Oh, darnit! I missed the date! 1/17 was when I started writing Oh Dear. I was going to say on that day it's been a year, and go yay:cries:
Oh! AND… you dear readers… STOP ASSUMING so much. Let the story fold out, alrighty? ;)
A pounding came upon Whisper's door, causing her to jump a little and drop her book that she was oh so into. She scowled at her lost page and picked up the book and looking for the page while walking to the door. She opened it and growled, "You made me lost my reading page."
Will, who was standing right in front of her, grinned. "I was told to escort you to a dinner."
"With whom?" Whisper asked, looking for her page again.
"My father," Will said quickly.
Whisper stopped looking for her page and looked up, stricken. "Another dinner, with him?"
Will howled with laughter. "You really do hate him! I was kidding. I just wanted to see your reaction!"
Whisper snapped her book shut, not minding about the lost page anymore. "That wasn't funny."
The boy wiped his eyes and flung his hair back away from his eyes. "I'm sorry. Anyways, there really is no dinner. I'm just here to show you around, m'lady."
"Really, now?" Whisper responded, skeptical.
"Mhmm. You've been stuck in this room for so long. So today, I have declared to myself that I will show you every trick there is to this side of the castle."
"Every… trick?" Whisper asked, slowly.
Will nodded, grinning. He leaned in close. "You can't stay here forever. I know you must be forming some plan."
"Well, considering I haven't really been around, I don't have any plan right now," Whisper said quietly to him.
Will grabbed her hand. "That's fine. You can get started today. First, we will visit Brand down in the servants' quarters. He's usually the stable boy down there."
"Meggan's friend, right?"
"Yup."
Whisper followed Will for awhile, passing in halls she hadn't seen before. Will was Tekachi's half brother, right? So… "Um… so you are Tekachi's half brother, right?" Whisper asked.
"Yeah," Will responded, a little quiet.
"Who's your mother?" Whisper said quietly, speaking the questions on her mind.
Will glanced back at her and put his arms behind his head. "Dunno. My father never spoke about her. All I know is that she ran away around a year after I was born."
"Who is Tekachi's mother, then?"
"I dunno that either. All I know is that she died in a war with Varrock near seventeen years ago. If you ask Tekachi about her, I doubt you'll get anything. He's… sort of… angry about his mother's death. Says it shouldn't have happened…" Will said, sighing.
"Who was she killed by?"
Will peered back at her. "Aren't you asking a lot of questions?"
Whisper nodded. "But… I feel like I need to know."
"Fine. I don't really care. But I don't really know who killed her either."
"My father told me once of an epic battle of a heroine in Varrock…" Whisper started saying, but was interrupted by Will.
"The heroine… meaning… the Lady Aay?"
"Aye. The one who killed Myla."
"Myla… that…" Will sighed. "The woman who led the pointless army into that fight. Leading Tekachi's mother to her death. My father… knew it was pointless. That's why he didn't fight."
Whisper nodded, and then continued speaking. "The Lady Aay fought against one particular woman right before the battle with Myla. It took a lot out of Lady Aay, but she eventually defeated the woman. Though it's also said that the woman died of a head injury in the forehead."
"You better… you better speak with Tekachi about this," Will murmured.
She shook her head. "I don't know Tekachi. I don't know what he'll do if he discovers that the Lady Aay might be responsible."
"You're right… Tekachi may have a soft heart… but that part of him; about his mother… he can't forget. He always yearned for motherly guidance when he was younger. He… he never got it."
Whisper decided to break the sullen mood hanging in the air and ask of other things. "Are we almost there?"
"What, you haven't that we stopped walking and are standing in front of a huge door? Yes, we're there. The kitchen is on the other side of this door. You best… cover your nose."
"Why?"
Will grinned. "Meggan's in charge of cooking today. It'll stink like hell…"
"She can't be all that bad…" Whisper defended Meggan and opened the door. Her eyes watered and she covered her mouth.
She saw Brand pass by her carrying a bucket of peeled onions. He walked out a door, and Meggan soon followed. "Brand! Don't ya throw those away! I need those to cook!"
"No you don't! You've used way too many onions, Meggan! I'm tossing them out. Go back to stirring the stew! It's overflowing!" Brand responded, the sound of onions getting dumped sounding loudly in the echoing room.
"Ack! The Lady Vess is here!" Meggan yelled. She walked up to Whisper. "It's my first time cookin' in months! They won't let me cook often, for some reason."
Whisper stared at her through watering eyes. "I see that."
Meggan grinned and turned Whisper around. "You'll be amazed by tonight, miss. Now, ya better leave. It's a mess here. Now, Will, ya hear? Show her the library or something. Or the study."
Will grabbed Whisper's wrist and pulled her out, the door shutting behind them. He grinned at her and let go of her wrist. "Now, how was that?"
"I hadn't known they operated like that," Whisper coughed out, eyes still watering on the smell of onions.
"They usually don't. You just got lucky today. Now, let me show you the library. It's full of books… well…" Will pointed to the wall. "Push the wall, first."
"What?" Whisper asked.
"Push the wall. Come on! I'll do it with you," Will said, and walked to the wall. He started pushing, and Whisper followed suit. The wall slowly pushed foreword. "This wall only opens about a foot wide. It pushes back once you stop pushing against it. This is one way of escaping from this side. It leads to a forest area, but you have to be careful of the guards. They are not to be underestimated." They both let go and the wall came slowly back in.
