The Bastards
Ch. 4
Mary and her ladies stood at a merchants table in one of the barns where the harvest festival was taking place. This merchant was selling little wooden boats. "You write your regrets on this ribbon, tie them to the stern then watch as they sail away." the merchant told them.
"What a lovely tradition." Mary said with a smile at the man before they turned and moseyed over to a table loaded with furs and crochet goods. "No, I'm sure of it." Aylee said, making Greer, Mary and Maisie look at her and Kenna who had been whispering to one another.
"Greer, Lord Castleroy has been staring at you all morning." Kenna said quietly across the table.
They all looked at him where he stood across the barn talking to a few men. Every once in a while he'd glance at Greer with a flirty smile on his face. "Well, don't look." Greer told them scoldingly, making the women smile. "He would be a great catch. His father's a Hapsburg fourteen removed from the crown. Rumor has it he's made a fortune in the spice trade."
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Mary asked. "One foot after the other." she encouraged and the ladies smiled as Greer went over and introduced herself.
Seeing that one lady had left the group, Bash walked over. "Come to steal Maisie away?" Mary asked with a knowing smile.
"If it's alright with you." Bash answered. Over the past month Bash's side had healed and he'd taken up as much of Maisie's time as he could.
"Of course, enjoy the festival." Mary said with a motion to Maisie.
Bash and Maisie were standing at a vendor table looking at some boats when Maisie noticed Francis hugging a blond headed woman. "Who is that?" she asked Bash with a discrete nod at Francis and the woman.
Maisie and Bash moved to stand against the wall to make room for others to shop. "Olivia D'amencourt." Bash answered. "Her family lived at court for a time."
"And her link to Francis is?" Maisie asked.
"I probably shouldn't say." He said in a sigh.
She looked at him and raised a brow. "I'll get it out of you one way or another."
"They were an item for a time." He answered reluctantly.
"When did their relationship end?" She asked as they watched Francis and Olivia leave the barn together.
"About a month before you all arrived." He answered and Maisie hummed. "Don't tell Mary. It will only cause trouble if you do."
"I have no intention of meddling in their relationship." Maisie replied. "What Francis tells her is on him."
"Then why did you bother asking?" He asked.
"Because I'm nosey." She shrugged. "And I will always keep an eye out for my friends."
"Then…I should probably tell you that Kenna has been seeing my father for some time now." he replied.
"What?" Maisie asked with a look up at him across her shoulder. "You're joking."
"I'm afraid not." he sighed. "I've learned the signs over the years."
Maisie frowned and looked across the room at Kenna as she let the news sink in. Then a thought struck her. "So that's why she got mad at me the other day." she said in realization. Bash gave her a curious look. "At the picnic for Charles and Madeline, when your father gave me that rose. Kenna thought he was flirting with me."
"Yes, about that." Bash started sounding agitated, "I believe that little show was more about making her jealous than welcoming you into the family prematurely. Getting women is nothing more than a game he likes to play. And when it comes to Kenna, he's gotten what he wanted."
"You mean they've-?" she asked with a raise of her brows and he nodded. "Oh Kenna…what have you gotten yourself into?" she sighed to herself. Bash wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. "So all the nice things Henry said, it was all just a show to poke at Kenna?" she asked and he hummed. "Well that's disappointing." Maisie sighed.
"Why?" he asked with a frown.
"Because I liked the idea of having your parents' approval." she answered. "I haven't seen your mother since I arrived. I'd hoped we could have tea and get to know one another." she looked up at him as he took a drink from the silver cup in his hand.
"She approves." he told her then gave her a closed lipped smile.
"How do you know?" Maisie asked.
"I just do." he answered with a secretive looking smirk. She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously and he laughed. "Trust me."
She let it go with a shake of her head then looked around. "Is it just me or is this festival a bit boring?" she asked and he laughed. "What?" she asked and looked up to see him looking at her, that admiring look in his baby blue eyes.
"Just wondering how I got so lucky as to find the one woman God created for me." he answered, putting a bright smile on her face as she looked up at him. "Would you like to get out of here?"
"Yes please." she answered as she took his hand and they headed to the door. "But we can't stay gone too long. I'm supposed to meet Mary and the girls this afternoon to read Virgil." Bash made a disgusted sound. "Tell me about it. I think Aylee aims to put us to sleep."
They were returning from a ride when Francis found them. Maisie noticed the frown on the prince's face. "Is something wrong?" she asked before Bash could.
"Yes, I need to speak to my brother in private for once." Francis answered shortly.
"Anything you have to say you can say in front of Maisie." Bash said, not liking the tone his brother took with her. He dismounted his horse to be eye level with Francis.
Francis looked at Maisie then back at Bash. "Mary found out about my past with Olivia. She wouldn't say who told her, but I have my suspicions." his eyes looked at Maisie.
Maisie frowned and opened her mouth to argue, but Bash beat her to it. "It wasn't Maisie. Anyone could have told Mary about you and Olivia. It wasn't exactly the castle's best kept secret." Bash started walking and Maisie followed on her horse. "Now if you're done making false accusations-"
"I also have reason to believe Olivia's carriage was attacked by pagans." Francis interrupted. Bash stopped, giving Francis his full attention. "I recognize the words she heard from when you said them."
