The Gifted

Chapter Four: Deal

I don't know how long I drifted in darkness till my mind decided to return to me.  It started by me hearing muffled sounds.  Voices.  Then it progressed to me slowly gaining feeling back.  My body ached as if I had just gone on a long run.  I felt bruised and my left arm stung.  I tested movement, but found my limbs to still be heavy and awkward.  

"Evelyn?"

My eyes fluttered open and quickly shut due to the sun filtering through a window.  When I did open them fully I saw I was in my bed, back in my rooms of the castle.  A fresh bandage was around my upper left arm and my wrists were purple with bruises.  Gods above, what did Flint do to me? I turned to the voice in the room.  Trystan was in the doorway that led to the breakfast and sitting area.  

"Trystan? What-how did-" I was trying to process everything, but my mind was still foggy.  Trystan came to sit on my bed, handing me a glass of water.  I took it, a little more greedily than I intended, suddenly feeling like I had been wandering a desert for a year.  He waited for me to finish before speaking.

"What do you remember?"

I sat up farther on my pillows, "I remember Flint grabbing me, threatening me, and dragging me through the gardens."  As I said these things, more memories came rushing back.  Memories of what Flint told me.  Things about my brother and most certainly things I needed to keep to myself.  Something about the Eastern forest?  Maybe? 

"You knew who the rebel was after I came to get you at the ball?", his voice sounded angry, annoyed at me.  

"I didn't know for sure, and by the time I did it was too late." 

"Gods, Evelyn.  Do you not trust me?  Is that it?"

I fervently shook my head, "I just acted.  Obviously, I didn't put much thought into it."

Trystan sighed, he looked tired.  I smiled slightly, "you look awful."  I was half joking with him. 

Trystan gave a short laugh, "have you looked in a mirror lately?"

A tense silence fell between us for a while till I decided to ask the question that had been plaguing me, "how bad is it?"

Trystan looked away from me, "It's pretty bad.  Things don't look good for either of us at the moment.  You knew who the spy was and didn't alert the guards and I am responsible for the holes in the castle security.  Those two things combined make it look like we were part of the whole plot."

I nodded, not wanting to voice my fear that a guard would come in any minute and escort us to a cell. "I was hoping that you would remember something that could potentially clear our names."  He said it as a statement, but the question still remained.

"Are my bruises and cuts not enough to show my innocence?"  

"I'm assuming not since you now have armed guards outside your door.  But thanks for your concern, I'm sure I would be fine even if you were proven innocent."

I looked at him flatly, "I'm a little surprised you're allowed in here. If we're conspirators then they wouldn't want us talking."

"Which is exactly why they don't know I'm here.  Thankfully, your babysitters outside are quite fond of their Captain." He gave me a cheeky grin, obviously proud of that little fact.  

I punched him mockingly in the arm, "How can you be smiling in this situation? Seriously. What are we going to do?"

Trystan's fun-filled demeanor was suddenly gone, replaced with a grimace.  "I've made a deal with the King.  So there's no need to worry about it.  I'll handle everything for now. Just get some rest."