The Falcon's Begining by Charlene Toomey (best management books of all time .TXT) 📕

falcon was mentioned. He had just let her go, and already he wanted her back.
“Thank you, Lady Larissa. I will miss her greatly.” The look of compassion on his face was enough to move Larissa to tears, but she kept a grip on herself and smiled.
“I’m sure she’ll come back to you, Rafael.” She whispered softly to him, looking down at the ground. She did not see the smile on his face, or the soft look he gave her.
“Thank you, M’Lady. I can only hope.” His voice was barely above a whisper, but Larissa still heard him, smiling gently. He held out his arm for her then, smiling brightly. “Would you mind if I escorted you to the gardens for tea? I noticed my brother was a little on edge.” Larissa nodded, taking his arm gently as he led her down the stairs.
5
Tea, for once, was tense. Rebecca, Larissa, Xavier, and Rafael all sat around the small table in the center of the gardens, the maid’s surrounding them as well, each holding a platter in hand. Rebecca clapped her hands together, and the platters were set in front of the four. The lids lifted, revealing fresh scones and jam. “Now. Have you two decided on a date for the wedding yet?” Rebecca turned to her daughter, expecting Larissa to speak first, but was shocked when Xavier spoke up.
“Actually, I was hoping for sometime soon. I’m going crazy not having Larissa by my side at every moment.” He looked like a fool in love, and Larissa openly rolled her eyes.
“You speak as if you’re so in love with me.” She grimaced before she rolled up her right sleeve, showing off the bruises he had left earlier. “Someone who loves me would not have done this. Someone who loves me would not accuse me of having another man’s child!” There was pure anger in her voice as she pushed back her chair, storming through the gardens.
Rebecca looked shocked, glaring at Xavier. “You, need to get out. Now. Gather your things and get out of my house. If you ever come back, the Guard will hear of it.” Xavier looked furious as he stood.
“You, and your adulterous daughter have not heard the last of me!” He turned then, storming back into the house to gather his things while Rafael sighed, rubbing his temples.
“Please, forgive him. We all know what type of man he is.” He said softly, watching Rebecca nod. “I’ll go see if Larissa is alright.” He said as he stood, walking further into the gardens. “Larissa?” His voice was quiet, as if he did not want anyone else to hear him. A chirping bird to his left made him turn his head, and a smile instantly crossed his lips. Sitting on a marble bench next to the large fountain, was his falcon. “Well hullo there, Little Falcon.” He made the few steps to her and held out his arm, watching as the falcon jumped onto his arm. “You know, you remind me of someone, and I think it’s time I gave you a name.” The falcon gave a squawk before she tilted her head, listening carefully to Rafe. “I shall call you Larissa. I don’t know what it is about you, Little Falcon, but you remind me of the Lady more and more each day.” Larissa tensed a bit. He thought there was a similarity, but he did not know the truth and that was all that mattered.
She gave a small squawk, which made Rafe smile a bit; he stroked the feathers on her head gently. “I’m wasting time, Little Falcon; I’m supposed to be finding the Lady. She ran off a while ago. My brother offended her in a way I would rather not mention.” Larissa gave a nod of the head, showing that she understood, before she flapped her wings, taking off into the air. Her wing still bothered her, but she was trying her best not to feel the pain as she landed in a nearby tree, watching as Rafe scanned the gardens for her human self.
She shifted quickly, shimmying down the tree trunk before dropping onto the ground, fixing the hat on her head so her bangs were not showing. She bent down as soon as she heard footsteps, acting as if she were smelling her roses. “Lady Larissa?” Larissa turned her head to the sound, smiling softly at Rafe before looking back down at her flowers. “I’m deeply sorry for my brother’s behavior back there. I don’t know what’s gotten into him.” He spoke with a sigh before Larissa stood, nodding her head towards him.
“Thank you, Rafael, for your concern. But I’m fine, really. The bruises are nothing, and it was not the first time he had accused me of something so absurd and horrible.” She said simply as she ran her fingers delicately over the top petals of her white roses. Those had been hard to find this late in the year.
“The bruises…May I see them?” His voice was gentle, but Larissa was a bit hesitant. It took her a while to nod, holding out the bruised arm and slowly lifting the sleeve. The fingerprints were clear on her arm, and Rafe ran his finger tips gently over the purpled flesh. “I’m so sorry, Lady Larissa. I am glad he’s gone now. I would not wish this sort of harm on any Lady, especially one as kind and gentle as you.” The comment made Larissa blush, but she turned her head so he would not see it. It was not proper to blush at another man when you were betrothed, though she had a feeling her mother would cancel it right away.
