Fallen From Grace

Part 7

Two weeks had gone by. Two weeks since her ordeal in the tunnel, which had turned up nothing. Two weeks since she had heard that ominous warning, two weeks since Queen Mary had come to court and two weeks since she had started to notice the change. It was a subtle, slow change but she had first noticed it when she had first seen the two of them together.

After she had been attacked she wasn't allowed to leave Nostradamus' care for a few days. During that time she had been questioned mercifully by not only Bash and Francis but the king himself. The idea of someone being attacked inside his own castle did not set very well with him. When it finally was apparent to them that she couldn't offer anything they finally left it alone. The king and Francis anyway, Bash however had decided to continue on his own, even when she had reassured him she was fine.

It was when Mary had come to visit that she noticed the change. She had come to see how she was doing but she watched her best friend as the look on his face changed. He greeted her is a soft voice with a hint of a smile and the way he watched her the whole time had Emilia on full alert. He had feelings for his brother fiancé, how deep they ran she didn't know but they were there. How had she missed this? When did it happen? She wasn't even sure how to approach it and she felt her heart break just a little. The worst part of it was that she noticed Mary looking at him in the same way. Sure Francis was reluctant to marry her but that didn't mean it wasn't going to happen. What was Bash thinking? These questions ran through her head continuously for days to the point that she didn't sleep, barely ate and found herself becoming distant. Speaking when only being spoken too and on occasion she found herself just wondering lost in thought.

On this particular day she found herself once again in her favorite hiding place in the stables up in the hay loft. She knew eventually he would find her there but for now she was enjoying the peace and tried to make sense of everything. She thought back to the night she was given the warning and tried to figure out who was really behind it. She didn't think it was the same person who had dragged her into the tunnel that had been a different kind of warning. It was like she was being warned for her own safety. The second warning had clearly been meant to scare her and she never did find the dagger. She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't realize he had found her until he was sitting right next to her.

"So this is where you are hiding." She didn't turn to look at him or answer him which caused him to shift uncomfortably next to her. "You want to tell me what is going on." She still didn't answer and looked down at her hands which she held grasped in her lap. She wasn't even sure how to speak about any of it. Would he think her silly?

"Emilia!" He said more sharply as he increasingly frustrated with her silence but softened when he noticed the tremor in her hands. He covered her hands with one of his and wrapped his other arm around her shoulder pulling her close. She resisted at first but immediately relaxed as he spoke in her ear. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. I just don't know how to help you. I know you have been through a lot lately but I need you to talk to me princess" She could feel the tension missed with the exhaustion start to creep up on her as tears started to fall.

"I'm not sure that what happened was even real." She finally answered between the tears. Bash rubbed her arm as she took a deep breath.

"So tell me anyway." He said as he rested his chin on her head, a comforting gesture that had become very familiar for the two of them.

She took another deep breath and proceeded to tell him everything she could remember. From the sound of the person warning her to not trust anyone, to the person who brought her the dagger she told him every detail. After she was done she pulled away again and looked out of the window that was in the hay loft that looked out into the country side. She focused her sight on a point and just locked it there not looking back at him. He was silent for several minutes until she finally spoke again.

"I know it sounds crazy. That is why I didn't say anything. It is almost like I was visited by a ghost but I know it wasn't. I was afraid no one would believe me."

"I would have." He sounded almost hurt and when she turned around to look at him it was showing in his eyes. She laid a hand on his arm and look up at him.

"I know but with everything going on I didn't want to bother you with my possible crazy talk." He looked at her strangely as if to gage what she had just said.

"What's been going on that I wouldn't have time for you?" She looked away but he took both of her hands and ducked his head so that she had to look at him. "Emilia?" he asked her. She took a deep breath before she answered.

"I'm worried."

"About what?'

"You."

"Me? What about me?"

"I've seen the way you look at her Bash, at Mary. I've seen the way she looks at you and it's dangerous." H suddenly pulled away from her and turned around running his hand through his hair roughly. "Look I didn't want to upset you and I really didn't want to say anything but you asked so..." Emilia replied but he quickly turned around to face her but instead of anger like she expected she saw his eyes and face clouded with anxiety and a touch of fear. She had never seen him afraid of anything before so this was very alarming for her.

"I know and I'm not sure what to do about it."

"Well you don't act on it, that's for sure." He couldn't meet her eye. "You haven't, have you?" He met her eyes at that point with a more determined look in his eyes.

"No I promise you nothing has happened. I know the risks. I know what I can't do and wanting my brother's betrothed is one of them."

"And this is why I am worried. Best case scenario you get sent away, worst case I don't even want to think about." She could feel the anger start to rise in her cheeks. "What are you thinking Bash? If I noticed who else has?"

"I don't know!" He was back to running his hand through his hair and then he stopped, took a deep breath and turned back to her. She on the other hand had taken to look at her shoes trying very hard to hold back her tears. She could slowly feel him slipping away from her but he didn't seem to see it that way but then he didn't love her the way she did him.

"I'm sorry. I guess like you I'm having a hard time. When I saw you laying there knowing someone had hurt you and I wasn't there I guess I wasn't dealing with it well. Then Mary was there. She sat and talked with me. I guess we just got to know each other." Emilia had made her way to his side and wrapped her arms around him holding him close and he returned the gesture. "I know it's dangerous and I know I can't let it happen. Let's just stop keeping things from each other." He looked down with her with a smile. "I will find how did this to you." He said as he brushed a piece of hair from her still bruised forehead.

"And you will be more careful?" She asked him. "Because I would really hate to find a new best friend. They are so hard to find." This earned her a bigger smile.

"I promise to be more careful if you do." She nodded her head in agreement as she looked out into the open field knowing where her heart lay but also knowing where his did. It was at that moment when she noticed a very familiar sight coming to the castle.

"Oh no not now." She stated.

"What is it?" Bash asked next to her.

"It's my sister Brigitte. She has come back to court."