The Brocade Baby (Rewrite) Chapter 8

Chapter 8: A walk through Amable

13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

Ecclesiastes 1:13

 

Ambroise was currently laying in his carriage as Miranda pushed it, with Timotheos and Barnim not too far from her. They were walking all 5 of their dogs at the same time but had to keep a short distance from Miranda and Ambroise lest they accidentally tangle the 2 of them with their leashes or worse, knock the carriage over with the baby still in it. Though the dogs were more used to having Ambroise around and were very gentle with the infant, that didn't stop Barnim and Timotheos from keeping a close eye on the hounds lest they accidentally injure the baby. Ambroise was looking around, looking all cute and curious as usual, as the group continued their walk. However, when they arrived at the entrance to the path that introduced the nearby forest, Miranda decided to part ways with her son and Barnim as she felt that the path was too rough and bumpy for Ambroise, to which Timotheos and Barnim agreed. The 2 men and their dogs would walk them through the forest as usual while Miranda walked him through the main street of Amable.

The townspeople of Amable had grown accustomed to seeing the little blonde infant around in his carriage and greeted both him and Miranda. She stopped by the fountain that was placed in the center of town square where most people were either sitting or standing nearby. The fountain itself was called "The Swan's Last Song" or "La Dernière Chanson du Cygne" due to the large swan statue that was placed in the middle of the fountain. The pool was round in shape and was filled in by the water that was spouting at the swan's beak along with some inner spigots that were placed on the inner walls. It was a popular spot for casual or even some special occasions as some performers would play there to entertain the tourists or anyone passing through. The moment Miranda arrived at the fountain with Amable, they were immediately noticed by some of the people there, with a small group of teenagers that were around Audrey and Timotheos' age quickly running over to see the baby. At first she was afraid they were going to attack them both due to how fast they were running towards them but in reality, it was because they wanted to see him due to his overwhelming cuteness. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly depending on who you ask, they were all females who kept gushing over the baby.

"Oh my goodness it's the baby!"

"Miss, can we hold him?"

"I want to hold the baby first!"

"No me first!"

"Awww, look at his squishy little cheeks!"

"Ladies, ladies please one at a time!" Miranda exclaimed as she had to calm the various teenage girls who kept crowding around the woman to see the baby. Ambroise on the other hand was laughing and giggling at all the attention that he was getting from everyone, which made the girls adore him even more. He really is an attention seeker. Miranda thought to herself in amusement while rolling her eyes. "Alright, ladies. You can all take turns holding him but be careful with him okay?"

"Okay!" the girls all said at the same time before Miranda carefully carried the baby in her arms. True to their word, the girls took turns cradling him in their arms and were mesmerized by how innocent yet endearing he was. It helped that he wasn't too heavy for them to carry and was surprisingly calm the moment he was placed in their arms. Once that was over, Miranda was given back the baby before being thanked by the girls who ran off while giggling. They seem nice, they kind of remind me of Audrey now that I think about it. Miranda continued to bring Ambroise to various places ranging from the small park that was close to the fountain to the various stores and restaurants that were placed side by side. Though she had taken him to these places before, he seemed to enjoy passing by them again (despite not being able to see clearly due to the hood still obscuring his view). Nevertheless, Miranda enjoyed strolling around town with the baby as it gave her something to do instead of just sitting at home and doing nothing productive. After she explored most of the town and saw that Ambroise was getting tired, she decided to head back home.

As she was on her way back, she passed by HausWart only to see Audrey coming out of the store with a somewhat large shopping bag in her left hand. The moment Audrey turned in Miranda's direction, she was shocked to see her and nearly dropped the bag as a result.

"Ah! Miranda! Ambroise! W-What are you doing here?" she asked while trying not to stammer in embarrassment.

"Oh we were just on our way back from our walk," Miranda replied in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"O-Oh that! Nothing! I was just doing some much needed shopping! Hahahaha!" Audrey explained in a suspiciously awkward tone.

"Really? It didn't look like nothing to me," Miranda stated as she got a closer look at her bag and noticed that it had what appeared to be baking tools and ingredients.

"Okay fine you caught me!" Audrey pouted as she raised both her hands up in mock surrender. "I was going to bake something special for someone."

"And would that someone be Timotheos?" Miranda teasingly asked, making Audrey gasp in shock over being caught.

"Wait how did you-I mean NO! W-Why would you think that? I mean that's ridiculous! He's just a friend to me that's all! Not that I wouldn't mind baking stuff for him, WAIT NO! Forget you heard that!"

