Grey holds Ari and watches her sleep even as the light fades and shadows lengthen and still she doesn't stir. The longer she sleeps like this the more Grey is convinced that time might have run out on them and he can't help the tears.
"Grey you're holding me too tight, I can't breathe." Ari says or rather mumbles. She still isn't fully awake but is more responsive than she had been earlier.
Grey immediately lessens his hold on her, but growls in annoyance as there comes a knock on the door.
Grey lets go of his wife and answers the door ready to let loose his anger on whoever the unlucky person was.
And he swallows his words before they are said. "Anna, Taren and Jeshua and Jaylen. All four. Here. Why?" he keeps his words short because he's holding tight to his temper and he's afraid that if he loosens control again that he'll lambaste the four in front of him. And from their expressions they are afraid of that as well, except Jaylen.
"We've come to see Ari. Now let us in you ungrateful dolt." Jaylen says peremptorily. Automatically Grey moves back and allows them entrance.
"I do so love the smell of roses, very nice Grey, now go get your wife." Once more Jaylen takes charge.
"Now I see why Lady Krista was afraid Lady Jaylen would take over the castle." Taren whispers to Jeshua. And in return receives nasty looks from Anna and Jaylen herself.
Not even Grey dares to ignore Jaylen's order. "Ari, Ari sweetheart wake up." Grey says as he gently tries to wake her up.
"Never mind that Grey just bring her over here." Jaylen is irritable at how long Grey is taking. She doesn't like being away from the library/lab right now, but this is important as well.
Grey gathers Ari up and takes her to the table where the others wait. Jaylen delves into Ari to see if there is anything more than anticipated in Ari's weariness. She nods to herself, it's just as she thought, just the weakness due to the pull.
"Hold her Grey. This is a potion that will give her more energy for a short time. Say maybe twenty-four hours." She looks compassionately at her favorite nephew. "It's all I can do Grey. It will give her nearly normal energy for that short time, but after that...she's close to her death Grey, you must prepare for that." And she turns to Jeshua.
"It isn't common knowledge that she's dying. We don't want it known either. You were only allowed in because these three all trust you. And when she dies, her maid, Alexis? Right, Alexis, she will need you. I owe Alexis for helping me escape that monster. So when Lady Ariele dies, as soon as your duties allow you take care of Alexis, you hear?"
"Yes, ma'am." Jeshua doesn't say anything. Jaylen is far more scary than Ariele is, but he isn't afraid of her. Knowing that Ariele has so little time left saddens him and will do more than that for Alexis.
Grey holds Ari upright in a sitting position. Jaylen coaxes her to take the potion. She forces Ari to swallow even though this is worse than the restorative Anna had given her before. Once the potion had been swallowed Jaylen steps back.
"It should start to work shortly. Jeshua will send Alexis in with food. After that you'll be left alone."
"Jeshua stays." Grey says. He doesn't want to have to worry about protecting Ari if all he has are a few hours with her.
"They won't even know I'm here." Jeshua swears and he means to put up a shield as soon as the two finish dinner. He has no desire to hear anything that goes on between the two of them. Besides he found a little box, a plain box, in the market place that he's carving as a gift for Alexis.
"Very well. I'm sorry Grey, but I can't give her more time. I can't give you both more time." Jaylen says sadly.
"You're giving me, us this time together and it's more than I had hoped for. Thank you." Grey says with tears in his eyes.
"Anna," Ari says opening her eyes. Anna looks at her. "When I die, take care of Alexis, give her my dresses so she can sell them and have some money of her own. Find her a good mistress."
"I'll find her the best. And I'll make sure she gets the dresses." Anna says fighting the tears.
"Thank you all. Grey let me down, I need to talk to Taren privately." Grey isn't happy about that but lets her down. Ari is careful to keep the blanket over her for Grey's sake, her lack of clothes doesn't bother her in the least.
She takes Taren aside and sets up a shield at least as strong as Grey's. "I think I know what you're going to say tomorrow."
"I don't want to say those things. I won't mean any of it." Taren says agitatedly.
"Shh, I know Taren and deep down Grey will know as well. He'll forgive you."
Taren just shakes his head, "No, he won't. He'll die hating himself and hating me for it all. But he'll not have time to forgive me." Ari gives him a hug before returning to Grey's side.
The others leave except for Jeshua. "What was that all about?" Grey demands once the door shuts.
"I was making an assignation with him." Ari says just to see his reaction. When she sees the anger she says. "You really need to calm down Grey. You really don't trust me or Taren do you?"
At that Grey calms down super fast. He trusts Taren with his life and he knows that Taren doesn't have any desire for his wife. As for Ari she wouldn't do that to him period. "I'm sorry Ari. I do trust you both. It's just when it comes to you I get very protective. You've been hurt so much."
"Stop right there Grey. You want to talk about being hurt, why don't you tell me how you got those scars you sport on your back. Don't tell me it's from fighting. I know whip scars when I see them." She sports a few of those on her body as well.
