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She pauses outside Zara's door and brushes down her skirts. She also releases her hair from its binds and it falls around her shoulders in a snowy veil. Her hair is a white blonde that mirrors the light it catches. She knocks softly and waits for a reply.
"Come in." she hears the muted sad reply and she tugs at her cheek with her teeth. She opens the door and steps in, her mouth already open preparing to say something. She freezes. Zara looks up from her bed, fresh tears still streaming down her face. That she can handle; she expected her friend to be miserable when she returned. Jasiel was much loved by his people and much loved by his family. His loss would be a hard one to get over and Zara has always been sensitive.
No, that is not what makes her freeze. The presence of another sat beside Zara on the bed is what makes her freeze. But of course she would be here. A situation like this gives her the chance to be closer to this family, closer to Zara, it gives her an opportunity to manipulate. Ebony raises a thin black eyebrow in her direction, a smirk close to the surface. Dawn feels heat rising to her cheeks and that unlocks her feet from the ground. She crosses the room to Zara who stands and falls into Dawn's open arms. Dawn hugs her friend close and raises her eyebrows at Ebony who scowls. It only lasts moments, though, as Zara pulls away and looks at her friend.
"Have you heard the news?" Her voice breaks and Dawn takes her hand and squeezes it in sympathy.
"Everyone will know by the end of the day. I am deeply sorry for your loss." Zara squeezes her hand back and hugs her again.
She whispers into her ear so Ebony is not able to hear, "And I am deeply sorry for yours." They pull away and both their eyes are filled with tears. Dawn blinks them away quickly, unwilling to reveal weakness around Ebony. Ebony stretches her arms above her head and stands. Dawn regards her warily but Zara gives her a weak smile.
"My brother would love to see you, Zara. Please promise me that you will see him." Ebony says in that sweet manipulative voice of hers. Dawn supresses the urge to shudder. "He has missed you so much." Again she supresses the urge to gag. From what she saw while Zara had been gone for months, he had shown little interest in where she could be. However she stays silent. She is just Zara's friend and her word would be overthrown by Ebony's.
"Not today. Maybe tomorrow." Zara replies tiredly. Ebony's eyes narrow a fraction but she produces a sympathetic smile. She touches Zara's hand and nods, her honey eyes kind. Dawn turns her face away so that she can sigh.
"I will let him know. Take all the time you need, I know that my brother's love for you will help him understand." Ebony pats Zara's hand before moving away. "Sleep well Zara." She looks pointedly at Dawn who stands her ground.
"Thank you, you too." Zara reaches out and takes Dawn's hand in her own. "Stay with me for a little while?"
"Of course, I would do nothing else." Ebony frowns when Zara turns her back to her and gets back on the bed, her head hitting the pillow. Dawn lifts her chin and places a bright smile there.
"Goodbye Ebony." Soon after the words are spoken she has gone and the door thuds shut behind her. Dawn climbs onto the bed and lies down beside Zara.
They clutch onto each other's hands, unwilling to break the silence that has fallen with clumsy words or apologies. They have been close friends since they were children. So when Dawn shakes her head slightly and closes her eyes, Zara knows words do not yet need to be spoken. She closes her eyes also and it takes a little while but she does fall asleep. When the soft rhythmic breathing falls upon Dawn's ears, she opens her eyes. Carefully she removes her hand from Zara's and sits up.
She still has not cried properly yet. Even when she heard the news a tear did not come to the surface. The closest she has come yet is when her dear friend, suffering herself, pitied her. She wants to cry. She needs to cry. But she cannot. There is a horrible black hole consuming her stomach and her heart but tears do not come. She has every reason to cry. She grew up with Jasiel; they played hide and seek throughout the grounds, they climbed trees together, they shared their first kiss together.
That kiss she thinks and shakes her head. That kiss was the start of everything for her, but the end of it for him. That kiss was the start of her falling hopelessly in love with him, an unrequited love that has haunted her. That kiss made him realise he only viewed her as a younger sister and he told her as such. That did not stop her even though she desperately tried not to.
Maybe if she sees him, maybe then she will cry. Checking that Zara has certainly fallen into a deep sleep, she rises slowly and leaves the room. She passes many servants who have changed into black clothes in grief for losing their master. She lowers her head, avoiding each of their gazes. She scurries down the stairs and opens the main doors. A warm breeze floats in and she steps outside. The birds sing happily in the surrounding trees and she smiles. Shaking herself out of the peaceful moment she runs to the healer's home where they no doubt will have taken Jasiel's body.
