the lord and the alleycat [COMPLETED]

Chapter Three

My dreams were full of monsters, delicious food, the Guardians, and the mysterious man who fed and bathed me, since I assumed it was his house. For the first bed I had slept in, I kept waking up. I was too comfortable, and with the nightmares haunting me, I finally sat up and arranged the pillows to lean against. The moon was high in the sky, shining through the curtains and making shadows in the room. I rubbed my hands together, realizing my skin was just pulled over the bones. I pulled the sheets down to examine my legs, which were in the same state as my hands. I moved my legs and my knees popped, causing me to grimace. Just then, my stomach roared and I threw my head under the sheets, worried I had woken someone up. When I didn't hear anyone stir, I removed the sheets from my head and peered out. Nothing had moved or changed, so I decided to move about the room. I hesitated to open the storage areas throughout the room, but with a moment of doubt, I decided it would be alright just to look. There was a side table next to the bed with a drawer, so I began with pulling that open. It held a small book and a red cloth the size of my hand. I couldn't read the title, but it seemed important since the pages were lined in gold. In the cabinet below the drawer, I found a candle and a matchbook. I hadn't realized my fingers were shaking until I tried to light the match and I kept missing the matchbook. Once I had the candle lit, I walked to the wardrobe and pulled it open, surprised to see nothing in it. Nothing was in the two drawers at the bottom of the wardrobe either. I moved to the dresser and found the same thing: nothing. I stood staring at the empty drawer, before running my hand along the top, bringing my fingers away dusty. I smiled realizing I could pay him back by cleaning the room. But my smile faltered when I didn't have anything to clean with, other than the sheets on the bed, which I deemed inappropriate for the situation. I sighed and looked briefly at the closed door.

"I couldn't," I said before walking to stand in front of it. I blew out the candle, placing it on the floor, my bones creaking at the movement. I plunged into darkness, once again the moon my only light, and I reached for the handle and turned. Peering into the hallway, nothing stirred, so I stepped out of the room, closing the door lightly behind me. I cheered in my head, before taking one step, and the board screamed underneath my foot. My face drained of color as I glanced around furtively, seeing a door down the hallway opening, I threw open the door behind me. I shut it quickly and ran to jump into the bed, before shutting my eyes tight.

"I know you're not sleeping," his voice came from the crack in the door. I cursed myself for not closing it all the way. I sat up but kept my gaze down as I felt him walk into the room, then sit at the end of the bed, far as he could from me. "Could you look at me?"

I raised my eyes and the first thing I noticed was that he was smiling. I moved my look to his eyes, where grey orbs looked back at me. He seemed like a young man, no wrinkles to be seen.

"That's better," he said, still smiling. "You couldn't sleep?"

"I'm very sorry, sir. I didn't mean to disturb you, I just wanted to repay your kindness by cleaning the room a little," I gestured to the dust and he chuckled.

"Do not worry, I do not need repayment," he answered before taking his own look around the room. "This used to belong to my sister before she wed."

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to answer, so I just said, "Oh."

He turned his attention back to me, "I have yet to introduce myself, how rude of me." He stood up and bowed, "My name is Lord Bennet Mavorn of Cavendire." I was surprised he bowed before I leaped up myself.

"I am so sorry my lord, I did not realize it was you," I curtsied as delicately as I could before my stomach growled again. He let out a hearty chuckled before putting a light hand on my back and leading me out of the room. I stepped on the creaky panel once again and winced, but we continued on as if nothing had happened. We walked down the stairs and turned to the left, going through a library before entering a grand kitchen. He pushed me to a chair before gathering some bread and placing it in front of me. He stepped away, leaving the bread to taunt me. I figured this was all he was going to give me, so I reached forward and gobbled down the bread, nearly groaning in happiness before biting one of my fingers in my haste. I nearly licked the crumbs off the counter, picking them up carefully and eating them, as Lord Bennet returned, arms stocked with meat and vegetables. He stopped with a look of shock on his face, and I leaned away from the counter in embarrassment.

"I am sorry my lord, I thought it was for me," I cringed, expecting a beating but he just laid the food out in front of me and grabbed more bread.

"No I am sorry, I should've understood how hungry you were. And please call me Bennet," he began to cut the meat and vegetables as I tried not to drool, knowing the food wasn't for me. He completed the cutting and assembled the meat and vegetables within the pieces of bread. He pushed one across to me and watched me expectantly.

"This...this is for me?" I tentatively asked and he nodded. I hadn't had a meal like this before. I watched him pick up the pieces of bread with the other things between in a take a bite out of everything. I picked up my own and tried to copy his movements, but my jaw snapped and I closed my mouth quickly before putting the meal back down on the table, despite my stomach yelling otherwise. Bennet had finished his meal and looked at me with questioning eyes.

I looked down and played with my fingers, "I can't fit it in my mouth."

He nodded in understanding, "You can take apart the sandwich if you want."

"Is that what it's called? A sandwich?" I asked pulling the bread off and picking the meat up between my fingers. It smelt magnificent, and tasted even better. He smiled with pity in his eyes as he watched me eat each part of the sandwich separately. I could tell he wanted to ask me something but he held his question until I had finished. My stomach bulged with the amount of food I had eaten, and I hoped I wouldn't throw up later. I turned to Bennet and nodded, he understood it was alright to ask.

"Do you have a name?"

I shook my head, not saddened by the idea in the slightest. I didn't mind being grouped with the alley-cats, "I am know with many, many others as the alley-cats."

"May I call you Ali then?" He asked politely asked and I nodded.

"You can call me whatever you wish, Bennet."

"Alright, Ali. Let's get you back to bed, shall we?" He said and I stood up, yawning as I did. As we approached the room I was sleeping in, I looked up at Bennet.

"I saw a window bench inside the room, is it alright if I sleep there?" I requested and he looked surprised before nodding. He grabbed blankets off the bed and arranged them on the window seat as I stood behind and watched, embarrassed he was completing this for me. When finished, he straightened up and passed by me, "Goodnight, Ali."

I yawned again as I walked toward my makeshift bed, "Goodnight, Bennet." I laid down and sighed in relief, the padding barely covering the hard wood underneath it. It was much more like my old sleeping place in the alley, although much warmer. I sighed once more, curling up underneath the blankets and fell into a much more comfortable sleep.