Roden, House of Havanila

Chapter 12

Willie Bailiff had been the first to spot Galahad and the two babies clinging to his neck. The dutiful gelding had found his way nearly to the stables before Willie managed to stop him. Emily practically jumped into his arms, Silas was much harder to pry off.

Galahad remained standing while Willie walked away with the two children in his arms. He crossed the courtyard at alarming speed; Emily of Bultain's tears stained his white shirt. Will wasn't stopping for anyone and many other servants had to dive out of the way in fear of getting trampled. White sheets flew in the air near the kitchens, it had been washing day for the servants, not a soul could get away from scrubbing away at the nobilities' bedding.

Unless, like Lucy Bailiff, you knew where to hide.

Willie found his sisters hiding in an abandoned cold closet, sharing a half wheel of cheese and drinking the last of the spiced cider that had been served with last night's dinner.

"Have an whole day to ya-selves and you can't even save me a bit of cheese?" Will scowled as he kicked open the closet door, startling his two sisters from their moment of relaxation. Emily instantly held out her hands to Lu, who'd been a bit of an uncredited nanny to both Arran and Emily. Willie shut the closet door.

"Sorry," Lucy mumbled, leaving her perch on an empty barrel to take Emily from her older brother. The candle serving as the only source of light in the closet flickered for a split second. "You never come around the kitchens to see us."

"Yeah, you pretend like we don't exist. You told the head cook you couldn't do washing because Prime Regent Harlowe wanted to talk about Gelyn with you," Mar huffed, coming to the defense of her sister. She crossed her arms, her scowl matching Willie's. "Have you any idea how hard it is to scrub some of those quilts?"

Willie rolled his eyes and set Silas down on the ground. He withdrew a letter from within the jerkin he wore, waggling it in front of his sisters. "I did have to talk about Gelyn with Lord Harlowe, and I got a letter, you didn't. Mar, you probably scrubbed one sheet and got tired."

"In her defense it was two sheets," Lu interjected, waving Silas over to sit with her on the barrel. Emily began to suck on her thumb as tears soundlessly spilled down her cheeks.

All three siblings fell silent as somebody walked past the cold closet. Mar held a hand near the flame, shielding the flame from casting too much light and giving away their hiding place. The conversation resumed when the footsteps left, "Letter? Who likes you enough to have sent you a letter?"

Lucy bounced Emily on her knee in anticipation, by far the quieter sister. Her hazel eyes went wide with concern, she wanted in on the conversation as well. Willie smirked, and held the letter high above his head, "Father sent me a handwritten note, he's coming to take us back home."

The Bailiff girls jerked in surprise, voicing their concerns at exactly the same time. Another person walked past the closet and each sibling once again fell silent. Maris and Willie exchanged several angry gestures long after they'd been left alone again.

"What does it say?" Maris whined, leaving her seat on a stool to lunge for the letter. Willie held it even higher above her head, taunting her. "Why would he come to get us now? We've been here for ages?"

"Says he doesn't want us getting ourselves killed in Carthya," Willie shrugged and he finally handing the letter to his sister. Maris instantly began to read it.

"Aren't we more likely to be killed back home?" Lu pointed out, playing with Emily's pretty curls. "Why have you brought me the Princess' children, shouldn't she be with them?"