His Sanctuary, Her Love

He looked so peaceful sleeping the way he did, on his side with his head tucked in the crook of his arm and his massive golden wings resting securely against his back. Taryn set another couple of dry logs, well branches was more like it, to the fire to make sure it didn't die down and leave them cold. Her dark brown eyes looked up at the clear night sky, thankful that the weather wasn't going to change into a downpour on them anytime soon. The wind was also slight and that made the night spent out in the open easier as well. Something she wasn't quite yet accostumed to yet, though she was learning fast.

Taryn's eyes started to drift closed on her as she tried to remain awake and alert in case they had been followed. She couldn't bear it if all that they had just gone through to get him away from that awful place was for nothing. She didn't want to imagine the repercussions her actions would bring to her and him at their hands. Their filthy, wicked hands. Hands that had treated him so unfairly and cruelly that she wondered how life could allow such as them to continue existing with such a luxury.

Her knees were bunched up close to her chest, her slender arms wrapped securely around them to keep warm beside the fire. She wondered briefly how he did not seem to be cold at all, even though he slept so far from the warmth of the fire.

As she gazed at him, his thin, weakened body illuminated by the fire and casting a shadow towards the forest trees behind him, she thought back to just days before when she had seen him for the first time, and made the decision that would irrevocably change both hers and his lives.

***
Working for the exceedingly wealthy widow, the Lady Monroe, Taryn found work so be tedious and hard. The woman was hardly ever pleased with anything but for some reason despite her continuous displeasure with Taryn's work she refused to fire the young orphan girl. Often saying that whoever she hired next would probably do not better and so she was better off keeping the little urchin.

Urchin. That was one of the old woman's favorite names for Taryn. Probably because she thought Taryn wasn't a proper name for a girl and so never called her by it.

Most days the old white haired widow would lounge about in her home, giving orders to all her servants, a scant four, including Taryn. If she ever entertained any company it was only on specific days when she felt the most gracious to allow others to enter into her presence. To say the woman was spoiled was an understatement.
Then other days, like this one, she got incredibly dressed up and made plans to venture out into the town to visit someplace of amusement. She never did business, no she left that to either Taryn or Bartholomew her butler.

So why Lady Monroe wait until so long after dark to make her way out into the town was beyond Taryn. Taryn hated the dark, well, hated what liked to creep in the dark anyway; human or non.
Her dark brown eyes watched as Lady Monroe walked steps ahead of her with such perfect grace and posture and much as the young girl tried, she just couldn't seem to match the way the lady walked. It was probably something you were born with. And Taryn knew she had been born with nothing. Perhaps it was a miracle she even knew how to walk right at all.

They had taken a carraige most of the way when they had started out, until the they reached a rather secluded area and then, after stopping the carraige and tieing the horses to a nearby tree they started out on foot, walking a little deeper into the woods.
It wasn't long before four massive yet colorful tents came into view, a crowd of people walking in and out of the largest tent set up in the middle. The noise coming from the inside caught Taryn's attention and she immediately knew what this was. Her madam had taken them to one of those seedy midnight carnivals. Where they do dark magic, and show off wierd creatures for money.
Why would the Lady Monroe even want to be around such a place as this? Surely even this kind of entertainment was beneath her.

Not voicing her thoughts Taryn kept up and when they neared the lit entrance she reached into her purse to pay their fee for them, handing the ticketmaster a few coins and then tucked the purse back into a hidden little pocket in her long green, patched-up skirt. The man at the booth gave a nod to Lady Monroe as she passed him by, and then a leering glance from his cold blue eyes made Taryn want to cringe when she finally walked through the doorway.

The moment her dark eyes adjusted to the light and everything around her Taryn gasped in amazement at the acts that were already going on in the middle ring. Acrobats, and what looked to her like strange little people able to bend their bodies in unnatural ways, were performing their act for the cheering crowd. As they continued their performance she quickly found where Lady Monroe was seated and quickly took a place beside her, her hands folded demurely in her lap.

Soon the acrobats performance was finished and the crowd cheered loudly in appreciation as they bowed and filed out from the middle ring quickly. Then a tall dark haired man, with a beard and mustache, walked slowly towards the middle of the ring. The coat he wore told everyone that he was the ringmaster long before his rich voice bellowed out at the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for giving such gracious applause to my amazing, and incredible acrobats! Truly you are a generous crowd!" He gave a wide white smile, turning halfway around to face the other side of the tented audience.
"But I know that you didn't come all this way just to see my clowns, dancers, and acrobats perform for you tonight. No. you came to see what you all believed to only exsist in storybooks, and nightmares." His voice lowered and his eyes narrowed as if he were telling them something of great importance and secrecy. "But I truly wonder if you are all ready to see this frightening and evil creature." He gave a pause, watching the crowds anxious faces with a smirk. "Brace yourselves ladies and gentlemen, for the creature you are about to witness is like none other you have ever seen before. I give you the Gargoyle!"
His voiced raised at the name and the crowd began to cheer as they watched a large cage covered in a long white sheet being brought out to the center of the ring. The moment the sheet was removed in a single whooshing sound an immediate hush fell over the crowd as gasps of fright and amazement echoed in the tent.

