House of Bull

“Aye, I - I come-in to meet-in my father-in.  I have-in my paper-in?  You know-,” she swallowed hard.  “You know him.”

The soldier’s kindness deepened seeing the usual look of a breeding paper as she carefully unfolded its weathered material.  “Your birth father,” he said ignoring the next wagon as the other soldiers were dealing with its entrance.

“He is a soldier-in,” she said trying not to talk with that accent.  She brushed her hair back.  “I know I am messy-in.”

He stood at her side to see the paper she held.  He read the sire’s name and hesitated.  “I know that name,” he thought aloud.  “Arius Venton Moore?” He had her elbow and wanted her to walk with him toward a guard’s shed.  “I have heard that name.  At the university, they have an entire registry of names.  They help Lost Ones find their families.  I’ve heard that name,” he repeated.

“My father-in is Commander-in Bull.  Arius-Venton-Moore.”

He straightened.  “Yes,” came out of him.  His smile calmed her.  He left her for only the time it took to go to a shack and look at an old paper nailed to the wall.  “Arius Venton Moore!” he read and stabbed the paper with his finger.  “I have to take you to him.  He’d be mad if I didn’t.  It’s early.  They might still be at home.  Joe,” he called to another soldier.  “Write me down on a city pass.”  He waited for her to store her paper carefully in her clothing.  He touched her elbow and walked her through the archway of thick stone.  The soldier named Joe stepped out of the shack after staring where this soldier had read a notice.  “It’s true,” her soldier told him.

She wanted to walk fast like him, but her bloodied feet and bad shoes were hindering her.  He took her down a main street.  He turned her to one that was narrower.  “This-in… go to the palace-in?” she asked.

“They don’t live at the palace, Miss.  I don’t know your name?”

“Tootie,” she answered not realizing that she had been sobbing.  “I am so excite-in.”

He took her around a corner to a quiet street.  Children were playing a stone game.  The buildings were narrow and tall with stores and shops on the street level and what looked like homes on the upper levels.  Tootie slowed.  She was getting confused and suspicious.  Was he taking her to some quiet spot to beat and rob her?

“Meade’s store,” he pointed.  “They have a home over that store.  See it, it’s blue and white?  I swear that is where they live.”

Tootie found it with her eyes.  White lace curtains were flapping out an open window on the second floor.  As they came to an alley way, she saw white painted stairs going up the side of the building.  The soldier wanted her to go with him to the stairs.  Tootie’s feet slowed to a stop.  There was a blue and white board hanging from the banister on the landing.  “H---- of Bull.”  She covered her mouth.  Her feet would not move.

The soldier left her gesturing her to wait right there.  He went up the stairs.  Tootie moved back till the building stopped her retreat.  The door was open.  He knocked on the wall.  “Commander?  Miss Chancey?”

My sister-in, her mind gasped as a beautiful young woman came into sight.  Tootie was trembling.  If not for the wall behind her, she could have fallen straight back and been swallowed up by the earth.  I am here.

The soldier was whispering.

“Lost one?” the woman glanced down.  “Holy,” she gasped seeing how terribly thin and ill the woman looked.  She hurried the soldier down before he could explain who Tootie was.  “My God,” she was saying as she swung around the bottom of the stairs.  “What’s her name?” she asked over her shoulder as she came to Tootie.

“Tootie,” the soldier answered.  “Miss Chancey,” he began wanting to explain for the now terrified woman who was mumbling about being too messy and something about a flowered hat.

“Tootie,” Chancey touched her hair back.  “My God,” Chancey lowered the woman to s