Horns and trumpets blew loudly as carriages pulled up to the large and glorious castle, well bred steeds prancing as their strong backs pulled their high classed passengers over the gravel path, sweat glistening their coats from the long travels all the nobles had traveled for this wonderful event. A spectacular day it was to be, the young prince, Alfred, was turning 18. This making him not only an adult, but eligible for marriage as well. This made him currently the most sought after bachelor in the land.
Alfred was well known for his handsome looks and charming smile. He was well taught and had proven to be strong in battle as well when just a year ago a rival country had tried to overthrow and take the castle. He'd rode with the knights to protect his home and family, and successfully won in battle and not only protected his home, but the small village nestled at the bottom of the mountain as well. There most of the maids and servants that worked in the castle lived.
They did have a servants quarters, but the staff being as large as it was, houses had been built for the rest at the bottom of the mountain, even if it wasn't very sensible since it took a long time to get back to the castle this way if walking.
Alfred beamed, greeting his guests at the door with his mother and father, excited to get the party started. Along with being handsome though, Alfred did have a tendency to be very spoiled and selfish. He only liked the fine things in life, was picky and cocky. Arrogant as well, at times a snob. Most royalty was though, so most of their class over looked the negatives, offering their daughters hands to him just hoping he'd accept.
Hours passed, night fell onto the land as well as a terrible storm. Thunder crashed, protesting any peace and quiet while lightning chased away the darkness of the night, illuminating the large black clouds that brought an eerie feel to the castle on the outside. But inside, there was only laughter and dancing, the party in full swing for the Prince. Alfred grinned as he danced with a pretty young lady, and once finished went to get a cup of wine.
Soon though there was a knock on the door, a guard answering it, then after coming to the prince. "Sir, there is a woman outside asking for you…" he said with a bow. Confused he nodded and waved the guard off before heading for the door, cup still in hand. Waiting there was an old and decrepit looking woman dressed in rags, making him wrinkle his nose in disgust. "What do you want with me hag? Can't you see I'm busy celebrating?" he scoffed out rudely, hoping her to just leave.
She did not flinch or seem affected by his words though. "I seek a room for the night to wait the storm out in…I have no money to give, but what I can offer you is this rose." She said, pulling out a beautiful rose, none like Alfred had ever seen at least. It looked almost as if it glowed slightly, but he guessed it must be an illusion of the eyes due to the dark and rain. He waved and arm at he and laughed. "You must be kidding me woman. You think I'd let something as ugly like you stay in my castle? Be gone with you!" he said, turning her away.
She frowned, still holding the rose out to him. "Be warned young prince, do not be deceived by appearances. For beauty is found within…" she said, giving him another chance to accept her offer. Still though Alfred scoffed, "I said be gone with you hag!" he said and turned to leave her. A flash of light brought his attention back though, and there in the old woman's place stood a beautiful enchantress.
His eyes widened before he slowly fell to his knees, seeing what he'd just done. "Please…Please forgive me!" he quivered slightly, hands folded and head bowed low, begging. He'd heard tales of men and women both being cursed by enchanters and enchantresses before. "I will let you stay, just please, don't curse me." The beautiful woman frowned at the pathetic and sudden display of kindness, but only out of fear. She'd seen that the prince was cruel and selfish, and that there was no love in his heart.
"You have failed your test, young prince. For this you will suffer the consequences you have rightly brought upon yourself." She said with her wand in hand, touching the end elegantly to the boy's shoulder, and he cried out as he was transformed and marred with scars and hideous marks, being changed into nothing but a horrifying beast. Not only was he changed though, but the whole land. The powerful curse changed the once strong and sparkling castle now dark and crumbling, the trees dying and grass withering away, a bitter cold lingering over the dreary looking fortress of power.
Before the enchantress left she told the beast, "I leave you this enchanted rose beast…which will only bloom until your twenty third year. If you can learn to love another, and earn their love in return by the time the last petal falls, the curse will be broken. If not, you will be doomed to live as a beast for all time."