“Would…You escort me back to the manor? I’m afraid I’m not feeling very well.” She said gently. It was strange. Her heart had begun to flutter, and she felt her breath leaving her. She wondered if she was actually coming down with something, she had never felt that before. At his nod, she took his extended arm gently, letting him take her back through the servant’s door of the house, leading her slowly up the stairs and into her room, where Candice was awaiting her with her breakfast.
6
“Does it hurt terribly?!” A small girl in a pale blue cotton dress sat on the edge of Larissa’s bed, her hands folded in her lap. Her hair was the same odd color as Larissa’s, the only difference being that there was no blue or purple in the bangs yet.
“No, Sienna. It does not hurt at all, actually.” Larissa tried to put on her brightest smile for her younger sister. Sienna was the only other child in the family who had the ability to shift into a falcon, though Larissa never really understood why. Her other two sisters looked exactly like their mother, and her brother much like their father. “Just hope that it will never happen to you, Little Falcon.” She said gently, patting her younger sister’s head. The words made her freeze, though, remembering the countless occasions when Rafael Lanther had called her the exact same thing.
“Are you going to tell him? About us?” The question made Larissa gasp a bit, her head whipping around so she could stare directly at the younger girl.
“Of course not! It would ruin us! It would ruin you! I could not do that to you, sweetling. You have not even reached the marrying age yet. If I were to tell, the whole world would know, and you would never get a decent husband, and you deserve the best life you can get.” The smile on her face was bright as a knock came at the door. “Enter.” She said a bit regally. She quickly smoothed her dress, Sienna doing the same thing. She was only twelve, but she knew what it meant to be a young and proper Lady.
The door opened slowly, Rafael peeking his head in. “I’m sorry for the intrusion, but I came to inquire if you two would like to accompany me into the town. Your mother asked me to pick up the weeks produce, and suggested you come along.” He had a smile on his face, almost as big as Larissa’s. Both girls’s nodded their heads, almost jumping off of the bed before they composed themselves. They grabbed their hats from the small table by Larissa’s window, placing them on their heads. Larissa had hidden her bangs with a silver comb, so that no one would see them with her hat off. Rafe held the door open for them, watching as the two girls filed out, giggling softly to each other as they moved down the stairs, only to be greeted by an unwanted presence.
“Well don’t you two look lovely? I see you’re still wearing my gift, Larissa.” Larissa’s arm went out, instinctively pushing Sienna behind her. “Oh, come now. No need for that. I just came to collect my brother.”
A glare was set on Larissa’s face as she held her ground. “Rafael was invited to stay. He showed no one here such disrespect.” Xavier looked as if he would strike, but his face calmed when he saw his brother coming down the stairs. “Leave. You know what will happen if you return.” She said with anger in her voice. He simply nodded, turning to leave. He made a quick exit as he hopped into his carriage, the driver taking off at dangerous speeds.
“Larissa, Sienna, are you two alright? He didn’t hurt either of you, did he?” The concern in Rafe’s voice made Larissa smile as she shook her head.
“Nope! Larissa took care of him, she did!” Sienna’s small voice was full of giggles as she hugged her elder sister’s arm, smiling brightly before Rafe nodded, leading them both out to the carriage. “Thank you for inviting me as well, Lord Lanther.” Sienna spoke softly as she was helped into the carriage. She sat next to Larissa, directly across from the male.
“No need for thanks, Small Lady, you seemed as if you needed a day out of that stuffy old house.” He gave her a wink, which made the child burst into more giggles. Rafe flashed a quick smile to Larissa before turning back to the little girl. “So, Small Lady. Where would you like to go this fine afternoon?” He asked with a tilt of the head.
Sienna’s face lit up immediately. “There’s a wonderful little shop that sells the cutest trinkets! I would love to look for a gift for mother!” the joy of childhood was in her voice, and Larissa could not help but smile at it. An arm wrapped around the younger girl as she hugged her gently, kissing the side of her head. “What about you Rissa? Where do you want to go?”
Larissa blushed at the use of her old nickname, but shrugged slightly. “There’s a man who sells books on the street side. We have wonderful conversations about the strangest things. Just last week he told me of a group of people who can change into an animal whenever they like. Wouldn’t that be just wonderful?” Her voice was full of excitement, but mostly, she shifted her eyes so she could gauge Rafe’s reaction. His face did not change at all.
“It does actually sound marvelous. If I had the choice, I’d turn into something clever, but gentle, like some sort of wild cat.” His voice was thoughtful as he stared out of the carriage window.
“If I could choose, I would turn into a Falcon. They’re so majestic and free, and I would love to be able to just fly on the wind whenever I could.” Her voice was soft, but she knew both people in the carriage could hear her. Sienna gave her a firm stomp to the