Escaping the City
With no way to track time in the basement room, Emilien couldn't exactly be sure if three days had passed or not. However, he didn't need to track them to know that enough hours had passed for him to become concerned about whether Addie was coming back or not.
If she was captured, he couldn't possibly leave her. However, Lea was in no condition to try to help rescue her if it were possible. Her fever was going down, but it had by no means broken, and she was still weak and in considerable pained.
More worryingly, Emilien noticed that she was obviously uncomfortable being around him. He couldn't fault her that reaction, considering he had stripped her nude before even greeting her, and he felt awful for making her uneasy. Yet, no matter how nicely he tried to treat her afterward, she never seemed to be able to look him in the face again.
He supposed that it was just something that he would have to live with. She insisted that she didn't begrudge him for what he had done, and was even thankful for his actions. That reassurance was hard to believe when she was curled tight into a ball, pressed in the far corner when she said it.
He only felt worse about his actions in light of her reaction to them, but he couldn't even give her space to come to terms with it. She still needed his help for almost everything. She wasn't even able to walk to the waste closet by herself. Every time she had to ask him for help getting there, her face burned brighter red and nothing he could say would make it easier. It was an embarrassing thing and he couldn't deny that, even as he assured her that he didn't mind helping.
He wished that Addie would hurry up and join them. He was sure that Lea would feel better with her sister paladin as a buffer between them. But, as the uncountable minutes ticked by, Addie remained absent.
All together, he was in a tough spot. He couldn't take care of Lea, help her escape, and also mount a rescue mission for Addie - if necessary - all at the same time. He would have to choose and, at this moment, it seemed his responsibility to Lea was greater. No matter how much Addie meant to him, he knew she wouldn't forgive him for undoing all of her work and potential sacrifice by not taking the opportunity she had given him to escape with Lea.
To his great relief, however, it was a choice that was taken from him an unknown amount of time - that could have been a week for all he knew - later.
The sound of movement from the small antechamber brought Emilien quickly to his feet, fists raised, ready to fight. He had been across the room from Lea, giving her as much room as possible, sitting in uncomfortable silence. At the first sound, however, he was up, putting himself between her and the door. He knew to expect Addie, but he was still cautious, his jaw tight as he prepared to fight.
The latch on the door jiggled-
-then the door burst open!
"Honey, I'm home!" Addie announced when she strutted into the room.
She no longer resembled a male priest but, instead, was a dark haired young woman that could have been Emilien's sister. She was wearing a plain dress he didn't recognize and had a large, heavy bag tossed over one shoulder, resting against her hip. He was only able to identify her by the sound of her voice which was identical to Felicie – Addie's twin sister.
"You're all right!" Emilien beamed, dropping his fists.
"Did you doubt it?" Addie flipped her hair back before focusing on Lea who was slowly getting to her feet, holding onto the wall to steady her shaky legs. Addie's playful expression faded into a small smile of relief as she rushed forward. "Lea!"
"Addie..." Lea smiled, accepting her embrace. "I was getting worried."
"You were getting worried?" Addie laughed, stepping back but keeping an arm around her waist to help keep her upright. "You weren't even conscious when I found you. You're feeling better now though, right?"
Lea nodded; her smile tired but genuine. "I am. Thank you for saving me. Saving us."
"As if I would do anything else. Oh! Here."
Seeing the way Lea was trying to tug the hem of Emilien's shirt down, Addie reached into her bag and began pulling out spare clothes. Not just a dress and shoes for Lea, but trousers and a plain, cotton shirt for Emilien. She had even managed to get him a coat.
"I think I got everything," she said, passing the items to the other two. "Even managed to snag a couple daggers. That was a bit more difficult. What is with this city in making everything fun or useful illegal?"
Neither of the others were really listening as they took the clothes. Lea was never so happy to be given a dress in her life. Wearing Emilien's shirt – as though she were his lover, fresh from his bed – did nothing to ease her constantly racing heart. Especially not when she considered just how little it left to his imagination. The pains he was going through to treat her with nothing but kindness and gentlemanly reserve helped nothing.
Lea and Emilien turned from each other, facing opposite corners as they quickly changed. Addie helped Lea into the new undergarments and dress, even pulling on her boots. Lea was grateful for the assistance as even just standing was making her breathe faster. She was doing better, but she was by no means fully healed and rested.
While they were dressing, Addie was talking.
"I'm sorry it took so long to come back. This stuff wasn't easy to buy and steal. And the entire city is on high alert. But I finally managed to convince someone to trade me an old airship. It's a bit of a clunker and it's pretty slow, but it's reliable and it will get us out of here."
"What did you have to trade for an airship?" Emilien asked without turning around as he tucked in his new shirt. He wanted to ask where she got these clothes as well, but he imagined he wouldn't like the answer.
"Just some information," she answered carelessly, unconcerned.
"Information?" Lea repeated, confused, as Addie laced her dress up the front. Addie was a spy and so traded in information, so it wasn't surprising that it was her form of currency. What did surprise Lea was that Addie would have information that someone in Gascony would want. "What information?"
"Not much." Addie shrugged. "Who in the Sacellum was loyal to King Robert and who was loyal to Queen Sabine. The names of a few lords who might be willing to help the resistance. A secret trade path I know about that travels over the ground, not by airship. Things like that."
"Resistance?" Emilien almost turned around in his shock as he paused in the act of buttoning the sleeves of the long shirt. He had the coat over his arm. "There's a resistance? I haven't heard of anything like that."
"Oh, you wouldn't. It's fairly new." Addie helped Lea sit back down onto her pallet. "You can turn around now."
Emilien did so, frowning at her as Addie tied up Lea's boots. "What resistance?"
"Well, you might have noticed already, but the royal council has gotten a little power mad and the queen has gotten just regular mad. The war's approaching - whew, wow - going to be two years old at this point, and if you think Vasconia's casualties are bad, it's nothing compared to how many you've lost. Combine that with the council's decision to imprison dissenters, and the people are pretty sick of it all. Can't say that I blame them."
"So, they've started a rebellion?" Emilien's stomach twisted in fear. How had things gotten this bad this quickly? He knew that there was unrest and those who weren't in favor of the war, but he didn't think it would have come to this.
"I wouldn't call it a rebellion. Yet." Addie sat back on her heels, grimacing up at him. "Sorry. I know it's not exactly good news for a general."
"Former general..." He corrected sadly.
"I've been doing everything I can to help build them up. If Gascony tears itself up from within, it'll make our jobs easier. So, really, that guy I traded with just gave me what I wanted twice."
He flinched. It sounded cold, but he couldn't deny the effectiveness of her methods.
"Sorry." She repeated, standing upright. "If it makes you feel any better, the resistance is building around the prince. They're calling him the true king and saying that he should've been enthroned the moment he became an adult. I can't really say that they're wrong. If the royal council wasn't made of a bunch of greedy, power hungry, old men, he would've been."
