Enjoy The Rising Sun. Think Not of the Pain.

[puppet]

He had that dream again...
He knew he should be used to it by now, but he still couldn't help but wish he could just stop dreaming and forget of that terrible nightmare that paid him a visit each and every night. That was the reason that he constantly had flashes of the bloody corpses of one of the victims, sometimes even the murderer's face.
He spent many hours just staring at the cieling in his bedroom wondering who the nameless man was, who the little boy was, and what they meant to him. Once or twice he had stopped at the conclusion that he was the little boy before he second guessed himself, thinking about how the little boy was dead. It wasn't as if Puppet was some kind of miracle or living dead... Right?

Right.
He was a slave, and that was it.

The white haired man found himself laying in a field somewhere in the Cashel Grounds, staring up at the early morning sun and watching the sun rise. He'd woken up early because of the dream this time, sweat covering his body and his breath coming hard.
He hadn't even bothered to dress before running from his sleeping quarters, desperate for space. So, he was simply clad in a pair of white breeches, his chest bare and still covered in a light layer of sweat.

To say he was disturbed was an understatement.

[Nicolas Cashel]

Nicolas wiped the sweat from his brow. He hadn't been sleeping well as of late and was feeling a little off. His illness wasn't quite as terrible anymore but according to his friend JAred, he had a high fever still and was advised grimly to stay in bed. Pfft, like that was going to happen.

He walked through the fields, the grass crunching softly beneath his slipper clad feet. A tunic of light material was thrown over his body and his pants were also light and baggy style. He prefered clothing of a better fit but the breeze was to good on his heated skin to refuse. Rolling his shoulders he saw a figure in the field and tilted his head in thought.

"Beautiful isn't it?" He asked, sitting down next to the other man, nodding his head towards the rising sun. He sighed and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he observed the glorious saphire tinge to the sky.

[puppet]

The sudden presence and voice of another sent shock through his already jumpy body, causing the male to jump slightly. Puppet sat up, leaning back on his hands and glancing to the intruder nervously. Oh... It was merely the Lord of the Castle, good..

A light smile spread itself across his lips, and he nodded slightly. "Indeed, it's very beautiful. It makes up for all the bad things in the world, doesn't it? Like... when looking at it don't you feel somewhat invincible, like nothing can harm you? Or even refreshed?" He questioned, then his pale skin heated up to a light pink. "Oh my, I'm sorry. Please excuse me... I'm being foolish." He quickly stuttered, then looked down slightly. Normally he wouldn't have been so quick to take back his words... but when he felt as vulnerable as he did now, it was hard to keep his head on straight.

It was almost as if he could feel the hands around his neck, and yet his hands felt as if they were gripping a slender neck tightly. "Uh... What brings you out here, Lord Cashel?" He questioned, looking to the grass and playing with it idly. "It's so early..."

[Nicolas Cashel]

"Indeed, it's very beautiful. It makes up for all the bad things in the world, doesn't it? Like... when looking at it don't you feel somewhat invincible, like nothing can harm you? Or even refreshed?" Nicolas was about to smile and agree with that comment before you obviously younger man flushed and quickly corrected himself. "Oh my, I'm sorry. Please excuse me... I'm being foolish."

Nicolas smiled kindly at the other man, shaking his head. "It wasn't stupid or foolish of you but very wise. I admire your insight and find myself agreeing with you wholeheartedly. IT is quite the sight. Reminds a man of better days when he was as invincible as a man can be." Shadows of dark memories clouded his eyes and he quickly shook his head to clear away the thoughts. This was neither the time nor the place to be getting all emotional.

"Uh... What brings you out here, Lord Cashel? It's so early..."

Nicolas smiled at the innocent act of toying with grass the other man did. Looking out at the rising sun he was about to reply when a cough tore at his throat and his hand fisted automatically infront of his mouth as he coughed harshly. After what seemed a decade he heaved a shakey breathe, chuckling unevenly as he ran a unsteady hand through his already, bed tousled hair.

"I haven't been feeling my finest and seem to have had a calling for the outdoors. IT always seems to refresh a man's mind and body. I'm feeling better already. Honestly."

That was a lie. He was starting to feel the beginning of a headache and a pain was starting in his throat from the earlier coughing fit.

[puppet]

"It wasn't stupid or foolish of you but very wise. I admire your insight and find myself agreeing with you wholeheartedly. IT is quite the sight. Reminds a man of better days when he was as invincible as a man can be."

If it was even possible, Puppet flushed darker at this comment, now wanting to hide away in his embarassment. He shook his head lightly, then laughed almost cynically, "Man was never invincible. There's always been something greater that toys around with us. We're the puppets, and there will always be a puppeteer to laugh at us, to be amused with controlling us." He ripped out a fistful of grass, then let it flutter back to the ground as he let it go.

Everything that had just passed through his pale lips was all because of his dream, as it left him feeling rather spiteful afterwards. He almost hated the human race... they were so pitiful. No one came to help the young boy as he was tormented until his death, and no one confronted the murderer after the boy was finally given peace. In this case, the murderer was the puppet master.