Miranda started laughing over how adorably awkward Audrey was when it came to her now obvious feelings for her son. Granted, she was willing to give her blessing to the young teens but wanted to hear Audrey's confession from her own lips.

"Audrey, how about I walk you home before it gets too dark?" Miranda suggested, which immediately stopped Audrey from rambling on and embarrassing herself even further.

"What? Oh sure, I would love to! Hey, I can finally introduce Ambroise to my home!" she exclaimed in excitement as she walked beside Miranda so she could guide both mother and child to her house. As they began walking home together, with Ambroise's carriage still being pushed by Miranda, Miranda accidentally bumped into a passing man in a dark suit with a fedora that mostly obscured his eyes.

"Mi scusi signora," the man apologized brusquely as he briefly turned his head towards the baby before turning back in apparent disinterest. Though this short interaction didn't seem that significant, Miranda couldn't help but feel suspicious about the man. Audrey noticed her change in demeanor and became worried.

"Um, Miranda is everything okay?" she asked with concern.

"Huh? Oh yes, I'm fine. Just had a weird feeling about that man," Miranda replied as she took a quick look behind her only to see that the man was still walking on as if nothing happened. "Hm… never seen him around here before."

"Maybe he's new in town? Or a visitor?" Audrey suggested.

"Maybe, but he didn't sound French or German. Or even Flemish. He sounded… Italian," Miranda replied as she wondered about who he was. Deciding not to think too hard about it, she instead decided to focus on getting to the Larue residence as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Barnim and Timotheos were walking through the nearby forest that was referred to by locals as "The Forest of Shadows". To the French, it was often called "La Forệt des Ombres" whereas the Germans referred to it as "Der Schattenwald". The reason it was called that was due to how dense and cluttered the trees tended to be whenever people walked through it along with the mysterious shadowy figures that were supposedly seen between the trees. Stories of people seeing these mysterious figures roaming through the forests were spread throughout the town, though the ones that were seen at night were often noted to be scarier. Some say that the forest held spirits or ghosts that were trapped in the mortal world and unable to pass on. Others believed that the forest contained the mythical "shadow people" or demons who would haunt the area looking for people to whisk away to the Underworld or drag their souls to the darkest depths of Hell. No one knew whether they were real or were the figment of someone's imagination, especially if they were drunk or suffered from hallucinations. It also didn't help that some people tended to get lost and accidentally wander off the small path that was carved into the ground for safety, with the trees' roots and bushes causing some to trip and knock themselves unconscious. Though Miranda and her family never really thought much of it, as they dismissed it as silly rumors, urban legends or ghost stories, they did make sure to tell Timotheos and Audrey not to wander too far in the forest out of fear that they might hurt themselves or get irreversibly lost. Amusingly enough, Brielle seemed to believe some of the rumors and stories as she was afraid of the dark and didn't like to be alone for too long as she was too much of a social butterfly to be isolated. Julien didn't believe in the stories either though he did find them intriguing enough to look into and see if there was a rational explanation for these supposedly supernatural phenomena. Either way, the forest had become quite infamous for the spooky sightings and mysterious incidents to the point where children and teenagers rarely went there, with the more reckless ones only going in there on a dare or to impress others with varying results. Timotheos didn't like to go through the forest alone or when it got dark as he preferred to have someone accompany him just in case, which is why he liked being with his grandfather. Though he used to walk through the forest with his father, back when he was alive, Timotheos stayed away from the forest after his death as it brought back painfully wistful memories for him. If it wasn't for his grandfather, he most likely would never have gotten out of his funk (at least for a couple more years).

As Timotheos and his grandfather walked through the forest with their dogs, they chatted about various topics they had on their minds while their dogs led them on the path.

"And the weirdest thing is that most of the customers still think Ambroise is related to me even though I made it very clear that wasn't the case," Timotheos complained to which Barnim responded by chuckling lightheartedly at the ridiculousness of it all.

"Seriously?" he asked incredulously.

"Seriously," Timotheos answered affirmatively, causing Barnim to laugh even harder.

"Ha! Even when you tell them, they won't listen. It's actually kind of funny when you think about. But at the same time, it's probably a good thing too," Barnim replied, causing Timotheos to become surprised and stare at him with a stupefied expression.

"Wait, how is that good?" Timotheos asked in confusion.

