Chapter 2, here ya go :3 obviously this will be pretty much AU, because more things are going to happen before everyone dies D: or maybe I'll let them live. I have that power.
Oh, and the song Aisling is humming is Dance of the Wild Faeries
Chapter 2: Your eyes
I am woken by knights, dragging me up the stairs leading out of the dungeon. I am groggy and confused. The two men that were in a cell last night are standing by the cage my cousin is to be in and when they look at me, their eyes widen. I meet Felson's eyes momentarily and I look away. He immediately walks over, shoving the knights holding me away, and drapes his cloak around my shoulders. Behmen looks at the men, then to the priest.
"Get her clothes fit for travel and horse riding, and find her a horse. She will ride free, and will not stray without her cousin." The priest nods, with wide eyes and a shocked face, as if unaware of what happens in the dungeons and runs to get me clothes. I keep my eyes low and let Felson lead me to the stable, ordering the servant boy out and to send in a maid. The boy scatters off. Felson leads me to a bench and I sit. I pull the cloak tighter around my shoulders. This one smells used, like man but it must have been washed to not stink worse than a rotting carcass. I like the light scent and I bury my nose in the fabric, a wave of comfort washes over me and I sigh.
"Thank you" I say quietly, my accent light. I glance at him and he puts a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"It is too cold to travel in nothing" he said with a slight smile. His eyes are entrancing and I can't help but stare. We looked up when a maid came in with clothes and he excused himself. "When you're ready, pick a horse, saddle it and meet us in the courtyard." I nod and watch him leave. He is muscular under the shirt and I feel my cheeks heat up. The maid coughs and I shake my head clear.
I slip off his cloak and pull off my skirt. The maid binds my breasts for me and I pull on the riding pants and tunic like top. She hands me arm warmers and boots, both made from the fur of some brown animal. The boots are large, but warm. I pull Felson's cloak back on with another deep breath and look for a horse. The only one is a wild looking with a roan coat. I smile and decide he will be mine. Not like I have any real choice.
I approach the creature slowly, whistling softly a song my mother used to sing. It looks up from its grass and shakes its mane. I enter the pen and shut it. I see Felson and Behmen come in with the rest of the group, and they stop. Now Felson and Behmen are dressed for travel. I turn and look at the horse and a shiver runs through my body, the look in its eyes reminds me of the wilderness of home.
I feel their eyes on my back as I pull my hair over one shoulder and walk to the creature to place a hand on its forehead and kiss its nose. It snorts and I smile, its eyes ever watching. I move to its side, trailing my hand across its shoulders making muscles twitch under skin. When I get to its back I immediately pull myself up and grab his mane. He rears and whinnies, turning and bucking. I hold fast, my concentration on the horse and staying on. He rolls and I push my body out of harm's way but I do not let go. A few more minutes of this and the creature gives in, tired and panting and I have a smile on my face. I look up to see the maid had returned holding a silver band. I coax the horse to the gate and the stable boy opens it. I reach down and grab an apple from the basket and lean forward, putting it in front of the horse's mouth. He takes it and I pat his neck. I dismount and thank the stable boy for the horse's things as he puts them on the horse.
I turn to the maid "Turn around dearie" she says with a smile, and I do so. She pulls my hair around and puts the band on. Only one part of hair covers the band, the rest is held under it and I thank her. My life just got a little bit easier. I thank the stable boy again and grab the last five apples and put them in my saddle bag, the only things.
As I re-mount Felson laughs. "Is that the horse your knights were wrestling with when we arrived?" he asked and shook his head. Behmen smiles slightly and they turn and leave, and I follow. I move my horse to stand beside Behmen and I watch my cousin be brought out in an iron cage. I watch her sadly and she stares pathetically at Behmen. When the carriage passes and Behmen moves I stay, taking in the wicked things the people yell at her. I have always loved my cousins from, as my father used to say, across the pond. They were kind and unpredictable at times, that's what made them fun, but Anna had always been quiet, until something happened and she became a witch. I shake my head, no I can't let words get to me, I know my cousin and she is no witch…..but after these last three years I am only slightly uncertain.
