by Melody Rose
“You’re probably right…” I confessed gently. “But what gives him the right to rile people up like that and make them think that they’re on the verge of death? It’s a little unhinged if you ask me. Don’t you think he needs to seek out help instead of taking it upon himself to run everything at Bouclier?”
I couldn’t believe I was actually psychoanalyzing Theo and trying to get to the root of his obvious problems instead of drowning in righteous anger over his insane tactics.
Chef stroked his goatee thoughtfully and looked at me with damp eyes. I guessed I had struck a raw nerve and crashed on his impromptu honeymoon with Petra. I was really wreaking havoc and screwing up everyone’s little romances, and this time, I actually felt bad about it.
“Well, he wasn’t always so rough, no, and I s’pose the young master does need help. The problem’s that the one he turned to the most for it is no longer with us on this here plane. His mother was an elegant maiden, that she was, and Theodore looked up to her and her graces.”
Petra nodded enthusiastically with a nostalgic glimmer in her eyes as Chef partially unraveled the mystery that was Theo.
“He took after her quite a lot when he was younger, that he did. Celine van Brandt was the kindest in all of Bouclier if not all Lemuria, yes she was. It’s been said that her own tender heart led to her end, and that is what turned the boy.” Chef placed a hand on my shoulder as if begging me to have mercy. “She’d always been the more involved of his two parents, yes. So, when Abelard was the only one left behind, Theo had to grow up quickly, you see.”
I nodded as Theo’s adversities sank in, and I was careful not to bombard Chef with too many questions because I didn’t want to pry more than what was appropriate. Even though Theo could be a total asshole, he didn’t deserve to have the most painful moments in his life dissected without his permission. It sounded like he had enough problems already.
“Why haven’t Abelard and Theo had a stronger relationship, though?” I thought that question would be safe. Everyone else must have wondered as well what with him being the Headmaster’s son. “Why does he insult his dad at almost every opportunity, and why didn’t Theo just let Abelard take care of everything so he could just focus on grieving and being a kid?”
Chef’s chest puffed out as he inhaled and let out a deep breath. Petra laced her fingers together and sat up with straight posture, her eyes downcast as though she were in mourning.
“I’ve got to admit that even I don’t have all the specifics, little lassie. What I do know is that Celine got involved in a task that was greater than what one woman could handle, even a fine mage, and that Abelard has had his nose in his tomes ever since then, that he has.” Chef then released his hand from my shoulder and let it fall to his side. He looked to the ground just like Petra had, and then the two of them seemed to swap roles. She finally spoke up to continue where Chef had left off.
“It’s no secret that he has no time for Theodore. He hasn’t been present since Celine has left this world, and Theodore received no direction since then,” Petra admitted sadly. “Before Theodore took on the mantle of authority and devised plans to strengthen practices at Bouclier, the academy had fallen into a state of disrepair. It had actually declined so much that it became a laughingstock amongst the competing schools…”
My sympathy was definitely gaining traction again, but then I considered something odd about the level of Petra’s concern.
“Wait… okay, so I see your point, and I understand that he’s had a rough go at life despite all of his privileges, but why are you so empathetic about his issues?” I probed. “Didn’t he turn you to stone? I’d have a hell of a chip on my shoulder after that.”
While she was usually pale, some color rose to her cheeks at my question, and I got the sense that she wasn’t going to fess up to whatever transgression she had made to piss Theo off. She stammered for a bit until she found the appropriate words, a reaction that was odd to watch since she was usually so poised.
“Well, I… hm,” she began to speak and then paused to reflect on what to say next. “I would say that based on what Theodore had seen in this garden, it wasn’t aligned with his expectations for a pristine institution that cultivates the finest mages and that we had a dispute about how to operate on castle grounds that weren’t technically reserved for academic purposes.”
That sounded like a lot of pretty, carefully chosen words without actually getting any real message across. Chef Douglas seemed to be just as cagey and darted his eyes back and forth, refusing to clarify what she meant. The cook then decided to change the subject back to Theo’s overall struggles instead of the grudge he held about whatever Petra’s behavior was.
“The young master did try his best as a boy to carry on as his mother did, understandin’ and full of mercy, but it did him no good with Abelard bein’ as good as invisible.” Chef looked at me with a mixture of intensity and regret. “All the students poked at him and saw how far they could go, that they did. Was a real challenge to see if they could knock him off the peckin’ order and take his place. So, as you see, lassie, he’s never had friends to lean on, and that bein’ the case, he decided to make the most of it and whip the academy into shape. Seems to believe it’s better to be feared, that he does.”
I stood there quietly as I processed all the new information. It was hard for me to wrap my head around anyone trying to pick fights with Theo or provoke him, but I guessed I had met him after he went through his transformation stage. Maybe being pushed around really helped him grow some tough skin and defend himself against everyone. If Theo could turn himself into a take-no-prisoners sadist that actually tricked the whole school into loving him, I had to kind of congratulate him for his ingenuity. I wondered if I could improve my situation at Bouclier through tenacity, especially since I also had my own legion of haters waiting for my downfall.
