Chapter Eight

The two men who'd been ready to fight in front of the tavern the day before had ended things without trading blows and causing a ruckus. That didn't mean no fights took place elsewhere in Belle ?me. After a couple of lengthy and tedious property disputes, a trio was brought in. They had caused damage in a tavern with their drunken brawling the night before, so Sébastien fined them and ordered them to pay back the tavern owner for the cost of repairs.

The three men had appeared quite confused about the little girl seated next to him with a bowl of bread mushed into milk with sugar. She'd eaten a bowl of porridge with no problem, so Sébastien figured she was fine to snack if she wanted.

After they were led out, élo?se tugged on his sleeve. "Are they slaves now? They said they were sorry."

With surly expressions, like it was Sébastien's fault they'd gotten drunk and started a fight. "We don't have slaves anymore. I said it was against the law and made everyone release their slaves."

"Where do bad people go?"

"Prison. Or they pay a fine if the crime was minor." She wiped her mouth on her sleeve, and he nudged over a linen napkin. "Use this, not your sleeve."

"I don't need it now."

They'd have to teach her table manners soon. He figured he could let the slurping go for now since no one was around to hear.

"Remus is going to come back with a few things for you," he said. "A seamstress will make your clothes, and you need more than one dress to wear in the meantime. Making clothes takes time."

"I don't want him to come back," she stated as he set her empty bowl down. "I'm not going anywhere with him either."

"Can you tell me why? Does he scare you?"

"You said I'd live with you." She folded her arms.

"You're going to live with both of us."

"I don't want a nanny." She folded her arms.

Sébastien tilted his head. "He's not a nanny. He'll be my husband when we get married, and we'll both raise you."

"Yes, he is a nanny."

Why don't you like nannies?" Since her Mama had been single and working, and élo?se had gone with her, what experience with a nanny would she have?

"Nannies are evil."

"What makes you think that?"

"Mama read me The Prince's Big Adventure a lot of times. It had lots of pictures. She said rich people might be too busy, so they have a person who lives there and takes care of the kid."

"Ah." Something in her mind had been twisted along the way, although he wasn't quite sure what. "Why do you think Remus is the nanny? Why wouldn't Milly be the nanny? She's not royalty."

"You said she's the cook, and you can't be a cook and a nanny," she declared.

"What's this Prince's Big Adventure? Why don't you tell me that story? I don't know it."

élo?se got into his lap to tell him. The Prince was a little boy who lived in a big Castle, and his Dad, the King, was often busy doing King stuff according to her. The nanny was a big, evil man who made a lot of rules like no jumping on the bed. Whenever the Prince did something wrong, the nanny would rage at him no matter how small it was.

"He looked like this." élo?se put her forefingers over her eyes, tilted them down, and opened her mouth like she was snarling. "‘I said no jumping on the bed!'"

"The book had a picture of this?"

"Yeah. The nanny was really big, and when he got angry, he'd yell at the Prince and get even bigger. The Prince tried telling his Dad that the nanny was really mean. He didn't listen, and when the Prince did poorly at lessons, the nanny made him write lines. He had to write, ‘I'm a really bad boy' over and over for ages until his hand was all hurt. One day, the nanny said he was tired of the Prince for not following rules, so he took him to the woods and left him there for panthers to eat."

This was definitely not a book Sébastien would be buying for her as a bedtime story.

"And then, he was lost, and evil humans found him. They were going to put him in a pot and cook him for dinner, but the King realized his son was missing. He found him before the humans could eat him, and saved him. He finally believed his son, so they put the nanny in the pot instead and went back home."

"What happened after that?"

"The King said he would never leave his son with a nanny again, and they lived happily ever after. The Prince still couldn't jump on the bed."

Sébastien leaned back in his chair. "Uh-huh." What the fuck?

Plenty of rich people had nannies to watch the kids because they were busy. Or they said they were. Mother had never had an issue with caring for the kids. Sébastien only remembered a trusted servant watching him at times because he'd been too little to sit at the High Table and eat with proper manners. Once he'd been passable enough, he'd eaten meals with the rest of the family.

Some commoners thought nannies were silly. If a commoner could take care of five children, keep house, and even work a farm, why couldn't higher-ups or those with money deal with a few kids too? Clearly, some like Margot disapproved of foisting their children onto another to watch and care for them. The author of The Prince's Big Adventure must have felt the same, and while the story was likely meant to be funny in a way, it was kind of morbid.