"What were they even doing driving through the blood wood?" Bash asked.
"Olivia's driver was told that the king's road was flooded. Which it isn't." Bash and Maisie just stared at him. "Bash, they're luring people in."
"I'll gather some men and find her carriage." Bash told him so Francis nodded and walked away.
Bash looked at Maisie so she dismounted. "Be safe."
Mary and her ladies sat around on three sofas arranged in a u shape in a common room while Aylee read Virgil. Queen Catherine and a few of her ladies sat at a table a few feet away talking and drinking wine. "It's a talent, really. No matter the topic he can wind it back to pepper." Greer interrupted Aylee to talk about Lord Castleroy. Lola, Mary, Kenna and Maisie laughed earning a dirty look from Aylee. "Sorry, sorry, go on." Greer told her.
"Et vacant annalis-" Aylee started.
"I bring up politics…Pepper transactions are a political minefield. History? The peppercorn has a storied past." Greer interrupted her.
"I doubt he'd wind Virgil back to pepper." Aylee complained as she closed the book around her thumb.
"Oh, stop." Greer argued. "We know what happens. He wanders around Troy for another 100 stanzas."
As Maisie rolled her eyes at Aylee they landed on Olivia as she walked into the room timidly. "Shush, It's Olivia." Kenna said.
"She looks Mortified." Lola added.
Queen Catherine walked over and looked down at Mary. "You and I find ourselves strangely aligned for once." As the queen walked away others stood and left the room.
"Are people leaving?" Kenna asked.
"She dislikes Olivia more than you?" Aylee asked Mary quietly as she leaned into the group.
"Apparently." Mary answered as she turned her eyes to Olivia who was still standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.
"Why would Olivia return here?" Lola asked.
"With the prince's favor she could find a match." Kenna answered. "If need be, Francis could force the issue."
"Who would willingly take used property? Even a royal's." Greer asked with a frown.
"Property?" Maisie asked with a frown of her own.
"You know I didn't mean it like that." Greer brushed it off.
"It sounds like there were real feelings there." Kenna pointed out. "Should she be punished forever?"
Her stations fallen. She doesn't belong at court." Greer argued.
"Some could say the same of you." Kenna snapped back.
"Because I don't have a title. How dare you." Greer said with a sneer.
Kenna leaned forward to say something back but Mary spoke up. "Stop, please. There's enough ill will at court today." Mary stood up and walked over to Olivia. "Hello, Olivia. I'm Mary."
Olivia curtsied. "I'm honored."
"Oh, it's all right." Mary held her hands out stopping her then looped her arm though hers. "Come, sit with me and my friends. I'm afraid there's not going to be much Virgil." The ladies scooted around on the couches making room for Olivia as she and Mary walked over. "Everybody's too excited about the harvest festival and the beginning of the blood month. They've been slaughtering in the kitchens all week. Out with the old, in with the new." Mary motioned for Olivia to take a seat so she sat next to Greer and Mary sat down next to her. "I heard that your things are still missing. Perhaps I could lend you a dress for the festival if you'd like."
"Thank you. I appreciate it."
Bash and Maisie stood in the infirmary, watching as Nostradamus worked on attempting to save the driver of Olivia's carriage who Bash had found near the wreckage, strung up by his feet to be bled into a bowl. Olivia's ladies maid hadn't survived. "Could you hear them? Were they close?" Nostradamus asked.
"I had no sense of them." Bash answered with a shake of his head, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Some would say you had no sense. That you defiled their faith." Nostradamus argued.
"A faith riddled with human sacrifice. When did that start?" Bash asked.
"They've made blood sacrifices for centuries." Nostradamus answered, placing a new bandage over the driver's cut neck.
"I thought they only sacrificed animals." Maisie spoke up.
"Not always." Nostradamus replied. "The human sacrifice was simply more hidden, less bold."
"I thought these murders, these bodies hanging, their true purpose was to scare people away. Civilized people from land they believed was theirs…or had claimed for hunting." Bash said as he started pacing.
"And instead they're hunting civilized people." Nostradamus replied. "Travelers. Luring them in."
"Why? What's changed?" Bash asked.
"I don't know." Nostradamus replied as he stood from where he'd been kneeling beside the driver. "But I do know this. You have interrupted a sacrifice, which they will not take kindly to. Stay close to the castle in the coming days. You could be in grave danger."
Scared, Maisie grabbed Bash's hand and he pulled her close.
The next morning Maisie and Bash were at the festival, leaning against a post in the barn while chatting and people watching when Nostradamus found them. "A word?" He asked and Bash left Maisie gave him a nod.
While Bash and Nostradamus spoke, Maisie went to Mary who had been drinking wine all morning. "Mary, are you okay?"
"Yes, perfectly. Why do you ask?" she replied, but Maisie could tell something was wrong.
