Chapter Nine
The sky was pitch-black outside, the sort of thick, inky darkness that swallows up shadows and hides all manner of sins.
But far away in a castle, looking through a window at the open lands, you knew exactly what was going on. The mercenaries would be attacking the nearest villages, and with only Steve and Peter to defend them, you knew they didn't stand a chance. You imagined them, suddenly so small on their feeble steeds, facing a mass of trained killers. Their path opened before them, dark and full of death.
You didn't like it.
You turned to Wanda, who hovered anxiously next to your bed.
"I've turned your covers, my lady. Would you like me to prepare you for bed?" She asked politely.
You ignored her, beginning to pace. "My uncle and cousins are accounted for, and they should be safe at Lord Barton's. Once they have taken the villages - which will not be a hardship, as they are small and the townsfolk few in numbers - they will turn to us."
Wanda frowned. "My lady?"
You stopped pacing, staring at her. "We must take the fight to them."
She was shaking her head. "I don't understand. Sir Wilson and Sir Rogers were assigned to-"
"-to protect us, yes, I know." You finished impatiently. "But we have to look further than that. Innocent people will die if I stay here."
Wanda paled. "You...you don't mean to give yourself up?"
A slight smile adorned your lips, and you shook your head in answer. "No, I don't. I have a plan. But I must speak with Dr Rhodes first."
**
The chanting was almost deafening.
Steve resisted the urge to bury his head between his hands, and forget the whole world existed - their voices were harsh and brittle, hissing as if they hadn’t spoken in many long years. Peter wasn’t faring much better. Terrified, he was backing towards his horse, looking as if he was going to leap onto it all of a sudden and gallop away.
Still, Steve drew his sword.
Still, he saw the muddy battlefield before him - the soldier’s cries, as they fell, one by one. He saw it all the time. And there was the ache, once again. Pawing helplessly at his chest.
Closing his eyes, he thought of what made him calm, as he felt the mercenaries approach. Your face, silhouetted in candlelight; your eyes, ringed with fear. How brave you had been that night. He could be brave, too.
With two strong, fight-worn hands, he gripped his sword, and moved towards the enemy.
**
The door to the doctor’s study was ajar, allowing a thin beam of orange firelight to glance through. You knocked lightly, before the door swung open, illuminating the entirety of the dark corridor behind you.
Dr Rhodes was frowning at you. “My lady? It is late, you should be asleep.”
You sighed. Fortunately, Dr Rhodes was one of the few people who could talk to you like that. The number seemed to be growing as of late.
“No, I should be in the outlying villages, with the people.”
He shook his head. “I...don’t have the pleasure of understanding you, my lady.”
“As the sole remainder of nobility in this castle, I have a duty of care to those who lie within Lord Pym’s lands. His role falls to me now.” You elaborated calmly. “You know as well as I do that two men won’t be enough to help them, even if they are men of shield.”
Dr Rhodes shook his head, again. “It’s too dangerous.”
“I will go without your blessing.” You said firmly. “But I would wish for it.”
The doctor stared at you incredulously, all ceremony abandoned. The wind buffeted at the feeble glass of the windows. “Don’t you think that your uncle would wring my neck if anything happened to you? That he would wring all of our necks?”
You stayed silent, waiting for him to run out of words. He would not refuse you.
“I owe him too much.” Dr Rhodes seemed to be speaking to himself now, quietly.
“What?” Your heart was pounding, afraid of what he was going to say next. “Please, Dr Rhodes - every minute we waste is a minute where someone innocent falls.”
“You don’t understand, do you?” He gazed at you sadly. “We all swore an oath to protect you. Me, Scott, Bruce...all of us. For your parent's sake, don't give yourself up to them."
The wind picked up, and so did the rain, like tiny pieces of tin bashing at the roof above your heads. Your mind swam with questions, accusations - anger filled you, then seeped out slowly; you couldn’t be angry with him. Taking a deep breath, you tried to suppress the aching in your heart. The questions could be saved for another time. Right now, there were more important matters at hand.
“Your uncle wanted me to keep it a secret from you, but…” Dr Rhodes trailed off, hopelessly. “You are of age now, Y/N. You have a right to know. And considering the circumstances…”
A sad smile crossed your face. “It is my soul they want.”
"Y/N-"
"I won't give myself up. But I won't stay here, either. There would have been a snake, someone who betrayed my parents, in order to seek my soul for retribution, now. And tonight, they ride to meet me. Isn't it fitting that I greet them? The person who is responsible for all of this?"
**
Everyone gathered in the main hall, the vaulting arches and corners shrouded in darkness. You stood at the head of the table, as you had seen your uncle do so many times before. A few candles lit the space in front of you, and the faces around you.
“If you choose to do this, Lady Y/N, your safety cannot be guaranteed. It would be going against your uncle’s wishes.” Sir Wilson said solemnly.
“I understand that, but my intentions remain the same.”
“The Lord Pym had requested that you did not leave the castle, and I would not go against his wishes, if-”
“Damn his wishes!” You shouted, voice echoing in the vast chamber. “He can wish whatever he wants to. He may neglect his tenants if he wants to. But I cannot, in the knowledge that those villages are being torn apart, stay here.”
The room was silent after your outburst. Only Lady Natasha sent you a knowing glance, and stepped forwards so that her face was in the flickering candlelight.
“I will come. And so will they.” She adjusted her sleeve. “Let us ready the horses.”