In which She is Found
"Well, isn't this a fine barrel of sardines?" the wide-eyed blonde said to herself, bright bottle green eyes taking in her surroundings.
She was sitting in the middle of what appeared to be a dirt path that ran through a wooded area, and as she looked down at herself, she was absolutely covered in mud, both dry and wet. Yet, as she looked up yet again, the sky was a clear blue with nary a dark cloud in the sky.
Blinking, she watched, a little bit amused, as flakes of mud fell off her eyelashes, landing in her upturned hand, some missing their intended target and landing on her long skirt, color barely visible through the thick layer of filth.
A little thought in the back of her head told her that maybe, just maybe, sitting in the middle of a path probably wasn't the safest place to sit and figure out what was going on. Picking herself up off the dirt, she winced as a twinge flared up and down her spine, starting from her left hip. Wobbling slightly, she pressed the heel of a hand to her forehead as her vision swam.
"Ugh, my head." She groaned, making a face as she lowered her hand. "It feels as though… as though… I can't remember." She whispered as she realized why her head felt funny.
She couldn't remember anything. She tried to remember her name, her age, where she was, anything that would help her find her way to a town or something. Yet, all she could remember was opening her eyes and seeing swaying tree tops against a blue sky.
Fighting the urge to collapse where she was standing, she managed to take a few shaky steps towards the side of the path, eyes intent on a tree stump where she could sit down to try to alleviate some of the pain in her back.
So intently focused was she on her tiny, wobbling steps that she didn't hear the sounds of a carriage coming thundering down the path, the horses hooves almost a blur as they sped along.
"Move!" a male voice bellowed, making the dirty blonde head snap up. Eyes widened in fear as she froze in place.
Seeing that she wasn't going to move, the driver yanked back on the reins, sending the horses onto their hindquarters as they tried to stop. As the carriage slid closer, foot break squealing, the woman tore herself out of her shock and managed to jump out of the way with a small squeal, barely missing flying hooves and wheels.
"Ow." She groaned in pain as she tried to pick herself up off her side, but a breathtaking spasm of pain crippled her lungs for a brief second. Instead, she rolled over onto her back, and locked eyes with the driver, who was staring down at her, face expressionless under a thick curtain of dark bangs. She opened her mouth to apologize, but before she was able to, a cry cut through the suddenly still air.
"Sebastian! Why have we stopped?" an young irate voice called from inside the carriage.
With a graceful leap, the driver swept down from his perch and was opening the door of the carriage before the woman could blink.
"My apologies, Young Master." The driver spoke, bowing slightly with his hand over his heart, his deep voice as smooth as silk.
Not that she knew what silk felt like, she thought to herself, barely managing to hide a hysterical giggle. All she knew was that the words had popped into her head and she'd went with it.
"You there." The young voice spoke, authority dripping from every word. "Why did you not move when my man told you?"
Gaping slightly at the small figure in the carriage doorway, one hand resting on a cane, (a cane? He couldn't have been more than 12 years old!), she grasped for words, wincing as she shifted to a sitting positing, making sure her legs were covered.
"I-I.." floundering, she sent a beseeching glance at the driver, who also appeared to be the young boy's butler, just by the way he hovered as his master descended the steps of the carriage. Then again, she was just guessing at everything. "Um. My apologies?" she offered with a sheepish grin.
"Get up." The young Lord sighed, rolling his one visible eye, the other one curiously hidden behind an eyepatch.
Hesitating for a brief second, her eyes drifted to the dark figure behind the young boy. There was a slight warning to heed his master in those curious eyes of his, and so she set her jaw and slowly eased herself to her knees, breath hissing out between her clenched teeth as a wave of white hot pain riddled her body.
Tears pricked her eyes as she slowly drew a leg up so she could lean on it while she pushed herself up. Biting the inside of her cheek to keep from whimpering as the pain flared, she decided to just go for it, and shoved herself upright. White spots flashed in her vision as she swayed, and she would have fallen if it wasn't for the sudden arm around her waist.
