Seat of Mars

Chapter 3: renowned for their deeds as far from home...

Philippa

"It's time," I say, watching as the wax drips down the candle. The stroke of midnight. The last watch will have just ended and a new one begins. The changing of the guard.
"Yes," Isabela says, hopping on the bed. Her spirit is not damped from her encounter with Swynford earlier. In fact she's been quite cheerful. I decided, as the only mature parent she has available, not to cut her hair like she wants right after she ripped a man's ear off. I'm pleased she protected herself but she's also very happy about it.  She is however, getting dressed up as a page boy with her hair braided up and under a cap.
Maggie goes to the window, and nods.
"Oh and before we go. Should our adventure turn poorly and we are forced to flee to France. You're both forbidden from telling my mother—the majority of what has occurred in my time here. In fact, it's probably best if it's completely lies, there," Isabela says, happily, going to the window.
"Oh I have changed my mind I am telling everyone about this," I say, climbing into the window to look out with Maggie. All is quiet. The guards will have gone in to find their relief or get ale. "All right, we climb down, to the rooftop. Follow that to the sound end, then we can probably climb down and find a path out. Staff will be coming and going. Remember, only english."
"Only English, yeah," Isabella nods. Usually we speak in French we are nobility. She's quite clever and learned in english but she's only a little girl so we usually stick to french for her sake. But she cussed Swynford in English, fluently, so in retrospect we don't have to be doing that.
Maggie lets me open the window, quietly, and we lean out. It's a good three floors down to the roof alone. I still don't know what keep we're at beyond a Lancasterian one. It's not Kenilworth I know that much.
We carefully climb out onto the sill.
"Shoes, around your neck," I mouth, making the gesture. It'll be easier to climb and get a grip on the rock barefoot. Isabela was already doing it. If this isn't the first time she's climbed out of a castle I'll—well I won't do anything but someone like Exeter or his kids will have explaining to do.
Isabela loops her shoes around her neck expertly and swings onto the stone. Damn it we're all such bad people to care for children. I thought at least Richard and I were better than this. Clearly not that child has definitely climbed down a sheer rock face before.
Well so have I. But not for my life. I don't know if they'd actually kill us, but it's the not knowing that's the problem. And he already took Isabela away to terrorize her once. And after what we're referring to only as 'the ear incident' he's likely to retaliate.
The rocks are rough, but slick with rain. I lose my footing more than once. A glance at Maggie confirms that her face is lined with pain from the jagged stone cutting into our hands. I keep my eye mostly on Isabela, though. I don't know what good I can even do her if she fell then I doubt if I could hold us both. But I watch her all the same.
I have no need to fear, the nimble girl doesn't lose her footing, and if she fears the height she doesn't show it, beating us elders down to the roof and balancing there carefully.
I drop down, the roof tiles are slick beneath my feet, my shoes now heavy on my neck. I can feel blood on my palms but only rub them on the inside of my cloak. We have to look as presentable as possible when we leave the keep.
Maggie drops down beside me, and I take her arm to steady her.
"Not bad," Isabela says.
We both look at her.
"What?" She whispers.
"First second or third time you've climbed out a window?" I ask.
"There was rope," she says, innocently.
"Roger?"
"And Richard. He thought one night that it was a good idea I know how to escape, so he woke up Roger, and me. You were away so perfect time he thought you'd object," Isabela says.
"Right," I'll kill him too fine. She's nine now the only time I was away was when she was still seven. I said it once and I'll say it again and again only Bernard will agree with me, but we also needed to get Richard a son-figure too. Daughter figure everyone thought was fine because he's really neat and likes pretty clothes but what they failed to realize is he also thinks climbing down walls in the middle of the night is reasonable. I'm not against her learning to climb, I'm against how I know for a fact the idiots went about it.
Maggie gestures to the proper direction.
"Yeah, all right, let's go," I whisper, taking Isabela's arm. The roof is slick and more rain is coming down. The night is completely dark and it's nearly impossible to even see the roof beneath us let alone the castle walls. We're going off our memory of where we mapped out in the day. And hopefully that will be enough.