Secrets in the Shadows
A/N: I find it funny, I go months without inspiration, but when it comes it hits me like a ton of bricks, so now I find myself abandoning my other story for the moment to write this one. I thank all of you who took the time out to review: it means a lot to me that you did and gives me encouragement to keep going.
I own only but the clothes on my back and the ideas in my head, and I need only air in my lungs and food in my belly!
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Chapter Nine: Caged
Nothing could have prepared Arthur for when she raised her dark head to look into his eyes, for they were the unmistakable blues of Inara Paulus. He inhaled deeply, words could not describe the amount of shock he felt in that moment.
Inara was nursing a split lip, and the beginnings of a black eye, the sure markings of the Romans' "interrogation." Her knuckles were also split open and she cradled that hand tenderly against her chest, Arthur looked to the man who stood guard over her and noticed that his nose appeared to have been broken.
"Inara..." Arthur said softly as he looked at her once more.
"Arturious Castus" She replied as hollowly.
At that moment the knights had chosen to come bursting into the jail, wanting, since sleep had been denied them, to see the wench who had caused such a ruckus. They were rather pleased that Captain Ronatus was dead, he was in their opinion a Roman worth killing.
"So Arthur, let us get a good look at the whore who slew Captain Ronatus." Bors said playfully.
"Aye, is she a pretty young thing Arthur? One of his mistresses perhaps?" Gawain offered.
As the knights finally reached the end cell Arthur stopped them from looking inside by spreading out his arms.
"Men, return to your beds. There is nothing for you to see here." Arthur said sternly.
"Come on Arthur, we just want to have a bit of fun." Lancelot joked.
"Leave..." Arthur said coldly.
The men all started to walk away, clearing the field of vision for Tristan. And though he could not see her face, a long slender tanned leg was visible.
"Inara?" He said to Arthur with a raise of his brow.
The men stopped having heard Tristan, and turned around with equally puzzled looks. Arthur, defeated, removed his arms and stepped aside so they could look at the woman who had murdered the Captain of the Roman guard, the woman who they had been sworn to protect.
"You are joking right?" Galahad said in disbelief.
Arthur shook his head. Tristan moved forward and glanced into the prison cell. Inara looked back at him, unable to move because of the shackles upon her ankles and wrists. The cloak she had been wearing when she went riding was no longer upon her person, leaving her in the thin protection of her shift. And though it kept her modesty covered, it did nothing to ward out the cold of the dungeon.
Lancelot pushed to the front of the pack and took his turn to look upon the woman he had been with just hours before. She looked broken, like an animal too long caged. But she had only been in here for a few hours.
Under the scrutiny of the knights, Inara drew herself even more inward, hiding her bleeding knuckles from their sight and turning her face away from them. Their faces had fallen upon seeing the Roman 'princess' in the cell.
"Arthur, how could she have?" Lancelot sputtered after Arthur had ushered them all away from the jail cell.
"That question is for Inara to answer Lancelot. There are many things that make people take the lives of another, and I am sure that Inara has a reason just like the rest. But there is no excuse for such a murder, she will be put to death according to Roman law."
"Death? Arthur you cannot be serious. She is the niece of the Pope! Are not such people above such acts in Rome? Don't you value your nobility above all others?" Lancelot spat.
"Calm yourself Lancelot. Her family does not yet even know." Arthur said quietly before walking off to go tell them of their daughter's fate.
Lancelot punched the wall in frustration in his wake and let out a feral growl before heading off to find a bottle of ale to calm his nerves. The other knights had already found themselves in the comforts of such liquor, and while some sought solitude, Gawain and Galahad did not.
"Did you think her capable of murder, Gawain?" Galahad asked the man whom he regarded as a brother.
"Nay. But she had to have been quite the actress to have fooled us." Gawain said clasping Galahad on the shoulder.
"Aye...and fooled us she has. I had thought her different than other Romans...how wrong I was." Galahad said with a nervous laugh.
"We were all fooled by her Galahad...Rome is full of deceit, and Inara was just another poisonous spider spinning her web."
Arthur had paused in front of the door to Marcus and Fatima's chambers. How was he to tell them that their only child is being held for murder? Raising his hand determinedly he knocked several times. A few moments later he could hear the shuffling of feat, and a rather tired looking Marcus Paulus greeted him with confusion.
"Arthur? What is the meaning of this, it is it not yet even dawn?" Marcus whispered.
"Forgive me for the hour. But this is a matter which dictated your immediate concern."
"Immediate concern? What has happened?" Marcus said slowly his face falling.
It was then that Fatima appeared at his side, she looked like she had hastily dressed and was clutching her dressing gown tight about her chest.
"Your daughter..." Arthur began but was cut off by Fatima.
"What about Inara? She slumbers in her chambers." Fatima said confused.
"No, M'Lady. She is being held for murder..." Arthur said slowly.
"Murder? That's impossible. She is in her room we are sure of it." Marcus stood forcefully and strode to the door that was adjacent to Inara's chambers and stepped inside. The bed looked like it had never been slept in and Inara's cloak was missing.
"She is gone...Fatima." Marcus said with a tremor in his voice.
"Take me to my daughter, Commander." Fatima said as she threw on her own cloak.
Arthur nodded his head in consent and began his journey back towards the prisons with one of the highest ranking families on the Island in tow.
