At the shore of a lake, out in the corner of the O.Z. in dark of the latest night, the moment before dawn, was sitting an elegant creature.
her skin was milky white, and her hair fell down her shoulders in a snow white color that complimented the mist surrounding her, it almost suggest that the hair and the mist was from the same ground material. Her dress was white, and glittered with crystals, that almost glittered in a battle with the rim frost that covered the otherwise green grass. the cold made her cheeks blush in a delicate red color, and damp escaped her mouth in a waste rhythm as she breathed in an out.
yet the most noticeable thing about this beautiful magnificent creature, which were of cause a woman of the finest kind, was her eyes. as they burned through the picture with their lavender color, and yet they were lost. those were sad eyes, seeking for just a little bit of comfort in the new cold and gray world.
Both her daughters was dead, and yet not dead. in each their separate way, she wished for nothing more than to hold them ones more. but there was nothing she could do.
Her husband was lost, and she would not be able to see him again, she wished for him to hold her, and tell her everything was fine, she wished to make sure that he was fine. but there was nothing she could do.
Her advisor, the man she regarded as a little brother. captured, and they would do god knows what to him, she wanted to safe him, she wanted him to tell her what to do as he always had, she wanted to make sure that he was fine. but there was nothing she could do... until now.
The sun was slowly raising from the distant horizon, and let the tress cast long shadows, over the lake, and over herself. the full moon glittered from above, the sun and the full moon, the setting and the lake filled Queen Lavender eye with the brim of magic.
It was a magic place, and a magic moment in time, the dawn of a full moon night, at the west shore of the magic lake, it allowed her for just the briefest moment to be filled with the same kind of magic she ones held permanently, but one brief moment was enough to do what she set out to do. there wasn't time for big important spells, to mumble out words or concentrate. but this spells was simple.
My dear Ambrose. She only had to picture him inside of her mind, remember his essence, and then call out to him, take him away from whatever hold he was in.
This was probably the only time she was allowed to use this kind of escape. Az would probably take this shore in control very shortly, but Lavender eyes had thought long and hard what she was going to use her brief moment of magic for, to safe one of those she loved, she couldn't help the two persons she loved the most, her small daughters. but there was no doubt in her mind who needed it second most, and who she wanted to safe... Ambrose.. my conscious and my right hand. I need your guidance and steady hand, I need your strength and intelligence.
She closed her eyes as she called out to Ambrose with all the strength of her given magic, the sun crept all the way over the tree tops, and warmed her hair and her skin, and before she knew it, the moment of twilight was over, and the magic was gone.
Concerned she opened her eyes to see if it had worked. It had!
With a breath of relief, and a action unworthy of a royal queen, queen Lavender embraced Ambrose who was sitting in front her, a great hug, she held him tight as she let a few tears escape, and thanked god that there was someone who could help her now, and thanked god twice as much that at least he was safe.
But in her arms he was strangely numb, he didn't even seem to attempt to return the hug, or acknowledge it, She would have understood if he had stiffened and pulled away, this was after all very inappropriate, but he did nothing of such sort, and it scared her, he was just there in her arms, like a stuffed dummy.
Concerned lavender eye retrieved, and looked at him to take him in, what she saw scarred her. Ambrose's eyes, which always was filled with intelligence and enthusiasm seemed strangely dead, like he didn't have the faintest idea of where he was, and perhaps.. even who he was. his hair that was usually neatly arranged to be.... Lavender eyes gasped horrified as she stumbled backwards, she actually felt quite sick, and just wanted to cry and vomit all over the place.
On the top of Ambrose's head was a zipper, how she could not have noticed it before Lavender eye didn't knew, but there it was. and not only was it a zipper, but it was open, and on the other side of the zipper, inside of Ambrose's skull, inside of his head... was nothing.. just and empty dark room.
Lavender closed her eyes tight and turned her head away, as she tried to prevent herself from vomit, yet the tears was streaming down. after having spend some moments on regaining strength lavender eyes opened her eyes again, to look at Ambrose, he looked back at her with that lost stare where he didn't see anything even though he was starring.
Shakingly and carefully lavender eyes moved closer to Ambrose, god she felt so sick, she was sweating and shaking and she felt so sick and scared, but at last she was a few centimeters in front of him, she closed her eyes again as she reached for the zipper, and closed it.
as she opened her eyes again, she noticed he had moved his head, and was now directly looking at her.
"He... hey" Ambrose stammered nervously.
"Oh Ambrose" Lavender eyes sighed sadly. "What has she done to you?"
"Who, who, who?" he asked confused.
"It's me" Lavender eye told him softly, as a mother who assured her child that there was no monster in the closet. "Lavender eye." she explained, as she held his hand in a tight grab.
"I know you" The words came unsure from Ambrose's mouth. "You are... you are treasure.. very important."
