The past connection that lived between Eli and the Master was a sort of relief to him. While it was something he was still trying to fully understand, it soothed his nerves a bit to know his role in this manor wouldn't be too difficult of a challenge to get a hold of. Still, he recalled the days when he had worked as a chimney sweep, and while he'd been such, Eli had also tried his hardest to find Jasper again. That boy with the blonde hair and blue eyes had brought out a side of him he hadn't known existed at the time.
Eli had developed such a protective heart that day, and the longer time went by when he hadn't been able to find Jasper – the further his worries for him got. It wasn't as though he'd ultimately forgotten about the day he'd risked his life for Jasper, but the friendship he'd wanted, the care he'd wanted to further display went to waste.
If anything, what had Jasper truly been doing in the village if he was in fact the son of Lord Ronald Lancechester? Could Mr. and Mrs. Lindborg have been some sort of family, or perhaps Jasper had been adopted into the Lancechester's home? Whatever the answer, he was sure it wouldn't be answered any time soon.
Currently, lords were born and bred; an ordinary commoner couldn't just become a member of high society. It had to be in their blood, right? And to people of aristocratic status, commoner villages were places of mortification. Nothing quite so simple could explain what Jasper Lancechester was doing in Brimonhive as a child.
On his way back to the bedroom he'd been given, Eli touched his cheek, the spot where Master Jasper's lips pressed so tender and mild. They were delicate and the feel of his hair, as it sashayed across his face, left a pleasant aroma in the air. What had that been? A kiss, obviously, but, coming from Master Jasper, it seemed so out of character. Everyone Eli had run into since starting, made the Young Master out to be an iron fisted hothead, and although Eli could see the hotheadedness, so far, nothing seemed too bad. After all, upon discovering his Master's true identity, the previous recollections of how the blonde boy had been back then shifted him onto a bias route.
In his mind, Eli could still hear the flowery utterance of the boy's voice, feel how mild and cautious his touch had been, and those teary, enchanted blue eyes, they were much different from the ones that now peered from Master Jasper's sockets. He'd been such a delicate and beautiful boy when they were children, and while the beauty had matured, and his delicacy remained only in his slight build, the innocence that'd dwelled in him was long gone.
While he hoped to soon understand Master Jasper for who he had been, and who exactly he was now, Eli guessed he'd sleep on his thoughts until morning.
"Excuse me, new guy?"
Eli turned around then. He was just about to step into his own bedroom and get some sleep when someone called out to him.
It was Anna from the kitchen. She had a tablecloth, a broom, and a dustpan in her grasp. "Where do you think you're going?"
"To sleep," Eli said.
Anna laughed, clearly humored by the thought of Eli turning in for the night. He didn't think it was very humorous. "I don't think so," she giggled, tossing him a rag from the pocket of her apron. "When your daily duties to your Master are done, you begin cleaning the house along with the rest of us until this place is spotless, all the way from the foyer to the furthest corner of the third floor. Then we can all have our late supper and go off to bed."
Eli's mouth would've fallen open if he didn't think better of it. He looked down at the rag. "I was told to serve no one else."
"Who is there to serve?" Anna said in a cheeky tone, "The manor is not alive." She waved for him to follow her downstairs to the first floor. "Think of it as a time to associate with the rest of us lowly workers. If you're with someone it's not all too bad, and if we work fast, we get to eat and get to bed faster."
"That still doesn't seem like something to look forward to," he complained. "Sorry, it's just, I grew up used to taxing labor, and cleaning isn't something I ever pictured myself doing. Even if I am getting paid for it."
Together they headed to a lofty pair of double doors. The dining hall. Inside was a vast brown table that needed to be wiped with more than a dozen chairs positioned around it, and they all also needed to be wiped down. The back wall had five immense windows that needed to be washed, each candelabra topping the table needed to be polished, and the candles in them all needed to be replaced.
Eli could already see this entire room alone was going to take a long while. He could only imagine how long the rest of the manor was going to take, even with the rest of the maids and servants help.
"So, what's-your-name." Anna said, she was standing on a ladder cleaning the first window, "How was the Young Master? Did he threaten your life yet? Slap you around, kick you to the ground? Hm, that rhymed. Come on, I need details."
In the middle of shining the table, he said, "My name is Elijah, and no I haven't received any unnecessary chastisement from my Master."
Anna raised a brow, "Really? That's strange."
"How is it strange? You want him to beat me senseless?"
"Well, of course not, it's just...Master Jasper is quite intolerant when it comes to people in general. He doesn't even respect his parents of all people; spits on his father's shoes, bad mouths his stepmother, curses his sister, and Samuel, I can't say much for him. The man never spoke a word when Master Jasper was or wasn't around. It only makes you think what could've been done to him to keep him silent for so many years."
