Chapter 70:
What are Your Intentions?
"I already told you how I felt about this, Theo." Alywin said with an annoyed huff, crossing his arms indignantly. Though Theo had anticipated Alywin's response when he snuck to Alywin's room for an impromptu meeting, he still could not help but feel annoyed at Alywin's lack of concern at the looming danger.
"How could you be so foolish?" Theo asked, running a hand down his hardened, angered face, "There's rumors going around about Malcolm's return. It won't be much longer until he's here, and then there will be no way out for you."
"So, what then? I leave Clarence to get killed." Alywin stepped towards Theo, his hands reaching out and resting on Theo's tense arm, "Please Theo, I need your help. I can't do this alone." Theo paused for a moment, staring at the small, smooth hand that he had become so familiar with in the years he had known Alywin. Theo's eyes softened for a moment, until he sighed and shook off Alywin's hand.
"I don't care about Clarence." Theo said sharply, his tone cold and bitter, "I didn't save Clarence from the streets when he was just a kid, I didn't risk my life repeatedly so Clarence could be safe, and I definitely didn't give up everything I had to make sure Clarence was safe when he was ripped from the streets and taken in by his father who didn't want him. So no, I don't care if Clarence dies or lives."
As Alywin listened to Theo, his eyes narrowed into little slits and his breath sharpened. Alywin stood in silence for a minute, as if collecting his thoughts, then he said slowly, evenly, "Do you know who was here for me when you left for all those years? When I had to survive in a place with everyone trying to kill me? It was Clarence. He was the one who looked out for me when my father tried to have me killed, or when the other nobles tried to run me out of the kingdom. He was the only one who spoke to me, or protected me from everyone's constant abuse. The only reason I'm only standing here in front of you, is because of him. I won't leave him when he needs me most. If you can't understand that, then you don't care about me as much as you say you do." Alywin's tone was eerily calm, though his eyes betrayed his intense anger, "If you won't help me, then I don't need you. So go. And don't come back."
"You don't mean that." Theo said coolly, his anger lessening as he listened to Alywin, "You know I won't leave your side."
Alywin's slitted eyes slid over Theo's tall, imposing frame, "I meant every word."
"Alywin." Theo responded, his voice becoming quiet.
"I don't want to speak to you right now." Alywin said between pursed lips, "I'm leaving."
Theo wanted to stop Alywin, but before he could reach out his hand to stop the young man, Alywin had already turned on his heel and walked to the door, throwing it open with a push of his hand as he stepped out, stomping away from the room before Theo could attempt to reconcile with him anymore.
What has he done to you, to change you so much? Theo thought, his fists clenching at his sides.
…
Olicia attempted to take in any breath she could muster as she ran with all her might, her arms wildly swinging at her sides as she tried to maintain some type of rhythm. Her face flushed in fear and exhaustion as she whipped her head over her shoulder, trying to see if her pursuers were still following her. Though she could not see anyone behind her, she knew they were not far behind, and to stop to catch a breath would be a death sentence.
At least they didn't see my face. Olicia tried to reassure herself as she turned a corner, looking for anywhere to hide. Unfortunately, the path she had taken was taking her to the palace garden, and there were very few rooms along the path. With no other choice, she ran as fast as her shaking legs would carry her to the palace garden.
She periodically turned her head as she continued to run, not seeing her pursuers, but sensing they were beginning to catch up to her slowing pace. Their footsteps gradually began to grow louder behind her, and the pressure behind her grew to an almost unbearable point. There was no questioning, but rather knowing if she was found, her life would come to an abrupt, violent end.
Cordelia was insane enough to kill her, or have someone else do it for her, Olicia now knew. What else would Cordelia do? She could not rely on Olicia's word that she would not tell anyone. The only thing Olicia could do was run and pray she did not get caught.
Sagara was right, Olicia thought as she squeezed her eyes shut, There is no turning back now. As soon as I agreed to help Charlotte, I signed my own death warrant.
