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The ride back to Lord Stanwix's mansion wasn't as uncomfortable as Sydney had expected. The cart had several towels and blankets placed in the back for him to lie upon to protect him from the rough wood planks and the bumps and jostles of rocks under the wheels. The pain killer that the doctor had given him was also partly responsible as well he assumed.

Said doctor did her best to tend to his smaller injuries on the trip, sitting in the back with him while applying poultice to his cuts and scratches while bandaging the worse ones. The tall, muscled Human and bull Surid walked along behind them obediently while Lord Stanwix himself drove the cart, occasionally looking over his shoulder at his passengers.

Sydney was able to see the impressive structure of Stanwix Manor grow ever larger as they approached. Tall towers and impressive turrets lined the top of the strangely inviting facade the fortification had. Hundreds of windows, some with flower boxes lined the walls reflecting the evening sunshine back towards them.

It truly appeared more like a castle than an old family mansion. Sadly from his position in the cart he was unable to see the immaculately manicured gardens and laws that surrounded them upon their approach. Secretly he hoped he would be able to spend some time amongst the blooms and lush, neatly tended to flora during his time at Stanwix Manor.

As expected, he was carried in to the doctor's room as soon as they arrived at the large estate house. The large bull and human carrying him carefully between them through the hallways, not letting his drooping left foot touch the floor once. They laid him down gently on the operating table, taking care to prevent causing more discomfort than required and even placed him down in such a way that his tail would lay between his legs.

“Clear ze room," The doctor ordered more to the two male workers and Lord Stanwix than to any of the medical staff already in attendance. She walked over towards Sydney, pulling on a pair of gloves and had donned a face mask before she was in Sydney's view once more “Nurse, administer ze sedatives please."

Another female human appeared at Sydney's head with a face mask on and the fox felt a pinch in his neck. Almost immediately his eyes started to droop, darkness creeping in at the edges of his vision till finally, they closed.

Memories of his recent past mixed with images his imagination invented became a twisted reality for Sydney. One moment he was looking down at his bleeding stump of a leg, everything was black and white except for the ever rising tide of blood that flowed from his stump. Despite the fact he should have been in extreme crippling pain, he felt nothing but the warmth of the welling crimson surrounding him.

A moment later he was passionately kissing Lord Stanwix. In the sea of vivid red, the sound of his heart pumping out his life essence filled the silence around them. With each thump and beat the sound got louder and tide rose with a surge, drumming and thudding with greater and greater intensity, echoing around the pair till it resembled the sound of the explosion that had stolen his leg.

As it covered his eyes he was suddenly not in that position any longer and was chasing after the missing segment of his leg, the offending limb always staying one hop out of his reach leaving bloody paw-print splats each time it landed. How he was running he couldn't determine but, he was running.

Eventually he tripped and fell, and kept falling. The face of Euan surrounded him after a blink of his eyes, glaring down on him with murderous intent but now laughing maniacally. His gun was the size of a battleship cannon instead of the rifle it had been, fuse burning and aimed right at his chest. When the fuse hit the barrel, the explosion was the same as when the bomb had gone off but so much louder than it had ever truly been.

Sydney jolted awake, eyes bleary but cleared quickly revealing a ceiling he didn't recognise. Painted white with an ornate, tastefully finished, filigree surrounding a delicate and expensive looking chandelier. Every fine detail upon the ceiling screamed of opulence and wealth however it was handled with exquisite taste and wasn't overwhelming.

His attention was then drawn to the bed upon which he was laid. He was in the centre of a the large piece of furniture that was easily three times larger than any he had ever slept in before. The sheets were fine silk, with an elaborate antique quilt laid atop. The pillows behind his head, much like the rest of the bed, were soft as if they had been stuffed with the most fluffy of feathers or wool. It all made his own, usually silky smooth silky fur, feel rough in comparison. He tried to sit up and realised that his lower body felt lighter than he ever remembered it being.

Tossing the blankets off of himself he discovered he was naked and quickly reminded of his condition. He gave a whine as he looked down at his heavily bandaged leg, missing from the knee down. It was rounded off, probably from the doctor having operating on him to close it off. Bandages covered the rest of his body, concealing the smaller injuries he possessed.

He was drawn from his self inspection vocalising a yelp when the door opened and he pulled the sheets back over himself to attempt some form of modesty. The human maid who had been stepping into the room stopped abruptly, eyes wide as her brown eyes met his before withdrawing quickly upon realising he was awake.

