Chapter 29

Dear Sara

M'Lady, I have thought of nothing but continuing our conversations since the moment they took you from me.

I should warn you, I'm known as a prolific letter writer. I've written to my Mother every day since I left home, and see no reason not to do the same for you. Hopefully the pile won't be too deep by the time you reach New York. While I admit I'm sorry to hear that you're going to be so far away I'm also rather glad of it. I'm glad to hear that your brother is at your side and that you're receiving such good care, you deserve no less. I am only sorry to hear that you need such care now, because you didn't appear all that injured when we parted, and that I am not there to assist where and when I can.

Just say the word, M'Lady, and as soon as I am released from the doctor's care myself I will gladly come be at your side.

Small sketch of a Knight in plate armor in margin.

Of course now that I've said that I ought to reassure you that I'm not that badly off. Thankfully I made it through the rest of the withdrawal period with all due medical care and now have all that out of my system. Other than aggravating some previous damage to my knee, a misaligned shoulder, and a bit of a throat injury I'm fine. I expect to be more or less back to normal in the next two weeks, although they are telling me to allot a month for everything to finish healing. It always amazes me how fragile the human body can be, and yet how resilient in the end. We can take so much if we are determined not to give up.

Anyway, for now I am being carefully watched by my "sister" and teammate Emily. As we are both more or less homeless at the moment, me for not being able to manage a third floor walk-up with a bad knee and her for being recently returned from the dead, a good friend, Maestro Ben Marel, has opened his home to us. He is also at Court and was while you were in attendance, I don't know if you remember him or not. While I firmly believe he would have opened his home to me anyway, I do have to wonder how much of this has to do with the way he's acting toward Emily. As I sit writing this I can hear and see them flirting madly in the kitchen, and I have honestly never seen either of them quite so happy.

So, within a few weeks, I shall be able to come to your side, should you desire it. If you do not, please tell me what I can do for you from here? I will do anything I can.

I'm glad to see that you have color again.

This picture is amazing. Is that supposed to be us? Emily said that looks like The Cloisters in New York to her, is it? I looked it up online; I never even knew it existed before. If I had I would have gone to New York for a week-end just to experience it. I've always wanted to go to Europe, but I never thought I'd get the chance, at least not for many years. I didn't realize some bit of it was so close to home. It looks so beautiful. Are you going there? Soon, I hope.

I meant what I said at the end.

Spencer

Dear Spencer,

First off, let me say thank you a thousand times over for dear Percival. I woke from surgery to find him there, and he has not left my side in all this time. He was a marvelous companion on the flight, especially when it got a bit bumpy.

I have no problem with you writing every day. I was planning to do so myself, if I can come up with anything to say. Given that it doesn't look like I'll be leaving the house except to visit doctors for the next six months that might become an issue. Of course that assumes that I make it home.

I do not want this to become a pity fest. I rather hate that.

So I am glad to hear that you're doing relatively well and that you have family of the heart there to look after your needs. Given the way you looked when I last saw you I rather expected your injuries to be more severe. I hope you recover as quickly as they project.

Did I tell you how very proud I am of you?

I'd like to think you fought that, you killed that dragon, because you were trying to keep a clear head in order to save us both, or because you did not want to leave me alone, or some other type of scenario in which I was involved. Granted that's probably selfish and silly, but I do like to think that. Regardless, that's a dragon you killed, and you ought to have bards celebrating your achievements; or, at the very least, the eternal admiration of a lady, which you do indeed have.

That picture is of the cloister of the Abbey at Bonnefont-en-Comminges, which is part of the Cloisters complex at Fort Tryon Park here in New York City. It contains a medieval herb garden which is at its most beautiful in the heat of summer. If I close my eyes and focus enough I swear I can smell the lavender, feel the heat of the sun on my skin and the caress of the sea breeze as I watch the tall ships sailing in and out of the harbor. Granted you can't even see the river from there, it's walled on all sides, but I plead artistic license. It's my fantasy world and if I want to see the ocean from the Cloister then I shall. Until I can get the rest of my life back I intend to enjoy my fantasies as much as I can. Granted my brother has decided that this requires therapy, but all things considered I believe this a healthy response.

