Hello everyone,
The story is back. Yes, there has been a BIG break, but I truly hope it will not repeat. Sorry about that.
We are picking the pace a little bit, as from this point the plot will begin to change gears slightly faster. The foundation is laid, now we can build up.
I hope you will enjoy the new part and that we'll see eachother in the next one.
Enjoy!
Chapter 14
Judy managed to stay quiet only for an hour before talking to the fox aristocrat.
"Why?" She asked over her shoulder. They were all sitting in one saddle, Judy in front of Nicholas, holding her siblings in front of her.
"I assume you are referring to my presence here, instead of someone else?" The fox replied in a light voice.
This made her frown and turn her head to look up at him. "Oh my, how did you know?" The doe dosed her words with a large amount of sarcasm.
"I simply felt that guiding you personally would be much more entertaining." He shrugged.
Hearing this, Judy started opening her mouth to snap at him for such an attitude, when he continued. "It is also safer for all of you." Sir Nicholas said the last sentence in a clearly solemn voice, with all traces of amusement gone.
The fox looked down to see a rather disbelieving glare from the doe. He let out a sigh. "Miss Judy, I mean it. If any of my servants would be here instead of me, they would not be able to protect you against all possible threats. In comparison, my position in Zootopia can guarantee your safety just by me being by your side. Only a complete madmammal would dare to attack a duke's son."
Judy raised a brow, maintaining the glare over her shoulder. "You're that arrogant?" Her comment was meant as a jab at his pride, but she didn't expect the aristocratic mammal to shake his head with a sad expression.
"No," he said quietly and lifted his gaze to stare at the empty road ahead. "More than everyone else, I know what consequences would await potential attackers should they harm me, in turn enraging my father." At that moment Judy noticed how his face cringed for the briefest of moments. "When I was just a kit..." He suddenly paused and his gaze dropped on the two little pairs of ears in front of Judy. "Nevermind." Sir Nicholas cut the subject and went silent, focusing on the road again. However, being the curious bunny she was, Judy wanted to know why he suddenly dropped the topic.
"What happened?" She asked bluntly, trying a direct approach, in hope of getting more information out of him. Even her ears were erect and pointed at him with curiosity.
"That is…" He eyed the little bunnies again. Then he turned his gaze to Judy and shook his head slightly. "Maybe some other time."
The doe raised her brows when she finally understood. Looking at her siblings, hinting at the wrong time… He didn't want to speak with them around. Whether it was some kind of a whim or a game, she wasn't sure. Or maybe… She studied his expression carefully. Could he be worried about telling a gruesome tale with little kits present?
The recent events between them suggested that such an option was plausible. To add to that, he was alone, without his guards and headed towards a burrow inhabited by a flock of rabbits that were filled with nothing but anger and resentment toward foxes. The very idea was suicidal. Unless, he doesn't plan on taking us to Bunny Burrow...
"Sis, how long before we get home?" Her brother's voice broke the doe's thinking process. She turned back to her siblings and petted her brother on the arm.
"It's going to take a while."
"Two full days, to be more specific," Sir Nicholas added behind her. "That is, if we maintain this speed. Of course," he glanced down at the bunnies, "if you are able to hold on, we could increase our speed."
After seeing a smirk on his face, Judy dropped her ears. "Let's not-" But she was too late.
.
.
Some time of the bumpy ride later, Judy was certian that her bottom felt, as if it experienced its own torture of purgatory for a vast amount of sins.
On the other paw, her siblings seemed to have enjoyed the shaky trip and were squealing with joy every now and then.
Lady luck was on her side and they have slowed down to a more stable pace. Soon enough, their vulpine guide announced that they will be making a stop to rest a bit from the ride, both them and their horse. Also, Judy has learned that the horse's name is Casimir and Sir Nicholas said it with a certain degree of fondness. It was another bit of information that maybe would have surprised her in the past, but after interacting with this fox for a while she was more tolerant to facts like this. For an aristocrat-hater such as herself, it was a novelty to see a member of the 'blue bloods' to treat a horse with such kindness. Those few she had the chance to see in her life were rather cruel to their mounts. She also never heard about an aristocrat that would name his horse. They were simply treated as a tool for transportation.
Following upon this another, abnormal fact about the fox, and prompted by her own curiosity, Judy asked about the origin of this name.
"You really wish to know?" He inquired with a brow raised in surprise. "Very well. I have named him after a ruler of a faraway country." He pet the side of the horse's neck."His name was Casimir the Third or Casimir The Great. Few centuries back he guided his kingdom through turbulent times and made it stronger both economically and in terms of military strength. The mammal is remembered by his fellow countrymammals as a great reformator."
