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Fable : Fall of the Guild	By : Samson Category: +A through F > Fable Views: 8222 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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The Finer Things.
Fable : Fall of the Guild

Part VII - "Marauders"

By: Jesse Racine AKA Samson

Original Date Written: March 2, 2012

When Darrah and Timoteo reappeared, they stood over a typical Cullis Gate. The Gate was a raised stone platform, a set of four prongs reaching up into the air at four equal points around the Will-infused circular center of the Gate. The center was black and glassy, a few white pinpoints of light faintly visible in the darkness, like the night sky. Around the rim of the circular piece, there was a blue glow of Will, shining up like a halo. The landscape around them was a plain of short grass, a forest visible about a kilometer over to their left. The two of them walked down one of the four short sets of steps leading up to the Gate, releasing hands as they did so. “Alright, the estate’s barely an hour away. We’ll be there in no time.” Darrah said, reaching behind herself and under her cape with her Seal, replacing it wherever she had gotten it from. Timoteo nodded, wincing as he felt the injury from the bandit’s arrow pang in his back. Reaching into his pack, he grabbed a health potion, taking a few gulps before tossing the potion back in his pack.
Darrah, still holding her winged great helm under one arm, looked over to him and raised an eyebrow, saying “I have to warn you, my sister might be an issue. Hopefully my parents can fix her attitude when they talk to her, but if not, she could be just as catty with you as she is with me.” Timoteo looked to her curiously, saying “Why would she be like that with me? She doesn’t even know me.” Darrah made a bit of a face, nodding lightly, saying “Yeah, I know, but...I don’t know, maybe she won’t like you because you’re a Hero, or just because we were at the Guild together. Maybe she’ll be like that with you purely because you’re my guest.” Timoteo shrugged, saying “Well, whatever. I won’t let her bug me.” Darrah smiled a little, holding back a chuckle as she said “Oh, you say that now, but trust me, if she’s as awful with you as she normally is with everybody else, you’re gonna wanna wring her neck pretty quickly.” Timoteo smirked a little, saying “Maybe, maybe. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.”
Darrah chuckled a little. Her eyes darted down to his throat, a faint clinking sound rising up as the little metal bones of Timoteo’s necklace tapped against the inside of his chainmail shirt. “...You’re still wearing it.” She said, calmly. Timoteo glanced at her, noticed where her eyes were, and looked down, himself. Realizing she was looking at his necklace, he looked back to her, saying “What, the necklace?” Darrah nodded, meeting his eyes, her expression still a little warm, her tone still calm. “Yeah. Bianca’s.” She said. Timoteo raised an eyebrow just slightly, his tone faintly curious as he said “Why wouldn’t I be? I’ve more or less forgotten about it, I just wear it. I don’t think I’ve ever taken it off since the first time I put it on.” Darrah nodded lightly, her expression unchanging. “Huh.” She mumbled, looking in front of the two. Timoteo stared at her for a few seconds, an eyebrow still raised a little. Eventually, he looked ahead of himself, like her.
Calmly, he said “Look, I know you hate her, and I can understand why. I know you get upset whenever she’s brought up, so while I’m here, let’s both make an effort not to talk about her, okay? We can stop any issues before they happen, that way.” Darrah pouted out her bottom lip and shrugged, saying “Sure, not a problem.” Timoteo nodded once, saying “Good.” They were both quiet for about a minute before Darrah looked to him again, saying “I should probably warn you, there’s gonna be some things expected of you. Everyone’s gonna know that you’re not used to our kind of life, so they’re not going to expect everything from you, but there will be some things you’ll need to do to sort of fit in.” Timoteo looked to her, asking “Well, like what?” Darrah raised her eyebrows, glancing up and down him, saying “Well, first, you’re going to want to take a bath. You don’t smell, but the servants are going to insist on it, regardless. Then, you’ll need to drop off your chainmail and your pack in a room. I’ll get you a room, I think there’s a spare or two on the same floor as my family and myself.”
She smiled, saying “Fifth floor, it’s got a great view, you’ve probably never been in a building that tall. The Guild was big, yeah, but the mansion’s huge. Besides, most of the Guild’s height was pure roof, not really any living space.” Timoteo shook his head lightly and blinked a few times, saying “Wait, why do I need to drop off my stuff? And five floors, you say?” Darrah nodded, saying “Trust me, it’ll help you blend in. I might even get you some new clothes, too, just to help some more. Talking to someone while still in armour is...Well, a bit weird. You can try, but don’t expect people to give you much respect, if you do. And yeah, five floors. See...” Darrah stuck out a finger as she counted off each of the floors, explaining what one could find per floor.
“The first floor has servant quarters and bathrooms, along with garbage pits. When the pits get full, they get set fire to, and they keep on burning until everything’s just ashes. The second floor has the barracks for my father’s estate guardsmen. The third floor is mostly taken up by the kitchens and dining halls, but there’s some storage rooms, too. Some storage on the first floor too, forgot to mention. Fourth floor is more important, as it’s got some stuff for the family, like the war room and my father’s lordly chamber, where people see him about things and ask for him to make decisions. That’s where those League representatives would’ve seen him, a while back. A lot of other rich people live with us on the fourth floor too, they have their own rooms, they take up most of the space. And the fifth floor is dedicated specifically for the family, nothing else is up there, nobody else can go there. Well, except for servants, they can go anywhere they’re needed. Fifth floor has our bedrooms and personal lounges, along with some storage rooms private to us.”
