Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2023 22:46:37 GMT -5
[ For @drystan ]
Xanthe had lasted a full season as Adeline's handmaiden. At the beginning of Autumna, she hadn't even known what exactly that was. Now she knew it wasn't much more than a personal servant, but Xanthe wasn't sure she could complain about that. Adeline seemed to be one of the least worst of the Eldouirs, all things considered. She could be reasonable, merciful. She listened, and while the way she scrunched her nose up in disgust often irritated Xanthe, she also knew that it could be much, much worse. She could have been sent to the Eldouir that trained the Dresmondi soldiers. Sent to be broken and put back together a hundred times. Or babysitter to the plethora of half-Eldouir, half-Dresmondi children with their frightening gifts.
No, Adeline was certainly not the worst. And occasionally, she had so little going on that Xanthe found herself with whatever kind of free time a bird trapped in a cage might have.
She'd wanted to work. To touch her fingers to leather, to inhale the smell of it, to feel normal for the first time since tribute. But it wasn't to be. Instead, she found herself fleeing to the halls. She had no idea where Adeline had gone to. The Eldouir were possessive, that much she knew, and if the Queen knew one of the young Eldouir men were trying to hurt her, she might actually help Xanthe. That didn't matter if Xanthe couldn't find her, though.
"This way," Savi said, slipping around the corner of one hall into another. "Look, there." They both spotted it, a door slightly inset from the wall. It was more ornate than most, but they didn't have time to focus on that. They needed the safety that the walls around the door held. Savi slipped into the space first, and Xanthe pressed her back against it. She could hear the footsteps of the kid looking for her and accidentally pressed down on the knob. The door swung open and she stumbled back into the room, caught herself as Savi scurried inside, closed the door quickly, and pressed her ear to it to see if the noise had drawn the young man toward her.
"Xanthe, get out, now," Savi said, a stream of frightened, urgent warnings washing over her.
I think he's going away, she told him, but Savi hadn't been talking about the man outside the door.
No, Adeline was certainly not the worst. And occasionally, she had so little going on that Xanthe found herself with whatever kind of free time a bird trapped in a cage might have.
She'd wanted to work. To touch her fingers to leather, to inhale the smell of it, to feel normal for the first time since tribute. But it wasn't to be. Instead, she found herself fleeing to the halls. She had no idea where Adeline had gone to. The Eldouir were possessive, that much she knew, and if the Queen knew one of the young Eldouir men were trying to hurt her, she might actually help Xanthe. That didn't matter if Xanthe couldn't find her, though.
"This way," Savi said, slipping around the corner of one hall into another. "Look, there." They both spotted it, a door slightly inset from the wall. It was more ornate than most, but they didn't have time to focus on that. They needed the safety that the walls around the door held. Savi slipped into the space first, and Xanthe pressed her back against it. She could hear the footsteps of the kid looking for her and accidentally pressed down on the knob. The door swung open and she stumbled back into the room, caught herself as Savi scurried inside, closed the door quickly, and pressed her ear to it to see if the noise had drawn the young man toward her.
"Xanthe, get out, now," Savi said, a stream of frightened, urgent warnings washing over her.
I think he's going away, she told him, but Savi hadn't been talking about the man outside the door.