Hearing that it was Prince Jacques that his people were gathering around banished some of the ill ease that had come to rest in his chest. Emilien found himself smiling wistfully as he considered the prince that had saved his life.
"If my forefathers knew I was finding myself agreeing with a resistance movement, they would be rolling in their graves," he chuckled. "Prince Jacques is a good man."
"Never really met him." Addie shrugged. "But I've heard good things. He's trying at least. If I had a chance to kill Sabine and force the council to make him king, I would. Er, sorry. That was probably also not something to say to a Gasconite general..."
"Former general..." He sighed. It was strange to find himself agreeing with his enemy, the resistance to his crown, and still wanting to remain loyal to his vows. It was as though he were being ripped in half by the conflicting desires and loyalties.
Addie reached her hands out and helped Lea back to her feet. She swayed for a moment before steadying herself against the wall.
"So, here's the story," Addie said, looking between the two of them. "You two are married. I'm your little sister, Emile. I told him we helped with the prison break a couple days ago, in the name of King Jacques of course, and we need to get out of town before the Sacellum recognizes us. So, he traded his old airship to us and we're going to start by going north east, like we're heading to the coast. Once we're out of sight, we'll change direction and head south."
"Where are we going?" Lea asked, frowning. "South Gate? Gascony has an offensive line there. We'll never be able to get past."
"No. Not South Gate. We're going to Petrus Landebert."
"Petrus Landebert? But it's sealed from our side of the mountains."
"I already sent Sybille a message. She should have it unsealed by the time we get there. And..."
Lea frowned when Addie trailed off. "And what?"
She shook her head, fixing a smile back onto her face. "Nothing. We should get going. Emile, help me pack as much of the supplies in here as possible."
"Sure," he nodded, reaching out for her bag so he could carry it in her stead.
Lea watched them gathering as much of their food rations as they could, unable to help. Barely able to stand on her own.
Petrus Landebert was an abandoned city in the middle of the barrier mountains. In a way, it was the birthplace of the war that had made both Lea and Emilien prisoners. It was the site of the assassination of King Robert of Gascony. The place where King Cyrille of Vasconia lost a hand to the attackers. The place where Sabine swore vengeance on those who she believed had taken the life of her husband.
The paladins of Vasconia.
People said that the city was haunted by the spirit of the former king. It was the reason given for why the people that lived there had abandoned the city within a couple years after the assassination. When the last of the people left, Sybille had ordered the tunnel leading to city from Vasconia sealed as a matter of protection in the war. The city was nestled deep within the mountains, the only entrances being the twin tunnels that connected the two kingdoms.
Despite the easy – if rather small – access point into their kingdom through the barrier mountains, Sabine never tried to invade their country through Petrus Landebert. Some part of Lea really wanted to believe that she at least held sacred the place where her husband had died, if not the country that he originally hailed from.
Lea had never been there herself. She had been discovered as a paladin after the assassination of King Robert. She had heard the story in detail afterwards, however.
From what she had been told, the assassination had taken place in the middle of the night. The assassin had gone for King Robert directly. Sabine had awoken to find her husband already cut down and her scream had woken the others. When Cyrille rushed to their rooms, the assassin had tried to kill him as well, succeeding only in removing his right hand.
The only paladin who had been there at the time was the then leader of the royal guard, Laudine. She was the one who had evacuated the royal families. However, after they were back on their airships, flying back to the capital, they noticed that Laudine wasn't among them. No one had seen her since.
It was a tale that most everyone knew, but one that still had a single, big, unanswered question:
Who was the assassin?
His identity, his face, his motive...
No one knew anything about him - aside from his identity as a male that King Cyrille had noted - and any investigation into the incident had been delayed by Sabine's bad reaction to the loss of the man she loved to the point of obsession. She demanded retribution in the form of Cyrille's wife – a life for a life. Since the assassin wasn't caught, the people of Gascony blamed their king's death on the paladin in question. Paladins had never been respected in Gascony as they were in Vasconia, but feelings for them had taken a darker turn after the assassination. They claimed that King Cyrille's identification was false in an attempt to protect the paladin that he had ordered to become an assassin.
Lea did wonder, at times, if that was the reason that Laudine left. She didn't know the woman and so couldn't imagine what would cause her to flee the way she had done. Of course, it could be as simple as the fact that Laudine, at the time, was barely an adult legally. She had been put in charge of guarding their majesties because it was believed that the yearly meeting between the two brothers was the safest event possible and, for her first assignment as a paladin, it shouldn't have been difficult.
Knowing that she failed so catastrophically could have been overwhelming to so young a person. Or maybe she had been killed by someone in Gascony who had never come forward. No one but Laudine could say, and Lea didn't know her well enough to hazard a guess.
Lea was interested in seeing Petrus Landebert, however. The place where this all began. Maybe it really was haunted like people said.
Addie and Emilien made quick work of packing away their remaining supplies. They all drank as much water as they could stand from what was left, then Addie moved towards the door.
"Wait." Emilien stopped her, frowning between the two. "Neither of you have coats..."
"That's all right." Addie shrugged. "The guy already saw me without a coat."
"I'm not that cold," Lea added. Her fever was down, but still persisted.
Emilien shook his head. "I'm sorry. If you're going to be my wife, even a pretend one, you need to wear my coat."
As he was speaking, he was holding up the coat that Addie had brought for him. It was thin, and not really his size, just a bit too big. However, he held it out for Lea to help her into it. She saw him with the offering and hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest.
When she didn't move, Emilien made a face. "I'm sorry. I know that it's not really a thing in Vasconia... but a wife wears her husband's coat here. If I bring you to them and I'm wearing a coat but you're not... Even if it's a lie, it's a shame I won't be able to live down."
"No, that's not... er..." Lea's head lowered, her face burning red. She was finding it so hard to look at him. Why did he have to be so good?
She wasn't opposed to wearing his coat. It might not have been custom in Vasconia, but that didn't mean she didn't respect it as the custom in Gascony. She mumbled a soft thank you as she turned, allowing Emilien to drape the overly large coat over her shoulders like a cape. He fasted the top button, locking it in place, before smiling at her.
The cross shaped scar across his face did nothing to diminish his good looks. When he smiled at her, as though pleased to see her in his coat, Lea's mind completely blanked. She was a strong woman, but she turned to a puddle when a handsome man smiled at her like this.
It was at once mortifying and thrilling.
"All right. You look great." Addie beamed, putting her hand on the door latch. "Very married. Let's get out of here. He's waiting for us."
"Shall we?" Emilien asked, offering Lea his hand.
He was only doing it because she was still weak and unable to stand on her own. However, her flighty mind couldn't help be struck by flutters of excitement at the mere idea that him wanting to hold her hand.
Absolutely mortifying.