"You looked stressed when talking to Kenna earlier." Maisie started. "Then the queen spoke to you, which I know is always a nerve wracking experience, you've also been putting more wine in your stomach than food." Mary sighed and looked down at the silver goblet in her hand. "May I suggest that you lay your woes on my shoulders instead of attempting to drink them away?"
Mary gave her a soft smile. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm okay."
"It still stands if you change your mind." Maisie told her then turned to see Bash waiting for her where they had been standing before. "We'll be down by the water's edge if you need me." she told Mary then went to Bash and took his hand when he offered it. "What did Nostradamus have to say?" she asked as they walked out of the barn.
"The driver has died." Bash informed her. "Before he passed he told Nostradamus that he heard the pagans talking about a bargain they struck with a creature that resides in the woods, in a dark cave somewhere that only a chosen few know of. They give it blood or it drains them of life."
"So that's why they're luring people in?" she asked with a worried look up at him as they neared to the water's edge.
"Seems so." he answered as they sat down on a stone bench, facing the water. "I know you've promised before," he started as he moved around to straddle the bench and face her as he grabbed her hands in his, "but it's important, now more than ever, that you stay away from those woods."
"I promise, I won't go near them." she replied then scooted forward and rested her forehead on his shoulder.
They were lost in each other, when Mary walked over and plopped down on the bench behind Maisie. "Sorry to interrupt." Mary said, sounding like she really didn't mean it.
Bash and Maisie pulled back and looked at one another, Maisie giving him an apologetic look before he leaned to one side, looking at Mary over Maisie's shoulder before he looked back at Maisie. "I think your queen is a bit…inebriated." Bash whispered.
"Her queen can hear you and yes, I am." Mary replied, making Maisie bite her smiling lips closed.
"I'll give you two some space." Bash told Maisie then pecked her on the lips, stood and walked away.
"Is he ever going to pop the question?" Mary asked, a bit of a slur to her words.
"I'm sure he will when the time is right, but neither of us want to rush into anything." Maisie answered and she turned to sit on the bench the right way instead of straddling it. "You didn't come out here to ask about me and Bash. Come on," Maisie gave her a come-at-me motion with her hands. "Get it off your chest. What's wrong?"
"Did you know Kenna is having an affair with the king?" Mary asked.
"Before I answer that, let me take this off your hands." Maisie answered as she gently took the silver goblet out of Mary's hand then drank what little was left and sat the empty cup on the bench between them. "I do know, but I only found out yesterday when Bash told me. Kenna doesn't know that I know."
"How could she be so foolish?" Mary asked.
"I'm a firm believer that we don't have full control of our hearts. Besides, some might call me foolish for having feelings for the king's bastard." She rolled her eyes. "God I hate that word." she added under her breath.
"Yes, why do you hate that word?" Mary asked.
"I'll explain when you're in your right mind. Until then why don't we talk about you?" she asked. "Kenna's affair can't be what drove you to over indulge in drink."
"It's Francis…" she sighed. "I asked him to send Olivia away and he assured me he would, but then I found out that her belongings have been recovered and she's moving into the east wing. Not only that, but something happened between them." She grabbed the cup and looked in it, only to remember that Maisie drank it, then clumsily put it down. "We had an argument and he threatened to take Olivia as his mistress."
"Mary, I'm so sorry." Maisie comforted as she placed her hand on Mary's arm.
"It…was so foolish of me to think that we could ever be just a boy and just a girl." Mary started rambling. "I mean, that implies that one is free to leave if one is unhappy and while I am stuck here with no recourse he's free to do whatever he wants with whoever he wants. What do you think, am I overreacting?"
"I think I can only see your side of the story. And while I empathize with you I also know that you can be hot headed and impulsive, which was probably magnified by the wine you've been drinking all morning. Also, what was the queen talking to you about? Could she have said anything to you that put you in a bad mindset? You know she's manipulative and doesn't want you to be with Francis."
"I don't know." She sighed, letting her shoulders fall as she grabbed the cup and started fiddling with it. "What would you do if you were me? As far as I can tell you and Bash never fight like this."
"Well, Bash and I aren't royals." Maisie pointed out. "But, if I were you I'd go get something in my stomach, sober up and try the conversation again. It's easy for words we don't mean to slip out of our mouths in heated moments." Maisie saw a movement out of the corner of her eye and looked to see Francis walking over. "Excuse me for a moment."
"A word?" she asked, getting his attention. He stopped and motioned for her to speak. "I don't know why you would think that I'd tell Mary about your past with Olivia, but I want you to know that I'll never try to jeopardize your relationship with her." She started, squinting at him in the sunlight.
"No, I know you wouldn't." Francis replied. "I was upset and for some reason I took it out on you even though I know how much you care about Mary's happiness. I apologize for my behavior."
"I care about your happiness as well." She added. "Which is why I'm going to warn you that she is two sheets to the wind right now." He sighed and dropped his eyes to the ground. "She asked for my advice and I told her it would be best to talk to you when she has a clear head. But obviously what happens next is up to you."
He thought about it for a moment, staring at Mary's back. "Would you take her inside and send word when she's feeling better?"
