Love is a flower that needs a lot of care to blossom - Pt.2
@millie-likes-art , was a major inspiration for this part. Thank you for your lovely tags! I hope you enjoy this small token of gratitude. This is also for my best friend @the-princey-pie
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You might think that a house itself would be unable to make any sounds. It would only be logical, as it is an inanimate object and therefore unable to move. Well, you are very wrong. The older the house, the more restless it appears to become. That is at least the lesson the young dwarf learned after living in Granny Blossom’s house for years. The wood is alive, Meg told him one day. He went to Illuminata last summer after he noticed some of the huge wood planks splitting in two. Afraid the house would break down after all these years he hurried to the clever elf and asked what he should do to avoid such catastrophe. Said elf just laughed at his “antics”. Didn’t he know that the wood in the house was secured by metal? Didn’t he know that wood was alive and moved with the seasons? Well, he didn’t know then, but she helped so he would never forget. Stupid detective… Bloody know-it-all.
And so, it came that the red-headed dwarf lied on his bed with his head stuffed underneath a pillow to silence the noises around him. He could hear Granny walking around, every step of hers made the wooden floor creak and groan. During the day the weather shifted. The sunny spring day turned into a cold fall-like evening. Wind was howling through the small street and disturbed his much-wanted peace. Didn’t the world know how much he loathed loud noises when he tried to think? Not that anybody would care. His ears perked up and he noticed the wind had stopped. A smile crept on his face when a loud explosion made him flinch. Heavy rain followed and Doug was again engulfed in the noise of nature running its course. He hated it.
“Doug?”
And his last hope for silence was ripped from him. But he couldn’t be angry about that. Not after today, not about Granny. He would never be angry at her.
“Yes?” He answered and got up from his bed and left his solitude.
“Ah, there you are! Would you mind lending me a hand?” She said and her hand waved him towards the kitchen. She was still putting plates and cutlery on the table. Doug nodded and walked to the kitchen, watching carefully for anything that might be amiss. But being the blind idiot, he was, he could not see anything wrong.
Apparently, Granny knew him too well, as she followed him quickly in the kitchen.
“I cannot reach the upper closet. I need some herbs from there. The ones in the red box. I tried to grab them but missed them and it seems I pushed them further to the back.”
Doug saw the door of the closet was still open and tried to reach the box. He could see the outline of the bright red box and his fingers brushed the wooden surface of it but he too was not tall enough. Anger and Embarrassment boiled in his veins and his cheeks reddened. Without commenting it he grabbed a wobbly chair. Cautiously, he stood on the poor excuse of a chair and grabbed the box. The chair was moving under him and he quickly jumped on the floor. A huge smile decorated his face as he proudly presented the red wooden box to Granny.
“Thank you so much, my dear! What would I do without you?” She said and patted his cheek. Usually he hated such affectionate behaviour, but after today, he felt something warm spread in his chest.
“I don’t mind helping you.” He answered and his cheeks were still beet red.
He turned and wanted to go back to his room, when Granny told him that dinner was nearly ready. “Could you go downstairs and get some juice? Porco had some delicious juice last time I went there and Dylas was so kind to save some for me. I put it on the counter.”
He nodded and went downstairs.
His mind couldn’t stop repeating her words. He didn’t really know what to think about Granny’s new-found adoration of Dylas. It annoyed him that she thought so highly of him. Maybe he was just jealous of him because he didn’t think of getting some of Granny’s favourite juice from the restaurant? He quickly grabbed the bottle and went back upstairs.
A delicious smell surrounded the upper basement and his mouth watered. He could smell rice and salmon onigiri. His eyes quickly searched the table for it and he had to smile when he saw the little rice balls.
“I got the juice, Granny!” He said and put the bottle on the table.
“Ah, great timing! I need some help getting this to the table!” Her voice came from the kitchen and Doug followed it.
He saw what she talked about when he entered it. Granny tried to lift a huge pot from the stove. The old lady was struggling under the weight of it, sweat pooling on her face, her brows frowning in concentration. He grabbed some cloths and replaced her hands with his. He would never admit it, be the pot wasn’t that light, even for him. He heaved it from the stove and carried it to the table. He placed it on the carefully arranged placemat before bringing the rest of their dinner to the table.
Granny helped him even though he told her, she could sit down already.
When they both were finally seated, he quickly scanned the table. Granny went all out today it seemed. Onigiri, salad, fried rice, baked yams, boiled spinach and gravy as well as his favourite, tempura, was laid out for him to enjoy.
“Wow, Granny! I didn’t know that we were celebrating.” He teased.
“Oh, I just felt like it.” Granny said, a healthy flush on her face.
“Let’s tuck in then!” Doug said happily and after a nod from Granny, he did.