But her belly still tightened, then swooped in excitement when she took hold of his offered hand and he pulled her in close, putting an arm around her waist. He was doing it only to keep her upright and not because he was flirting. Just like stripping her nude or feeding her by hand, everything he did was completely clinical and kind.
Lea was just a fluffheaded romantic that was taking things in ways they weren't intended. And even though her head knew that, her heart refused to listen to reason.
Addie smiled at them before stepping out into the antechamber. The coal chute that dropped down into the room was short and easily climbed by someone healthy. Addie scurried up ahead of them and held the grate open after checking to make sure the alley was clear.
The three of them had to work together to get Lea up the chute. Which involved Addie reaching down to take her hand and Emilien grabbing her by the waist and lifting her up, then allowing her to use him as a step ladder to climb up the rest of the way.
When Emilien emerged last, Lea thanked him from where she was sitting on the ground. He assured her that he was happy to help before lifting her back up against his side. He did it without hesitating. Like taking care of her came easily to him.
"How far are we from the docks we're meeting your guy at?" Emilien asked as Addie checked up and down the street at the entry to the alleyway. The darkness of night concealed their actions, but this holy city was not one to remain awake at night. If they were spotted, it would be obvious that they were up to something.
"Oh, it's not a public dock. It's the dead shipyard at the north end of town."
Emilien frowned, knowing what she was referring to. The dead shipyard was where inoperable ships were taken to be broken down for parts.
"You said this ship can fly, right?"
"Yeah." Addie nodded eagerly. "He's going to gut a few parts from the other dead ships for us. It will be fine."
"I'm suddenly much less secure in this plan than I was a moment ago."
"Don't be silly. I wouldn't put us on a ship I didn't think could fly. The parts are replaceable. It's really just the ship itself that is unacceptable."
"How unacceptable?" Lea asked, concern for her safety briefly overcoming her shyness at Emilien's closeness to her body.
"Er, better hope it doesn't rain. And maybe you should try not to put all your weight onto one area. You're not allergic to wood rot, right?"
Lea grimaced as Emilien sighed.
"Well, I've had a good life..." he mumbled.
"Oh, stop." Addie rolled her eyes at them. "I've ridden in way worse ships. It will get us to Petrus Landebert, and that's all it needs to do. Come on. This way."
She led the way out of the alley. Emilien smiled at Lea before taking his own step forward. She quickly turned her eyes from him, afraid that he could feel how her heart was racing.
They had only walked a couple of streets when Lea's shyness faded as exhaustion quickly overwhelmed her instead. She began to miss steps and only avoided falling by the way that Emilien tightened his grip around her. Her breathing was fast again and she had given up keeping her head upright, relying on Emilien to lead her.
He frowned, calling out to Addie who was a couple paces ahead of them-
"Hey. We need to stop."
"Stop?" She turned back, ready to insist they couldn't do that. However, she got a look at Lea before she had the chance and grimaced. "Er, all right. I think there's an alley we can rest in just ahead."
"No..." Lea shook her head. "I'm fine... just keep going..."
"You are not fine." Addie blew out a long breath. "Just for a while."
"No... I can rest later..."
"You won't have a choice if you pass out."
"I can carry you on my back, if you prefer," Emilien offered kindly.
Lea was reluctant to take more from him. She was already relying on him for so much already. However, getting them out of here was more important. Once they were aboard the ship, she could rest for a while, but Addie wouldn't be pushing them to leave now if she thought it was safe to stay.
So, she nodded while whispering, "I'm sorry..."
"Don't worry about it." He gave her a smile before kneeling down, letting her practically fall across his back.
He took hold of her thighs, her skirt being forced up by this position, as her arms encircled around his neck. She wasn't holding on so much as hanging off of him, but he didn't complain as he stood up straight without a grunt of effort.
"Lead the way," he said to Addie once he had Lea situated comfortably.
Lea wasn't accustomed to being weak like this. Or relying so heavily on another person. Her face was burned twice as hot now from feeling Emilien's muscles ripple under her and from knowing that she was basically helpless.
"I'm sorry..." She whispered shamefully.
He chuckled. "Don't be. It makes me feel good."
She frowned, lifting her head up a bit. "Carrying me makes you feel good?"
"Er, maybe that wasn't exactly the right way to phrase it." He grimaced, pausing as Addie did so she could check around a corner before gesturing them forward. "I'm... a bit torn. I can't say that I fully regret my actions in the war. I'm sworn into service to my country and that comes with following the orders of my superiors. But I'm not actually that proud of my part either. I feel guilt for the things that I helped do. Unconsciously or not. It probably doesn't make much sense to you, but taking care of you makes me feel like I'm atoning for those things. In a small way."
She stared at him, surprised for a moment beyond words. She honestly hadn't given much thought to what he was doing beyond the simple helpfulness of it. Despite being technically an enemy, Emilien was a friend, and it hadn't needed to be any deeper than that.
He, on the other hand, was still working through his emotions of betraying his own vows, of being betrayed by the country he had given everything for, and betraying the friends he had made of his enemies. While she was trying to get her raging emotions under control, he was repenting for his sins. The realization only made her feel even more silly and, at the same time, more attracted to him.
He grinned at her out of the corner of his eye. "Don't worry about feeling awkward or guilty about anything, Lea. Really, you're doing me a favor. Besides, you're not that heavy. I've been hauling boulders way heavier than you for months now."
He chuckled and her heart skipped a beat. He smiled and her belly tightened in yearning.Every word he spoke only made him more desirable.
And every moment she felt more awkward.
Emilien carrying her not only meant they didn't have to stop to rest after only a couple blocks, but that they actually managed to move a bit faster. With proper sleep and food, Emilien was feeling a great deal stronger than when he had first been broken out of prison. He hadn't lied or exaggerated. Thanks to all the hard labor he had been doing, carrying Lea across the city wasn't nearly the chore it could have been.
They did eventually stop to take a break so Emilien could rest his legs - and arms. He set Lea down on a crate that had been sitting outside the back of what appeared to be a fabric store. Addie had plopped down on the ground and was busy eating a strip of salted meat while Emilien stretched his body to prepare to keep walking.
As they rested, Addie told them everything they had missed over the last few months, catching them both up on what their imprisonment had kept them from knowing.
She told Emilien that all the paladins were alive and well, though the fall of the Gold District within the capital city of Gwenael had killed hundreds of people. Emilien wasn't being blamed for what happened, though the people were less forgiving of the Gasconites as a whole in general.
She continued, describing the two war fronts that Gascony was fighting against them. How they had used the supposed day of peace to launch an attack that had allowed them to conquer a great deal of their country all at once.
Emilien had flinched when she told him how the Vasconian crown prince had nearly died in one such attack, though Addie was quick to reassure him that he yet lived.
