Cavall's Three Days of Giving

     “Oh, I think he’s still at the back.” The Aisha tilted her head toward the end of the castle library. “Tell him he may go; he’s already done enough. I’ll give him his Neopoints tomorrow morning, I just have to request his pay from the treasurers.”

     The Grarrl bowed somewhat clumsily. “Thank you, milady.”

     “Are you doing anything for the Day of Giving, Mulligan?” Lisha asked after the Grarrl had taken a few steps.

     “I’m going home for the Day of Giving, but before that, we’re going to have dinner at Theodosia’s. Me, and Cavall, and Philip and Joanna.”

     “Have fun! And take it easy, it’s winter break, after all.”

     Mulligan managed to reach the back of the library without hitting more book carts, shelves, or patrons. There, he found a small Blue Cybunny on a stepladder, placing a few books onto the second-highest shelf.

     “Cavall?”

     The Cybunny turned around while still on the ladder. “Mulli – whoa!” He teetered but grabbed onto the edge of the shelf for balance.

     “You okay?” Mulligan said, already standing beside the ladder with his arms outstretched.

     “Yeah, I’m good, just need to put a few more books back here, in the new classic literature section.” After steadying himself, Cavall held up a volume entitled Cavall and the Thunder Town which had an illustration of a tall, confident Cybunny on the cover striking a heroic pose in front of a village that would not have looked out of place on Darigan Citadel.

     “Hey, it’s Cavall the hero!” the Grarrl exclaimed, before clapping a hand to his mouth. “Oh, sorry. Library. But that’s the guy you were named after, right?”

     “Um…yeah, he is,” said Cavall, smiling awkwardly.

     “There’s a lot of awesome Cavall stories, but…but that’s not why I’m here. Lady Lisha said you can go, you’re good, and she’ll pay you tomorrow for the extra work.” Mulligan goggled at him. “You’ve been running a lot of extra errands lately, offering to do stuff like help with the accounting books and deliver Neopian Times issues to everyone in the castle. But you should be enjoying winter break, ‘cause after that, it’s back to all the page studies and training. And they say Sir Auxentius is always extra cranky after winter break.”

     Cavall hesitated, sliding all the books in his arms onto the shelf before stepping down from the ladder. He glanced around, and even peered through the shelves.

     “I don’t have a gift for Theodosia yet,” he whispered. “There’s this new ladle set she’s had her eye on for a while, but she can’t buy it.” He glanced away sheepishly, his cheeks turning red. “She…she focused on the dinner we’ll be having and doesn’t have any spare Neopoints left over for the set.” Taking a deep breath, the Blue Cybunny set his jaw. “I want to get that set for her, as a Day of Giving present.” He blinked, and hastily added, “B-But don’t tell her, okay? Or anyone else. It’s a secret!”

     “I won’t, trust me.” Mulligan put a finger to his lips. “Still, don’t you want me to help?”

     “But aren’t you going home for the rest of winter break after the dinner?”

     The Shadow Grarrl grinned, baring his sharp teeth; Cavall flinched in surprise. “The knights always need someone to carry stuff around the armoury. I’m sure I can earn a few Neopoints for interior decorating there before I leave for vacation.”

     “That’s true. And those are jobs I can’t do. Still, I…” Cavall folded his arms protectively in front of his chest and frowned. “I have to do this. I can’t repay her enough, for taking me in when I was on the street, allowing me to train as a page so I can become a knight one day…”

     “Hey, Theodosia is one of the best cooks in the castle, and is one of the kindest folks I know,” said Mulligan, putting his hands on Cavall’s shoulders. “And I know you said this would be a secret, but Philip and Joanna would want to be in on this too if they knew. At least let me tell them, okay?”

     “But – “

     “You have friends now, don’t you? That’s why you have friends – so you don’t have to do everything alone!”

     Cavall pondered this for a while, his ears twitching.

     “I…I do have friends.” The Cybunny managed a sheepish chuckle. “We’d have to watch Philip, though. Didn’t Joanna say he’s not too good with secrets?”

     * * *

     The dinner was a success: the hot soup, the roast, the vegetable stir-fry and the simple chocolate walnut cake were obliterated with four hungry kids at Theodosia’s table.

     “Happy Day of Giving, and thanks again for inviting us!” a Green Zafara gushed, smiling as she gave Cavall a wrapped present. He beamed right back, knowing that from the touch and feel of the gift, it was a book. Likely, it was the one that he had asked to borrow from her once. “Miss Theodosia, I’ll have your present delivered in a few days, if that’s okay? My family’s orchard had a super good harvest this year, they were swamped with orders.”

     “That’s no problem at all, Joanna. Thank you, child,” said the Red Elephante, patting her on the head. “And oh, is this a whole basket of sweet treats from Philip?”

     The Brown Moehog nodded. “Yup! All the way from the Chocolate Factory in Neopia Central! Those Neopia Central folks can be a bit weird, though.”

     “Hey, I have relatives there,” Joanna objected.

     “And from Mulligan…”

     “It’s a wooden figure of Cavall, the hero!” Cavall exclaimed, beaming as he held it up. “The paint job is amazing, and it’s got real clothes!”

     Mulligan rubbed the back of his neck. “Heh, I thought of you when I saw it. And I was kinda out of ideas for – oof!”

