Chapter Text
The flames grew in size as yet another log was tossed on the heap of burnt wood and ash. A blow poke moved the log and shifted through the ashes in hopes to develop the couple, pitiful flames into a blazing fire, but it was of no use.
Ed sighed and tossed the blow poke to the side and retrieved the bellow from beside the fireplace. He crouched down and angled the nozzle close to the ashes and pushed down on the handle. The ashes and flames quickly reacted and blew about. He repeated this action a couple of times till the flames grew in size and began their mission of devouring the log.
Satisfied with the outcome, Ed slid a wooden chair close to the fire. He sat and retrieved his wooden pipe from his pants pocket. In the other pocket, he took out a small tin of tobacco and unscrewed the cap with the pipe held firming in his lips. He took a few pinches of tobacco and stuffed them into the end. He bent down and grabbed a small stick from the pile of firm wood and held it against the flame. When the end was covered in fire, he placed it underneath the end of the pipe till he felt the ever-soothing feeling of smoke fill his mouth and travel to his lungs.
He tossed the stick into the fire and leaned back in his chair. Relaxed with the heat of the fireplace, he began to blow rings of smoke. This peace ended just as soon as it started when a knock rang out on the door. “Yes? What is it?” Annoyance with the peace being interrupted. “Uh, sorry to disturb you, Edward. Can I please come in?” Of course, it was Izzy.
“I don’t know can you?” Izzy took this playful reply as permission and the door pushed open. Izzy peered in and Ed turned to look at him. “Well are you going to hang around in the door frame or are you going to come in?” Izzy nodded and came into the room. Ed’s eyes immediately fell on the smaller man’s right hand which had a bottle of rum in his grip.
“I thought maybe you’d want this,” Izzy placed the bottle down on the table next to Ed. “Fang had managed to snatch a whole crate of it down at the docks today. Quite impressive I’d say. Ivan also snatched some items from the dry goods store and farms market. A very successful day on their end.” Ed nodded along, seeming as if no word Izzy was speaking was being processed in his mind.
“Edward?! Are you listening?!” Ed’s eyes suddenly darted from the fire to Izzy who was leering over him. Ed grimaced and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yeah, yeah. They stole shit. Whatever. We do that every day anyway.” Ed sighed and let his head flop back onto the back of the chair. Izzy huffed and leaned against the table.
“What’s been with you, Edward?” Ed rolled his head to the side so he could look at Izzy. The smaller man seemed to shrink even more in size under the other man’s gaze. Cold and dull, how he feared it and loved it all the same. “I don’t see why my emotional state matters right now. I thought you were talking of today’s excursions.” Ed straightened back up in his seat and turn his attention back toward the fireplace.
“Well I was just asking since you’ve been seeming very off these past couple of months and I- we are all worried about you. I mean, especially me. I’m your friend after all.” Ed swung his head in Izzy’s direction which caused the smaller man to start at the sudden movement. “You’re not my friend.” Ed hissed, his brows furrowed deeply. Izzy felt his stomach twist. Ed stood with the pipe dangling from his lips. He bent and grabbed the blow poke and jammed it deep into the hot ashes of the fire. After a few seconds, he pulled the poke out and peered at the end.
He held a hand close to it and felt the heat radiate off of it. Satisfied with what he felt, he made a move toward Izzy which came with a step back from the other man. “And I,” Ed made another larger step so the other man couldn’t back away any further. He grabbed his hand and pinned it to the table. Izzy began to squirm and struggle in desperation, pleas spewing out of his mouth like crazy as he began to realize what is about to happen. Ed pushed the other man’s sleeve up just about his elbow so his forearm was presented up to him.
“Am not your friend.” A hot iron pressed against cool skin.