Eli thought back to this afternoon, when the Young Master and Samuel shared a smile with one another. There didn't appear to be any ill will between them, but still, Samuel did look as if he was in a rush to hand his duties off. Eli said, "I think Master Jasper may be taking a liking to me. Or, at least, he seems to like me. I'm doing my best to stay on his good side."
Anna laughed at that, "Good luck finding it. Trust me, the kid is off his rocker."
When Eli was done with everything on the dining table, he wasn't sure what to do next, so he guessed dusting was the next best thing. After Anna handed him her feather duster, he started into the hall and began making sure every vase and portrait on the walls were dust-free.
For the most part, the entire house was quiet as he worked, until a latch popped at the far end of the hall. It was a glass entryway that led out onto the veranda, and coming into the house from the garden area were the rest of Master Jasper's family. The cousins Jacob and Maxwell (who looked around fifteen), sister Beatrice (younger than her brother by a year), Grandma Petunia, Aunt Stephanie, Uncle Hector, and Master Ronald and his wife Scarlett. Remembering Master Jasper's command to not speak to, look at, or listen to any of them, Eli went back to his duties, running the feather duster along the knickknacks about the hall.
"Who is this?" Eli heard two voices in unison, Jacob and Maxwell.
And then another voice came up from Master Ronald. "Oh, that's just Jasper's new keeper."
"He's handsome enough," said Beatrice, "Too bad he's not a blue blood."
Neither are you, Eli wanted to say, all blood is red.
"What is your name?" asked Beatrice then.
Eli was stuck. He was given an order not to say a word to them all. So, was shunning them all completely a good idea? Surely they had some authority over him. Unsure of himself, Eli turned to them with his head down, keeping his mouth shut for the time being.
"Oh, I get it," said one of the twins, their voices sounded too much alike to tell them apart. "Jasper must've told him not to speak to us."
Beatrice huffed. She moved by Eli, bumping into his shoulder what seemed purposeful. He stumbled backwards, knocking into a hallway table. The white polished statue of a woman topping it, rocked back and forth on its base, and before Eli could think twice about catching it, it shattered into several pieces against the unforgiving marble floor.
"Good going, clumsy disgrace," Beatrice said, as the rest of her family gaped at the devastated art. "You know how much that cost?" She snickered then, "Looks like your first payments are going into replacing what you broke. That'll be coming out of your pay, I'm afraid."
Eli's eyes bugged in disbelief. His first collection of payments couldn't go to a statue of all things, one that wasn't even broken by him...on purpose. It was her fault, so she should be the one replacing it, not him! But Eli couldn't fight her about it, he didn't want to risk too much. Instead of diving into a conflict with one of the house's residence, he knelt and began picking up the scattered pieces, piling them all in his arms.
Mumbling amongst themselves, the family left Eli in his woe and all headed off to bed as well.
Angry, he finished his duties, working alone until late in the night before going to bed without any supper. He was too upset to care if any food quenched his hunger and decided to wait for breakfast instead.
After ignoring/helping the others, he marched up the stairs to his bedroom, uninterrupted this time, and let the door close behind him.
Alone and fuming on the inside, Eli took off his shoes and chucked them across the colossal room. He shed his uniform, leaving the garments splayed out on the floor, before falling into bed and threw the covers over himself. What was he going to do? His parents were expecting a good amount of money in a few weeks, and with this insufferable burden weighing on him now, they wouldn't see any type of silver until the next couple payments came around.
Nerves itching with an anger he couldn't release, Eli tried to put it behind him, to let it go for the night. And soon he was in a deep slumber.
Seven years ago...
It was the day after eleven-year-old Elijah had saved young Jasper's life, and while his body was in constant agony from the great wounds upon his back, that didn't mean for a second that he could merely sit home and rest his pains away. It was early in the morning at the moment, the sun not having risen yet, and he was lain on his stomach on his bed.
His mother, Ella Goode, was at his side, cleaning the ghastly wounds upon her only son's back. She had fainted when they were shown to her, but now she tended to them as best she could so that he would be able to move about a bit more comfortable. Eli winced every time the wet cloth was dabbed at his wounds, but he endured the stings until he was told to stand, and Ella was careful in wrapping his entire chest and abdomen in a way that would keep infection from her son.
"There, there," she said, patting her son's cheek when he turned to her, "My strong boy is ready for the day."