I am brought out of my thoughts when Felson moves his horse in front of mine "Come on girl" he says without looking at me. Somewhere he had gotten a nicer cloak and I assume I can keep this one. I am barely dressed for cold weather and the cloak will help. Not to mention it smells better every time I smell it.
We make our way out of the castle and into the wild. My horse is anxious, he moves erratically and impatiently, so I urge him forward and he takes off quicker then I could have believed possible. We rush past Behmen and Felson, startling their horses and we pass the cart and our guide. I pull the reins and he slows slightly, until we reach a ravine. He stops at the edge and I turn him back, making him trot back to our group. I notice I am out of breath and I laugh, giddy with excitement. I miss riding as fast as the horse can run across the hills of home. I laugh and pat his neck "Good boy."
When I reach them I am surprised to see another man, well boy, standing with Felson, both have their swords aimed for the kill. I watch as Felson and the boy seemingly dance and I am in shock. It's a wonder how such an ugly practice can be so beautiful. Behmen stops them when I reach my cousin and I smile down at her. She reaches her hand out, and I take it, much to the displeasure of the priest.
"Stay back, she'll kill you!" he yells gaining everyone's attention. I roll my eyes and lean down to pet her hair, anger swelling in my chest, to think my cousin could harm me is just ridiculous. I look back at the man, barely holding my temper.
"She is my family, witch or no. It is amazing what can happen when you show a person kindness, but the monks and knights under the service of the Cardinal would never know anything like that" I say spitefully. The man was about to say something but Behmen mounted his horse.
"Enough, we must continue on." His word is final and everyone takes their mounts. I smile again at Anna and she smiles sadly back. Somewhere in there is my cousin. The anger is still heavy in my chest as we continue on. The day has just started and I already want to kill a priest. My horse can sense my anger and he stomps to let me know. I laugh and shake my head. We have reached the ravine, the ravine with no bridge in sight.
The rest all ride up to me and we try to work out a plan. No one wants to be the one to cross the water, most likely colder than a pig in ice, but it had to be done. I sigh and I look around. "Excuse me for my indecency" I say and as everyone went to ask me why I slide off my horse and pull his saddle off, setting it on the ground. I pull off the fur lined tunic and my boots and cloak and pants. I'm glad for the maids help with dressing now.
"What do you think you are doing?" Behmen asks and I sigh as I re-mount my horse. They all try not to stare and I admire them for it. I turn and look at them, and my heart pounds in my ears. "Don't worry, I'll be fine" a lie that I can't believe. Behmen looks ready to say something but I cut him off.
"I'll be the first to cross, if I die there is no loss to you" before anyone could argue further I coax my horse to step into the water. He is not happy. "Come on handsome, you going to let a little bit of water stop you?" something makes his ears perk, and I wonder if he can understand me because he bravely stepped into the water. We go until the water reaches his stomach and I need to nudge his sides to get him going again.
"Get back here before I kick your ass girl!" Felson yells and I smile slightly, but ignore him. The water hits my feet and I tremble and shake my head. "Holy frozen hell this is COLD!" The horse snorts as if to say 'no really?' and I laugh. We are almost halfway there and the water only reaches the tops of my feet and my teeth begin to chatter and my body shiver. I sigh as we make it to the other side and my horse rears up, most likely happy to be out of the water.
I smile back at the group and call "Can you please hurry up, it is COLD!" I yell and everyone starts moving. The horses' saddles are put on top of the cart and everyone comes over, none of the horses look very happy. Felson brings me my clothes and he turns so I can dress. My boots feel amazingly warm to my near frozen feet. The last thing Felson gives me is the cloak, which he pulls around my shoulders and fastens.