“What in the...?" he asked softly watching the door click closed. He tried once again to sit up, finally managing an awkward reclined position as the door opened once more. Through the now open portal walked Lord Stanwix confidently followed closely behind by the female doctor who had seen to him in the forest.

“Ahh sleeping beauty is awake." the male human said with a smile as the doctor walked over to him. She wrenched the sheets off of the fox to start inspecting his leg with no more ceremony than one would turn a page in a book.

“I had to have you under for longer zan ve had initially expected," she said as she picked at his bandages gently making sure it was still tightly secured “Ve had to remove ze remaining bone from below ze joint und stitch clozed vat vas left after it vas trimmed und neatened up."

“We have already begun work on a prosthetic for you," Stanwix chimed in drawing Sydney's attention away from the doctor's inspections “It will take a few weeks for you to fully heal, then we can get final measurements for fitting. In the mean time, we have a wheelchair available to help you get around the estate."

“Hovever you are to remain in zis bed until tomorrow at ze least," the doctor asserted firmly pulling the sheets back over Sydney's lap to give him back some modesty, even if it was too late now to prevent Lord Stanwix from seeing anything “you have just voken from extensive surgery und lost a large amount of blood."

“Yes doctor," Sydney replied nodding “Thank you, for saving me." she smiled and just shrugged.

“It is mine job," she said “Mine name is Olya Valdislavov, you may call me Doctor Olya. I vill send a nurse to change ze bandages later."

“Thank you Olya, I will be down to consult on the prosthetic later this afternoon," Stanwix said informatively as she walked out. She simply waved a hand in reply before closing the door behind her.

“You don't need to remain here with me Lord," Sydney said breaking the pregnant silence after the click of the door closing “I'm sure you must be busy."

“Nonsense," the human retorted jovially and a dismissive hand wave. He sat with graceful style in one of the plush and expensive looking fan-back chair that sat to one side of the room, “For today at the least, you are a guest in my home and I am your host; It would be remiss of me to leave you without company."

“Thank you, Lord." Sydney replied with a smile, tail wagging minutely under the sheets.

Breakfast was brought in not long after; a generous serving of bacon, eggs, toast and fried mushrooms sat on the decorated white plate atop a tray which was gently placed on Sydney's lap. He was quick to tell them he didn't need help eating as the maid went to start cutting up his food for him. “Only my leg is crippled, I can still use my arms." he had asserted rousing a chuckle from Lord Stanwix and the maid who left promptly afterwards.

Conversation was bright and light hearted as they ate, Sydney doing his best to remember his manners. They conversed about the estate, the gardens and about every other time that one of Euan's traps had gone off. Lord Stanwix asserted that usually his crude devices killed a deer or vaporised a hare, which was an irritation to the owner of the property. It was just poor luck that it had happened to be Sydney who suffered the side effects of the lord's negligence and be the first non animal victim.

As they sat their plates to one side, there was a pause in conversation that felt uncomfortable to the fox. He looked out the windows to the gardens and the forest beyond where he had been so badly injured. There was occasionally a gardener that would wander through the scene, working on the manicured beds, trimming here and there or pulling weeds.

“If I may ask Lord... what tasks would be required of me as your personal servant?" Sydney finally spoke up breaking the silence. The human gave a chuckle, smiling warmly as his own attention was drawn away from the windows.

“Ah thinking of the future already hmm?" he inquired mirthfully “I admire the eagerness, already showing promise young Surid. Very well, you will be required to help rouse me and dress in the mornings and undress at night, ensure my apartments are clean, open doors for me or my guests when I have any in attendance, although you will be staying near me at all times in those events unless I instruct otherwise, and finally to keep on top of my schedule."

“That... doesn't seem too bad..." Sydney admitted flatly looking a little surprised.

“Well you will also need to deal with the general running of the estate on top of that," Lord Stanwix added resting back into his chair, watching Sydney's expressions with great interest“The Housekeeper, Butler, Cook, Head Gardener, Gamekeeper and Farm manager will all answer to you."

“Are you really ok with giving such a role to a... a Surid?" Sydney asked a little taken back by all the power he was being given with the position “You...you don't even know if I have the skills required for it... or if I am trustworthy enough..."

“I am sure you will learn as you go, it won't be as hard as it appears. They will mostly handle themselves, however they will need to report to you once a week and if you believe anything requires changing or immediate attention you will have the ability to order such at any time." the human responded before he stood, walking to the window to gaze out upon the lawns and hedges.