Inara shifted drawing her body into a small ball against the wall. Her body ached from the Romans' idea of "persuasion." Several blows she withstood during their interrogation before she had fallen to the floor bleeding. But not before managing a well placed hook to the nose of her captor. After that they had bound her to the wall and removed her shoes to prevent her legs from doing any more damage.
They denied her a cloak and had left her to freeze. She was a murderer after all, and murderers did not deserve any comforts. When she had seen Arthur arrive and look at her with such disappointment and confusion is when she truly broke. Arthur had seemed to be the voice of reason on the island, and if he doubted her, then no one would believe her when she told them of her innocence.
She had just left Lancelot, and was heading back to her chambers via the long route so that no one would notice her slipping inside when a group of Roman soldiers advanced upon her with weapons drawn. Inara looked around nervously, not understanding what was occurring until a rather hulking man's fist took away her consciousness. She had awoken to their questioning, received their interrogation and the scrutiny of the knights. And now she was all alone.
Echoing footsteps on the stone floor caused Inara to look up. Had the knights returned to gawk at her once more? If they had, she would stare them down and call out to them with such ferocity that they would regret it. But instead she saw her Father and Mother accompanied by Arthur.
"Inara...what have they done to you?" Her mother said as she grasped the bars.
"Mwt... I didn't do anything...I swear to you I did not." Inara said as she cried to her mother in her own language.
"Marcus, we have to get her out of here." Fatima said slowly.
"Arthur, is there nothing that can be done for her?" Marcus shouted.
"I am sorry. She was seen leaving the area of the crime, she will be held until such a date is determined for her execution." Arthur said with difficulty.
"Execution? You would execute my daughter?" Marcus continued, his face growing red, and the veins in his neck beginning to bulge.
"Marcus, please. Calm down, you will stress your heart too much." Fatima begged, lying a hand upon her husbands arm.
He shrugged her off and cast a glare to Arthur before moving to the bars where his daughter now made an effort to stand as best she could given her restrictions.
"Inara...listen to me. I know you could not have done this. I will see that you are free from here. Just be strong for me, aye?" He said quietly.
"Aye." Came Inara's faint reply.
Marcus stalked off from the jail, he had much to do if he wanted to see his daughter free from the clutches of death. Fatima lagged behind to speak with Arthur. The Commander, had expected another verbal lashing like Marcus had given him, but instead he was met with the heartbroken voice of a mother.
"Arthur, she is my only child. Inara could never commit such a violent crime, she is much too pure. I beg of you, do not kill her yet. Give us time, and we will make you see.. Inara is no murderer."
Fatima brought his rough battle-hardened hand to her lips and pressed a kiss to it, a few tears falling upon his skin before she grabbed her skirts in her hands and followed the path of her husband.
Arthur went to the round table and sat in his chair with his head in his hands rubbing the sockets and standing up before knocking one of the chairs to the side in frustration.
"God, what would you have me do? She has taken the life of another which is a Sin beyond the rest. Inara is a murderer and for that she must die. But I feel as though if I sign her death sentence, I am doing worse than what she did. Why has it always fallen upon me to make such difficult decisions? Am I not a mortal man like the rest? What gives me the right to deal out life and death?" Arthur fumed.
"Because...you are Commander of this fort, you are a Roman." Came a heavily accented voice.
Arthur turned to see none other than Tristan standing at the doorway. Tristan, though like a brother to him, had not been his confidant, that position was Lancelot's alone. It surprised him naturally, that it would be his scout who would come to him now.
"Arthur, I think we do not understand the full picture..." Tristan began.
"What is there to understand? Tristan...if you know something speak of it now."
"I was on watch Arthur, Inara had snuck out for a ride which I thought was harmless enough as Lancelot would surely bring her back to the safety of the fort. And he did, they conversed in the stables and parted ways. Then the scream of Arcadia was heard and we all rushed to her home. But, the time between events was too close. There is no way that Inara could have reached his home in time, found the map, slit his throat and exited." Tristan said carefully.
"So you are saying that Inara is innocent...but why if Lancelot had been with her did he not speak of it? Surely, if he thought it impossible for her to reach the Captain's home in time he would have spoken." Arthur reasoned.
"I do not know Lancelot's reasons for silence. Those questions are for him alone. I just thought that I would give you warning before you sent an innocent woman to her death." Tristan bowed his head to Arthur and left.
He had done his part for the girl. He knew Inara could not have committed the crime, but how was he to prove it? It was only circumstantial evidence, and not enough to sway the beliefs of all.
Inara knew that her mother would stop at nothing to get her out of that cell. That was Mwt in a nutshell; determined, fiery, and unyielding. And knowing that fact made her feel that much better. Her fate for the moment forgotten, her attention was turned to the rumbling of her stomach. How long had she been down here? Her body was sore from being forced into such a position and her toes and hands had begun to go numb. They had not made an effort to heat the jail in any way, the guards themselves wearing several layers and heavy cloaks still found cause to shiver. Not a glance was spared for Inara. Some how though sleep took over her and she shut her eyes.
When she awoke, it wasn't from a pleasant slumber but from one of pure exhaustion. However, she found that a pleasant weight now covered her. She inhaled the scent of the cloak, it was of pine, horse and smoke. She knew immediately who it belonged to and she thanked him from the bottom of her heart. Her attention was drawn to a water bladder and a small piece of parchment that had also been left for her.
"You still owe me another conversation."
Inara breathed in deeply, forever grateful to Tristan.