When Granny finished her dinner, Doug had just begun his third portion. The old lady had to smile. Watching Doug enjoying the food she cooked brought her endless joy. She had such a luck with him. She remembered how he held her when he had his break down today. Her heart broke when she saw the hopelessness in his otherwise beaming eyes. She would help him coping with the death of his family. She wouldn’t watch him waste away.
Doug seemed to catch her pensive expression and was reminded of todays events as well. Shame and embarrassment flooded through him and his cheeks heated. He looked down on his plate, too shy to face Granny.
After their hug, he ran in his room and stayed there. She could hear his sobs and nearly felt his pain as she sat in her own room and contemplated their situation.
“I am so proud of you Doug. I hope you know that.” She began. Doug looked up in surprise.
“Why?” He asked, his voice just above a whisper.
“Because you are here, with me. And that wasn’t easy for you. And I don’t know if I know anyone who would be able to live through the hardship that you had to face in your life, and still be so full of emotion like you are.”
He couldn’t look in her eyes then. Tears welling up in his eyes and he was afraid they would drop if he looked at her.
“But what now?” He croaked. His voice thick with emotions.
“What should I do now? Where should I go? I am lost.” He continues and swallows his tears.
“What helped you cope back then?”
He thought back to the years in the army. The pain, the lies.
“They told me so many lies. I was made to believe that I could revenge their death, and then the pain would go away. They made me believe that if I could be the best fighter, I could bring justice to the supposed enemy, and by that find peace.”
“So, they taught you to focus your pain and loss onto some target and solve it with aggression and the promise it would lessen the pain?” She said and tried to calm herself or she would be unable to stop her tears.
Doug nodded and reached for his drink. His throat was drying up and he felt he couldn’t speak anymore.
“Well, you projected all your pain and sorrow on to Lady Ventuswill. It might be helpful to straighten things out with her. Maybe you will be able to move forward then?” Granny suggested, her eye brows were pulled together, her forehead wrinkled like the sea on a stormy day.
Doug shrugged his shoulders, too far out of his depth to do anything else. His mind was blank, and he was desperately trying to avoid the gloomy pictures of his past to replace it.
Granny reached for her drink as well and the room fell silent again.
“Don’t you think that talking to her might be useless? I mean, I apologized already.” He muttered after some minutes.
“Well, do you still feel ashamed when you think about the situation?” She asked matter-of-factly. Doug nodded sheepishly. Granny raised her eye brows.
“What do you want me to do then?” His voice climbed up a few octaves, a mere whisper.
“I want you to be happy.” She said easily.
Doug rolled his eyes and balled his fists on the table. He tried to control his anger and had to force his mouth shut. His teeth made a sickening sound as they ground against each other.
“And how should I accomplish that?” His voice was even quieter than before. He barely opened his mouth, too focused on his anger control. He knew he was easily triggered, and he didn’t want his control slipping from him. Again.
Granny had to control herself too. Seeing her little boy like that, his face flushed, and his fists balled, trying everything to stop himself from lashing out, her heart swelled in her chest. She loved this boy. Nobody could ever understand why, she knew the people in the town wonder why she puts up with him every day. But it was moments like this one, when she saw through his façade and caught a glimpse of the caring and loving boy, she knew he was. She would never give him up, not like the Empire did. She would help him find his way back to his old self. The self that was currently buried under years of neglect and pain.
“Try to look at it from a different perspective, Doug. If you were feeling like that because of a situation that involved me, what would you do?” She said softly, her voice a gentle caress.
His head jerked up and their eyes met. His eyes big and shining with unshed tears.
“I would never- I couldn’t. Granny you have to believe me, I would never do some- “he croaked, and his eyes widened in horror.
“Oh, Doug! Don’t worry, I would never think you would do something like that to me.” She soothed him and grabbed his shaking hand.
“But, what would you do if we had a misunderstanding of some kind?” She continued.
“I guess, I would try to speak with you and apologize.”
“And if you still feel bad even though you talked with me about it?” She continued and watched Doug pondering her question.
“I guess, I would try to make it up to you. Buy you your favourite flowers, take you to the beach, buy your favourite food, things like that.” He said.
“Yes, that saved you a lot of times from trouble.” She laughed and remembered the lovely gestures of love and gratitude that Doug presented to her with a sheepish smile on his lip and muttered apology.
Suddenly, the boy jumped up. The chair flipped to the ground and the decked table rattled.
“Pancakes!” He exclaimed excitedly.
“Pancakes?” She repeated, confusion clear on her face.
“Ventuswill! She adores pancakes! I will cook her some pancakes and go to her! She will have to forgive me then, right?” His voice as excited as before. He was still standing, his eyes beaming and a proud smile gracing his lips.
“That’s a wonderful idea, love!” She said and laughed when he flushed again.