Thankfully, I do have color.

I've started drawing again, and will perhaps paint and am thinking of returning to embroidery. I miss the rich colors of silks, and have no clue what happened to my former kit. I'm sure it was packed away when my brother packed up my house, but who knows if it was packed carefully or when I'll be able to get to it, so I might as well begin anew. I enjoy the work, so it's not as if it's any great difficulty there.

As much as I long to hear more of your stories, I would rather you not come visit me. Perhaps it is vanity, but I am far from my best. I am trying very hard not to think about that right now, so if you truly want to help then please send me stories. Tell me of your life, tell me of your adventures, tell me of the world out there. Please tell me the summer is glorious and that you, at least, are savoring it.

Would you be disquieted if I said it back to you?

Sara

Accompanying this letter is a picture of a knight facing off a dragon. The knight has removed his helmet and while his face is not detailed he has a rather familiar profile and shock of unruly hair. The dragon managed to look a lot like Pieter and had claws that bore a resemblance to needles. The knight had, of course, stabbed it through the heart.

T – 12 Days

Ben Marel's Apartment

Washington DC

Spencer

Percival?

Spencer looked up from Sara's letter as Emily flopped onto the couch near to him. It didn't take a profiler to recognize that she'd had a bad day. Never let Garcia send a gift for you. Nothing yet? He wrote, and then passed her the note.

She read it with a sigh. "No. I think I gave up the only apartment in DC that takes pets."

Try the suburbs.

"I don't want to have to commute everywhere. I want something close to the Metro."

Spencer thought about it a moment. Not a clue.

She had brought over a beer for herself, soda for him. Now she popped hers open. "Okay, question you don't want to answer."

Spencer looked an okay, shoot at her.

"Do you think Ben is really in to me?"

Spencer thought about it a moment. I think I manufacture too much testosterone to answer that question.

"Oh, stop." Emily gave him her most exasperated sigh. "You know, we 're practically living together and he has yet to even try to kiss me, let alone make a pass. I have yet to meet a guy who would wait that long."

A knight wouldn't proposition a Lady like that. A knight would let her make the first move.

"I'm not a Lady." Emily replied.

Spencer gave her his best bullshit look.

"I'm not!"

Yes you are. Even if you don't believe it, we do.

She rolled her eyes again. "I don't know how to do this whole Lady thing. I just...why can't he act like a regular guy?"

Spencer shrugged. He doesn't know how to be anyone else. Neither do I.

Emily kicked off her sandals and slouched a little deeper. "So I have to make the first move then?"

If you want to. Or you could wait for him to make you an Offer.

"Which is not just sex?"

No, it's a lot more than that.

"Do you want to unpack it for me?"

Spencer thought about it a long moment. How do you explain a shared feeling? It's about loyalty and devotion and respect and trust. It's about putting your Lady first, before everyone else, including yourself. It's about trying to never let her down, in any way, about always wanting her to be proud of you.

Emily looked over as he wrote it. "I can't imagine someone giving someone all of that."

I can't imagine love without all of that. I would be surprised if Ben could.

"Yeah, but we're not talking love, we're talking sex."

Spencer considered this as well. Back in college I decided that I didn't want to separate the two.

"Please tell me you tried first."

He nodded. Yes, they have girls at CalTech. Guys too, but it took even less time to sort that one out.

Emily picked at the label on her beer bottle a bit. "So how does this work anyway? Does he actually offer you a sword?"

No, it's more symbolic, although a guy usually gives a woman something, something that represents their life. Jewelry is popular, but I always thought it a little crass. What does it represent past money? Granted in Ben's case it might actually be a sword.

"Great. So what do I do with it?"

Well, now that was the easy question. Accept it and live happily ever after.