"And how do you know that?"
"That would be due to my extensive education." The fox replied with a smirk.
"Riight, cause as a noble, you can pay for it. Big deal." She snorted.
"The so-called 'education' should not be always interpreted as something beneficial." He accentuated this statement with a small huff.
This sound drew Judy's attention and her ears flinched to it. "Why do you say that?"
Sir Nicholas let out a chuckle before addressing her words. "You are eager to entertain the thought that everything I do or have is easy or beneficial." He said that while slipping off the horse's back onto the grass.
They have stopped in a clearing, close to a rather steep cliff. Judy could see from the horse that the ground faraway was much lower than their actual position. But even from here, she could tell that they were getting close to Bunny Burrow. The doe could see the large, carrot shaped boulder in the distance, one she knew to be not too far from the village. It even had moss growing on top of it, to add more to the likeness. Some tales would say that said funny shaped rock was the reason of founding the village in that spot in the first place. Or maybe it was just making fun of the rabbits' fondness of carrots. Either way, they were getting close.
What drew her attention was the fox, who took a moment to stretch his limbs. Afterwards he turned towards the cliff's edge and took several steps in that direction.
For a moment Judy thought that he might even jump. A smaller part of her considered kicking him off the cliff. And a really tiny part has pointed out that she was first worried about him jumping, before she even thought about hurting him.
"This really takes me back…"
The fox's voice pulled her back to reality. She blinked, refocusing her gaze.
"Actually," he placed his paws on his hips, "I can relax a bit during this trip." With those words he looked back at the bunnies, with a weird smile. "You might want to cover your ears for this." The fox advised them, before turning his gaze to the horizon again.
Something about his words, the way he stood and shifted his arms free… Judy immediately clasped her paws over the ears of her confused siblings, flattening her own against her head, unsure what was coming. A moment later Sir Nicholas spread his arms apart, throwing his head back to let out a deafening roar.
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Judy's eyes snapped shut, and her face scrunched in discomfort as the noise penetrated her sensitive ears. The fox's voice got carried away with the wind, no doubt confusing every living being down below.
The doe dared opening one eye.
Sir Nicholas turned around, but to her he seemed like someone else. Gone was the authoritative aristocratic vulpine. Before her stood a brightly smiling, cheerful fox in ragged uniform.
"Shall we move on?" He sang with a merry voice, confusing the bunny even further.
.
.
Even though they could see a landmark near Bunnyburrow, the remaining road was still substantial. They had to go around the cliffs, after all. What's more, the sun was setting, which didn't leave a lot of day time before them.
From where they made a stop, it didn't take long for them to reach a small town. Judy recognized it as Farm's Reach, the main transport hub for the goods from all nearby villages. It wasn't anything special, just a slightly oversized gathering spot for wagons with produce. It also held Judy's first visual memory of social inequality. This was the place where she witnessed how aristocracy and their henchmen treated the peasants.
Before they could get any closer, Nicholas stopped the horse. "I am sorry about this, but you will need to get off. We will need to put on a charade. After all, it would look strange if I were to carry servants on horse."
Judy turned her neck to look at him. There was no smirk on his face or, in fact, any trace of amusement. "Fine," she muttered.
All three bunnies got to the ground, and Judy considered for a moment if it wouldn't be wiser to take her siblings and run into the woods. After all, she knew her way around these parts.
"I can guess what you are thinking." The fox's voice disrupted her thoughts. "Still, I advise against it. One, bunnies have poor night vision. Two, there is no telling if lord Wolford or anyone else has not placed his mammals around your village, in case you would be itching to return."
The doe's ears flung up. "The village! What if he-"
"He would not dare to touch it," Nicholas cut in. "It belongs to another noble, one of a higher position than him. Getting his paws on another person's property would be frown upon in the aristocratic circle."
Judy's ears slowly fell.
The fox observed her carefully. "Raise your spirits, you will see your family soon. Also, please put on your hoods."
With that said, he signaled the horse to move forward, while waving at the bunnies to follow.
"Judy, why do we have to walk now?" Sheila asked with a hint of disappointment.
Her sister petted her head. "It's… safer this way. Just follow me, all right?" She helped the girl put on her hood.
The younger siblings nodded.