Mostly for Emilien's benefit, she described the attack on Jorives that had led to Lea being captured. She was all too happy to tell Lea that Amorette, the paladin prospect she had left behind, had successfully broken the siege and that Jorives remained standing.
The farming city was damaged, and the country would face food shortages as a result, but it was still theirs and that was the most important thing.
"Did Amorette take her vows then?" Lea asked, smiling with pride. The indecisive girl she had fought with before had been stubbornly refusing to do it the last time she had seen her – only changing her mind at the very last moment. Lea had been taking something of a risk by leaving Jorives to her when she had given Amorette all the combat abilities she had taken over during the fight.
Addie nodded. "They're already recorded. I'm not sure where Sybille is going to be sending her, but I'm sure she'll be a lot of help when she gets there."
"Who is Amorette?" Emilien asked, not sure he recognized the name. True, he hadn't met every paladin, but he had met more than half and he didn't know her from the other half.
Addie explained that he had actually met her once before. For a moment. She had been the girl that had been single-handedly holding up an entire district of the city after Aloys had blown up the pylons that were keeping it elevated off the mountain.
"She lived?" Emilien smiled, pleased at that news.
"She did. We didn't find out until after the funeral though."
He began laughing as Lea smiled.
The happy sound was rudely cut off, however, when a hard voice called out from the main street-
"Who's there?!"
Addie cursed, leaping to her feet. Emilien reacted barely a second later, jumping up and grabbing Lea off of the crate. He swept her up in his arms, following Addie as she ran ahead down the alley. Just in time to hear someone yelling out for them to stop.
Lea lifted her head, looking over Emilien's shoulder, and spotted two of the Isaie's religious guards that protected the city chasing after them.
"Two! Priests!" She hissed to Emilien and Addie both.
"This way!" Addie cried, turning quickly to a smaller alley.
It was difficult for Emilien, carrying Lea the way he was, to fit through. She did her best to make herself as small as possible, curling her back and legs in close together, but she still felt her boots hitting against the brick walls.
Addie slowed down just slightly as they hit the main street. Just enough so that she could talk to them under the cover of the religious guard calling out for reinforcements.
"We need to split up," she said, looking to Emilien seriously. "Do you know how to get to the ship graveyard from here?"
Emilien took a second to take stock of his surroundings. He had been to Isaie a few times, but not enough to know the layout intimately.
"I can figure it out," he finally said. It wasn't like he had much choice.
"Can you take care of Lea until I get there?"
"What are you going to do?" Lea asked, frowning at her as her grip tightened around Emilien's neck and shoulders, doing her best to try to make herself as light in his arms as possible.
"Buy you some time and distance. I'll take care of these guys and catch up. If I'm not there by sunrise, take off without me."
"No."
"Not going to happen."
Lea and Emilien spoke at the same time, making her laugh.
"Relax, you two. Even if you have to leave me behind, I'll be fine. But that's not what I want either. I'm going to get you both back to Gwenael. Promise. So trust me."
Emilien grimaced, not really willing to leave her behind. Lea, however, nodded once and listened carefully as Addie told her where to find the ship that she had traded for in the shipyard. The key that would open the door and start the engine was in the bag of rations that Emilien had tossed over his shoulder.
"See you two in a couple hours," she winked at them before stopping dead in the street, turning to face the now expanded group of religious guards, having frown from two to five.
"Long live King Jacques!" She yelled, charging towards them, redirecting her muscles into her arm so that the punch she landed against the chest of the first man was that much stronger.
Him falling back and hitting the ground, gasping for breath from his broken ribs, was the last thing Lea saw before Emilien took a turn in the main street and then, almost immediately, ran them into a near alley in the hopes of losing track of their chasers.
That hope was dashed, however, by the call of a single man for them to halt in the name of the Lord and Queen Sabine. A single man that must have gotten past Addie continued to try hunting them down, a simple spear in hand.
Emilien cursed when he heard him closing the distance. The other man was fast. Even if Emilien hadn't been burdened with Lea's weight, he wouldn't have been able to outrun the youth.
He couldn't lead their pursuers to the shipyard. By Addie's own admittance, the ship that they were taking wasn't a fast one. If they wanted to have any chance at escaping the city, he would have to get rid of this guy first.
Which would mean raising his fists against his own people.
The idea made him sick to his stomach. But a quick glance down at Lea, helpless but trusting in his arms, steeled his resolve.
These were the amends for the wrong he had helped commit. He was doing what he knew was right now. And though it hurt to know that the right thing was fighting against the very people he had once sworn to protect, for the first time in over a year, his conscience actually felt clean and unburdened.
This was the right thing.
However much it hurt, it was the right thing.
"Lea, I'm going to have to put you down," he said to her, looking for a place to do so safely.
She didn't argue, only nodding, loosening her grip.
He wasn't given many options for where to put her. The warrior priest was closing the gap between them fast. He had given up his calls for them to stop, saving his breath in anticipation of the fight he knew he would have to have.
Emilien came to a sliding halt near the doorway of a closed shop. He set Lea gently down onto the step before turning to face his opponent.
Within Gascony, rank in the military was decided by combat. Only those with the best skill were allowed to be leaders. From small squads to the general himself, leaders were the best fighters only. When it came to combat expertise, there was only a single man in Gascony able to beat Emilien and this youth was not him.
Though he was unarmed, though he had no armor, he met the young man without fear or hesitation as the youth charged him down, intending to ram him through with the spear.
Emilien's left forearm was bent slightly, compromising his strength in that limb. However, his aim was still precise as he grabbed the body of the spear as it was coming for him, jerking it to the side, disturbing the balance of the young priest.
He brought his leg up, slamming his knee into his flank as he was falling forward. The young man cried out in pain as he hit the ground. Emilien's grip on the spear didn't lessen, yanking it from his hands as he fell.
Emilien pulled it up, taking hold of it with his other hand, and brought the weighted butt around to slam down against the back of the young man's head. He collapsed to the ground without a sound. Fear gripped Emilien's heart until he saw him take in a ragged breath.
He was a soldier. He would kill if he had to do so.
But that didn't mean he enjoyed the action. Especially not against one of his own people. Most especially not against a priest.
Lea got to her feet, trembling from the effort it took, and keeping one hand to the wall to keep herself upright. Emilien kept his eye on the downed priest for a moment longer, making sure that he wasn't faking it and wasn't going to attack them the second he turned his back.
After poking him with the butt of the spear to see if he reacted - and he did not - Emilien jogged quickly back to Lea.
"I can walk," she assured him quickly before he could pick her up again.
He made a face like he didn't quite believe her, but didn't argue. Both of them knew that it was a liability to be carrying her at all. Doing so with the spear in hand would just make things that much more awkward – and he wasn't willing to surrender his new weapon.
"Let's go this way," he said, gesturing his head to the nearest alley. He would rather they not be on the main streets where they could be spotted again.