Timoteo raised his eyebrows, nodding slightly, his tone impressed as he said “Damn, sounds like you’ve got just about everything.” Darrah smiled widely, saying “I suppose. It’s comfortable, that’s for sure. And now that I’m an adult, I can finally get the servants to let me do things on my own, so there isn’t always somebody hovering over my shoulder to watch me and help me with every little thing.” Timoteo smiled a little with amusement. Darrah raised her eyebrows, looking to him, her expression suddenly becoming a little serious. “Okay, hey, I forgot to mention, this is important. You can’t just call my parents by their names, that’s not how things are done. You need to address my father as “my lord”, and my mother, you call her “Lady Jasmine”. My sister, you can just call her Natalie. Never call my mother just by her name, that’s really disrespectful, only family members can forget the “lady” part. I’m not even going to tell you my father’s name, because calling him by it instead of calling him your lord could get you in serious trouble. Maybe you’d be okay the first time, since you’re my guest, but I’d rather not take the chance, so I’m not even going to give you the opportunity to mess up by letting you know his name. Okay?”
Timoteo looked at her with an amused expression, saying “Jeez, so many rules. Only reinforces the idea I had about how I’d spend my time until the battle.” Darrah raised an eyebrow. “Idea? Like what?” She asked. Timoteo shrugged, saying “No offence, but I hope you didn’t plan on parading me around too much. I don’t know how easily I’d fit in with the people at your home, Darrah...If I had a room, which it sounds like I will, I was just going to-” Darrah cut him off, her eyes narrowing as she said “Shut yourself up in your room, avoiding everybody, only coming out for meals like some kind of hermit?” Timoteo’s expression went a little blank, the mage mumbling “Well, when you put it like that, it sounds bad.” Darrah’s eyes opened a little, but she made a bit of an unapproving face. “I guess you could do that, but it won’t help a ton. I’m going to take you out to every guardsmen dining hall during dinner tonight, Tim, and make a speech to introduce you. You can cast a spell, a non-destructive one, to prove you’re a Hero. Then I suppose you can shut yourself up in your room.”
Darrah’s tone went quiet and uninterested as she said “Won’t be much fun, though. Sitting in your room for days on end without anything to do doesn’t sound very interesting.” Timoteo smiled a little. “I’m sure you’ve got things I can read.” Darrah nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, saying “Don’t be boring Tim, don’t be like you were at the Guild, always off alone and reading!” Timoteo looked at her indignantly, saying “Well, what would you propose I do?” Darrah didn’t need to think of an answer. Immediately, she said “Train with me!” Timoteo gave her a look, raising an eyebrow, repeating “Train with you.” Darrah nodded, smiling with amusement, saying “Yeah, why’s that so hard to believe? We trained together every day for eight years, you’re telling me you can’t train with me for another, what, ten days?” Timoteo shrugged, raising his eyebrows, looking forwards as he said “Well, alright, but I think I might surprise you. I’ve gotten stronger, you know.”
Darrah furrowed her brow a little, smiling widely, narrowing her eyes as she competitively said “Oh, yeah? And you think I haven’t?” Timoteo smiled at her, his eyebrows lowering a little, too. Darrah grinned, bumping him with her elbow again, looking forwards as she said “We’ll see, mage, we’ll see.” Timoteo half-smiled, raising an eyebrow, looking forwards as well. Eventually, the hill the mansion sat upon came into view over the trees nearby, the crossbow wielders atop the perimeter walls spotting them quickly. When the duo made it to the walls, they headed around to the front entrance, the guards opening the gates for Darrah and her guest. The two headed up into the mansion, Timoteo looking up at the immense building with a bit of subdued awe. Darrah had been right, he had certainly never seen such a huge building, before...
Timoteo looked around at the interior of the mansion as Darrah led him inside. The front hall was quite sizeable, the room long and wide. The interior of the building was completely made with amber-coloured wood, the walls, floor, and ceiling all made from the same wood used for the exterior of the building. Up high on the walls over the front entrance, there were a pair of long windows made from pale blue stained glass, the windows letting in a fair amount of sunlight. A few long banners of purple fabric vertically hung over sections of walling on either side of the room, Darrah’s family crest done over each in bright, golden threads. There were numerous standing candelabras on either side of the room, each iron stand holding multiple lit candles each, the candles collectively helping to illuminate the room appropriately. There were numerous armoured guards in the front hall, twelve, each holding a long spear in their arms with a sword sheathed at their hips.
The guards didn’t hassle either of them, simply watching them respectfully. Numerous doors could be seen at the end of the room, two to the left and right, three at the very end of the room. Darrah noticed him looking around, smiling a little, seeming pleased as she said “Impressed already? Wait until you’ve seen the rest. I’ll give you a tour of all the important bits after I’ve introduced you to my parents.” Timoteo stopped looking around, glancing at her before looking forwards again, saying “Sure, why not.” She led him to the end of the hall, walked through the central door, and showed him a grand staircase leading up to the second floor. She showed him through the second floor rather quickly, simply leading him across it to the next staircase. Up to the third floor they went, then the fourth, then finally to the fifth. Timoteo noticed that the fourth and fifth floors had a purple rug spread over just about every inch of flooring possible, likely simply another perk the rich folk, Darrah’s family included, enjoyed.
Darrah hastily and almost stealthily led him to a room, opening the door and ushering him inside. Timoteo walked in and glanced around, Darrah walking in and shutting the door behind herself. Like the hallway behind them, the bedroom’s floor was entirely covered in a massive purple rug. The room had numerous bookshelves and dressers to the right, all lined up against the wall. The bookshelves were mostly filled with tomes, though there were some empty spaces in a few of the shelves. To the left was a large bed, the sheets coloured dark purple, the pillowcases light blue. There was a short cabinet by the bed’s side, a small pot resting on top, a few colourful flowers sticking out of the top. On the far side of the room, there was a set of closed doors. Through the glass of the doors, a stone balcony could be seen. Darrah walked around him, looking to him, saying “Okay, you’ll be able to stay here. The reason I didn’t waste time is, I don’t want to run into my family with you until we’re ready. We both need a bath, and I, at least, need to get into some other clothes. Then I’ll introduce you to my parents.”
Timoteo nodded, unshouldering his pack, walking over to the bed and setting his pack down beside it. He pulled off his chainmail shirt, draping it over his pack before he turned to her. Darrah nodded over towards the bedroom door, saying “Right, let’s go.” Timoteo nodded once, walking over to the door as she opened it, following her through the doorway while shutting the door behind himself. She led him down to the first floor, walking in to a private room with him. She got a bath ready for him, saying “Alright, now, just hop in and take care of things. I’ll be in the room just across the hall, so if you’re finished before me, which seems incredibly likely, just wait in the hallway until I step outside, alright? I’ll see if I can get a servant to bring you some nice clothes.” Timoteo raised an eyebrow slightly, yet nodded all the same. Darrah stepped outside then, shutting the door and leaving him alone. He undressed completely, bundling his clothes up and setting them down on the floor near the iron tub.
He slipped inside, sitting down in the warm water, letting out an unintentional sigh through his nose. He relaxed for a minute before beginning to try cleansing himself, feeling the water through his hair. He gave a start when he heard the door to the bathroom open up, Timoteo pulling his head up from the surface of the water, looking over. With water running down his face, his hair mostly matted down, his expression became a combination of surprise and embarrassment when he saw a young woman enter the room. She seemed maybe a year or so younger than him, seventeen or perhaps sixteen, dressed in a rather plain grey outfit. Her quite ordinary and inexpensive dress hugged snugly to her body, showing off her average curves. Her skin was light like his, her hair a fair blonde colour, hanging down around her head until it reached her shoulders. A few braids had been done into her hair, the braids hanging down over the rest of her locks.
Her eyes were deep green, looking rather striking in their emerald tint. She had a small pile of clothes in her arms, and as she spotted him in the tub, her face went a little flustered. She quickly took her eyes from him, despite only being able to see him from above the waist, perhaps for his own sake. She shut the door behind herself quietly, her voice noticeably shy as she said “A-Apologies, good sir. I had thought I might’ve been able to bring the clothes to you before you had already undressed. I didn’t mean to catch you in the bathtub.” Timoteo brought his hands down through the water, quietly covering himself, simply making sure that if the girl came close enough to peer at him through the water, she wouldn’t be able to see much. “That’s alright.” He said, trying not to sound a little embarrassed. The servant girl had less success with her tone than he did, sounding fairly embarrassed as she walked over to a nearby table, saying “My lady Darrah requested I bring these clothes for you to wear...Wh-Whether you approved or not, good sir.”
Timoteo relaxed a little, saying “Yeah, that sounds like Darrah, alright.” The servant girl didn’t react to his comment, though Timoteo thought he could see her smile a little as she set the bundle of clothes down on the table nearby. She turned to the side a little, not facing him yet not facing the table. It seemed to Timoteo like she were trying to be respectful; by turning towards him a little, she was showing he had her attention, yet by not facing him directly, she was trying to show consideration for his possible feelings of embarrassment. “Um, would sir mind if I asked a question?” She said, her voice becoming less shy. Timoteo nodded, saying “Sure, go ahead.” The servant girl smiled a little, glancing at him through the corners of her eyes as she said “Well, I’ve heard rumours that you’re an adventurer, come with my lady Darrah. I’ve heard that you came with armour and weapons, so that...You might even be a Hero, like my lady. Is there any truth to that, good sir?”
Timoteo nodded, saying “Eh, yes, I’m a Hero, like Darrah. I’ve come to help with the battle that might be occurring some time soon.” The servant girl lost her smile, her eyes drifting towards the floor. A moment later, she looked upwards again, smiling as she sheepishly said “I’m sure we’ll be s-safer with you here, my lord.” Timoteo smiled a little, raising an eyebrow slightly, speaking lightly as he said “You don’t have to call me anything like “sir” or “lord”, my name’s Timoteo. What’s your’s?” The girl barely looked in his direction before she caught herself, her head turning towards him for maybe two inches before she froze. Her expression was just a little surprised. She looked forwards once more, smiling a little, her cheeks going red as she said “...Amanda. My name’s Amanda, si-...Er, Timoteo.” Before Timoteo could say anything more, Amanda turned in such a way that she never faced him, turning around and facing the door to the room.
“I should be leaving you to your bath...My lady Darrah might be annoyed that I spent so long here when I might be needed elsewhere. May I take my leave...Timoteo?” She said, her tone still a little shy, her cheeks still a little rosy. Timoteo nodded, smiling with just a bit of amusement as he said “Sure, go ahead.” Amanda nodded respectfully in thanks, quietly walking over to the door of the room. She opened it, stepped outside, and softly shut it behind herself. Timoteo shook his head lightly, chuckling lightly as he resumed cleansing himself entirely. When he felt suitably washed, he stood up in the bath. He waited a minute or so, letting as much water run from his body as possible before he stepped out of the tub. He wasn’t sure who would come and drain the tub, who would come and take buckets of the water elsewhere, but he didn’t dwell on it. Still dripping water lightly, he walked over to the table Amanda had set his new clothes over.
He instantly noticed that the clothes appeared much more expensive than anything he had seen someone wear before, the clothes looking quite posh. The clothes almost looked snobbish to Timoteo, falling just short. The shirt was slim and hugged to him a little, showing off his toned form gained from years of rigorous physical training at the Guild. The shirt had a diamond design all along the torso, the diamonds alternating between colours of dark red and gold. The sleeves were merely dark red in colour, solid and without any pattern. At the ends of the sleeves, over his wrists, there was a short poofy section of thin, white fabric, the fabric loosely fluttering around his hands. The fabric pants were somewhat loose, but they still fit him comfortably, the pants dark blue in colour. Black shoes and bright white socks were among the clothes, the shoes looking expertly crafted; swirling designs were done into the heels through numerous tiny, circular punctures in the leather.
Timoteo slipped the clothing on, fitting into the shoes rather well. Spotting a vanity mirror nearby, he walked over, taking a brush and beginning to neaten his hair. He glanced over himself as he fixed his hair, thinking “Avo...Darrah’s dressing me up more than I’ve ever been fancied up, before. Look at me, I look like a fool. But, then again...The clothes must’ve been quite expensive. Do they just keep spare outfits all over this place? Who were these clothes meant for, originally? I wonder what Bianca would think if she saw me, now?...” He rested the brush down on the vanity table, still staring at himself through the tall, wide mirror before him. His hair was brushed down all around, aside from his bangs; his bangs, he styled off to his right side, his forehead mostly cleared. Satisfied that he was finished with the room, he was about to take his leave when he suddenly heard a knock at the bathroom door. “My lord? It’s Amanda, I’m sorry, I forgot to take your old clothes! Are you finished with your bath?”
Timoteo simply walked over to the bathroom door, opening it up. Amanda gave a little peep of surprise, her expression shocked as she looked up to his eyes. It was then that Timoteo realized that she was a fair bit shorter than him, with the top of Amanda’s head only reaching his chin. Timoteo smiled at her reaction, amused that she seemed so nervous, stepping to the side and offering to let her in. “You don’t have to be nervous around me, and didn’t I say you could just call me by my name?” Amanda stepped into the room, nodding, saying “Y-Yes, my apologies, Timoteo...It’s just...Unusual for one of your stature to be so...Well...” She trailed off, hastily walking over to his bundle of old clothes, picking them all up along with his boots. She turned to him, slowly saying “...Casual. You’re a lot more casual than usual. I’m not used to it...Timoteo.” Timoteo smiled, saying “Well, sorry if I’m putting you off. I’m just not used to this kind of place. I’m done in here, by the way. Any idea when Darrah will be done?”
He stepped out through the doorway, Amanda walking over and stepping outside as well, shutting the door to the room behind herself. They were standing in a hallway, the hallway leading off to the right and left, both passages quickly leading to a corner and taking a different direction. Amanda shrugged lightly, saying “I can’t say, my lor-...Timoteo. I’m sure it won’t be long now, though.” Amanda’s face went a little flustered as she said “If you’ll excuse the compliment, Timoteo, I’m sure my lady Darrah will be quite pleased with your new clothes. You look excellent in them.” Before he could respond, she turned and began to walk off, leaving without a backwards glance. Timoteo smiled with his eyebrows slightly raised. Eventually, he just shrugged, looking over to the door across from him. He had waited a good ten minutes before he finally heard someone approach the door from the other side.
When the door opened, he glanced at the figure standing in the doorway for only a second, the first thought coming into his head being that some aristocrat who lived on the property had been using the room; Darrah must have gone to another room. He did a double-take when he realized that the figure in the doorway had been Darrah. She stood as she did on her first day at the estate, wearing her long dress with the short sleeves. She had a jewelled hairband on once more, keeping her hair neatly styled back. Timoteo slowly gazed along her, going from her feet to the top of her head, taking in the colours of her dress, his eyes trailing along the blue swirls that went over her chest. His eyes went a little wide when he noticed the makeup she was wearing, the lipstick, eyeshadow, mascara, and blush on her cheeks making her look more attractive than he’d ever seen her appear, before. His eyes fell on her’s eventually, the mage quickly realizing that his mouth was hanging open a little.
Darrah smiled widely, taking in his appearance as well, her cheeks going a little crimson at how he seemed so shocked. “I had wondered if you’d react that way, when I first came back. After so long, it was a switch for me, too.” She said. Timoteo closed his mouth, his eyes relaxing. There was no denying it, there really wasn’t; Darrah looked beautiful. He started to smile, saying “Just...Wow, Darrah. You’re stunning.” She grinned a little, her cheeks going darker with colour. “You look good, too. The clothes suit you.” She said. He looked down at himself, holding his arms out by his sides, saying “You really think so?” Darrah nodded, stepping out into the hallway, revealing the elderly maid that had been standing with a smile just behind her. The old maid was dressed in a very plain grey ensemble, almost identical to Amanda’s dress. “I like the new look. And it’s not often you style your hair, either. You look great.” She said.
He felt a little embarrassed by her compliment, the feeling made stronger by the fact that she didn’t often genuinely compliment him without quickly tossing out an insult to balance things out. So far, there had been no insult, Timoteo hoping his cheeks weren’t going red in response to her words. He looked back to her eyes, seeing her to be smiling happily. He lowered his arms by his sides, about to say something when the elderly maid spoke up. Gently, she said “I think I’ll see about preparing some lunch for you, Darrah. Your trip must’ve been strenuous. A nice, hot meal will do you and your friend a world of good. I’ll have someone stop by and bring your armour and equipment up to your room, as well.” Darrah nodded, saying “Thank you.” The maid walked off, leaving the two alone. Timoteo noticed that she was wearing perfume, the perfume scented like honey. He smiled a little at the smell, the aroma quite pleasant to experience.
She was still smiling as she looked back over to him, her eyes warm as she said “Come on, I’ll introduce you to my parents, now.” Timoteo nodded, the two beginning to walk down the hall together, walking side by side. She led him up to the fifth floor again, heading to her parents’ lounge, checking to see if she would find either of them there. As luck would have it, she heard their voices on the other side of the door, but she also picked up Natalie’s voice, as well. Darrah groaned lightly, looking over her shoulder to Timoteo, muttering “Natalie’s in there. You’ll find out what I mean about her.” Timoteo smiled a little, raising an eyebrow at her, saying “Let’s get on with it, Darrah.” She nodded, saying “Alright, alright...” She opened the door, pushed it inwards, and stepped through the doorway.
Timoteo walked in just behind her, stepping to her side as they walked in. Natalie had continued speaking for only a second after the door opened, stopping herself as the trio looked over to the doors. Timoteo quickly glanced around the room as he walked in, not turning his head, not letting it be known that he was taking in how the room looked. The floor was completely covered in a giant purple rug, as was normal for the fifth floor of the mansion. There were numerous art pieces on the walls, all of what appeared to be aristocrats. Numerous couches of white fabric sat in a ring around the middle of the room, a large, low table in the middle of the room. The table was made of white wood, a mirrored silver tray positioned over the table’s far right corner, near Darrah’s parents and elder sister. Sitting over the tray was a small white porcelain teapot, a few dainty little cups beside it. The lord, the lady, and their eldest daughter were all wearing the same outfits they had been wearing when Darrah had first arrived at the estate, though their clothes had been freshly washed numerous times since then, of course.
The three of them looked at Darrah for only a second before they all looked at Timoteo curiously. Darrah smiled, saying “Father, mother...Natalie. This is Timoteo, a friend of mine from the Guild.” Timoteo noticed Natalie smile rather viciously for a moment before she caught herself, her expression going fairly blank a split-second later. Natalie acted before her parents could, quickly walking towards Timoteo, speaking enthusiastically as she said “Ohh, Timoteo! Welcome to our home! Any friend of Darrah’s is a friend of mine!” The lord and his wife had puzzled expressions as they watched their oldest daughter, Darrah’s own face going a little surprised. Timoteo, too, was a little surprised, Natalie approaching him with her arms a little outstretched by her sides, a big smile on her face. She gave him a little hug when she reached him, giving him a light peck of a kiss on his right cheek before taking a step back.
Darrah’s face began to go red with annoyance. Natalie smiled happily and blinked rapidly as she spoke, almost fluttering her eyelashes at Timoteo. “Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable? I could show you to a room, perhaps? You will be staying with us for a while, correct?” Before Timoteo could speak, Darrah spoke for him, her expression one of vexation as she said “No Natalie, you can’t do anything for him. He already has a room, I showed him to it.” Natalie looked at Darrah with her pleasant smile intact, warmly saying “That’s for him to decide, Darrah!” Looking back to Timoteo, she held her hands together in front of her stomach, gazing into his eyes as she happily said “Will you join us for dinner tonight, Timoteo? You can have anything you want, I’ll make sure of it personally!” Darrah’s eyes went dark. Timoteo glanced at Darrah before looking back to Natalie, saying “Ehh...I think Darrah has plans for me to be introduced to the lord’s men.”
Before he could continue, Natalie exclaimed “Well, you can’t possibly let her plan every minute of a day for you, can you? She always was so controlling!” Darrah grit her teeth hard, her jaw going tight. The lord and Lady Jasmine glanced at each other through the corners of their eyes, their puzzled expressions only becoming exasperated. Timoteo raised an eyebrow slightly, speaking with an only mildly neutral tone as he said “I’m here to help fight Benedict. It was Darrah’s idea, and if Darrah thinks letting the men see me for their morale is a good idea, then that’s what I’m going to do.” Darrah relaxed a little at the sound of his direct support for her, her eyes calming, her jaw clenching less. The lord’s expression became a little bit impressed. Natalie continued to silently gaze into his eyes for a moment, eventually speaking with a somewhat subdued tone as she said “Very well. When you grow tired of having my little sister’s claws in you, I would be more than happy to make your stay here less stressful. Until then, I wish you the best possible experience in our home.”
Natalie quietly walked past Timoteo, departing from the room, shutting the door behind herself gently. Darrah quickly walked over to Timoteo, a big smile coming on her face. Excitedly, she said “Tim, that was great! I’m surprised you just talked her down like that!” Timoteo looked at her with just a little bit of confusion, smiling faintly as he repeated “Talked her down?” The lord and Jasmine began to walk over, the both of them smiling. Darrah nodded, her tone going annoyed for a moment as she said “Oh, it was obvious, Natalie’s trying to get your attention. She doesn’t want you to spend any time with me, she thinks it’ll bug me. But you didn’t fall for her ruse, you just told her off!” Darrah grinned a little, raising her chin a little, saying “She’s not used to having someone new put her in her place like that. I’ll bet she’s pretty upset, right now.” Jasmine interjected, politely saying “Darrah, won’t you introduce us?” Darrah glanced at them both quickly, saying “Oh, right, yes. Timoteo, this is my father, the lord of this territory.”
The man held out a hand, smiling as he said “I have to say, Timoteo, I’m just as impressed as Darrah. We spotted what Natalie was up to, too. You handled yourself well.” Timoteo smiled, shaking the man’s hand, saying “Thank you, my lord. It’s an honour to be here, I just wish it was under better circumstances, however.” The lord nodded, saying “As do I, but there is still some time left before Benedict’s army is expected to reach my land. We may yet enjoy ourselves, if only a little.” Darrah smiled a little, seeming secretly pleased with something, saying “And this is Lady Jasmine, my mother.” Jasmine gave Timoteo a slow nod in greeting, Timoteo respectfully doing the same in return. “Darrah has told us a bit about you. You’re also a Hero, correct?” Timoteo nodded, saying “A Hero of Will, yes.” “A mage, eh?” The lord said, smiling. “I’m sure your magic will shock Benedict’s men.” He added. Timoteo smiled, saying “If all goes well, then yes, I don’t think they’ll be expecting someone like me.”
Darrah smiled a little bit more, watching Timoteo speak with her parents, listening to him answer the few casual questions they had. Eventually, there was a knock at the door, and the elderly maid that often helped Darrah stepped inside. Everyone looked over. “Yes, Agnes?” Darrah asked. The elderly maid gave a polite nod, saying “The lunch I mentioned has been prepared and sent to your room, and I made sure more was made for your guest, as well. It’s currently in your room, when you’re ready.” Darrah nodded, saying “Thank you, Agnes.” Agnes said nothing more, turning and walking off. The lord and Lady Jasmine smiled, the lord giving Timoteo a nod, saying “Well, we’ll let the two of you go. I’m sure you’re hungry after your trip with Darrah. It was nice meeting you, Timoteo.” Timoteo nodded, saying “Likewise, my lord.” “We hope you’ll join us in the dining hall tonight, Timoteo.” Jasmine said. Darrah spoke before Timoteo could, looping her arm through his and beginning to lead him towards the room’s door, pleasantly saying “Of course he will, but first, we’ll need to make a trip to each of the guards’ dining halls. Now, we really should eat before whatever Agnes had prepared goes cold.”
“You be nice to him, Darrah!” The lord called out. Darrah gave them a wave over her shoulder, stepping outside with Timoteo, shutting the door behind herself. “What do you think of him, dear?” Jasmine said, turning to her husband, smiling softly. The lord smiled, raising his eyebrows, saying “I think he’s a fine young man. Resisting Natalie’s little seduction act shows much about his character.” Jasmine’s expression calmed a little, the woman raising an eyebrow faintly, lowering her chin as she said “You know she’s not going to leave him alone that easily, don’t you?” The lord nodded, looking to Jasmine, saying “Of course not, she’s not going to leave him be until she’s got him kissing her right in front of Darrah. But he resisted her this time, he’s polite, and Darrah seems to like him well enough. Now, the only thing I have to wonder about is how skilled in combat he really is.” Jasmine said “I suppose there’s plenty of time to test that...”
Outside in the hallway, Darrah smiled happily, showing a bit of teeth, raising an eyebrow and looking at Timoteo. They walked together down the hall, going around a corner, Darrah keeping an arm looped with one of his. “Well, I’m glad you made a good first impression on my parents. I think they like you. You’re doing good, so far.” “So far?” Timoteo repeated, looking at her incredulously. Darrah chuckled a little, grinning, saying “You’re going to be here for days, Tim. A lot of things are going to be happening, and like it or not, people will be watching you.” “Oh, excellent.” Timoteo remarked, sarcasm oozing from his words. Darrah warmly said “If you’ve just been yourself so far, keep it up. If you had to fight back the urge to run off with Natalie...Just keep the act going, hm?” Timoteo strongly half-smiled, rolling his eyes, saying “Oh, please. Like I was shaking with a desire to have Natalie get me food, or anything. I think I’m used to getting my food myself, thanks.” Darrah laughed slightly, the two going around another turn in the hallway.
Darrah stopped by a door eventually, finally slipping her arm away from his, opening up the door. “And, here’s my room.” Darrah said, smiling warmly at him from over her shoulder. He smiled a little, saying “Alright, let’s see...” She stepped inside, twirling around after a dozen steps, turning to him. Timoteo walked inside the room, slowly looking around. Darrah had few bookshelves in her room, only two or three off to the right side. Over five dressers stood in a row together, along with numerous tall cabinets, all by the bookshelves. There was an armoire beside the last cabinet, the armoire standing out prominently as it was made of white wood, rather than the dark brown of the rest of the furniture visible. In the far corner near the armoire, there was a rectangular table, a couch on either side of it. A pair of polished silver trays sat over the table on either side, a bowl, plate, and cup sitting over each. A few art pieces were on the walls, almost all of landscapes, one of Darrah’s parents catching Timoteo’s eye for a moment.
Over to the left, there was a large canopy bed, the sheets of the bed pure white. The canopy coming down around the bed’s sides was light pink in colour. Timoteo thought he could see a few stuffed animals resting by the pillows of Darrah’s bed, but he couldn’t be sure what animals the stuffed toys were meant to look like through the canopy. A wooden bedside table was on either side of the bed, each having a small white and blue vase resting over the top, a massive bouquet of flowers sticking out of the top of each. The bouquets practically looked like rainbows, as Timoteo thought he could spot at least a single flower for every colour he knew of in either bouquet. An old art easel sat in the far corner of the room opposite the table and couches, the easel looking oddly lonely without anything sitting over it to be painted upon. The floor was covered in a massive purple rug, just like the rest of the fifth floor. The windows on the far wall side of the wall were stained glass coloured purple, white curtains beside each one, the curtains completely drawn back over each window to expose the room to sunlight.
A door sat in the far wall, leading to Darrah’s balcony. Timoteo smiled, saying “I like it, it’s nice.” Darrah smiled more, Timoteo shutting the door to the room behind himself. She waved him over, beginning to walk towards the table on the other side of the room, saying “C’mon, let’s have lunch. I only ate breakfast, today.” Timoteo began to walk over, saying “Same here. Could use some food.” Darrah walked through beams of sunlight washing in from her windows as she approached the table, Timoteo watching her, marvelling for a moment at how amazingly different she looked. He didn’t think he had ever seen her look better than she did on that day. With her hair swept back and kept in place thanks to her jewelled hairband, her cosmetics, and her dress, he couldn’t help but think that she really did look like some kind of princess. She sat down on one couch, Timoteo sitting down on the one across from her, the both of them looking down to their trays.
The bowls were filled with a red soup of some sort, a thick sandwich resting over their plates, their little cups filled with tea. A metal spoon rested by their bowls, a small amethyst embedded into the handle of either utensil. Small fabric kerchiefs rested by their plates, meant to be used as napkins, Timoteo suspected. Darrah smiled and rubbed her hands together for a moment, saying “Mm, lunch. Not as hearty as the stuff we had at the Guild, but it’ll do.” Timoteo half-smiled a little, leaning forward slightly, putting his left elbow to his left knee. He watched her reach for her spoon, Darrah lifting her bowl up from the tray with her other hand. The left half of her face was brightened with sunlight from a window, Darrah not seeming to notice. She spooned up some soup and quickly brought the spoon to her lips, swallowing the soup down a second later. She noticed him watching her, smiling with amusement as she said “What? Don’t tell me you don’t know how to eat soup, Tim.”
Timoteo smiled more, saying “No, I know how. I just can’t help but think...” He sat up straight, raising his eyebrows a little, holding his arms out to her slightly. “You look so different, now! The change is...Well, it’s amazing. I mean, the makeup, the dress...” Darrah smiled a little more, saying “I looked like this every day when I was a kid.” She swallowed another spoonful of soup as he nodded and put both of his elbows to his knees, saying “Yeah, sure, but I wasn’t around when you were a kid, I’m not used to seeing you like this. It’s...” He sighed slightly through his nose, smiling warmly, saying “...Very, very different.” Darrah kept smiling as she said “Judging by the way you’re not frowning, I take it you like the change?” Timoteo’s mouth hung open a crack for a few seconds before he slowly said “Well...Uh...I like that, um...Well, I like how it...” Darrah grinned a little, saying “Forget it, forget it. Eat your soup before you embarrass yourself.”
Timoteo raised an eyebrow at her, which only made her grin more in response. He started eating his soup, and before long, they had both polished off their bowls. They ate their sandwiches, Timoteo finding his sandwich filled with some sort of meat along with a creamy substance added, the creamy substance making the smoky chicken-like meat taste twice as good with it’s odd, twisting sour-sweet flavour. When they had finished, Darrah smiled at him, saying “Hey, let’s drink our tea on the balcony, okay?” Timoteo nodded, picking up his cup, saying “Sure, why not?” Darrah picked up her cup, standing up and leading him over to the balcony door. Opening the door with her free hand, she walked out on to the stone of the balcony, Timoteo right behind her. She sighed audibly, a pleasant look to her face as she quickly took in a deep breath of fresh air. “Oh, I missed the view...” She murmured, standing near the guardrail of the balcony.
Timoteo stood beside her, scanning out over the picturesque view of Albion’s countryside provided by the high balcony. A large flatland stretched out for quite some distance, a forest towards the right, gentle hills to the left. The bright, sunny sky shone down on the land without a single cloud in the sky to dampen the mood. He smiled slightly, taking a sip from his cup before saying “It’s nice, I have to say...” “Nice? It’s wonderful. I hadn’t fully appreciated it until it was gone, I started to miss it when I went to the Guild.” Darrah responded, taking a sip from her cup. Timoteo raised an eyebrow a little, letting out a deep exhale through his nose, gazing out into the distance. A minute or two passed in comfortable silence. Eventually, Timoteo heard Darrah speak, her voice a little quiet as she said “You know, Tim...I’m glad you came here. For more than agreeing to help with Benedict.” Timoteo looked over to her. She was smiling lightly, her head slightly turned in his direction as she looked into his eyes.
