Work Text:
Finding a place to belong can take some people an entire lifetime. Eike regarded himself as exceptionally fortunate in that he already knew exactly where he belonged, but the trouble was most people weren't too pleased once they discovered his presence in their library.
First came the uncomfortable stares, followed by the rumors, and ultimately Eike either left of his own volition or was driven out by the locals. It was only a matter of time until he found himself packing up his meager belongings and resuming his endless search for the perfect library.
Yet the perfect library was beginning to feel like an unattainable dream. Eike's criteria slowly diminished each time he found himself cast out and back on the road. He dreamed of grand libraries, housing ancient tomes and rare collections only the wealthiest of nobles (or even royalty!) would have in their possession. Whether for the elite or the common man, the most important element always came back to the books themselves. The most wonderful sorts of libraries were the ones where visitors came often and books were always being taken off the shelves. Those sorts of libraries had no place for dust or cobwebs. How could they? The books would never have enough time to accumulate dust unless they were encyclopedias or books on local law, which no one ever wanted to read, no matter how spectacular a library they belonged to.
And most importantly, no one would care to gawk at his face. No one would care to comment about his sunken cheekbones, sickly pallor, or frail build. Why would they? Their attention would be fully focused on the books, allowing him to slip away and manage the library from the shadows. The books, not the librarian, should always be the star of any library, after all.
But with each failed venture, his resplendent visions were slowly replaced by a simple desire to find any library, provided it would have him. And so far, this library had yet to exile him...yet.
Budehuc's library needed much love and care to restore it to its former glory, or at least a more pleasing atmosphere. Eike spent hours pacing through the rows of books, memorizing their titles and taking note of each author's name. He tried to imagine how the library was in the past. What was it like in its heyday? It brought him joy to envision each book finding a special place in a reader's heart, how the chairs might've been filled with patrons whose minds were leagues away from their physical body, transported on fantastic journeys only good books could provide.
But Budehuc's library hadn't seen that kind of use in years, and according to local gossip—unfortunately the most reliable source of information Eike had to resort to, as he was still a new arrival and unfamiliar with the local residents—the castle was currently without a master. Whomever the former master was, literature did not appear to be strongly promoted, judging by the thick layer of dust caking the shelves.
At first Eike was appalled by the lack of love the library received. The castle was not a bustling place of commerce, that much was true, but there were still a number of families and children. Deep down he wondered if perhaps his gaunt countenance was keeping visitors at bay. Only the adolescent boy sleeping in front of the dojo had bothered to say anything to Eike regarding his appearance, and it was a rude remark about Budehuc housing zombies. In his darkest moments of despair, the librarian wondered if it would be best if he put forth his heart and energy into restoring the library and then left once more. Without him there to frighten away visitors, it would be loved once again as a library deserved.
There was one visitor who did not seem deterred in the least by his presence. He noted her visits increased in frequency over the past few weeks. She couldn't be more than ten, Eike reasoned, but her petite build suggested younger. Everyday shortly after lunch she would enter the library and spend hours looking out the same window. Of course, during these visits, Eike hovered in the shadow of a bookcase far from where she stood, silently re-shelving books and stealing an occasional glance, wondering what managed to captivate the attention of one so young.
One day the curiosity grew to be too much. Hour after hour passed by, and she did not budge—was she waiting for something to happen? Stepping out of the shadows, he raised a cautious hand. "I beg your pardon...might I ask what you are doing?"
She spun around in surprise. Inwardly he cringed. This was the part where she would scream, point at his ghastly face, and run from the library, alerting everyone of Budehuc's resident zombie. There would be a mob, and they'd drive him away before he could finish restoring the library—
"Oh, hello!" she bowed, her fair but childishly messy hair falling into her face, "I did not see you there!"
That was unexpected. But he refused to get his hopes up. There was something familiar about her, but there were a number of children around the castle, and Eike had not yet been able to distinguish them all apart. "I'm...sorry....I was...shelving books..."
"Really? You must be very brave then!"
"Brave? It...does not take much bravery...to put books...on shelves..."
She nodded, and for a fleeting moment Eike wondered if the look in her eyes was that of admiration. He quickly dismissed the thought. Why would anyone admire him? "Of course you are brave! When you first said something, I thought you were here to keep an eye out for the zombie too!"
It felt as though his heart dropped into an icy pond. "...Zombie...?"
"Juan told me there was a zombie hiding in the library! And with my father away in Caleria on business," she paused and gestured to the window, "I will be able to see him from here when he returns home, and at the same time I can protect the library from the zombie in his absence!"
What took only a few moments to piece together the string of remarks made by the girl seemed like hours to him, but one thing became strikingly clear: she was not afraid of him. She was talking with him as if he were a normal person, one of her peers, a respected adult, or possibly a friendly acquaintance, but that was too much to hope for. "Your father...so you must be Brown's daughter..."
"My name is Cecile!" she proclaimed. A proud blush of color spread across her face. "Cecile Brown," she added and extended a hand. "But you may call me 'Cecile' because it is easier."
Eike looked down at Cecile's hand, then back at her face in confusion. But before he could process her words, she had already grasped his hand in a surprisingly firm handshake for such a small child. "Now we are friends," she declared, as if some unspoken pact had been formed. "And friends protect friends from zombies in the library. If you see one, don't be afraid to let me know! I promise to keep you safe!"
"Yes, of course..."
I suppose, he thought, one visitor is worth fixing a library. I can stay a little longer..