As cool air blasted Olicia's face as she ran out into the garden, she felt the urge to cry. The garden was eerily silent in the quiet early morning, only broken up by Olicia's heavy panting, and the sounds of footsteps behind her. She was too exhausted to run much further, and there was nowhere else to hide. She could try to hide in the bushes, but most were too small to hide her completely, and the dent that she would leave in the bush would reveal her position immediately. And, strangely, there was no one in the garden. Not even a patrolling guard or a servant. The only hope she had was that she could lose her pursuers in the garden maze in the middle of the garden. She herself did not know the layout of the maze, but she hoped that her pursuers also did not, and, if nothing else, it would give her a moment to catch her breath and rest her shaking legs.
Footsteps growing louder behind her caused her to push herself to her absolute limit as she sprinted into the maze, breaking through the maze with a panicked breath. She did not even stop to look around her, she just continued to run, taking random turns and corners, and biting down screams in frustration when she ran into a dead end. She would run into many dead ends in her endless panic, which would force her to stop and turn around, silently praying to whoever would listen that her pursuers would not be waiting for her as she turned around.
Each time, she was alone.
Still, Olicia kept going, taking more turns and corners until she stumbled in the dirt trail and fell to the ground, smacking her head on the ground and causing her to gasp loudly in shock. As she heard a voice say something not far from her, she tried to stand, but her legs kept giving out on her every time she attempted to stand, throwing her back onto the ground.
As Olicia took a deep breath, willing her legs to work, to let her run further so she may have a chance at living, she heard footsteps come up behind her. Tears sprung to Olicia's eyes as she looked all around her for anything she could use to protect herself, but there was nothing but bushes and leaves. And, though she did not want to say it, she was so tired from running, she had no strength to fight someone off. Olicia began to shake as she turned her head to look behind her, to the people who had been pursuing her since she had eavesdropped.
I'm so stupid. Olicia thought as she turned her tired head, I should have minded my own business. And now I'm going to die.
"I was wondering who was making all that racket." An annoyed voice huffed out.
At the sound of the familiar voice, Olicia turned her head completely to face the person following her. Standing before her, arms crossed and a scowl across his face, was Marquis Cyneric.
"What?" Olicia asked, attempting to turn her body with her head, but her shaking arms refused to cooperate, leaving her laying limply in the dirt, "What are you doing here?"
"I should be asking you that! You do realize the sun is just rising, right?" Alywin snapped, watching Olicia closely, as he looked down at her disapprovingly, "And why are you just laying there? Is that something people from your country commonly do?"
"Help me up, you idiot!" Olicia snapped, her breath quickening as she heard more footsteps approaching, "Quick, or they'll kill both of us!"
Alywin's eyes widened for a moment as his face flashed in shock, but he quickly controlled it as he hurried behind Olicia and grabbed her firmly on the arms, dragging her up with a strong pull.
"We need to hide!" Olicia whispered, her hands gripping Alywin's shirt as she attempted to catch her footing. Alywin tsked in annoyance as he looked around for somewhere for them to hide, and tsked again when there was nowhere around them to hide. Surrounding them were high walls of bushes, unforgiving in their stance and unmovable. Yet hidden among the high bushes was a small, circular clearing a few hundred feet in front of them. It housed a small, stone gazebo with two benches that faced each other. It was a place that weary maze explorers would use when they wanted to rest, and it was immaculately cared for, so much so it did not show signs of wear.
"How dangerous are these people? And how many are following you?" Alywin asked, dragging Olicia forward as she forced her fumbling legs to move.
"I don't know how many there are, but I heard something I shouldn't have, so whoever they are, they're dangerous." Olicia shakily sucked in a breath after speaking as quickly as possible. As Alywin took in the information, Olicia turned her head behind her to see if her pursuers had caught up. To her relief, they were still alone, but both of them knew they would not be alone for much longer.
