Chapter Six

"Gah!" said Celena in disgust. She slammed a jar full of yellowish preserves onto the counter in the kitchen, next to a growing collection of different colored jams. "Honestly, can't people think of anything else to give Allen for a get well present? How many baskets have we received now?"

"About eight, miss." Mallie responded as she left the room to answer the door. Celena was left sorting out the different fruit flavors of preserves when the cook came back, carrying two wicker baskets. "Make that ten. We've just received one from the Rochelli's and one from the Tantelon's. How nice of the Lady Yvette to think of Master Allen. You'd think the woman spent all of her time in front of her mirror in her beaudois."

Celena wasn't paying attention, concentrating on counting all the jars of jelly and different assortment of fruits they had received. All of the baskets included letters of condolences from their senders; courtiers who thought they had a chance with the dashing, blonde-haired knight.

"We'll be having a lot of toast for breakfast," muttered Celena, briefly wondering if bird-headed court ladies even knew how to make fruit preserves. Finally fed up, she stepped back from the counter, her foot crunching down on an empty basket. With a good kick, it flew across the room. "And to think, they bothered sending raspberries!" roared the girl, gathering jars in her arms to put them in the pantry. "He hates raspberries! Those idiots haven't an ounce of sense in their heads!"

Mallie winced slightly as she heard Celena slamming jar after jar onto the shelves in the pantry, while she tried preoccupying herself with gathering the baskets. Coming back out into the kitchen, she didn't so much as glance at the bent-over cook as she walked briskly past her and the mound of wicker.

"I'm going to see my brother." she said irritably. "I don't want to be disturbed while I'm with him. If anyone comes for me - tell them off on my behalf." Mallie was left staring after Celena, watching with a confused expression as the girl left the room.

"What are you still doing here?"

Nurse Claudine looked up, holding a basin with a large collection of bandages in it. Celena almost thought she saw a sneer on the pudgy nurse's face before she realized she was being ignored. Claudine went right back to her business, setting down the bandage-filled basin and preparing to change the dressings on Allen's wound.

Celena glowered.

"I want you to leave at once." she said, but to no effect. Briefly glancing at her brother, still lounging on his bed with a vacant expression, she confidently approached the fat woman. "Did you hear me? You're dismissed from this house."

The nurse snorted. "And who do you think you are givin' me orders, girly?" Her tone was laced thickly with forbidding. "You are in no position to give me orders, nor is your poor brother. I'm here by the request of Doctor Magoli, whom Sir Allen is under the care of." With that said, she hmphed and picked up a roll of bandages.

Celena almost turned red with the anger that rose up inside her, turning her ears pink and her pursed lips white. "Out! Out! OUT, you over-grown half-wit of a nurse!" She made a grab for the nurse's arm, successfully pulling her away from Allen's bed but the rest of the fight was an incredible struggle between the two.

While the two women pushed and shoved and occasionally pulled hair (Celena making an extraordinary move to yank off Claudine's wimple), Allen merely sat staring past them with his eyes half-closed. He blinked, his vision was blurred and he saw only a mesh of color and light moving rapidly about him. Sound suddenly opened up around him, as the noise of Celena and Claudine's brawl broke through his stupor. The clattering cacophony assured him that the room was being torn apart. The tremendous crash of the water pitcher breaking into a million pieces was the last straw. The entire manor could probably hear them. As the blurred images finally came into focus, he watched just in time to see Celena reach for his sword, displayed on the wall in all of its pearly white brilliance and emblazoned with the seal of Asturia.

The sword was unsheathed, the white scabbard still in Celena's hand while in the other she held the blade threateningly towards Claudine, who was struggling to stand. A look of fear was all Celena wanted to create in the insolent nurse, not really intending to hurt the fool.

"You're crazy!" screamed the nurse, gripping the post on Allen's bed with wide, bird-like eyes. "You're crazy! The madman Dilandau still lives in you! A demon like you should have been killed when they had the chance, but your brother was too kind hearted to see to it! The rumors are true! I hope you meet your end soon, Dilandau!" Claudine seethed with every word, her voice filled with hatred. She moved to swipe her fallen wimple from the floor, feeling a rush of air sweep just passed her ear. When she looked down, she saw a small lock of her curly golden hair (the part at her hairline that always stuck out of her wimple). Already overwhelmed with shaking, she scrambled out from under the sword's reach and ran for the door.