“As for the question," he piped up after a few seconds of contemplation “I am sure there are plenty of others I could give the position to, however I have chosen you. I have always believed in trusting others and giving everyone a chance. I have already commissioned clothing to fit your position; it should be delivered by the end of the day. Starting tomorrow you will begin some of your tasks. I do not expect you to be making any trips to the farm or around the estate for inspections any time soon, especially to the upper floors, however that doesn't mean you can't take meetings with the heads of staff."

“Y...Yes lord, I understand." the fox replied with a nod.

“I already have a request I desire for you to make to the grounds keeper," Lord Stanwix said turning around to face him and walk to the foot of the bed “I wish for the solarium to be replanted, the flowers they have planted in there are inappropriate for the location. I would like them to be replaced with ferns and other such plants to replace them. I would also like the fountain in there to be drained and given a full scrub clean. Can you remember that?"

“It may be easier if I could take it down as a note, but yes my lord, I can remember that." Sydney answered nodding his tail wagging a little under the sheets.

“Good boy," was the praise he received causing his tail to start beating a swifter tempo between the bed and sheets “I know it is a simple request, call it a test to see if you can fill the metaphorical shoes I have given you. Sadly now, I must leave you alone. If you require anything there is a bell by the bed and a maid should be here soon to collect the dishes."

***

The rest of the day was fairly peaceful for Sydney. A maid did indeed come in and take the dirty dishes and he requested if he might get a book he may be able to read. She returned some minutes later with a book for him which was a tome on etiquette and of what was expected for the different servants within a house such as Stanwix Manor. He read it with a keen hunger, taking in every word on each page. His eagerness for the knowledge could have been likened to a starving man introduced to a buffet.

Such was his apatite for the knowledge within the manual that he never noticed when the door opened and Lord Stanwix looked in to check on him. The human smiled watching him knowing his choice in book for the young Surid to read had been the right one.

Lunch and then dinner came and went, and while he did pause his reading for both meals, he didn't stop till it was too dark to continue. By then he had read the book again, studying everything twice before he was forced to stop. He didn't want to request a maid light a lantern or candles for him and settled into the bed to sleep after placing the book carefully down on the bedside table.

He woke early the next day, pain from his leg waking him as he shifted in the bed. However instead of letting this get him down, after giving a loud yawn he sat up with eagerness for the day to begin.

A maid walked in not long after he awoke, surprised to see him already roused and sitting upright in bed. She was pushing a wheelchair with his new uniform on it, folded neatly with a brush atop. Directly behind her was a nurse carrying a bowl of hot soapy water, a sponge and a towel.

“Ah yer awake wee sprog," the nurse greeted with a strong Irish sounding accent that somehow made him feel at ease. She stepped over to the bed as the maid opened the curtains, flooding the room with bright, warm early morning sunshine “I'm Nurse Katie Donohoe, but everyone calls me Katie. Now, were 'ere to help ye get washed up an dressed."

“Um... c...couldn't they have sent males to help me?" he asked a bashfully. The two females looked to each other then started laughing. It took them a few moments to gather themselves before Katie began speaking again.

“If we 'ad any male nurses I'd be surprised," she said warmly “Ifen you're embarrassed about all this, think nothin of it, we're both married and 'ave seen the likes o what you got down there."

He sighed and simply nodded raising his hands to let them pull the sheets away exposing him to the cool crisp morning air. They set to work quickly, sponging him down with the hot soapy water before wiping him dry. The maid took over while nurse Katie changed the bandages on his leg, both working diligently and swiftly. She returned to cleaning him over again briefly to wash his leg thoroughly before re-wrapping the stump delicately.

Once done they helped him pull on his new clothing; a comfortable set of undergarments, a pair of black dress pants that stopped at his knees and a black dress jacket that was left open at the front, apparently at the lords request.

“You probably have the lightest uniforms of all the staff ye know?" Katie finally said once they had him dressed “Per the lord wants te show off ye fur, speaking of, this is fer you." she handed over a pewter handled hairbrush. It was probably more expensive than anything he had ever owned before and he couldn't believe he was being GIVEN it.

“Lord Stanwix 'as a sayin “Treat those below ye as ye wish to be treated, give them the best an you ye shall get the best"" she quoted with a smile “seems 'e 'as great hopes fer ye." he simply nodded and smiled, tail wagging as he tested it on his arm, his fur losing its messy look and smoothing out.

“Now, will ye be needin help gettin around?" she asked helping him into the wheelchair “Or ye think ye can manage?"

“I think I can manage, as long as someone can help me with doors." he responded, tail still wagging as he tested the chair. He had so much to do, the day to embrace, so much that he looked forward to the prospect of it all filled him with a strange giddiness. First stop however, he wanted to see the gardens, even it was only from the doorstep.