Their group entered the town without saying another word. Nicholas took the lead, while the three hooded bunnies followed. Judy wasn't particularly interested in this place, as she's been here repeatedly before. This made it easy for her to simply walk forward without looking around. At one point she thought that someone was looking at her. When she looked to the side, she saw a dirty wolf by the side of the road. He was sitting there, covered in mud. Still, even under that dirt Judy could see a uniform similar to the one owned by the fox. As her eyes moved lower, the doe noticed that the predator was missing a leg.
Noticing her gaze, the wolf reached out with his open palms in a begging gesture.
Judy averted her eyes, pulling the hood lower. It pained her to do this, but there was nothing she could do for the soldier.
"We will stay the night here," Nicholas' voice announced from the front. If he noticed the dirty wolf, he gave no sign of it.
The doe saw that they have stopped in front of the Crooked Pine. It was a simple inn, but the owner wanted to have it look more prestigious, hence giving it a fancy, as he believed, name. A teenage otter hurried towards them, as Nicholas got off the horse.
"Place for horse?" The boy muttered sheepishly.
The fox nodded while taking out things out of the saddle bags. He tucked a pistol behind his belt, grabbed the bottle Judy saw earlier, and pulled out a leather bag before throwing it at the doe.
She caught it reflexively, though it was quite heavy, and gave him a look. Still, she managed to bite her tongue in the presence of another mammal, remembering how she was supposed to play the role of an obedient servant. Judy was not happy about this part, but she kept repeating in her head that it's just an act and that it's all for her siblings.
In the meantime, Nicholas finished taking out items from the bag. On top of what he already had, he unfastened a musket from the side of the saddle and slung it over his shoulder. Handing over the reins to the stable boy, the fox leaned slightly forward. "Choose a good place for him." Once his paw was free, he put it in the pocket of his breeches. It returned with a copper coin, which he flipped towards the otter.
The boy caught it, making a surprised face. It quickly turned into delight and he straightened up. "Yes, sir!"
The group led by Nicholas went inside. Some heads turned in their direction. Most eyes focused on the uniform.
At the same time, Judy cast a brief glance around to check if there were any familiar faces. Sometimes she had to stay here for the night, when delivering food with her family. The inn provided rooms for both peasants and officials. Of course, the quality was vastly different between the types of rooms available.
"Innkeeper!" Nicholas exclaimed from the entrance.
A badger who was maneuvering between gathered mammals raised his head. He then let down the tray he was carrying on one of the tables and approached them.
"Do you have a spare room today?" The fox asked.
"I do, sir." The badger leaned slightly to the side to look at the bunnies. "With one bed."
Judy's heart jumped at those words, as that would mean-
"That is fine with me." Nicholas' paw went to the pouch at his belt. "How much for one night?"
The bunny lost track of the conversation, as her head was focused on the perspective of what awaited them. One room, one bed… She shook off any thoughts about the bed. It was already shameful for an unmarried male and female to spend a night in one room. Or maybe it's nothing to him? Maybe he does this often? She shivered internally at the thought.
"Oi!" A loud voice made her snap back to reality.
Nicholas was standing in the middle of the hall, halfway to the stairs to the second floor, sending them an annoyed look. "Move when I tell you to!" He growled at them.
Judy recalled the part she was playing and only lowered her head, before dragging both siblings with her.
He moved when they reached him, marching towards the stairs. One strange thing occurred. On their way there, they walked beside a table occupied by several mammals in military uniforms. When Nicholas was passing by, they all stood up to attention and saluted him. The fox returned the salute without a pause in his stride, but Judy did notice that his gesture wasn't some lazy copy. It was as energetic and serious as the one he received. "At ease, mammals."
The soldiers nodded and went about their business. Judy only dared to shoot a quick side glance at them as they walked past them.
.
.
When the door to their room closed behind them, Judy's tension did not drop in any significant way. Her eyes were drawn to the only bed in sight. It seemed to be of a size that could host a couple of wolves, but it was not the size that worried her. She shot a glance towards the fox.
Nicholas seemed rather unabated by the situation and proceeded to place the items he was carrying on the small table by the wall. "My apologies for the harsh tone earlier. I had to make to look real."
"Right…" Judy muttered.
The doe's siblings were rather oblivious to the kind of thoughts that their sister was experiencing. Instead, they were looking around and poking their noses everywhere. Just recalled that they have never been to an inn, so this was a novel experience for them. Even though it was a simple room, it was something quite different for two peasant kids.
"We should get some rest," the fox announced, stretching his arms. "I am aware that horse riding can be an arduous task."
The doe frowned, letting down her ears. "A what?"
"A difficult and tiring one," he replied without missing a beat. Once he got rid of all the things he was carrying, Nicholas sat down on a chair.
