The Painter and the Dreamer
Arthur Kirkland led a simple life. He had graduated high school second in his class. He had gotten into one of the best colleges for writers. He even minored in business. Then his stupid friend Francis Bonnefoy inherited a huge ass fortune. He of course asked Arthur to look after the family mansion and even gave him a room in it.
So now here he was living in a mansion all by himself. He was in charge of making sure it was clean and everything was working. He even had a small crew of people to help him.
Antonio Fernandez Carriedo was the second in command. He would come by every Saturday with Lovino and Feliciano Vargas. They would, with the help of Arthur, tidy everything and dust all the antiques. Twice a month Ludwig Beilschmidt would come to check all the appliances since some of them are almost as old as the house.
The original house was almost two hundred years old. It had been built by a man who had fought in the American Revolution. When the British lost he fled back to England bringing with him a few foreigners. They had put together the money to build the, at the time, small mansion. However over the years it had grown into a huge manor.
Twenty bedrooms ,not including the servant area, four sitting rooms on the first floor, three sitting rooms on the second, one ridiculous kitchen, two bars, one amazing game room, twenty-three bathrooms, a library, and a huge main hall. That's not including every servant's stair. There had to be at least five little passages that led around the manor.
The manor it's self was a masterpiece. Every column had a detailed design and every floor was either hard wood or fancy ass carpet. A few room had the original wall paper. Even though some of it was faded these rooms were the best. The main hall was decorated with beautiful paintings from all over the world. None of the artists were that famous but every painting was gorgeous.
Still Arthur's favourite place was the library. It was a large two story room with books lining seven of the eight walls. The only wall bare of book was the one that had the door. However it was not bare. Almost every inch of it was covered in paintings. They appeared to be by the same artist but none of them were signed. Arthur had tried many times to discover the artist but had no luck. Francis eventually made him give up telling him to leave it a mystery.
However Arthur wanted to know. Every panting was a masterpiece. Most were landscapes but there was a family portrait. Well not exactly family. It depicted the man who built the house (who looked strangely similar to Arthur with the enormous eyebrows), a young woman who was supposedly Francis's ancestor, the woman's husband a burly Scot, and a young maid girl who must have been important to be in the painting, and a Danish knight. However if you were to examine it further you would realize that there was an empty seat. Someone was missing from the painting.
"Non that should be everyone." Francis said looking at said painting.
"Then why is there an extra seat?" Arthur asked.
"Maybe for effect?" Francis said shrugging.
"That's ridiculous…but there seems no reason for it." Arthur said shaking his head and carefully placing the painting back on the wall.
"Maybe it's about the manor's painter" Francis teased referring to how the paintings were all made by one person yet that was all that person ever made.
"For all we know that painter was one of the people in the painting. Or even a servant" Arthur said choosing not to attack his land lord.
"Oui but we will never know~" Francis said practically dancing out of the library.
"Sadly…" Arthur said following him out of the huge library.
If only Arthur had known then that his mystery would soon be solved. Would he have rejoiced? Probably not, for it made an even bigger mystery. Some folly fools would call it a romance, but Arthur would call it an adventure. It just so happens to end happily ever after.
Notes~
Ok so here's the first part. Short and sweet. This story was inspired by a painting in a mansion that my mother cleans. She's the boss lady and has a crew of people to help her. Usually just one other person since the real mansion is nothing like the manor described. I got this idea when I went to help her with laundry last Sunday. I've been to the mansion many times before but never had I noticed a certian painting. Odly enough it's a depressing landscape in the children's room. Weird right? Anyway this story is gonna be at least fithteen chapters if I'm estimating right. Most of the chapters will be longer.
And that's the longest note I've written. Please reveiw! It makes me write faster~ Otherwise I think no one is reading and might give up (yes I'm bribing you)!
Float On~
*Wake Me Up*
-Red