"Of course." She answered with a nod. "Would you mind telling Bash where I'm going?"
"Not at all." He answered with a nod.
Maisie brought Mary inside, and watched over her. When she sobered up she sent word to Francis then left them to work things out.
That evening Mary found her and thanked her for her care and advice. She and Francis worked things out. Olivia would be staying at court while Francis tried to find a suitable match for her. Maisie understood Francis's need to ensure Olivia's happiness, but she feared that Olivia wouldn't make it easy and would still put unneeded stress on Francis and Mary's relationship.
A few mornings later Maisie woke to find a necklace placed on a pillow on the empty side of her bed. Curious, she picked it up by the leather string. The one inch wide pendant looked like a twig in the shape of a stag's head. There was only one person she could think of that would have put it there and that was Bash, but he knew her taste in jewelry. And while her tastes were simple, a wooden pendant on a leather string was a little too simple. Something about it just didn't feel right.
So after getting dressed in a flowy light green dress and putting on a darker green winter cloak trimmed with fur to shield her from the cool, mid September morning air, she grabbed the necklace off her bed. Looking at it again she decided against wearing it around her neck and instead looped the sting around her wrist several times then pulled the strings tightening it so that the pendant rested on the back of her hand.
She and her friends walked beside the road, lined with trees that lead to where the king would be arriving, Mary walked ahead of them. "You look especially lovely, Kenna." Greer said with a look across her shoulder at Kenna. "Who are you dressed to impress?"
"No one, I just…" Kenna attempted to answer.
"Can't Kenna look lovely simply because she is lovely?" Mary asked as she turned and held out her hand for Kenna. "And you are lovely." she assured her as Kenna took her hand and walked beside her.
When they came to where everyone was lining up, Maisie spotted Bash and walked over to him. "Good morning." he greeted with a closed lipped smile.
"Morning." she greeted as she touched his arm stopping him from joining the others just yet.
"What's wrong?" he asked, seeing her frown.
"I've had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach all morning." she started. "Mainly because I found this on my pillow when I woke and something tells me it's not from you." she held her hand out, showing him the pendant. When she lifted her eyes to his face, gauging his reaction, she noticed how tense he was. "I was right, it's not from you. Is it?"
"No, but I have seen it before." he answered and she gave him a look that told him to tell her more. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want to frighten you. But, the butcher boy that committed suicide a few days back, he threw himself from my balcony after warning me that because I interrupted too many of their sacrifices, I must choose someone to sacrifice or they would choose for me. This necklace, or one just like it, was around his neck."
Maisie's eyes grew wide with worry. "So a pagan snuck into my room last night?" she asked and he nodded. "Does this necklace mean they've chosen me as your sacrifice?"
Bash cupped her cheek in his hand. "I believe so, yes, but I won't let them hurt you." he dropped his hand as she nodded, then grabbed hers and headed over to Francis, but before they could get his attention the king's arrival cut them off.
Maisie watched as King Henry exited the carriage and Kenna took a few steps toward him, only to stop when she saw Diane exit after him. Mary grabbed her hand and pulled her back to stand with them.
When the crowd started to disperse Bash grabbed Francis's arm then jerked his head for him to follow him over to Mary. "Mary, Francis, we need to talk." Francis and Mary gave him curious looks. "In private. It's important."
The four of them stood in a private area of the castle. "The people of this…faith. They claim that I owe them a debt. More than once in their minds I've interrupted their blood sacrifice. The butcher boy said that if I didn't choose someone else to sacrifice they'd choose for me."
"So that's what's been going on in the woods, Pagan sacrifice?" Mary asked.
"Among other dangers, yes." Bash answered.
"And now they've chosen Maisie." Mary said with a worried look at Maisie then at Bash.
"Because they know that threatening her is a good way to get to Bash." Francis told Mary then looked at Bash. "Anyone with eyes can see how much she means to you."
"We need to find out who left this marker in her chambers." Bash said as Maisie held out her hand, showing them the necklace.
"Maybe the servants saw how the necklace got into her room. If you give me the necklace, I'll question them." Mary said so Maisie took the necklace off her wrist and handed it to Mary. she took it and headed off to do as she said.
Bash looked at Francis. "I worry about her safety."
Francis looked at Maisie. "I'll make sure there's a guard outside your room at all times." she gave him an appreciative nod. "Meanwhile you need to find out the severity of the threat." he told Bash. "Ask the hunters that you know in the woods. Talk to the guards, Nostradamus, anyone." Bash gave him a nod and he walked away.
Bash walked Maisie to her room, stopping before she went inside. "I am so sorry. If I knew cutting the bodies down would put you in danger I never would have done it."
"You did nothing wrong." Maisie assured him as she reached up and rested her hand on the side of his neck. "I don't blame you. I'm worried about you."
"I'll be fine as long as you stay here, under guard. Don't open the door for anyone but Mary, Francis or me." he told her as he cupped her cheek in his hand and she nodded. "Promise me."
"I promise." she answered then took his hand off her face and kissed his palm. "As long as you promise to stay safe."
