Rose Colored Blindfold

A man with short, dark brown hair sighed, tucking a small jar of comfrey under his arm Rose Colored Blindfold   By Amanda and Tenchi Kaze   Chapter 1   A man with short, dark n han hair sighed, tucking a small jar of comfrey under his arm as he pulled the hood of his travelling cloak over his head to keep his head from getting soaked in the rain. "God, why did that bloody servant have to be sick today? I hate having to go out and do things myself..." he mumbled under his breath, scowling once he had turned away from the shopkeeper.   People hustled by the man, ignoring both him and a figure huddled in the shadows near one wall of the marketplace. Bits of blond hair poked out from beneath the hood of a pine green robe about two sizes too big for the body it was on. The figure pulled its cloak back, revealing the face of a young man, eyes closed, listening intently to something.   "I suppose there's no helping it," the brown-haired man said to himself, quickening his pace so that he could get back home faster. "Though why today of all days is beyond me. Just when I need the damn stuff to heal Machiavellia's ankle, the person who's supposed to be getting these sorts of medicines whenever they're needed is ill."   The boy near the wall smiled, reaching down to gather a few things into his cloak: a small pottery jar and some books. Then he stood and quickly started across the cobblestones in the man's direction. His eyes were shining with happiness as he made his way through the small crowds of people standing about, feeling his way along the stalls and poles set up in the square.   For a moment, the man thought he caught a glimpse of someone following him. Someone in a green cloak? He shook his head, facing forward again. "I'm too paranoid. It's just a marketplace, and that person is probably just some poor beggar headed the same way as I." The cloaked figure walked a bit faster, working his way through the people in the marketplace, murmuring "Pardon me" as he went. Eventually he was trailing right at the man's heels, slightly out of breath.   A slight shiver ran up the brown-haired man's spine, making him feel uneasy. He glanced over his shoulder, tensing when he saw that the person in the green cloak was less than a foot behind him. He stopped in his tracks, the figure stopping just short of bumping into him. When the person didn't move to go past him, the man cleared his throat to speak. "Why are you following me?"   The boy simply smiled, throwing himself at the man and wrapping his arms around his slender shoulders. He laughed, joyejoyed. "Oh, Master, you were always one to jest... Even now, after all this time!"   The man's body was stiff all over, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. "P-pardon me?"   "You mean you don't remember? That's understandable... You were ill for so long, and probably delirious. I was so worried when you left..." The boy looked up at the man with wide eyes, eyes the color of amethysts. There were no visible pupils, only large irises, and his eyes were somehow filmy, like the membrane on the inside of an egg. "You really don't remember me?"   For a few moments, the man was stunned by the appearance of the boy's eyes, marveling at both their unusual color and their obvious blindness. Finally, snapping out of it, the man shook his head, trying to pry the boy free of his body. "I'm sorry, I think you are confusing me with someone else!"   "I could never do that, Master! You're the only one in the world who sounds like... you!" the boy replied, not loosening his hold. "You must remember me at least a little. It's Raquel, remember?"   The brown-haired man grunted, struggling more to get out of Raquel's iron embrace. "Well, Raquel, you must be a very confused and lost person because I have no idea what you speak of! My name is Itiel Edwards, and I am not who you're looking for!"   "Itiel... so that's what your name is," the boy said, obviously pleased. "You never told me, even when we lived together for all those years. There must be so many things that have changed. You'll have to tell me about them..." He chuckled. "Or I'll have to tell you about what happened before, if you've really forgotten that much."   "Oh God..." Itiel sighed heavily, finally managing to get Raquel's arms off him, only to have them immediately clamped onto his arm. "Would you please leave me be? I am a busy man, and I don't have time for this sort of dilly-dally!"   "Don't jest so! If you're so busy I could help you like I used to," Raquel replied. "I always did love working for you, Master." He coiled himself more tightly around Itiel's arm. "And now that I've found you again, I don't intend to just leave!"   "Would you...! But I...! Can't you...! Argh!" Itiel put his free hand to his head in frustration, clenching his eyes shut. "…Fine, if you don't intend to leave me be, you may come. But I don't want a sound from you, you hear? Not one tiny peep," grumbled Itiel, continuing to walk with Raquel practically plastered to his arm.   