"First of all, I don't call being kidnapped by humans and put into a pot for their dinner a big adventure."

"But they chased him all over," said élo?se.

"Mmm." That sounded terrifying. "Second of all, Remus is not a nanny. Most kids have two parents unless something happens to one. Didn't you notice that from other kids?"

"But I didn't. I had one parent."

"I once had a Mother and a Father. A child might have two Mothers or two Fathers. I don't know what happened in your Mama's earlier life, but someone, er…" The last thing he was about to do was explain how babies were made to a five-year-old. "You had another parent. We just don't know where he is. Your Mama will always be your Mother, but now that you're my daughter, you're also Remus's daughter. You have two parents now. Not one parent and a nanny."

She squinted at him. "Mama said rich people have nannies because they can ‘ford it."

" Af ford it. I could afford a nanny for you. I'm not getting one. Remus and I will raise you, and Remus will never be like that man in the story. I know he's quite large, and maybe that seems scary to you. I promise he will never yell at you, and he will never take you away to put you in the woods. There was a time when I was in danger, and Remus saved me. I would never marry a big man who yells and puts little girls or boys in the woods to be eaten by panthers."

She didn't look too convinced. "He can't be my parent too."

"Why not?"

"You said I'm living with you, and now you're marrying him. Mama said the King was stupid because he'd fallen in love with the nanny, and he didn't see how mean the guy was. That's why she said she wasn't going to get married because the guy might be like the nanny, and she wasn't risking it."

"Wait a minute. The King was in love with the nanny? You didn't mention that."

She shrugged. "I forgot that part."

For Elira's sake. That changed the story quite a bit. If the King had grown feelings for the nanny, it was no wonder he didn't believe his son. He must have thought his son was annoyed with the prospect of a future stepparent, and it was only near the end when he realized the Prince had been telling the truth. They'd put the abusive nanny into the pot as revenge.

No wonder she saw Remus as a bad man. Her Mama must have had a bad experience too. Maybe she'd escaped an abusive man and decided she'd never remarry and potentially put her daughter's safety at risk. Everything had been twisted in her head so she thought Remus would be mean and dump her out into the woods too.

"So you think Remus is going to be like the nanny because I'm marrying him?"

"Yeah, and that's not fair because you said I could stay with you. You didn't even say there was anybody else."

Because he'd been afraid Remus might leave. How could he explain that to her?

"élo?se, I was trying to make you feel better yesterday, and it's true you're living with me. I figured you could meet Remus afterward. I promise you that he's not a bad man, and he'd never be mean to you. I wouldn't let him. He's a good man, and if anybody ever tried to harm you or me, he'd put them in a pot for dinner."

Actually, he'd do worse, but she didn't need to hear that.

"I'd never bring a child home if I thought they wouldn't be safe. I promised you'd be safe, and I meant that. I know what it's like to be…unsafe, and I'd never put a child through that."

She bit her thumbnail as she watched his face like she wasn't sure if she could believe him.

"We love each other very much, and we're both going to try our best to be good parents to you. That's why he went out to get you things that you need."

"He's not going to put me outside to be eaten by panthers?"

"No. Your new life isn't going to be like that story."

They heard the door open at that moment. "I'm back, and I have presents for élo?se!"

"See? I bet the evil nanny never bought the Prince presents. But parents do." Sébastien smiled at élo?se who drew her legs up and leaned on him.

He hugged her as Remus came in laden with packages. "The seamstress is coming later, and I've got some things you can open."

The soft package was likely second-hand clothes so élo?se didn't have to wear the same dress every day until her new things were made. Remus had bought her quite a few toys too. Sébastien eyed one that was long and wrapped in brown paper.

"Uh, Remus?"

"What?"

"I hope that's not what I think that is."

"What? Women can fight too."

"She's five which means she'll be whacking everything in the house."

"Nah. I had one too, and I only hit Quintus with it when he annoyed me. Let her have it." Remus held it out toward her.

The prospect of a toy seemed to interest her, so she took it with a suspicious glance and tore at the brown wrapping to reveal a small, wooden sword.

