Wow. It's been a while.
Welp.
Hey everyone, Issa me. Yeah... after how many months? Sorry about that. BUT here's a new chapter :)
Thank you so much for the people who have been following this story. Honestly, with my lack of consistency that may be the best way to make sure you don't miss a new chapter.
Please review the story! Even if it's just a smiley face, or 'please update' I really appreciate it.
That's all for this chapter, folks. See you next time!
- Juliet
(I don't own anything, except for Asilia. (I wish I did though))
"In what circles," asked Back Lack.
"My mum's sewing circle," sarcastically replied Jack, "I'm a Blackleg sergeant, stupid. What circles do you think?" then Jack directed his attention to Arthur, and asked, "Now, tell me a story about a girl called Lucy, a Viking called Greybeard, and some rebel graffiti dirtying these walls,"
"Are you writing a book?" joked Asilia.
"I wasn't asking you, girl," grumbled Jack.
"Oi, don't speak to her that way," quickly added Arthur.
The two men stared at each other for a moment before Jack said, "Tell me. Every detail."
Arthur glanced at everyone in the room, allowing for a moment of silence. Then he simply said, "We had a quiet word with a couple of Vikings."
Asilia's eyebrows went up in surprise and confusion. Why on earth are there Vikings on their turf?
Arthur's explanation didn't satisfy Jack.
"I said from the beginning, the very beginning,"
"I woke up," bluntly said Arthur.
"Then?" inquired Jack.
"I got dressed an' went downstairs. Lucy was up too, she made me breakfast. Asilia came down to go to work, Bella came down too. I left. I went to the market, bought some food, got the daily report from my friends here, then came home. I took a quick nap, went downstairs, I saw the girls. Lucy was missing."
"She's a good girl," said Back Lack.
"A nice girl," confirmed Wet Stick.
"A good friend," added Asilia.
"She works here," said Arthur.
"Then?" Jack asked once again.
"Then," began Arthur, "me and the lads took care of a bit of business, bit of housekeeping."
"Then?" persisted Jack.
"Then we heard George had trouble again last night,"
"Which George?" asked Jack, "King George? Angry George? George of the Dragon? Be clear, Arthur,"
"Our George," clarified Back Lack.
"Kung-Fu George," added Wet Stick.
"Chinese George," said Asilia, knowing who they were talking about.
"Yes and George told us that he had some trouble with the Vikings," said Arthur.
"Hold up, hold up. Back up," said Jack, "Are you sure you didn't see someone else before you saw George?"
Arthur glanced at his comrades and Asilia, thinking for an answer to the sergeant's question. Asilia felt slightly uneasy with where this story was headed and became nervous for Arthurs's well-being. She had never heard of Vikings in their part of town, but she did know that King Vortigern had invited some to Londinium, for reasons unknown to her.
After a couple moments, Arthur's memory came back to him as he clapped his hands and said, "We saw Mike,"
"Mike the Spike? Kosher Mike? Which Mike?" quickly asked Jack.
"Blimey," exclaimed Asilia, "you're giving me a headache with all these questions, and I ain't even the one answering them!"
Jack glared at Asilia, obviously wanting to say something.
"Flat-nose Mike," cut in Back Lack, "he was trafficking furs through our vicinity without paying a commission,"
"Where did you put the money?" asked Jack.
"What money?" Wet Stick simply inquired.
"Money?" also said Back Lack, acting confused.
"We ain't got money," added Asilia, knowing that their wealth had to remain a secret from others.
"Did you hide it with the rest of your coffers?"
"You're all over the place," Arthur said, annoyed, "You can't keep your questions in a straight line. I'm trying to tell a story here and you keep interrupting.
"Anyway, I don't have any coffers. Once you've taken your share, and I've looked after the week and needy, I'm left broke,"
"What about you, eh?" Jack interrogated Asilia, "Don't you work too? What about your money?"
"I don't make enough money to have coffers Jack," Asilia innocently said, "besides; any money that I make goes to the girls,"
"We ain't got money," added Arthur.
Dropping the topic of money, Jack said, "Mike and the furs,"
"So we're back to that story, are we now, Jack?" said Arthur.
"Did he pay?" demanded Jack, ignoring Arthur's annoyance.
"'Course he paid," said Back Lack, "He's a good boy, that Mike,"
Finally fed up, Arthur asked, "What is this about, Jack?"
"Rebel graffiti. A young boy, your boy. Blue boy," Jack said, turning his attention to Back Lack.
"And he's a very good boy," Asilia quickly said, "Don't start getting the wrong end of the stick, Jack," Inside, she was very worried to how Blue fit into all of this.
"He's an upstanding citizen," agreed Arthur, "now, should we go back to George, and the trouble with the Vikings?"
"Fine. What did George say?"
"The Vikings had their head's up their arses. They hurt Lucy," grumbled Arthur.
Asilia became worried for Lucy, for she was hearing about this for the first time along with Jack.
"That can't happen, Jack," explained Wet Stick.
"That can never happen, Jack," Back Lack and Asilia said at almost the exact same time.
