OUR SPOT // SkepHalo

Chapter 8

Warning: N/A

     Darryl left abruptly, trying to make it seem as urgent as he could. Secretly, he just wanted to get away before Zak could ask any questions. The last thing he needed was the innocent little peasant boy meeting his brother.

     " How did you find me, anyway?" Darryl asked Zelk as they walked swiftly towards the looming castle. " I was fairly certain I wasn't followed!"

     " Mega," Zelk answered simply, as if that explained everything. In a way, it did. The silent Head Gardener seemed to know everything that happened to anyone.

     " Who else knows about this," the chef hissed, dreading his friend's response.

     " Your brother alerted me because he knows we're friends," the Head of Servant's replied curtly. " If you're worried he knows about your secret little rendezvous with that kid, he has no idea."

     " Thank goodness," Darryl sighed, relieved. In the back of his mind, he still worried, but he wanted to believe what his friend said was true. " Were you the only one sent after me, or do I have to explain my disappearance to fifty of your best servants, as well?

     " Hah, that's funny, I'm laughing." Zelk rolled his eyes. " You know I'm the only one. Your brother doesn't want to entire world knowing about his dirty business, does he?"

     " Dirty business... so this is definitely about that?"

     Zelk picked up his pace, nodding. " And we better get there faster or Big Brother's going to throw a tantrum!"

~~~~

     " He's gone?! Again?!"

     Mega nodded, fidgeting awkwardly. He couldn't believe he worked his ass off becoming the Head Gardener, only to be sent on little errands by Darryl. He was currently standing at the door of a peasant, specifically the one Darryl was fond of.

     " Damn it! And he couldn't even tell me himself!" The little boy seemed to be getting quite worked up about the whole thing. Mega figured he should comfort him, but decided to stay quiet instead. He didn't know the kid, and frankly, he didn't think he wanted to.

     " What's the deal anyway," The little guy asked. " It sounded urgent, is everything okay with Darryl?"

     Mega shrugged. Even if he wanted to answer, he didn't think he could. He didn't know the situation with Darryl, but he knew it wasn't good, judging by the look on Zelk's face earlier. The little guy seemed even more annoyed with the lack of information.

     " Are you serious?! Is this little letter the only thing I'm going to get out of him for the next three months?!" The kid whined. Mega was finding this whole thing more tedious by the second. He had none of the answers this guy wanted, but he would receive all the blame for holding back. " This sucks! What am I going to do with all this free time!"

     The small guy looked over at Mega and an idea seemed to pop into his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but the gardener pushed one finger against his lips. When the kid jerked away, Mega mimed a zipper across his mouth, hoping the boy would catch a hint and stop talking. He had a daisy patch that needed weeding, and the longer this exchange went on, the more time it would take for him to get his actual job done.

    " Oh, come on! Surely you know something!" It became evident to Mega that this child was not going to hush. Without so much as a wave goodbye, the Head Gardener turned on his heal and walked away. " Hey! I wasn't done!"

     Mega didn't even glance over his shoulder. He was done with that kid, hopefully forever. If Darryl ever expected him to so much as step into town for that guy, the gardener was going to stuff the chef's pillowcase full of thorn bushes.

     " How'd it go," Zelk asked as Mega climbed back through the hole in his wall. He was dying to get that fixed, but he knew the little Assistant Chef would step all over his nice roses trying to find it.

     Mega shrugged at the Head Servant's question. The two walked along a gravel path together, and the gardener felt instantly more comfortable. The combination of the familiar castle garden and the company of his close friend was enough to make him forget about that screaming child immediately.

     " Well, that's good," Zelk hummed, kicking a small rock as they walked. The two subconsciously headed to their favorite spot, a small stone bench under a grove of trees. Vines hung from the branches, creating a shield from the outside world.

     The two settled on the bench, and Mega felt at peace. The whole thing was a gardener's dream; the grass freshly cut, the leaves plucked to perfection, and not a single weed in sight. The Head Servant had his eyes closed as well, and both of them savored their break from castle life.

     " One day, I'm going to leave this castle."

     Mega turned to face his friend, surprised by the sudden announcement. Zelk smiled, eyes still closed, as if he were asleep. " I'm going to live somewhere quiet, where no one will bother me. If I can, I'd like to have a garden just like this."

     The gardener slid off the bench and sprawled out in the grass. The sweet smell of morning dew still clung to the soil, and a tiny sparrow belted out it's practiced melody, not caring if anyone heard.

     " Ideally, you'd live with me as well," Zelk sighed softly. The brunette gardener smiled. He knew of his friend's dreams, and he wished they could live them together. They'd talked about it many times, planning where's and when's and how's.

     But the two knew their dreams were hard to accomplish. They'd both secured high-positioned jobs, and they'd have to get permission from the Royal Family before they could even think of leaving. Mega smiled anyway. The two had accomplished so much in their time together.

     What was one more challenge?