Blinking to clear the spots, she found that the pain wasn't so bad if she stood upright.
Glancing to her side, to where the butler was standing, she offered him a tentative smile that had him stiffening and drawing away slightly.
That's right, she was covered in mud.
Sending him an apologetic look, she carefully eased away from him. Looking down at the boy, she waited till he spoke, wondering what was going on behind those clouded blue eyes of his. There was so much pain and anger that it was almost suffocating. There was such grief that she had to hold herself back from reaching out and hugging the young stranger.
"Where do you live?" the boy asked, and the woman winced, knowing that she was about to sound like a lunatic.
It would match her dirt encrusted appearance, that's for sure.
"I-I don't know." She said quietly, dropping her head to look at the ground, the tips of her boots peeking out from the edge of her skirt.
"Your name?" the boy demanded, and she winced again, wishing she could sink into the ground.
"Don't know." She whispered, wringing her hands together.
"What do you mean, you don't know?"
"The last thing I remember is waking up on the road." She explained when the young boy questioned. "Before that, there's… nothing." She ended lamely, head drooping and hands hung loosely at her side.
"Sebastian?" the boy sighed and looked to his butler, the woman glancing between the two, confused as to why someone who was obviously the Master was asking his Butler.
"She tells the truth, Young Lord." The slightly creepy butler replied. "I believe she suffers from Amnesia, brought on by a blow to the head, as evidenced by the blood on her temple."
At that, a hand flew up to her head, where red flakes fluttered down. Now that it was brought to her attention, the side of her head did ache.
Then, a silent conversation was held between the two, with the lost woman looking between them, feeling more lost than before.
"Bring her to the Manor." The young boy said, spinning sharply on a heel and clambering up into the carriage. "Hurry up, I'm late for tea." He commanded before slamming the carriage door shut.
"Can you walk?" the butler, Sebastian, asked, moving to stand in front of her.
"I think so." She replied, taking a tentative step forward, and grinning up at him when there was little pain. "Sitting may be a problem though." She admitted with an apologetic laugh, and Sebastian hummed.
"Did you land on your side or your back?" he asked again, and she blinked up at him, as he was so very tall all of a sudden.
"My side." She replied and Sebastian nodded.
"Turn around and put your hands on the opposite shoulder." He instructed.
"What?" came the not so very intelligent reply, and Sebastian tsked.
Walking up to her, he put both hands on her shoulders, and turned her so her back was facing him. Just as wordlessly, he grabbed her wrists and placed them on her shoulders so her arms created an 'x'.
"This may hurt." Was all the warning she got before he wrapped two strong arms around her, right where her arms met in the middle of the 'x', and lifted her, tilting backwards, so her feet left the ground.
And hurt it did, as it felt like bones were popping back into place like molten fire with an audible cracking, but she just bit her lip and grunted slightly, no whimper left her mouth.
When he set her down, she wobbled slightly, but kept her balance. Sending a glance over her shoulder at the now smirking butler, she slowly twisted her torso, expecting a wave of pain, but there was nothing. Turning around, she narrowed her eyes at him.
"What was that?" she asked, suspicious.
"I merely lifted you in such a way that your spine was able to align itself correctly." He explained simply, then gestured to the drivers bench. "Shall we?"
Still suspicious, she hummed low in her throat, but accepted a hand up into the seat.
"You might want to hold on." Was all the warning she got from the smirking butler before he cracked the whip, and the horses leapt into action.
Fingers digging into the lightly padded seat under her, she did her best to not reach out and latch on to the butler, just to stay seated as they careened around a curve.
Call it a hunch or a gut feeling, but there was something niggling in the back of her mind that maybe, just maybe, this had been a bad idea.
Any thing you want to tell me, anything at all, is welcome. If you must send a flame, please, be kind. I have a dog and a cat who expect me to be home every evening.
~c-mllh