As the years passed, the beast concealed himself to his castle, falling into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?
Those who had once served in the castle and had been lucky enough to not be working the night the curse was placed, never returned and seldom spoke of the castle they'd once served at. It was unlucky, and felt it was just best if everyone forgot about the selfish prince who loved only himself…though every now and then there would be a traveler who would come to the town, speaking of the gloomy castle they had spotted on the mountain on their way there, swearing to have seen the beast that lay within.
Matthew's nose was buried in a book, his legs pulled up in front of him as he read, ignorant of the world around him. He was in a wonderful place, where there was no famine unless there was a curse and no curses unless someone did something wrong. Then a strong man, handsome and rich, would go to the villagers' needs and save them, earning more riches and endearment. Who needed anything but books to live? He didn't need food, he could live off the ink and paper, breathing in the words instead of air.
"-Thew. Matthew!" The blond jerked, looking around with a startled expression. Francis eyed him with a frown, hands on his hips. "I told you to stop reading zhose books all ze time. You never get your chores done before your nose is buried in one again. Go feed ze chickens zhen go into town and get ze cloth I had made." Francis was a clothes maker for nobility, which kept them out of poverty, even though they didn't have any servants. Francis said it was to make sure Matthew had a strong work ethic, but what he wanted to do most was live in the enchanted story held between the spine of a book.
"Yes, Papa." The little blond sighed, closing his book around a mark and setting it aside carefully. He fed the chickens, collecting the eggs before taking a basket and heading into town to gather what his Papa needed. After he paid for the cloth, smiling at the woman he saw all the time bashfully, he stopped by the book seller, hoping to sneak another book home under his clothes. The man smiled at him welcomingly, gladly taking his business and presenting him with a little diary he had made for him for being such an avid reader. It was pretty and wonderfully decorated, with a slightly thick paper inside, just between high class paper and cheap paper. It was such a wonderful little gift that Matthew threw his arms around the man, choked up by it.
After he regained his composure, he thanked the seller again and slipped back outside, his nose already buried in his new book. So enthralled by the fresh pages, he didn't notice when he bumped into a particular white haired man. He murmured an apology and moved around him, intent on heading home.
Gilbert had been near the tavern, showing off his newest kill to the ladies who swooned around him, and the many jealous men who wished they could be as awesome as him. "This beast tried to sneak up on me, but of course, being the great and awesome me, I knew it was there and shot it before it could even lay a paw on me." He bragged and laughed loudly more. That's when he was bumped into by the little blonde and he blinked before looking over him again. He recognized the boy, Francis' boy.
Smirking, he brushed his hair back with his hand before striding over with a cocky grin, putting his hand on the others shoulder and turned him around, leaning down to his height to look him in the eyes. "Guten Tag, Matthew. Think you can slip on by without saying a single hello to me?" he said, then took notice of the book, raising a brow. "Reading again I can see? What's so great about them anyways?" he muttered, snatching the book from his hand and started to flip through the pages.
"It doesn't even have any pictures. A book doesn't bring you wealth, food, or honor, why would you bother with them?" he asked, closing the book again and held it back to him, a frown of disapproval on his face. Gilbert was a very handsome man, strong and had a way with the ladies, and gentlemen as well on the side. It wasn't a huge secret that he had his eyes on Matthew though.
"It's time you put that ridiculous and silly hobby of reading off to the side and start considering your future, and just who you're going to settle down with. You'll want someone strong who can protect you that's for certain...and of course, someone you know who could provide for you." He said with a huge grin again, trying to be as charming as possible. Women in the background looked on jealously though, not seeing why of all people in town G ilbert had to be into Matthew. It wasn't like the other would provide him with sons...what did he have that they didn't!?
Not far from Gilbert also stood a Spaniard, Gilberts friend, though everyone knew he was more of a sidekick and pack mule for the cocky and self absorbed German. Antonio just grinned and kept his hands on his hips and he watched Gilbert work, though he occasionally seemed to daydream and look off somewhere, going on into his own little world for some time. Normally it'd have to be Gilbert who snapped at him that brought him back to earth though.