"I will." he responded as he saw a guard walking over to them. He opened her door and motioned for her to go inside. As he closed it, the guard stepped in front of it, blocking anyone who'd try to enter.
Night had fallen by the time her door opened and her guard told her Bash was waiting for her out in the hall. She peeked around the door to see that Bash really was waiting for her so she stepped out. Bash motioned for the guard to give them space before he took her hands into his. "I haven't found any new information. It's all straightforward really. I must choose someone and sacrifice them in the blood wood in order to pay the debt."
"You have to sacrifice them?" Maisie asked with wide eyes. "You can't just take a horrible person who doesn't deserve to live from the jails and dump them in the woods for the bloodthirsty pagan's to kill themselves?" Bash gave her a questioning look. "I've had all day to think." she shrugged.
"The prisoners are a good idea, but no, I have to perform the sacrifice myself." he answered.
"Bash…I know you. This is different from fighting on the battlefield. You can't murder someone in cold blood." she told him in hushed tones.
"I can," he argued, "to save you."
"And in saving me you will kill a part of yourself…a part of your humanity. I can't ask you to do that." she argued back.
"You're not asking me to. They are." he rebutted. Maisie took in a deep breath and gave him a pointed look as she let it out. "I'm having dinner brought up for you and your guard, let them in then no one else." she simply gave him a nod. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her waist as she tucked her face into his chest and he rested his cheek on her head. After a moment he placed a kiss to her hair and pulled back. "Try to get some sleep." she gave him a weak smile and a nod then went back into her room. Bash didn't leave until the guard was back in place.
The next morning the feel of something cold and wet dripping on Maisie's stomach, covered only by her white silk nightgown, pulled her from a deep sleep. Feeling heavy headed she touched her stomach then looked at her fingers to see red, slightly sticky liquid. As her eyes focused they landed on the head of a stag, blood dripped from its open mouth, landing on her stomach. It took a moment for it to register, but when it did the scream that left her mouth was loud enough for the whole castle to hear.
When she regained control of her body she rolled out of bed, landing hard on her rear then scrambled away from the sight until her back hit the wall. The light shining in through the window above her head illuminated the horrid sight.
Greer, Aylee and Lola rushed into her room. "Maisie, what-" Lola started to ask but was cut off at the sight of the massive head hanging from the frame of the canopy bed in the room.
"Good Lord." Greer gasped then looked at Aylee, "Go get Mary."
Lola went to Maisie and kneeled down beside her. "Are you alright?" All Maisie could do was shake her head no. Lola looked up at Greer. "I think she's in shock."
"Bash." Maisie whispered, Lola and Greer looked at her and she looked at Lola. "I need Bash." Lola looked up at Greer who nodded and left the room.
"Can you stand?" Lola asked and Maisie nodded so Lola helped her then grabbed a long silk robe and helped her put it on. "What is the meaning of this?" Lola asked with a motion to the bed. Maisie didn't answer so Lola didn't press further.
Eventually Greer returned with Bash who upon seeing Maisie, her hair a mess and blood on her robe that had soaked through from her nightgown, rushed over. "Are you alright?" He asked as he looked at her stomach.
"It's not my blood." she answered flatly. "It's the stags."
Bash wrapped her in his arms. Tears she'd been holding back now soaked into his shirt where her face was pressed into his chest. He looked around, noticing the head hanging over the bed for the first time. "How could you have slept through this?" Bash asked as he grabbed her face and dipped down to look at her eyes. "Your pupils are dilated. How do you feel?"
"Like I could easily go back to sleep." she answered, and Bash noticed her fighting to keep her eyes open. "You've been drugged."
Maisie let her eyelids win for a moment as she pressed her palm to her head. "I need to sit down."
Bash helped her sit on a padded bench seat in her room then kneeled down in front of her and grabbed her hand from her head, looking at the back of it. "The pendent, it burned you." he said. She looked down and noticed a raised, red stag's head burned into the skin on the back of her hand.
Mary and Francis walked in, seeing servants removing the head from over her bed. Mary rushed to Maisie as Bash went to his brother. "How did this happen, where was your guard?" Mary asked as she sat down beside her on the bench and grabbed her hand.
"I don't know, Bash thinks I was drugged." Maisie answered, swiping her hair out of her face.
"Good Lord! What is that?" they heard Catherine out in the hallway headed their way, probably seeing servants carrying the head away. The servants who'd just finished stripping the soiled sheets from Maisie's bed curtsied to Catherine before they left the room. Catherine looked at the bed then at Maisie and Mary. "How could this have happened?"
Maisie flinched from Catherine's tone, Mary grabbed her hand and looked at Catherine. "You've had someone sneak into my room before. Why don't you tell us how it's done?"
"Are you accusing me of this?" Catherine demanded as she squared her shoulders at Mary.
"We're not accusing you of any involvement, Mother." Francis said as he came into the room, Bash remained out in the hall, knowing Catherine wouldn't approve of his presence.
"Does that mean you know who's done this?" Catherine asked.
"Right now we're less concerned about who than how." Francis answered.
