Chapter Four

I didn't sleep well that night. In fact I hardly slept at all, so the night was filled with tossing and turning and jumbled, random thoughts about everything. But mostly I wondered where I was going to go after having to leave this place. My purpose was fulfilled, I had told Lord Jonathan what I'd known, and now I served no more use to them. And then came the thought that I wasn't sure if there was a place I really could go to. I'd completely run out of all wealth I'd previously had and, having no place else to go, I returned to Linscott Castle in hopes that it would bring me a new beginning like it had done once before.

Linscott Castle though, was just as gone as Travis. And Calland might as well have been too in my eyes. Though the areas surrounding areas of Linscott were still in working order, their prices were just as inflated meaning there was no possible way I could afford living there. And what about staying here if that was possible? Strangely enough, that was what I wanted to do most and that thought left me just a bit more than afraid.

I thought that there was a possibility, no, I would miss a few people. Gabriel had shown me kindness since the first day I arrived here, before that even. And Annabelle had been cheery to the point of excess at times, but still she had accepted me as a friend even before she really knew me. If I'd had the chance to get to know Lord Jonathan better I'd probably feel the same way about him as I did with the others.

Missing someone from Morian... If only Elijah could see me now. I wonder what he'd have to say about that...

· · ·

She was there with stolen armor and her brother's sword while grinning wider than I'd ever seen her do before. It was in the moment that she'd given up her gowns she'd given up her conscience. But it was not her fault because nothing was, she'd said ever so sweetly, and she'd blamed everything on me. And I believed her all the same, despite her crimson hands. She placed the glistening sword in my hands as she gingerly took the crown off the ground of the darkened room and placed it upon her own head. It belonged upon someone else's head, I had thought, and wanted to tell her the same thing, but something told me not to. Perhaps it was her smile...

But the room turned light and others became visible. I sat at the unopened casket of a defeated king shedding no tears for what was there. Others sobs though, faded into the music, sounding as if they belonged. She walked to where I was slowly, the white of her gown contrasting the black of everyone else's apparel. I wore neither of the colors. I wore my scarlet dress for a love who only lived on through the soulless portrait that hung above his casket. She kneeled down beside me laying the scarlet-colored sword in front of me. Placing her hand on my shoulder she said, "This is how heroes live forever". Then she laughed and smiled at his funeral, skipping as she left through the carved wooden doors. Her conscience laid there, left behind, forgotten, and battered on the ground.

· · ·

That morning started out fairly uneventful, and except for the lack of sleep that the previous night held, I was fine. I started out with my usual duties, deciding that until I was forced to leave I would carry on with each day as if nothing had changed. It was early and thus no one was really awake, but if anyone was, they most certainly weren't around here. I didn't see anybody at any rate. That is until Annabelle came walking, no, make that stomping down the hallway to where I was.

"How could you?" she hissed.

"What? How could I...? I didn't do anything..." I said.

"How could you lie like that? You didn't come from Morian at all! No wonder you didn't show any sympathy when I told you that the people from your country killed my brother! I bet you didn't even care! No, I bet you were glad, weren't you? After all, we're just your enemy, right?"

"No, that isn't-"

"I can't believe I even tried to be your friend! No wonder you wouldn't warm up to anyone. We're below you, aren't we? Well, aren't we?"

I stayed silent, not knowing what to say. From a girl who was normally so bubbly and kind towards me, her outburst was most certainly unexpected and left me at a loss for words.

"Answer me! Or are you above doing that now?"

"Leave her alone, Annabelle," said another.

And it was Tom. As for why he'd help me out though, that was beyond me.

"She's from Calland, Tom! She deserves all that I have to say to her!"

"Look, we all have our grudges, but Jonathan wanted her here. You make him angry with you, you face the possibility of losing your job. If you ask me, it isn't worth all that."

"You only say that because your entire life is dedicated to your job. I could just as easily go back home and continue on with life there. You used to be different, Tom! You would have understood then."