Celena would have felt more triumphant with the nurse's defeat (if one could call it that) had it not been for the cruel words that came from Claudine's wretched mouth. She, a demon? Celena knew what she once was, what evil forces transformed her into, but she was very certain that she would never be that evil incarnation again. Without really thinking about it, she sheathed the sword of the Knights of Caeli that belonged to her brother, shaking right down to the core. She winced as it dropped to the floor, her grip on it loosened from her endless trembling.

"Celena," began Allen in a whisper. He was looking at her; not at the nothingness that he seemed enraptured with since yesterday morning but directly at her. Unable to speak, Celena met his gaze nervously. He continued, "What do you think you're doing?"

Did he not just hear every word that came from the nurse's filthy mouth? No, of course, Celena reasoned as she gulped, why should he be so concerned with her feeling when he was broken? "I'm -- I'm sorry, Allen. I didn't think . . . ."

"That's right." he said suddenly, his tone dangerously low, "You didn't think, did you?"

"I didn't mean her any harm..." Celena protested quietly, her voice shaking and her hands growing clammy.

"Just like you didn't mean me any harm." Allen looked away briefly, only briefly, before turning a glowering gaze on her again. "It's never your true intention to trip things up, is it? You always have to meddle. You always have to be in the middle of it. And now look what you've done."

Celena was staring at him. Never in her life had she heard such cold words come from his mouth. He was always the one to protect her -- he had always been there for her and now he was so lost and confused, he had turned his back on her in his bitterness. "Allen, p-please . . . I didn't . . ."

"Look at me." he said quietly.

Celena immediately turned her head away.

"LOOK AT ME!" he boomed suddenly. Celena jumped, snapping her gaze back towards him. "I am crippled because of you! You, precious sister, who had to interfere with plans already made solid! You did this to me! Nothing more than a worthless shell of man am I now, all thanks to you. You! I should be damned for letting you back into my life! I could have been left with peace!" He smiled awkwardly, "I could have been left with all of myself . . . All of it . . ." Allen groped his stump, his eyes narrowing and his face contorting.

Before Celena could lose her heart as it melted into a worthless lump, she had to consider his fragile mental state. As she stood there, wide-eyed and shaking like a leaf on a tree, she even had to wonder how she could remind herself of such a considerate thought after just being insulted. It took her a moment to realize that Allen had once again broken down into tears. Somehow, her feet unstuck from the floor and she forced herself to move to his bedside. His hair was thin and a bit greasy to the touch but she didn't care and slowly combed it out of his face as his body shook with silent sobs.

She wasn't crying this time. "Allen, please . . ." she began, not really knowing what to say.

"Shut up." he replied bitterly, trying to push her hands away but she did not move. Instead, she drew nearer to him, sitting next to him on his bed. After a moment, she even dared herself to put her slender around about his shoulders.

"I love you, brother." She said quietly, forcing the words out of her choked throat and trying desperately to ignore the pit in her stomach. Allen said nothing in reply for quite sometime, only sitting with his head turned towards his stump, body shaking slightly while he let his sister comfort him. After a few moments, he spoke again.

"I wish - to take a bath, Celena." he sniffed slightly, straightening a bit before giving Celena a weak, almost imperceptible smile. "I must wreak of something awful."

For the first time in her brother's presence since the accident, she smiled back at him. "Yes, you do. But then, you've always had that particular aroma about you, brother. At least mother still loved you." For a brief moment, Celena braced herself for another attack at her impulsive joke but she was gladly met with more of a smile this time.

Allen swallowed. "Will you . . . have a bath prepared for me then?"

"Yes, of course I will. I'll have Jeyla do it right away."

Another awkward moment silence. Then Allen said: "Jeyla . . . how many water pitchers have been broken so far?"

Celena shot a glance at the scattered shards of white ceramic left about the floor. She cringed and answered. "I think that would make two, now..." Allen nodded. Another moment went by before Celena gathered herself up and headed for the door to tell Jeyla about the bath. Allen called to her before she left.

"Yes, Allen?" she asked, turning.

Allen licked his lips and took a breath. "I'm sorry."

Celena smiled again, nodding. "It's okay." And she left the room.

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Well, short but sweet, what can I say? I'm sorry I'm writing so slowly... I lost my inspiration but I think I've found it again. I do hope all who are reading this are enjoying it. There IS going to be a point to all of this nonsense very soon - adventure and the like so bear with me please . . . and don't stop writing those reviews... they make me feel better on a bad day. smiles

C. Selene Belyea