Chapter 3

The carriage ride was long. And when you are as impatient as Alaude, it seemed even longer. He thought about bitch-slapping the man in front of him but was stopped by the realization that that would probably delay the journey and therefore make it longer. He glanced at said man and saw him leaning on the window frame with a thinking expression on his face. Alaude wanted to scoff out loud. The Bucking Horse thinking?

'Definitely not' Alaude thought, 'If he were thinking then he would not have dared take me in.'

Alaude looked outside for the millionth time. Large trees curled inwards to make a make-shift tunnel and the soft rays of the afternoon sun shone through giving the whole scenery a mysterious yet innocent sort of feel. Flowers were growing beautifully and the birds were singing. It was picture perfect. Alaude wondered if France was enjoying the same warm, late spring weather and suddenly he felt a little nostalgic if not slightly sad.

He missed France.

He really did. He knew that back home he would take advantage of such nice weather and sit in the shade of a tree whilst reading a book and eating a slice of pastry made by the local baker. Not to mention also biting worthless herbivores to death but that is completely besides the point.

He began to think more deeply about the aforementioned local baker whose name was Mrs Durand. She was a kindly old lady who made the best desserts in the world and would often give Alaude free pastry despite his vehement protests. He would always make sure to pay him back in some way because being in debt was not something he tolerated of himself. She always welcomed him with open arms and was something like a mother to him.

That thought led to more upsetting thoughts.

Alaude began to remember the day his mother died and with his father dead a few years prior, he was left as an orphan. He could remember being completely and utterly heartbroken about it all. He never use to hate crowds. He was never a cold, indifferent child. In fact, he was pretty much the opposite. But when you pray so hard to a God that in the end never answered your prayers and when people smother you with pity and empty words of consolation, it has a drastic effect on you and how you view the world. Alaude sometimes wondered if he had ever truly changed, or if the old him was buried deep down inside. He knew that he could be a little nicer but at the same time he knew life wasn't all that nice to him so, in the end, it didn't bother him. He still kept memories of his parents safe in his heart but everyday he wished to grow stronger, to accomplish more, so that one day he could hold his head up high with true pride and know in his heart that his parents, wherever they were, would be proud to have had him as a son. His thoughts were soon disturbed,

"Hey, Alaude, you OK? I mean, you looked pretty upset just now." The Bucking Horse asked gently.

Alaude merely gave him an indifferent, side long glance. After all, who was this stranger to demand things of him. So he remained silent. The Bronco was undeterred,

"I know your not all that happy to be under my 'care', as you call it,for the next few months or so but I want you to know that if you ever want to talk, I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. You hide a lot of things under that bravado of yours but I'm telling you that with me you don't need to do that. I know it will take some time before you acknowledge me as a teacher but I want you to trust me when I say trust me. I won't let you down. I would like to get to know you better but I won't pry, you'll come to me when you're ready."

"What makes you so sure I will do that Cavallone?" The Skylark had pretty much had enough of the Cavallone's ranting and was inclined to bite him to death if only to shut him up. But for some reason he felt like humoring the moron. Just a little bit mind you.

"You'll come to me eventually because I demand nothing of you except the obvious, that being mutual respect and that you take what I teach you on board. I'm not going to force you to spend time with myself and my family other than at mealtimes and any other time I require you to. I think that's fair. I don't know what's happened in the past but you cannot run from kindness for long. I am willing to be there for you while you are under my care and I do hope we can at least become friends." Alaude snorted out loud at this.

"Friends? I do not require such things. Shut up now before I'll bite you to death Cavallone."

"Fine, fine but I'll think you'll soon come to find that you do require such things. I think that you already consider Giotto as a friend at least but I won't pry. Like I said, you come to me."

Alaude really wanted to punch his face. Scratch that, Alaude just wanted to throw him out of the carriage. He silently seethed at his fortune of being stuck with the man. But, deep down, Alaude knew it could have been worse. He could be stuck in a dungeon for a week with his 'family'. He knew that even after a day of spending time with G, Asari Ugestu, Knuckle, Lampo and Daemon Spade would make him either want to kill them all or worse kill himself. The Cavallone boss didn't seem to be as annoying as he first assumed he would be. Only time would tell whether or not this would prove to be true.

"Hey, Alaude, we're here! Look!"

