Nicole leads me along a path next to the water, moving upstream. Jack follows diligently behind us. When we finally reach our destination, my breath catches. Nicole has led me to a beautiful rock pool in the middle of the stream. The water is so clear, you can see the fish swimming beneath. It's like a little oasis within the woods, radiating serenity and a sense of magic.
"It is so…beautiful." I breathe out, awe in my tone.
"It sure is." I hear Nicole agree. When I look at her, I notice she is looking at me and not at our surroundings. The intensity in her gaze makes my stomach do cartwheels. To get my mind off the feelings I am once again experiencing in the presence of the archer, I move forward and take a seat on one of the boulders jutting out from the streambank. I watch as Jack takes a drink from the water.
When I look back up, I notice the image before me looks oddly familiar. Then I remember where I had seen it. "The drawing you did…of the deer. You drew it here." I say more than ask, as I look back at her.
I watch as Nicole takes a seat against a tree across from me, removing her bow and placing it in front of her. After satisfying his thirst, Jack moves towards his owner. He does a few circles in one place, before laying down in the shade beneath the tree next to Nicole.
The archer smiles up at me bashfully. "Yes, that's right. I drew that scene sitting on the very same boulder you are on. I found this place by chance one day when I was looking for a good fishing spot. It is so peaceful here; it is my go-to place for when I just want to think and…forget about stuff." She says, looking sombre near the end of her sentence.
Not wishing for her to be sad, I change tact. "Where did you learn to draw?" She looks up and I am relieved to see a happier expression on her face again.
"My father used to love art. He would collect the most wonderful pieces from everywhere he travelled. Every time he looked at them up on the walls of the castle, his eyes would light up with wonder." I notice she said castle, confirming my nobility suspicions. Not wanting to push her on it yet, I allow her to continue her story without interruption.
"I also wanted to be able to make him look like that, so I started drawing when I was about six years of age. I found a piece of lead and just started drawing anything around me; animals, people, buildings, trees. Of course, my very first pieces were merely childish scribbles. But I still took them to my father proudly. He would look at them, all serious like, and pretend they were the most priceless piece of art he was inspecting." Nicole wears a fond smile as she remembers these moments with her father, causing a warmth to bloom in my heart.
"He would usually give me encouraging comments like 'Excellent technique, darling! Or 'Perfect use of contrast, sweetheart!''' Nicole says in a deep voice and waves her hands around dramatically as if observing a drawing withing them. I cannot help the giggle that escapes my lips at her antics, causing her to smile.
"Eventually, I got skilled at drawing. Practice makes perfect, I guess." She says nonchalantly, her humbleness at her talent baffles me.
"I draw because it reminds me of my father, just like archery does." Nicole continues as she lovingly runs her hands over Calamity. Never have I been more jealous of a piece of wood.
"Did your father teach you archery too?" I ask, enjoying every fact of Nicole I finally get to learn.
Nicole nods proudly. "He sure did, as well as carpentry. Mother used to hate it." Nicole says the last part in a dejected tone, more to herself than to me.
"Mercedes told me the truth then, that you and your father were really close." I say, causing her to raise her eyebrows questioningly. I look at her, wearing a sheepish expression. "That was the only thing I asked her about you, promise." Nicole just smiles at me again, showing no anger or annoyance at my interest in her life.
"We really were. I adored him. He always believed in me and allowed me to be and do whatever I wanted to. He taught me that it does not matter what other people think. The best advice I ever received from him were the words 'Coley, sweetheart, if it makes you happy then don't you dare let anyone tell you it is wrong.'"
I smile warmly at her. "That's really great advice indeed." Then my face turns sombre. "I notice you speak of your father in the past tense?" I ask gently, and watch as Nicole stiffens as if bracing herself for a punch to the gut. "Yes. My father got really sick when I was 12. He died two days before I turned thirteen." Her shoulders slump, as if her words had taken a lot out of her to say.
I feel a desire to wrap my arms around her. She looks so small and vulnerable right then, very unlike the strong archer I have come to know over the past four days. I have a suspicion that Nicole has not opened up about this to anyone in a very long time, if ever. I feel a responsibility towards her now, almost like she needs someone, and that I am perhaps I am that someone. I silently promise to be there for her in any way that I can.
"I am so very sorry Nicole. I know how it feels to lose someone you love dearly. My mother…she passed away very recently too." She looks up at me with surprise, then a mix of sadness and sympathy washes over her features.
To my own surprise, she gets up, moves forward and wraps her arms around me in the gentlest embrace I have ever experienced. It takes me a moment to start functioning again after my initial surprise, but then I return the hug. Her strong arms feel like a safe haven made just for me. I wish to remain there forever. This thought catches me off guard, causing my heart to beat wildly inside my chest.
