Darkness surrounded her as she crept along the halls. The sounds of familiar voices had startled her awake. She was so frightened that she jumped out of bed, not even bothering for candlelight or slippers.
Crack!
In the same spot it usually did, the floorboards creaked as she moved quickly.
She knew not what was happening, but she had to move faster to find out.
"It is all wrong! It is all wrong and we know it!"
"That is enough!" She heard the meaning hiss of her father. "You will stop speaking on this matter!"
"You speak this way because you do not know that she did not mean to hurt you, Daviyd."
The closer she was getting, the more she was certain that voice that replied...Sabina.
Her breath quickened as she hurriedly turned the corner and entered the foyer.
"That woman was a whore and we shall not speak any further of her transgressions!"
"No, no, you say that because he poisoned you with lies. He poisoned me, too. He made me see things and told me things that weren't true. She was a good person, she was. At least you know it is true, Anya? You know your sister meant well that she---."
"--Sabina, you need help. We shall call for Prince Nier to come and collect you."
"No! No! No!"
She squinted, the setting was dim, but a few candles, gas, and oil lamps kept the area in a red glow mixing with white moonlight; the foyer doors were left open, the large moon seen in the black sky.
Daviyd, Anya, and Sabina stood around each other, the tension between them palpable as Erin stepped towards them.
"What is going on?" Erin plunged forward.
Immediately her father turned a glare her way. "Erina, go back to your room. Now."
She glanced at him but focused on Sabina. There was dried blood all over her. Her dress was torn and dirtied, and the fear on her sickly face made Erin shiver.
"Sabina, what is wrong? You are bloodied! We must get you help---!"
"--Erina." She cut her off and grabbed her niece's hands tightly.
Squelch!
A sickening feeling was crawling from the pit of her stomach. The blood on Sabina was dry but the blood on her hands was fresh. Erin could feel the sticky substance coat her skin as Sabina clutched her.
Her eyes were wild as she spoke with a shaky breath, "Erina, there is little time. I cannot explain it all, but you must know the truth. It was not my place to keep this hidden from you."
"Sabina." Her father was burning holes into Sabina. "Let go of my daughter. You are not stable."
"Yes, please, Sabina, stop this now," Anya added. "You're scaring us."
"I am stable!" She whipped her head back and shouted to them.
"You came in here screaming like a madwoman. Do not play us, you are unwell. Let go of Erina right now, or I shall remove you myself!" Daviyd shouted back.
"I---?" Sabina opened her mouth to respond, but something in the shadows behind Erina caught her attention. "Naymath? Naymath are you back there?" She peered into the shadows.
Erin remained stiff and still. She couldn't form words when Sabina's hands were still clutching hers, even as the woman was distracted by distant darkness. Her aunt was holding her so tightly that she felt her nails stabbing her skin. She had to refuse a wince as the grip increased.
"Sabina...," Anya said, hesitantly nearing them. "Please we do not wish for things to get ugly. Let go of Erin and wait for Nier to take you back to the---."
"---No! I cannot leave with him. He has poisoned me. He will make me sick."
"Sabina please this is not like you right now---."
"Oh, enough of this with her, Anya! That is enough, Sabina!" Daviyd stormed towards her and snatched her by her back.
A struggle ensued, as she fought back and kicked her feet.
Thud!
Bam!
They crashed into the walls and knocked over floor decorations.
Both Erin and her mother stood stunted unsure what to do as the two fought. Nor did they know what to do when Sabina elbowed Daviyd hard in the face, got to her feet, grabbed a floor vase, and slammed it into his chest.
Bam!
Daviyd groaned in pain as the hard ceramic collided into him. It didn't crash, but it certainly injured him. "S-Sabina!" he sputtered in moaning agony.
Finally, Anya moved into action. "By the King's mercy, Daviyd are you alright?!" She kneeled next to him. "Sabina, what have you done?"
She ignored them and went directly for Erin.
Erin couldn't help to flinch as Sabina grabbed her hands again.
"Erina, if I do not have time to say it all, you must know that if it all goes wrong again, you must know this." A sharp pain pierced Erin's skin as she forced a small pouch into her hands. "He knows who she is, and if I do not have enough time to tell you, he can."
"Sabina." Erina gathered the courage to whisper, her lips trembling. "You're hurting me."
Her grip was only increasing. "You deserve it. We all deserve it."
Erin gasped awake and shot upwards. Anxiously, her eyes danced around, only relaxing when she found herself back in a familiar setting and away from the memories of that night.
She was back in her room in her bed.
With a sigh of relief, she moved to lean against the bedpost but she felt a shooting pain going up her leg.
"Ouch," she winced with a recoil.
"It's sprained." There was a voice coming from the other side of the room.
She whipped her head around, to see Ezra sitting down in a chair across from her.
"Ezra?" She widened her eyes.
