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

7

As Fuscia read her book in the candlelight, she thought she heard something outside. She ignored it but then heard it again and went to her window. She opened it and looked over the balcony and smiled.
"Higgs... What brings you here at this hour?"
"I didn't think you'd be awake." He said with a sheepish smile.
"I stay up late usually. How is Ms. Dunbrough working out?"
"She's... quite invigorating... Can we talk?"
"Sure. Did you want me to come down there?"
"I don't think Mother would appreciate it if I came in. Mud and all."
"Give me a moment."
"Could be bring me a blanket? It's a bit chilly."
"Of course! I'll be down momentarily."
Fuscia ran back into the house and put on some better clothing to suit the chilly early morning. It was rare that her brother came to see her, or her father, but she understood their plight. She wished Higgs trusted her a little more with his transformations. Not that she was the one that could break the curse, but sometimes both he and her father gave her nor her mother any credit where it was due. Then again, I understand Father and Mother... Fuscia thought as she grabbed a blanket from the hall closet. There were so many things that happened between the two and the relationship was just so complicated...

****************

Fuscia walked out of the manor and met Higgs at the front. She handed him the blanket.
"Here..."
"Thank you." He unfolded it and laid it over his backside. "Horse hair isn't the best at keeping warm sometimes."
Fuscia smiled as he watched her for a moment from his newer height. He then held out his hand to her.
"Take a ride?"
"Really?" she asked, wide eyed with anticipation. "I thought you guys didn't like it."
"Not if someone just comes up and jumps on us but I'm giving you permission. Besides, you're my favorite girl, why wouldn't I?"
Fuscia grinned and took his hand as he lowered his front legs to help her swing on. She straddled his buckskin hide and held onto his torso.
"You alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
"I'm going to go into a gallop so don't squeeze me too tightly."
She nodded against his back and he stood up, making her lift from the ground. He started at a trot and then went into a gallop as they rode across the hillside. Fuscia laughed as she watched the world go by her, the wind in her hair, even though it was a nippy morning. Fuscia always loved her brother but due to his transformations, Margaret never let them play together. Not that she didn't want them to become close, she just didn't want Fuscia to give Higgs hope.
Thinking on that note, Fuscia stopped laughing and realized that she hardly knew anything about her little brother. She had never had anything against him or hated him, she just didn't know him. Spending time together was something rare... She sometimes hated her mother for making her leave Higgs by himself, not interacting with him like she wanted to. She didn't understand what she had to do with his happiness.
"Are you asleep?" Higgs asked.
"No, I'm just thinking..."
"We're here. I'll help you dismount."
He knelt down to all four of his knees and she slipped off, putting the blanket back on. She looked around and saw that they were close to the moors.
"Why are we here?"
"I needed a private place that was quiet."
"I see... What did you want to talk to me about?"
"I got this yesterday." He said, holding the letter out to her. "It's from Castel."
Fuscia grabbed the paper quickly and read the letter. She frowned.
"That man... why don't you put a stop to it once and for all?"
"How? Kill him?" he said, looking at his sister.
"What does Ms. Dunbrough think of it?"
"She was pretty pissed off that I didn't tell her about it and the constancy of it."
Fuscia chuckled. "That sounds like her... What are you going to do?"
"Merida said I should avoid him at all costs. I mean, he doesn't know what I look like so..."
"But when you're in such a state as this..." she said, gesturing to his horse-half.
"Well that is half the problem... in a literal sense." He said with a chuckle.
Fuscia smiled. "Do I need to show this to Father?"
"He may have already gotten a letter of his own..."
"I wish you would give him a little bit of sympathy." Higgs glared at her but she put her hand up. "Let me explain... I understand that what's been given to you is not a gift but a curse. I get that. But you have to think about how Father feels. To know that he couldn't break it and had to pass it on, and not even because he just had the urge and it happened. He truly thought that things were going to go well with him... and they didn't. Every time he looks at you, all he sees is his failure to save you from this fate. Don't you think he regrets even trying every day?"
Higgs turned away. "Then he should have made sure before he tried."
"He thought he was... Mother thought she was."
"And look where I am now." He growled.
Fuscia sighed but smiled. "I think Ms. Dunbrough could help."
"No. I'm not pulling her into this anymore than she has to be. She has this noble streak about her but I'm telling you, Fuscia, one of these creatures will steer her away... it did all the others and it will her too."
"They never scared me."
Higgs gave her a lopsided grin. "That's because we used all of my creatures to our advantage. We didn't play together much but when we did, these transformations sometimes came in handy."
Fuscia giggled. "Like that one time we were pirates in the lake."
"Or you were the snake charmer and I was hiding the gold."
The two smiled warmly at each other. Higgs' smile faded first and he looked at the pink of the rising sun over the horizon.
"Merida is very kind and is pretty... acceptable to what's happened so far, but you know as well as I that there are some of my transformations that are to be reckoned with. I can't trust her until she's seen them all."
"And then?"
"And then... well..."
"Will you finally tell her how to break the curse?"
"No. The two things are completely different. I mean, the servants here accept Father but they don't have the power to break the curse. I won't do what Father did to me..."
Fuscia sighed a little. "I hope you can hold out for that long. You know that after a certain age this curse practically forces you to procreate so that the curse can be passed on."
"I'd rather the cycle be like that than to add to it."
Fuscia touched his arm. "Higgs... I'm worried about you up there. Ms. Dunbrough seems like she'd be the perfect candidate."
"So did Gretchen."
"But Gretchen and all the others only stayed for one transformation. You were a naga this past time, right?"
"Yes."
"And how was Ms. Dunbrough in that regard? I know it can be a little odd with that one, with the whole turning to stone thing."
"She seemed fine with it. She didn't cause too much trouble over it... although last night she got a little angry with my tail wrapping around her legs and she..." Higgs turned away, embarrassed.
Fuscia looked at him expectantly. "What did she do?"
"She practically violated me. I didn't know that the end of my tail was very sensitive to touch until she touched it. It... was unpleasant. She got mad at me last night and purposefully grabbed my tail and wouldn't let go. It was quite embarrassing to say the least. I didn't want to do anything, I was just cold- Stop laughing!"
Fuscia tried but she couldn't and Higgs pouted at her until she was done.
"I'm sorry! It's just I can see her doing something like that... Despite what you may think, I think you should give Ms. Dunbrough more credit than you do. She's pretty open-minded about the whole thing and seems to conform quickly to the new changes. I'd give her a chance."
"I'll see. If she can stand all of the creatures then I might think about it. Come on, we don't need to scare Mother or Merida with both of us being gone."
He stood up and held out his hand for her. She climbed onto his back and held onto his torso again.
"I liked this... we should do this more often. By the way, Boston came by the other day."
"Yes, I got his invitation to a party."
"It wasn't about that. He said he hasn't seen you in a while and wanted to come for a visit."
"Oh, I see. What did you tell him?"
"To call on you, of course." Higgs made a face at her from over his shoulder. "I'm sorry... you know the post is slow. Besides, he's the only friend you have, you should at least see him every once in a while."
"True but it would be nice to see him without my lower half being a different creature."
"I'm sure Ms. Dunbrough can think of something. I don't know when he'll come but I'm sure it will be soon."
"Thank you for telling me."
She nodded and they walked back to her manor.