My feelings for Nicole seem to only grow stronger with every interaction and touch we share. I wonder briefly if she experiences these feelings as well. "I am so sorry, Waves." I hear her say into my hair. I almost want to laugh at the irony. I was attempting to comfort her, yet here she is the one embracing me. That's just how selfless Nicole is, I am quickly learning.
She finally lets me go and then looks at me, her brown eyes full of care and that familiar warmth. "Thank you, Nicole." I say softly, my mind still reeling from her kind gesture. She nods slowly with a small smile. My heartbeat starts going crazy once more at her intense gaze. I feel like I want to explode with the emotions rushing through me. To stop that from happening, I turn away from her for a moment and take a deep breath. Having composed myself as much as I can, I turn back to face her.
"Thank you for telling me about your father. He sounds like he was an amazing man." I tell her honestly. She smiles gratefully at my praise towards him. "He really was." She says.
I decide then to just go for it, unable to stem my curiosity any longer. "Can you tell me about your mother? I heard Mercedes call you Nicole Haught. Haught as in…"
"Countess Eleanor Haught, yes." Nicole interrupts me, letting out a sigh. "I am the daughter of the late Earl William Haught and currently alive Countess Eleanor Haught." Nicole finally confirms, gauging my reaction at her words warily.
I am unable to stop the gasp from leaving my lips, my eyebrows raise in surprise at this revelation. Sure, I had my suspicions after I heard her interaction with Mercedes, but having it confirmed that the infuriating, yet selfless, reclused archer in front of me was in actual fact a Lady of noble blood, was a lot to take in. I would have never guessed this in a million years when I first crossed paths with her.
I can feel the tension radiating from Nicole when I look back up at her. I watch as she nervously runs a hand through her red locks.
"Waves, look I am sorry I didn't tell you this sooner… it's just that I…thought you would think differently of me and I really just wanted a friend so I didn't want to scare you off…" I cannot help the laughter that escapes my lips, causing Nicole to pause and look at me as if I had gone mad. "Waves, why are you laughing?" She asks me warily.
The laughter dies down on my lips then I place my hands on hers gently, feeling her relax ever so slightly at my touch. I look at her with a smile, raising my hand to smooth out the frown lines on her forehead. "I am laughing because, I just find it really funny that you have been calling me princess this whole time when you are an actual princess." Nicole lets out a laugh then too, finally relaxing fully as well.
"Technically I am a Lady, not a princess." She says with mock seriousness, causing me to start laughing again. Then she becomes truly serious. "Waverly, does this…do you think differently of me now?" She asks, her voice full of vulnerability and a tinge of fear. Why was she so worried about what I thought of her? A frown now mars my forehead as I say "No, of course not."
I watch as relief washes over her features. In an attempt to lighten the mood, I move closer to her and punch her arm. She looks at me indignantly and rubs her shoulder as she asks "Hey! What was that for?"
I shrug at her with a sly smile. "Now I can add Lady next to bad aim and dinner stealer on my mental summary of you." She rolls her eyes in an attempt to appear annoyed, but the twitch at the corners of her mouth gives her away. "Yeah, whatever princess." I scoff at the ironic moniker.
"Why do you insist on calling me that?" I ask, more out of curiosity than annoyance.
She pauses and looks at me for a moment, then she does the unexpected once again. She moves forward, placing her mouth next to my ear and tells me softly "Princess has always been associated with revered beauty." Then she moves back to look me in the eye, the intensity in her gaze causing my heart to feel like it wants to beat right out of my chest.
"It's the most fitting word to describe you." She says simply, like it was a fact right out of an encyclopaedia written by the wisest of scholars. It is truly the most wonderful thing anyone has ever said to me. I just look at Nicole with utter surprise, that inexplicable feeling takes flight in my heart again and I am once more left confused as to how I am supposed to handle it.
So instead of actually dealing with it, I decide to ignore it and quickly mask my expression with a roll of my eyes.
"Wow, do you get a lot of dates with that line?" I am not sure if I imagine it, but Nicole looks almost stricken at my words. When I blink, however, her face wears a smirk. I must have imagined it.
"Wouldn't you like to know, princess." She says, waggling her eyebrows. Her brown eyes are full of challenge and something else I can't quite identify. I am defenceless, so I just scoff and roll my eyes again. "Sure, Casanova." Nicole smiles victoriously at my response.
I decide it would be better for my health to change the subject. "Okay, so you have now told me about your parents, the Earl and Countess from Castle Monument." Nicole nods in confirmation, knowing that there was more to my sentence. "I still have a lot more questions though."
Nicole sighs, but there is a small smile on her lips. "I figured you would. Let's hear 'em." Encouraged, I fire off every question on my mind.
"Why you would give up that life to live alone out here in the woods? How do you know Jeremy and Mercedes? What motivates you to save people from Bobo?"
