Sorry it took me so long to update this, but I was experiencing a bit of a writing block, and was stuck in the middle of this chapter. Hopefully, the next chapters should come easier.
Thanks to all those who added Innocent Weapon to their Alert list... let me know what you think about the progression of the story ! And of course huge thanks to those who reviewed. Enjoy !
- 8 / A Secret Wound -
'…And he thanked the Elvenking once again, as their ways parted, and after a long journey Bilbo finally returned home, to his beloved Shire' concluded Viviana, pushing carefully a stand of blond hair that had strayed onto Siobhan's cheek. The little girl was fast asleep, her long lashes casting shadows upon the delicate face in the light from the candle. The young woman glanced to the other bed, only to see Ahern's bright eyes staring back at her. The boy's face was a mask of complete attention, as he listened raptly to her words. 'Aren't you tired ?' she whispered, sitting down on the edge of his bed. He smiled and shook his head vehemently, hoping that this answer would earn him another story. Viviana sighed, pushing him back gently and pulling up the covers. 'You should be' she stated sternly, hoping he's get the message and fall asleep.
But he wriggled under the covers as she extended a hand to caress his cheek. 'Good night' she murmured, getting up as she prepared to leave. A small hand grasped hers : 'Don't go !' whispered Ahern urgently. He cast a fearful look to the door. 'Don't leave me !' She glanced to the door herself, checking that there was no threat there. But the room was quiet and peaceful.
The boy had been difficult since his arrival, always doing whatever he could to go to sleep, and she would've dismissed it as typical childish behaviour, or even felt annoyed by Ahern's caprice, if there hadn't been, in his voice, something so genuinely terrified. 'Ahern, you must sleep !' she argued, smiling, hoping that he would be reassured. Once again she didn't know how to act, and cursed herself for her lack of knowledge of children. She sat down on the edge of the bed again. 'You need to rest, you know this, don't you ?' He grasped her hand again, his eyes pleading for her to stay, but she pried the small fingers away.
'Good night Ahern !' she whispered, walking to the door and glancing one last time at his scared face. 'I'm leaving the candle so it's not so dark in here, what do you think ?' she smiled, and he nodded reluctantly.
As she closed the heavy door behind her, Viviana wondered what kind of nightmares could be plaguing an eight-year-old boy. She lingered in the corridor, listening to the silence of the surroundings, in case a small voice would call for her. But no, not a whisper troubled this part of the fort, and she walked away slowly, still unsure whether she had done the right thing.
A blood-chilling scream echoed through the depths of the fort, a cry of pure anguish. It seeped through the old stones, fell down the stairs and slammed against the doors, raising the inhabitants from their heavy slumber.
Viviana jumped up in her bed, noticing once again it's unusual emptiness, and raced to the door. Some knights were already massing in the corridor, bare blades in their hands. 'Ynis…' mumbled someone, 'There's a troubled spirit at work, here !' Gawain swore. 'Is this bloody island ever gonna leave us some peace ?' he grumbled, running a hand though his tangled hair.
'Where did it come from ?' asked Viviana, wrapping her goose bump-covered arms around herself. She wished Dagonet was beside her ; but if the danger was inside the walls, at least he was safe on the patrol.
'From the sound of it, I'd say from their Christian Hell' mumbled the blonde knight, stepping further into the corridor. Suddenly, he grabbed a torch and, gesturing to the others to stay behind him, swung at the darkness.
'What is this, a surprise party ?' growled a blinded Tristan. 'Get this out of my face !!' 'Sorry, Tris' grimaced Gawain, 'But it's your habit of creeping up on people…' The scout snorted. 'What are you all doing here anyway ?' he asked, propping himself nonchalantly against the wall. 'Didn't you hear it ?!' murmured Viviana incredulously. Tristan lifted an eyebrow. 'The scream ! Woke us all up, here !' continued Gawain, but the scout shook his head. 'Coming straight from a meeting with Arthur. Lancelot will be here any minute.' To confirm his words, Arthur's second emerged from the darkness, looking very annoyed and slightly surprised. 'Go to sleep !' he snapped, 'You will need your strength !' He pushed his way past Tristan and Gawain, slamming the door to his room. 'Ass' the blonde knight commented dryly. He listened for a second, then turned around. 'Well, it seems no alarm has been raised. I'm going back to sleep.' He shoved the torch back into an iron ring on the wall.