"I'm sorry, Lord Cashel. I must be coming off as rude, please forgive me. I'm not exactly in the greatest of moods.." He paused, looking over as the other began coughing with a vengeance. Concern filled his pupiless green eyes, and he reached over to pat the other man on the back.

"You don't sound fine, my Lord... Perhaps you should go see someone for that..." Why didn't he ever get sick? He shook the thought away, then put on a bit of a smile. "By the way, I'm Puppet. I'm a slave here at your castle, if you didn't know..."

[Nicolas Cashel]

Nicolas smiled through slightly red rimmed eyes as moisture tinged them from all the coughing. His eyes full of kindness he nodded at the smaller youth. "I know exactly who you are. I keep a good attendance of all the Staff here at Cashel Castle. It's like a family and I take care to keep my family in good hands." He winced at these words, memories of his mother coming back to him. He hadn't taken care of her. Perhaps that was the cause behind his fondness for anyone who worked beneath his roof at cashel castle. It was something he could make sure was all right. A situation he could keep within good hands and under control.

Rubbing his face he sputtered a bit before coughing once again. Cursing silently under his breathe he wished all illness's to hell and never again back. Looking over to Puppet he smiled brightly, coomplimenting, "Your hair is beautiful. Quite lovely actually. My sister Kayla would go insane if she had that hair. She'd probably die of happiness." He chuckled at the thought, his eyes automatically drifting off to the fobidden forest.

'Where'd you run off to Kayla?' He sighed in sadness at the memory of his run away sister. He knew she was with Soleil but that could only be a good thing in a way. The vampire would never hurt her, that much was obvious. The only question was why? Why run off? He turned his attention back to the other man to change his trail of thoughts.

"I love the outdoors, although I admit to being slightly an indoorsy type of man. Slightly unmasculine I know. Go ahead, tease me about it." He laughed at himself, not at all uncomfortable with joking about himself.

[puppet]

"I know exactly who you are. I keep a good attendance of all the Staff here at Cashel Castle. It's like a family and I take care to keep my family in good hands."

"Like your family? But... you're royalty. You shouldn't need to worry about those below you. You have everything you need, do you not?" His expression twisted in confusion. He'd never exactly spoken with the Lord, too shy and too afraid of what would happen. Perhaps he was just over thinking things like usual, but.. you would over analyze things too when you had a dream of a murder each night, and if you had no clue who you truly were.

"My... my hair? Why... thank you, my Lord. I've always found myself wondering why it was these two particular colors." Reaching up, he grasped a lock of the red and a lock of the red, looking at it carefully. He just woke up one morning to discover he had white and red hair. That was quite the shock when he would walk out and see people upon people around him with that of brown and blonde and black... something he never remembered having.

But no... he couldn't be normal. He was a puppet, and puppets weren't meant to be normal. They had to stand out of the crowd so that they'd catch someone's eye, and strike the desire to be used. Then they wouldn't feel so worthless, just as Puppet did a good deal of the time. Well... at least when people weren't looking. When they were he looked perfectly happy and content, as if nothing could bother him.

"I love the outdoors, although I admit to being slightly an indoorsy type of man. Slightly unmasculine I know. Go ahead, tease me about it."

"I wouldn't even consider doing anything of the sort. Look at me. How masculine do I honestly look?" Puppet smiled, then shook his head.

"So, what really brings you out here, Lord Cashel? It certainly couldn't be just for fresh air, as your condition honestly, at least to me, isn't seeming to get better..."

[Nicolas Cashel]

Nicolas laughed wholeheartedly at the comment of himself being royalty. Shaing his head with a emense smile upon it he looked at the younger male with content in his eyes. "I am the Lord of this Castle, yes, but not a member of the royal family. And if I were, you among all others would be treated all the same for there is no difference in our hearts. Sure, you have beautiful hair and I have bills to pay, my sheep have grass to eat and the sheperd has ale to drink, yet we really are all the same. We wish inside, wether it be known or not, for love. Why treat anyone without the respect they deserve? Everyone deserves a first and second chance."

He yawned big and began to drift off when the boys question made him think.

"So, what really brings you out here, Lord Cashel? It certainly couldn't be just for fresh air, as your condition honestly, at least to me, isn't seeming to get better..."

"You want the truth?" Nicolas looked around cautiously before leaning forward conspiritorially to whisper in a hushed tone, "All those people in there, fussing over me, makes me feel like a woman." He laughed as he leaned back, folding his hands behind his head and falling backwards to lay flat upon his back on the soft grass.

Turning his head towards Puppet he voiced, "And as for your earlier statement about not believing yourself to be manly, I object completely. You are all the man you will ever be. Appearance means nothing. If you truly believe yourself to be a lady at heart, then my blessings are with you, but if you decide you are a man and nothing else than you are a man and nothing can change that. Bodies can be broken, freedom of speech maybe at times, but your beliefs? Your freedom of heart? It is forever and always at your own will. Trust me, young man. You are what you make yourself."