Jeshua listens closely. As the son of the Lord Captain Commander he shouldn't have received any whipping scars unless there was an infraction. And Grey didn't do infractions.
Grey speaks reluctantly. "This doesn't go beyond this room. Those responsible are mostly dead and those that are still alive have already been punished. I got those scars from just before being raised to an officer. I stopped the whipping of some newbies that hadn't gotten mentors yet. Sons of servants so they had no protection.
"I didn't have the rank to stop the whipping that way so I stepped in front of the boys and took their punishment. As soon as they saw who they whipped they dropped the whips and took off. It didn't help them of course. When my father saw the whip marks he had them lashed twice as much.
"The lashes were so deep that had it hit the boys as they were would have severely harmed them. As you can see, they left scars on me and I was protected.
"Shortly after I was promoted and took on Taren to protect him. Sadly the other boy wasn't so lucky in his mentor. He died a few months later." Grey says lightly touching the scar that wound from his back to his front.
"So that's why you've never doubted Lord Taren's loyalty." Jeshua spouts off without thinking.
"I wouldn't have doubted his loyalty anyway. He's a good man." Grey says not saying anything else.
"And he's devoted to you." Ari says smiling. She knew that Grey was a good man and he has his own battle scars proving it.
And inside she cries for the betrayal he'll feel tomorrow.
She leads him behind the screen and this time Grey places the shield so Jeshua wouldn't have to.
Jeshua does however sit himself with his back squarely to the screen so he doesn't see anything that might embarrass the couple, or him for that matter.
Instead he takes out the little box and starts carving it with his dagger. Using such a long blade makes it tricky but it's all he has right now. If he can get a lot of work done it will be ready before Lady Ariele dies. He wants to give this to Alexis before she's upset. She had told him yesterday how much she loves working for Lady Ariele.
He concentrates so much on the carving that he doesn't notice when it gets darker. But he does notice when the lights start hovering over him making it easier to see.
"You should have more light. You could hurt yourself if you don't take care," Ariele says.
Jeshua looks up, Ariele is standing there with Grey holding her close."Thanks. It's a gift for Alexis."
"You do beautiful work. I'm sure that she'll love it. Did you make the box as well?" Ariele asks looking over the carving covered box.
Jeshua looks back to the box and shakes his head. "No, I found it at the market last week. I thought it might make a nice trinket box for someone. But since Alexis got here, I think it will be perfect for her."
"Market? I've never been to a market before." Ariele says going away from the table and back to the sleeping area. She makes her way to the window and looks out at the night.
"Never?" Grey is astounded to hear that. "Didn't your people have a market?"
"I'm not sure that it would be considered the same as what you have here, but we did have one. I just never went to it. When I was younger father wouldn't allow it, saying it was too dangerous for me. When I got older I knew it was too dangerous for me.
"The castle was bad enough, but at least I knew where hiding spaces were and which people were less likely to...anyway I didn't know any of that about the marketplace." Ari says softly.
"Then we'll go together tomorrow. I had been wondering what to do with the day. For the first time in years I'm free of all duties." Grey says smiling for his wife. But something was nagging at him telling him there was something wrong. He brushes it off as just knowing that they have so little time together.
Grey is rewarded with a big smile and kiss from his wife. "Thank you Grey!" She gets a devilish look in her eyes. "Now what did you have in mind earlier today when I was bathing and you wouldn't let me touch you to find out?" That of course brings to mind exactly what he'd been thinking and Ari is all for trying it out.
Jeshua sends a wave in the shield. It being the polite way of asking for permission to enter while the shield is up. Grey lets the barrier down and Jeshua pokes his head behind the screen. "Dinner is here. Did you want to eat now or later?" He's definitely glad he hadn't come in beforehand.
"We'll eat now," Ari says contentedly. "Just keep it warm will you?"
Jeshua nods and all but runs from that part of the room. Grey had barely looked at him but it was enough.
Grey gets up and stretches. He feels more relaxed than he has in years. "I'll go get us both some clothes." And wraps himself in the sheet from the bed.
Ari nods and gets up stretching. She can't even find the clothes she was wearing earlier. Smiling she now understands why Grey needed to get some for her. She works on her tangled hair as she waits.
Grey comes back in smiling. "You know, I don't like other people looking at my beautiful wife's body. Putting on a show for the poor servants is likely to cause them to have heart issues." Grey says as he tosses her clothes. He's not upset because the servants were so embarrassed that they most pointedly didn't look. It was rather comical how they tried to avoid looking.
"Your reputation is shot sir. Now everybody will know that you've slept with me." Ari says almost purring like a cat that finally caught the elusive mouse.
"And yours is made." Grey says coming over and giving her a big kiss. Then stepping back and doing up the dress back for her.
Ari smiles as she turns in his arms to put hers behind his head. "That was 'fun' doesn't describe it. How about delicious? Much better. Have any more delicious ideas husband?"
Ari's eyes widen at all the ideas that run through Grey's head. "Oh, my well I guess I didn't need much sleep anyway." And she steps away before Grey can start any of them. "I'm hungry let's eat."