Alywin tightened his lips into a tight, annoyed smirk, "Okay, I have an idea then. Let's hope this works." Grabbing Olicia's shaking hand, her palms embedded with dirt from her fall, Alywin began to drag her quickly towards the stone gazebo as their pursuers grew closer.
…
"Right this way, Marquis Belland." Earnest held his head high, clasping his trembling hands in front of him as the heavily armored guards led him through the tall, narrow dungeon hall, towards the innermost cells of the cool, damp dungeon. A guard stood in front of him and behind him, sandwiching him between them with a small gap between his small frame and their intimidating armored frames. Earnest could only swallow the dry spit in his throat and follow them trepidly, reluctance gripping his heart.
Prince Clarence requested I take care of his prisoners, but can I really? Earnest had lived in the Vartien Kingdom for many years, and even in the northern kingdom there was a startling lack of elves where he lived. Though he had seen elves in passing, he became nervous at the thought of trying to care for the rabid elves he had seen earlier.
Racing, petrifying thoughts flooded his mind as the guards wordlessly led him to the center of the dungeon, where a figure sat in a small cell, in the dark corner. Their body was half covered by the shadow of the torch on the stone, but their legs and bare feet, bruised and bloody, were clearly visible from outside the cell. Heavy chains rested on the ground next to the resting figure, holding the elf back towards the wall with very little give in the chain. Their white blonde hair was matted and dirty, discolored after days without a proper wash, and dirt and grime was smeared on their face, making them appear unkempt and dirty.
Earnest had already prepared his medicines and carefully placed them in his satchel, but looking at the figure from his distance, his hands shook too much to open the satchel and use the medicine inside. The guards next to Earnest seemed to notice his hesitation, and the taller of the two said in a heavy tone, "His majesty, Prince Clarence, has commanded that you treat this elf. Once you provide treatment, you may leave."
With that, the guard used his keys to unlock the cell door. Earnest jumped as the cell door's hinge screamed and groaned as the cell opened at a slow pace, allowing the guard to enter before it was swiftly closed again. The guard in the back stepped forward first and approached the elf, resting with their head down, facing their chest. As the guard stepped forward, the feral elf looked up, her wild glare full of viciousness. The tired elf's mid-length blonde hair was tied in a weak ponytail behind her head, just short of her shoulder blades, and her expression was dark, but she seemed full of energy. Her wrinkled eyes were full of fire, and her face, though dirty, was rosy.
The guard had already armed himself with a long, wooden stick as he approached. Using the long end, he pushed the elven girl back against the wall, holding her frail figure in place as she struggled weakly, biting at him and screaming in a weak voice.
"Let me go, you vile human!" She screamed, spitting as she screamed at the guard. The guard only steeled his demeanor as he held her back, using his other hand to pull the chain taut, only inches away from the wall. With her hands secured at either side of her head, the guard retracted the stick and slowly walked back as the other guard reopened the cell door, allowing Earnest to enter.
With a sour, nervous expression, Earnest entered the cell, stepping one foot in front of the other with an unhurried pace. Cold sweat dotted his brow as he approached, holding the satchel in his hands in front of his chest like a young student.
"He-hello." Earnest said weakly at the glaring prisoner, "Don't worry. I'm only here to treat your wounds." Earnest took another step forward, looking down at the elven woman's bruised and bleeding legs. Scratches and cuts marred her strong legs, but one deep cut in particular oozed blood that created a path down her leg, "These cuts are infected. If I don't treat them, you can get very sick. May I?" Earnest asked nervously, gesturing towards his satchel. The elven woman hissed and growled, throwing obscenities at the shaking young man, who flinched at her sharp words.
"Sir, with all due respect, you don't need to ask her to do anything. She's a prisoner, not a patient." One of the guards said, his tone low and gruff with annoyance.
