Fable - Ask Among Strangers

[Rosaline]

"Hm, it's certainly out of the way. Hopefully the King doesn't think to search here for a few days. Though... He'll have his hands full anyway." She chuckled, nudging her shoulder against Nil's.

"I have a confession though... I've not the slightest idea as to how to book a room." She said sheepishly with a slight blush.

She'd never had to take care of such matters before, there was always a servant or guard to handle such affairs. So much of her life had been spent in such a way. There was so much that she didn't know.

"I'm not much use... I'm sorry."

 

[Nil]

"That's alright." There were things he didn't know, and he could not blame her for things that she was never taught in the first place.

He reached out and gently grasped her hand.

"I'll show you." Nil told her with a soft squeeze of his hand as they began to head towards the Inn. The Young Knight did not want her to remain ignorant, and if things ever got to that point she needed to know how to do these things. "Come on."

Nil motioned, then gently tugged her through the front door.

Pips was well trained, and simply stood in front of the Inn. He would wait there until they found a porter.

As they stepped inside the sweet scent of tabacc and roasting meat filled the air, a small bustle of activity resounding. A few people spared them a glance, but by and large most were going on about their day.

"Got news this morning bout the King."

"Oh?"

"Seems there was a fight, chaos, no ones really sure whats goin on. Guard ain't talkin neither."

"Queens, missin I heard."​

The conversations buzzed all around them.

 

[Rosaline]

While Nil was speaking with the inn keeper, Rosaline listened intently to the conversations in the room. If they were discussing the Queen's disappearance, then they clearly didn't know who she or Nil was.

It was a good sign for them.

Her attention returned to Nil and the man he was speaking with. From what she could tell, everything was in order.

Behind Nil's shoulder, she caught sight of a young woman intently watching them.

No, not them. Nil.

She was young and petite with pretty blonde curls. Her dress was simple, but we'll kept. It was clear the girl wasn't a farmer, but worked here at the tavern.

When the woman realized that Rosaline was watching her, she quickly turned away with a blush on her cheeks.

"Meredith!" The innkeep called, waving a beefy hand to beckon the woman forward.

"Show these two travelers to their room and have a meal sent up." He instructed the girl as she approached.

"O-oh! Of course! Right this way." Meredith stammered, clearing her throat.

Rosaline paused and glanced to Nil. "What about Pips? Shouldn't we see him to a stable first?"

 

[Nil]

Nil nodded. "We should."

He glanced at Rosaline for a moment, clearly entirely oblivious of the other girl. Not a callous or cruel disregard, but simply not even noting her stares. For Nil there was only one woman who could ever look at him that way, and that was Rosaline.

The Young Knight softly touched the small of her back, urging her forward.

"Go see the room." He said with a smile. "I'll take care of pips."

The horse would be exhausted by now and deserved only the best, Nil wanted to see to it. "I'll meet you up there."

This was a sleepy little village, quiet. No one would threaten them here and Nil felt confident enough to let Rosaline out of his sight. At least for a few moments.

 

[Rosaline]

A smile spread across Rosaline's features as the soft touch and she gave a quiet, assenting nod.

Meredith glanced between the two of them for a moment and then grinned. "Let me get a hot pot of tea and some food. You must be famished, my lady."

"Oh, that's very nice. I would appreciate it." Rosaline replied warmly as the serving girl led her off towards the room.

The Queen glanced over her shoulder to Nil, holding his gaze for a brief moment before she rounded a corner and vanished from view.

Once they arrived at the room, Meredith was quick to pour Rosaline a cup of warm tea, ushering her over to a seat by the hearth. While the girl got the fire going, Rosaline dipped from the tea.

Her eyes grew heavy.

Before the flames had even bloomed to full life, Rosaline had drifted off into a deep sleep.

Meredith took the empty cup from Rosaline and grinned wolfishly.

 

[Nil]

"Let's get you somewhere comfortable." Nil said to Pips as he lead the massive warhorse down towards what appeared to be a stable.

He found a boy standing there, clearly waiting for people like him. The boy took one look at Pips for a moment, paying as he saw just how big the stallion was. Nil smiled for a second, waving the boy off and saying that he would take care of it. A copper was flipped away, and then quickly the young Knight went about securing his horse.

The routine didn't take long, Nil having long since learned to do everything he needed as quickly as possible.

After just a few minutes Pips was squared away, and Nil patted the stallion on the nose. He smiled and then turned around on his heel, heading back towards the Inn. He was completely unaware that anything was wrong of course, moving with a smile and thankful that they would have a quiet night.

It was well deserved.

 

[Rosaline]

On his trip back to the Inn, Nil would cross paths with the young woman that had taken Rosaline to their room. She wore a shy, nervous smile as she approached him.

"Your sister has already fallen asleep. The two of you must have been traveling for quite a ways. She passed right out. Though... She suggested that perhaps I should show you around town? If you wanted, that is." Meredith offered with a small tilt of her head.

She came to stand just a little too close to Nil than was strictly appropriate for strangers.

"I know all sorts of places, after all." She said with a coy grin.