"That's right Ambrose" She smiled at him. "You always protect me."
"Who, who, who" he glitched again. "who's Ambrose?"
Lavender eyes smile fainted just as quickly as it had appeared, she removed a lock of hair from his face. "That's your name.. don't you remember? you are Ambrose."
"Ambrose..." he tasted the word. "Ambrose.. Ambrose.. errh Amrose.. Emrose.. such a difficult word, and that my synapses seems to be dysfunctional doesn't seem to help the least." he smiled nervously at her.
And in that moment Lavender eye couldn't help but cry, just in that single moment, he sounded exactly like his own self.
"Oh no, don't cry" he waved unsure, as he tried to stop her.
"I'm sorry Ambrose." she smiled faintly.
"Who?" is eyes turned faint.. "who are Ambrose." he asked concerned. "Who are you?"
The few tears that had escaped Lavender eye's eyes now tripled, and they welled down of her face as she cried out loud. Ambrose was waving and asking concerned to make her stop, and then she just drew him into a tight hug, to not let go..
At first he grew numb, but as Ambrose seemed to realize what the action meant, he returned the hug.
"It's okay" he told her with an unsure voice. "It's okay, it's okay, okay, okay" he glitched. "I will not go" he told her. "I will not go."
"I know you would never leave me" Lavender eye cried. "But I have to leave you.." She spoke the truth, Lavender eye wanted nothing more than to just take Ambrose with her, to keep him safe, as that little lost child he had become, but that was never part of the plan, she had only wanted to help him out, as she had to go into solitude alone, if anyone was to follow her, her shield and protection wouldbroke. Ambrose was smart, a wise strong man, she had beforehand no doubt that he could take care of himself.. but now.. now she didn't knew.. one thing she did know though.. she couldn't leave him be. it would be cruel and wrong.
She was wearing and old worn out cloak as she entered the town, she held Ambrose in the hand, to lead him toward their destination.
At first no one seemed to notice as they entered the city, but then people became aware of the strange zipper on top of Ambrose's head, and they began to stare.
"Is that?" a little girl asked her mother. "Is that that zipper thing the sorcerer said she would do to those most cruel?" she asked, and retrieved behind her mother's skirts, as Ambrose looked at her with that dimwitted look in his eyes, as he was not really aware of what she had been saying.
"It would look like it" her mother responded scared as she tugged the girl behind her back. "What a cruel punishment." she mumbled to herself, as she herself looked away.
Lavender eye held Ambrose's hand a little tighter as she quickened her pace, until she reached the bath house in the middle of the town, where she found the backdoor and entered quickly, pulling Ambrose after her, who neither objected nor asked any questions, but just followed with blindly obedience, reminding more of a lost dog then an intelligent man.
"Is lady Citrane here" Lavender eye asked at the first worker who crossed her path, a young boy.
He blinked widely at her. "Miss, costumers are not allowed in the back" he stammered nervously
"I assure you Citrane won't mind" Lavender eye told him firmly "Is she here?" she then asked again.
"What is all the commotion about" a loud voice sounded from the hallway. And Lavender eye turned around, to reliefs see the plum elderly lady walls in her direction. "Who are you?" Citrane pointed at Lavender eye and Ambrose.
Without a second hesitation Lavender eye dropped her hood, and smiled apologizing at Citrane.
Citrane's eyes widened. "My lady" she stammered.
"Hush" Lavender eye instructed her. "I am not here, you will not call me by name."
"No of cause" Citrane flustered embarrassed. "Come into my private room." she asked of Lavender, pointing towards the stairs. "Come, come!"
Citrane was still flustered an ran around so she was every but at the table Lavender Eye and Ambrose was seated at, trying to make the queen somewhat comfortable. Ambrose looking amused around of all the trinkets and ornaments in the room, as a child in a candy store.. though there was nothing special, or nothing of value in the room. brushing intrigued his fingers over the figure of a little dog on the table, and then looked embarrassed at Lavender eye, as a child caught in a act he was not supposed to do.
At last Lavender eye simply had enough as she raised her hand. "I need a favor" she said loudly into the room. "and it's a big one" she added matter of factly.
"My lady, I thought you were dead, we all thought." Citrane stammered as she at last stopped fiddling around. "I would do anything for my lady."
"Take care of Ambrose." Lavender eye asked of Citrane. "He has.." she closed her eyes to fight back another tear, determent not to show weakness to anyone. "He was once the most intelligent man in the kingdom, and my close friend, but the sorcerer has stolen his mind, if I could, I would keep him close and take care of him, but if I am to life, I can't. and I ask you to do it for me."
"But why me?" Citrane asked. "I am nothing but a former servant in the court." she told Lavender Eyes, as if she didn't already knew. "And what am I supposed to do with him?"