"If you feel that way, then just go home. It's not as if you'll be missed."

At that remark Annabelle stormed off. Obviously, Tom's statement had been a little too true for her tastes.

He looked at me for a moment, seeming as if he didn't quite know what to make of me, then turned away. "You know..." he started, but then he cut himself off. Instead he said, "Are you just going to sit there all day or what?"

"It's my job. Why do you do what you do?" He ignored my question and started to walk away, but I decided to follow after him.

"Why even take care of a castle that rules a country you don't care about?" he asked. It was an odd question; one that left me without an answer for a few seconds.

"I don't have anywhere else to go at the moment. If it's what I have to do to stay here, then I'm willing to work, I guess. You don't care much for me either, but then you go and make Annabelle leave when she's accusing me of things that aren't true."

"Gabriel thinks you're different from the others who come from Calland. I guess you could say he's kind of fond of you. He trusts you at least, more than I do. He was trying to make sure that you could keep your job here if you wanted to. He was talking to Jonathan about it, and that's how Annabelle heard. I saw her coming down here, and figuring that she was probably coming after you I came along."

"And why would you do that?" I asked.

"A little bit ago we took in someone from Calland for questioning and then we never really found it necessary to hide the fact of where the person came from. Soon after that Calland completely destroyed one of the villages that one of the maids came from. During that most of her family was killed, and I guess she just went crazy, or at least insane with anger. She tried to strangle who they brought in. If it weren't for a knight who was passing by at the time, he would have died."

"So why did you follow her?"

"I just told you why. Weren't you listening?"

"No, that's not what I meant. I meant why would you follow her because you don't care what happens to me."

"Gabriel would care."

"You two didn't strike me as particularly close friends back when I first met you at Linscott Castle. Did something change between you two?"

"Do you know just how nosy you are? Are you always like this or is this a characteristic you have that you reserve especially for me?"

"I'm sorry," I said, hanging my head down slightly with embarrassment. "I don't mean to get like this, I just do sometimes. I'm too curious for my own good and not knowing something generally drives me crazy. I'm sorry."

"It's all right, I guess. And just so you won't make yourself completely insane, we used to be a lot better friends than we are now."

"Oh. Thank you," I said. "Well, I guess I should be getting back to work now. I'll probably get in trouble otherwise. But thank you again!"

"Just take the day off. I'm sure Gabriel can get you off of work. Have you ever seen the gardens here before?" I quickly shook my head no at his question. "Fine then. Go take the time to look at them now. And go before I change my mind about it."

"Thank you!" And that was all I said before running of to the nearest courtyard, desperate to pull back some familiar part of my life.

· · ·

And pull back familiar parts of my life I did that day, and I'm not speaking about just through the garden. And of course all the lovely shades of reds and whites and yellows brought back memories of home, but it was that fateful day that something more came back to me. Linscott came to me.

But those who were the people that I was so close to - some I could even consider family - did not come with open arms. No, they came with swords and armor because they had come to take over Lisantor Castle. And I would be spared no mercy at their hands. I was a traitor in the worst sense, a traitor who managed through words to kill their prince, their ruler, and for some, their father figure. I never meant to hurt Travis the way I did, but my apology never came fast enough.

And that was the day Elijah came back. And I remembered his haunting words back on that snowy winter day when the war wasn't in our favor, his words, "We're cursed". And perhaps we both were, doomed for destruction, doomed to meet again, doomed to be enemies. Things never worked out in Lisantor's favor. The others at the castle never thought I heard, but I knew, I knew that they thought the misfortune began when I came. I was a young girl then, and yet they still believed I was capable of carrying a curse strong enough to bring a kingdom down. Maybe they were right. I brought down their king after all.

And I guess they heard the news that the kingdom I came from had fallen too. I guess that they had reason to believe what they did. And when I saw their horses, the Lisantor flag on the horizon, I guess I began to believe every word they ever said about my curse and me.