Matthew let out a surprised sound when an arm found its way around his shoulders, looking up at whoever was near him. Oh great, Gilbert. "Hey!" He cried softly, looking like someone had kicked his dog when the other man snatched the book out of his hands. He gnawed on his bottom lip nervously, anxiously worrying about the pages getting bent or torn with the other's rough handling.
How could he not see what was so great about them? They were amazing! "They don't have to have pictures." He protested, taking his book back and holding it close to his chest protectively. "And it's the way they tell the story that makes them so incredible." Matthew didn't like how familiar Gilbert always was with him. He would rather not be man handled and have his books treated so barbarically. Even if the other did like him, he wasn't going to get him with the way he was acting.
"Ridiculous? Silly!" Matthew gaped at Gilbert, shocked that he could so boldly disgrace his passion and try to pass it off as a mere hobby while trying to endear himself with him. He took a deep breath and stepped away from the taller man, tucking his book safely into his basket. "I'm sorry Gilbert, but I haven't made a decision such as that and I don't think I will for a while. If you're so intent on settling down and protecting someone, then there are numerous eligible ladies in town who would love to be your bride."
He glanced back at the women who were practically glaring at him with jealousy. "I'm afraid I have to go now. Good day, Gilbert, ladies." He nodded curtly to them, his voice never wavering or becoming loud, even when he was irritated.
Gilbert looked at him a bit confused when he stepped away and completely rejected him. "Well you better make that decision soon, otherwise all the good people will be taken and you'll be left with nothing but your fairytales and the town fool." He muttered, scoffing a bit at being turned down so bluntly. Antonio walked over though, watching after Matthew. "Aww don't get too down Gilbert, he's just playing hard to get."
Gilbert looked back at his friend and raised a brow. "You think so?" he murmured, Antonio laughing and nodding. "Totally! I mean, who could resist a good looking guy like you Gil! Everyone wants to be you, and every lady and man wants you...Matthew just want to make sure your being genuine I'm sure of it." He chuckled with a goofy grin as usual. This brought a smirk back to Gilbert though and he nodded. "Yeah you're right! He's just wanting to be sure he'll really be good and secure with me." He said, his confidence back as he stride back over to the tavern.
At the edge of town a traveling merchant was stationed with his cart, seeing Matthew walking by and called out, "Hello good sir, would you perhaps be interested in some old artifacts? Maybe a book or two said to once belong to an ancient castle? I also have stories to tell and nice cloth I bought from a man who worked for royalty before, never having had the chance to deliver it." He said, just looking for some sort of business. It was hard selling things like this when there was hardly any proof of the cursed castle unless anyone actually went looking for it.
Matthew turned over Gilbert's offer in his mind as he walked out of town. It really wasn't that he was a bad person, he was just really really really really...really arrogant. Really...But sooner or later Matthew would be expected to find someone to settle down with, that was how things went. Seeing as he was so shy, most of the villagers expected him to chose a man, but he wasn't even sure if he wanted someone to protect him like that. Would he be any better off with someone treating him like a woman?
The blond slowed when the merchant's voice pulled him from his thoughts. The first thing he caught was of course that he had books. The second surprised him, but he realized that if he had good cloth, that was rare, then his Papa would make good money making a garment out of it. "What sort of books? And how much of this cloth do you have?"
He went over to the cart, looking over his merchandise with a curious expression. Maybe there would even be enough left over to rebind some of his older books. It was expensive to get the book seller to refinish them, so he had learned how to do the basics himself. "Do you know what the books are about?"
The merchant grinned more when seeing the other coming over to his cart and stood to be more polite, nodding to him. "Ah, I see you're interested in books and the fine cloth hm? Let me show you." He said, going to his cart and pulled out two rolls of very expensive, fine cotton that was as soft as a baby's bottom, warm and comfortable. "The cloth I'm willing to sell for only $15 a roll, which for this kind of quality is really cheap!" he said to him with a grin. Indeed this cloth would normally be easily a hundred dollars. It's condition was a little dirtied, but still a very fine cloth.
"As for books..." he paused and went back to his cart and pulled out the stack of books he had. "They all vary, fairy tales, romance, mystery, and more. I browsed the top one there...it was like nothing I'd seen before. Books like these just aren't made very often anymore." He said, then blinked. "Oh and one of these is actually a journal from a servant's time in the castle...It's kinda interesting, yet weird how it suddenly just stopped if you ask me." He said with a shrug. "Each book is for sale at $3. I don't have much need for them anyways. They'd be better off with someone who will read and take care of them.
He nodded again then looked back to the blonde with a grin. "So, you interesting in any of them? I have other items as well beside the books and cloth still..."
The cloth really was very exquisite, Papa would be thrilled to have such a fine cloth to work with and he would surely make excellent money off any garment it was used on. Matthew bit down on the tip of his thumb gently, contemplating whether or not he ought to get it. It was an incredible deal for such a wonderful piece, even if he did buy both.
The thought of buying a romance novel made his cheeks turn a little red. Francis wouldn't allow anything short of chivalrous in his house, even though he was quite short of it himself. He didn't want his sweet boy to be tainted by the outside world. They all interested him, but he wondered about the romance books most of all. "Oh? A journal you say? How interesting." He picked up the book, leafing through the pages gently. The handwriting was neat enough to be legible, perhaps he ought to buy it.
"I think I'll take the rolls of cloth and these books." The blond picked out the books he really really wanted, the journal included, along with the romance one. He really wanted to buy all of them, but he knew that his Papa would be furious if he came home with so many new books. Perhaps he could come by later if the merchant were still there and buy the rest. Or maybe. "There is a book seller in town, perhaps he'll buy the rest off of you." Then Matthew would have more time to buy the rest of them later~
He handed over the money that he owed the man, juggling the new things around a bit, putting the books in the basket with the other items, and sliding the rolls of cloths under the handle. "Thank you for such fine goods, sir. I do hope you have a good day." That being said and done, he headed back towards his house, feeling rather happier than before.
The man grinned happily when the other picked out a few books and the cloth. "Wonderful!" he said, then handed him the items that he had just bought. It wasn't often that he sold things since most people didn't want to bother with a traveling merchant like himself. Also, for some reason any mention of the castle seemed to freak most people out. They swore it was haunted and cursed...though just three and a half years ago it had been a grand fortress of wealth and power...
"Oh there is? I may have to take the rest of the books to him then and see if I can get some coin for them as well..." he said, nodding lightly to him. "I thank you for your purchases, I hope you have a nice day boy." He said to him, taking the money he owed and put it safely in a little bag in his cart before starting to tidy up a little, planning on doing just as the other had suggested and go to see if the bookstore would be interested in taking his books.
Once packed he got in the seat and started his horse at a slow walk further into town, smiling cheerfully, still calling out to see if anyone would be interested in his goods. It was such a nice day out, everyone was out and enjoying the sunny day, there was bound to be more.
Matthew hurried home with his find, hoping his Papa would be pleased to see the quality of the cloth he had gotten. He was sure to love it, and after a good wash it would all be bright and new. Making sure to close the gate after him, he hurried up the path to their house, stepping around the chickens.
"Papa." He called, coughing a bit when his voice didn't carry very far. "Papa!" He tried again, relaxing when it came out a bit louder than before. The blond set the goods on the table, sorting them out and quickly taking the books to his room. Though of course he didn't hide all of them. Francis knew he'd come home with at least one book every time he sent him into town.
"I got some cloth besides the one that you orders. It's absolutely splendid." The boy chattered softly, happily smoothing out a wrinkle on the top of the rolls and taking the other things he had gotten and putting them away in their cabinets.
