Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC Cosette and any alterations to the original storyline plot her presence creates to various readers amusement everywhere across the globe.
Innocence of a Child Chapter 4
Hearing the alpha wolf's enraged howling start to fade off into the distance the further they rode into the grounds of an estate was a great relief to Cosette. She was exceptionally grateful to her savior.
Leaning down to hug Philippe tightly around the neck, and kissing him, Cosette said "Thank you, Philippe. We won't be wolf chow tonight."
Philippe nickered to Cosette in reply. Without the pack of wolves relentlessly chasing after them Philippe slowed his pace down to a walk allowing Cosette the chance to get a look at where they were.
They were inside a beautiful garden with its radiance seemingly enhanced by the heaving snowfall clinging to the plants. Cosette spotted a colonnade surrounded by blooming rose bushes white as the snow fell onto them. It stretched as far as his eyes could see all the way to the boundaries of the grounds reaching the forest, but that wasn't nearly the most remarkable aspect of this place.
Standing in front of Cosette was an enormous castle. There were large turrets that reached high into the blackened sky making it far taller than any building Cosette had ever seen in her entire life. Now that she got a good look she could tell this whole place was probably more than four times the size of the village.
As they moved closer to the castle itself Philippe picked up the smell of fresh hay and water coming from an open stable near the main entrance of the castle. Eager for something to eat and drink after that big chase Philippe trotted over to the outbuilding where it was carved. He stopped at the first stall immediately dunking his muzzle in the watering trough for a drink. Sensing she wasn't going to get Philippe to move again anytime in the near future Cosette moved to dismount. Being so short this turned out to be very difficult for her since her feet couldn't touch the ground as easily as an adult. She lost her grip on Philippe's back and with a squeal toppled into a pile of soft snow. She wasn't hurt, but now she was even colder than before. Cosette stepped out of the snow shivering like mad clutching her arms for warmth. Philippe was all right munching on a mouthful of hay so Cosette headed up to the entryway of the castle.
Cosette failed to notice that the ribbons Belle had gotten her had fallen out of a coat pocket and were now lying on the snowy earth.
Slowly climbing up the huge stairs to the front doors Cosette looked at the castle in fear but kept on going. Reaching the doors Cosette knocked on the doors, but her banging was so light she didn't think anyone could hear her. Cosette jumped as high as she could to open the doors herself, but couldn't touch the handles.
Tearfully Cosette turned away from the doors to get back down to Philippe. Maybe she could sleep in the hay for the night until sunrise. Hay is always warm. Cosette heard a creak and turned to see what it was. It stung open eerily right before her very eyes.
Not even stopping to consider how a door could open by itself Cosette dashed inside with the door sliding shut behind her.
Cosette now found herself inside a large empty hall with the inside of the castle equally as grand as the outside.
It was so quiet and dark in there that made her even more afraid.
"H-Hello," she said, meekly, peering around inside as she cautiously went further into the massive foyer. "Hello, is anyone here? Papa. Papa?"
But, no, Papa wasn't here. All she was met with was silence the only thing answering her was her own voice echoing in the large room.
"She must've gotten lost in the woods."
"Shut up, you idiot!"
Hearing the hurried whispering Cosette spun on her feet to find the source, but all she saw was a candelabrum and an ornate mantel clock sitting on a nearby table. Cosette deflated, her bottom lip quivering. She'd thought someone was there with her, but now that she knew no one was Cosette was ready to burst into tears. Then a flicker of light somewhere off to the side caught her eye. It was a fire roaring inside a large ornate heart surrounded by a table and some comfortable-looking armchairs.
Cosette ran over to the fire holding out her chilled hands to get warm. The heat from the flames soon made the shivering subside although she was still wet and cold.
Distinctly hearing her stomach growl Cosette realized just how hungry she was. Maurice had expected to bring them to the market a while ago so they hadn't been carrying any extra provisions with them. So the last drop of water was gone and good a memory Cosette was craving something to eat.
A clattering noise drew Cosette's attention away from the fireplace and over to an open side door leading into an adjacent room. Peeking inside her eyes became the size of snowballs. There on a long dining table and from where she was standing she could tell it was laid out with freshly cooked food.
Not wasting any time Cosette ran over to the chair closest to the food hopping right on it. Cosette was starving, but she was conscientious enough not to forget her table manners. There was plenty to go around. She needn't have been so afraid that this was all a dream and the food would disappear before she could take a bite. Not even in madness could she have ever imagined eating enough at a meal to where she was completely satisfied. Maurice always provided, but never to this extent. Cosette managed to rule herself at this delectable meal with a will or iron. She did not grab, she did not fill her dish to overflowing. She ate slowly and with small bites. Belle definitely would've been proud of her.
So concentrated was Cosette in her dinner that she didn't think twice about the piano music playing in the air. A soft, slow, and soothing melody. Soon enough the combined effects of the music and the warm food took its toll on Cosette. A kind of lethargy overtook her and she started to feel warmer and sleepy. It was altogether too much for her to handle. Not able to keep her head up and eyes open for another second Cosette laid her head down over crossed arms on the wood of the dining table. She could feel herself dozing off.
Moments later Cosette could hear the piano music cut off. Then there was light chatter around Cosette with a hushed tone as whoever it was was carefully trying to keep their voices down. Some were excited while others sounded worried and afraid. Cosette felt the chair and table leave her as she was lifted into stiff arms. It felt like the arms were made of wood, but perhaps that was simply her childish imagination at play. Cosette was carried up a flight of stairs with a variety of voices following.
Cosette was taken to a vacant room and lowered into a bed with a fluffy comforter and silky sheets. Her wet clothes were replaced with a wool cotton nightgown and she was gently tucked in to sleep. It felt like she was lying on a cloud. The bed was heavenly. During all of this, Cosette had her eyes shut not opening them one time. She was far too tired and worn out to care.
Out of nowhere, a woman began singing a harmonious lullaby to Cosette to lull her to sleep.
That did Cosette in. Snuggling under the covers Cosette sighed in content. She surrendered drifting off to dreamland.
Authors Note:
Bet this isn't the direction the majority of you were expecting this story to take. ;)
The song Mrs. Potts sings to Cosette to lull her to sleep is called Lullaby by Aida Nikolaychuk.
I hope you all like this one! I certainly did while writing it for your vast enjoyment! ;D
For those of you just starting out with my stuff there are other works on my profile that may catch your interest. I highly recommend you take a look as soon as the opportunity presents itself to you. Who knows, you may be pleasantly surprised by what you discover.
Stay safe everyone. Especially with all of these crazy natural disasters occurring a lot lately due to global warming and climate change everywhere for sure. I swear it's like they're getting worse and worse all the time and it's like officials are simply just ignoring it or pretending it doesn't exist entirely just to go on with their daily lives. Especially those in multi-million dollar companies that rely on certain elements of our planet that we rely on to naturally keep us safe instead of adapting and finding new safer ways to keep in business. There are so many options out there where they can adapt, but they just refuse to see it because all they care about is money. Climate change is altering so much faster than anyone can really keep track of.
So, in light of all this, it is important to live life to the fullest as much as anyone can.
I know I am. ;) See you guys next time.