"She's my friend, Jack, so they had to sort it out," Arthur sternly informed Jack.
"They had been warned, so they had to pay," seriously said Wet Stick.
"How did you get money from a Viking?" asked Jack.
"You ask him for it," matter-of-factly said Arthur.
"You were unarmed. You just walked in there and asked them for it?"
"That's right Jack," said Arthur, "and they gave it to me.
"They were trying on furs. The same furs, as it happens, that flat-nosed Mike tried to hide from us.
"Old Greybeard banged on for a bit, and I grew quite annoyed, Jack. So I put a blade to his throat,"
"If you were unarmed, where'd you find the blade to put to his throat?" questioned Jack.
"Well, I borrowed it from his big, silly mate after Back Lack put an arrow through his lard-loving thigh," bluntly answered Arthur. Then he shrugged and said, "That's your story, Jack. Old Greybeard surrendered his dignity, Lucy got a year's worth of wages, and the rebel graffiti exists no more because of the law-abiding, proactive Blue Boy and his fun-loving dad. And then, they lived happily ever after,"
Asilia smiled and somehow managed to hold back her laughter. The story was so classically Arthur-esque that Asilia found it hilarious, despite the serious circumstances. She shook her head with a large grin on her face and directed her eyes downward in order to divert any attention that might have come her way. Back Lack, Wet Stick, and Arthur, on the other hand, stared directly and Jack in conclusion. The room was silent until Jack spoke.
"No they didn't, Arthur," he said.
Asilia's smile drained from her face as she felt her heart drop, knowing her previous thoughts had come true.
"For once there is something that you don't know," he coyly said, "something nobody told you,"
"And that is?" Arthur arrogantly asked.
"They're under the protection of the king," he said.
Everyone in the room suddenly donned serious faces as the realization of what was to come sunk in.
"And once you're under the protection of the king," Jack continued, "I can't help you, nobody can,"
Arthur merely shrugged his shoulders and said, "They're not gonna bother about me,"
Jack looked at Arthur dead in the eyes and said, "We'll soon see about that,"
Jack then got up, gave Arthur a firm pat on the shoulder, before walking out. Everyone was still for a few moments as he made his exit.
As the sergeant's words sank in, Asilia felt herself become consumed by panic. She was terrified of what was to come. Thoughts about what would happen to Arthur wouldn't leave her mind. Situation after situation flooded through her mind so profusely that Asilia felt a headache come on. Everyone was still silent. Asilia was the first to speak.
"Arthur, what in the bloody hell did you do," she stated softly.
"How was I supposed to know that the Vikings were under "the king's protection"!" he responded.
Exasperated, Asilia replied, "Even I knew that the King had Vikings visiting Londinium,"
"Well thanks for telling us," grumbled Arthur.
"Oh, so now this is my fault?"
"Lia, stop exaggerating, I never said that," complained Arthur.
"You never tell me anything Arthur, never! You just leave for hours, then come back and make a mess expecting one of us," Asilia gestured to Wet Stick and Back Lack, "to help you clean everything up in the end,"
"Blimey Lia, it's not a big deal,"
"Agh!" Asilia groaned in frustration, "You always pull these stunts without thinking everything through! Always!"
"Oh, don't be such a stuck-up…"
"Excuse me?" asked Asilia, her voice rising, "You should look at yourself, risking everything just for show, so that you can prove to everyone that you mean business!"
"Lia shut it, it was just a joke-,"
"Just a joke?" interrupted Asilia, "You call having a whole bloody battalion of Blacklegs come in here, and finding out that you will be arrested a joke?!"
"Well obviously I didn't know that was going to happen!" shouted Arthur.
"Because you didn't think!" Asilia shouted in return, "You just saw some Vikings, thought about how you were going to prove to them that you're all tough and pulled a stupid stunt! Now, look at the situation!"
"Oh, would you just stop fretting! Nothing is going to happen, get your panties out of a bunch!"
"Oh, don't you tell me to stop worrying Arthur! Anything that happens to you happens to Wet Stick, Back Lack, Blue, the girls, me. Of course, I'm worried! This isn't like the fish situation Arthur, this is serious!"
"Don't you think I already know that!" bellowed Arthur.
Everyone else in the room was nervously whispering to each other while the two siblings bickered, however when Arthur shouted everyone became truly silent.
"Then act like it, rather than brushing it off and telling us not to care," sternly said Asilia, in a harsh whisper that was more intimidating than her shouting. For once Arthur was silent as he sat at the table, staring at his feet.
Asilia turned away, taking a few deep breaths in an attempt to get her thoughts in order. Asilia stretched her back a little before pulling her hair back, releasing a deep sigh as her mind continued to race. Thoughts of what was destined to come threatened to spill over. Asilia put her long hair into a loose braid before turning back to the lot and speaking.