A scream was sounded off in the distance. Fang and Ivan sat across from one another, Fang with a multitude of cards in his hand and Ivan with only one. “What was that?” Fang looked over his shoulder. “Eh, probably boss torturing that little bugger again. Absolute sadist he is.” Ivan stared down at the cards sprawled out between the two. “I don’t think he’s a sadist,” Fang spoke up as he turned his attention back to his cards. “I think he’s a hurt individual who needs to get all his emotions out, y’know.” Fang pulled one of his cards from his hand and placed it on the table.
Ivan suddenly raised his arm high in the arm and slammed his card down onto the table. “Go fish! I win!” He cheered as he stood up in excitement causing his chair to fall backward. Fang looked down at the cards on the table and then back at his hand. “Oh, uh, I thought we were playing poker.”
~
A young boy and girl bounded across the open field. The girl, just behind the boy in pursuit of him, caught her foot on her ankle-length dress and tumbled down into the grass. The boy stopped, hearing the sound of the tumble, and turned back. The young girl looked up and then down at her light blue dress which was now covered in dirt and grass. “D-daddy! Mommy!” She screamed out, nearly breaking the sound barrier with her shrill voice.
“Shut up! Shut it!” The boy desperately tried his best to quiet her but it was of no use as she continued to shout over and over for her parents. A head of bouncing blonde came bounding up the hill with a brunette just behind on his heel. Stede stopped just at the two children, bending over and holding his knees as he repeatedly sucked in and out trying to catch his breath. Mary ran up beside him, less out of breath and sweaty.
“What’s the matter? What happened?” Mary questioned, eyeing the two kids in confusion. “He made me ruin my dress look! He made me fall!” The girl pointed to her dress as crocodile tears began to stream down her face. “That’s not true! She tripped on her own! I did nothing.” The boy pleaded in his defense.
“Now, now, children,” Stede finally spoke as he regained his breath. “There’s no need to be pointing fingers. We will have a maid clean your dress darling. I’ll even buy you another just like it.” The tears on the girl's face magically disappeared and a smile replaced them. “Really?!”
“Stede!” Mary snapped, turning toward him. Stede started in shock and confusion. “You cannot just be fixing this situation with gifts! You can’t be rewarding this sort of behavior!”
“Rewarding it? She’s just sad her dress is ruined! Do you not want our daughter to be happy?” Stede retorted which only received a furrowed brow and a tight lip from Mary. “Come children. Your piano lessons start soon.” The two children groaned in protest, but they gave in and walked toward Mary. “I’ll see you later at dinner.” Mary said flatly as she took the kids' hands in each of her and turned to walk back to the palace.
Stede groaned and kicked some dirt in frustration when the three were just out of earshot. Almost like clockwork, a young servant man came running up the hill toward him with a letter gripped tightly in his hand. “Your Royal Highness! Your Royal Highness !” The young man yelled when he caught Stede in his sight.
“Yes? Yes? What is it?” The young man stopped just in front of him and gave a quick bow. He thrust the letter forward for Stede to take. “I’m sorry to disturb you, your Highness, but you must read this immediately. It’s very urgent.” Stede quickly took the letter from the man’s hand and tore it open, his eyes quickly scanning over the page.
He felt his stomach fall. “This cannot be.” Was all he could mumble out. “I’m very sorry, your Highness. I know he was not only a great servant but an even greater friend of yours.”
“How did this happen? How? I don’t understand?!” Stede shouted, his eyes going to the letter in his hand to the man standing before him. “I’m sorry, your Highness. I do not know. No one knows actually. The coroner determined his death natural, but it just seems so-“ Stede crumpled the paper into a tight ball in his hands and threw it off into the distance. Tears were now welling in his eyes and threatening to stream down his face.
“I-I don’t understand,” he choked out, his voice shaky. “I sent him away early last night because he didn’t feel well. I just thought he had a headache or something not-not this! I didn’t think he’d fucking die.” The tears gave away and were now pouring down his red hot cheeks.
“Your Highness, we can find you another foot servant. We will make sure-“ Before he could finish, Stede had begun stomping off down the hill and toward the palace. The young man let out a shaky sigh. “What a damn fool of a prince.” He turned and walked away.