Till Death Do Us Part

12. Confession

A few days before the party, the whole Evergreen was one big hub of preparation. Skylar got permission from the Queen to focus all her efforts on making sure the event was successful enough to be the talk of the city for weeks. After all, it was the first official social gathering hosted by the Lord General himself. And although Gawyn was the one that attracted so much attention, he let Skylar have free reign to organise the whole thing. After setting some ground and unnegotiable rules first, of course.

Skylar had never done anything like this before, but she found that commanding household staff wasn't different from leading a unit of soldiers. It was late afternoon already, and she discussed the last bits of flower arrangements that should be delivered tomorrow when Zachariah appeared at her side.

"My lady, you wanted me to check up on Lord General. I'm pleased to say he's already feeling better and is out of bed."

"That's great. Has he eaten anything yet?" Gawyn had a migraine and was bedridden since yesterday evening. Skylar made sure to send him her herbal brew every few hours, but she didn't even have time to see him with all the work.

"No, he said he'd rather wait and dine with you at the usual time."

Skylar frowned. "That's in two hours. He hasn't eaten anything today, has he?"

"I don't think so, my lady."

"Could you not give him some light snack to make sure he won't pass out till evening?"

"I can try, but I'm afraid he won't listen to me, my lady. But I do believe you could be more persuasive," said the servant with a small smile.

"Right, he's so bloody stubborn sometimes." Skylar rolled her eyes. "I'm almost finished here, so can you please prepare something for him? I'll go and see him in a couple of minutes. He's in his office, I suspect?"

"No. Currently, Lord General is in the attic."

"Oh. We have an attic?"

***

There was an attic in the mansion indeed. Because it was a huge building, not all the parts were in use. A narrow staircase was well hidden on the western side of the premises, and Skylar had never wandered into this part. Preston tried to follow her, but she dismissed him, making sure he was busy helping the servants decorate the halls. They were both far beyond pretending he could guard her.

The room Skylar entered was spacious but dusty and clattered. The gable roof of the mansion was cutting into one side, making it smaller and more cramped. The floor was full of old and discarded furniture, most of which were covered with white sheets. Gawyn was sitting in the middle of it all on a crate, looking at a tapestry overlaying most of the other wall.

"Hey, you." Skylar strolled toward him. "Is there any particular reason you are hiding in here?"

"Our house became as loud as a market on a busy day," Gawyn replied, turning his head to look at her. "I do not appreciate it."

"On the bright side, the party is in two days. After that, the peace will be restored, I promise." Skylar gestured for him to move over and sat down next to him. "Here, I brought you a snack. I thought you might need some fuel if you ever plan to go out and face all the hustle and bustle." She grinned.

"Thank you." He took a tray from her but didn't pick anything and put it down on the floor.

"So, what are we looking at?" Skylar asked, turning to the tapestry. It was covered with emblems, lines, and short descriptions too small and faded to read. Some lines were drawn in green, others in red, and there were even some black ones.