The Beast of Rose Castle

-= 16 =-

The boy laughed giddily before nodding his head. "She sure is!" he replied happily with a nod of his head. 

"Why don't you give her a hand with the heavy stuff, Armio? I'm sure she can use a man to carry things for her," he commented to the boy as Missus Circe turned to face him with a sweaty forehead. 

"Awe... fine! If she really needs a man to help her," Armio replied with a slight pout on his lips. With a rush, he was into the room and trying to make Circe's job easier. 

The woman smiled widely at Cassius and mouthed out a silent 'thank you'. "Oh, and Mejero and Zanath are upstairs probably causing a mess," Cassius added. An exasperated sound left Circe that was audible over all the sounds of playing and laughing. Then, she shook her head once and turned back to continue cooking, letting the boys create a mess for her to clean up later. After all, there was just too much to do.

Cassius wished he could help, but he had to get more firewood so they could have something for when the winter storms became brutal. He grabbed his fur coat, slipping it on with a practiced movement. 

He was once more out in the cold, a crisp crunching sound coming from below his boots as they pressed against the ground. 

Before he headed off to the woods, he stopped to grab the axe that he hid over at the side of the house under the few pieces of firewood they had remaining. He dusted the snow from the axe before slinging it over his shoulder to carry. 

He went off, walking forward to the woods and to gather some more firewood. 

It was so very cold. The wind sliced through him as he walked, trying to search for some sort of tree that was old enough and weak enough to go down without too many issues. He grabbed the scarf from inside his coat pocket. It was made from thick wool and was warm to the touch. His frozen fingers wrapped it around his neck and pulled the fabric up to cover his mouth to keep his lips and nose heated. 

He trudged on for a good hour in the morning turned afternoon. Finally, Cassius found a tree that seemed close to falling and began to chop. 

The wood chipped off of the tree, splintering onto the snowy ground. The work at least brought heat to his body that was begging for a nice warm fire. The image kept him going as he threw the axe forward, propelling it onward again and again. 

Soon, the tree was quaking, each blow causing it to shake harder. With a sudden crack, it fell forward, hitting the ground opposite to Cassius. The man blew out a breath, knowing that only half of the work was really done. 

He swung the axe back over his shoulder before grabbed the smaller tree with one hand and began to drag it back towards his home, ignoring the fact that it felt as if his shoulder was going to be displaced. Instead, he focused on the warmth of the fire and the smile that Missus Circe would greet him with. 

Cassius made it home as the sky grew darker, and set the smaller tree down where he could later cut it up for firewood. He slammed the axe down into the wood with a loud grunt, causing it to become stuck enough in the wood so that the other orphans wouldn't be able to make it budge. He knew it would cause him extra energy to tug it out, but it was worth it to make sure that those boys didn't do anything stupid. 

He pushed open the front door, his body shocked by the sudden wave of heat that washed over him. His teeth gritted together as he slowly unwrapped the scarf from his neck. With a tug, it was off, and he shoved it back into his pocket. Cassius kicked off his boots, body aching already from the effort it took to retrieve the tree for cutting wood. 

With a huff, he began into the common room, finding a seat there among the screaming children. Rather than getting angry, he found himself relaxing back in the chair, his shoulders unwinding from their rigid hold. 

"Cassius! You're back!" one of them shouted excitedly. 

"Of course I'm back. Whatever gave you the impression that I wouldn't be?" he asked the boy rhetorically with a slight raise of his eyebrow. The kid blinked and launched himself onto Cassius with a giggle. The big man caught the small boy and lugged him up so that he could sit on his lap. "Besides, you are a lovely bunch to come home to," he added with a wink at the group that had automatically gathered around him. 

Marril sat down by Cassius' feet, grabbing onto his leg with a wide toothy grin. The others murmured in hushed whispers, suddenly getting quieter. "So... will you tell us how it was in the Forbidden Forest?" the boy on his lap, Kingsley if his red hair gave him away correctly, asked lowly. 

"Hmm... well it was... dark. The wind howled through the trees like wolves. The sky, normally blocked out from the hanging leaves, was harsh against my skin. Yet, it wasn't the jovial light of a bright yellow sun, but an artificial whiteness that added to the cold, eerie atmosphere that covers those woods," Cassius began, weaving a tale for the children to talk about for days and to themselves entertained with. 

After all, they weren't allowed to leave the house very often in the winter due to the startling temperature shifts. 

"So, I was walking through these woods, feeling like I was soon to be devoured by a snarling pack of wolves, when... Boom!" he exclaimed, causing the children to jump and fear to go into the boys' eyes. Marril gripped his leg even tighter, a whimper leaving her. "I had finally spotted the tree I was searching for," he finished with a chuckle. 

The boys began to laugh and the sound followed the group that had clustered around Cassius. "Well... you can see the tree if you want, it is right outside," he added with a raised eyebrow. The boys rushed forward, and the girls walked away, giggling about how they were so scared. Marril let him go only to hop forward and hug him again when he stood. 

"Go on Marril, I have to make sure those boys don't get into anything they aren't supposed to," he murmured. The little girl nodded. 

"I know." 

She moved away, and Cassius found his eyes soften even further. Those kids, they were like his family. A whole crowd of brothers and sisters surrounded him, needing his guidance and his help. It was... gratifying to watch them grow and become members of different villages and cities. 

At the same time, it brought him a distinct sadness to watch them leave. He hoped they would all stay safe, after so many years under his wing. It was almost hard to let them go. 

Still, he couldn't dwell on such thoughts with more and more children becoming a part of the orphanage with every year. He let out a breath and headed outside to check on the boys, hoping they didn't try to get into anything they weren't supposed to. 

--- 

That night when they gathered for dinner, Cassius had chopped enough wood to last the week, having to take care of the rest at some other time. That single tree would last them a month, two if they were conservative. That could get them to early Spring if they could manage it. 

Missus Circe looked more at ease as let everyone begin to eat the giant meal she had to prepare each night. 

She turned to look over at Cassius a sparkle in her old eyes. He smiled at her, inclining his head so that she would focus on eating her food. Circe waved her hand at him, brushing off his motion with a slow smile of her own. Finally, she moved back to begin to eat her own food, the children laughing and talking all around them. 

This is home, he thought. Somehow, I don't think I would like it any other way than this chaotic, unending frenzy. Quite Peculiar... 

Cassius blinked out of his thoughts and focused in on Ernest who said something to him. "Can you repeat that?" he asked with a chuckle. 

Those who had been listening began to laugh and giggle at the table. Yes, this is home, he thought once more. He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly at the group, gaining a few more laughs out of the children. Home.