Lea nodded and accepted the hand that he offered out to her so he could pull her along after him. He had to slow down so she could keep up, but it kept his hand free so he could fight in an instant if forced to do so.
They were quiet as they navigated the back alleys. Emilien didn't know exactly where he was going, but he knew the direction he was supposed to head. Such a nebulous direction meant that he ran into a couple dead ends in the alleys, but he wasn't willing to take to the main streets again - which were more direct but also more dangerous.
A couple times, they were forced to stop and hide in the shadows as the city guard was still out looking for prison escapees. Them specifically, more than likely. While they probably did want the other prisoners back, none were quite so as important as the lady paladin and former general.
Lea was almost thankful, in a way. The times they were forced to crouch down into the darkness were chances for her to rest her weary body. Though she had taken her medicine relatively recently, she could feel her fever rising again just from the small strain of forcing herself to keep moving despite the illness.
Only once was Emilien forced to fight again. She didn't see it this time. He had set her down into a small alcove in a short alleyway, tucked well out of sight, then ran around the corner to deal with the religious guard. Lea heard the warning cry quickly cut off by whatever Emilien did.
He made quick work of the man but remained away for a few minutes afterward. She didn't need to ask to know that he was waiting to make sure that the choked off call from the downed priest hadn't attracted any others.
After some time, Emilien finally came back around the corner. He had a streak of blood across his cheek that looked like he had accidentally smeared there from a few drops that were smeared similarly across the back of his hand. He said nothing as he sat in the alcove, sliding down to sit down next to her. His eyes were closed, his face tight with discomfort.
Lea grimaced before whispering softly, "I'm sorry..."
He shook his head without opening his eyes. "It's fine. I just... You're still breathing hard. We can rest for a bit longer."
Lea bit her lip. Her natural shyness with men she was attracted to combating with the need to comfort a friend who had done so much for her. It was easier to think, now that he wasn't looking at her, but his nearness, the heat of his body, was still distracting.
A distraction. That was what he needed.
Swallowing convulsively, she asked gently, "What happened to your arm?"
"Hm?" His eyes opened again, focusing on her immediately, setting off the flutters in her belly. She tried and failed to force them down as she asked again.
"Your arm. Will you tell me what happened to it?"
His gaze darted down to his forearm, before looking back up to her. "Only if you tell me what happened to yours."
Lea glanced at her own forearm which was still wrapped in fresh bandages. He had applied so much medicine in an attempt to fight off the infection that she could still smell it even through the layers of cloth.
"I was fighting at Jorives. Trying to keep the Gasconite army from breaking through one of the outer wall gates. This is where the wood shattered."
Emilien grimaced. "You were holding a gate back by hand?"
"We really didn't have many options left to us at the time. Your soldiers are rather tenacious."
"That's a nice way to put it." He chuckled once without humor, shaking his head, before touching his own deformed arm. "Firmin did this to me. When I challenged him for his rank. It's not uncommon. Soldiers challenge each other all the time. Firmin doesn't like his authority being questioned and, even though it was my right to challenge him, he resolved to punish me for doing so. It wasn't enough for him to beat me. He had to make sure I remembered the lesson."
Lea frowned, staring at his arm. While he could still use his arm and hand, the lump-like deformity in the middle of the bone would definitely have left him weaker than before.
"Firmin is cruel," she said at last. "I've met him in battle a few times. He has no honor."
"I wish I could defend him, but you're right." Emilien's head fell back against the brick wall. "For months after I finished healing, the people below me were challenging me for my position. They had heard how Firmin had broken my arm and they thought to use my new weakness to take away everything I worked for. Firmin wanted to watch each challenge. He made sure he was as close to the fight as he could be. Watching me. Reminding me of what happens to those people that dare to question or challenge him. To this day, I think I'm still the last person to have done so. No one else wants to be broken like I was."
"I wouldn't say you were broken. You won all those challenges. Or you wouldn't still be a lieutenant general."
"Former lieutenant general," he frowned, finally catching sight of the blood smear across his hand. It wasn't his. "I've had my titles stripped and been left in shame."
"You don't look shamed to me." Lea smiled, wrapping her arms around her legs. Speaking to him like this was making her heart race, but it was also wonderful. She didn't want to stop. "I think your honor has never been more unquestioned."
He grinned back at her. "Thank you. That actually means a lot coming from a lady paladin."
"What about the scars on your cheek? Where did you get those?"
"I got this one from Nina, actually," he chuckled, touching one of the marks.
"Really?" Lea asked, surprised. "When did she give you that?"
"A little over a year ago. She gave it to me when she was taking Prince Erec out of Gascony. I think it's the first time I ever really talked to a paladin for myself."
Nina was the leader of the paladins and, at one point, she had been forced to sneak into Gascony in order to rescue the captured prince of Vasconia. Lea had been fighting in Gy-Hamelin at the time, on the far end of the border from where they had been, and so only heard about it afterwards. Since no one in Gascony knew that they had captured the prince himself, it had been important at the time that as few people know about her mission as possible.
"This one," Emilien continued, touching the other half of his cross scar, "I got from Firmin. Funnily enough."
"Firmin again..."
"He gave me this one for defending Felicie. Questioning his authority again."
"What were you defending Felicie from?"
"Firmin wanted her and a group of harmless prisoners dead. I spoke up and told him that it wasn't necessary to kill them. So, he punished me for my words."
Lea frowned, her arms tightening further. She couldn't imagine Nina or her king punishing her for doing nothing more than speaking her mind. "I'm sorry, Emilien."
"Don't be. I'm not." He focused his gaze back onto her, and she could see no regret for what had happened in his eyes. "These scars are proof that I chose to speak up when it would be easier to stay quiet. Each one, especially Nina's, are proof that I know how to listen and adapt. The only thing I would change on the path that took me here is how I fought with Firmin the first time. If I had known he would be ruthless, I wouldn't have held back either."
"Why are you not dead?" She asked in wonder. He was so passionate in the way he spoke. In the views he held. She didn't understand how he was still here.
By his own country's view, he was a traitor, and she couldn't imagine that Firmin would want him alive. For precisely this reason. Allowing Emilien to live allowed the opportunity for fate to grant him revenge. Taking everything someone valued away from them wasn't an effective punishment because it took away their very reason to live. A person with no reason to live other than to hate was dangerous.
And the man that sat beside her now was certainly not a cowed, shamed, former general. Fire yet burned in his eyes, promising retribution against those who had wronged him.
He answered her question, his voice soft, his eyes distant, "I would be, were it not for Prince Jacques. He defended me at my trial. He spoke for me when no one else would. I believe it could be said that he successfully manipulated her majesty in order to keep me from being killed."
"I... don't know much about Prince Jacques," Lea admitted softly. "He has nothing to do with the war and it didn't seem like he was being made king anytime soon, so I never really thought to get to know him well."