Silence filled the room.
That's when the fox showed a smirk. "Do inquire of the meaning, should I delve into stentorian, sesquipedalian vocabulary."
A scowl formed on her face, to which he reacted by raising his paws. "My apologies. It was just a joke."
"I'm not laughing," she huffed.
Before anyone could say anything else, Judy felt that her sleeve was being pulled. She looked down to see the anxious expression of her little brother.
"Tommy?"
He pulled again, apparently adamant about making her lean down.
She did so, and he started whispering. Her closest ear rose up. It was pure instinct, as with her hearing it wouldn't matter if the ear remained down.
Judy straightened up, looking straight at Nicholas. "Do we get to eat?"
This made him blink. "Right! I completely forgot, I apologize. Help yourself with what you have in the bag. They are all fresh, I assure you."
The doe raised a brow, but peeked into the bag. She looked up at the fox.
"Go on, no need to hesitate."
Judy didn't reply, only crouched by her siblings and showed them what was inside the bag. The little ones' eyes widened a little at the sight and they swallowed. Both gave their sister an inquiring gaze, to which Judy nodded.
Her siblings didn't need any more encouragement. Their paws dived in, picking up pawfuls of fruits and veggies. Judy could see that there were cucumbers, carrots, plums, and even grapes. She picked one carrot for herself and sat down on the floor together with the kits. Their anxiety was completely gone, replaced by fierce consumption.
"Woah, woah, slow down," Nicholas said from his seat.
Sheila and Tommy flinched, pausing their eating.
The fox opened his mouth, but hesitated. He proceeded by sliding down from his chair and sitting on the floor like them. "Nobody is taking it away from you," he said in a calm voice. "Eat as much as you want, but take your time. You could choke on your food if you hurry too much."
The little bunnies stared at his face, his smile. They resumed the consumption at a slower pace, but they kept sending him suspicious looks.
Judy was also chewing slowly, observing the fox out of the corner of her eye. She managed to stay silent for about a minute. "You're not eating?"
He shrugged. "I can eat the leftovers."
Another silence.
Sir Nicholas sighed. "It is not poisoned," he said, reaching out towards them with an open palm. "You can throw me a random fruit or vegetable and I will eat it."
To be fair, Judy doubted that he would go so far with this entire venture, just so that he could poison them at the end. Still, she could not ignore the fearful faces of her siblings. The doe put her paw inside the bag while keeping her eyes on the fox. After a moment she pulled out a plum.
He smiled.
Judy kept staring at him, gently rolling the purple fruit between her fingers.
"... Judging by your expression," the aristocratic predator tilted his head a bit to the side, "you are considering whether to throw that plum to me or at me."
She threw it.
Nicholas caught the incoming fruit, which would otherwise hit his face. He did not say anything, simply smiled at her action. On top of that, he noticed how her eyes moved to steal a glance at her siblings. He remained silent about his observation and took a bite from the plum.
The three bunnies watched how he swallowed.
"See? No poison." After that demonstration, the fox ate the remaining part.
This seemed to be enough, as the little ones resumed their meal without any further comments.
.
.
The night came quickly, and Judy was forced to face the issue of their sleeping arrangements. The bed could definitely fit all four of them, however…
"No need for such a worried expression," the fox said in a neutral voice. "The bed is all yours."
Judy's ears shot up. "What? Are you serious?"
He shook his head with a half smile. "Your opinion of me must be tremendously low if you have thought that I would either force you to sleep on the floor or together with me in one bed."
She rubbed her forearm with a paw. "I won't say I didn't…"
"Fair enough." Sir Nicholas nodded before walking over to the wall opposite to the one by the bed. He sat down, placing his sword on his lap. "I will stay here, you may go to sleep."
Judy was still somewhat hesitant about the situation. At the same time, she could see how sleepy Sheila and Tommy were. After all, it's been quite a long day. Which is why she herded them to the bed and sat down between them, so that they could snuggle to her sides. Pulling a blanket over them, she leaned down to hug each of her siblings.
"Good night, sister," Tommy muttered, as he clung to her.
"We'll be back home tomorrow, right?" Sheila asked from the other side.
"Of course," Judy smiled at the question.
"You promise?"
The doe placed a paw on her head. "I promise."
Sheila smiled and closed her eyes, snuggling to Judy's side, just like her brother.
It didn't take long for them to fall asleep. This was not the case for the adult doe. She kept gently brushing their fur with her paws, not moving from her spot, nor shifting them aside.
"If I may ask," the fox's quiet voice made her look up at him, "are you that close with all your siblings?"