And for the second time that night, a cry rang through the fort.
'Viviana !! Come, hurry !' called Bors, and the young woman broke into a run, stumbling on her nightgown, her heart hammering madly in her chest. She saw him from afar, standing at the door to Siobhan's and Ahern's chamber, his face bewildered. 'Damn doors all look the same… Confused'em all ! Came to see if the little bastards were sleepin', see, and…' his rough voice trailed away as he let her pass. What is going on ?! Viviana thought, astonished, for Bors was too kind a man to wrong a child, let alone his brother's son and daughter.
She stepped carefully into the room. In the flickering light of the lonely candle, the young woman saw Siobhan's eyes, wide in fear, seemingly huge on her small face. The little girl was clutching her blanket, still a bit sleepy, and seemed to be fine, except for the scare. She turned her gaze to the other occupant of the room, and her heart skipped a beat.
Ahern's thin body was scrambled up in a trembling ball, crushed against the wall with all his might, as if the boy had wanted to pass through the stones, a desire confirmed by his bloodied fingers. When Viviana came closer, the strong smell of urine aggressed her nostrils. 'Oh, Ahern…' she breathed out, horrified by the sheer terror she read in his eyes. She sat carefully on the edge of the bed ; the boy recoiled from her touch. She tried again to reach out to him, into the pits of fear where he was wandering : 'Ahern, listen to me ! No one here will hurt you, I promise. Do you hear me ? I promise you that you are safe.'
A pair of sad, sad eyes looked up into hers, as Ahern regained some of his senses. 'He came again' he murmured, his voice hoarse. 'The night-man. He came for me.'
She shook her head vehemently, eager to make the boy understand that no one at the fort would hurt him again, not while she still breathed. 'That was Bors, Gilly's father, do you remember ?' she asked reassuringly ; he nodded reluctantly. 'He came to see if everything was allright. See ? He cares for you.'
Instantly, the panic returned into the child's eyes. 'No !' Ahern screamed, slamming his frail body against the wall in a desperate attempt to escape. 'The other man said he cared for me too ! That is was for my own good ! And he hurt me !! Don't let him hurt me again !!' Siobhan started to weep, scared by the sudden outburst ; Viviana was speechless, and the understanding of what happened to Ahern was seeping into her mind like poison. 'No, Ahern !' she cried, 'Not like that ! Not like what the other man did to you, Bors is a good man, I swear !' The young woman was afraid to touch him, fearing that the contact would only hurt him more ; finally, she overcame her hesitation and managed to grab him, tearing him away from the cold stone wall. She cradled him against her, overwhelmed by the extent of the damage that he had received.
She felt stupid, because all she had managed to come up with were some ordinary words of comfort ; she stroked his hair, tasting the bitter tears that ran down her face, while his small body was racked with uncontrollable sobs in her lap.
The rain tapped on the windowsill, a sound soothing in its regularity. From time to time, a stronger gust of wind would rattle the wooden shutters, making the inside of the small room seem even more cosy and warm to Viviana. She ran her fingers carefully through Ahern's hair, glancing from time to time at Siobhan's bed where the little girl lay, curled up in a ball under her blankets. She felt her adoptive son breathe regularly in her embrace, happy that he finally found peace and fell asleep.
The door opened slowly, and as Viviana looked up, worried, she saw Dagonet step into the room. The large knight was soaking wet, mud running down his armour in lazy rivulets, a pathway of water droplets forming with every step. He approached the bed carefully, and knelt beside it with a tired sigh. His silver eyes studied Viviana. 'I heard what happened' Dagonet murmured, his jaw clenching in repressed rage. 'Did he say who it was ?' His wife shook her head.
He stared into space for an instant. 'Is this why…' he began, meeting his eyes, and she nodded, an uncomfortable lump forming in her throat. 'He protected her.' Once again, anger crossed briefly Dagonet's face. 'I should've been there.' His shoulders slumped in defeat. 'I should've protected him. My son.' Viviana reached out cautiously, cupping his scarred cheek in her hand. She forced her husband to face her, an act so uncharacteristic for them both, and searched for words of comfort, but her heart sank. For she knew that empty words could not erase his guilt, his noble soul forever bleeding, because he failed his family.
Just like she was failing him now.