"I've always known him to be a good person. He's proven to me now that he will be a good king. I hope to live long enough to see him enthroned. Maybe I would stop feeling so guilty if I knew that my vows applied to someone of integrity."
Lea smiled softly. "I think they do apply to someone with integrity. They apply to you."
Emilien blinked as though startled by her words before laughing. "You think that could be enough? That I hold true to my own honor, even if the rest of the world considers me a traitor? Can everyone be wrong and me alone be right?"
"I don't consider you a traitor."
The simple statement caught him by surprise and he felt something tense in his chest ease. He might be a traitor to his own people, but the friends that he had made still considered him a good man. He still considered himself a good man.
Maybe that could be enough.
"We should go," he said, a warm smile now across his face, jerking his head to the side. "Are you okay to move again?"
She nodded quickly and accepted his hand to help her back to her feet. His grip on hers was warm and comfortable as he led her from the short alley and out onto the main street so they could quickly cross to the next alley.
Lea couldn't imagine what it must be like to have the people you've sworn yourself to serve turn against you. She was lucky in that the king and church that she served had never treated her like a tool or a scapegoat. She was free to speak her mind and, even if they disagreed with her, she wouldn't be hurt or punished for her opinions.
Emilien had been trapped into a system that had been hijacked by greedy, power hungry, and even inhuman men that cared nothing for how their decisions might affect others. They wanted only to retain their status and influence and were unconcerned for how those actions might lead to the death or harm of others.
Or of good, loyal men like Emilien who, in any other circumstances, would have been their most ardent and devoted ally.
Instead, their actions had turned him against them, and now he was helping their enemies in escaping so that they could fight against them once again.
And there was no way that Emilien didn't fully realize that's exactly what he was doing. Once Lea was free and fully healed, she would be returning to the fight. He was giving his enemies a weapon to use against his own people and felt no real shame in the action.
She couldn't even imagine what it felt like to be so betrayed by something you held so sacred that you would be willing to turn against it.
There were no further enemies between the two of them and the ship graveyard. Though they did stop a couple more times to allow Lea to rest and Emilien to check where they needed to go. He would leave her somewhere safe and run ahead to try to plot out a course for them so that he didn't keep leading her down dead ends. She didn't have nearly enough strength to keep up with him if they kept taking wrong turns.
The sky was just barely starting to brighten with the dawn when they finally reached the iron gates that led to the shipyard. They had chains keeping them closed, but weren't locked, allowing Emilien to easily pull them off and open the door just wide enough for them to step through. He quickly replaced the chain as Lea looked across the yard, hoping to spot the ship. She had only Addie's quick description for what it looked like.
But it was a difficult search thanks partially to the darkness of pre-dawn and mostly to the way her vision blurred with a combination of fever and exhaustion. She was breathing fast, sweating, and when Emilien turned back, the sight of her swaying on her feet convinced him to offer to carry her again.
"I can make it to the ship," she tried to reassure him, but her weak voice was hardly confidence inducing.
Before he could insist, however, a happy voice cut through the silence.
"There you two are. I was starting to get worried."
They both turned as Addie jogged their way from the center of the shipyard. She didn't look any worse for the wear. Lea imagined that the four guards had been little challenge for her.
Still, she was relieved to see her approach. "You're all right."
"Of course. Did you doubt it? Our ship is just this way."
After a moment, it was decided that Addie would take the spear from Emilien so that he could pull Lea back onto his back. She cursed her own weakness, but was relieved to be off of her feet and resting against him again.
She didn't want to let on just how bad she felt. They were in a dire enough situation, she didn't want to add her pointless complaints to it. She certainly didn't want to be the lead weight slowing them down, but neither of her companions appeared upset by literally carring her through the shipyard.
The gutted and rotted carcasses of decades worth of airships loomed over them as Addie led the way through, happily talking without trying to whisper. She wasn't at all concerned at the prospect of being found here. Lea could understand why. There was an otherworldly atmosphere to this place, as though the ships were actual bodies that haunted the space. The acrid scent of oil, rust, and fuel tickled her nose as Emilien's footsteps alternated between the crunch of hard packed dirt and the hollow echo of metal, depending on the surface he walked across.
"There it is," Addie announced as they came around the half crushed bow of what looked to have once been a cargo ship that had met a hard end to a long life.
Lea lifted her head from Emilien's shoulder where she had been resting it to look ahead. She couldn't help the wince when she caught sight of the ship.
The old clunker looked like it was a century old. The style wasn't even one that Lea recognized on sight. Though, that could also partially be due to the fact that the wood of the body had blackened and smoothed with time, completely erasing any signs of decorations, painting, or carving that might have once adorned the hull or rails. It was a small boat, probably having once been used as an aircab, just judging by the shape of it. The wider body and smaller cockpit were indicative of a vessel that was used to transport people.
But the wood was so old and worn that she could see straight through some of the planks to the empty space within. It was decently sized, probably big enough to hold twelve to fifteen people comfortably, but it looked as though a strong breeze would be enough to knock it over.
"Don't judge by its looks. She'll still run," Addie said, hearing both Lea and Emilien's discomfort in their silence as they approached.
"I don't know if I trust my weight in that," Emilien grimaced, checking it over.
"Don't be such a baby." Addie tossed his concerns away with a flick of her hand before digging in his bag for the key. "Just don't step anywhere you see white paint."
"Why not?" He asked suspiciously, afraid he already knew the answer.
"Those are the spots deemed too weak to hold weight. You'll be fine."
Lea groaned. "Well, at least falling to your death is quick."
"That's a good silver lining," Emilien nodded in agreement.
"You two are both spoiled. Count your blessings that it even has a roof. Come on. And don't touch anything metal. You'll probably get sick if it cuts you. Tetanus is supposed to come from old metal, right?"
Lea was fiercely glad that she was wearing Emilien's jacket as Addie unlocked then lowered the door on the side of the hull. There were three large steps leading up inside – one of which was painted entirely in white, forcing Emilien to practically jump aboard.
When the wood inside groaned at feeling his and Lea's combined weight, he was forced to set her back onto her feet. The change did little to silence the uneasy sounds.
There looked to have once been seating bolted down inside the open area of the hull. However, they had been removed, leaving the area completely open with only scars in the wood to show where the seats had once been. There were, frighteningly enough, multiple white spots painted not just on the floor, but also along the walls.
"You two, this way," Addie gestured towards the back of the small area to the door that led to the small engine room.
Lea took one look at the mostly black machine, with the new parts standing out obviously brighter against their darker counterparts, and she felt even worse about this plan.
"Addie..."
"Stop being so sensitive. Here."
Addie fit her fingers down in what initially appeared to be a knot in the wood. It depressed under her fingers, allowing her to lift a well concealed door in the floor revealing what looked to be a smugglers hole below.
"This thing used to run drugs," she explained, holding it open for them. "Climb in. I'll let you two out once we're outside of the city and not in danger of being stopped and searched any longer."