I have more, but Nicole stops me with raised hands and an amused expression. "Woah there, Waves. Slow down, okay? One question at a time."
I look back at her sheepishly. "Sorry." She just smiles at me and I cannot help but notice how the sunlight reflecting in her eyes makes her look ethereal. She is truly very beautiful.
"I'll start with the easy questions first. Jeremy was one of our stable boys at the castle. He was from the poorer parts of town and his family sent him to ask for work when he was just ten years old. Mother's immediate response was no, but Father said yes. He was compassionate and kind like that." I smile and the fondness in her voice as she speaks of her father again. I really wish I could have met the Earl.
"My mother could not overrule my father, so Jeremy was appointed as the stable boy to take care of my horse, Jingles. Jeremy always treated me kindly and loved joking around with me when I came to take Jingles for a ride. Naturally, we became friends very quickly." I smile warmly at the thought of Jeremy; he really was a wonderful friend to have. What had happened for him to no longer be at the castle then? Could it perhaps be the same reason as to why Nicole also left the castle? I remember how he looked at it and any sign of nobility with such extreme bitterness. Nicole interrupts my thoughts.
"Mercedes was my lady-in-waiting, mother appointed her to me when I turned 11. We also became friends quite quickly, but she really struggled with me in the beginning." Nicole lets out a chuckle.
"Something tells me you were not one for dresses and braids." I say, releasing a giggle of my own.
"Not in the slightest. I hated anything falling within the category of 'Ladylike'. I would undo the laces on my dresses and ribbons on my hair every time Mercedes finished with them, to her great chagrin. Then I would run off to the stables or my father's office. Eventually Mercedes gave up on trying to stop me. She just went along with me, fixing me up to look presentable when she heard Mother coming."
"Did your mother ever catch you in your unladylike state?" I ask, curiously.
Nicole lets out a scoff. "Oh quite a few times. Then she would call in Mercedes and I wouldn't see her for three days. She would return looking haggard and sad, but still allow me to do what made me happy without comment and cover for me. I only later found out that mother sent Mercedes to the dungeon those times she was gone. She was imprisoned and alone for three days without food, because of me." Nicole says, the bitterness thick in her voice.
"Oh, that's horrible! How could your mother do that? Did your father know?" I exclaim, once again learning of the malicious nature of the Countess.
"My father never knew about this, he was usually out travelling or hunting when Mother had Mercedes in lockdown. She was in charge when he was gone, see. Everyone else knew of her treatment of Mercedes and the other staff when he was not there, but they were too afraid of her to say or do anything." Nicole looks down, as if ashamed. I move forward and take her hand gently.
"Hey, it wasn't your fault."
She looks back up at me with great sadness in her brown eyes. "Oh, but it was, Waverly. My mother never liked me much. I was never the perfect, sophisticated daughter she wanted. She would do anything to sabotage me or make me unhappy, including hurting my friends. She even had Jeremy lashed once when he was a few minutes late to his post at the stables." I wince, my heart wrenching at the thought of someone hurting someone as kind as Jeremy. I feel Nicole's fist tighten beneath my hand again.
"When I learned what Mother had done to Mercedes, I knew she would never listen to my pleas to stop. So instead I stopped acting rebellious and wore those damn dresses and ribbons in my hair, acting more like a lady. I hoped that it would make her stop being so cruel. It didn't. She would always find reasons, even insignificant ones, to punish Mercedes or Jeremy or anyone I took a liking to, knowing how much it hurt me."
"Oh Nicole, I am so very sorry."
"That is just the tip of the iceberg." At my questioning frown, Nicole explains.
"After my father died, she was inaugurated as ruler over Monument. That's when everything went to complete shit. My mother had everyone in her iron fist, ruling with absolute fear and tyranny. If you were not of noble blood or had some sort of status, she would treat you like you were absolute garbage. My mother only ever showed love for money and power."
My heart breaks with every word Nicole speaks. "Is there nothing anyone can do to stop her? There should be laws against her treating people that way!"
Nicole scoffs bitterly. "Oh, there are laws all right. But no one would ever dare go against my mother, the fear of her sending Bobo to torture you or your family was far greater than an attempt at justice."
"Well, I am very glad that you are no longer in the castle then. Freed from her grip." I say, trying to sound enthusiastic. Nicole's shoulders slump in response to my words. "I am never truly free, Waves."
"Can…can you tell me what happened?" I ask softly. She looks at me for a long moment before nodding.
"When I was sixteen, I met Shae. My mother was hosting an extravagant ball, inviting all of the nobles in the area. Shae is the daughter of Duke Reginald and Duchess Victoria Pressman, of Physicia. Physicia is the next town up from Monument, only three hours horse ride from here. It is also where healers are schooled." I nod for her to continue, uncertain as to where this was going but very much intrigued.
