Chapter Text
“Stay put Monello,” Viago ordered after leading the small elven boy into one of the many guest rooms. He was about to shut the door to leave the young elf alone, but paused for a moment. He’d caught the way the boy flinched after receiving his first order. It was obvious the elf still feared him, though he couldn’t exactly blame the boy. He was still adjusting after all. It had only been a fews weeks since Viago had slain the elf’s master and taken him under his wing. No wonder the boy was still shell shocked. Viago sighed to himself as he considered his next words somewhat carefully in an attempt to put the boy at ease.
“A servant will bring you fresh clothes and your next meal.” He continued, attempting to soften his tone.
“They will stay and monitor you as you eat, and I expect you to eat it all. Do you understand?”
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“Do you understand?”
The elf quickly nodded, the white fringe of his hair bobbed in front of his eyes as an instinctual “Yes, Ser.” escaped his lips.
Though the boy had no intention of disobeying the bearded man, he could still feel a pit forming in his stomach. The thoughts of what he would be made to eat next made him nauseous. Everything the man had fed him the last few weeks while they travelled together hurt him. Some of the food had caused him to fall unconscious (the least painful), others made him wretch with sickness, or the worst made his insides hurt without relief for hours. But although the food was hurting him, he still ate it all the same. What other choice did he have? He was afraid of what would happen if he didn’t comply.
“There are others I will introduce you to tomorrow.” The man continued. “But for now, rest, eat, and don’t go wandering off.” He saw the man pause again as if considering his words before continuing. “Trust me Monello, you’ll live longer.” And with that the man shut the door, leaving the boy to take in his surroundings.
Was he really meant to rest here? The room was large and finely furnished, the lit candelabras on the walls gave the room a gentle glow. As he looked around, he caught his reflection in a standing mirror near the wardrobe in the corner of the room. He looked so out of place in his ragged tunic and messy hair. He couldn’t fathom being allowed to touch anything in this room, let alone lounge in it.
He continued standing there, frozen with an uneasy feeling. What was he meant to do here? He knew the man had ordered him to stay put and wait, but why was he doing all this? Was this some sort of twisted trick or test? He could feel himself growing restless as the questions started to consume him.
Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the door. He tried to peer out of the keyhole, then pressed his ear against the door to listen for any sounds outside. But it was no good, he couldn’t see or hear anything in particular. Though that didn’t guarantee that there wasn’t someone waiting just outside. He stood there contemplating what to do.
He’d been ordered to stay put, but the room was making him anxious. Why was he put here? It felt wrong and suffocating, he needed to get out. If this really was a test, let him fail and get the punishment over with, that would at least feel normal.
Inhaling a breath, he twisted the knob. His eyes shut tightly as he pushed the door open. He flinched, preemptively expecting to be yelled at or struck. But nothing came. The boy slowly opened his eyes, first peeking with his brown eye and then the green. There was nothing but an empty hall.
Well, not empty per se. Just like the room he was in, the hallway was finely furnished. There were antique vases, gilded vitrines displaying miniature sculptures and decorative weapons, and a few paintings hanging on the walls. But otherwise, empty.
He felt the breath heave out of him, the tension retreating from his body as he took a couple of small steps out the door. His body leaning forward slightly as his left hand gripped the doorframe as the last line of security in case he needed to pull back and retreat. He turned his head from left to right, peering down both sides of the hall and listening carefully. There didn’t appear to be anyone else around. He was about to retreat back inside, leaving well enough alone until he heard a sharp snapping sound to his left.
The sound made him jump, making his hand release its grip on the doorframe as he involuntarily hopped forward and let out a quiet yelp.
He’d done it now, he was officially outside of the room. But before he could quickly make his retreat back inside, the boy heard a rattling metal sound paired with shrill squeaks from down the left corridor. “A mouse?” He thought to himself as he looked back and forth between the guest room and the direction of the sounds. As the rattling and squeaking continued, he found that couldn’t bring himself to ignore it.
I’ll just take a quick look.
He crouched slightly, treading lightly over the long hall rug, dampening the sounds of his footsteps till he reached the end of the hall. At the corner, he cautiously peered around it, catching sight of the caged mouse. The poor creature continued to squeak as it climbed and rattled the bars of its trap, trying desperately to escape. After a few moments, he watched as the mouse began to cower in the back corner of its cage, curling up and trembling. It’s squeaking slowly ceasing as despair over its cruel fate started to set in. Watching this stirred something from within the boy.
Without much thought he quietly shuffled his way to the cage, getting down on his knees and gingerly picking up the cage in his small hands. He made sure to keep it from rattling to not draw any attention from anyone that could’ve been nearby. As he looked into the cage, the mouse stayed in its corner. He could see it still trembling, its shiny black eyes staring into his own like a reflection.
“I-It’s going to be okay.” The boy heard himself whisper reassuringly. Though he wasn’t sure if it was for his own sake or the mouse’s.
His eyes scanned over the trap, quickly finding the mechanism. He took one more darting glance over his shoulder before his hands went to work opening the trap. With a few short clicks, the hatch sprung open for the mouse’s escape. “There,” the boy said as a small smile formed on his lips. “You’re free.” He placed one of his small hands at the entrance, palm open for the mouse to use as a platform.
It took a few moments, but the mouse cautiously approached the open hatch, its gray fur still standing up slightly. Once it reached the boy’s hand it sniffed his finger tips. The elf bit his lip to keep from giggling at the tickling sensation of its whiskers brushing up against his hand with each sniff. Tiny paws then carefully tread into his palm, as the little mouse looked up at him with a curious look.
“See, I told you,” the elf whispered. “It’s going to be okay.” With a finger he gently pet the mouse’s little head. He watched as the mouse’s eyes closed and it seemed to relax in his palm. The boy’s smile grew seeing this. “I bet you’re hungry…” said softly, his eyes drifting back to the cage. Inside he saw the remains of a tiny piece of cheese used to bait the trap. He carefully shook the cage, making the cheese fall out and picked up the piece, handing it to his little friend.
The mouse sniffed at the cheese, tickling the boy’s palm again. Once satisfied, the mouse grabbed the cheese with its tiny paws and nibbled away at the treat. The boy couldn’t help but think how cute it looked while it’s eating. “I think I’ll call you Nibbles.” He said softly, nearly forgetting to whisper. “How’s that sound?” he asked while petting the small creature’s fur as it finished its meal. The mouse squeaked in response and nuzzled his finger, as if giving a sign of approval.
The boy smiled and shushed the mouse as he adjusted and began to stand back up. “Okay Nibbles, let’s get back to the room before-“ he froze in place as his eyes met with a pair of red and blue eyes drowned in black scleras.
In an instant he lost his balance, he stumbled back a bit and landed on his bottom. Nibbles squeaked in his hand, both now staring at the older boy towering over them. He looked like a teenager, both taller and much bulkier than him. They were another elf with white hair, though theirs was much longer, reaching all the way down to the small of their back. More strange however, was that they were half-naked, only wearing what looked to be some kind of skirt that ended just past the other boy’s knees. Their skin was covered in strange blue markings, the way they were etched into them looked painful. But the most frightening thing about them was their eyes, those mismatched red and blue ones (strangely similar to his own green and brown eyes) shrouded in black where the whites of their eyes should have been. And for a moment he could’ve sworn he saw a slight glow to them. To the boy, they looked demonic.
Was he another slave? Was the man bearded going to make him look like that too? Cover him in strange markings and make him walk around half-naked?
“Who’re you?” He heard the older boy ask, snapping him out of his own thoughts. Their voice was surprisingly monotone. The question didn’t sound like a demand, but the other boy kept staring down at him, clearly waiting for a response.
“M-Monello…” he heard himself squeak out. “T-That’s what the man calls me…” he could feel his throat tighten with anxiety. Monello. He was still getting used to the new name. This was the first time he’d ever said it out loud to himself. It felt strange and awkward to say, though that may have been because he didn’t recognize the language nor understood its meaning. The other boy gave no indication that it was a strange name to have though, so perhaps that was a good thing.
“Where’d you find the mouse?” The strange boy asked. Monello glanced toward the trap then back up at him. Was he serious? He couldn’t tell what the older boy’s motives were, if he was going to get him into trouble or not over freeing a mouse. But he knew he didn’t want his new friend to be taken away from him. Monello pulled his hands back, holding Nibbles defensively close to his chest while keeping his eyes on the other boy.
“A-around…?” he finally replied in a shaken voice.
“Are you a de Riva too?”
Monello didn’t know what a “de Riva” was, let alone if he was one. But he thought it best to just nod and hope that was the right answer. Judging by the older boy’s wide grin, that seemed to be the case.
“I’m Kal.” The older boy said, finally introducing himself with a big unnerving grin. He leaned in uncomfortably close before offering a hand to help Monello stand back up. Monello stared at the hand with a weary look before standing up on his own. He didn’t know if he could trust Kal, not when he could turn on him at any moment. But, the smile didn’t fade from the older boy's face despite the snub, though he did catch a thoughtful expression that crossed Kal’s face for a split second.
