An Unending Curse

I all I knew was that he wanted it. He was willing to kill me to get it, I don’t know why, but he has tried to. I barely escaped death’s kiss when my servants came running in, and there he was with a knife pressed against my throat. He’d be back, and I’d be ready.

A handsome pay would go to anyone willing to be my guardian. Not as many men applied for the job as I had hoped, and the ones that did only showed off their muscles. I didn’t need strength, rather someone with skill.

“How many more applicants?” I asked a maid.

She flipped through her notepad, “Looks like just one, but he’s late.” Fabulous. The man couldn’t even show up to his interview on time and he expects me to hire him as my guardian? What has society come to?

“ Ah, this must be him.” The maid said, looking out the window. I joined her to see who this man was.

Quite frankly, he wasn’t much. A tall, slim young man stepped out of a silver trim carriage. Even from the room on the second floor, we could tell that his suit’s pigment had begun to fade a long while ago and his dark hair curled messily in each direction. In short, he did not look any inch of a guardian. This would go by quickly.

“ Good day, sir.” The maid greeted him as he walked, I should say strut, through the door. He tipped his head to her, then looked to me with eyes of the palest green.

“ I take it you are Graham Adams?” A northern accent, he wasn’t from around here.

“ I am. And you might be?” I responded.

“ Nicholas Price.”

“ Well, Mr. Price-“

“ Just Nicholas is fine. It’s proper for a master to call his guardian by their first name, aye?” A clever one, he was, and a bit rude.

“ Perhaps, but I have not yet hired you, Nicholas.”

He smirked, the cheeky bloke. The maid showed him to the seat in front of my desk, to which he dipped his head again and took a seat.

“ So, you’re interested in being my guardian?”

“ What of it?”

“ You aren’t doing a good job at impressing me.”

“ Was I supposed to? I thought you just wanted some protection, not a performer. And to answer you’re question, I’m much rather interested in why a 12 year old lad needs a guardian when you’re surrounded by help.”

“ I’ll explain when and if I decide to hire you. But what I mean is that you aren’t exactly the strongest man I’ve seen today.”

“ But I am, by far, the most clever.”

Damn, he got me there, “ Why does it matter?”

“ Simple. Protecting someone isn’t always about brute strength; anyone can possess that if they wanted. You need someone like me, who can outwit someone with ease. Isn’t that right, Graham?”

“ It is rude to call a master by his first name.”

“ But I haven’t been hired yet, does this mean I got the job?”

My eyes widened. Nicholas Price was utterly and undeniably a first class smart-ass, “ I suppose it does,” I rose from my seat to shake his hand, “ welcome aboard, Nicholas.”

He stood from his seat as well, but did not shake my hand. He merely looked me in the eye and stated he’d be back with his things.

Nicholas Price is a different kind of man, but my kind of guardian.

~

When Nicholas came to me, he seemed like an impolite smart aleck. After I hired him, he became as loyal as a St. Bernard. He acted more of a butler than a guardian, perhaps that was because of the calmness at the time. I still hadn’t told him why he was hired, but one day he asked me while I was reading.

“ I’ve forgotten to tell you?”

“ It feels like you’ve neglected to rather then forget to.”

“ Did I ever tell you you’re too clever?”

“ Once or twice.”

“ Fine. I’ll tell you. Have a seat.” Nicholas gave me a questioned look, then did as I asked. I took a moment to gain the strength to speak; the memory was painful enough to make me wince. Finally, the strength came and I reached for the red diamond pendent around my neck. Nicholas eyed it with interest.

“ This pendent was my father’s. He and my mother were walking home from a concert one night. Visibility was poor, so the driver of a carriage didn’t see what scared the horses so much.”

“ What was it?”

“ I don’t know, but the horses suddenly turned in almost a 90-degree angle. The carriage fell over onto the sidewalk. The driver and his passengers got a concussion and some bruising, my mother’s left leg was crushed…” I braced myself for the next part.

“ And your father got crushed entirely…”

“ … It was unclear what really caused his death. It might’ve been a broken bone through a vital organ, his skull could’ve stabbed his brain, or simply bled to death. The fact is he’s gone.”

“ When did this happen?”

“ About a month and a half before I hired you. As you can obviously see, a pendent like this is valuable; it’d probably sell for at least 1 million pounds on the market. I suppose after word gone out that my father died, some thieves probably figured out the pendent would be easier to get.”

“ So that’s why I’m here… You said your mother survived. Where is she?”

“ In the country, rehabilitating. She said the next time I’ll see her, she’ll be walking.”

Nicholas stood up, he stared at me with those pale eyes of his, “ I’m sorry for the loss of your father, Mr. Adams.” That was the first time he ever called me by my last name. There was sadness in his eyes, a longing that couldn’t be satisfied.

“ You look… tired.”

“ Not tired, experienced.”

"You and your riddles. You remind me of a cat."

"You remind me of a lion."

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Nicholas smirked and left the room. Something about him was different from other men. I liked it.

~

About two months after my little story, he came. I was just about to retire for the night when I felt someone’s hand press against my mouth.

