Sundown

Chivalry

Saoirse had known that cells were supposed to be dark and frightening but it would be so desolate, she had not known. She wondered if Pauline knew about her arrest by this time, she must have. Timothee must have told her.

The guard in front of her cell was more than that of any other cell in this part of the dungeon. She curled up her knees and as a stray tear left her eye, she felt a strange chill creep up her spine. How long was she going to be here? Would they kill her? Surely, Pauline would not allow that, or is she helpless too?

She bit the back of her hand to keep herself from crying further. Her head already hurt like it had been struck by a thousand maces and she did not want to add on to it. Her throat felt dry and when she asked one of the guards outside her cell for water, they only kicked at her bars and told her to keep shut.

It would have been easier for her to spend time in jail had she anything to feel guilty for, but heaven knew how frustrating it felt to be punished for no reason or worse still, in place of somebody else- not that she wanted her mother to be in her place.

All she wanted at the moment was to talk to her, have her explain every single thing, give her reasons to justify everything Saoirse saw happening. She knew her mother knows more than anyone can imagine. She always had. She had shown Saoirse every secret passage in the castle and the first time she had held a sword, her mother had shown her how to swing it.

The woman had always kept a low profile, careful to not attract too much attention to herself, but still she would get frequent visits from the King and His Grace had never seemed to know the names of any of the castle staff, but he had always known her mother's and Saoirse's. What is it that the King and her knew and the world didn't?

Her head shot up when she heard the entrance to her cell unlock.

"Has she been given anything to eat?" She heard Timothee speak, his back facing her.

"The King did not order us to it milord." A guard responded.

"Bring some turkey and wine from my chamber here. I will eat with her." He commanded and turned to her finally.

Her heart sped up like it usually did around him, but this time, it was accompanied by an unexplainable warmth. He made her way to where she was sitting and took a seat beside her, shrugging off his cloak when he saw her shivering slightly and covering her shoulders with it.

"That should keep you warm enough, if not I can send for some nice wools for you." He offered.

"Thankyou, my lord. I do not need the wools." Saoirse spoke in an almost whisper. 

He looked at her with an intensity that would have made her cower in intimidation were it usual times, but at this point, she could only muster up the strength to remain unmoving and let him look for whatever it was he was seeking from her demeanour.

"Show me your neck, I'm sure he must have at least bruised you." He spoke with a softness Saoirse did not know he was capable of.

"It's fine, it will go away."

"It's not. I insist."

She gave in and bared her neck covered with angry, purple finger-shaped marks. All of a sudden, she felt his finger touch her bruised skin and she closed her eyes, unwilling to let him see her pain.

"Bring some ice!" He commanded the guards outside and Saoirse watched as one of them left to carry the orders out.

"I don't even know where to begin to apologize for this-"

"Trust me, you don't need to. It was not you who did this and it is only natural to doubt a traitor's relatives. After all, his only son's life is at stake." She reassured him.

"About that, I had wanted to thank you earlier and that was why I came to your room, but I found father there. Thankyou for saving me."

"And you saved me, we are even." She said and gave him a weak smile which he returned.

The guards returned with food and the ice Timothee had sent for. He wrapped some in a soft cloth and handed it to her. She hissed at the cold when she pressed it into her neck but it got better.

"You need to hold it there for a while." He instructed when Saoirse began removing it.

"But you have not eaten yet, have you? Don't wait for me, go on. I will eat later."

"You know, I am something of a chivalrous man myself. It's about time you start believing that." He said and she smiled genuinely for the first time that day.

He drew their plates nearer and cutting out a bite, held it up to her. She was so shocked upon the prospect of him, the heir of Elmcaster willing to feed her that she couldn't move.

"If you don't open your mouth soon, I will give up on my chivalry." He joked, bringing her out of her trance, and she accepted the bite of turkey, smiling wider and struggling to contain her blush.

He did not eat, even upon Saoirse's insistence, before he had made sure she had been fed all that was on her plate.

They sat there, trying to talk about anything except what was going on for a change over wine. Saoirse had never known that behind his cold, composed exterior, he had such a great capacity for humour and as she snuggled into his cloak for warmth, she could not help but be intoxicated by how petrifyingly good he smelled.

"It is late, my lord. You should leave before they find you here." She suggested.

"Do you not want me here?" He asked, his green eyes shining in the light from the torches outside.

"Of course, I do. It has been a comfort and an absolute honour to spend time with you but I am worried about how this will go down with the others if they were to know."

"I do not care about how this will go down with anyone but you. If you don't want me here, I will leave but I planned on staying the night. Look, I brought a blanket." He said and pulled a blanket, one Saoirse had made, from behind him.

"Where did you get this?" She asked, recognizing the blanket as her gift to Pauline.

"Let's just say that Pauline was devastated when I told her about you. Since, she could not come down here herself, she supplied me amply. But God, did she put up a fight." He said and chuckled in remembrance.

"When will I be out?" She asked and Timothee's face fell.

"I don't know but I will do something about it, I promise." He said with such confidence that Saoirse could not help but trust his words.

"My lord, there is a letter for you." A guard said, knocking at the bars of the cell but never looking their way.

"Pass it in." Timothee ordered and the guard slipped the letter inside the cell.