To Love A Myth - Book 1: Mr. Higgs and the Maid🎩✔️

18

Merida was never happy about being captured. She had been captured more than once in her lifetime and it always made her angry when it happened. Not necessarily because it happened, but because it put an inconvenience on her brothers and herself. She had things to do and it didn't include being succumb to someone's need for power over her. Plus, she couldn't do anything in her current predicament anyway since she was tied up in a pretty elaborate way. No matter what she did, she couldn't escape the knots. She knew that Higgs was probably so worried about her and was probably going to break down soon enough. She loved the kid but she really needed to get a move on on teaching him to harness his misfortune into something that made him stronger. He was such a childish... well, kid. He wasn't that much younger than her but his isolation and fear of people finding out his secret had caused him to deal with things in a way that a young man of his age shouldn't be cowering over. She had learned the hard way how to keep her chin up but she would make sure to make her employer a strong man. Not necessarily like her brothers, for they were hardened way too much, but maybe like Jamison. Higgs' father seemed to be able to balance his misfortune quite well...
The door opened and Merida tried to turn over but it was almost impossible in the binds she was in.
"I brought your supper for the night, ma'am." A young voice said.
She waited as the young boy walked around to where she was facing and set the small bowl in front of her.
"It's porridge again."
Merida moved to look in the bowl and made a face.
"An that's porridge then I'm the king of this bloody rock. Who made it?"
"That would be Lord Clarvins." The boy said with a look of dismay at the porridge as well. "He's not a very good cook."
"Noblemen usually arenae. I cannae eat that even if I did have my hands to use. Looks like it turned into rock already."
The boy tried to move the spoon but she was right, it had hardened already.
"I'll see if he can get you something else."
"Dinnae worry over it, laddie. I've been without food afore so it's not that big of a deal."
The little boy looked a little confused over the proclamation and Merida sighed.
"An yer that desperate for me to eat, ask the lord to give ye something and bring me the leftovers. I'm not afeart of some table scraps."
"But you should eat, ma'am!" he said, closing his eyes and holding the bowl of hardened porridge to his chest. "Big people have to eat to stay healthy."
Merida turned her head at the young boy. He was barely ten summers, if that. He looked like he was hired off the streets and used as a messenger and errand boy. She wondered if Patrick was even paying the lad or if he was just threatening him with some sort of nonsense noblemen could throw out and make sound so threatening.
"Lads have to eat to stay healthy too. More so than us big people. How old are ye?"
"I'm ten."
"Is Laird Clarvins paying you anything for doing this? Or is he threatening you?"
The kid turned his head. "He's just letting me have a warm bed and some food."
"Where do ye stay?"
"Here mostly but it's better than being out in the cold..."
"Does he let ye run around free or are ye supposed to stay here?"
"I guess I could leave if I wanted to... Why do you ask?"
Merida moved her head to motion for him to come closer to her. He got on his knees and set the hardened porridge down beside him.
"If ye can get a message to my employer to let him know that I havenae abandoned him, I can give ye a whole house to live in and a bit of spending money during that time. All ye would have to do while ye lived there is help me with some chores every now and then and help me with my employer. He's a sweet lad, a little older than ye, but he's not got a friend save one. I worry about him..."
"Is that the man who hurt Lord Clarvins?"
Merida chuckled. "He dinnae do anything to Laird Clarvins. I did that to him."
The boy's eyes widened and he seemed to relax, crossing his legs.
"You did that? Wow, that's amazing! Why, though? You've made him awful angry."
"I'll tell ye what, if ye can get me something better to eat, I'll tell ye about my employer. He's not like anyone else ye've ever met. I'll tell ye why I'm here and what that bloody numbskull is trying to do. Ye like stories, yah?"
The boy nodded. "I do."
"Then if ye can get me better food, I'll tell them to ye."
"I got a better plan." Merida lifted an eyebrow. "I'm from the streets, ma'am." She made a noise indicating she understood. "You said you'd let me stay with you? Are you really going to let me if I help you?"
"I dinnae make promises I dinnae intend to keep... which is why I need to let my employer know that I havenae left him by himself. He probably kens I've abandoned him like all the others..."
"Do you swear?" the boy asked, bowing down to look her in the eyes. "Pinky swear?"
"An I had my pinky to give to ye I'd pinky swear it."
The boy got up and went behind her where her hands were. She felt his pinky near hers and they gripped theirs together.
"There, pinky swear commenced. Now, are ye going to help me or not?"
"Of course."
"Aye, what's yer name, lad?"
"I don't got a name right now. The lord is just calling me Boy and you're calling me Lad. Most other people call me Boy too, but I know that's not a real name."
"I'll find one for ye... Edgar."
"Edgar?" The boy walked back to look at her face. "That's an old man's name."
"It's a fine English name for a fine English lad."
"Where are you from? Your voice is different."
"I'm from Scotland."
"Why don't you name me a Scottish name?"
"Oi, ye're procrastinating."
"What does that mean?"
"It means there are things ye need to be doing and ye arenae doing them. Now, food that willnae preserve me from the inside would be nice."
Edgar sighed and got up, walking out of the building. Merida knew that Higgs might be mad at her for promising his home to a child that she met working for Patrick, but the boy didn't seem to be actually 'working' for Patrick and he was ready to accept something better than whatever was being done here. Right now she just needed to get message to Higgs that she wasn't abandoning him and she would be coming home soon. When that will be is starting to become a bit of a challenge... she thought as she looked at the hole in the wall of the door to wherever she was in. Dinnae give up on me, Mr. Higgs. I havenae left ye...