Chapter 15: Busted

To Cashmére and Joseph, it maybe was an unpleasant surprise, but to Lucian... to Lucian, it was a very pleasant surprise. This what was he needed. Lucian needed to be able to step in and be the hero. What he needed the most was Cashmére to fall in love with him, but that was way harder. If women just wouldn't be so complicated. He grabbed her wrist.
"Got you." he whispered in latin.

"Let go!" Cashmére hissed, "Hey, let go!"

Lucian pretended not to listen. "Get the man!" he barked to his men, who were with him. "Get him!"

"No!" Cashmére cried, "No, don't!"

Joseph struggled against the soldiers, but it was hard. They were trained, and he was not.

"Let him go!" Cashmére spluttered, still in latin. "Or I'll... I'll..."
She was tempted to use magyk, but she knew that: a, Lucian Ramasotti was a skilled wizard, b, she would get in trouble, and c, Joseph would get in even more trouble.

"Silence." Lucian demanded.

"No!" Cashmére hissed, "Not until you let him go!"

Lucian sighed. "You give me no choice." he said. He picked out a charm- a silencingcharm- and begun to chant it. Cashmére stared furiosly at him. She got even more furious when he lifted her up, lifted her onto his horse, sat up at the horse himself and then barked out orders to his men. Cashmére did not see what happend to Joseph, but she knew that they would take him with them. It made her even more furious. Why? He hadn't done anything! They could not prove that he had done anything. Could they?

It was late, very late, when somebody knocked at Tantibus's door. He groaned and rose up from his bed. What the heck could anyone want him this early? He needed sleep. That was what he needed. But did people care? No. No, they didn't. He opend the door. Putside, Lucian Ramasotti stood. Lucian bowed down to him.
"Lord Tantibus." he said, "Excuse me for-"

"What do you want, Lucian?" Tantibus wondered. Lucian smiled a little.

"Cashmére." he said, "Come over here!"
Tantibus looked out into the corridor, and indeed, there Cashmére was. But she didn't look... like Cashmére. She had short hair, she wore a green tunic, and she looked almost... angry. Her arms were crossed across her chest.
"Cashmére!" Tantibus cried out. He embraced her. "Cashmére Gemmeldora Tanner, where have you been? Do you know how worried I've been? How much I've missed you?"

"I'm sorry dad." she said. "I am, but-"

"You must be tired!" Tantibus replied, "And very hungry."

"Dad!"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. What did you want to say?"

"Yes, I ran away. I did, and Lucian found me, but-"

"You know where I found her, lord?" Lucian asked, "Not to mention, do you know who I found her with?"

"No."

"With Joseph Overstrand."

"What?"

"Yes." Lucian replied, "Eric, bring him in!"
Cashmére's reaction when Joseph entered was shocking: she whimpered, as though she was worried about him, and attempted to get over to him. But she couldn't, since Tantibus had grabbed her arm. Joseph was very alike his father, Tantibus noted. But he did have a cut over his eyebrow, and it was still coming out blood.
"This man," Lucian begun, "I believe that this man is the one who kidnapped our dear heiress, Cashmére."

"It's not!" Cashmére said, "I said that I ran away, and Jose... excuse me, Joseph, helped me. He did!"

"It do not look like that." Lucian replied, coldly. "Look at yourself! What are you wearing?"

"It's called clothes." Cashmére snapped, "Modern clothes, Ramasotti, you should try them."

Lucian bared his teeth, but appereantly swallowed his words. Tantibus tried to decide wheter Joseph had done anything wrong or not.
"I do want to believe you, Cashmére, but we can not know yet." he said.

"Know what?" Cashmére snapped, and Tantibus got shocked. His Cashmére never were snappish. Never.

"If he has kidnapped you or not." Tantibus said.

"But I told you!" Cashmére protested, "I ran away. It has nothing to do with Joseph."

Lucian cleared his throat. "It infact has someting to do with... Joseph." he said, "He can have manipulated your mind... You think something happend, but infact, something very different happend."

"Why would he do that, Lucian?" Cashmére snapped, "In contrast to you, you-"

"Enough!" Tantibus said, "I've heard enough from both of you."
Cashmére pursed her lips, and Tantibus could tell that Lucian was trying hard to hold back his anger. Tantibus sighed.
"Lucian," he said, "From now on, you'll have the responsibility over mr. Overstrand. Make sure he's safe."

"In the arrest, yes." Luian replied.

"Joseph will not be in the arrest." Cashmére snapped, "Dad, please-"

"No, Cashmére."

"Listen!"

"Alright, sweetheart."

"Dad, please, let me have the responsibility for him." she said, "Please..."

Tantibus shook his head. "I'm sorry, Cashmére, but no."

"Dad!" Cashmére leant over to him, and whispered, "Besides, we both know that I need a husband. Joseph would be a great candidate... he's from an respected family."

"Yes, he is, but-"

"I know that you and Melchior didn't have a good relationship, dad, but do you really think that I should suffer because of that?"

"No, amica." Tantibus replied, "Of course you shouldn't 'suffer', as you say it."
He was shocked. Erianna had been just like that: she had been able to talk herself out of the most uncomfortable and awkward situations there was. That Cashmére had inherited that skill made him both happy, and a little bit puzzled.
"So, I have the responsibility, then?" Cashmére wondered.

"Yes." Tantibus sighed.

"Thank you!" Cashmére explained, and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you."

"No problems, dearest." Tantibus replied, then he whispered; "But you should tell him now. That you want to marry him."

"I will, dad, I will." Cashmére said. She was smiling with her whole face. It was a while ago Tantibus had seen her this happy. "Come here, Joseph." she said- almost as though she commanded a dog- and Joseph followed. Soon, Tantibus saw them dissapear. Lucian looked very angry.

"I believe that that was a big mistake, lord." he said, he was almost steaming with anger.

"Yet, I do not believe that." Tantibus replied, coldly. Lucian bared his teeth, and walked of.

Lucian was furious. How dared that woman not be grateful to him? How dared she? He growled outloud again. Then, he sat down. He begun to write a letter.

Dear Selene, I will be home very, very soon. As soon as I have sent this letter, I am going home. I just wanted you to know, Lucian.

He stood up, and went to the huge bronze cage that stood in the corner of the room. Inside of the cage, Lucian's message-bird (a huge brown buzzard with amber-coloured eyes) screeched. It's usual greeting. "Hush." Lucian said, softly, "Hush, Freia." He picked out a piece of meat from the bowl that was just beside her cage, opend the door to her cage and picked her out. Gently, as though he was feeding a baby, he gave the piece of meat to her. "Good girl." he whispered, gently caressing her feathers. "Want to send me a message? Yes you do, yes you do." He bound the little piece of paper to the magnificent bird's foot. Then, he opend the window to his cabin. He let her go, and then shouted; "To Selene!" The bird, Freia, screeched again, and then flew of. Lucian watched her as she flew of, and wondered what it was like, being a bird.