Then again, I probably had a long way to go since I didn’t grow up in the most esteemed family in Lemuria and look like a deliciously brooding runway model.
“Doesn’t he have all the advantages he could possibly ask for?” I asked innocently. “I mean, even with a few people pushing him around, he’s got to feel on top of the world with everything that’s been handed to him.”
“Ah! You should’ve seen him years ago, Joan.” Petra gave a hard, short laugh and looked off in a distance as if she were looking into the past. “A sweet-faced beanpole of a boy, unsure of himself, a bit skittish, immersed in his books just like his mother and father. Then he started to escape into legends about the knights of lore, chiseled himself like a master sculptor, and was reborn. It’s as though he’s cast a memory-erasing charm because no one in Bouclier seems to recall this!”
It actually endeared me to Theo to hear about his little ugly duckling upbringing, and my heart softened when I heard that he was once afraid of the world. I wondered if my choice would have been any different if I was put into such a demanding situation and had such a reputation to uphold.
Armed with this new knowledge, I felt yet another whiplash mood shift and shelved my anger about all that I have seen and experienced thanks to Theo. I began to chalk all of his bad behavior up to insecurity and a desperation to come across as powerful and felt a pang of pity that he had to fend for himself. I understood how difficult it was to navigate the world without parental guidance and to hold high standards because no one else was going to come to the rescue.
Once I had my compassion worked up over Theo’s plight, I realized that the entire class imprisoned in the garden had Chef Douglas around to take care of their meals, and that must have meant that Theo had gone without anything to eat. It’d already been established that he was spoiled and didn’t learn how to cook for himself, but I couldn’t blame him when he didn’t have any caring adult to teach him some basic life skills. It was too bad he didn’t think to ask Chef to show him some techniques since he would just see the cook and the work below him because I didn’t think it was actually healthy to ha
ve to rely on other people so much or to see them as the “help” instead of equals. Even though he came across as imposing and in charge, he clearly had a lot of growing up to do.
I found myself making an about-face and craving to nurse Theo like a wounded puppy even though he was the jerk that cooped people up in the garden. And even though I thought he could brush up on his independence and politeness, I knew that those skills weren’t developed overnight. Besides, if he was willing to play along and be decent to me, then I could take him under my wing and help him through his Magical Cooking classes. I’d even forgive him for having the hots for my bully since having the school’s queen bee fawn on him probably gave him the ego boost he so sorely needed. Maybe I could… gently… knock some sense into him over time and convince him to appreciate someone who was actually looking out for him. I wouldn’t be chasing him just to improve my status or gain more influence like Lydia must have been banking on.
I decided that I’d have to speak with him one last time tonight, and even though he probably was sick of interruptions, he did mention that he was willing to let someone stick around if it were helpful for his studies. I should have clarified that was why I had actually dropped by, but I didn’t want to seem like a try-hard right in front of Lydia. I couldn’t stomach the thought of her thinking I needed to beg for Theo’s attention while she already effortlessly earned a spot on his lap.
I also figured that he would need something to eat after such a demanding and stressful day, and if I came by with a meal that was actually normal for him instead of trying to trick him into getting on board with my more extravagant tastes, maybe he’d let his guard down. I felt like I had just enough confidence to give my proposal one more shot, and if he still chewed me out, then I guessed I’d just have to give up and admit defeat.
29
Theo
I’d never considered it seriously before, but Lydia was truly the mistress of inopportune timing. I suppose I had entertained it all this time because she was the most fetching woman at Bouclier, and even the most disciplined mage requires diversions to keep his mind and energies sharp.
I suppose my priorities had shifted somewhat since I was forced to collect Joan from her tedious realm, and ensuring that she didn’t make a fool of herself had taken an inordinate amount of effort. I was so mired in this task that I hadn’t even thought about the relief that Lydia could offer or arranging a tryst with her. There were certain diminishing returns when a man had a mission to accomplish and womanly wiles clouded his senses.
Even if I hadn’t invited Lydia to my quarters, and she had decided to take matters into her own hands, I didn’t see why I should have to fend her off. While I prioritized my role as taskmaster of the academy in my father’s absence, it wasn’t as though I was obligated to turn down a temptation as it arose. I didn’t know why I had cut my time with Lydia short on Joan’s account, as she could have easily shown herself out and find me where I wasn’t preoccupied.
Further, Joan had acted as though I were rutting right in front of her. While I wouldn’t have considered the position I was in compromising, I certainly understood that Lydia wasn’t wearing anything, but really, the woman simply disliked how stifling clothes were. One glance at her school robes could tell anyone that since they had left very little to the imagination. As for myself, I was not lying down, returning Lydia’s affections, or in any state of undress. Perhaps extreme prudishness was a staple of lamb’s blood culture.
It was above me to justify myself to any other student who would have deigned to step into my room without explicit permission, but I wondered if I should have taken special precautions with Joan. Courtship in Lemuria was rather laissez-faire, noncommittal, and just a bit of fun to pass the time in between cultivating one’s will and crafts. In fact, some festivals and rituals practically required either exchanging or sharing partners. Only my parents appeared to have an exclusive type of arrangement, but they always made a practice of tossing out norms and setting their own precedents.