Raquel followed him in silence, puzzled by the man's behavior but wanting to be obedient. At the same time, he was fighting the urge to tell the man how much he had missed him, to just scream it aloud. He settled for leaning on his arm with a wide smile.   The odd pair walked for quite a ways, far beyond the boundaries of the little town and its marketplace. Itiel's lips were sealed tighter than a King's treasure room, refusing to speak to the blind boy at his side and trying to walk as if there were nobody else with him.   "Master? Could you... slow down a little?" Raquel asked softly, stumbling a bit as they went. He nearly fell against Itiel once, but quickly righted himself to continue walking.   "I thought I told you to be quiet," Itiel said curtly, not letting up his pace. In fact, he sped up slightly at Raquel's request, wondering if he could spite the boy into leaving.   Raquel was disappointed at the man's indifference, but tried to keep up with him, not saying anything now. 'He really doesn't recall how things were between us,' he thought sadly.   The sun was already low in the sky by the time Itiel spotted the place he was looking for. Passing by many dirty, hardworking peasant people without so much as a glance, the man's eyes were fixed upon the sprawling manor ahead; it was a grand place, nearly fit for royalty, and seemed to loom overhead the closer the two of them got to it. "Ah, nearly home at last," Itiel said to himself, nearly forgetting about his blind companion despite their continued closeness.   "You used to live right near the square," Raquel remarked, for a moment forgetting his order to be silent. "Now you live so far away... so many things are different now. I'll have to learn my way around the house again." He smiled warmly at Itiel.   Though the boy could not see it, Itiel glared at him as they approached the manor. "Would you hold your tongue when you are told?" said Itiel, beginning to be fed up with Raquel.   "I'm sorry," Raquel replied, falling silent. Now he was very confused, both at all the changes he was still trying to process in his mind and at Itiel's behavior towards him. He considered it a side effect of the man's long-ago illness and forgetfulness. 'He just doesn't remember me that well, that's all,' he told himself. 'He's sure to remember more later...'   When the pair reached the main door, Itiel told hold of the huge knocker with his free hand and banged it against the door a few times. The door was opened for them by one of the many servants in the house, who greeted him with a quiet "Welcome back, sir." Itiel paid the servant girl no mind, simply heading down one of the many hallways leading out of the main hall.   'He has his own servants now? Master, you must have done well while you were away...' Raquel thought, following the man down the hall and hearing his own footsteps echoing in the massive chambers of the manor.   For the first time since telling him to hold his tongue, Itiel spoke to the boy. "I don't know what you expect to do around here. All of my current servants and others around the house already fulfill everything I need them to. What good will one more do, and a blind one at that?"   The boy was stung by those words, but kept the feelings out of his voice. "Once I... once I learn my way around, Master, I can do any little things you need done. Sorting books, sweeping, cleaning. Anything."   "I doubt you will be able to find your way very easily around here," said Itiel, his voice sowed with annoyance. "Though if you somehow manage it, I suppose that you could stay and do those sorts of things." He paused, thinking something over before speaking again. "Out of curiosity's sake, how on Earth would you be able to sort books?"   "You used to read all of yours to me," Raquel replied with a soft smile. "You read and I held the books... I know them all by the feel of their covers. So, I know which is which, and the titles and authors all by heart... That is, if you still have all of those. I kept a few when you left, but the rest were still in the old house."   Itiel raised an eyebrow. He was partially amazed at what Raquel was telling him about being able to tell a book by the feel of its cover, but he would not admit that amazement to himself. Itiel shook his head, pushing the thought from his mind and reassuming his authoritative voice. "I don't keep many books, as they are expensive and largely unnecessary, but I do have a few. Do not think that I will read each of them to you, though. You may ask one of the other servants if they will do that, but I would rather not do that myself."   "I don't need to have them do that. I still have my favorite ones with me, and I memorized them," Raquel replied. "I can read them to myself, in my head."   "Heh, then I suppose you won't be sorting my books, then. I'm quite sure that none of the ones that I have are ones that you are familiar with," said Itiel, turning to a large door at the end of the hallway. "We have reached my chambers. I am going to ring a bell for one of the servants down to take you to the servants' quarters with them, and then I shall take a nap."   "Servant's quarters?" Raquel asked, disappointment clear on his face. "But I..." He thought for a moment, eyes narrowing in concentration. "...Whatever you wish, Master."   "Until the servant arrives, you may wait in here with me," said Itiel, opening the door and leading the blind boy into the bedroom. It was quite luxurious, the carpets being soft and crimson, and the walls black with gold lining near the ceiling and floor. There were many tapestries hanging on the eight walls of the octagonal space, one particularly spectacular one of a unicorn hanging over the large canopy bed. After pulling on a long, crimson cord next to the door (which probably rang a bell off in some other part of the house), Itiel headed for a wardrobe off to the side, searching in it for something. Raquel walked slowly around the room, touching the tapestries and marvelat tat the feel of the embroidery. He stopped on one of the carpets, enjoying the lush softness of it underneath his feet.   "Oy, be careful with those tapestries. They're not exactly cheap to replace if they get damaged," said Itiel over his shoulder, pulling a pair of pajamas out of the wardrobe. Futilely, he fumbled with a catch on the back of his outfit, grumbling to himself as he tried to remember how his servants usually helped him get it undone, but to no avail.   Raquel dropped his hands to his sides, trying to avoid touching any of the tapestries as he made his way slowly to the bed. He ran his hands over the sheets, amazed by how soft they were. "This bed is so large!" he said in awe, hesitantly sitting on the end of it. "And soft..."   Itiel, however, was not paying attention. He was too occupied with trying to get himself undressed. Finally, the man just plain gave up, reluctantly calling to Raquel. "Boy... come here for a moment. I need some help with this."   "Yes, Master!" came the eager reply, as Raquel slid off the bed and made his way over to Itiel, hands held out so he wouldn't bump into anything. "What do you need?"   "It's this damn catch in the back on my clothing. I can't get it undone," Itiel explained, guiding the boy's hands to where it was. He kept the contact of hands brief, not wanting to touch the boy for longer than was necessary.   Raquel's fingers slid over the catch and, after mere seconds spent working with it, he managed to undo it. "I've got it," he said, letting go of the clasp. However, his hands remained on Itiel's neck, moving up and down as if he were searching for something.   "Well," Itiel said, annoyed again, "what are you still doing there for? You've done what I asked."   "I... I'm sorry, Master, but..." The boy's hands fell to his sides again. "...Have you cut your hair since I last was with you? It's not long like it was... normally it would have touched my hands while I was undoing that clasp."   "I told you already, but you won't listen to me. I am not the person you think me to be," said the man with a cold voice, slipping off his clothing quickly and changing into the pajamas.   'Maybe you only think you aren't that person?' Raquel thought, backing away. He went back to sitting on the bed, blind eyes focused on a ceiling that he couldn't see.   Itiel yawned, for the first time realizing just how tired he actually was. He didn't go out to market that often, or even outdoors period. Walking to market and back had taken more out of him than he had realized. Walking over to the bed, the man slipped under the black covers and lay his head on the feather pillow, not seeming to notice that Raquel was still sitting on the other side of the bed.   The boy sensed the shifting of the sheets underneath him, smiling as he turned to face Itiel. He cautiously crawled across the bed until he was curled next to the man, lying beside him and wrapping his arms around his neck. He sighed happily, closing his eyes.   For the second time that day, Itiel's body stiffened all over as if it wertriftrified wood. He turned his head sharply to Raquel, cheeks slightly hot with embarrassment. "Would you mind telling me just why you are curled next to me like some overly loyal hound?" Itiel asked, his tone gruff in order to hide the underlying embarrassed squeak in his voice.   "Master, I always slept with you whenever you went to bed," Raquel replied cheerfully. "You told me I could once, and that's what I did. It just happened to stay that way."   "I would rather you not now!" growled Itiel, trying to get Raquel's arms off him. "Or need I remind you that I have never seen you before in my life and that I have no intention of letting you share my bed?"   "But where am I supposed to sleep, then?" Raquel asked, a little fearful. "If I don't sleep in here with you, I might have nightmares..."   