"They'd have to have drugged her." Catherine said as she walked over and grabbed the goblet of wine off the dining table in the room. She sniffed it then made a face. "This is poppy." she told them then sat the cup down. "I suspect her guard was given the same thing. Where is he?"
"The infirmary." Francis answered. "Severe stomach pain."
"That means he drank too much of it." Catherine replied then looked at the bed before turning her eyes to Maisie, "A stag's head? What message is that meant to convey?" she asked with a motion at the bed.
Mary and Francis looked at each other before Mary spoke up. "It's a symbol. Of the pagans."
"What do any of you know about pagans?" Catherine asked.
"Only what everyone knows. That they're becoming bolder, more ruthless and thirsty for blood." Francis answered. "Seems the more fear they spread, the more power they gain."
"These devils have come inside our walls. Inside my home." Catherine said as she turned her eyes to Maisie's bed.
"These heretics worked together to threaten us. Now we must work together to stop them." Mary told her. Catherine just looked at all of them then left.
"Is she going to blame me…or Bash?" Maisie asked Francis.
"I don't know, but I won't let her harm you, or my brother." Francis answered as Bash came into the room.
"We need to get you to the infirmary." Bash said as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"What I need is a bath and sleep." Maisie argued.
"I'll get the servants to draw you a bath." Mary told her so Maisie nodded. She and Francis left, giving her and Bash a moment.
Bash looked at her, regret clear in his blue eyes. "Don't say it." she told him and he blinked at her. "I'm okay."
"No, you're not, but you will be." he replied and Maisie saw something in his eyes change.
"What are you going to do?" she asked, scared.
"I'm going to the jails. I can't let them continue to torture you because of my mistakes." he answered, determination clear in his tone as he stood. She grabbed his hand, stopping him. "You can't talk me out of it."
"I was just going to remind you that I love you, no matter what." Bash gave her a bitter sweet smile with a blink before he left.
After her bath, Maisie laid in bed, fighting sleep while Nostradamus examined her per Bash's insistence. "Once you get some sleep you will be just fine. Poppy has no lasting effects." he wasn't telling her anything she didn't already know.
"Can I ask you something that's not about my health?" she asked and Nostradamus gave her an unsure nod. "You said I would lose my love. You did mean Bash, right?"
"Do you have another love?" Nostradamus asked, a little amused.
"No, but I don't know how far in the future your vision took place. People fall out of love all the time." She explained. "I need to know exactly what you saw, not knowing is driving me mad."
"My vision was the near future, as you don't look any older than you do now. However, that is only an estimate. Some women age gracefully." Nostradamus answered and Maisie sat up straighter in the bed, happy he was finally answering her questions. "I see you, tears of anger on your face. You strike someone, I can't see who. You say that Bash was yours, that this person has taken him from you. You don't say how." Maisie frowned down at her hands, thinking about what he'd said. "Is that enough to keep you sane?"
"Not nearly, but if it's all you can offer then it will have to do." she replied then looked up at him. "Thank you for sharing your vision with me." he gave her a nod then left her, letting her drift off to sleep.
While Maisie slept off the effects of the poppy, Mary and Catherine called all the servants into the throne room and asked them to come forward with information. Catherine threatened to burn their family's houses to the ground if no one came forward by midnight. Bash went to the jails, took a thief and brought him out to the blood wood.
By the time Maisie had woken, night had fallen. She dressed then followed the voices of her friends and the sound of fireworks out onto the balcony their rooms shared. "You're awake." Greer greeted as Maisie joined her, looking out of an open window.
"Where's Mary?" Maisie asked.
"I don't know. Last I saw her she was questioning the staff with the queen." Lola answered. "I'm sure she'll be here soon. Who'd want to miss this?"
"I suppose the king wants our mind off our troubles." Aylee said as she crossed her arms over the half wall.
"I wish I could get my mind off him." Kenna said, making the ladies look at her where she sat on a bench seat against the castle wall.
"Kenna's the king's official mistress." Greer informed Maisie.
"I knew they were…involved, but," Maisie looked at Kenna, "when did you become his mistress?"
"Today." Kenna answered. "You knew about us?"
"Bash told me." Maisie answered.
"And you didn't tell us?" Aylee asked.
"It wasn't my secret to tell." Maisie shrugged.
"Where's the king now?" Lola asked.
"He said I mustn't miss the fireworks." Kenna answered. "Of course he wouldn't say why he couldn't join me. Is he trying to get rid of me so he can have a moment alone with Diane? Is there another mistress he's courting? God knows I've been trying his patience lately."
"Kenna shut up!" Lola snapped.
"I'm sorry. God, no wonder you can't stand me anymore." Kenna said.
"No, shut up and look." Lola said with a point out of the window.
Kenna went to the window and they all turned their eyes outside to see Kenna's name written out in candle light. With a giddy smile on her face she ran off, headed to the kings, now her chambers.
"If Kenna is the king's official mistress, what is to happen to Diane?" Maisie asked the other girls.
"Kenna said she is staying in the castle until her cottage on the grounds is renovated." Greer answered.