"Well, think about it. Since you're so caring and protective of Ambroise, it shows that you're being a good brother towards him and if everyone can see that, well it doesn't sound so bad now does it?" Barnim explained with a grin.

As Timotheos thought about all the times he spent with Ambroise ranging from reading him stories such as Snow White and Astérix to playing with him using his old toys. Timotheos smiled at those memories as Ambroise always enjoyed spending time with him and never showed any sign of discomfort nor did he throw any tantrums that ruined their moments together. Timotheos' most fond memory was letting Ambroise sleep in his bed while they watched a movie on Timotheos' televideo across from them. The moment felt so peaceful that Timotheos didn't want it to end and couldn't help but cherish how adorable Ambroise looked beside him.

"Yeah, I guess that's not a bad thing after all," Timotheos said as he remembered those moments. Barnim smiled as he saw how happy Timotheos looked when it came to Ambroise. He knew how happy Ambroise made Timotheos as it allowed Timotheos to focus on something other than his father's death along with allowing him to move on from his grief. Though he knew that Timotheos would have to say goodbye to Ambroise soon (especially since they only had 1 week left before Ambroise's mother came back for him), Barnim wanted to at least let his grandson have some moments of happiness before going back to his life before meeting Ambroise. However, that didn't stop him from worrying over whether Timotheos would even let Ambroise go back to his mother after spending so much time with him.

"So, what are your plans once Ambroise leaves?" he suddenly asked.

"Um what?" Timotheos responded in shock over such a question.

"Oh come on, Timmy! Surely you heard what I said?" Barnim replied with a stern look, causing Timotheos to become nervous.

"Uh n-no I didn't," he stammered as he looked the other way in nervousness, making Barnim frown.

"Timotheos Blumenthal, look at me when I'm talking to you!" Barnim shouted, causing all the dogs to stop and stare at them in surprise. Timotheos flinched as he never expected his grandfather to yell at him (unless he got in trouble) and was forced to face his grandfather who was not pleased with Timotheos' attempts to feign ignorance.

"Timmy, what are your plans once Ambroise leaves?" he asked again in a stern but slightly more gentle tone. The moment he asked this question, Timotheos' eyes began to water a bit and his lips also began to quiver. Timotheos quickly began to sob as he tried to wipe away his tears, leaving Barnim worried and feeling slightly guilty over seeing him like this. The dogs were concerned over Timotheos' sudden change in demeanour, with Aldo being the most worried-looking.

"I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW OKAY!?" Timotheos shouted as he kicked one of the nearby trees in frustration and anguish. "I WAS HOPING THAT I COULD SPEND MORE TIME WITH AMBROISE WITHOUT HAVING TO THINK ABOUT WHEN HIS MOTHER WAS COMING BACK FOR HIM! I THOUGHT THAT MAYBE I WOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT UNTIL AUGUST BUT EVERY SINGLE DAY, I HAVE BEEN WORRYING OVER HOW I WOULD HAVE TO SAY GOODBYE TO HIM AND WHETHER OR NOT I COULD EVEN SEE HIM AGAIN!" As Timotheos finished his rant, he looked back at his grandfather with tears in his eyes, showing how much Ambroise's impending departure was hurting him. Seeing his usually cheerful and happy-go-lucky grandson weep broke Barnim's heart even more than it already did.

"Timmy…" Barnim said as he tried to console Timotheos but was stopped as Timotheos continued talking.

"Ever since he came to our home, it seemed that dad's death didn't hurt as much anymore and that I could move on as long as I had Ambroise with me. It felt like the only time I was ever really alive was when I spent time with Ambroise. But now that he's going to leave soon, I… I don't know what I'll do without him," Timotheos sobbed as he kept wiping his tears away with his elbows.

Hearing this confirmed Barnim's fears over how Timotheos would react to his little brother departure. He had a feeling that Timotheos was trying to fill the hole in his heart that developed after Jarem's death by doting on Ambroise. While he knew that it wasn't exactly the healthiest way of coping with death, it was understandable given how close Timotheos was with Ambroise. He quickly wrapped Timotheos in a tight embrace while the dogs nuzzled themselves against Timotheos' legs in an attempt to comfort him. Timotheos continued to sob into his grandfather's arms while Barnim pat his back in an attempt to comfort him.

"Shh… there, there kiddo," Barnim began. "It's alright to feel that way."