Emilien frowned, looking into the dark space. It wasn't that he was somehow opposed to hiding in a former drug hole beneath the rusty, heavy engine that was barely held aloft by the rotting and ancient wood of the ship, it was just...
"Doesn't look like a lot of room," he murmured, wondering how Lea would feel about that. She was so obviously uncomfortable around him, and he didn't want to make it worse.
"Unless the two of you are able to change your faces to avoid suspicions, get your butts into the smuggler's hold."
Emilien hesitated only a moment more before crouching down and lowering himself into the hole. It was one of the few parts of the ship that had no white paint, and he imagined that was due to the smugglers being careful about making this compartment extra sturdy so it couldn't be found.
It took a little maneuvering to get himself laid out in the space, as it hadn't been intended for a human body. It was long enough to hold him, but was a bit lacking in the width. The only way Lea would fit was if she was, at best, half sprawled across his chest.
A fact which did not go unnoticed by Lea as she stared down into the hole. Her heart was already racing that much faster at the thought. She found herself unable to walk forward. To her relief, she couldn't see Emilien's face, only his torso. That really only served to illustrate just how tight a fit it was going to be though.
Addie gave her a look, gesturing to get in after him.
"Lea, I get it, really I do, but you're going to have to get in."
"I know. I know. Just... Give me a second." Lea took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down before making the attempt. Not for the first time, she wished that she didn't become a quivering mess when it came to men she liked.
This was just embarrassing. Her life was literally on the line and all she could think about was the fact that she would be laid out across Emilien closer than a lover.
"Everything all right up there?" He called out, needing to raise his voice to be heard.
"I'm coming," Lea assured him, squaring her shoulders.
She pretended not to see the way that Addie was silently laughing at her as she approached, a knowing look in her eyes.
"Not a word," she whispered before stopping at the edge of the hole.
"Hold it in until we're back in our country," Addie snickered. She was well aware of Lea's inability to be calm around the opposite sex when she was attracted to them.
Lea grimaced at how obvious she was making herself before trying to lower herself into the hole next to the man that made her so nervous.
It took a bit more wiggling and adjustments to get Lea down than it did for Emilien. Just the presence of her body made it a tighter squeeze and her injured arm made the process of lowering herself down more painful than necessary.
Before she knew it, however, her legs were laid out over his and her cheek was pressed against his chest as he adjusted the arm she was laying on so that her neck was cradled against his bicep and she wasn't likely to cut off blood supply with the weight of her head.
Addie leaned down, looking up at them, grinning wickedly. "Now you two play nice. But not too nice, all right? I don't think this ship is strong enough to stand any vigorous activity."
"Addie!" Lea hissed, face burning red.
Emilien, however, was a lot calmer, meeting her joking nature with one of his own. "I couldn't even if I wanted to. I don't think there's enough room to actually be on top of one another."
"Emile!" Lea groaned, hiding her face in her hand as he laughed.
Addie was laughing as well as she lowered the door back into place. Lea heard a soft click as the knot lifted back up, sealing them within the darkness.
And it was complete darkness. Unlike other parts of the ship, this area had been well sealed, even after the ship began to age and wither away. Added to that the fact that the only light they could possibly have was the pale dawn, and there was no chance of them being able to see anything.
The lack of sight only served to make Lea hyper aware of everything else. Each breath Emilien took, each thump of his heart under her ears, was that much louder for having nothing to distract her from their steady rhythm.
"Are you comfortable?"
The sudden question made her jump and he chuckled, his hand stroking along her arm. It was purely a comforting gesture. But her overly romantic and dreamy heart couldn't help but long for him to do it again.
"Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to scare you."
"No. No, it's all right. Erm, yeah. I'm all right. How about you? Am I, er, uncomfortable? I don't really know how to ask that question."
"It is a bit of an awkward one. If you could just move your leg up a bit? Your knee is digging into my thigh."
"Oh! Sorry." She was quick to move the offending leg. Only realizing after she had done so that lifting her leg meant having that leg practically laying across both his instead. But he let out a soft sound of relief when she did it, and she felt if she moved it back down again, it would just draw more attention to their closeness.
"Thank you," he said gratefully. "Feel free to adjust yourself if you need. I'm actually kind of used to being on hard surfaces thanks to my prison cell. I think the wood is a step up. Moving up in the world. I'll be back on a bed before I know it."
Lea laughed breathlessly. "Yeah. I mean, no. I'm all right. Thanks." She really didn't want to think about him laid out on a bed with her hanging over him like this.
They fell silent again and it was acutely uncomfortable until a loud pop echoed over their heads. Before either of them could wonder about the sound – or worry about it being bad – the engine over their heads began to roar to life.
The sound was near deafening, completely unmuted from their position underneath it. It rumbled deep into their bones, making Lea clench her teeth as she winced from the loudness. The cacophonous roar wasn't a smooth one either. The engine kept popping and coughing, occasionally grinding and squeaking as it was forced back to life. Even if Lea wanted to attempt sleeping through the ride in the smuggler's hold, she wouldn't be able to with that sound in her head.
But a side benefit was that the distraction of the sound prevented her from hearing Emilien's breathing or heartbeat. She could still feel the steady rise and fall of his chest but, with the rumbling of the engine distracting her, it didn't seem to be as awkward as before.
She felt a swoop in her belly as Addie took off from the shipyard. Lea was relying only on feeling, comparing it to previous flights in the past, but she could tell that they weren't moving that fast. Which had been worrying before, but now she was grateful. The engine was already clanking and groaning just from the mild speed Addie was coaxing from it now.
Some unknown time later, they did come to a halt. Lea couldn't hear anything over the sound of the engine, but the groans did lessen once again. A couple thuds over Lea's head alerted her to the fact that someone was walking around the engine room. Another set of footsteps joined the first and she realized that the ship was being searched.
Emilien must have realized the same thing just as she did because his arm tightened around her, his breath coming in sharp, shallow pulls, as though he were trying to make himself breathe as little as possible. As if there was even a remote possibility that their small breaths could be heard above the engine, even if they weren't under the thick wood floor.
Lea's ears were pricked, trying to track the footsteps over the sound of the engine. It was difficult as she only heard them if they were directly over her head.
However, after some time had passed, the engine began to rumble loudly again, alerting her that they were once more on the move. Only when he heard it did Emilien relax his grip on her and allow his bated breath to return to normal.
She found herself regretting his relaxation. She wanted him to hold her again. But it was hardly appropriate to ask for that, so she just enjoyed the memory that made her heart skip and put a smile on her face.
The warmth of his arms was pleasant, despite the fever that still continued to wrack her body with the occasional chills. There was nothing else to do, so she just lay there, eyes closed as she tried to focus on that and not the clanking, growling, spitting engine.