If I understood correctly, my mother had an unusual preference for bonding and loyalty, and my father ended up altering his ways for her. If only he had gone so far to be actually useful and protective where it counted, and perhaps she’d be alive today to explain her rationale to me. I am sure she may have had some insightful advice about how humans mated. She always was so open-minded about what lay beyond Lemuria.
Come to think of it, I was strangely forgiving when it came to Joan, so might I have inherited my mother’s nurturing tendencies? I had apologized to the girl twice already, an unheard-of gesture for a strapping young man on the Von Brandt line, and I hadn’t sabotaged her classes to free myself and Bouclier of her. Most times that students crossed me, I plotted innumerable strategies to cast them out. At this point, I’d acquired nothing but admirers because I’d terrorized any naysayer past the point of no return. With Joan, I was merely instructional, and I’d made sure she wasn’t late for her class, for the seven cosmos’ sake. And wasn’t that an incredible mercy?
I may have been able to reduce my preferential treatment of Joan to a simple curiosity as if I wished to preserve her so that I could study her and familiarize myself with all her oddities. Humans were such strange creatures, after all, and dealing with her was like trapping an exotic beast for educational purposes.
However, the truth was that my mind hadn’t stopped drifting to her ever since I had witnessed her bathing. I couldn’t erase the thought of her curvaceous figure, creamy flesh, innocent demeanor, and gentle bearing. It was as though I had caught a glimpse of who she truly was when she wasn’t guarding herself against me. Perhaps I could stand to exercise greater care and tenderness with her to bring out her natural femininity. She did have an unquestionable aptitude for cooking after all, and that craft required a genuine concern for serving others. I licked my lips at being the recipient of her doting manner. Beneath her defensiveness must have beat the heart of a delicate woman.
As for Lydia, she was a decent contender for a companion, and I certainly enjoyed her elegance and commitment to external beauty. She put a great deal more care in making her assets obvious to the world than did Joan, but I thought that she may have emphasized them to the point of bluntness. I would have thought that since we both had studied the arts of hypnosis and charms that she would have offered me a challenge or an exciting duel of wits, but instead, she played at submission. I was no fool, and I knew that she was as self-serving as she was attractive. If I didn’t have an entire academy and legacy to inherit, she wouldn’t have visited me so frequently, if at all.
I decided to summon some company since I was stewing in my own unanswered questions, and I thought perhaps I’d also enjoy having peons to yell at to unburden myself. It had been a while since I had called upon Irk and Yavo, and I reasoned that they were the best alternative to being trapped within my own head. They both had become quite close to Joan, so perhaps they would reveal some telling secrets to find my way into her good graces.
While I didn’t relish in the idea of having to be deferential to anyone, regardless of whether they were a man or a woman, Joan seemed to have standards for how she’d be treated. If I were going to make sense of how I felt about her and get to know her further, I’d have to develop an approach that she would deem acceptable. Further, both the troll and the goblin had grown accustomed to my short temper, so there’d be no harm done if I became incensed trying to piece together this frustrating riddle.
I didn’t get up to peer at my enchanted mirror and watch over what they were occupied with, as I wasn’t concerned with that but merely with what they could tell me. It wasn’t as if they could have been busy with any task that was more important than answering my questions, anyway. Now that I was somewhat rejuvenated, though admittedly still a bit worn and rather hungry, I focused on preparing my incantation.
I wasn’t yet ready to release Chef Douglas nor ask him for a meal because I had to wonder if he still needed additional time to consider h
is loyalty to me. After all, Joan had only known me for a matter of days, whereas the faun had been employed to heed my demands my entire life. There was absolutely no excuse for him treading upon forbidden territory, especially since it wasn’t his first transgression there.
I closed my eyes and furrowed my brow so intensely that I could feel the veins engorge and realized that I was more spent than I have previously expected. No matter, I was still determined to benefit from Irk and Yavo’s knowledge to quicken my way into Joan’s favor. I had plenty of studies and responsibilities, after all, and I couldn’t spend the bulk of my time decoding a lamb’s blood when I could just outsource that work to my servants.
“Amenez le troll et le gobelin à moi, postez-vous vite,” I muttered with regrettable fatigue, causing me to afford even more concentration to the spell to execute it fully. “Bring the troll and the goblin to me, post-haste.”
Yavo and Irk materialized onto my carpet, extremely disoriented and dizzy from their lack of preparation. Their puny arms cradled a trove of scrolls and tomes, and as soon as they spotted me, they both wore resentful expressions. I couldn’t imagine why they had such sour dispositions, especially the usually polite troll. The girl was alive and unscathed, and that’s all that should have mattered. Lecturing me about my manner of handling Joan’s series of rebellions would only further endanger their newfound friend. I was growing quite tired of having to feel guilty for being such a fine example of a disciplinarian.
I immediately lapsed into a stern barrage of questions to set the tone. “What are all of those? Who gave you permission to take so many materials from the academy archives? What are you setting out to do? You aren’t students here, and you’ve been given more than enough leave to practice your own crafts! Should you require any further spellwork, you need to file a request with me.”