“ Don’t scream, and I don’t kill you.” A scratchy voice whispered. Instinct took over; he was too big for me to fight with my hands, so I fought with my mouth. Let’s just say his hand tasted like herring and sweat. His scream, combined with my own, was enough to send Nicholas bursting through the door seconds after. He grabbed my arm and pulled me behind him. For the first time, I was able to get a good look at my attacker. No, it couldn’t be…

“ Donovan Johnson,” Nicholas stole the name from my mouth. Donovan Johnson, if anything, was the pure essence of London’s underworld. Tattoos, pierced ears and, to top him off, a large set of muscles. Did I mention his criminal record? He’s been on the run from Scotland Yard for years. Even with all of this knowledge very well known in our minds, Nicholas did not back down from Donovan.

“En garde.” Nicholas lunged at Donovan and the battle broke loose. My eyes darted from them to a painting on the wall, behind which is a safe. I assume it is obvious as to what was inside. When I looked back, I couldn’t believe what I saw. Nicholas, the skinny idiot he was, over-taking one of the strongest men I’ve ever met. His quick and agile reflexes matched that of Donovan’s clubs for fists. It seemed to be an easy victory for us this night, but then the vermin cheated.

A clang rung out through the room as a nearby tea tray made contact with Nicholas’s head, sending him onto his hands and knees. The normally playful look in his eyes vanished in a moment’s notice and was replaced with a green fire. With a snarl, he began to stand and-

BANG!

The fire extinguished.

“ Nicholas!”

He replied with a thud against the Oriental rug. A red spot dripped from his forehead. At that moment, I felt like the most helpless being in the world.

“ What… have you done? You… monster…” the words choked out of me. Donovan merely smirked.

“ Now, unless you want to end up like your little buddy, tell me where the bloody pendent is.”

“… No. I will not let my friend die in vain! You will not get my father’s pendent and you deserve to suffer as he did!” That felt good to say. The look on Donovan’s face was priceless. Next thing I knew, his pistol was at my head.

“ You’ll eat those words, boy.” I closed my eyes.

BANG! One of my eyes cracked open. Donovan was at my feet, now a cold corpse. I looked to see my savior silhouetted in the moonlight.

“It’s finally over.” A northern accent sighed.

“ N-Nicholas?”

“ Are you alright?”

“ But… you were shot… you were-“

“Master Graham!” My servants piled into the room. Some embraced me, others ruffled my hair, but my focus remained on Nicholas Price. I saw the bullet hole in his forehead when he lay on the ground, and there was, as if nothing happened. Who, or what, was he?

~

Morning came around the corner fast, like the calm after a storm. Sunbeams crept through the opening between my curtains and into my eyes. At first it felt like a normal day, until I spied a red stain on my rug. Then I remembered Nicholas.

“ Good morning, sir,” a maid came in with my breakfast, “sleep well?”

“ Fine… Where’s Nicholas?”

“ He’s in the study with a doctor. He was pretty beaten last night, lots of cuts and bruises. Bless his soul for saving you, master.”

“ Did you see any signs of him being shot?”

“ None at all. Why do you ask, sir?”

“ Just curious.” Very curious, indeed.

I confronted Nicholas after the doctor left. Bandages and black marks covered his torso and arms, making him wince with every tiny movement. Finally, his eyes found me.

“ Good morning, Graham.” He greeted.

I remained silent.

“ Is there something bothering you?”

“ You died last night, I saw the bullet hole in your head, and here we are having a conversation.”

His eyes dulled a bit, “ Yes, I did die.”

“ Then how the bloody hell are you standing here and talking to me?” I demanded.

Nicholas looked at the ground for a moment. When he looked back up, sadness came to his face.

“ When I was younger, I toyed with black magic. One day, I messed up a spell and then… I couldn’t die. Simple as that.”

“ You’re immortal?”

“ Seems so.”

“ That must be an incredible gift-“

“ No,” I was taken aback by his objection, “it’s anything but a gift. I don’t know if I’m truly immortal or if I have more lives than others. Any death could be my last, and I would never know it. Even so, I look at everyone here, everyone I meet, and I know that I will live to see them die and none of them will do the same for me. It isn’t a gift, Graham. It’s my curse.”

“ I’m sorry.” That was all I could say.

“ It’s okay… I’m sorry I snapped like that.”

“ No, you had the right. I understand your pain now. You aren’t a cat, you’re a lone wolf, searching for his pack.”

“ Wolf or cat, you’re still a lion.”

“ Why is that?”

“ You just look like one. “ I rolled my eyes, but not in an irritated way as I usually do.

A knock came at the door, a servant peeped his head through, “Pardon me, my lord, but there’s someone here to see you.”

“I’ll be there in a moment,” I checked my appearance in a piece of silver. Nicholas was right, with my warm eyes and golden hair I looked like the human version of a lion. I smiled and glanced back at Nicholas, “thank you. For everything.”

~


The servant led me to the foyer to meet my guest. My heart skipped a beat when I saw who it was.

“ Graham…” she said.

“M-mum!” I didn’t need to go to her, she came to me. My mum came back walking, or rather running. Tears of joy streamed down both of our faces as we embraced in the morning light.

“ I’m so happy you’re safe,” she sighed, pulling away for a moment, “ let me look at you. I heard about last night. Are you hurt?”

“ I’m fine, mum. I was saved by him.” I pointed towards Nicholas, standing as proud and tall as a statue upon the staircase. Slowly, Mum got up and walked towards him.

He held out his hand, “ Pleasure to meet you, my lady.”

She embraced him immediately afterwards, “Thank you for my son.”

“It was nothing,” he replied, “I live for moments like these.”

~

Fin