Francis had been working on another piece of clothing, for once ahead of schedule and hoping to get this particular item sent out even sooner than he'd hoped too for his client. He heard the chickens squawking and the flapping of wings as they scurried away from the door, and not long after that his son's soft call, smiling lightly as he finished a stitching and tied it off, cutting the thread before sighing and smiling again.
"I'm in here Matthew...Did you have a good time in ze town?" he called, wiping his hands before stepping out of his work room and into the main room of the house. "Some other cloth beside ze ones I ordered? Zis is wonderful!" he beamed, all too happy to look at what else the other brought. As he got closer his eyes widened a bit, immediately his hands finding the fine quality fabric. "Zis...where did you find such a wonderful cloth Matthew? This high quality is much too expensive for even us to have..." he said softly.
They weren't poor, they even could afford a servant if he really wished, but wanted his son to know how to work for what he had, and how to be fair, not spoiled or selfish. But only royalty would wear such a fine cloth...if he made an outfit with this he would make enough money to keep them steady for a long time.
Matthew beamed at his Papa, proud that he liked the cloth so much. "A merchant was at the edge of town selling it from his cart. I'm glad I got there when I did because he was selling it so cheaply! I still have gold left over." He set down the little handful of gold he had from what he had been given earlier that morning.
"Isn't it amazing? You can make some wonderful clothes from this and sell them for so much." The blond ran his hand over the rolls gently. "I felt a little bad for buying them for such a cheap price, but he didn't seem to mind." What else could they ask for? This was obviously a good sign for them. They could make a wonderful profit off the clothes from this fabric and they wouldn't have to worry about food or gold for quite some time.
"I was thinking that I could use the scraps to rebind some of my books that are falling apart." He ventured timidly, wondering if his Papa would even allow such a thing, even if he couldn't use the scraps for much.
"Really? Zat is definitely a surprise." He said looking at the fabric again. It was beautiful, even if a little dirty. Nothing a good wash couldn't fix, and then they would be as good as new. "Did he say at all where he'd gotten the cloth? If so, I zink I would like to buy more of it...he couldn't have gotten it for much either if he sold it so cheaply." He said, pondering. The two roles would make a fine top and pants at least, but for this he wished to add more detail too, make it even more elegant than most his other works.
"It really is amazing..." he murmured lightly, still looking over the fine fabric, finally putting it down to look at his other purchase though, needing to be sure it was in good condition as well. "So, what book did you get today while in town?" he asked him , knowing that Matthew always got one new book each time he went to town. He did wish his boy would think about finding nice lass...but he wouldn't push it either. He wanted him to do things at his own pace as well.
He blinked at his mention of the scraps, and then thought for a moment before nodding. "Yes...some of the scraps zat are too small to be used in the clothing you may use for your books since you did find zis wonderful fabric in the first place." He smiled.
"Really, Papa?" He asked excitedly, jumping up to hug him. "Oh thank you! They'll look so wonderful with new covers!" The fabric would look incredible wrapped around his books. "Oh, and he said something about a castle. I admit I wasn't paying much attention to him when I was looking at the cloth and books he was selling."
He had heard tales of a castle near their village, but he had never traveled up to see if they were true or heard anything more than whispers or rumors from traveling merchants or such. But it was a bit of a mystery. Oh! The merchant had said that there was a servant's diary in the ones he had bought. "He also sold me a book that he said a servant had written as a diary. Said that he had worked in the castle, too."
The blond sat down at the table, humming lightly. "But he was probably just looking for a quicker sell." He said thoughtfully, propping his chin up on his palm. "...Gilbert asked about my settling down again today..." Honestly, why was he so adamant about being with him?
He smiled and nodded to the other hugging his son happily. "You're welcome Matthew." he said to his boy, glad he was so happy. The small scraps he had he didn't see why he couldn't let Matthew have them. After all, he wouldn't have this beautiful fabric if it wasn't for him. He then listened to what he had to say, blinking. "Ze castle?" he murmured lightly, frowning. There was nothing good about that place from what he'd heard.