It was around that point I began to run. There was that feeling of my spine caving in, that feeling one gets when they know someone's there behind them, but I ignored it. I thought I was being paranoid and nothing more. So of course it's easy to imagine how surprised I was when a hand grabbed me from behind.

More specifically, it was Elijah's hand. And one can never know the numbness I was feeling at that moment when I was sure that the person I once called one of my best friends was going to kill me.

And at the moment I was making up excuses right and left: this was not Elijah, it was a man who looked like him and that was all, or I was just imagining it all. Or it was the fact that I was cursed. I never realized how much the people's words affected me until that moment.

"Faye. Faye, is that you?" He spoke first because I had forgotten at that moment how to speak. After a short pause I finally told him yes.

"Run, then," he said with a push. "Run and don't let me see you again. I'll kill you if I do. I may not like it, but I don't have a choice. And don't let anyone see you, especially don't let Devon find you because he'll slaughter you right then and there. He still hates you, you know."

"I guessed," I said, a small smile on my lips.

I do not react well in crisis situations, especially when my life is in danger. I ask stupid questions, do insane things, and think up horrible plans on how to save myself. So that was probably why I was standing there in the kitchen thinking that a knife is going to save my life. Needless to say, that it would be nothing compared to a sword and that if any soldiers came they would be wearing armor that could not be penetrated by a knife which wasn't particularly all that sharp. But I was in panic mode, so everything idiotic that I did was forgivable. Or at least I hoped as much.

Well, there were footsteps approaching and when the figure that they belonged to entered the room I didn't know quite what to do. He appeared to be a soldier, and if it means anything it was dark enough in there that I could only make out his shape. And I was known for doing ridiculous things when I was panicky.

It was dark in there, all the torches were put out, so when a shadow of a figure turned the corner, I shouted that whoever he was, he shouldn't try anything or I'd stab him.

"Faye? Is that you?"

Of course the voice belonged to Gabriel. Or course the person I just threatened to stab had to be Gabriel.

"Yes," I replied.

"Come on, let's get you someplace safe. Everything's all right, so don't worry now, it's a just in case sort of thing. It's just a warning sort of thing. But could you put the knife please? After what you just said, you're making me nervous."

I put down the knife, and he put his hand in mine so he could show me where to go. It felt odd after all this time and he surprised me, so I let out a small gasp.

"Are you all right?" he asked. I nodded before I remembered it was hard for him to see me.

"Yes." And then we started walking to our destination.

"If anyone asks for me," I said, "just tell them where I am. I don't want anyone hurt over me. Will you do that for me?"

"What are you talking about? Weren't you just a maid in Linscott?"

"Just answer the question, please."

"All right. May I ask why though?"

"Just live through the battle, all right? Do you promise?"

"I promise."

"And then maybe I'll tell you."

"All right."

He squeezed my hand gently to offer me some comfort. "You'll be all right," He said again.

"I'll be fine," I replied, "You said yourself it was just a warning. Just promise me you'll be fine and then everything's okay."

"I promise," He said again. Maybe it's a little more than a warning. He sounded calm, but he seemed tense.

"All right, you'll be safe here," he said after leading me down many staircases into a place so dark I wondered if he'd be able to find his way back up. He did though and I sat down on the hard stone floor and waited for him to return.

"What's your eye color!" I shouted suddenly, hoping he was there to answer the question. He wasn't though and my question just echoed up the tall, narrow stone staircases. I wanted to know that. Just in case. The nervous, hushed giggling of the other girls here briefly filled the room.

I went over to the bottom stair to sit down on it. If anyone came down here, I might as well have been the first to die. I wasn't scared though, not really, and I rested my head against the stone wall just waiting. Maybe he really would die. When he told me that he promised he'd return, he sounded a little unsure...

Author's Note: I'm so so sorry for the long wait! Is anyone still reading this? I certainly hope so! I promise next time to try and post a little faster. I had slight writer's block with this story for a while and then I got a little lazy. :^( Sorry! Please review though. It'd make me happy!