She was genuinely surprised to see him. "What...I don't understand why you are here," she muttered, a light headache throbbing in her head.
"Why?" He closed the book he had been reading. "Am I supposed to not be here?"
"No—that's---I just...." The words were difficult, especially when her mind was scrambled and her senses still spinning. "I just...?" She blinked, attempting to process the aching in her body by sitting up straight, but the slight movement simply caused more pain.
"Mercy!" She felt the burning sting.
"I said it's sprained." He stood from his chair and walked over to the bedside.
As he came over, she turned her head to look up at him. "Huh?"
"The doctor said your ankle is sprained and that you might be slightly out of it and---." He stopped midway to hold a finger in front of her face. "---how many fingers?"
"...One?" Her eyebrows furrowed.
"Good, now follow the movement." He moved his finger from side to her, and her eyes trailed. "Now, how many fingers this time?" He held up a few more fingers.
"I can see," she confirmed with slight agitation.
"Then you've come to your senses." He placed his hands at his sides.
"Yes," she replied, her mental fog was clearing some, yet not the aching pain.
"Then you can answer me a few questions."
"Answer you a few questions?" She felt the burn of his stare.
"You fell down the stairs?"
She looked downwards and gripped her bedsheets. That was a question she wondered herself. Had she misplaced her feet or did she feel the pressure of hands? But then again, wouldn't she have heard footsteps before they attempted it?
"I don't know," she concluded.
"How do you not know?"
She felt the dread coming up her throat as spoke with a lowered voice. "I was going down the stairs to get back to the main house for you, and I...I don't know."
"Hm. Now answer me this, did you attempt to harm me by poisoning my food?"
"Poisoning your food?" she scoffed, protectively folding her arms over her chest.
"No other plate on that table except for the one given to me had been spiked so I must conclude you intended to poison me with some sort of substance. I want to know what it was."
She chewed on her inner lip in silence. She was doing her best to stay composed, but a spiral of emotions was churning in her stomach.
"What was in here?" He raised an empty small glass vial and wagged it in front of her.
"How did you---who gave you that---?"
"---Answer the question." His gaze was intense.
It was that same look she recognized he made when he wanted to---and would do something.
Again, she had to wonder just who did he think was?
She rubbed the side of her forehead and cut her eyes to the side. "I wasn't attempting to kill you. So do not settle your eyes on me in that manner, Ezra Radcliffe."
Schiff.
She felt the bed sink. When she turned her head, his face was inches from hers.
He rested one hand against the bed as he leaned close. "Lady Erina, when I saw you at the bottom of the staircase with your head and neck twisted and contorted around in an awful manner, do know what I thought?"
She answered with a silent stare and her breath caught in her throat.
"I briefly considered the idea of leaving you there," he said low and raw.
Clutching a fistful of her bedsheets, she refused to break their stare. "Do you not consider the consequences of saying that directly to my face?"
"What did you try to give me?"
With a huff, she unfolded her arms. "There is a common beauty trend for some of the other ladies to drink toxins and potions to remain thin and slim. My mother had some old ones, not in use, so I repurposed them on you to cause uncontrollable bowel movements. Does that satisfy what you wished to know?"
"You intended to give me some form of a diuretic?"
"Yes."
He stepped back. Lips pressed together in a firm line, eyes unblinking, and head turned slightly to an angle.
He was quiet and then he was not.
"Hahaha!" He started laughing in waves of hearty chuckles.
Absurd. It really was an absurd site to hear and see him laughing with boyish grins and snickers. It was so odd all she could do was stare in wonder at him and consider all of the possibilities of what was funny.
By the time he was finished with his laughing riot, he was wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. "Lady Erina?"
"What?"
The joy in his eyes was dead, and he spoke with severe tongue. "I promise that if you do such a thing again, I will not be laughing."
"You have no position or authority to threaten me---ouch!"
As she was speaking, he grabbed the bedsheets, right at the location where her injured ankle rested.
He released her ankle slowly. "That is for attempting to put a drug in my food, and it is also a reminder that I would not like the idea of you doing it again. Additionally, with a sprained leg and limited mobility, you may want to consider who would not be good to piss off."
She swallowed as he continued speaking in a rapid uncaring manner.
"So, know that you know that information what are you going to do? I have already made it clear that I would rather this come to a sort of nonviolent truce if you understand what I'm saying."
"Stop speaking to me with that interrogating rude tone." Her scowl was simmering.
"I wouldn't have to if we didn't end up in these types of situations at all. I don't know if it occurs to you that if you keep pushing limits that don't need to be tested the only result would be something explosive for both parties---."
"---Shut up, Ezra Radcliffe, I know." She looked away and rubbed her forehead. "I know."
With a sigh, she leaned over to her bedstand, ripped open the drawer, and pulled out a small wine bottle.