For the longest time, only workers had lived in this town, and then suddenly they had vanished...the town only having a few people left in it. Over the last few years people had moved to the town, filling it back up, and the last few servants kept quiet for the most part about what had happened. Most people here didn't even know that there had been a castle there only a few years ago. He wondered slightly...if it was still there, he might be able to find more of this fabric there. Then they'd be set for the rest of the year even!
"Did he really? It's possible it's real...Zere is a castle Zere, it's hard to find but if you go up high enough you'll catch a glimpse of it." He said, and then hummed, looking at the fabric again. "I'd like to make a trip up zere actually...to try and see if maybe zere is any more of this fabric laying around in a room, or even old outfits zat can be cleaned up and resold." He said to the other, knowing it'd mean leaving Matt alone for a few days most likely.
As he picked up the rolls of fabric now he listened again, blinking and looking to his boy again. "Again, hm? Zhat Gilbert is a persistent one isn't he?" he murmured, rubbing his stubble chin lightly. "It's completely up to you when you want to settle Matthew, don't forget zat...and it doesn't have to be with ze likes of him."
"You want to go up to the castle?" Matthew looked surprised. "You mean there really is one up there? I thought it was just some old rumor." They had only moved to this town when he turned seventeen, not long after it had been emptied for some reason, looking to settle down and try to better themselves. Their lives before Francis managed to make himself known to the nobility of the kingdom had been...difficult. Often Francis would go without food if they had little in order to let Matthew eat.
Now that they were firmly established in the higher regions of the monetary system, they didn't have to worry about who would eat tonight and who would go hungry. But now he had a different problem. He wasn't sure is Gilbert wanted him because he was one of the most eligible bachelors in their town, being both fairly well off and good-looking, or if he actually wanted to settle down with him because of his personality or because he was attracted to him.
Another reason he had trouble believing Gilbert actually wanted him, his horribly arrogant attitude. There was little chance he would treat him as more than a trophy to parade around, and Matthew didn't want someone that just wanted him for looks. He wanted someone he could have an intelligent discussion with or just curl up with and read. The albino had never done anything but insult his passion and infer that he would be better off being a good little housewife for him.
Shaking his head to disperse his own growing annoyance, he looked up at Francis, thinking back on what he said. "But if there really is a castle up there, is it safe to go up there? What about wild animals and what if it's not stable? You might get hurt."
He nodded lightly to his son, and then chuckled. "I don't know if zere is a castle or not, but there are enough rumors to make me believe zat it must be so. I'm willing to chance it...if I find something, we could be set for months. Not to seem ungrateful for how far we've come already...but if I could get enough of this fabric to make a few glorious outfits I'd have to spend less time working, and the more time I could spend with you." He said happily.
He worked a lot recently in order to still support them and keep enough money in their pockets for their nice farm, food, and the supplies he needed, as well as feed for their animals. "I'll take the horse, so really I should be back by tomorrow at ze latest." He said to him, pausing then continued, "Or tonight if zere really isn't anything up zere."
He knew Matthew would be worried for him, and ruffled the boy's hair gently, smiling warmly. "I'll be alright. A castle shouldn't have fallen apart too much in just zree and a half years. If it's as grand as the rumors say, it should be perfectly safe. As for ze rumors of it being cursed, I'll just have to wait and see now won't I?" he chuckled.
Spending more time with his Papa did sound appealing, but he was still concerned for his safety, after all, even if there was a castle up there, it could still be dangerous. And he didn't have the skills to keep himself afloat by himself, Francis hadn't taught him how to sew to craft garments and he didn't really have any other skills. "You have to come back safely, you don't get a choice in the matter."
"And if you take Zeus, be careful, he's been favoring his left front hoof for a few days." If he couldn't stop him, and really, the prospect of more of that glorious cloth was too much, then he would at least help him. "Do you want me to fix you something to eat for your ride?" He got up, rolling his sleeves back in preparation.
