Cheeky: Yes,yes, there are singing birdies in this one too!lol, yes, it seem Marcus has decided about Jeanine and Abby...took him a while, though, i know. sorry about the suspense and how long it took for my story to actually do something...i know, i'll work on it in the future.
Frosty PJ: Hey, hey, which phrase did i steal...your welcome.
Chapter 24: Enchantress of His Heart...And Yona, Caught!
The sounds of the party filtered out onto the obscure balcony where Marcus and Ellen stood. The frigid wind caused Ellen to shiver as Marcus struggled for the words...the answer to her question. 'Do I love her? After meeting Abigail of Mattensworth, after that elusive dream. Watching her sleep, watching her live...not on the brink of death as Father had said. I was so,' he paused, unwilling to admit such an emotion to himself. 'I was frightened for her. I wanted so much to rush in and scoop her in my arms and tell her that I loved her. But do I? Who do I love?'
Ellen watched her friend carefully. She knew he was an honourable man. But even honourable men's affections change. She broke the silence and told him as much,
" But what proves a man's honour is the path he takes once he is aware of his change of affections. Does he leave her gently, telling her of this change? Does he not tell her at all, believing it be better that she does not know? To be a true noble, Marcus," she shook her head, ruefull. " To be a true noble is something that not many of those in the nobility are. It is a lost characteristic."
" Which path, Ellen, for a man who does not know with whom his affections lay?" There was a brief pause before Ellen asked quietly,
" Who?" The single word was spoken with gentleness. With understanding. Marcus shook his head and sighed, wondering whether to bother telling her.
" Her name is Abigail of Mattensworth. I met her while in the Mattensworth estate area." With those sentences, the Count knew he condemned himself. Ellen would not condone frivolous and ever-changing affections.
"And what happened, without too much detail?" She asked, her voice hard.
" I mistook her for a common servant, she was alone on the road at night. She first insisted she was a servant, but her voice revealed her. When I confronted her, she told me her true identity, though I did not believe her. I, er, escorted her to the Mattensworth estate, and her maid identified her convincingly. I apologised and-" He paused and breathed deeply. " I kissed her, Ellen. I kissed her. She was..wonderful in my arms." He turned towards her, his eyes filled with an anguish she could almost feel. " I dream of her, Ellen, I dream of her...not in any perverted or, or unchaste way, but I see her face and I long for her. I want to, to feel her skin, and her eyes..." Marcus stopped himself and turned to look his friend in the face. Ellen's eyes had strayed to the night darkened forests, her lips tight in an emotion that Marcus felt to be disapproval lavished with disappointment.
Ellen of Witherbury stood silently for a long time, her friend awaiting her response with apprihensive dread. The cool wind blew over them both, causing the Count to shiver slightly, but Ellen ignored it, so deep she was in thought.
When Marcus though he could stand the silence no more, she turned, her grey eyes sad but sure.
" If you so long for this Countess, this Earl's Daughter," she stopped, mastered herself, and continued, " You must break your engagement to Jeanine. Then go to this Countess Abigail. This enchantress of your heart."
Music from the ensemble in the small ballroom drifted on to the balcony and over the two figures. The melodies wandered over the stone walls and over the small hedges of the gardens into the audibly inattentive ears of two women.
The Queen squinted at the scrap of paper in her hand, almost unable to read the words written in the moonlight.
' You have paid me in full. The vial will arrive with a fortnight of this message.'
Never had the Queen felt so scared, but excited. Was this it? Was the message true? Would she finally carry a child that would live? Would the half-elven gypsy finally keep this promise? Had she finally decided that the Queen had suffered enough?
She handed the message back to Natalia with trembling fingers. The other woman placed a soothing hand on Moraine's shoulder as she read the short note.
Without a word, she sat down on the stone bench with her sovereign and friend. The Queen pulled her heavy cloak closer and Natalia hugged her around the shoulders.
There they sat for a long time. Each hoping that the note would be the beginning of the end of the Queen's sufferings.
The sun broke through the trees, lighting the castle, and heralding the dawn. A herd of deer ran through the Royal Forest, startling a small flock of sparrows into flight.
Their wings carried them out and over the forest, transporting them towards the castle. They flew past the Earl's room, and, being sparrows, did not mark his empty and unused bed. They flew down towards the servant's quarters, the beds had been used, made and their former occupants long gone in their duties. The flock wheeled around and up, past the window of a quivering blonde noblewoman, who sent her calling maidservant away. The flock finally settled on the window sill of one of the Healing Quarters rooms.
A man stood in the doorway, watching the sleeping woman beside the window. Before he knew what his feet were doing, they had carried him over to the bedside. Marcus's green eyes flickered (as all men's will) over her slim body, but settled on her face. She was sleeping. 'My Enchantress.' he thought, using the name Ellen had bitterly bestowed upon her. He watched her for a minute, simply contented to see her. ' Just my luck,' the young man thought after a while, ' Both times I come, she sleeps.'
He turned, his conscience weighing heavily upon him, knowing that this confrontation would have to wait until his encounter with the Lady Jeanine Dewhurst. Marcus ran a hand through his longish hair and turned, prepared to obey his urging conscience.
But as if she had felt his presence, Abby's eyes fluttered open, a clear grey.
" Marcus?" The noble stopped in his tracks, his heart pounding in his throat, all because of that soft, slightly scratchy voice.
Abby couldn't believe it. Marcus was here! Or maybe it wasn't him...