She knocks on the door and the healer opens the door. He is a giant of man with ginger hair and a thick beard. "Dawn, are you sure this is what you wish to do?" He asks gently, placing a large palm on her shoulder. She hesitates then nods. He steps back so that she can enter. Their eyes drift to the table at the end of the room. A white cloth covers a body. She takes in a large breath and crosses the room. Henry watches her with pity knowing how much she cared for the man now lying dead.
He follows her across and takes hold of the white cloth. His gaze goes to hers and she nods. He pulls it back so that she can see Jasiel's face and bare shoulders. She takes in a sharp intake of breath, audible to Henry. He grimaces. With shaking hands she touches his face. It is cold to the touch. She withdraws her hand. He looks peaceful, his eyelashes brushing his pale cheeks, hiding those warm eyes that always looked at her with affection and intelligence. His brown hair sweeping across his forehead that he refused to cut until she went riding with him. Despite not wanting her gaze to fall there, it goes to his right shoulder. The blood has been washed away and now only the stab mark remains sewed up neatly.
Her fingers hover over it but never touch it. "Would it have been a quick death?"
"Yes, it would have. Whoever killed him had enough courtesy to do it quickly. The blade was tainted with poison." Dawn frowns and looks to him. "I thought you would want to know."
"I do. Thank you for letting me see him and..."
"Do not tell the family you were here. It will be our secret." She nods and steps back. He once again covers Jasiel's face with the white cloth.
She turns and goes, breaking into a run until she reaches the manor. Once inside she slows down so not to draw attention to herself and return to Zara's room. Inside Zara is still asleep and Dawn is able to climb back onto the bed and wait for her to wake up.
Zara does not wake until the early hours of the morning. Her eyes blearily open and she watches Dawn who sits and reads. "Have you slept?" she whispers. Dawn places the book on the side table and shakes her head, wincing slightly. "Why not?"
"I have been thinking." Dawn chews on her cheek, pondering her next words. "Did you find what you were looking for when you left?" Zara sits up and presses her back against the bed's headboard. She looks down at her hands, a look of shame overwhelming her face. "Zara, you did not want this life. You did not want to marry Ebony's brother. You did not want your parents to control the rest of your life."
"Stop... I know. Trust me, I know. Somehow I am right back here no better off." She brushes her long dark red locks back behind her ears and sighs deeply.
Dawn looks down as she says her next words, "Then why did you come back? Was it something to do with the man who is locked up in the dungeons?"
Zara stills and looks up and across at Dawn. "I came home because I thought my life would be better with that man by my side. I could not have been more wrong. I cannot believe that I brought that monster home with me." Tears fill her eyes once again.
"So you believe without a doubt that he killed Jasiel?" Dawn asks, hating herself for asking her grieving friend such a question.
"Who else could have done so? There was only me, Gavriel, Gethin and him. He had his blood all over his clothes. I did not want to believe it but he did not try to tell me he did not do it and I know he is strong enough to do it. I just do not understand why." Zara rubs her own arms where a multitude of goose bumps have arisen. "Do not ask me anymore Dawn. I think you should go."
Dawn slips off of the bed and curtseys quickly. "Sleep well, Zara." She runs from the room before anymore can be said and leans against a wall down the corridor. She lets her head fall back and closes her eyes. Tiredness overcomes her and she drifts off.
The sun rises in the sky while she sleeps. Some clears their throat and she jumps, smacking her head in the process. She lifts her hand and feels the back of her head and winces when she touches the already growing bump. He clears his throat again and her pale blue eyes spring to him. Hurriedly she curtseys, placing an insincere smile on her lips. He watches her with eyes so familiar, yet so cold. "Dawn." His voice is considerably warmer. He glances at the wall and frowns. "Were you asleep?"
Colour rises to her pale cheeks and she nervously laughs. "I dozed off." She meets his grey eyes. "I have to go, there is work to be done." She goes to brush past him but he grabs her arms, securing her in place. Her shoulders tighten and she takes in a slow controlled breath. "What do you want Gavriel?"
"Just wanted to offer my shoulder if you need to grieve." She tips her head up and her blue eyes fasten onto his grey ones. She lets a smile grow and his face softens.
Her smile disappears. "Should you not be with your family grieving? You look remarkably well to me, very strange." He releases her. "Not that I would want to accuse you of anything, I am sure you are weeping within." She ducks past him and darts down the corridor. When she reaches the stairs, she looks back and sees him watching her, his forehead folded in thought. Her heart thuds within her chest, feeling like it may just burst through. She curtseys mockingly before running down the stairs, skipping two at a time.