Birdy

After Apollo left, Leander stripped himself naked and went to his bathroom which was behind the divider. His bathroom was huge and luxurious, fit for a king. A huge pool at the center of the bathroom, with a statue of a winged creature with water flowing from its mouth at the end of the pool. A shower at the end of the bathroom, the floor was made up of marble, and torches burn at each end of the bathroom. Bathrobes hanging on a wooden stand which was painted gold. Leander walks to the pool and immerses himself in it, the pool is deep, ending him in his inlet. The pool is magical, it turns deeper whenever Leander adds a new age. Back at Clifton's household, Aurelia couldn't stop talking about the story Leander read for her though she slept halfway through the story. "Mama, when will we go out again? I didn't get to finish my story." Gracia massaged her temple, she could feel the headache coming, Gaia just chuckled while listening to Aurelia's chatter. "Come with me Aurelia, I will take you to your room, let mama rest." Aurelia happily followed Gaia, hopping up and down, making her mother frown. "Aurelia walks like a lady, stop hopping." She giggled but didn't stop. Senior Clifton places his hands on her shoulder to comfort her. "She is just three Gracia, let her be. You know, I am proud of her because she is very smart for her age. Give her a few more years and she will turn into a proper lady. Let her enjoy her childhood." Gracia sighed looking in the direction of the girl's room. "Am I too hard on her? I just want her to be normal like kids her age. She doesn't play, she loves staying on her." she took in her bottom lip. "Hmm I wouldn't say you're hard on her but just cut her some slack. You don't have to be worried all the time when she is not standing next to you or when she is not within your eyesight. She nodded her head and smiled at her husband, and they both went to their room to rest. After breakfast, Senior Clifton went out for work, and Philip the Butler assigned the workers what to do. Aurelia hopped wandering around the huge compound, she went to the back to visit the horses. The groom who noticed the little girl coming couldn't help but smile and frown at the same time. " Good morning Mr. Maxwell." She waved at the groom, took some apples which were in a basket, and walked to the stable. "Can I feed them?" Maxwell was about to object but the little girl pouted her lips giving him puppy dog eyes. "Ok, you can, but five minutes." She smiled and nodded her head. The groom held her hands and together they entered the stable, in the stable they were a mare and a filly, and two stallions. She fed the filly first because it was younger "will you teach me how to ride?" she asks the groom, Maxwell scratched the back of his head. "When you grow up, I will teach you how to ride a horse and how to tame a wild one." she sighs but she nodded her head. "Why does everyone keep saying this when I grow up? I am three but you keep treating me like I am two. in case you don't know, I can wear my clothes on my own." Maxwell chuckled but didn't say anything. After feeding the horses, Aurelia went to the garden to look at the beautiful flowers. She loves their different fragrance. Aurelia was playing with a butterfly that had perched itself on a flower sucking its nectar when suddenly she heard a thud sound, she walked to where the sound came from. On the wet grass covered in dew was a blackbird that looked like it had broken its wings ``What happened to you? how did you fall?" she asked the little feathered creature, she looked at the tree and noticed the broken branch. "Come, I will nurse you back to health." She carried the blackbird in her hands and went to the house. "Gaia!" she yelled, Gaia who was playing with her doll heard her sister yell. She rushes to the living room thinking Aurelia had hurt herself. "Are you ok Aurelia?" even the maids who heard her scream rushed to the living room to check up on her. "I am fine, I found a bird, and it is injured." Gaia didn't know if she should laugh or cry, she looked at the bird and truly it hurt. "You scared me, Aurel, I thought you were hurt." Emily sighed in relief, this little girl will put them in trouble one day, luckily she is cute and kind-hearted. "Give me the bird Aurelia, and go and wash your hands," Emily instructed, reaching out to take the bird, Aurelia stepped back not wanting them to throw it away. "I will keep it in my room, can I get some food and water for my bird?" the Butler who had gone to buy groceries from the market, accompanied by some maids walked in with bags in his hands, he was surprised to see the little crowd in the living room but his facial expression remain unchanged. "What is happening?" his voice boomed in the hall. "Ahh Sir Philip, little miss Aurelia picked up a bird, and she wants to take it to her room," Emily explained. "Hmm everybody get back to work," he instructed, Emily and the others collected the bags from him and rushed to the kitchen. "Gaia, will you help me? if we leave it outside it will sleep and never wake up again." Her eyes moist with tears, Gaia turned to the Butler for help. "Take it up to your room and I'll bring a cage, food, and the first aid kit," Philip said, Aurelia happily nodding her head. Gaia took the bird from her and together they went to her room.