not about to let a stranger touch her. He quickly got up and punched the man away.

"I like this one." The woman smirked. "Listen little one. You've woken your little sister. I know you two want to live past winter. In this city, you won't. Come with us."

He didn't trust these people but they were right. His little sister was crying hugging his leg showing she had none of her own. This caught their attention. The couple looked at each other shocked, never seeing anything like this outside of any circus act.

"We can help you build a life of grander and wealth. You'll live like royals. Think about the things you could have, the world's you could see. The life both of you could have. Legs or not, you can have it all." She spoke softly knowing she had to be smart to gain their trust.

".... Would we be safe?" He looked towards them. The woman giggled as the man rubbed his chin mumbling about how strong the boy was.

"Beyond safe. You won't be touched where we're going." She smirked. "Maybe I could use you to teach my husband a thing or two." Her husband cursed her for that thought.

"As long as she's taken care of. We'll go with you" he picked up his little sister wrapping her in his coat before following them.

The man led them to a small tent that was outside the city. There they found an older man working on a car with a girl making some food above a campfire.

"I'm not going to ask how you got this car or the parts but I got her running finally." The man got up and smiled finishing up. He cleaned his hands with a rage as the girl walked over with a bowl of warm soup for the man. She looked at the children and quickly got food for them too.

"I killed a man for it!" The woman giggled. No one believed her. The boy looked at the roof of the car on the inside and saw red spots. He looked at the woman scared of what she might be capable of.

"Don't worry about the spots. It was paint for the posters. Split all over the car. My poor daughter spent a week cleaning it out. And she's still trying." The older man said as he kicked the bucket of empty red paint.

"I'm sorry Elena. We got a little side tracked while getting supplies." the man smiled trying to apologize to her.

"It's okay I understand." She smiled back.

The man introduced everyone to the boy. He started to feel comfortable as they were given a warm meal and bed to sleep in. The girl let them sleep in her bed and she shared her father for the night. The next day they were given nice warm baths to clean them up.

The following years the children learned many things around the circus. The Elena's brother had taught them their acts. He had to read many books to do so. He was a very fast and very skilled person for his age. As time went on the boy's sister, who they had named Victoria, had been given a new pair of wooden legs and slowly was taught to walk. She became like a living puppet. The world's only living puppet who was the world's most famous puppeteer by time she was 17.

Her brother stayed by her side, even in his act. He was a magician who caught the eye of a very beautiful star.

She giggles "now Vincent please. You flatter me by saying that. My father would be destroyed hearing I was with you." She sighed knowing as the governor's daughter what a scandal would do to their reputation.

"It's alright my beautiful star. You should go before he notices your missing" he stole a kiss before she left. They whispered their loves and goodbye. Only they and the moon knew their secret. No one here would tell their secrets if they knew. They protected their own.

He watched her leave, dying as she left. As he walked back in his tent, his sister noticed a woman running into the forest as if she was late to meet someone. By the time he had sent his lover away, the woman had returned. His sister told him, causing them to wonder what had happened. But they knew better than to question it.