     Cavall flung himself against the Shadow Grarrl and whispered, “Thank you. And thanks for reminding me, that I’m not alone anymore.”

     Joanna and Philip joined in for a group hug before the Zafara announced, “Okay, we’ve hung around long enough, let’s go and give Cavall and Miss Theodosia some space. Besides, my ride will be picking me up tomorrow morning.”

     “You three will be okay walking back to the castle by yourselves?” Theodosia glanced out the window; it had begun to snow lightly on the grass and cobblestones, and the sky was already a deep, dark shade of blue.

     “Don’t worry about us, we won’t get lost,” said Philip, grabbing his coat from the rack and tossing Mulligan his. “Especially not Mulligan, the big guy.”

     “Hey!”

     “Well…Philip is right. If we get separated, we just need to find you.”

     Mulligan blushed as his three friends giggled. “I’m not gonna let either of you out of my sight anyway.”

     “See you after winter break, Cavall!” said Joanna as she ushered Philip and Mulligan out of Theodosia’s cottage. “Thank you for the dinner, and for all those stories from the castle kitchens!”

     “Take care and see you soon!” Theodosia called, waving as the pages stepped out of the cottage. She and Cavall stood on the doorstep waving and watching until a chill wind rose up and blew into their faces, prompting them to scramble back inside and shut the door behind them. A sprinkling of snow spun inside, slowly melting into a puddle from the warmth radiating from the fireplace.

     The Red Elephante promptly moved to clear the table, and shook her head when she saw Cavall move to grab the plates first.

     “Oh, dear, I can handle this. Enjoy the presents from your friends, you look like you’re itching to have a good rest, maybe read that book from Joanna.” Theodosia chuckled softly, but her fond smile flickered into something sadder.

     Cavall stepped away from the table to gather his presents and frowned. “What is it? Theodosia?”

     “It’s nothing.”

     “Did I do something wrong?” he said automatically. “Were we – was I – too noisy? Did we make too much of a mess? I really don’t mind helping – “

     Theodosia carried the tableware and the cutlery to the sink, but instead of running the water, she turned back to face him, hands tucked into her pinafore.

     “You did absolutely nothing wrong. I’m very happy you had fun with your friends and enjoyed the dinner. And I’m so happy you bought that ladle set for me.” She glanced down at her feet. “You didn’t have to, and yet you and your friends raised the money. Oh, I don’t deserve it, Cavall.”

     “What? But – “

     “Remember when we went to that clothes shop? You wanted that new coat in your favourite shade of blue – the blue of a clear sky at noon. Well, I actually had some money tucked away for your Day of Giving present, but…” Theodosia’s voice trailed off, and she sniffed. “It wasn’t enough, and someone bought it, before I could raise more. Look at you, doing what I couldn’t, giving me a wonderful gift and here I am with nothing for you.”

     The Blue Cybunny set his presents down on the old couch, approached her, and reached out to take her hands even though they were still in her pinafore pockets.

     “No,” he said softly, and leaned against her. “I did want that coat, but…I wanted…I wanted to spend the Day of Giving with you, more. Because you took me in, I didn’t have to be alone. That’s better than any present.”

     Theodosia’s words caught in her throat, and she embraced him tightly.

     “You’re too kind. Thank you, Cavall. But just so you know, I’ll still be looking for a coat like that. You do need one.”

     As the Elephante pulled one hand out of her pinafore to get a handkerchief and dab at her eyes, Cavall found himself blinking back tears.

     Better than any present.

     His mouth moved up into a smile as he buried his face into her front.

     This is better than any present. And better than watching my parents leave me behind again to celebrate the Day of Giving elsewhere, all to keep me shut away from the real world…

     No. I guess I’m not kind after all. Theodosia still doesn’t know that.

     “You can leave the tidying up to me. Relax. Tomorrow I’ll make your favourite breakfast, and if it’s not too cold out, we can go to the market. Who knows, we could find a nice coat at a cheaper price.”

     Cavall nodded in agreement as he broke away from her and retreated into his bedroom. While it did not have a four-poster bed, or all the books and toys that he wanted, the window, at least, did not have vines crawling over it, or a tree branch draped over it, to hide his existence from the world. The Blue Cybunny looked out the window and watched the gentle flurry, wondering if his friends had already returned to the castle.

     Glancing over his shoulder at the door, he crossed his room toward his bedside table – sparsely furnished with a simple lamp, and a book next to it that he had borrowed from Meridell Castle’s library. Slowly he opened the drawer, and pushed away the pens, parchments, and the small worn-out toys that had come to populate it.

     Beneath all the knickknacks was a gold medallion with a fancy “W” over a diamond and bisected by a sword. Cavall touched it and shuddered at the cold metal.

     Maybe this should have been my Day of Giving present to Theodosia. Telling her the truth about me. So I can really help her, in my own way. But…if she found out, if my friends and my teachers and everyone at Meridell Castle found out…

     Cavall covered the medallion again with everything in his drawer and shut it with a decisive snap.

      Sorry, Theodosia. I’ll have to be Cavall a little longer, but one day, I’ll tell you everything.

     But for now…I don’t want to ruin our first Day of Giving together.

To be continued…