"Why do you ask?" Aylee asked.
"She's Bash's mother. It can't be easy on him to see her displaced." Maisie answered.
"It's probably not the first time." Aylee replied.
"But hopefully it's the last." Lola said with a pointed look at Aylee.
"Maisie and Mary were in Mary's chambers waiting to hear from Bash. Mary sat on a bench in front of the fire as Maisie stoked the flames out of need to stay busy. "Has Sebastian returned?" Mary asked her ladies maid, Sarah, who stood beside Maisie's maid, Genevieve.
"Not yet." Sarah answered.
"And you told his servant to bring word immediately?" Mary asked.
"I did." Sarah answered. "Milady, you need to rest, both of you." she said.
Maisie looked down at the burn on her hand. "I'm not sleepy and I won't sleep until I hear that Bash is back and safe." she told Mary. "But I can leave if you'd like to sleep."
"No, I'm not leaving you alone. Not after learning that Catherine's guard was responsible for the stag's head in your room." Mary argued. "I won't let you out of my sight until Bash returns."
Maisie gave her a nod and sat down beside her on the bench. Genevieve walked over and held her hand out for the fire poker. "May I return that for you?" Maisie saw a burned spot on the side of her palm that very closely matched hers.
"Mary." Maisie said as she grabbed Genevieve's wrist and showed her hand to Mary.
"It's burned." Mary gasped as she stood and pulled Maisie close. "You said you'd never seen the necklace, but you're the one that put it on her pillow aren't you?" Mary spoke fast out of fear.
Maisie pushed Mary to stand behind her and pointed the fire poker at Genevieve. "Guards!" Maisie yelled.
"Don't bother." Sara spoke up as she walked over. "If the king's bastard fails again to pay his debt he'll need to learn."
"How many of you are there?" Mary asked from behind Maisie.
"Enough." Genevieve answered.
"Sarah, you'll burn for this, both of you." Mary said right before the guards burst in and captured the two girls. As soon as they were out of the room and the door closed, Maisie and Mary sank down on the padded bench seat, both of them letting out a sigh of relief.
Sometime during the night Mary fell asleep, waiting for Bash to return, but Maisie couldn't, and wouldn't, sleep.
The next morning Mary and Maisie were assigned new guards and ladies maids who they were assured were not pagans. After more hours of waiting for word Maisie was finally told by her new maid that Bash had arrived and asked her to meet him down by the water's edge where she'd once picnicked with Mary and her friends.
As she left the castle she quickly spotted him down by the lake, staring out over the water. "Bash." She said getting his attention as she walked up behind him and touched his shoulder, making him turn toward her. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." He answered as he caught her hand that she was about to use to touch his cheek. She frowned at the action. "Physically."
She looked down at their hands. "You went through with it, didn't you?"
"You were right. Killing a man in cold blood is different from killing a man in battle." He answered quietly. "And I've killed two." Maisie looked up from their hands, worry clear in her eyes. "One a zealot of the faith, the other an innocent."
"I don't understand." She said with a shake of her head.
"I took a man from the jails as you suggested, but I had no intention of killing him." Bash started explaining as he jerked his head for her to walk with him. "I only meant to use the prisoner to draw out a pagan. It worked and when I asked if any human life would pay my debt, the man said yes. So I sacrificed the pagan."
"So why did you kill the prisoner?" Maisie asked, her stomach aching with dread.
"He overheard the pagan talking about my mother's faith. What they believe should be my true faith." He answered. "The prisoner knew who my mother and I were."
"So you killed him to keep your secret safe." Maisie sighed.
"My past, my mother's original faith, has and will always put you in danger." He said as they stopped. "I'll understand if you no longer feel safe with me. Or if loving me is too dangerous."
"Bash." She sighed as she moved to stand in front of him, taking both of his hands into hers. "I see the fact that you killed to keep me safe as…a double edged sword. Just as comforting as it is frightening." She let go of his hands and placed hers on each side of his neck. "And I won't let fear keep me from loving you. Especially since I find the fact that I would fight and kill in order to do the same for you just as frightening. I can't fight and would probably lose my life in trying, but I'd try nonetheless."
"You're saying you'd die to protect me?" He asked, a little amused.
"It's a bit…dynamically reversed, for lack of a better term, but yes. I would." She answered and he grabbed her hand as they started walking again.
"Then perhaps I should teach you to fight." He offered.
"Really fight? As in hand to hand combat?" She asked, a little surprised, though she shouldn't have been.
"Yes. As much as I'd like to be, I won't always be around to protect you and you need to know more than a simple punch." He replied, completely serious. "Basic self defense maneuvers paired with strategic punches can do more than you might imagine. Especially considering no one will expect it from a woman, much less a titled lady."
"Okay. Teach me to fight." She agreed.
"Well, I can't teach you out in the open where anyone can see." He said with a nod to the people walking around closer to the castle. "We'll go for a ride in the morning and stop where we had our first kiss. I'll teach you there. What I can teach you right now is that the easiest way to take down a man, should your skirts allow, is to knee him between the legs."