"No it's not!" Timotheos explained. "Whenever I feel that way, it makes me worry that I only use Ambroise as a way to not think about dad which makes me feel even more sad and guilty. Even worse, I had you, mom and Audrey to help me and yet it was Ambroise who seemed to cheer me up a lot better which makes me feel like I don't appreciate your efforts and that makes me a bad person by default. And I just… I just…"

"Now you listen here, Timotheos," Barnim said as he placed his hands on Timotheos' shoulders and faced him. "I don't know what made you think that way about yourself but if there's one thing that I know about you is that you are not a bad person. You are who you are and you shouldn't feel guilty for things that weren't your fault. At the same time, you shouldn't feel the need to try and ignore what made you unhappy otherwise you won't be able to properly move on. Sure, you can try to run away from it or replace whatever you lost but it won't change the fact that it happened and the only thing you can do is come to terms with it." Timotheos pressed his forehead against his grandfather's chest in exhaustion and sniffed as he slowly recovered from his breakdown while Barnim continued to pat his back in sympathy. The dogs continued to stand by Timotheos, with Aldo rubbing his head against Timotheos' waist in order to comfort him as well.

"There, there kiddo. It's alright. You don't have to hold it in so much. You have me, the dogs, your mother and even Audrey who are always willing to help you so don't feel like you have nothing. You have us. We're all here for you and that's what matters," Barnim said in a soothing and gentle tone which helped Timotheos to stop crying and wipe away the remaining tears on his face.

"Thanks, grandpa," Timotheos said in a shaky yet grateful tone while giving him a tearful smile. "I think really needed that."

"You're welcome, kiddo. If you need to talk about this kind of stuff, let me know next time okay?"

"Okay."

As they were about to leave, they suddenly heard a small twig snap along with some quick footsteps. Everyone immediately kept their guard up while the dogs huddled around their owners and growled at whoever or whatever made the sound. Barnim was the most cautious as he quickly brought out his Solingnen knife that he kept in a pouch that hung from the waistband of his pants.

"Wait, you had a knife with you this whole time?!" Timotheos asked in shock.

"Well, I had to be prepared in case someone tried to attack us," Barnim replied as he steadied himself and prepared to strike.

Tension filled the air as the dogs continued to growl, with Aldo and Bruno smelling something and cautiously followed it to a nearby tree that was on the right side of the path. The tree had a thick trunk along with very thick leaves that made it somewhat difficult to see what was behind it. As the dogs slowly approached the tree, Timotheos hid behind Barnim out of fear on what could happen (as he wasn't really much of a fighter and considered himself more of a pacifist due to his non-confrontational nature). Barnim on the other hand was more than willing to shank anyone who tried to harm him, his grandson or even his dogs as he was fierce man at heart (though you wouldn't know that just by looking at him). The moment the dogs were no more than an inch away from the tree did the source of the sound finally get revealed: it was nothing more than a red squirrel that immediately showed up and crawled around the tree trunk up to its hole. Barnim and Timotheos groaned in exasperation and annoyance over how they overreacted over nothing while Aldo and Bruno were more confused than anything.

"Ugh, are you serious right now?" Timotheos complained as he walked in front of his grandfather. "I almost had a heart-attack over nothing!"

"Well, at least it wasn't anything too serious like a boar," Barnim commented. "Man, those things were hard to kill."

"Yeah, I guess," Timotheos said as he pulled the leashes of Aldo and Bruno back so they could continue their walk. "Come on guys, it's nothing to be worked up over. Let's finish our walk now."

The 2 men continued their walk with the rest of their dogs leading them back on the path out of the forest. They were relieved to see that it wasn't anything or anyone dangerous though that didn't stop Timotheos from worrying over what could have happened.

However, the moment their voices couldn't be heard anymore, a man wearing a black ski mask and what appeared to be black body armor stepped out from behind the tree trunk.

"Whew, that was way too close," he said in a quiet yet gruff tone as he checked to make sure that no one else was coming. "Gotta be more careful next time or I might not be so lucky. Especially when it comes to that old man." However, he snickered darkly at the thought of fighting against Barnim. "Then again, he's an old geezer. He shouldn't be that hard to deal with the next time I see him."

Once he finished his sentence, the man pulled out his own knife from his pocket, which was a rather menacing Bowie knife that had a sharp gleam when put under the sunlight. As he held the knife in his right hand, in his left hand was a carbine rifle of some kind that made the man look even more shady and suspicious than he already was.

"The target won't know what hit him," he said with a slimy grin behind his mask before moving to another part of the forest with his weapons in hand.