Is the Queen really mad or pretending?
Ah, an interesting question. What makes a person mad? Is it based on perception by others, or on fact? Or is madness just an act of pretending by one's unconscious? Why am I suddenly going down a philosophical tangent at this time of night? But I would say that, yes. The Queen is mad. Although, if she was pretending, I wouldn't really blame her.
Why didn't Travis recognize her before, from the first time she was caught?
Well, this second time around she had blonde hair and her scar quite visible to the world. Before, she was a black haired servant. Perhaps, given a little more time, he may have recognized her. But at the moment, Travis was not able to make a connection.
Where are the other members of NB if not also in Travis' jail?
They got especially invited to the General's dungeon in the palace for their own welcoming party…
Why weren't the commoners also shackled? And when do magicked shackles (like the ones Alanna had worn in her capture) come in (if they exist at this time)?
The commoners weren't shackled because they didn't impose much of a threat (grandfather, mother, small girl). Vistra/Lauryn was a bit more dangerous. However, Vistra and Acole were locked up when General Aleyn learned she had beat up one of his men because he was petty and angry enough to do so. Shackles are uncomfortable, you know. (No, I wouldn't know actually.) (Why am I having this conversation with myself?) (Beats me.)
21. Willing to Help
Nobles' Bane: Chapter 19
"You've given me another reason for which to be thankful."
She flushed. "That's not completely correct… I almost blundered your escape… If Travis hadn't--"
"But he did," the old man finished for her.
"He did," she agreed quietly.
The old man smiled at her. "Lady Jade." He then turned to Travis. "Lord Provost." He bent into a bow.
Travis flickered an uncertain look in her direction, but smoothly returned the other man's bow.
Then the man turned, gathered his family, and left. Leaving her and Travis standing in uncomfortable silence.
What does one say at times like this?
"Well," he finally said. "Aren't we a chatty pair."
"It's been a long time."
"Yes. Too long."
She suddenly remembered their youths, times spent sprawling on hay, weaving through horses' stalls, playing hide-and-seek. She remembered how much she had adored her younger brother, how proud she had been whenever a passing villager had commented on how endearing he looked.
"What happened to us, Travis?" For a moment she hesitated, wondering if she had said that aloud.
He watched her for a moment with those cobalt eyes. "We grew up."
She shook her head. "It wasn't supposed to be this way. It wasn't."
"It never is." He paused. "Come on. We should get away from here. You could come with me and take up at my--"
"No. General Aleyn might suspect; he might have your place searched."
"He can't be suspicious about something he doesn't even know about."
"What?"
"I didn't tell him. And neither did my men. He doesn't know that we captured you yet."
She hesitated. "Nonetheless. I know a place we can stay for awhile."
They started to walk side by side. She tried, but couldn't maintain the silence for too long.
"What happened to you, Travis?"
He was silent for a short while. "To be completely honest, I don't remember. I must have been knocked out; I vaguely remember waking up in a strange place, disoriented." He frowned. "They told me that I was just having a bad dream, that I was still safely within my bed in the former Lord Provost's home. My home."
Anger boiled in her gut. How dare they do this to him… "You couldn't have believed that," she said flatly.
"I had little choice. Th-they did something to me. Probably with magic. I had difficulty remembering my supposed 'dream'. I couldn't remember my name, our parents. I didn't know who was I was."
"They brainwashed you."
He smiled grimly. "I became Travion, the Lord Provost's heir."
She was silent.
"You have no idea how much havoc you reigned onto my mind when you first told me that I was your brother, when you looked… were a servant. I've always had an inkling of doubt and uncertainty. But I was able to control it, hide it. Push it away. After my encounter with you, I started seeing vague memories. A small hut with glass windows. A little girl with brooding gray eyes. Horses." He lifted his shoulders in a light shrug. "But it didn't make any sense. You said that you were my sister. But I didn't recollect anyone with black hair like yours." He gave her a small smile. "And then we met again. And you had blonde hair. The pieces were slowly starting to piece together. The moment I heard your song, I was able to see the whole picture. And I remembered who I really was."
She gave his hand a light squeeze.
He shook his head, as if trying to clear away his lurking thoughts. "All right. Now, it's your turn. What happened to you, Lauryn?"
"After the nobles got a hold of you, I heard the men telling one another to put our house on fire." She snorted derisively. "I was too scared to help Papa. Or our mother. Or even you. But I was able to slide out from under the bed to try to save myself."
"You were only a child," Travis said gently.
"A child who should have just insisted that her father sell the horse instead of dieing for it," she replied. She waved away his protest and continued to speak. "I couldn't go out through the front, obviously. So I tried to squeeze through the window. I was too slow. The house exploded, and the next thing I remember is waking up to find villagers pulling glass pieces from my face."
"So," Travis said. "That's where you got the scar."
"Scars," she corrected. She shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I'm used to them. They help me remember."
Neither of them said anymore. The silence was just as telling as any words could have been.
~*~*~
The door opened a few scant moments after she had knocked on it.
"Vistra." Nathan rolled his eyes while at the same time looking relieved. "You're still safe. For awhile there, I thought you had gone to try to rescue Axe and Danel yourself--"
Travis stepped up behind her, causing Nathan to jump back. Moments later, a long bladed knife appeared in Nathan's hand.