"You are wrong. If you die, the girl will take vengeance on us, so would you be careful and let us deal with near dying." It was a statement, not a question. I feel like a child being scolded and a warmth rises n my chest I don't recognize. I nod, catching his eyes, our eyes are locked and he moves a strand of hair behind my ear. "When you said you would be fine, did you believe it?" the question catches me off guard and all I can do is shake my head, no. As the cart comes out of the water I see that my cousin is dry, though I was certain the water would reach her. I smile and walk over to the cage, and take her hand. She smiles back at me and pats my head like I used to do to her. I turn and walk to Behmen.
"Do you have a knife I could use to cut apples?" he looks at me for a moment and reluctantly hands me a knife. I smile in thanks and pull out four of five apples and I cut all of them in half. I put a half in my mouth and then give the other halves to the rest of the horses, patting their noses and kissing their foreheads. When I finished I found my horse already saddled and ready to go. I jump on and finish eating my half of apple as we begin again.
We make camp later and I set up my bed a little ways away from my horse, who I have decided to call Powder. I am closer to the cart then everyone else and Anna coughs. I look up and sigh.
"Yes Anna?" I ask her softly. She looks to the fire then back to me "Go, sleep closer to the warmth, I do not need you here with me freezing." I smile softly and take off Felson's cloak and pass it to her through the bars. Then I reach into a saddle bag and pull out my last apple and hand it to her.
"Goodnight Anna" I say and kiss her hand. I pull my hair back over my shoulder as I walk to the fire and sit, not really listening. It is cold out, and I try to control my shivering.
"Did the monks not pack you blankets and other provisions?" Behmen surprises me and I nod and lie.
"They did, I just don't wish to take them out yet." I smile softly at him and he regards me with a look that chills me further, and then turns back to the fire. I'm sitting between Felson and the monk, listening but not really caring. They speak of their crusade, and I sigh softly. The fire reaches me, and barely keeps me warm enough to keep from shaking, the words around me blurring together as I think of home and the days events.
The next time I'm paying attention everyone but the monk is chuckling. I hide a smile, happy someone had gotten to the so called holy man. I sigh and lean back, looking at the stars. I had never been one for religion, or religious practices. Back home, in Ireland, we were taught since we were babies that faeries exist, and that's the only belief I've followed. I could never grasp the idea of a god, but the music of the Fae was something I fell asleep to every night. Unknowingly I had begun to hum a soft song that I used to sing to Anna when she was a baby. I am ten years older than her, and she is the one cousin I have seen almost all of my life going between here and home.
I sit up surprised when I feel a blanket being dumped on my head and I look around. Felson is standing above me smirking "Thought you could use a blanket." I pull it around me and only then do I realize how cold I was. He sat down next to me and handed me a piece of bread "Don't lie to us, we are not like the knights of that castle, we will not harm you for asking help." Behmen says from across the fire. I blush and look down, embarrassed, but I nod anyway "Alright." I mutter and Behmen stands and leaves.
"Thank you Sir Felson" I whisper and he nods "Your welcome girl." I look up to see his eyes wrinkle in a smile. "Get some sleep now, and don't worry about the monk or the knight, they'll not touch you" he whispers to me and I was going to ask what was stopping them, and realized he had set up his sleeping space a few feet away from me.
"Sir Felson?" I ask him. He snorts "Just. Felson." He says in an agitated voice. "Sorry. Felson, how did you know I was lieing?" he sits up on his side and watches me. "Your eyes, they are like a book. They darken when you lie." I tilt my head, about to ask how could he know that meant I was lying "When you said you would be fine, your eyes darkened, that's why I asked if you believed what you said. Also I Behmen and I knew the monks would only give you the least amount of anything they could, so I grabbed extra blankets and food." With this he lay back down and yawned.
I smile and wrap myself in a blanket and lay down for sleep. I believe if he hadn't given me a blanket I might have died from cold. I sigh and am ok with Felson being my savior.
I'm only kept from a deep sleep by them muttering about who would take first watch. When all has been decided, I'm able to rest. One thought passes through my mind before I fall asleep.
I lay at my savior's feet like an obedient pet, and I don't care.