The sky was grey with the first day of snowfall for the winter season. The air was already at that point that it chapped one's lips, causing one to lick without a moment's notice. The gardener was walking by the pasture fence, nearing the stable when he looked over at the lord's steed, still grazing. Their droppings had dried and the gate remained closed. He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion as he proceeded to investigate lightly.
It would be later that he would inform the lord in his study. "Master, I am uncertain of this, but I believe the stable hand has disappeared. His work has been neglected, and no one has seen him in some time."
"The stable hand? I see... He has always been rather diligent in his work, caring much for the animals. It would be unlike him to simply abandon his duties." Vindor pondered for a moment, his face grimacing at the thought. "I was informed that the gate had been left open the night prior. I fear he may had wandered into the forest and gotten lost."
"I question why he would do that."
"Indeed, but the gate had to have been used by someone. Thank you for informing me of this, Gedrey. You may leave now."
"You are most welcome, master."
Vindor would arrange for a search party of house guards to look for the missing stable hand. They would find the remains of the young man within a couple of hours. Winter stripped the trees completely, allowing the sunlight to show in full the gruesome scene before them. Frozen blood had mixed with fallen snow, and there lay the obvious trail left by something that was footless. The remains were little more than the skeleton, with the flesh having been stripped and torn off the very tissue that had held it in place. The guts were spared, but the man had been eaten by something savage.
Quite the commotion had stirred back at the estate upon their return. A crowd had begun to gather, with Erik catching wind of it.
"Now, now. Calm yourselves everyone." Vindor ordered, his body standing before the brought back wheelbarrow with what little remained of the stable hand.
"My lord," one of the guards exhaled. "It was a terrible scene. No bear, wolf, or any other wild beast could have done that and not have left a trail of prints. I suspect there is a monster in the woods that attacked him."
Many were eager to get a glimpse of the damages, with Celia being quick to rush to the crowd in grabbing Erik and dragging him away. "Come along, Erik. This is for the men to handle, inside, now."
Erik willingly went, though his eyes remained on the scene behind him. He feared being found out, feared people questioning what had happened, but no one took it for anything more than a tragedy to be avenged. The remains of the stable hand would be buried, and a small funeral would be held. His father would order for news of the boy's death be sent to Novergracia, informing the records of his passing. Before he knew it, his father had organized another search party, but this time, they were armed and equipped.
They would be gone until evening, venturing out for a few days, but returning empty handed each time. Realizing there was no success in uncovering the monster's whereabouts, Vindor bolstered the watch upon night and ordered that no one was to leave estate grounds in fear of another death.
Everyone heeded the master's orders, and guards would would be posted to watch the rear all throughout the night. The servants and workers were warry and fearful, and yet, Erik was not. He would become distracted from his studies, looking out the window and into the forest with a lost stare.
"Are you afraid, young master?" a voice surprised him. Erik turned his jaw to Nomay, standing before him with a subtle look of sadness. "Whatever it was, it is of no danger to us. The master and his men will protect us."
Lord Henry would come to arrive within the week. He was told of the unfortunate incident in passing, though little was said on the matter. All he wanted to do was to see his grandchildren after another three seasons of being away.
The hearth was lit with a fire that warmed the entire room. The three children gathered around the den to listen to his stories, the air filled with the aroma of a scented candles lit all around. "Now then, I know exactly where to begin. Children, do you know what an elf is?"
"Those people with pointy ears?" Answered Noesse.
"Yes, indeed, my darling, though that is not all that they possess. They are tall, with long, pointed ears, yes, but also colorful hair and sharp eyes. I happened upon one,