A shadow moved from behind Nathan; Kenric appeared with a sword in his grip. He stared over Vistra's shoulder.
"Lord Provost," Kenric said cautiously.
"Lord Tonerian," Travis returned politely.
She glared at Nathan. "Put down your weapons."
Nathan kept his eyes on Travis. Kenric spared her a glance. "We will," he said, "if he puts down his."
She glanced over her shoulder to see that Travis did indeed have his sword unsheathed.
"Everybody, put your weapons down," she ordered.
They ignored her.
She growled faintly, considering whether or not swatting somebody in this situation would be helpful or harmful.
"Travis, please sheathe your sword," she finally sighed.
Nathan shot her a skeptical look, which was quickly followed by a look of blatant surprise when Travis complied.
Kenric slowly followed suit; Nathan continued to stare.
"Raven's Claw. Nathan. Let me introduce you to Travis. My brother."
Nathan's look of shock was so utterly complete that she couldn't help but laugh. Even Travis gave an amused chuckle.
"Well," Clarine's voice suddenly rose over Lauryn's laughter. She must have been listening from behind Kenric. "Why don't you and your brother come in for some tea?"
~*~*~
Nathan gave her a mutinous look of dislike. "No." He sounded absolutely final.
She glared at him. But he refused to budge. And she wasn't referring to his seat either.
"He's my brother, for gods' sake, Nathan."
"He's the Lord Provost," Nathan retorted. "I've heard a lot of things about the Lord Provost. And none of those things ever included his being a caring, sympathetic family member."
"Well, obviously," Lauryn said with a roll of her eyes. "He wasn't entirely fond of his adopted parents."
"I've never heard of him being caring and sympathetic to anybody, Lauryn."
She glowered at him. The fact that Nathan had finally called her Lauryn instead of Vistra did nothing to appease her.
Clarine cleared her throat. "Come to the kitchen with me for a moment, Nathan."
He gave Lauryn a hard look before turning to his wife. "I don't want to go out there with him around."
It was quite obvious who the him was referring to.
"Lord Trav--Travis is in the stables, looking out for his horse. Not in the kitchen."
Nathan looked as if he still wanted to object, but then he nodded. He followed Clarine out and shut the door with a resounding bang.
Lauryn slid her pointed gaze over to Kenric, the only other person left in the room. He leaned back and held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, as if to say 'Don't attack me; I have nothing against your brother.'
She looked away.
"It's not that he particularly dislikes your brother--"
"Which he does."
"--But he's afraid, that's all," Kenric continued as if she didn't interrupt.
She snorted. "Afraid of what?"
"Not, of what. But for what. He's worried about Clarine."
She was silent.
"I'm not saying that Travis is a spy. For all I know, he may genuinely care more about you than his office. But the chance is still there. What if, later, he decides to change his mind and return to General Aleyn? What would happen? To Nathan? To Clarine?"
She noticed he didn't say anything about himself.
"He's not a spy. He's not." But she didn't sound very convinced, not even to herself.
Damn Nathan. Damn him for putting these doubts into my head.
But what if Kenric was right? What if she was just putting all of them in more danger?
"Lauryn?"
She suddenly realized that Kenric had moved from his seat to kneel in front of her, peering up into her face. She immediately got to her feet, to step away, but he grabbed her hand.
"Don't," he said quietly. "Don't turn away from me."
She glanced at him uncertainly as he moved to stand before her.
"I want to help you. But I can't help you if you keep pushing me away."
She shook her head. "Kenric, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into. You--you don't even know me."
"Is that so?" was his soft reply. "But that's only because you won't let me know you… Alisse."
She tried to hide her flinch from him, but he saw it.
"Kenric," she said, almost pleading, "don't do this. You're his son. You still have a chance. Go back. Go back home." Over the last few days, the real seriousness of her situation had finally hit her. Nathan was right, she couldn't just storm the castle and fetch Axe and Danel from the General's grasp. This was something big, bigger than she had ever first thought. Big enough to frighten her. But more then her fear, was her concern for Axe and Danel. She was not going to leave them.
But she also didn't want to drag Kenric into this fight against his father.
"I have no home back there." He reached up with a hand to touch her face, to trace her scar. "I should have recognized you earlier. I don't know why I didn't. Your hair is different. Your face too." He outlined the lower curve of her eyes. "But your gray eyes are still the same." His fingertips touched her lips. "And your laugh. I would recognize that laugh anywhere." He said it in such a way that she immediately believed him.
She gave him a weak smile. "Kenric…"
"Let me know you, Lauryn." The hand on her face stopped tracing patterns onto her skin, but didn't drop from her cheek. "Let me help you."
She held her breath as his lips slowly descended onto hers. His gentle kiss sent a wave of delicious shivers down her body, but she felt incredibly warm.
After the kiss was over, he blinked. His black eyes widened slightly and an appealing pink flush crept into his face. He dropped his hand from her cheek and took a step back. "Lauryn, I--"
"I like your way of helping," she said giddily before he could do something foolish like apologize. She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his neck, running a hand through his wild curls. "Why don't you help me some more…"