Because of her focus, it took her a while to realize that the old and cranky engine was slowly heating up the space they had hid themselves within. As the temperature continued to rise, the two of them began sweating, breathing quickly, and Lea's fever began to worsen.
She didn't notice at first. She was trying to pay attention only on the rise and fall of Emilien's chest, since it was really the only pleasant thing she was experiencing at the moment. However, it became obvious that something was wrong when, as she tried to adjust her head a bit to get more comfortable, everything began spinning and her belly pitched with a gripping nausea. Her hand tightened on Emilien's shirt, as though holding onto him would make things calm down.
She felt a rumble in his chest, slightly different from the continuous roar of the engine, and realized that he had called her name as he reached out to grab her. The sound was lost in the growl of the machinery and her own fevered mind.
His hand felt strangely cold when he touched her forehead and she heard him rumble something again before grabbing for his jacket that she still wore about her shoulders, pushing it off to try to alleviate some of the heat.
It didn't help. The engine kept raising the temperature, adding to her fever, and making it near impossible for her to think.
Emilien yelled something over the sound of the engine, but his words were garbled in her ears. She was vaguely aware of him beating at the door above their heads, but Addie couldn't hear him all the way in the cockpit.
And from the inside, the door refused to be moved.
Emilien was saying something else to her, trying to fan her with his hand. He succeeded only in forcing hot air into her face that only worsened her nausea.
Lea found herself strangely unconcerned about anything that was happening. Her head was spinning and logical thought had completely fled her mind. It still seemed like it was just pleasant having Emilien there next to her.
Which was why, when he tried to pull away a bit, putting as much distance between them as the tiny space would allow, she found herself moaning in sadness. Though it was uncomfortably hot, she had been enjoying his nearness.
He grabbed for the laces on her dress, ripping them apart quickly, and she wanted to grab for them, pulling them back together. It was far too soon, she wanted to say. They should at least get to know each other better first.
But her throat refused to make any sounds beyond nonsensical, pained moaning and her hands did nothing but twitch, ignoring her commands.
Emilien worked quickly, ripping away the bodice and pushing the skirt away. He hesitated for only a moment before grabbing her linen shift and yanking it up and away. He couldn't see her in the darkness anyway, and he needed to do something.
She was so hot and she had stopped sweating. Though he was drenched from the heat in the tiny space, Lea's skin was worryingly dry.
He tried again to force the latch open, but this space had never been designed for humans and it couldn't be opened from within. He was left to do nothing but curse, knocking against it, as he struggled to hold himself away from Lea. His own closeness was worsening the heat in her body. She wasn't even responding to him any longer.
The clunker flew slowly, but steadily, on. Without any way to track how far they had gone or how fast they were moving, Emilien could do nothing but pray and wait. Addie was going to come and get them as soon as she figured it was safe.
It seemed to take an eternity. All the while, Lea became less and less responsive, no longer even twitching when he reached down to touch her neck, checking for the rapidly pounding pulse that was his only way to reassure himself that she was still alive.
After far too long, he heard footsteps above his head. He couldn't hear the flick of the latch over the sound of the engine, but the near blinding light that came in through the crack as the door was lifted up, urging him into action.
Addie cried out in surprise when he shoved the door fully open, banging it up against the engine. She told him to be careful, that he could break something hitting it like that.
Emilien paid her no mind, not even really listening to her, as he jumped out of the hole. He turned, reaching back in for Lea. She hadn't moved at all in response to the light now coming in. She was completely dead weight in his arms as he maneuvered her up and out.
Addie realized what was happening and was quick to offer him a hand pulling her up and out of the last of her skirts that had remained tangled around her legs. She was dressed only in her breast bindings and the thin strip of fabric between her legs, revealing her bright red body to his concerned gaze.
She was limp, unmoving when he yanked her into his arms and rushed her out of the hot engine room and into the cargo hold. It was considerably more difficult holding onto her as he climbed the short ladder up to the deck. He was forced to toss her over one shoulder like she was a sack of grain as he ascended, one handed.
But the fresh air up above was both brisk from the ship's movement and chilled from the deepening autumn season. The second it hit Lea's heated flesh, she broke out in roughened goose flesh, finally twitching.
The reaction almost made him cry in relief as he kneeled down with her close to the bow, resting her back against his chest, facing the oncoming wind.
Addie joined him a few moments later, carrying a jug of water. Some of which she promptly poured over Lea's heated limbs before filling a ladle and trying to carefully tip it into her mouth. Lea coughed and sputtered when it hit her tongue the first time, but weakly swallowed as she began shivering violently from the sudden chill. Emilien was sure must feel freezing to her over heated body - it certainly wasn't pleasant to him.
Addie was muttering repeatedly that she was sorry. She didn't realize it would get so hot. They had only just now finished flying over Isaie and she couldn't let them out sooner.
Emilien was mostly ignoring her as he felt again for Lea's pulse. Her heart was still pounding entirely too fast, but they could do nothing else for her as Addie again began covering her with water. Lea flinched away from the chill, but Emilien forced her limbs down, hooking his legs around hers to keep them down so she could lose as much heat as possible. She cried out in protest, but was weak when she fought against him. Struggled against his hold.
Emilien didn't realize that his hands were uncovered on her bare skin until it was too late.
Something in his mind snapped and he seized. Some part of him was distantly aware of Addie calling out to him, but he couldn't respond as he fell back, hitting the deck.
Lea didn't mean to do it. The reflex to defend herself was automatic.
But that indefinable life force that she had taken from Emilien stirred her back around to wakefulness, making her dimly aware of her surroundings.
Barely aware of Addie yelling at her to give it back. Give it back now!
What was she talking about? And why was it so cold?
Tears pricked her eyes from the pain of the freezing wind as it bit at her flesh. When she tried to pull her legs up, to curl herself up into a tight ball to try to block the wind, she found that they were weighed down and unable to move.
She struck out blindly, her hand slapping at the weights, but they didn't move.
It took her some time to be able to focus enough to recognize the limbs that were weighing down her own, though she wasn't strong enough to remove them. She turned around, trying to find who was behind her, who was grabbing her like this.
Emilien had ceased seizing, but there was still foam at his mouth and his eyes had rolled back into his head and he was twitching erratically. He had fallen backwards, leaving only his legs still covering hers.
Addie was there again, pointing to him, yelling at Lea to give it back!
Emilien...
She realized what she had done as the tears in her eyes began falling. She touched his hand and it was over in an instant-
Emilien took in a gasping breath as the world snapped back into focus. His stomach pitched and he was almost too slow to roll over, detangling himself from Lea and retching onto the deck of the ship. He trembled, shivering violently, as his heart pounded in his throat, his guts twisting up in protest as the chill of death swept over him.
And there was no doubt in his mind that that's exactly what he had just experienced. For a very short time, but still somehow an eternity.
Lea, in her blind reflex to save herself, had stolen his soul.