Armor

Dust

"Now we wait."

****

The man followed the butler while studying the fine interior of the house.

Baldwin sat listening to complaints but not really paying attention. The men complained of the poor soil and tax rates and the women complained of domestic abuse. He suddenly sat forward when an idea sparked into his mind. He took out a blank piece of parchment and spoke, "King William sent me a decree. The Jarians are being very difficult and have threatened more attacks.", He pretended to read "I hereby deem a raise in taxes and additional donations to the throne. There will be more banishment for suspected refugees and women are not allowed to dine at tables with men for it makes our nation appear docile." Baldwin smiled at the outraged gasps and outcries.

Henry stood next to Hazel shocked at the decree. He knew it was so much unlike their king to demand such things of the people, and knew if William even considered such things, Isabella would talk him out of it. He figured something was amiss and looked at Baldwin suspiciously but averted his gaze when Baldwin glanced over to him. He watched as the butler entered the throne room and whispered to Baldwin.

Baldwin mumbled something incoherently and excused himself from the angry cottagers. He motioned to his brothers and hurriedly ushered the people out of the castle. King William please return soon and explain yourself. Henry mentally plead dodging the claws of an angry woman. Lord have mercy.

Baldwin followed the butler to William's study. As soon as he entered he recognized the silhouette of the scarred man scanning the books in the shelf. He spoke anxiously, "Is it done?" The man just nodded and held out his hand. He just nodded not outwardly showing his glee and handed the man the rest of what he promised. He thought of ways to announce the news to an already angry nation, maybe he could work animosity toward Jarians into his speech. He would not tell the nation just yet, he really wanted the anger to set in for a while so they would not grieve much. Yes the dust is settling very well.

******

Unbeknownst to everyone, it was not the stab wound that kept Isabella unconscious, for that was merely a deep flesh wound. It was the shock of being stabbed, the shock of killing and the blood loss. She was out for a week and a half because she fell into a horrible fever. William sat clutching her hand through the hallucinations. James worked diligently to keep her forehead covered in moist cloths. He felt a need to help the woman too, not only because of her strong spirit his mother spoke of but her ethereal beauty. Even in her unconscious state he thought she was very beautiful.

When William wasn't clutching Isabella's hand for dear life he was bickering with Charles, and Aiden in that week, much to his chagrin eventually realized that they both enjoyed the interactions. After fifteen years of not speaking they spoke as often as possible, mostly arguing though. In one heated clash Aiden made the mistake of lashing out at William for disrespecting Charles, but Charles quickly dismissed him out of the chamber and he had to formally apologize for his disrespect. Aiden sighed at the kings' behavior. They were behaving like lads. Between them and Myra, Aiden thought surely he'd lose his mind.

The only peace he seemed to get was when he visited Isabella. He had only visited her earlier that week and he suddenly wanted to see her again. The elderly lady kept everyone but William and James, he scoffed at the man's name, away from her while she had fever. Muttered something about a woman not wanting to be seen in such a way. Something told him Isabella could care less about how she looked in front of men, telling from the way she carelessly wore her snug fit armor instead of grand dresses. He decided not to think too much as to why he felt the need to see her.

He stepped inside of her room and saw James staring down at Isabella with a strange expression on his face. Aiden cleared his throat and made his presence known to the young physician. "How is she?" He inquired.

"She is doing better, the fever is finally gone thank the Lord. Only a matter of time before she wakes, if she awakens." James excused himself from the chamber to go gather more ointment for her healing wound. Aiden looked and saw her face scrunched up into a scowl. "Baldwin I swear.... " She muttered. Who's Baldwin? He wondered.

****

Pain. Pain everywhere. Isabella groaned and relaxed when she felt something cool on her skin. She could have sworn she felt hand caress her sweaty cheek but she played it off to her imagination. She fought off the fog clouding her brain and opened her eyes. Her eyes met concerned hazel eyes. She knew they looked familiar but she couldn't quite place them.

Aiden berating himself did not notice a pair of curious brown eyes on him. When he did he just stared in shock and racked his brain for something to say.

The man looked ready to speak just she noticed another young man rush into the room carrying a foreign mixture. She tried to speak but it came out more of a croak. She smiled gratefully when the young man gave her a cup of water and helped her sip it. She tried to sit up but ended up crying out as a sharp pain pierced her back.

It all came flooding back. The fight. The tall man. Her father. She shot up, groaned and looked around for her father. "Daddy." She croaked before passing back out again.

A/n
This chapter i dedicate to @whitetigeris. Thank you for your comments, they make me happy.

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