 

[Nil]

"Sister?" Nil sounded somewhat confused, lips thinning as he looked at the girl.

It was obvious he was still almost entirely unaware of her advances. His mind still clouded by his love for Rosaline and the joy of their newfound bond. It took him a second for his mind to catch up, his head shaking.

"Oh…no she's my…" Shit. It would look odd for a young man and woman to be traveling together on their own. Siblings would have been a good cover, but an odd one. "Betrothed."

He finished without thinking. "Thank you for the offer, but I better get some rest myself."

Nil smiled.

"As you said, we've been traveling." It was the most polite refusal he could offer, and as he finished Nil attempted to skirt along the girls side and up towards the room.

 

[Rosaline]

His response only seemed to confuse the the young woman. She took a subtle step to the side to cut him off, arching a. Take curiously.

"Your betrothed? She already is wearing a wedding band..." Het eyes narrowed.

It was fairly clear that his answer had miffed her.

She took a breath and shook her head. "You should let her rest..."

If he went back now, she realized, it was be fairly obvious that the pink-haired woman was not in a natural sleep.

She needed to stall.

 

[Nil]

"Old tradition where I'm from." Nil said with a smile.

The Young Knight was shocked at how easily the lie came to him. He'd never been one to be dishonest, but there was an impulse to protect Rosaline. Perhaps that was why the thought came so quickly. He didn't care about anything else, just making sure she would be safe.

He stepped back from her for a moment. "She won't mind."

Nil was sure of that.

"I'm very tired myself." He explained again, noting the firmness in her voice. Fingers prickled something, and in the back of his mind he could feel that something was...off.

Though he wasn't sure what.

 

[Rosaline]

She hesitated once more and then nodded. It was clear there wouldn't be any further discussion on the matter.

A smile touched her lips and she gave a small shrug. "I'm at your service. I'll get you a fresh pot of tea then and bring it up to your room."

Before Nil could say anything else, she spun on her heel and hurried off back to the Inn.

 

[Nil]

Nil frowned for a moment, watching the girl and shaking his head.

Perhaps there was still some part of culture that he was missing out on. He had spent most of his life as a Soldier, not among the common folk. His experience with things were not exactly ordinary, and he tried to keep that in mind.

Reaching up to run a hand through his hair Nil began to make his way towards the stairs.

He moved sluggishly, tired from the last few days of travel. A part of him still wondered about Aguilar, about that Elf and everything that had happened. By the time he reached the door of their bedroom though even those thoughts slipped away.

It was time to enjoy a quiet night with the woman he loved.

A thought he'd never even fantasized about.

 

[Rosaline]

Inside, he found Rosaline passed out in a sitting chair by the hearth. Her head was rolled to the side, resting against her shoulder and the back arch of the chair.

There was a small puddle of spilt tea at her feet, the cup she'd dropped lay broken on the floor.

She didn't stir when Nil opened the door, the queen lost in a deep sleep.

Rosaline had her faults, she was far from perfect, but one thing she certainly wasn't was clumsy. The woman had a natural grace about her, and she wasn't one to be careless with other people's belongings.


It wouldn't take long for Meredith to venture up into the room with a fresh pot of tea resting on a tray. Her eyes widened at the mess on the floor and she hurriedly set the tray down on the side table next to the entrance.

She shut the door behind her and subtly locked it before she moved to start cleaning up the spilled tea.

 

[Nil]

Nil's brow furrowed.

This wasn't a normal. Rosaline was careful, especially when it came to others. She was always conscious of those around her and what she was doing. She had been tired, but not that tired. Their night had been active, but she'd made it through the day just fine.

Fingers tightened for a moment but before he could do anything the girl from earlier suddenly rushed in and began to clean up. "Wait."

He objected, stepping over towards her.

"That's not necessary, I'll clean it up." Nil told her. "I just want to rest, please."

Tension filled the Young Knight as he stood over her. "It's alright."

He tried to wave her off.

 

[Rosaline]

Meredith frowned at Nil's reaction, but she obliged him. She quietly pushed herself to her feet and hurriedly left the room, wiping at her eyes.

Nil was left alone in the room.

The space was filled with relative quiet and Rosaline's deep breathing.

Meredith left the pot of tea behind, the woman fully intending to return.

 

[Nil]

Nil glanced at the door after the girl for a brief moment, frowning as she left. After a few seconds his head shook, deciding that perhaps the customs in this village were simply a bit different than they were in his neck of the woods.

Those in small villages tended to be overly friendly, especially when a bit of coin was involved.

For a brief moment he lingered, then stepped over towards Rosaline. He made sure she was comfortable. Shifting her on the bed and frowning when he realized just how konked out she actually was. Perhaps the night before had taken a heavier toll than she'd wanted to admit to him.

The young Knight quickly stripped himself of his armor and sword, placing both on a chair in the corner of the room.

A second later he glanced around the room for a wash basin or something to patch his throat, finding only the tea. He poured himself a cup, taking a few sips before slipping into the bed beside Rosaline. He did not even notice the drug taking affect as he fell asleep, thinking it simply his own exhaustion.