*********************

Higgs opened the door to his own manor and ducked the doorway as he clopped inside. Then he stopped abruptly as he looked behind him and saw the backside of his backside was stuck in the doorway. He made a face and tried to squeeze inside when he looked up and saw Merida staring at him from her seated position on the stairs.
"Merida..."
"Where the bloody hell have you been?" she growled, truly angry.
Higgs could smell it and looked around, trying to avoid her piercing gaze.
"I went to talk with my sister. We don't get to-"
"Why couldnae ye leave a note? Ye couldnae wrote me something to let me know that ye were safe? I've been worried sick about ye ever since I woke up cuz I couldnae find ye! I looked in every room and even went to the chicken coop to make sure ye didnae get a wild hair and go in there."
Higgs was truly confused. "I'm... I'm sorry?"
"Sorry? Sorry doesnae even cover the worry I was having over ye! Ye stupid boy!" she yelled, turning away.
Higgs smelled fresh tears and really wished his bum wasn't caught in the door.
"I didn't think you would be up this early, in all honesty. I thought I'd make it back before you even realized I was gone. I didn't mean to make you worry, Merida. Honest. Please don't cry... I mean, there are other employers out there who pay just as well as I do."
"What?" she asked, looking back at him.
"You're relieved I'm back so that I can keep paying you, right?"
Merida set her jaw and walked over to him. She slapped him as hard as she could across the face and he yelped, not having had a good slapping since... well, since ever.
"Ye are the dumbest man I've met in a long time, Higgs Northumberly. I dinnae ken if this new form of yours comes with a dimwitted brain but ye seem to have gotten one between yer ass changing from a snake to a horse! How dare ye say something like that! Ye stupid, stupid boy..."
She ran from him and he really wanted to follow her but his bum was still stuck in the doorway.
"Damn it..." he said under his breath, trying to figure out how to get inside and what was going on.