Thank fuck they were there at last! After going through large, Gothic style iron gates and coming to a complete stop, Alaude stepped out of the carriage without accepting the Cavallone's help and he turned around to look at the place he would be staying at whilst stretching his stiff and tired limbs.

The large manor was safely hidden within the forest. Nestled in a clearing Alaude had to admit, albeit with a great amount of annoyance, that the homely mansion was indeed very beautiful. That the Bronco had taste. Standing proudly at four stories high, the mansion's size was impressive but not at all intimidating. It held an air of elegance coupled with and age-old strength and this made it seem both simple and complex. Large pillars separated the second and third floor in the middle creating two giant balconies whilst the far left and far right of the mansion extended outwards. Warm, sandy coloured bricks and the afternoon sun reflecting off the large windows made the whole place look cosy.

The garden surrounding the mansion was another matter entirely.

Two majestic water fountains resided at either end of the front garden. Both marble beauties were carved into the shape of stallions with crystal clear water raging from under their feet. In the center was a large circle of small white flowers and, at the center of that, a smaller circle of vibrant red roses that swayed gently in the wind. The whole estate was surrounded by lush green grass and the tall trees of the forest framed the whole place like a picture. Aluade wondered that if the outside was so wonderful, what was it like inside? If the front garden was so beautiful, what was the back garden like?

He glanced at the brunette beside him who was looking awfully hopeful. 'Hopeful for what?' Alaude wondered. Despite the hopeful 'look of doom',Alaude was not going to give the mafia boss the satisfaction of the response he knew the Bronco was hoping for. The confirmation that he indeed liked the look of the place he was going to say in. Instead he said in a detached voice,

"Take me inside, to my room. Now. I am tired." To this the brunette merely chuckled. A light, hearty chuckle and he gestured to Alaude with his hand to follow him. Alaude realized that this was indeed the place he was staying at for at least two months. A place filled with strangers and this unnerved him slightly. Yeah sure he wasn't all that eager about his own family's company but he at least knew them. He knew they would all accept him no matter what. As much as he hated to admit it, he was stuck with them for the long haul. But being in a strangers territory made him feel agitated. The Bronco seemed to pick up on this,

"You know, Alaude, while your staying here la mia casa รจ la tua casa (my home is your home). I think I'll give you a proper tour tomorrow but for now you can relax and unpack and I'll be back for you in about an hour for dinner. You can walk around your room and sort your thoughts out and stuff..."

The mafia boss knew how awkward it could be to be in an unknown territory, especially that of another mafia family. Alessandro hoped, however, that Alaude would come to like his home and in due time become comfortable. Alaude on the other hand, despite how uncomfortable he was, couldn't help but admire the mansion. The front door was impressive enough but the foyer was large but strangely welcoming. Large and classically designed wooden doors and lighting fixtures graced the walls that were painted a darker brown at the bottom and then lighter from the middle upwards. It was very tasteful and not at all suffocating.

"Well here's your room. I'll come and get you in about an hour alright" Alessandro commented.

"Hn" was the only reply as Alaude stormed in and shut the door.

"Well that could have gone a lot worse." Alessandro sighed. Bernardo however merely chuckled at his boss.

"You know we should get going. I don't think he's going to be too pleased if we're still outside his door. But I think this is good for you."

"Yeah your right but why do you think that this is good for me? I mean I know it is but what are your views?" Alessandro was kind of confused.

"Well, you see, your know stranger to hard work and you've dealt with a lot of people in your life. But you've never met anyone quite like our young Alaude. Maybe in time you to can strike up a companionship of sorts." Bernardo stated softly as they moved away from the Skylark's room. A small but handsome smile lit up the younger man's features.

"Yeah, I do hope that things go well." And with that they were gone.

Alaude did like his room. It was spacious and had a large window which had a view of the forest. It was nice and not claustrophobic. Once he was done unpacking he rested his tired self on the four-legged bed, letting himself sag into it's comfort. He was happy that he had his own bathroom desk and other essentials. The room was in no way intimidated and reminded him of the room he owned in the Vongola mansion. He only guessed that Giotto must have informed Cavallone of likes and dislikes and such for example he hated cramped rooms.

He closed his eyes and decided to nap for a while until that stupid horse came to wake him up.

I think this chapter is way over due! Hope you enjoyed it :P