"Shae and I started talking and became fast friends. She was funny and also had a rebellious streak like me. She would often visit when her parents came to Monument. She was the one friendship that mother actually approved of. But that was only for political reasons, of course. The Pressman family is very powerful and influential, which of course my Mother desired most to be. Hence why she allowed Shae and I to spend time together."
"Oh well, then I am glad that you got to have a friend without fear of your mother harming her." I say, glad to hear something positive had happened in Nicole's life. Sadness washed over the redhead's face at my words, to my complete dismay.
"It did not last. One afternoon, Shae and I stole a flagon of wine from the cellar. We became very drunk…laughing and joking around. Then there was this moment where I just looked at her. She was so very beautiful and before I could stop myself, I moved forward and kissed her."
I let out a gasp of surprise, a gust of jealously pulling inside my heart. Nicole looks down, clearly ashamed at what she had done. Why would she be ashamed? It was just a kiss. Mother and father used to kiss all the time.
"Mother found us mid-kiss. Safe to say, she was completely appalled and sent Shae home. I was ordered to never speak to her again. But this time I wanted to fight for my friendship. So that night I stole away on a horse, asking Jeremy and Mercedes to not say a word. They of course promised to cover for me. I wasn't thinking of the consequences, just that I had to see Shae."
"So you rode to Physicia then?"
"Yes. I went to Shae's window and threw rocks at it to get her attention. She came out, gave me one look and told me that I…that I disgusted her and she never wanted to see me again. She shut the window and I was left completely devastated. I realized then that I was different, that I was attracted to women rather than men. I knew mother would never accept me." I squeeze her hand sympathetically. Nicole has truly experienced a lot of pain in her life. I wished that I could somehow make it all go away for her. She takes a shaky breath before she continues.
"Not knowing what I was going to do and tired of living underneath the cruelty of my evil mother, I ran away into the woods and stumbled into the clearing. After crying for two days straight, I finally got up. I sneaked into town, covering my head with a piece of cloth fashioned into a hood and sold my horse. I stumbled into Jeremy while in town, who immediately recognized me. He explained that Mother had learned what happened and had him and Mercedes lashed then thrown out of the castle, jobless and homeless."
I cannot help the tear running down my cheek. At everything Nicole had to go through, and Jeremy and Mercedes too. Nicole moves forward, wiping my tears, looking at me with a small smile despite the pain she must be in while telling me the sad story of her life.
"I felt so very guilty…but he assured me that he would do it all over again if it meant making me happy. I gave him some of the money I got from selling the horse and purchased some timber with the rest. Jeremy helped get the timber to the clearing. He was the only one I trusted with the location of my home."
"And then you built your wonderful home and took up the task of saving people caught by Bobo under the orders of your mother." I complete for her, releasing a sniffle.
"Exactly right. One afternoon I witnessed Bobo and his men dragging a woman in chains to a campsite a few miles from my home. That day I just decided to act. I took the bow I had made and fashioned a mask for myself, then went late at night to go and free her. I managed to do it without much effort, Bobo's men are not very smart." I giggle at the truth of that.
"That woman was so grateful that she led me to her home and offered me one of her dog's puppies as a thank you."
"That's how you got Jack!" I say happily, looking at the dog sleeping soundly next to Nicole.
"Yes, that is indeed how I met my best bud." Nicole says walking over to the napping canine and fondly rubbing his head, causing him to look up at her contently. Then Nicole gets back up from her crouched position and walks towards me again.
"And that is the story of how I became the Sparrow." Nicole says, with a small smile.
"Thanks for telling me your story, Nicole. I am so sorry for everything that you had to go through. But it has made you the person you are today. A wonderfully, brave person who saves others from evil people and brings the town of Monument hope. You are the light, when your mother tries to bring only darkness."
Nicole looks at me with awe, moving towards me slowly. The air leaves my lungs as I watch her reach out and move a lock of my hair behind my ear.
"Thank you for saying that, Waves." She says softly as she looks into my eyes, her brown pools full of emotion. Gratefulness, warmth, kindness and another one. She was wearing the same expression father used to wear when looking at my mother. It was the same look mother told me princes wore when gazing upon princesses. And I was pretty sure I was looking at her in the exact same way. Holy shit-tickets. I am in love with Nicole Haught, I finally realize.
My eyes drop to her lips then. Unable to resist my feelings any longer, I move forward slowly. Nicole bends her head down and then…A bark breaks the trance Nicole and I seem to find ourselves in. We watch as a rigid Jack gets up and runs in the direction of the house. Nicole immediately stiffens. Then I smell it, smoke. "Oh no, Nicole something is on…"
Nicole turns towards me with panic in her eyes. "Fire." She states, then grabs my hand and we start running in the direction of the clearing.