Itiel didn't want to admit it, but something inside him was telling him to give the boy a break. He fought that part vigorously, beating it down into the ground in order to keep it away. "'Might' is the word of note in this case," said the man icily. "You may sleep with the other servants. There are plenty of spare beds down there."   "So that's where the servants will take me when they come in here?" Raquel slowly drew his arms back, sitting up and sliding off the side of the bed. "If that's what you wish," he said simply, his voice devoid of emotion.   The little part of his brain that yelled "stop being so cold!" pushed back against Itiel's efforts. Something about the way the boy— who had sounded like the happiest being on earth only moments ago —spoke with so little emotion now was pushing emotions that Itiel hadn't felt since he was a child to the surface. Like guilt. All the man could do was nod at Raquel's words, pulling the covers closer around himself.   "I suppose I should wait for them," the boy murmured, making his way carefully to the door of Itiel's chamber and out into the hall, settling against the door with a heavy sigh.   Itiel sighed to himself upon hearing the door shut. "Finally, he's gone. What an annoying little brat..." he mumbled as he rolled over on the bed. A stray touch brushed the space on the sheets where the boy had been not moments ago, the spot still slightly warm with faint body heat.   For a long while, Itiel just lay there with his eyes closed, letting his tired brain begin to doze. However, every time it seemed like he was going to fall asleep, something inside would not let him, keeping him awake. 'Why can't I sleep? It would be such a welcome relief to fall into the realm of dreams right now... but I can't for some reason,' Itiel thought, puzzled.   Raquel slouched to the floor, chin on his arms. 'I guess they forgot about me... no one's coming. I'll have to find my way myself. Somehow.' The thought made him even unhappier than he had been before. 'Actually... it seems like everyone's forgotten about me. I thought Master would have recalled something by now. He must have had his mind completely erased when he fell ill.'   Without thinking, Itiel slipped out from under the covers and padded ss tss the room toward the door. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't question it at the moment. Opening the door a little bit, Itiel poked his head out, noticing Raquel still sitting there against the wall. "Has nobody come yet?"   Raquel jumped when Itiel spoke, turning his sightless eyes on the man. "No, not yet. I can still wait; don't worry about it." He turned away again, propping his head on his hands.   "I see..." Itiel stood there in the doorway for a few moments, contemplating something. Finally, his head drooped in mental defeat and he spoke. "If you wanted... you could come and wait in the bed with me until someone knocks," he said, disbelieving every single word that was passing his lips.   Raquel brightened considerably, standing and looking excitedly to Itiel. "...Do you really mean that? I... I would be very happy to wait with you, Master!"   "Yes," said Itiel, putting a hand to one of his temples, "but don't think that this will be a regular thing. You're still going to the servant's quarters when someone comes to pick you up." He opened the door wider as he turned to go back to the bed, letting Raquel close it as he got back under the blankets.   "I rstarstand," Raquel replied happily, walking to the bed and feeling his way along the side of it until he found the edge of the blankets, lifting them up to slide underneath. He immediately coiled against Itiel as he had before, this time keeping his arms across his own chest instead of placing them around any part of l's l's body.   Itiel lay with his back to Raquel and closed his eyes again in the hopes of finding sleep this time. Surprisingly, the man did find his mind becoming drowsier and more at ease. 'Much better...' he thought as he began to drift off, not caring what it was that was helping him find sleep, as long as could do it.   Raquel, too, was close to falling asleep, his head settling on one of Itiel's shoulders. He shifted so that he was pressed a little closer to the man, drifting off.   ******   Meanwhile, out in the hall, the female servant who had earlier greeted Itiel and his strange companion studied some of the paintings on the walls, making sure they were all perfectly straight and aligned with the other paintings. However, she was interrupted in this job by the sound of footsteps coming down the hall, and she looked up. "Hm, who's there?"   "You mean I wasn't announced?" A woman stood in the hall, looking at the servant as if she were a cockroach to be stepped on. She wore a long robe-like dress of wine-colored velvet with gold embroidery, and her dark hair was tied up on top of her head with silk strips. She put her hands on her hips, speaking again in a voice that had a slight Italian accent. "I simply cannot believe this. Doesn't Itiel tell you... people anything?"   "Ah, Mistress Machiavellia," said the servant, feeling slightly intimidated by the taller woman. "I'm sorry, but Master Itiel has been in his room since he returned home from the market. He hasn't informed me of anyone that was supposed to be seeing him."   "What?! Well, go tell him I'm here and I want to see him! If he didn't tell you, I'm telling you now." She was pouting now. "He could have at least informed me that I couldn't get in without running into the servants." Machiavellia rolled her eyes, sticking out her lower lip.   "I will knock and ask," was all the girl said, going up to the door and knocking on it just loud enough for someone to hear, but still not very loudly. "Master Itiel! Forgive me if I am intruding on your privacy, but the Mistress wants to see you for some reason. Had you sent for her earlier?"   There were the sounds of annoyed grumbling and moving around inside the chambers until the door finally opened, Itiel standing there in his silk pajamas. "I did send for someone, yes, but I was expecting one of the servants. I wanted a person who could take someone down to the servant's quarters for me," said Itiel, stifling a yawn and looking up at Machiavellia.   "Itiel!" Machiavellia said pleasantly, ignoring his comment and embracing him. "You remember, don't you? You asked me to come here tonight and stay with you awhile. We were going to have dinner together."   "Oh yes, I did, didn't I?" said Itiel, cracking a small smile as he embraced her as well. "That will have to be a bit later in the evening, I'm afraid. I'm just much too tired at the moment, and had just fallen asleep."   Raquel sat up in Itiel's bed, sliding off onto the floor and walking up behind the man, wanting to know who was at the door. Having only caught part of the conversation, he assumed that the person who was supposed to take him to bed had arrived. "Oh, Master. Is this the servant you told me about?" he asked.   Machiavellia narrowed her eyes, crouching so that she was eye-to-eye with Raquel. "Boy, don't you dare call me that again. I am nowhere near the level of those people. They're just lowly peasants. I don't want to be compared to that." She turned to Itiel. "Is this why you're so tired? You've been busy with... whoever this is. Who obviously has no idea who I am."   "Oh, him?" Itiel tried to keep his tone of voice nonchalant. "He's new, just arrived today. Of course he wouldn't know who you are. He wouldn't be able to tell by looking, either, as he is rather blind," Itiel explained, leaving out several details for the sake of saving himself some embarrassment.   "Oh," the woman replied with obvious distaste. "Is he a new servant? A blind boy... quite an odd choice. Could he even do anything for you, Itiel? You'd be better off having me stay with you so I could do everything for you." She smirked at Raquel, knowing very well that he couldn't see it.   Itiel shook his head. "Once he memorizes his way around a few key areas of the manor, he should be ready for work. Cleaning things mostly," he said, ignoring the woman's smirk. "As long as he has a proper guide for the first little while, there should be no problem."   "I know how to clean and sort things," Raquel added. "I used to do it all the time. I can do little chores without many problems..."   "Hm, well, Itiel, why don't you tell your little boy to make us some tea or something?" Machiavellia asked. "It'll give me a chance to see his skills... and a chance for us to be alone." She traced a fingernail along the muscles of Itiel's chest, smiling.   Itiel gave Machiavellia a slight grin at this, the more words spoken by her making him forget his earlier confusion about guilt and such. "I think that's a good idea," the man said, turning to the servant girl. "Caroline, will you take Raquel down to the kitchens and show him where the things to make tea are?"   Caroline nodded, bowing her head a bit. "Yes, I will do that for you," she replied. She then looked up at Raquel, eyeing him critically. "Come with me, then. I'll show you there."   Raquel took a hold of Caroline's arm, following her down the hall to the kitchens with a shy smile. "I'll show you how well I can make tea," he called back to Itiel and Machiavellia.   "Hurry back soon," Itiel called back quickly, turning back to Machiavellia. "I almost forgot, I got you some medicine for that pain in your ankle you've been complaining about lately."   "Oh, leave it to you to think of that sort of thing," she replied. "But I do appreciate it... it's been hurting so badly these past few days. Would you mind putting it on for me?" She removed one shoe, placing her foot on the bed and lifting her dress to reveal her ankle. "That one's been such a bother..."   Opening the small jar and rubbing some of the herb oil onto the exposed skin of Machiavellia's ankle. He rubbed gently with the tips of his fingers, still grinning a little. "How is that, then? Feel any better?"   "Hm... somewhat," she replied with a smirk, hiking her dress up quite a bit farther to show off a good amount of leg. "Not perfect, though... medicine alone won't do, if you know what I mean?"   