"your heart is good, and your mind is loyal, and you are in depth." Lavender Eye told Citrane, hiding the fact that it was also the only option Lavender eye even had. "give him a little job, small simple chores, washing the clothes, and when the sorceress troopers come to town, hide him away inside of the walls where they won't see him."
Citrane sighed as she side-glanced at Ambrose, who had now fallen asleep in the chair, like a little child tired from the trials of the days, and not bothering to listen to the elders talk.
"Okay, I will do it." Citrane at last confirmed. "For you my lady."
"good." Lavender Eye gave another glans to Ambrose. "Take good care of him. He is a good man."
And that was all Queen Lavender eye was there for, the mere minutes she stayed in the town were minutes of growing danger, so she just stood up, and left. left the bath house, and left the city, not looking back as she couldn't bear the sight of her best friend and advisor reduced to so little.
And as Ambrose woke in the chair, he had ones again forgotten all about the pretty lady with the silver hair and the lavender colored eyes, instead he was just wondering where he was, and perhaps even, who he was.
As soon as Citrane was sure Lavender Eye was gone for good, she wasn't late to put Ambrose to work.
At first he was put on cleaning duty's. which was a disaster.
He worked all right, but he kept forgetting where he had cleaned and where he hadn't. which caused Ambrose to clean the same place 10 times over while other places went completely unnoticed.
That was where people in general started calling him dummy, not just in the corners, but straight up in his face, fortunately or unfortunately as in how you take it, Ambrose who constantly forgot his name began to assume that Dummy was his name, and so reacted upon it. And people found it so amusing that no one bothered to tell him it wasn't so. and that dummy is a verb used to pan people for stupidity.
As it was a bath house it had two functions, people could come bathing in hot relaxing spas, pretend to be rich for a day as they would scrub them self in soaps and oils, to at last giving it the last kick with the latest perfumes.
And people could deliver their clothing to have it washed in the used bathing water. And as it turned out, Ambrose was a natural for the washing, it was just placing him in one spot with the dirty clothes on the right, the water in front of him, and tell him to wash, and he did. the only problem that he would only stop when people reminded him to, which caused Ambrose to fall asleep from sheer exhaustion over the laundry over and over.
as time went past, Citrane grew more and more fond of him, he was the cheapest and most hard working worker she ever had, he only required some few meals, which was consistent of scraps from her own table, and the small bed, otherwise he would just work with the laundry.
So when the sorceress soldiers came to search the town for the first time, it was by no means the promise to Queen Lavender eye that made Citrane hide Ambrose always in the furthest and darkest corner of the basement, no, it was her precious investment. he worked for two ordinary workers, without demanding money. it was perfect.
Citrane observed Ambrose working from above as she sniggered to herself. "look at you" she smiled. "given by royalty itself, the finest of the finest, hah. the most intelligent man in the world she said, a very wise man she said." she laughed of her own joke. "And everyone in the village only acknowledges you by the alias of Dummy, I am the only one who remembers." she laughed once again of her own superiority. "the intelligent fool." she sighed as she left.
Then, the head cases appeared. the most dangerous criminals was taken away and reappeared again as a head case, and people started talking. Talking about Ambrose that he might be a dangerous killer, as he was the first head case to appear he had to be very dangerous.
And business started running low, people avoided the bathing house and the dangerous head case, after 7 years of loyal serving and visiting people was scared of the head case, the man people before had laughed at and called Dummy straight to his face, they now whispered about, calling him a murder.
Citrane wouldn't have it. her bathing house was almost closing because of lack of costumers, and all because of that royal burden she had gotten thrown upon herself.
"Is this for me?" Ambrose lightened up as a little child as Citrane gave him the bundle with food. "But I never get anything." he brightened up.
"out" Citrane told him flatly. "You have food and a bit of money there, I want you out."
"out?" Ambrose looked confused at her. "out... out.. out"
"Yeas I said out." Citrane told him flatly. "There's the door, if you keep walking forward you will reach the woods, and if you keep walking forward there I won't have to bother me ever again." Citrane told him.
"You want me out?" Ambrose asked dumb founded. "out" he repeated.
Without bother to explain anymore, Citrane showed him to the door and closed it behind him. hoping he would get the drift by himself.
Sighing Citrane went to his little bed in the little ceiling room to take the covers, and was suddenly surprised to see a working piece of mechanic under the bed, clearly build from discarded things from around the bathing house. "What is this?" quickly Citrane ran back down the stairs to see if she could catch Ambrose. But he was already gone, as he had been literately chased by the village people out in the forest.
in the end Citrane just gave it a shrug and threw the mechanic device in the bin. "What a head case." she mumbled.
All while Ambrose, stumbled across the forest. wondering who that pretty silver haired lady was he just remembered in a little flash.