She stared at him for a silent second. "Why do you want to know?"
Nicholas shrugged from his place on the floor. "I am merely trying to make a conversation."
"Why talk with a peasant like me?"
"Do you see any other conscious peasants in this room?"
She didn't respond immediately. Instead, she considered her options. After all, they were alone, far away from his mansion, servants, and guards. "What do you want from me?"
"Pardon?" He raised a brow.
"This… whole thing with Sheila and Tommy. What's next? You'll drag me back?"
The fox showed a small smile. "No, I will simply implore you to come back with me, for the well being of your family." He immediately raised a paw. "Please allow me to finish. Do remember that lord Wolford is still out there, and his thirst for blood will not be satiated until he has your corpse under his heel."
Judy swallowed at those words.
Sir Nicholas shook his head. "Please do not misunderstand. I am only saying this for you to grasp the gravity of your predicame-," he paused, "your situation. Should you remain in your village, someone is bound to spot you, sooner or later. What do you think will happen when that wolf hears of this?"
The doe remembered the times when she met the wolf in question. Both memories were distinctively unpleasant for her.
"But…" she frowned at a thought, "you said that he wouldn't touch the village."
"That remains true. Under the condition that he is not aware of your presence there. If he would hold proof that you are away from my family's territory, he would not hesitate to hunt you down." Nicholas shifted his back a bit on the wall. "See, Lord Wolford has a reputation for not letting go of grudges. And for a noblemammal there are very few insults worse than killing a family member. Pair that together and you have your situation."
Judy To shift her thoughts from this topic, she asked, "Those soldiers earlier, they saluted you. You know them?"
He observed her for a moment before replying. "I do not. They simply saluted the rank."
"What rank?"
The fox tapped his shoulder with a finger. "I have earned the rank of captain during the war."
Judy's eyes widened. "You've been to the war?!"
The war. Everyone in the kingdom was aware of it. Several years of fighting with the neighboring kingdom, thousands of lives lost to the conflict. Only in the past months a peace treaty was finally signed and enacted. However, it still left the matter of devastated families and wounded soldiers returning to their homes while their life was often shattered by the scars they got.
Another part of the conflict, which almost all aristocracy ignored, was the fact that a lot of the war effort was carried by the lower classes. Mass conscriptions among the poor and heavy labor to provide necessary supplies for the conflict, like food. Judy's fingers clenched at the mere memory of it.
"I have." His reply was rather devoid of emotions, which made her ears droop slowly.
She wasn't exactly sure what to say next. The fox carried a rather bleak expression on his face. The doe also noticed how he seemed to stare straight ahead, instead of focusing his gaze on anything particular. As she was pondering her options, the fox seemed to have recollected himself.
"Try putting your head to the pillow. Let us depart as early as possible tomorrow."
"Why?"
Her question got her a surprisingly warm smile in return. "So that you could spend most of the day with your family."
It was an argument the doe couldn't find faults with. That's why she didn't respond in any capacity. She simply shuffled herself lower on the bed and laid her head on the pillow. Sleep wasn't far away, as she quite quickly fell into the warm darkness.
.
.
Movement made Judy wake up. Being closely pressed to both her siblings, the bunny immediately felt when Sheila began thrashing around in her sleep. Still half asleep, the doe turned to her sister and put an arm around her. This made the girl calm down and her sleep became tranquil once again. Judy moved her dazed eye to the wall where sir Nicholas was seated. Even though she could not see in the dark, the night was quite bright today. Enough for her to make out the rough silhouette of the predator in question. She still had a mountain of questions, but those could wait for tomo-
The fox let out a loud gasp, followed by a swish in the air. The moonlight glinted on the naked blade in front of him.
The doe was completely frozen, unable to even make a sound. She could only stare at the scene before her.
The fox's breathing was erratic. To a degree that Judy could easily tell how panicked he must have felt. This lasted for a couple of seconds, before the aristocrat sheathed his sword. His breath slowly steadied itself, though she could hear that it definitely took some effort. She didn't count how long it took, nor did she dare to say anything.
The night fell silent once again. Or at least returned to normal, when the fox's breathing stabilized completely. Judy only relaxed when she was certain that he fell asleep again. Various thoughts were running through her head, but the one that was occupying her mind the most was about nightmares. He definitely woke up from a nightmare… She could only guess what kind of things an aristocrat could have nightmares about.
However, even with her curiosity, she couldn't deny her body's plea for rest. She struggled to stay awake but her tiredness had the upper hand. Judy finally relented, embracing the darkness that came with sleep.