The Lady Knight

Chapter XLV: Confessions and Conclusions

The Lady Knight

"Are you all right, poppet?" Kat asked cautiously, as she and Lisa gazed at me in concern.

Their eyes tried to discern my thoughts, but I hid them well. They had informed me mere moments ago of all that had happened while I was unconscious, and to say the least, my mind was reeling hard and fast.

Indeed, too much had happened over the span of a fortnight. A fortnight. I could not believe I had slept through everything.

"Aye," I assured them, "I am simply...overwhelmed. Are you both not supposed to be at the Ballroom at the moment?" I glanced at my timepiece, which read ten minutes to seven.

"Truth be told, yes," Lisa squirmed, "but we wanted to ensure..."

"By God, then what are you doing here still?" I was surprised, "your mothers will be furious! Go at once. I will see you at the Ballroom later. I will be fine." I smiled at them genuinely, as the maid helped me to dress.

"Are you certain, poppet? You will come?" Kat wanted to know.

"I have to," I sighed, "and I will come."

"Good," Lisa and Kat exchanged relieved glances, "we will see you there!" With that, they waved at me and hurried out of my chambers, their heeled footwear making quite a ruckus against the marble floor.

"There ya go, my Lady," the maid tied the last of the strings on my gown just then, tightening the corset back until I could hardly breathe, until it pressed so hard on the linen tied around my injured abdomen that it hurt.

I had initially wanted to don my Army uniform as usual, but my linen-bound legs could not fit through my pair of breeches. Hence, I had to sadly abandon it for one of Charlie's gowns that she had sent to my chambers, almost as if she knew I would be coming to the Ball today.

I glanced at myself in the looking glass in front of me, still seated on my bed. I was wearing a simple blood red gown made of plain, smooth satin that fell into many gentle folds from my waist, hugging my already painfully thin figure even tighter.

It had sleeves, and yet, my marred arms were now plain for all to see. My forehead was also wrapped with linen, and the still blue-black bruises on my cheeks stood out against my pale skin like a sore thumb.

All in all, I was not at my best today. Even the maid had given up on my unruly mass of curls, allowing it stay unbound over my shoulders instead of braiding it as she always did.

"Thank you, Beatrice," I thanked her sincerely, "and I am sorry if I gave you too much trouble." I knew what a pain it must have been for her to force me into this gown when I could not even stand up on my own.

She grew red and flustered. "Oh, it was no trouble at all, my Lady," she assured me, bobbing a curtsey, "with your permission, may I send for the Lord Maximillian?"

I nodded. Placing my hands on my lap, I stared out into the darkness through the window, feeling very faint. I knew I had to give a speech on the dais, as a Potential Quest Advisor, in a mere ten minutes - and I had a vague idea of what I was going to say - but how was I going to speak? Unfamiliar crowds made me acutely uncomfortable. Besides, I had barely prepared anything for this day, and before I knew it, it was staring in my face.

All I knew was that I had to go.

I fiddled with my fingers, hearing the needle on my timepiece ticking on steadily, endlessly, very much out of rhythm with my own heartbeat.

I tried to think of a structure for my upcoming speech, and how I was going to deliver it, imagining the ballroom and its stage I would be ascending in a few minutes.