Taming Destiny

The glade was on fire, the trees cackled and broke, branches darkening and falling apart, smoke rose into the air and the air became heavy and impossible to breathe, he could smell the thick and putrid smell of burning flesh and in the distance yowls of pain and screeches the fire burnt high and the whole forest subsumed to the raging inferno, with no way out, trapped he fell to his knees the fire gathered around him, gasping for breath and a way out, begging and pleading to anyone that would hear his cry and he slowly subcummed to unconsciousness and suddenly he was soaring.

Gasping awake even as the dream started to fade away, his chest heaving as he struggled to shake off the lingering terror of his nightmare. His dark, curly hair clung to his damp forehead, glistening with beads of sweat in the low light filtering through the tree leaves, his pale grey eyes, scrunching up as he tried remembering the dream even as it faded from mind, breathing already steadying, his small voice breaking the silence as he whispered, " Must have been a weird dream… just a dream." he whispered and listened to the soft chirping of birds and rustling of leaves, the unicorn gone and the sun high in the sky brightened. Caed got up slowly, stretching his limbs to get rid of the kinks, and started making his way home. Unknown to him, the ground on which he slept remained blackened, and a human shape lined by ashes began to blow into the early morning wind.

The silhouette of a Manor house is stately and elegant built from green limestone, with elegant carvings lining the out walls and high windows, and an artful lining of flowers making the striking building look softer, a perfect picture of looks can be deceiving, as it housed the new viscount and viscountess Pendleton a true menace within the walls of Pendleton Manor.

Taking the path leading to the gardens he made his way to the low fence jumping over it and grabbing a shear and bucket of picked and preserved flowers before walking up the pathway leading to the backdoor, careful to put his hard-worn and threadbare shoes outside and dutifully cleaning his soles he walked through the door into the kitchen, opening windows and shutters letting out the stale air and freshening the house, making his way through each room in the stately house and opening windows, making beds and replacing old or stale linen with fresh ones he took the stairs down and made his way to the living room and dust the furniture with care, trading dying plants for a fresher bundle, cleaning and working both diligently and efficiently through each room before walking to a smaller at the side where a huge potted plant of varying colors from red to orange cropping up and around trailing vines through each room and a collection of flowers at the heart of the ceiling in each room.

"Good morning, Light Pendleton," he greeted the plant, smiling as the plant thrilled and glowed a bright blue, and a soft tinkling echoed. " I know, I know the sun is quite lovely, and the air is quite refreshing too," he added with a wink, and the glow increased, and his laughter rang out. He cleaned out the leaves and watered the pots.

He left the room, went to the kitchen put up a the kettle, and started preparing a tray for tea and brought out a pack of biscuits set it on the tray, and set down a tray. He made his way back to the entryway, opened the door, walked out, and sat down at the stoop just in time to see a darkly colored coach come up the paved road, up the pathway towards the house. The coachman, a smallish man with greying hair in his late sixties, with a wiry frame that spoke of decades spent on the road, his face lined with deep wrinkles, a bushy beard, and beady small black eyes that glinted with tired weariness. His attire is practical, a faded brown coat, sturdy boots, and a wide-brimmed hat, all newly purchased to fit the aesthetic of the newly appointed rank to the viscount, his hands are calloused, and his movements deliberate, he opens the coach door and a fair-skinned and fairly handsome, burly built man in his early thirties, with a proud posture and an air of arrogance with his nose up in the air and lips pulled back in a sneer, his brown hair is neatly combed, a face full of neatly trimmed facial hair and face bearing a few fine lines, hinting at a life of both privilege and indulgence. He wears a tailored green frock coat with a high collar, a pristine white cravat, and polished black boots, a gold signet ring on his left hand subtly indicates his noble status and an intricately carved P on the ring identifies him as the viscount Edgar Pendleton His pale blue eyes are keen and calculating, they harden instantly on seeing his nephew and his sneer stretches as he walks away from the coach, he lays his hand out to accept his wives hand she comes out of the coach, a graceful woman in her early twenties, exuding an aura of elegance and chilliness, almost freezing the air around, her brown hair is pulled up in an elaborate hairdo and bound in a simple diamond crested circlet. Her pale complexion is complemented by rosy cheeks and her almond-shaped eyes lined with a dark shade of eye pencil accentuating her light brown eyes that shine with cold intelligence and wrath. She wears a flowing gown of deep burgundy velvet with lace accents, paired with delicate gloves and a diamond necklace. Her demeanor is poised and she carries herself with the effortless confidence of someone of her station. On sighting her nephew, her red-painted bow lips pull back in an automatic sneer.

"Hardly can breath clean air with vermin piece of shit like you about " her soft voice contrast the foul words. Card flinches and hunches over, trying to make himself look smaller, and bows his head further, trying to look at ease.

"Now dear, we only just arrived. Don't let the brat spoil our wonderful mood now," her husband, the new Viscount Pendleton, says coolly. He guides his wife up the stoop with a scoff. The viscountess, lady Mildred Pendleton, walks into the house. Trailing behind her are two maids and two serving boys carrying the couple's purchases into the house.

Caed quickly walked in after them and made a beeline for the kitchen to bring the tray up to the master bedroom.