Matthew didn't wait for his Papa to agree, he dove into it to distract himself from the fact that he would be home alone for quite a while.
"I'll come back safely, I promise you zat." He said and smiled. "A spooky castle won't be ze end for your old man, I've still got a whole life to live and my pride and joy, you, to keep safe." He said to him. The castle couldn't be that bad surely...if there really was one there of course. He could go up there and find nothing...but at least then all curiosity would be settled and they could get on with their lives.
Nodding again, he thought. "He's been favoring it, that's true, but if I don't take him then it'll take twice as long to get up there and back...he should be alright to pull a light cart." He mumbled. Their horse was getting older and not what he use to be. But he was still plenty strong and didn't act like an old horse usually. He'd let him rest the past week, so his leg should hopefully be better.
"Ah, Matthew is offering to spoil his papa with some of his cooking. How could I refuse!" he grinned again. "While you do that, I'm going to start packing." He told him, heading to his bedroom and grabbed his bag, starting to put extra clothes in there, and a blanket just in case it got cold. He would try to prepare for whatever lay ahead. It took him a while, maybe twenty to thirty minutes before he came back out with his bag he'd bring with him. Next was to just get the horse ready and hooked to the cart.
The young man smiled at his father's happy playfulness, setting to work on making him a hearty dinner, breakfast and lunch for the next day. He put extra effort into making it extra delicious. It was something that had given him more reputation in the village. He could make wonderful meals and whenever there was a social event he was always nearly begged to bring something he had made.
He'd had made the mistake of giving one of the pies he had made to Gilbert for his birthday. The man had nearly drooled the rest of the night over his tin and there began his infatuation with him. As irritating as it was, he would eventually have to choose someone to settle down with and Gilbert was one of the few men and women that would really be able to match well with him. Even if he was an arrogant ass half the time, he was of the same social standing as the Bonnefoy family, so he would of course look for someone who was equal to him.
After packing the food into a basket and covering it with a cloth, he headed out into the barn to give it to his father and hug him and bid him farewell and good travels.
Francis went to the barn, taking their steed from his stall and starting to brush the dust and dirt from his strong back, mumbling calming words to the horse. Occasionally the animal turned its head back and would nuzzle the man's shoulder in a friendly way, nickering before returning to munch on some of the hay set out in front of it. Once finished brushing the animal he uncovered their cart, moving it out of the barn.
It took him a little while to pack everything into the cart, and then harness the horse before hooking it up, but it took just long enough for Matt to finish his cooking. He didn't worry too much over his son's choice on whom he'd settle with, be it a man or woman, or really even their status. He knew the other would only go with someone he felt happy with, and who'd treat him well. As long as he was happy and not starving like they once had when living in poverty.
Just as he finished he saw Matt coming over to the cart with a basket covered with a cloth. He took the basket, smiling lightly and hugged him. "Be good and take care of everything while I'm gone. I'll be back tomorrow at the latest." He told him with a smile, not worried that anything bad could possibly happen. The worst being there was no castle and he just returned home.
After one last hug, he climbed up into the cart and took the reins, clicking his tongue. The horse bobbed its head before starting to trot off, Francis waving to his son as he took off through the town and to the path leading up into the mountains. Not many traveled it anymore, but it was still worn down from the days it had been used often.
Matthew hugged his Papa tightly, reluctantly letting him go and waving to him as he slowly disappeared into the distance, looking for all the world like he was just going to town to get supplies. The blond watched the empty road for a while longer before going inside and getting to work cleaning his mess from cooking.
By that evening he was a bit paranoid, never having spent the night alone, so he was a bit nervous. His dinner made his stomach turn over in his stomach and he couldn't sit still. Would his Papa be alright? Would he find the castle and come back with enough fabric to earn them gold to last the rest of the year?
He stroked the fire as he thought, relaxing at the heat on his face. His Papa was a strong man, he could handle himself if anything happened to him, so he needn't worry about him. Hopefully Zeus would be healthy enough to come back quickly and he wouldn't have to be alone for long.