“Wait here!” He heard Kal say with such loud enthusiasm that it made him jump. Before Monello knew it, Kal was racing around the corner, his long white hair and flowing skirt whipping behind him. In seconds he was left alone in the hallway still holding Nibbles close to his chest. This was his chance, he could sneak back to the fancy room before the other boy got back. He could shut the door and find a hiding spot for Nibbles before anyone could find him. Then wait for the food the man had ordered him to eat…even if it made him queasy at the thought. Monello felt the dread creeping back of what awaited him in that room…
“Hey, Monello!”
The elf jumped once again as he heard Kal call from behind. Monello turned to face the half-naked boy and saw something in his hands. It looked small and round like a disk. “Here,” Kal said with that wide grin. “I brought you a snack.” He held out the small treat toward the boy. “You can share it with your mouse.”
Monello stared at it for a while, eying the disk suspiciously. Despite himself he felt his stomach growl slightly, he was starting to get hungry. “It’s…it’s not going to hurt me…is it?” He asked hesitantly.
“Why would I do that?” Kal asked, almost as if he were offended, though it was still hard to read from his lack of expression. “You’re family, and I eat these too.”
Family? That’s what he thinks of him? Monello wasn’t sure what to make of that. Is that what it meant to be a “de Riva”?
“I’m not Viago,” Kal continued. “I won’t slip poison into the things I bake. Well…not unless you want it extra spicy.” He grinned.
Monello wondered if that was the bearded man’s name. Viago…he’d have to remember that. Though would he have to add a “master” or “ser” or some unfamiliar title in front of that? He wasn’t sure. It was all still confusing. Also, poison? He’d been eating poison this whole time? No wonder the food had been making him sick…but, it hadn’t killed him yet. And thinking back on their travels, he remembered the man- Viago, making sure he was okay after every meal. It wasn’t much, but he got the sense he didn’t want him dead at least, that the man had something else in store for him.
Kal was still staring at him, waiting to take the small disk from his hands. He finally decides to take it after carefully putting Nibbles on his shoulder. The little mouse squeaked and nuzzled close to his neck while Monello stifled an involuntary giggle. The disk was slightly bigger in his tiny hands and felt crumbly. He could see the dark brown chunks dotting it, and there was a sweet scent that he couldn’t quite place. Kal had promised he hadn’t poisoned it…though that didn’t fully reassure him. But, I couldn’t be worse than what he’d already eaten before right?
Deciding to give it a chance, the boy bit into the cookie. And…he’d never tasted anything so sweet before! The texture was softer than he anticipated, and the rich flavor from the chocolate chips made him want more. He nearly devoured the whole thing, but remembered his little friend. Before popping the rest of the treat into his mouth, Monello made sure to break off a tiny piece for Nibbles to feed on too. Both of them savored each crumb.
“I knew you’d like that.” He heard Kal say while he licked the chocolate off his fingers. Monello saw the older boy’s expression change to something softer. His wide grin had turned to a gentler smile. He didn’t look so scary with that look…maybe he wasn’t so bad?
“Next time I’ll bring more cookies for you.” Kal continued, “I want to see that cute face you made again.”
He’d made a face? He felt his cheeks warm up a little from embarrassment as he looked down at his feet, the fringe of his hair casting over his mismatched eyes. The boy didn’t know how to respond after hearing something like that.
Kal’s eyes lit up as he seemed to recall something, and the wide grin returned to his face.
“Can’t wait to tell Lonely about you! And she thought I was hearing things.”
Lonely? Who was he talking about now? Were they also like Kal?
Monello’s imagination started to think up another half-dressed elf covered in tattoos with the black scaleras, but a girl this time? Kal did say “she”. His thoughts again filled with a little anxiety at the prospect of being forced into the same thing. He still had no idea what Viago intended to do with him.
Kal then started to walk away, making his way down the hall. As he did, he turned his head back toward Monello and waved at him.
“Stab you later Moni.” The older elf said it so casually that Monello almost thought he’d misheard, or perhaps it was more he hoped he’d misheard.
He watched as Kal disappeared down the corridor once more. Though, this time, Monello got the sense that they weren't going to come rushing back again. He decided that he should finally return to the room with Nibbles in tow. The young elf made his way back to the room quickly and as quietly as he could. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, listening for a few moments for any signs of anyone coming. When he didn’t hear anything, he sighed and let his back slide down the door until he was sitting on the floor. He removed Nibbles from his shoulder and held him carefully. Looking at the little gray mouse, they seemed to share the same thought. What exactly had they gotten themselves into?