My Maiden. I will protect you.
Micaiah had never thought anyone would refer to her like that. Possession was never used towards the Branded. Now, it's true that he may not realize she was Branded (it was something she always strove to keep secret but then again the Black Knight was a master of secrecy) but still...somehow, regardless of whether or not anyone knew of the blood running through her veins, no one ever spoke to her like that (her or any Branded...was that something beorc could sense? Is that why they never spoke in terms of possession to the Branded?). She couldn't even remember Sothe speaking like that to her.
Even though he was covered from head to toe in ebon armour and she could not see his face from behind his helmet, Micaiah knew he was looking straight at her, right into her eyes (or into her soul?). He had only turned his head in her direction but she had no doubt he looked only at her, cared only about her. He didn't see Sothe standing to her right or King Naesala to her left. He didn't see the Empress Sanaki with her two loyal bodyguards standing some distance behind Sothe. He didn't see anyone else. She wasn't sure how she had come to that particular conclusion. It was instinctual. She just knew.
Sothe had gone rigidly still beside her. No one could have failed to hear the Black Knight's words. They had been clear and confident, loud but not cocky. A simple statement of fact. Sothe's breathing became agitated (was he jealous?) and she heard him tighten his grip on the knife in his hand. She thought he might have muttered some colourful curses under his breath, but she did not care. She smiled at the Black Knight in response, hoping yet somehow knowing he could see it. He gave no visible response back to her; he turned towards Numida's army and raised his sword high so that it glinted in the sunlight.
"Stay away from him, Micaiah," Sothe murmured softly to her.
"There is no need to fear," Micaiah replied in the same soft way. "He will not hurt me."
"Not you," Sothe agreed pessimistically.
She smiled and put a hand on his forearm. His muscles were tense. "Calm yourself. He won't harm any of us. To harm any of you would be to harm me."
"You don't know him," Sothe muttered.
"I know him better than you, Sothe," Micaiah said quietly. "I know you're only worried about me. Please don't be. We'll all be fine."
Sothe did not respond for what seemed a very long time. Micaiah did not remove her hand. "Very well," he said at last. "I trust you. I always have."
"Thank you, Sothe."
But Sothe would always worry about her. She knew that. There wasn't any reason to, not now. But Sothe didn't have the same intuition as she did. The Black Knight would not hurt her. He was enigmatic, dangerous, different—there was never any doubt of that. He was a man to be feared. Yet Micaiah did not fear him; she did not need to fear him. Perhaps she was the only person who could say such a thing but that didn't change the truth of the situation.
She felt a strange sense of closeness to him, something she couldn't quite explain. His use of possessiveness in relation to her was something unpredicted. But she didn't mind it, not one bit. She rather liked it, if truth be told. She tried not to smile too obviously; she didn't want to pique anyone's (Sothe's) interest in her inner thoughts.
"You must come with me, Maiden," the Knight said to her in his slow, deep voice. The battle had ended. The bodies Disciples of Order littered the sands. "My master awaits you in the Tower of Guidance."
Micaiah was slightly taken aback by this news. "Go to the Tower of Guidance? Now?"
The Knight nodded. "Yes, my Maiden." He paused and shifted slightly. "Take my arm, and I will have you there in an instant."
At first, Micaiah's spirit's lifted—to reach the Tower so swiftly! It was a blessing indeed! (and she did not doubt that the Black Knight could do as he claimed)—but almost immediately thereafter her spirits fell: how could she leave her companions? He noticed her hesitation. "Come, my Maiden. I will not harm you, and we do not have much time."
"Sir Knight, I can not accept your kind offer," she replied softly. "I can not leave my friends behind."
The Knight had no visible reaction (he was, of course, completely hidden by armour) and Micaiah began to wonder what he was thinking. Finally he shrugged—she would have laughed at the carelessness of the movement (which didn't really befit the Black Knight) if she hadn't been so anxious to hear him speak—and backed away from her. "Very well. I shall return for you again soon, my Maiden. Be ready to accompany me then." And he was gone suddenly in a flash of light.
And the only thing she really remembered was the way he said "My Maiden".
Exams have come upon me, so there won't be updates for at least a week, and possibly longer—Christmas is coming up too, my cards aren't done (as usual) and so there won't be a whole lot of time for this for a little while.
By the way, this jumps ahead of the other chapters to the desert chapter in Radiant Dawn. In which I finally managed to recruit Stefan (and it took forever). Thank you also for your kind reviews. They make my day :)