Sébastien tried to sound excited. "Ooh, look at that. How nice." élo?se banged the blade on the edge of the desk, and he suppressed a sigh. Not even a minute had passed. "Please don't break or scratch the furniture."

"What do I do with it?" she asked.

"You stick bad guys with the pointy end," said Remus. "That's your first sword lesson."

"But not Remus because he's not an evil nanny," said Sébastien.

Remus tilted his head. "Huh?"

"I'll tell you later."

To go with the sword, élo?se also got a shield, dollies in little dresses with yarn hair, a little wooden horse that was the right size for the dolls, toy soldiers, and a large packet of glass marbles which would likely be all over the house within three days. élo?se wasn't giving him such a stony glare anymore, and the presents had certainly softened her attitude toward him a little. It wasn't quite enough, and Sébastien had an idea.

"élo?se, do you remember how you asked me if there are monsters under your bed?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, sometimes, it's best to check again, and I think Remus should do that." Sébastien gave him a meaningful look over the top of her head. "He should check all over your room just to be safe."

"Oooh, yeah," agreed Remus. "When you have a new bedroom, it's best to thoroughly check. I can do that."

"But Sébastien looked under my bed last night," said élo?se.

"Hmm, but…uh…monsters don't usually come until the second night." Dear Elira, Sébastien hoped this didn't lead to a lifelong fear of things living under her bed or in the wardrobe. "There's a way to make sure you're safe."

élo?se's eyes grew huge. "How?"

***

Sébastien and élo?se stood in the hall upstairs while Remus stomped around behind her closed bedroom door. "I knew it! They always hide in the wardrobe first. Get over here! How dare you move into élo?se's room?! I'm going to kick your ass." Something banged against the wall.

"There was a monster in the wardrobe?" demanded élo?se. "It's not bedtime."

"He came early, but don't worry. Remus has it."

Remus thumped on the walls and floors to make it seem like he was fighting something . Sébastien fought to keep a straight face at the grunts and small roars which were likely supposed to be the "monster."

Remus finally threw open the door with a bit of his hair sticking up and his coat crooked. "élo?se-quick!"

"But I'm scared! You have to hit it."

"It's weak! If you get it now, no monster will ever come back to your room. You've got a sword. Show it how brave you are! Monsters are afraid of tough little girls."

Sébastien was suddenly afraid their idea was a bit much because élo?se looked ready to scream, drop her sword, and run. After a last glance at Sébastien who hastily nodded, she squared her little shoulders and marched in with her wings spread to look bigger.

"It was just a farting wardrobe dweller, and they're weak, so give him a good whack!" exclaimed Remus.

Sébastien hadn't mentioned any names for the supposed monster. That one worked...élo?se lifted her wooden sword and brought it down on the sack Remus had stuffed with a pillow.

"Keep hitting him. Jab him with the pointy end too!"

élo?se poked it. "This is for coming in my room! Take that!"

Remus let out a grunt when she hit the "monster" again. "He's dead now. No monster is ever going to come back here because they know Princess élo?se will get him with her sword."

"See? You did it!" Sébastien gave her a quick applause, and she stood there in stunned silence with the tip of the sword dragging on the floor.

"He's dead?" She gazed down at the motionless sack.

"Yes, and your room is safe forever. Tell Remus thank you because they're quite hard to wrestle into a sack."

"They wiggle a lot," added Remus.

"Thank you, Remus!" élo?se jumped up and down, waved her sword, and nearly thwacked the open door of the wardrobe. "I'm like a Knight now!"

Remus took the sack with the "body" outside, and Sébastien said to clean any gross presence from it, they'd spread salt around because it was cleansing. It was harmless and could be swept up later. It had also worked against Satan, not that Sébastien was telling her anything about that.

***

The trick worked. Sébastien didn't have to check under her bed or in the wardrobe anymore to ensure no monsters had taken up residence to munch on little girls in the night. élo?se grew a bit nicer to Remus too since he'd caught the farting wardrobe dweller and let her kill it.

She didn't give him the mean glares or demand he go away. When he offered to take her for a ride on Whisper after a couple of days, she agreed to go and didn't demand Sébastien come too.

One day, she'd learn that monsters didn't live under beds, and she'd realize that they'd lied. By then, she'd also be mature enough to see the reasoning why, so it'd be a funny story of Remus winning her trust so she didn't view him as an evil man.

