The Girl In That Hooded Jacket

Off To The... Wait... Where?!?

Her head throbbed from the things she'd seen and, although she had control over her arms and legs, she didn't have enough strength to do much. They passed one hallway and then turned right at the next, entering into a room, he set her gently on the ground. "Miss, please stay close at hand. Do not wander off". The room was big and spacey with carpet covering the floor. A large bed lay as the centerpiece of the room. To the side of it lay some dressers and a fireplace with red embers burning in it still. She shuffled over, trying to get warmer. Lucien rushed around the space, grabbing a bag from under the bed he shoved closes from the dresser into it as well as some knives hidden in various places around the room. One of witch, she didn't fail to notice, was hidden under his pillow and another in a tray of fruit which he splayed on the desk. He gathered the pile of papers on the desk into his bag as well and tied it shut. Faiths stomach growled loud and long, letting the would know that it would not be ignored any longer. "Little lady, catch." She turned just in time to snatch something round out of the air thrown her way by Lucien. A peach lay in her hands, a bright pink-orange and smelling divine. Against her will the vision she had seen flashed back into her mind. The bowl of soup and a glass of milk on the side. To the left of which had lain a peach, just like this one. Unbidden, the image of a blood soaked battlefield stained her sight and she walked over to the table. She loved peaches, but right now just the thought of eating one made her stomach clench in repulsion. She placed the fuzzy fruit on the table and picked out an apple. It was bright red, a greenish yellow snaking itself up one side and a bruise indenting it near the bottom. Someone had probably dropped it. She bit into it savoring the taste. Something soft was draped over her head and she turned to look at Lucien. "Change into these, so you're not cold on the ride." She set her apple on the table and took the cloth off her head examining it. It was a silk shirt, white with golden threads along the edges, and decorated with a flock of small red birds flying up and across the chest. It was also way to big for her. "It's still too big for you, but it's the best I've got at the moment and we don't have time to locate you a more appropriate one." He handed her a pair of pants as well. She held the garments away from her body to avoid getting them wet, and walked over to set them on the bed. "I'm not dressing with you in here." She could practically feel Lucien grinning behind her back. "What!?" he said from behind her, "But I don't mind, there's no need to be polite." She glared at him, trying to influence him with her eyes and send the message I'd rather die than let you see anything more than the skin on my forearm at the same time. Only the second seemed to work. Smiling, he said, "Okay, okay, but I'm only going to turn around. I won't peek I promise." She frowned. "No. Go out." Then remembering his statement from earlier added, "Please..." Lucien's smile disappeared, replaced by a frown and as he replied darkly, "No can do little lady, I'm currently tasked with keeping you safe, and I can't do that if I'm not in the same room as you. Sorry." If she'd had claws they would have come out at the mention of her new nickname, but.... Somehow..... She managed to look past it and not chuck the nearest hard object at him. (which happened to be a candle stand. She thought they might be called candelabra.) "Fine." She grumbled, turning in the other direction and peeking over her shoulder to make sure he did the same. She unfolded the pants he'd given her and stared at the garment underneath. It looked like a pair of silk shorts, light and breezy. The medieval equivalent of boxers. No. Nope. There was no way in the universe that she was wearing those. They were WAY too big for her, and, seeing as how they looked to be in a hurry, she doubted they were new. She moved the pants out from under them, very consciously not touching his undergarments, and moved farther down the bed to an empty portion of space. She took off her shirt and, with another glance at Lucien to make sure he wasn't sneaking a look, quickly shed her bra and replaced it with his shirt. Thankfully it was thick enough to hide the fact that she wasn't wearing her underthings and not be see through. She took off her pants and donned his, cinching them up and tying it tight. She didn't take off her underwear. His sleeves came down past her fingertips and she had to tuck in his shirt to avoid it looking more like a skirt. Curse his masculinity. Faith turned to admire herself in the mirror and frowned at what she saw. A girl that only fit into about two thirds of the cloth she was wearing. The only things she was missing was a clip to hide her long hair and an oversized hat. Apparently Lucien agreed because a moment later she saw him behind her a long strip of fabric in hand. He gathered her hair into a messy knot and tied it on top of her head. Two seconds before plopping a hunting cap over her new dew. It fit surprisingly well, its ear flaps hiding the strands of air he'd missed. Grabbing her arm, he tugged her towards the door and she stubbornly stood her ground. He'd forgotten one important thing. Her clothes. She pointed at the bed where they still lay. "I'm not leaving without them." "You don't need them anymore. You've got new ones!" but even as he said that he shoved her jeans, shirt and bra in the bag. She turned away from the bed, anticipating and dreading the conversation concerning the underwear she'd refused to wear. Her cheeks flushed at the thought that he'd probably noticed by now. But to her surprise, he didn't say anything. Lucien finished quickly and before he could drag Faith out of the room, she grabbed her apple plus another four off the table, shoving two in each of her oversized pockets. She didn't know when another opportunity to have a meal was going to be. Then they were gone, out the door and walking swiftly down the hall in the direction they'd come. His strides were long and fast. To keep up with him she had to do this awkward fast walk a while then jog a little to catch up. They quickly came back to the hall with the birthday men and she shifted her eyes to the ceiling to avoid looking at them. The blush returned to her face. However, she should have chosen the other vertical direction because she tripped almost immediately on the stairs leading up to the doors to go outside. She really was exhausted, and thankful for the arms that caught her. If they hadn't been there she likely would have fallen on her face. She expected Lucien to let her go once she was stable, but he didn't, instead, he shrugged Faith up into his arms and continued on their way. After exiting through the doors, Lucien sped across what she now identified as a courtyard and turned left, heading towards another building. His eyebrows were like thunderclouds over his eyes and he kept glancing at the sky. On one of the occasions where Lucien was looking toward what she assumed were the stables, from the sounds of nickering horses and the smell of fresh hay, they saw a young man. As they watched, the tall boy, probably around 18 years old, with short dark hair entered into the building, his hands buried deep in his pockets. But when they entered after him, only a few seconds later, he was nowhere to be seen. She was tired and couldn't seem to keep her eyes open for more than a few seconds at a time. Sybbyl was there swinging a saddle over a handsome black stallion. Subconsciously, she wondered how Sybbyl'd gotten there so fast, and where was the other person they were talking about? Perhaps they weren't going to bring him after all. The horse was tall and proud, its ears flicked forward and its head held high. A long curly mane billowed itself down his neck and his tail was l long enough to barely brush the floor. His eyes were a dark brown, almost black color that scrutinized her from across the room. Lucien, curse his long legs, swiftly, and in half the time she could have, made his way over to the little assembly. He stood only a foot or so shorter than the horses head, his shoulders at almost the same height as the animals back. A few words were exchanged between the two of them and she couldn't help resting her head on Lucien's shoulder. Her eyes drifted closed and she listened to the strong heartbeat under her ear. She felt a hand gently take the apple core from hers and hold her a little tighter. Her limbs felt like they were led and she had a hard time moving them, her eyes drifted shut no matter how many times she forced them open and she couldn't help but doze. She felt the world tilt a little as she was carried onto the back of the horse and set in the saddle in front of him. Her conscience drifted into blackness once more and she was half awake and half asleep. It was the best rest she could get while riding on a horse for the first time in her life. She was actually subconsciously sad about that as well. Faith wanted to be fully conscious, but she couldn't make herself wake up. She was just too exhausted. The galloping of the horses hooves on the ground beat a rhythm into her head, a mantra that never ceased. Soon it became so normal, so regular, so repetitive, that she no longer heard it. She could listen to the sound of birds and crickets with no irregularities. Save it were for the few times that Lucien and Sybbyl would talk across the small distance between their horses. But after a while even that stopped.

