Chapter 27
Green Eyes
The glaive which she did wield
Struck fear in my heart on the battlefield
It was her, the lady with the mask, revealed
She stood by the window face once again veiled
She turned, green eyes distant, and brushed past without a sigh
How could she do that to one such as I?
See thorough me, see past the intention, the lie
Of which has trapped me, I can't escape, no matter how I try
I see her riding that white mare
So strong, so beautiful, so fair
To love me she would not dare
I wonder if she would even care
Asleep now in my bed, I can only dream
Of the vision that I have created, of her blank green eyes, stitched into my every seam
A plan forms, a downright clever scheme
What does it take to love, I want to scream
I want a love that is sublime
I need a little more time
As long as it takes, a month, a year, seven days, even nine
I will do whatever as long as it makes her mine
Midnight fell like a blanket over Tortall and a sliver of silver moonlight outlined a slowly waking figure in white. Bandaged hands were examined and the figure groaned as it tried to get up. As the figure sat up and tried to stand, it yelped in pain but stubbornly refused to go back to bed. The figure moved swiftly and managed to exit the infirmary and slip into the halls, unnoticed. Or so it thought.
The glaive which she did wield
Struck fear in my heart on the battlefield
It was her, the lady with the mask, revealed
She stood by the window face once again veiled
Jarvis of Stone Mountain watched as this figure moved through the hallways, knowing full well who it was. He had been anxious to get Kalen out of the way, since he had seen the kiss in the garden, and had been successful in killing him off. Now was the time to make moves of his own in this dizzying dance of unrequited love.
Jarvis kept to the shadows, sneaking around the figure which was silhouetted in the blackness that kept him from her sight. He froze as she looked back, hair flowing around well-defined, slender shoulders like a blackened river after sundown, eyes catching the small shafts of moonlight that shone weakly through the large window. It was a sight to make any softhearted man fall to his knees, but not him.
I see her riding that white mare
So strong, so beautiful, so fair
To love me she would not dare
I wonder if she would even care
Asleep now in my bed, I can only dream
Of the vision that I have created, of her blank green eyes, stitched into my every seam
A plan forms, a downright clever scheme
What does it take to love, I want to scream
"Keep your act up, Stone Mountain." Growled his mind. "She's no court beauty, she is your enemy! Get her, pin her down and finish her off!" Shaking his head to clear it, Jarvis scowled and, as quick as lightning, held Midori in a head-lock. She opened her mouth to cry out but Jarvis covered her mouth, silencing her.
"Don't you cry out, or it's the slumber of darkness for you!" he rumbled in her ear as she struggled against his firm hold.
Jarvis kicked her behind the knees, gripping her tighter still as she groaned and fell to the floor on her knees, half-carrying her now, Jarvis dragged her down the hall, outside to Balor's Needle, where he began the climb up.
"Don't struggle in less you want to die. Those bandaged hands won't help you for long if you intend to hang on and climb back up." He grunted. She let him carry her up, limp in his hold and mentally cursing herself and the situation she had let herself get into.
Putting her on the ground, Jarvis bound and gagged her. Sitting down, he watched her struggle against her bindings and laughed when she finally gave up. He met her green livid gaze coolly and edged closer to her. "Can't escape now, can you, seedling? You know, sprouts often grow most beautifully when their faces are turned toward the sun..." Midori turned away, feeling her chances of help slip beneath her fingers, as if the key to her heart was being pried from her fingers and her deepest secrets revealed. Jarvis roughly gripped her chin forcing her to face him, wrenched off the gag and kissed her.
I want a love that is sublime
I need a little more time
As long as it takes, a month, a year, seven days, even nine
I will do whatever as long as it makes her mine
Midori struggled against her bonds, silently cursing as Jarvis' tongue slid between her slightly parted lips. She kicked herself for even opening her mouth to curse and longed to throw him over the edge of Balor's Needle right now. Throw him to his death as he had done to Kalen, this man—this snake had even openly admitted to murder, but he had other men do his dirty work.
Jarvis failed to notice Midori as she inched away from his touch, he wrapped his arms around her, his fingertips brushing her arms and shoulders as his mouth roughly caressed her neck and collarbone and clearly enjoying her helplessness as his hands explored her curvaceous, well-worked body.
A glint of hazel-green caught Midori's eye and she prayed it was here to help. The hazel-green glint was soon accompanied by purple. It was Nicola and Faithful.
She was then pushed aside as the cats pounced on Jarvis, hissing threateningly, telling him to stay away, and biting his wrists to prove their point. Nicola hurried over to Midori and untied her. Midori stood shakily as Jarvis was pinned to the ground, a knife pressed to his throat.
"Stop!" commanded Midori.
Faithful and Nicola looked surprised.
"If I kill him now, he won't cause you any more grief." growled Faithful.
"No, I should show mercy towards my enemies, as a soon-to-be-knight must show an act of chivalry towards a rather nasty noble, I must do the same."
Faithful nodded, taking the dagger from Jarvis' throat and watching as Jarvis stood, offering his hand. "Shall we call it a truce?"
"We should have never fought. But you did some things that can never be erased..." Midori replied, looking out to the three gravestones that stood in the courtyard.
Jarvis sighed. "I'm sorry."
"Tell that to your mind, Stone Mountain!" she replied coldly, "I will never have another uncle or cousin like them...they were very close to aunt...and you killed them to earn me. Let me tell you something, Jarvis, I am no trophy to prize and...I have already loved a man who is now in death because of you!" "I can never love again, once my heart and soul have passed into death with my lover..."
Midori brushed past Jarvis without a word, eyes unfocussed and shining with tears, and began the precarious climb down, determined to get some rest, leaving Jarvis with Midori's explanations and a stunned mind.
She turned, green eyes distant, and brushed past without a sigh
How could she do that to one such as I?
See thorough me, see past the intention, the lie
Of which has trapped me, I can't escape, no matter how I try