Sweet Songbird (G/T)

Chapter Sixteen

Sera inhaled deeply, her blue eyes jumping around from the giant to shelves full of books forcefully made by the humans kept in this mansion. It made her feel terrible that so many had to suffer just to please this monster of a man. But his actions and the way his eyes have seemed have made her begin to think differently. Who is the man behind the monstrous ways? She plans to try and figure that out.

"Now where could that book be?" Eric mumbled to himself, scanning the book rinds. "Why don't you take a peek on the bottom shelves, my little sparrow?" Slowly the giant shifted, lowering his open hand to the floor to allow the human to climb off.

Seraphina looked upwards towards the man towering above her. He's so gentle with her, it's horrible that he treats her this way because of her looks and the other servants are nothing but vermin to him. It made her feel guilty. But she does as told, wandering over to where she had seen the book. "Here. I-I saw it yesterday."

"Ah, yes." A huge hand hovered past her, nearly knocking her over as it gripped the book in front of her. "Good job. Shall I read to you?"

"I'm not a child." She looked up at the giant man with a slight scowl, taking a step back to see his facial expression better. He looked amused at her reaction, which was surprising to her. "What's funny? I'm not."

"No, no you're really not. Your body shows that." His smirk only grew before he thought about what she had told him just a few short days ago. "But putting the book off to the side for a moment, I'd like to learn more about you, Seraphina. About your father, and your brother."

Her body tensed as her heart began to pick up speed in her chest. "I-I don't wish to speak of it anymore. Please." Then she got an idea. One that might help her out as well as the giant. "Actually...I'll tell you. If you promise to tell me why you were so sad this morning right after."

Eric's smirk faded from his face and he cast his hazel colored eyes towards the library window. The girl was most certainly smart, and he still doesn't want to scare her. "Fine, it's a deal. But you first," He mumbled, keeping his gaze locked on the glass pane. "Let's sit somewhere more comfortable first."

Sera held still as the giant moved himself and her to a lovely maroon colored plush chair in the corner of the room. She got situated when he set her on the arm of the chair, and he leaned back in the chair part, the book now resting in his lap. Taking a deep breath, she began.

"I had only just turned nine when the beatings began. It started slow, maybe once a week. But after a short time, it started happening every day. My father would force me to the ground and stand over me with a stick, a thorny branch, his belt...anything that could deal pain. He would then repeatedly slam whatever he had into my back, laughing while doing so. I-I always thought I deserved it. O-Or maybe that I had done something wrong." Tears begin to cloud her vision, her head hung low with her dark hair hiding her face. 

"I-I'm twenty-three now, and still forced to stay there. Cooking and cleaning f-for him and my brother. They both still find time to beat me. And I'm not strong enough to defend myself against one man, let alone two. You saw the other day with that older man who attacked me." Her eyes fell to the bandages wrapped around her arms that were still there from when the metal cuffs had dug into her skin. "L-Lord Kaufman...may I please ask you a question?"

Eric had been deep in thought. Trying to imagine a younger version of his darling songbird being whipped. Tortured by people she was supposed to be protected by. He despises humans for that very reason. Most of them are vile, disgusting creatures. Her request drug his eyes from the window to her, her head hanging low. "Yes." He answered simply, curious.

"Why did you bandage my arms? Why did you save me from that man? You were angry, you thought I ran away, so why did you save me?!" Her head jolted upwards to look at him, hot tears running down her face. "W-Why?!"

Eric met her deep blue pools, seeing the pain and confusion hidden behind them. He could easily answer in his head. Say that he saved her because he's learned in such a short amount of time that she's not like any other human he's met. Sure she's afraid of him, but she seems to care about his own feelings. She seems to be a human that maybe after so many years, she could be his first real friend. But he could never say such things out loud. 

"Because you're weak." He mumbled, averting his gaze. "You would have died. And I can't have that, I'd have to find someone to replace you. You're a human, nothing more. Excuse me, I have work to do." He rose to his feet and pushed his hair out of his face. "Goodbye." He left the library, leaving the woman alone.

It burned her. Sera didn't know why it burned her heart so much but it did. His words like knives, cutting into her skin and tearing at the flesh. She fell onto her stomach, still on the arm of the chair, and sobbed. "Y-You still didn't tell m-me about you!" She screamed, hot tears endlessly pouring down her face. "Y-You promised!"

Eric ignored her angry, pained screams as he headed to his bedroom. His chest was aching. His mind racing. A very small puddle of guilt welling into a pool of it. Was she really...just another human to him?