"That sounds far easier than a punch. Why didn't you teach me that one when we were kids?" Maisie asked as they headed to the castle.
"Honestly I was afraid I'd make you mad and you'd use it against me. I'd rather take the punch." She rolled her eyes and gave him a pointed look. "Do you not remember how I'd agitated you at times just to see the cute face you'd make."
Maisie laughed. "I remember. You'd tug on my braid or untie my sash. Or the more annoying one, stealing something from me and running with it."
Bash chuckled. "Perhaps that one was a little unfair considering my legs were always longer than yours."
"It got a little less annoying after Kenna told me you were flirting with me." She replied. "A little being the key words in that sentence. Don't get any ideas."
"What, scared you can't keep up?" Bash asked challengingly.
"Not in these shoes I can't." She answered.
"Excuses, excuses." He sighed jokingly.
She looked across her shoulder at him with narrowed eyes. "Do you want me to punch you? Because I will." Bash just laughed.
Their mood was once again lowered as they watched Catherine's guard, and the two ladies maids be placed on and bound to pyres. "You shouldn't watch this." Bash told her where he stood beside her on a balcony that overlooked the public burning.
"These people marked me for death and tortured us." She argued with a look at him across her shoulder. "I need to watch them burn and pay for what they have done." Bash placed his hand on the small of her back comfortingly. "Then, when the screams stop, I'll need you to push it all to the furthest reaches of my mind."
"And how do you expect me to do that?" He asked with a knowing look. She just blushed and glanced down at his lips, making him smile. When the fires were lit their smiles fell and soon the screams of three people filled the air. After a moment one of the screams was silenced by an arrow. Not long after the other two faded and only the sound of the flames remained. "Satisfied?" Bash asked as he closed the windows of the balcony then turned toward her.
"Not as much as I thought I'd be. But the screams have stopped and I still need your help." She answered as she grabbed the strings at the neck of his thin brown shirt and pulled them. He smirked when she hooked her finger into the open v and tugged. He closed the space between them, wrapping his arms around her waist as he caught her top lip between his. They both instantly relaxed from the sensation as a sigh left her lips and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
He had worked his way to her neck, placing noisy wet kisses over the sensitive skin while cupping her cheek in his perfect hand when, "Don't stop on my behalf." jerked them back down to reality.
"Mother." Bash greeted as he turned from Maisie who kept her eyes downcast while her face burned bright red.
"No greeting from my future daughter-in-law?" Diane asked and Maisie could only manage to look up. "Oh you needn't be embarrassed. I take your attraction to my son as a good thing. It assures me that I'll have grandchildren someday soon."
"Mother." Bash scolded.
"After the wedding obviously." She defended then looked at Maisie. "Take a walk with me?"
Maisie looked up at Bash who gave her a smirk then back at Diane. "Sure."
Diane waited until they were out of earshot of Bash. "I wanted to thank you." She said.
"Thank me, whatever for?" Maisie asked.
"For giving Bash a chance. I know his reputation at court isn't the best. My biggest fear was that when you returned you'd hear of his reputation and decide you couldn't risk it. That, or you would return to court already wed. Both scenarios would have crushed him." She explained as they turned a corner in the castle halls.
"Well, his past was a concern, but he was open about it from day one. So I took his honesty as a good sign." Maisie explained. "And I never once considered marrying another."
"I'm so pleased you remain devoted to my son." Diane said and she was opening her mouth to say more when Kenna rounded the corner a few feet ahead of them.
"Maisie." Kenna said as she stopped at the sight of her friend walking alongside the woman she'd recently displaced. "What are you doing?"
"Having a chat with the woman I hope to one day call family." Maisie answered with a pointed look. Kenna frowned and opened her mouth to speak, but Maisie cut her off, "we'll discuss this later?"
"Yes, of course." Kenna replied then carried on her way.
"I am so sorry about Kenna." Maisie apologized.
"Oh don't fret it. I can only imagine the awkward position this puts you in." Diane responded. "Just know I don't blame you for the actions of your friends." Maisie gave her a soft thankful smile. "That's something else I want to thank you for. The day you arrived your friends judged me, gave me dirty looks, but you smiled warmly. I stopped letting dirty looks bother me a long time ago, but kindness, like the smile you gave me, matters more than you know."
"I didn't know if you noticed that." Maisie said out loud.
"I did, Henry did as well." She assured her. "He has a soft spot for you."
Maisie's eyes went wide. "Why?"
"Because you're in love with his favorite son and you're kind." Diane answered. "Bash was okay while you were gone, but Henry and I have both noticed a change in him since your return. There's a new energy about him, he's truly happy with you at his side." Maisie just smiled. "So, don't let him wait forever to ask for your hand. He's waited a long time to do so and he may need a push to get him past the nerves of anticipation."
Maisie laughed nervously, "I'll bear that in mind."
The two women had tea in the common room then both turned in for the night.
A/N: A polite reminder that reviews, likes, fav's and follows mean the world to me. So if you're liking this story, or even if you're not, please let me know your thoughts. Thanks for reading. :-)