The seamstress hurried on her clothes to get them ready and before long, élo?se had a couple of nightgowns with lace and little pink ribbons on the sleeves. Sébastien told the seamstress to keep her clothes a bit more on the simple side so she could slowly grow used to wearing silk and lace. Once her table manners were better and there was less danger of her spilling sauce down the front of herself, they could get her fancier clothes.

She'd be growing anyway.

After a few days, Sébastien felt like they'd settled into a sort of routine. They took turns with office work or did it together. When they had petitioners, élo?se was able to sit quietly and watch or read one of the storybooks he bought her. She had regular meals and no health issues besides still being too skinny.

Remus helped to take care of her too as she grew used to him. She even let him comb her hair and give her a few basic sword lessons. She only whacked Sébastien on the shin with her toy once.

After about two weeks, Sébastien was on his knees in bed. Remus had a good handful of his hair and was balls-deep in his ass when the bedroom door handle jiggled. Thank Elira, they'd gotten into the habit of locking the door before getting naked.

"Sébastien! There's a monster in my room!"

So much for the mood.

Remus immediately pulled out. "I thought the trick worked."

"Maybe she just had a bad dream. Give us a second, élo?se. We'll be right there."

Sébastien shoved himself into his sleep clothes and swore under his breath because he realized his dick was too obvious. It wasn't going to go down in five seconds either, so he threw on his cloak to cover himself while Remus hurried into the privy. Splashing noises said he was cleaning himself. Sébastien slipped his arms through the side slits of his cloak and opened the bedroom door.

élo?se had tears running down her face, her nose was red, and she looked so small standing in her nightgown. "Th-there's a monster!"

Sébastien closed the door. "élo?se, did you have a bad dream? There are no monsters. You-"

"There is. I saw it!"

"You and Remus killed the farty dweller thing, remember?" Sébastien kneeled in front of her. "No more monsters can go into your room because they're scared of you."

"But I saw it! I really d-did. I went to the privy, and it ran from my wardrobe to hide under my bed. It was black, and it's going to wait until I'm asleep!"

Sébastien hated to see her miserable and crying. Maybe the little trick they'd done had been too much, and now if she saw a shadow or anything while half asleep, she'd think it was a monster.

"Remus can kill it, okay?"

"No, I want you to do it." She sniffed as he wiped her face with the edge of his cloak. Remus came out at that moment with his cloak over his sleep clothes, and élo?se pointed at him. "You lied to me! You said no monsters would hide in my room!"

Remus gave Sébastien a desperate, "shit, we messed up" look.

"Maybe you saw a shadow," Sébastien said hurriedly. "Why don't we all go look?"

"No! I want you to kill it instead."

"But if there's nothing there…"

"I saw it!"

"If there is something, wouldn't you rather Remus take care of it? He's much bigger than me, and…uh, maybe it's not a bad monster but a lost one."

With the withering glare élo?se gave him, one would think she was Sébastien's true child. "All monsters are bad.

"I'll go check, and if there's anything, I'll kill it this time," said Sébastien. "Afterward, Remus will throw salt all over your room to make it extra safe."

"Sit on the couch next to me," said Remus. "He'll check your whole room."

She agreed to that, and Sébastien went into the hall. Her bedroom door was cracked open. The light from the small crystal lantern on her bedside table showed nothing amiss. One of her dolls was in the bed, and she must have been too scared to get near and snatch her toy. He'd look around so he could be honest with her, and they'd figure out what to do from there. Of course, there weren't any real monsters like she thought.

Sébastien heard a clink from under the bed, and he froze. What the fuck? He was tempted to call Remus, but maybe it was just a mouse. She'd said she'd seen a black thing run under the bed, and with the dim light, she hadn't realized what it was. He didn't need his husband to see if it was a mouse.

He took the lantern from the bedside table, dropped to his knees, suppressed a sigh, and lifted the bed skirt. They'd have to buy traps, set them, and-

A huge pair of silvery eyes like coins stared back at him from a black void. Sébastien almost yelled in shock. The void made a small sound, and he realized what it was.

"Oh, Elira," he swore under his breath.

The coin eyes vanished as it turned around, and Sébastien had an idea. With the lantern, he rushed out.