"Well then, it is still nighttime so we should get to bed and we'll fix this in the morning," she calmly stated, although her insides were churning, "Wet Stick, Back Lack, just spend the night, please. No point in going back to your place at this hour. The spare room is open, you know where the mats are and blankets. Just get yourselves situated. Blue should still be asleep in my room Lack, so just check on him before you go to bed. Now I've got some blood to clean off the floors in the brothel, so goodnight then,"
Asilia briskly walked out of the room and into the kitchen. There, she grabbed a rag and filled a small bucket with water. She went into the brothel, which at this time was empty due to the Blackleg visit, and began to clean the blood left on the floor from Goosefat Bill's… visit. Asilia distracted her thoughts with the task at hand, and viciously scrubbed the floors. However, Asilia's attempts to gain a distraction failed, as she soon found her hands shaking. Unable to finish the task, Asilia slumped back, sitting on her ankles and propping herself up with her left arm. Frustrated, Asilia threw the rag into the small bucket and pressed the heel of her hand against her forehead to relieve some of the stress-caused pressure.
The fear of having Arthur discovered as the rightful heir always loomed over Asilia's head. Every time the law came knocking at the door, the same panic always emerged. And this time, it wasn't just the law, but the King himself.
As a child, Asilia's interactions with her uncle were always… distant. He didn't share the same warmth as his older brother, her father. She remembers her aunt vividly because she would always make Asilia laugh whenever she saw her. However, as far as Asilia is concerned, her aunt died the same night as her father and mother. Her uncle's child, Catia, if Asilia remembered correctly, is nothing more than a ghost of a memory in Asilia's mind.
Regardless of her relationship with her uncle, Asilia knew that he had some part in her father's death. To what extent remains unknown. Anger, jealousy, and want had pushed her uncle to kill her father, and Asilia knew that her uncle wouldn't hesitate in killing Arthur. King Vortigern was no family member to them, rather a dangerous man with an unquenchable thirst for power.
Asilia's efforts to calm herself down had no effect as the throbbing and pressure continued. Closing her eyes made it worse. It only gave her mind the opportunity to show Asilia every single gruesome outcome of what would happen in Arthur were discovered for who he truly is. With each passing scene, Asilia shivered, until she gave up in finding solace and opened her eyes once again. Although closed for only seconds, the light in the room burned, and Asilia placed her face in her hands, taking deep, full breaths. She had to protect her family, but she didn't know how without tearing it apart.
Disrupting Asilia's thoughts was the presence of a person behind her, followed by someone gently prying her hands away from her face and holding them in their own.
"Arthur," softly said Asilia, "you should be resting,"
She leaned back and positioned her back on Arthur's chest, and in response, he let go of her hands and wrapped his arms around her.
A soft chuckle erupted from Arthur, "Always the Mother Hen, Lia,"
"You're all I got Arthur," she barely whispered, "what else do you expect?"
Arthur sighed, "I know Lia, I know,"
They sat in silence for some time, brother and sister, the lack of sound speaking volumes more than any words they may have said.
Breaking the silence, Asilia asked the question that had been festering in her mind, "What are we going to do?" She looked up, pale green eyes meeting baby blue.
Arthur ran a hand across his face, looking years older than his actual self, and bluntly stated, "I don't know,"
Asilia didn't know either, and it terrified her.
"Arthur," she began, and soon found herself rambling, "They'll probably come tonight, or first thing in the morning. We've got to get you a pack prepared, I'll see if there is something I can quickly prepare in the kitchen, and I'm sure the travel pack is under the-,"
"Asilia," Arthur rubbed her shoulders, "relax. Go to bed, I'll figure this out on my own, it will all work out in the end,"
"But Arthur, you don't have to do it on your own,"
"The fewer people who help me, the fewer people get hurt, you know that,"
Asilia sighed, knowing her brother was right. The rule of thumb that the fewer involved, the fewer casualties, is something is something Asilia herself follows. It is the main reason she has never told anyone about their heritage. Not even Arthur. The less he knew, the less he was in harm's way.
Asilia slowly got up, detangling herself from her brother's arms, before offering a hand to help Arthur up. But she wouldn't let him go that easily.
"Listen," she gently jabbed a finger in his chest, "I love you, so much more than you could ever know. Promise me, promise me, you'll think before you leap. This isn't some scruffy outlaw, this is the law," she looked at him straight in the eye, "You better use that big head of yours,"
Arthur lightly smiled.
"Arthur, I am serious. You must deal with this carefully,"
"I will," Arthur affirmed.
"Good," Asilia said, slightly more relieved, "Now, I think we should go to bed. It's late,"
Arthur nodded, and the two began to make their way out of the brothel, and back to the living quarters.
"Night Lia," Arthur said as they approached his door.
"Night, you," Asilia smiled as she enveloped her brother in a hug.
"Love ya," he mumbled as Asilia released him, and he walked into his room.
Asilia trudged up another flight of stairs before reaching her room. Blue was no longer in her bed, and Asilia quickly assumed that Back Lack and retrieved him, and the two were in the guest quarters.
She took off the clothing she had put over her nightdress and got in bed. However, sleep refused to visit Asilia. She found herself tossing and turning, finding no relief in the secure confines of her bedroom. Time passed, and much later Asilia found herself able to barely doze.
But a loud bang on the door had her immediately awake once again.
Men grumbled from down below.
The bangs on the door persisted.
The Black Legs were here.