"Thank you, mum," Eli said and he received a kiss on his cheek from the woman before him. "Oh, you remember the boy I mentioned last night? Might I stay behind in the village to see if we can play for a while? His parents don't ever let him leave, so I thought I might stay there instead."
Ella piled the bloody cloths she'd used and dropped them in a pail of water. "I'm not sure about that, dear," she said, taking it with her to the front of the house. "You'll have worked all day, and your body will want rest. But – if that's what you want – then alright. But you must be safe, Elijah. No more running into danger, you hear?"
"Yes, mum, thank you!"
After buttoning up his shirt and trousers, the eleven-year-old stepped into his worn boots and went out to the front of the house. There his father was just strapping on his own boots, and when he looked up towards his son, Xavier Goode smile towards the young boy. "There's my warrior," he smiled, "You're not feeling too weary are you?"
"No, father, I'm alright."
With that, father and son kissed Ella goodbye and started away for the day. It'd been rather taxing for Eli throughout his work day. With the sting his wounds provided, it'd grown a bit difficult for him to squeeze into tight places, but he was glad the man he worked for, Mr. Bran, was patient enough to offer resting periods. Who could honestly expect so much from a boy who'd taken on a wolf?
Many times that day, Eli passed by the red-bricked house from before, and every time, he'd stop momentarily to look up at its windows. Every drape was pulled shut over them, but he hoped to see Jasper at least once. Completely exhausted by the end of the work day, every portion of Eli's body wanted to go home and rest now, but after parting ways with Mr. Bran, he went directly to the Lindborg residence and knocked upon the door.
Several seconds passed before he knocked again, and when the heavy door was opened to him, he looked up at Mrs. Lindborg. The black-haired woman glared down at the filthy boy at her doorstep, and said, "What do you want, rat?"
Offended by her words and tone, Eli tried to keep his head leveled anyway. "Is Jasper here?" he asked then, "May he come outside and play for a while?"
"You want to see Jasper, aye?" the woman asked, and Eli tried to look passed her into the house, but he could see nothing more than a fancy living area with no Jasper to be seen. "Sorry, lad, but Jasper's got no need for you. Now, go, get off my step, ya hear?"
"But he wanted to play yesterday..."
Seeming to have had it already with the red-haired boy, Mrs. Lindborg opened the door a bit more and shoved a hand out at Eli. She knocked him back off the step of the door and he stumbled, falling harshly onto his bottom, and the rippling pain in his back shot through his spine. "I said go," the woman threatened once again. "Get away from here before I show you how we treat pests."
Trembling from the greatness of the agony traveling through his nerves, Eli brought himself to his knees first and stood upright. "Stupid woman," he spat on the ground before the house, and when he stepped back, he looked up to the windows once more only to find no sign of Jasper anywhere.
Since it seemed there was nothing he could do, Eli sighed and decided to head home for the day, only to settle with the idea as the days went on that – perhaps he'd never see the boy again.
Eli awoke after the dream. He was sprawled across the bed and stared up at the ceiling of the canopy bed. Those blue eyes of Master Jasper's were filled with something, something intimate and private, and although the last thing he wanted to do was pry into his Master's personal life, the curiosity was eating at Eli. The boy he'd met seven years ago was far different from the one he worked for now. While there were still tender, delicate qualities about the Master that matched that of the blonde boy from before, his shell was far tougher than it'd been when they were young.
Master Jasper was defined as being a merciless noble boy with wicked intent, and never-ending disgust for the people around him. But he didn't hate his new servant, Eli was almost sure he was the only one the Master didn't hate. A part of him wondered if the Master appreciated him more on behalf of the treatment he'd shown back then. That look of enchantment in the young blonde's eyes had been so acquitted, and though he figured this could be a stretch in his way of thinking, Eli almost considered that look had been a type of – love that had gone unadulterated through time.
Lain there with his hands folded behind his head, the red-haired boy envisioned Jasper perfectly in his mind, able to compare that precious look from years back to the one he'd received not long ago. Yes, he thought, that had been the same exact expression.
He bit his lip as he stared up at the high ceiling overhead, recalling nearly every previous thought he once held for the small boy he'd rescued. Even before Eli had come to realize the kind of man he was, one whose interests strayed away from women and towards a fonder acknowledgement of men, he'd thought Jasper was the most breathtaking creature on the face of the Earth. His beautiful face was pleasant, the bashful jewel-like shine of his wonderful blue eyes had snared Eli, and his blonde locks had reminded the common boy of endless fields of yellow flowers in the spring.
Almost ashamed to have these thoughts in his mind for his Master, Eli turned onto his side and shut his eyes again. He had to keep this to himself...unless there was something more Jasper was holding back.