" Sir DeBracey?" Her voice felt shaky and she cursed silently, knowing that it was probably worse that she thought. The man still hadn't turned, ' Gods, it probably isn't even him! Oh, I've made a fool of myself yet again.'
The young noble closed his eyes tightly. Slowly he turned, agitated and scared, oh, so scared. When he faced her, Abby had sat up in the bed, the white gown she wore floating about her figure. Her dark, wavy hair cascaded over her shoulders, thin after her illness. The thinness extended to her face, emphasising her lips and eyes. Countess Abigail's eyes brightened upon seeing his face and in her happiness, she breathed his name, softly and joyously...
" Marcus."
Before he knew what had passed, he knelt by her bedside, hugging her tightly to him. He murmured into her frail shoulder, tears escaping his eyes and running disregarded down his face.
" I heard you were sick...I heard you were dead...I thought...." He pulled away and stood, suddenly formal. " But I am being presumptuous, Countess. Please, I have come to inquire after your welfare."
Abby blinked. And Yona knew his thoughts echoed hers, ' He has already embraced her unrestrained... why does he become mannerly now?' The spy leaned closer, careful not to scare the flock of sparrows resting on the ledge.
" You are too kind, Lord Count. I am quite well." Abby made the transition to courtly manners with only a sliver of trouble, hiding her confusion with much the same ease, though her eyes she hadn't quite mastered. They turned slightly brownish, but Abby hid them under her lashes.
Yona sighed silently, 'I hate nobles' games.' He leaned forward, trying to catch the Lord Count's expression, and moved his hand down the branch he leant on. He forgot the recent rain and his hand slipped, and Yona with his hand.
He scrambled to catch ahold of the ledge, hoping he wouldn't have to make the three storey fall. 'Wouldn't be that hard but...' He finally grasped the ledge, cursing his afterthought, ' The birds...! Damn.' The spy cursed as the flock scattered at his grasping hand.
" What was that?" Abby turned towards the window, where there was a whirl of feathers, then a thud.
Marcus pushed the window open further, and leaned out...barely able to catch a glimpse of a black clothed figure, slinking along the shadows of the wall.
Without so much as a glance to the woman on the bed, the young man climbed out the window, onto the tree and shimmied down, ' With unusual skill for a grown man...' Abby thought, watching from the window. She grinned, then noticed what Marcus was chasing a shadow...
" Oh...it's a person!" she realised aloud as Marcus, with a burst of speed ran after the figure. They ran almost the length of the wall before the young noble grabbed ahold of the black-clothed person's shirt and dragged him down.
Marcus dodged the person's kick, only to be felled by a drop-kick with Yona's other leg. Falling heavily, the nobleman reached up and grabbed Yona's opposite wrist and yanked, bringing the spy down beside him. With lightening-quick speed that made Abby gasp, Yona flipped the noble down into the dirt and straddled him, pinning him hard onto the ground.
Marcus grunted in frustration. 'Damn! Bastard knows how to wrestle!' He tensed his legs, and Yona leaned back, preparing to stop any attack from his legs. Nimbly, Marcus pushed himself up and twisted, pegging the spy down on the ground.
They struggled with each other, but Marcus kept his advantage.
" Tell me why you were listening." Yona snorted, kept silent and continued to struggle. Marcus sighe dand drew a short, glinting dagger. He held it to the spy's throat as he said courtiously, " Forgive me, I didn't quite capture your explanation, what was that?" Yona eyed the man's hand, barely glimpsing the hilt of the dagger, silently reviewing his options.
It had been a while since he'd been caught. 'I s'pose now's about my time. Rather humbling to be brought down by a noble, though.'The spy thought over his situation.Yona disliked his employer. A sneaky little fool, but he paid far more than any spy was worth, Yona almost grinned as he thought of the amassing wealth from the past three weeks... 'Enough to retire me and Iloria well.' Yona shrugged, a difficult feat as Marcus still had him pinned to the ground.
The man made his decision.
" Ah yes, well the birds were chirping rather loudly just now, I understand your missing my reason. What I said was that I am doing what my employer asked." Yona smiled, not caring that the other man couldn't see due to the mask he wore. ' After all, I'm not above playing the double-spy.' Marcus raised an eyebrow, surprised that the man hadn't struggled and kept silent.
" Go on." Yona sighed.
" Must you pry?"
" Yes," Marcus growled, " I must."
" Ah, well then. My employer wants me to watch you so I can tell my employer what you do."
" Very specific of you, but who is your employer and why does he-she?" Yona remained silent, " Why does your employer care what we do?" Yona thought for a moment.
" If you stop kneeing me in the stomach and let me up, I'll continue."
"You'll promise on Solaro'sheart that you'll not run away."
" Hmm...strong oath...alright, I promise on Solaro'sheart that I won't run when you let me up...I'll stay to be questioned." Marcus got up and offered Yona his hand. As Yona took the offered limb, Marcus looked up at Abby's window and waved reassuringly, not wanting to alert the guards by shouting. He turned back to the other man and applied his question,
" So, who are you?"
Yay! My story's going somewhere! .: Does little, satisfied dance:. :D kk, please review.....Chrischelle, Frosty Pickle J, Cheeky, Lindy, Misty, GoldenRose, Malistaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa (sorry, couldn't resist mate!), LovingLife, Enigma, FouFou, Zagato, Charming, Alicia, Nosilla, SukiYumi, Lalaith, and Kaio (my first reviewer!).
I love you all (and doubly if you review!),
Galadvende