 

[Rosaline]

A few hours later, once the Inn was quiet and the patrons had left or gone to sleep, Meredith returned to Nil and Rosaline's room. She moved as quiet as a mouse, darting inside and shutting the door without a sound.

She smirked when she realized that Nil had drank the tea as well. It only made things easier for her.

She hurriedly rummaged through their things for anything of value. There wasn't much, but the coin Nil carried and Rosaline's elaborate wedding band were more than enough to buy herself a new life in the city.

For months now she'd been saving and stealing. Nil and Rosaline's arrival had been the tipping point that made everything possible.

But still, there was was last thing she wanted before she left.

Her eyes lingered on the resting knight, his form barely visible in the dark room. Even wrapped in shadow the man was handsome.

She slipped Rosaline's ring onto her finger and then she climbed into the bed to take exactly what she wanted.

 

[Nil]

There were many days where Nil had thought of the marks on his flesh as a curse, a blight upon who he was and what he could have been.

In his youth he had dreamed of being someone else, of being someone more ordinary. He had wanted to be a man, someone who didn't have to worry about magic, someone who could just live his life. A farmer, a miner, something that was...ordinary.

A life without death.

Without magic.

That was not his life though. It would never be his life. Fingers tightened for a brief moment, just a brief moment as he felt something move. A flash of one of the marks, The Vir as the Elf had called it. Nil took a deep breath, his eyes flickering open. "W-what?"

His voice was a rasp, barely echoing as the magic worked through his system and cleansed it of the poison that had been fed to him.

 

[Rosaline]

Meredith froze for a moment when she realized that Nil was awake. She was straddling his legs, in the process of reaching for his belt.

How had he woken up so quickly?

Panicked and unsure of what else to do, she leaned forward and pressed a harsh kiss to the Knight's lips, hoping to silence him and convince him that it was his lover that was on top of him.

The woman was smaller than Rosaline though, lighter. Her lips were thinner than his Queen.

It wouldn't take him long to decipher the difference.

Before Nil could say anything, the intruder quickly tried to scramble back out of the bed.

 

[Nil]

What the... The words rang through his head.

Something was wrong. Off.

That...that...his head swam. Was he this exhausted? This tired? No. Something had happened. His lips thinned and his eyes suddenly snapped open just as Meredith scrambled off of him and began to head towards the door.

Bright red eyes sprang into life in the middle of the night, Nil's head turning as he glanced towards the woman who had pulled herself off him. "Stop!"

He called.

There was an authority to his voice. A command that was learned from a dozen years of training and practice. His muscles still ached, hurt, but his voice was more solid than it had been before.

 

[Rosaline]

Nil's shout brokered no argument. It should have been more than enough to wake Rosaline, who was still asleep at his side.

But she didn't so much as stir.

Meredith fumbled with the lock in the door, panic making her clumsy. What was he going to do?

Their coin was still stuffed in her dress and she still wore the stolen ring. Somehow, the man had woken from the draught she'd made... It didn't make sense.

But she was caught.

She didn't turn to face Nil, shaking by the door. "I... I was just..." she floundered for an excuse.

 

[Nil]

"Don't." His head was still woozy, but every passing second was like a shot of life running through his veins. His muscles ached, not hurting, but pin and needles running over his whole body as he pulled himself up.

"Move." Nil finally added as he pulled himself upright. "What are you doing in here?"

The Young Knight glanced over towards Rosaline. "What were you doing?"

Slowly he reached for the knife on the bed-side table.

"What did you to do her?" Nil growled. "Us."

 

[Rosaline]

Ever so slowly, Meredith turned to face Nil. She chewed her bottom lip, watching the man intently as he reached for the knife. Fear fluttered in her stomach, but it was too late to turn back now.

"It's... a sleep paralysis potion." She admitted quietly.

"You weren't supposed to wake up." Her voice trembled slightly when she spoke.

"I just wanted a way out of this place. And you're my ticket." She half begged, half demanded.

 

[Nil]

He caught the flash of Rosaline's ring in the moonlight. His eyes were better than most in the dark, though even he couldn't see the bag of gold still hidden in her dress.

Nil frowned for a moment. "Drop what you took."

The Young Knight for just a brief moment glanced back at Rosaline. He knew that in an instant he could kill this girl. Knew that even legally there would be no repercussions for him doing so. She was a thief, and there would be no doubt of that once the evidence was revealed.

Yet he knew it wasn't just to end her life.

"Leave it on the floor, and leave." He hissed. "And I will pretend nothing ever happened."

The knife flipped in his hand, the threat of 'or else' left unspoken.

 

[Rosaline]

She carefully knelt down and placed both the pouch of gold and the ring on the floor.

Nil could have easily killed her, but he refrained from doing so. There wasn't much point in arguing with him. If she did, he'd either report her or slit her throat right there. He wouldn't even have to wake his precious betrothed to do so.

"Okay... I'm... I'm leaving." She murmured softly, reaching behind her for the door.