Beast

Chapter 9

When he awoke the next day he was alone in the bed, with his nose pressed to the pillow Elise had slept on with another one pressed against his painfully erect frame. Alexander flung the offensive objects from his body, both pleased and irritated Elise was not in his bed. He scrubbed his hands down his face as he pulled himself into a sitting position, propped against the headboard. He had just settled himself when he heard the door squeak open slowly, pushing the canopy of his bed aside to peer into the shadowy expanse to ascertain who was creeping in his room.

"Your Grace, You're awake? I come bearing your breakfast." Rowan's voice sounded quietly through the room. The door shut behind him, Alexander sighed as his friend neared the bed. Rowan took this as yet another form of discomfit at the lack of contact with Elise. "I did not mean to disturb you, but I have called you a bath."

"You have not Rowan, I have just awoken myself. Thank you for bringing me breakfast." With this said Alex swung his legs from the bed, sitting facing the chair and tied the curtain out of the way.

Rowan stared dumbfounded as Alex took the tray from him and dug into the porridge and fruit. Alex had never thanked him for breakfast, and had not tucked into his food with this much fervour since Rowan could remember.

"I was thinking that a walk around the gardens might be a nice change from the hallway. Would you mind accompanying me?" Alexander asked as he set aside his bowl and struggled to his feet.

"O- Of course Alexander. Do you want to go while it is still daylight?" Rowan asked, standing too and steadying a wobbling Alex. At Alex's nod and thankful smile Rowan removed his hand and strode to the door to call for a bath. "I shall find you some suitable walking attire then Your Grace." As Alex dug into his small breakfast, two knocks sounded on the washroom door signalling that the bath had been filled.

"Something loose please Rowan, and a cloak please? The large hooded black silk one is my preference, if it is still wearable." Alex called after Rowan as he finished off his breakfast, stood and headed to the washroom, snagging his robe and the sterilisation herbs for his bath.

Once he was clean, dressed and hidden comfortably under the hood of his cloak, Alexander was helped down the grand staircase slowly by an overly cautious Rowan. Once they had reached the bottom, Alex lumbered to a chaise longue that sat resplendent in the hallway under a monstrous tapestry. As he settled onto the cushioned bench, he stretched out his legs and hissed as the split scabs caught on the bagging material of the trousers. Alexander ignored the minor irritation of this, proud of himself that he had made it all the way from his room to the foyer with Rowan's help. Once he had rested enough to allow further movement they ventured to the door, Alexander readjusted the hood on his cloak and then nodded subtly to Rowan whose hand rested expectantly on the door handle. As the door swung open Alex lifted a hand to the hood to assure it's placement when the light breeze danced across his face. There was a knot of excitement in Alexander's stomach as he shuffled slowly down the winding front steps sucking deep breaths of fresh, cool air into his lungs. He relished the slow and invigorating walk through the garden, he stopped often but Rowan did not seem to mind. After walking through the long garden, around the side of the house and into the short side garden, Alex dismissed Rowan in favour of allowing him some time to himself. Rowan had argued that this was what he was supposed to do, but there was nothing he could say that would allow him to stay by Alex's side. When Alex was settled into a sheltered corner of the garden, away from anywhere he would normally be happened upon, Rowan then left him alone with his thoughts.

Alex did not really have a concept of how long passed while he sat there and just enjoyed the outdoors and the gentle breeze ruffling the hood of his cloak. He watched birds swoop majestically across the sky and listened to them chatter and sing as dark clouds crept up from the horizon. The impending rain did nothing to darken his mood, it actually excited him; it had been too long since he had just simply been outside for the joy of it. He only left his bedroom to go to his office or to go out to the village, being outside in the sunshine was not something he had allowed himself to do; it usually ended in some sort of disaster. Alex sighed again as the light breeze clawed playfully at his hood eliciting a small chuckle from him as he tugged it back into place, sucking in a lungful of the crisp air. The day could not have been better for it, and as he sat thinking about all the beauty of the day time Elise watched on from the thinned bushes just to the left of him.