    She opened her eyes finally to find herself resting in the saddle, and up against a warm body. A firm arm held her in the saddle. Panic wormed its way into her heart and she tried not to alert her captor of her conscious state. She contemplated trying to knock him out, but she took from the fact that her shoulders came up to his chest that he was too tall. And she assumed that it would hurt a lot more in real life than they made it look in the movies. Her mind raced about for any other helpful defense moves she knew, and found that her options were quite limited. She was about to slam her elbow into the strangers side when she heard Sybbyl's voice. "Here." Faith could feel her hand something to the man holding her astride the horse. "Thanks..." His voice was smooth, and he nudged faith with whatever Sybbyl'd given him. Her head shot up to look into Lucien's eyes. "Good morning little lady." He offered her a water-skin. "Thirsty?" The water tasted cold but strange, the taste of its container had long before permeated the liquid. Giving it a musky leathery taste. The sky was dark and the stars shone brightly. An ice blue moon lit the scenery around them and she glanced around. Through the darkness she could see sparse bushes and large boulders covering the near landscape. Wilderness surrounded them on all sides. Ahead of them lay a forest, tall trees reaching towards the violet sunrise. Beyond that, a proud mountain loomed. She handed the flask to Lucien and threw his head back, taking a big swallow, inadvertently tightening his hold around her for balance. She couldn't help but notice the drop of water that dripped down his chin. Turning her face toward the forest, she watched the sun rise. After a small drink, they continued on their way. Dust rose behind them and Lucian clicked his tongue. "Go! Go! Go!" The horse under them leaped into action and they raced towards the forest. Fear pricked at her and she gripped the horn of the saddle for dear life. The visions of yesterday played in her head and she saw again in her memory the land around them, the sun moving across the sky and Lucian soaking in his own blood. The pain was not there but the visions were almost just as real. The arm around her tightened and he whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, they won't catch us. We're almost to the castle."