"How many walls are like this?" Whisper asked.
"A lot. It was like this when the Silent Warriors first came here. It's meant for quick escape from the castle, like if it was under invasion," Will said, patting the wall.
"Can you show me more?" Whisper asked.
"Not today. I'll show you one once every single day. You have to be careful. All the guards know about these doors, so they check them every single day. To see one that's not partially all the way closed once or twice in a day isn't that rare, me using them often. The servants use them a lot too."
Whisper shivered. "It's going to take a lot of plans to escape."
Will nodded and leaned against the wall. He covered his face with his arm, and then looked up to Whisper, a serious look on his face. "… if you escape, take me with you."
"Will…"
"I want to see my mother," he whispered back, his voice clenched tight. "I know she escaped. I know escape is possible around here. We just need to find the right way." He looked pleadingly at Whisper. "Please."
Whisper put her hand on his head. "Alright, Will. If I escape, I won't escape alone."
Will grinned. He stood up and pointed down the hall. "The library is just down here."
Whisper nodded. She realized that he sounded mature than he looked. In fact, he didn't look that young as she thought he was. His voice was just a little lighter than Tekachi's and he already had well shaped muscles. So… how old was he? Whisper asked him her thought.
"15, and still growing!" Will grinned back at her.
"… you're… short, for your age," Whisper said, knowing that what he said was true.
Will growled at her. "Mention that again, Whisper, and I'll leave you right here lost in this room!"
She laughed and held up her arms. "I'm sorry. Please, continue."
Will huffed and continued walking. Whisper followed silently, not having any questions to say.
"Do you like reading?" Will asked.
Whisper nodded. "It's always been fun."
"Do you ever feel like… you're in a storybook of your own? That your life is written down, and your fate is at the end of the pages?" Will asked suddenly.
Whisper pondered on this. "Well, I think that you write down you life as you go. The end of the book is determined by your actions. The end is decided by you."
"But what if… what if you were killed and you weren't planning that?"
"As I said, your life is written as you go… sometimes it just ends with what you never expected."
"Do you really think it's written as you live?" Will asked quietly. "For me, it's like fate. My life is determined for me. I've never seen any hope of escaping this place. But, with you here, it might be possible. I'm not the only one who wants to escape."
"Will… if you dream… like me…" Whisper stopped walking and looked out the window next to her. She looked down at the grass below, blowing free in the wind. She looked up to the clouds and lifted her hands out, as if to grasp the floating mist. "If you dream, you have hope. Hope gives you strength. Hope can fulfill dreams. Sometimes hope can fail us, but the best we can do is trust it. We must never let go of it. It can lead us to things we never thought possible. Hope… dreams. Two strong things. Two things we must have.
"To hope… is to dream. Though, for dreams to take flight… you must spread your wings," Whisper finished.
"What do you dream of, Whisper? I know of escaping here, but what do you really dream of…?"
Whisper gave a small smile. "My dream… is hard to say. My heart has been changing so much. It's… a bit hard to say, really."
Will nodded, understanding.
Whisper turned to the boy. "How about you take me tomorrow? I would like to go back to my room."
He nodded and led her silently to her room. When they arrived there, Will opened the door for Whisper. He looked up at her, and said, "How can I hope, when my hopes keep on getting slashed?"
Whisper leaned against her door. "Many times we are put to the test. Trials. Heartbreak. Love. War. Hate. Despair. In the end, we must still hope, and believe. Remember that, Will."
Will nodded and turned to leave. "Ya know, I never thought of talking to you with things like these. You still seem strong after being dragged a million miles away."
Whisper smiled. "I have to be in order to see my father again. Now, go. I'll see you tomorrow."
Will grinned and waved as he was walking away.
Whisper turned into her room and gasped. "What are you doing in my room?" She yelled at Tekachi who was leaning against the wall.
Tekachi straightened himself and walked over to her. "I was looking for you. Figured it would be easier if I just waited for you."
Whisper crossed her arms.
"I have something to ask of you," he said.
"What is it?" Whisper asked.
"Would you like to go down to the village tomorrow?"
Whisper gaped at him and then grinned happily. "Really? I'll be able to go?"
"With Meggan and Brand to watch over you, of course. I've been thinking that you need to get out of this drabby little castle."
"Yes, I'd very much like that!" Whisper responded quickly.
"Good," Tekachi said, then started to head out. He stopped and turned back to her. "What were you talking to Will about?"
"Stuff."
"Hmm… Not a very good excuse. Alright then, when you feel the need to tell me, until then," he said, not seeming to mind not getting told.
"Um… Tekachi," Whisper said and walked over to him. She gave a small bow with her head. "Thank you," she whispered.
Tekachi put a finger under her chin and lightly lifted her head. He gazed at her directly at her eyes, his own eyes losing a bit of their hardness in them. He gave a small smile and nodded his head. He turned and walked out.
Whisper stood standing there. Staring directly into his eyes for a second or two had caused her to blush.
Why?
She held her face, turning a beet red. She couldn't fall in love with the enemy, not even have a crush on them! But the way he gazed at her…
She shook her head. She best stop thinking about it. She closed the door and walked over to the mirror, gazing at her reflection.
Indeed…
She was blushing.
Snow is all gone, now. Finals coming up. I best get studying, ne? … yeah right… :sighs: