The Things We Do

Chapter V: Tage

     Ever since they had attempted to kill his parents, Tage had been sent to guard Soren and Scheven, who had now been stripped of their titles. He often got bored with his task but kept it up nevertheless. Chloe had recently offered to stay with him on his shifts, and despite better judgment he allowed her to come. They now sat outside the jail door, the only way in or out, on stools they had brought from home. She sat knitting herself a shawl while humming. "Why are you knitting that? Winter's over." Tage asked his wife as he appreciated the oncoming spring. "I want to be prepared next year. I had to knit some pretty fast and they weren't my best work." she answered, not looking up from her work. "That makes sense." Tage said before initiating a long period of silence.
     He tried to think of things to talk about, then remembered he needed to be focused on the surroundings. However, he kept on trying to think of things to say to entertain his wife since he knew she didn't really want to be there. "I'm distracting you, aren't I?" she finally asked, actually looking up from her knitting. "No no, you aren't, I just feel like you're getting bored." he said, looking over to her. "I'm not, but I am distracting you. I should go." Chloe stood up, her long hair falling over her face as she bent over to pick up her yarn basket. "Stay if you want, you aren't distracting me." she was starting to get annoyed, so Tage decided to let her be. They said goodbye and she only just started to walk away with her stool when Tage heard her scream.
     Not thinking about the prisoners, Tage ran towards the screams of his wife. When he found her, he saw her lying on the ground with her blood spilled everywhere. He rolled her over to see she had been stabbed in the stomach multiple times by her own knitting needles. He saw no others around, so he scooped her up and ran to the hospital. She was somewhat conscious, enough to where she moved her hand to hold his.
     They arrived at the hospital as Charlotte was about to leave her shift. She screamed in horror at the sight of her daughter in this condition, and immediately rushed the two into a room. The doctors bandaged up their co-worker and left her alone with her husband and mother. She was asleep, still holding Tage's hand, as he spoke to his mother-in-law. "Thank you for getting here so quickly. We've lost her brother, I can't lose her too." Charlotte said as she grabbed Chloe's other hand. "Perdido was a good man." Tage responded. "We thought it was hilarious we fell for the other's sister. Most brothers don't want their sisters to date their friends, but he was different. It helped me accept him and Aurora." They looked up at each other as Tage continued. "You raised them right." Charlotte smiled as she spoke. "And I'm sure you'll raise your kids right too." Tage smiled at his mother in laws words, though he didn't feel ready to raise a child.
     Charlotte fell asleep in her chair, leaving Tage alone with his thoughts. He realized that no one was watching the prison, but he hoped Soren and Scheven wouldn't try to escape and still think he was there. Soren was of similar size and strength to Tage, and now that he was an outlaw Tage feared that he would soon have to battle him. Tage often looked to Chloe, who was far more rational and level-headed than he, for advice and encouragement, but it seemed that now the tables would be turned.
     Soon Chloe woke up. Her bleeding had stopped a long while ago, and it was looking like she was to live. She urged Tage to go back and stand guard, but he insisted that he stay. "They could break free." she urged. "I'm not leaving you. We'll catch them if they do, but that's for later. I'm worried about you." he insisted back. "I'll be fine. I've got my mother. They don't have anyone else to watch them. Go! I want you to." she stared into his soul as she spoke. "Oh you don't want me around now?" he said in a joking manner. She giggled a bit before speaking again. "Yes, I don't want my husband by my side as I go through this. No, I just don't want to be the reason they get out and... succeed in their plans." she continued, looking up to him from the relaxed position in the bed. "You really want me to go?" he asked again. She nodded, and after making sure a few more times he kissed her and left.
     Once he got back there didn't seem to be anything different, but he decided to go in to make sure. The jail hadn't been used since Luna and Soleil were first locked down there, so all the cells were a bit worn down. They had placed Scheven and Soren in the cells furthest down the hall so that guards may hear them escaping in advance, and there seemed to be no trace of them leaving. He finally got to the end of the hall, where finally something was displaced. The cell doors lie on the ground, broken off their hinges, and Scheven and Soren were nowhere to be seen.