"Sébastien?" called Remus.

"Give me a moment. I need to get something."

"You forgot your sword!" shouted élo?se.

That was the last thing he needed.

It wasn't as noticeable upstairs, but downstairs, he caught the faint odor. Milly had cooked fish stew for dinner, and even though she'd opened up the doors and windows, the smell hadn't quite gone away, and it wasn't exactly pleasant after so many hours.

They'd eaten most of their stew, and élo?se had grown full before finishing her bowl. On the work counter, the dishes sat where they'd left them for the servant to wash in the morning. It was cold, congealed, and nasty, but it might work. He plucked out a fat piece and rushed back upstairs.

By élo?se's bed, he lifted the bed skirt, placed the food down, and backed away again a little. The smell would lure it, right? After a minute, the bed skirt twitched, and he heard a noise.

He made kissy noises and hoped it worked. If it wasn't trusting, Remus would have to help him catch it.

A black nose poked out, and a huge pair of eyes ringed in yellow followed as it looked for more fish.

"Come here." Sébastien held out his pinched thumb and forefinger. "I've got more fish."

It worked.

Sébastien entered his and Remus's sitting room. "élo?se, it wasn't a monster under your bed. It was a kitten."

élo?se's mouth dropped as she stared at the black kitten, and she squealed. "I've always wanted a kitten."

"Er, I guess it's your lucky night."

"So…we have a cat now?" asked Remus.

"Uh, I guess so. I had to show her so she'd see I wasn't lying."

"It's certainly better than a farting wardrobe dweller."

"I want to hold it!" élo?se tried to reach for it.

"Hang on." Sébastien sat by Remus on the couch and put the little furball on his lap. The kitten looked to be around five or six months old, he only had one tail unlike most cats who had two. Despite everyone staring at him, he didn't seem too nervous or ready to bolt. He was more interested in smelling Sébastien's hand to find more tasty snacks. "You have to be very gentle with him. Just use a finger to stroke his head."

élo?se gently petted its head as Kitty looked around. With Sébastien's warmth, a tidbit of fish in his belly, and someone petting him, he started purring. Sébastien gave his shoulders a little rub. Remus reached over to stroke under his chin.

"He's cute. Cats will protect you from monsters too."

"See? Remus wasn't lying. It was the kitten you saw run out from under the wardrobe. He was shy, and he hid under your bed. I think he was tapping a couple of your marbles around too."

"I told you no monsters would come back," said Remus. "In fact, your room is so safe, that's probably why the kitten came. They like quiet bedrooms to sleep in where they don't have to chase out monsters first."

"What do you say to Remus since he didn't lie?" Sébastien gently prodded.

"I'm sorry." élo?se went around Sébastien's knees to hug Remus. "We can keep him?"

"Of course."

"Forever?"

"Yep."

They had to pick a name, and Sébastien suggested Void since the kitten was pure black. élo?se liked it, and Remus said it perfectly fit him.

When Milly opened the doors and windows earlier, the kitten must have slipped in and hidden. Perhaps the smell of food had attracted him, but he'd been scared. Later, when they'd been teaching élo?se a simple card game in their sitting room before she went to bed, he'd hidden under the wardrobe and maybe even had a little cat nap. Her getting up for the privy had woken and spooked him.

Remus fetched a little saucer of milk for him to lap at and said Milly would have to make him a little fish. He was a bit skinny. Thrilled with their family member, élo?se wanted him to sleep in her room. Remus said she had to be careful to not roll over on him, and they made him a small nest with a spare blanket. With a belly full of milk, Void stretched out on it and seemed quite content with élo?se stroking his side.

Once Remus and Sébastien were back in bed, they cuddled up to each other.

"Now we've got another pet besides Whisper, and Void seems to trust her already," said Remus. "It's funny how things happen."

"We need to get you a dog."

"Maybe later," said Remus. "I don't think Milly will like a dog running around underfoot."

"I've got Whisper, and she's got Void. You always wanted a dog as a kid."

"I know, but I like cats too, and Void might not appreciate a dog. When we go to Rowland later, we'll decide, okay? This house is kind of small for more pets."

"All right.

There is something else I'd like." He slipped his hand into the waist of Sébastien's sleep pants. "You being naked would be a good start."

"Then take off my clothes."