Itiel chuckled with undertones of lust laced into his voice. "Then what else do you propose that the healer Itiel should do, hmmmm?" he asked, a still oily finger trailing up her calf.   Machiavellia chuckled, cupping his face in her hands and kissing Itiel hard. "You know perfectly well what I mean. No one's going to walk in on us. Even if the boy comes with the tea, he can't see us." There was a hint of mean-spirited happiness in her voice when she said this, but just for a moment.   At the exact moment of Machiavellia's small burst of hidden glee, yet another guilty pang poked at Itiel's insides like an impatient child. However, as quickly as it had come, the feeling went away, leaving only his empty feelings of lust for the Italian woman in front of him. "What he can't see can't hurt him, I suppose."   "That's right. So why don't we continue?" Machiavellia suggested, smiling at Itiel for a moment before kissing him again.   Itiel obliged all to willingly, snaking an arm around Machiavellia's waist and laying down with her, him on top as they continued to go at it. 'Ah, something familiar to get my mind off that odd blind boy...'   ******   Meanwhile, on the way to the kitchens, Caroline turned to Raquel and asked him, "So, how did you come be a servant of Master Itiel, anyway? I am rather curious."   "I used to live with him years ago," Raquel replied, being completely open with the woman. "And we were separated for a long time... when I finally found him in the marketplace I followed him here, and I'm working for him again, just like I used to!" He shook his head. "He just doesn't remember all of that too well." "Hm, how interesting. I've only been working for him since last year myself, so I don't know all that much about what went on before my arrival," said Caroline, smiling at the boy even though he couldn't see it. "It must feel nice to see him again."   "Oh, it's wonderful. I've missed him so much! That's why I want to be only the best servant for him... to do everything just right." The boy was beaming, glowing with enthusiasm. "I want to make him happy."   "Then I'll have to make sure you prepare the tea especially well!" Caroline squealed, feelingt a t a bit giddy. "What you're telling me sounds quite adorable, so I hope you get him to remember you better than he does. And we'll start with the little things, like making him a cup of the best tea he's ever sipped!"   "Okay!" Raquel agreed, smiling. "Just show me where everything is, and I can do the rest. He'll love it, I'll make sure of it." He paused for a moment. "And... I think I'll make some for that lady who came to visit Master Itiel, too."   "Mistress Machiavellia? You can, though I doubt she'll show much appreciation for it. She cares for servants and what they do about as much as she does for fleas. She seems to have an effect on Itiel at times, which is why we're all happy whenever she's not around him," explained Caroline, grimacing as she thought about the woman.   "Why do you call her Mistress?" Raquel asked when they had reached the kitchens, allowing Caroline to lead him around and show him with touch where everything was. "She's just a friend of Master Itiel's, right? You're just being polite." He laughed nervously. Inside, however, he felt a sudden surge of fear that Machiavellia might in fact be something more, something that he didn't want to think about.   Caroline blinked at this, pausing in her touch guiding. "Well isn't it obvious?" she asked while showing him which door led into the kitchen.   "No, that wouldn't be right," the boy said quickly. "He always told me... that he'd never sink so low as to have a mistress of that type." He swallowed hard, trying to change the subject. "...Where do you keep the things for tea?"   "Oh, they're up here," said Caroline, smiling again as she guided his hands to the correct cupboard, and to the teakettle. She seemed not to care about the previous topic, forgetting it instantly. "Today there's fresh water from the well in a bucket that you can use, but if there isn't, should he ask you to make tea again, I'll show you where the well is."   "Thank you," Raquel said, gathering what he needed. "If you could help me light a fire, I can start. I think they'll want their tea rather quickly."   "My pleasure!" said Caroline, gathering some of the things together. "Try adding a bit of cinnamon to the tea. It adds a sweet little something to the taste you might not otherwise get," she told him, leading him to a small fireplace and to the buckets of water nearby.   "I will." Raquel began his work, busying himself with fixing the tea. However, insistent thoughts kept popping into his head as he worked. 'Master... you always told me that you would never have that kind of a mistress. Never. It was too low, you said... So... what does this mean?' His throat tightened, his mind going to the only real answer. 'No... I don't want to think about that. Maybe I'm wrong. I'll go in and they'll just be talking like old friends. That's right…'