"She is a patient." Earnest said, his voice heated as he straightened his back, his resolve returning, "And she needs to be treated with some respect. She's a person, not an animal." The guards gawked at the outburst as Maeir's previous squirming and snarling stopped. She instead began watching the young man closely, her tired, but energetic eyes lighting up as she watched him open his satchel and step towards her. The guards observed closely as Earnest knelt down in front of Maier, her long legs extended and shackled to the floor at her ankles. Earnest leaned closer to Maier's ankles, examining the bruised skin around the shackle.
"These shackles are too tight. They need to be loosened a little immediately." Earnest snapped, his hands clenched as he glared up at the guards. The guards looked at each other sourly, ignoring Earnest's request. This incensed Earnest, who stood up and angrily said, "That was an order. Loosen these shackles immediately."
"Sir, that isn't something we are allowed to do. I'm sure you can understand that." The guard standing beside Maeir said, annoyance dripping from his tone with each word.
"What I'm understanding is that you are refusing to follow orders." Earnest said, standing up and facing the guard, "Is this something I need to report to Prince Clarence? He said he needs this prisoner in good health. Are you refusing to follow his orders?"
"No, sir." The guard said, his frown slightly deepening as he realized the severity of the situation. He then moved to Maeir's shackles, loosening the shackles until Maeir could comfortably move her ankles, but not enough that she could slip her feet out of the holds. As the guard did this, Earnest took to looking over the rest of Maeir's body and face, explaining what he was doing as he looked over the different cuts and bruises. As he went, he would quickly note in his journal the injuries he saw, then went to treat them. The efficiency and speed Earnest managed while treating Maeir's wounds astounded even Maeir, who was accustomed to the speed of elven healing with mana.
"You're well trained in medicine, for a human." Maeir noted as Earnest put salve and bandages on the last of Maeir's cuts.
"Don't try to move too much. And don't remove the bandages." Earnest said, ignoring Maeir's statement as he put his supplies away, "I'll be back later to change the bandages. You also seem to be underweight, so I will ask the guards to bring you more food for each meal."
"If you think, because you are useful to the prince right now that you will be safe, you're wrong." Maeir whispered as Earnest began rising to his feet. As he listened to Maeir, straining to hear what she was saying with her soft tone, he stopped and sunk back to his knees.
"What did you say?" Earnest asked, his hands locking tightly around his satchel.
"People like your prince won't stop at persecuting elves. First it's the elves, but the elves are almost all gone. Soon he'll be on the next weakest group to target. And maybe that will be weak, little men like you. What do you think?" Earnest recoiled as he listened to the elven woman, who smirked slyly at his reaction until she began laughing hysterically.
"That's enough!" The guard shouted, using the stick he had used previously to restrain the elven woman to hit her across the face. That only momentarily stopped her hysterical laughter, and Earnest pressed his bag to his chest as he watched in horror.
"That's why you can't treat these things like people, Sir." The other guard said as he led Earnest out of the cell, a sickening smack ringing out behind them. Again, the laughter stopped momentarily before it began yet again, this time louder, "These things are less than animals." Earnest looked back one more time to see the elven woman, whose face now had a line of blood running down the side, watching him closely as she continued to laugh. Earnest gasped and turned his face forward, hurrying out of the cell as he listened to the repeated, heavy thuds of wood smacking against skin, and the momentary pause as manic laughter started up again, each time getting louder and louder, as Earnest ran out of the dungeon as fast as his feet could carry them.
…
Back again! It feels nice to finally be posting again, now on time at least (heh heh). Alywin was being a manipulative little thing (again). I just adore his interactions with Theo, and Theo really wasn't having it. Malcolm will be coming soon to stir things up, but for now, we can focus on Maeir and the twins! They're alive, but are they really alright? Next chapter's name is "Edification", and I love the irony of it.
I'm hoping to start really pushing some work on my side projects soon as well. I should be off work from early December to January, all paid (love that), so I may have time to get ahead on this with Hunny. For a list of my current side projects, see my scribble hub. Misted Winds is looking pretty promising (slow-burn, cultist yandere... for those like me >y<). Give it a read, and I'll keep plotting that!
Have a great week, and thanks for reading ♥♥