“After...Well, after we parted ways, I started to...” She fell silent, blinking, looking downwards from his eyes. Her smile was still intact as she said “...I started to miss you. A lot. And you told me I’d never lose you, remember?” Timoteo thought back to when Darrah first told him of her childhood, of Jeremy. He nodded, saying “I remember.” Darrah met his eyes again, softly saying “When I left, I had lost you, but it was my fault...My choice. I left, you didn’t leave me. I couldn’t see you when you were with...Her. But, now we’re alone, again.” There was a moment of silence before Timoteo quietly said “...Darrah, we really didn’t mean for you to find us like that. We didn’t even really plan on going that far, right then and there. We just lost track of time, we had lost control of ourselves.” Darrah nodded lightly, her smile fading as she looked out over the horizon again. “I know...You told me. It was hard to accept at the time, but I eventually believed you. Even if Bianca didn’t mean to hurt me with that, she still did. She...Yeah. She hurt me.”
Darrah looked back to him, meeting his eyes as she said “I forgave you pretty quickly...I understand what it’s like, as a guy.” Timoteo raised an eyebrow at her, curiosity in his eyes. Darrah, rather seriously, said “You couldn’t help yourself, you’re just a guy. It’s not hard to seduce a guy. It’s not your fault. It’s her fault.” Timoteo said “Don’t you think that, if it were so easy to seduce a guy, your sister could’ve dragged me away when she started with her flirting?” Darrah looked out over the horizon, taking a sip from her cup of tea, pouting out of her bottom lip as she said “If a girl comes on too strongly, some guys probably resist, thinking she wants something from him other than sex. But Bianca probably flirted a little, showed some skin, and snatched you away after a little bit. Point is, it wasn’t your fault. She’s the one to blame for what happened.” Timoteo’s brow furrowed a little, the young man not replying for a few seconds, his eyes a mixture of annoyance and disbelief. “Darrah, you’re wrong.” He said, firmly.
She looked over to him, her face going surprised. He knew he should’ve reminded her right then and there that they had both agreed not to speak of Bianca, but he felt a need to speak his mind, air his thoughts. Shaking his head lightly for a second, he said “I wanted to be with Bianca just as much as she wanted to be with me. She didn’t show some skin and reduce me to a simpleton in the face of overwhelming lust. I can control who I want, Darrah, and I wanted her. I’m just as much at fault for what happened as she is, so you either hate both of us, or you forgive her like you forgave me. She didn’t want to hurt you, Darrah. She tried saying sorry, and you punched her in the face.” Darrah blinked, her brow deepening just a touch as she looked back out over the horizon. He stared at her, the both of them quiet for a few seconds before her eyes went downwards, her face relaxing. She let out a barely noticeable sigh through her nose. “...Okay. Maybe she didn’t want to hurt me. But she did, anyway.”
“And I hurt you, too. I’m sorry for that. I didn’t mean it. It’s exactly the same with her, she didn’t mean it, and she tried apologizing.” Darrah’s eyebrows slowly stabbed downwards. “It was easy to hate her. I still do. But...I guess I forgive her.” She mumbled. Timoteo shook his head lightly, looking out over the horizon, saying “We weren’t even supposed to talk about her...” Darrah’s expression relaxed again, and she slowly looked over at him from the corners of her eyes. “...I’m sorry.” She lightly said. He didn’t look at her. “It’s fine.” He said, without much genuine forgiveness in his tone. A few seconds passed in silence. Darrah tried speaking, saying “Look, Tim, I-” He cut her off, looking at her with anger growing on his face. “No, stop it, Darrah. I’m getting tired of how much you despise Bianca, when all she’s wanted to do was be your friend.” Darrah’s expression went a little meek, a little subdued.
He spoke with rising fire as he said “Ever since the two of you met again after her exile, you’ve seemed to find some reason to hate her, and all she’s tried to do is be nice to you. It’s like you wanted to try bullying her like you bullied me for years, at the Guild. If it wasn’t her curves, it was her morality; if it wasn’t her morality, it was her magehood. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another, there was always something you wanted to harass her over, and I was caught in the middle!” Darrah took a small step back from him, blinking twice. Timoteo’s face was nearly furious as he loudly said “She was nice to me, Darrah! She treated me with respect, she treated me with affection, and she never thought she could try bullying me!” “I-!” “No, enough! So what if we were fooling around? I...” Timoteo let out a quick sigh through his nose, looking off to the side, stopping himself from continuing any further with his anger. Darrah quietly looked downwards, avoiding looking into his face.
A few seconds passed, those seconds feeling like an eternity to them both. Eventually, Timoteo looked back to her. His voice was low again, under control, full of cold anger instead of flaming emotion. “Look, I don’t want to talk about Bianca again for as long as I’m here. I’m sick of hearing about whatever issues you have with her. I’m here to help you and your family with Benedict, not get into fights over my personal relationships.” Darrah didn’t respond or react to his words. He stared at her face for a moment more before muttering “I’ll be in my room. When dinner rolls around, you can introduce me to your father’s men. Then I want to be left alone.” He started to walk away, marching off through Darrah’s room, still holding his cup of tea in his right hand. Black streaks slowly ran down Darrah’s cheeks as he walked off, her bottom lip trembling as she dropped her cup, letting it smash against the stone of the balcony. As Timoteo walked out into the hallway beyond Darrah’s room, he felt an immense sense of satisfaction over having told Darrah how he felt, but tied with that was a feeling of extreme self-loathing.
He knew he must’ve hurt her horribly with his words; part of him felt like she had had it coming, like she deserved even worse, yet the rest of him felt like he shouldn’t have hurt her, that he should turn around and return to her to apologize. He headed for his room, deciding on not returning to her, simply leaving her be until she would come for him at dinnertime...
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Fable : Fall of the Guild