With a chain looped through the thick iron shackle fastened around his neck the gargoyle moved to stand as the top and barred walls of the cage were expertly pulled down, allowing the crowd to view him unhindered. A low growl began in his throat, the one part of him that he allowed to show his rebellion against what he was put through night after night with this wicked crew but that was all he allowed. A strong yank on the chain brought his steps to a faltering start down a small ramp and onto the soft dirt ground. As his form was brought into better light the audience could clearly see his golden skin color and odd white colored hair. His violet eyes were downcast for a moment, before the ringmaster gave a crack of his whip for him to spread his wing and look forward. He did so without fight, his massive wingspan stretching several feet easily. His eyes gazed straight ahead, not focusing on anyone as the crowd began to taunt and jeer at him. Calling out names and some even trying to 'cast' him out as if he were a spirit instead of a living, breathing creature of the earth.

He wanted to snarl at them, roar fiercely and give them something to truly fear with their pathetic little human hearts, but as he was, bound and imprisoned, he could do nothing unless his 'master' told him to.
Another yank and he began to walk before the crowd, his feet making slow shuffling sounds in the dirt as he tried to keep his steps small so that he did not accidently walk too close to the one at the other end of the chain. His head bowed he could feel the brief breeze of a bottle or other object randomly thrown at him to get his attention. Sometimes they hit and if thrown hard enough would leave a nasty bruise or welt, and other times they didn't faze him at all. He focused on keeping the pain far from his mind. But he was growing weary on focusing on some distant memory of long ago that only seemed to increase his torment now instead of relieve it as he needed it to.
Whack! A glass bottle richocheted off his head, making a small cut and bringing up that one sliver of willful anger and rebellion in his heart to surface. His eyes flashed an intense yellow, glowing brightly as his lips curled into an open snarl. He began to growl and was about to act upon his instincts, which was to tear down each one of those attacking him, when he felt the harsh crack of the ringmaster's whip against his wings and back, making him cry out from the pain.
Instantly his eyes lost their amber glow and he fell to the ground in submission as his collar was yanked cruelly to the dirt floor. A sleek, black booted foot stood on the chain to ensure he remained there.
The audience seemed to revel in his torment and cheered for the ringmaster's control of his beast; his gargoyle.


Taryn watched the entire scene with an open expression of horror on her face. She couldn't believe how the crowd jeered at the poor creature, throwing things and shouting such vulgarities that made her blush. She looked at Lady Monroe and noticed with surprise that the old woman was just as openly disgusted, but not for the same reason. While Taryn felt pity she could tell from the look in the wealthy woman's cold eyes that she saw it as an abomination and would rather it die than continue to live, even if it was like this.
The brown eyed girl turned back to the gargoyle, watching as he was finally allowed to stand back up to be led out of the ring. When he did he brought his up to the crowd once more, and in a time stopping instant locked gazes with her. She couldn't tear her eyes away from those amythest depths, it was as if he was searching for something, something that she could give him. Then just as quickly his gaze was torn from hers as he was mercilessly led to his cage where he knelt and the carnival workers quickly locked him down before pulling the massive cage away.
His eyes never sought hers after that one moment but something inside her heart began to stir from it. She wished with all her might that there was something she could do, something she might say that would give him his freedom. He didn't deserve to be treated like that, no creature on this earth did.

With the gargoyle being the final 'act' the crowd began to file out into the cool night air, all talking in a noisey hum about everything they had seen. Some were clearly as wealthy as Lady Monroe, and others didn't seem much more than paupers but they had all come for the same thing, paying the same price to see the midnight horrors and tricks that only a carnival such as this could offer.
Taryn followed mutely behind Lady Monroe, caught up in her own thoughts to really pay anyone else much attention. Before she realized it they were outside of the dark wood and standing in front of the buggy. Taryn quickly moved to open the door, lest the lady be kept waiting too long for it, and then after the old woman entered did she follow inside. Once the door was shut they heard the faint crack of the coachman's whip, something that immediately sent Taryn's thoughts back to the gargoyle, and with a rumble the carriage started the trip towards home.

~*~*~*~*~

And so ends the first chapter. Tell me what you think!