The Contessa's Secret

With so much grinning, her cheeks were going to be sore! This time she let herself linger with his kiss. Moving her mouth against his with a curious test of pressure before breaking away with a dreamy sigh. It definitely wasn't like childhood. So much better!

Celine shifted her weight so she could lean on one elbow. Her free hand was then able to gently brush against his cheek and mouth. Exploring the contours of his face and lightly tapping on the tip of his nose. As children she never really noticed or thought about whether or not he was cute or good looking. But here as adults, seeing him against for the first time in years she could appreciate how he had grown older and change. Skylar had a boyish charm and casual handsomeness. He wasn't dressed up all over primped like lords of the court, nor was he all grizzled and serious like many of the castle guards.

"It was lonely here without you." she confessed, a small smile across her face. "I was afraid you'd stay in the city and forget all about me." In fact, she was very pleased that he hadn't. To know he always thought of her gave her all of the right kind of warm fuzzy feelings. Celine brushed her fingers over his mouth before leaning to nuzzle her nose against his cheek.
 
He pushed back at the press of her lips before she pulled back, and released her enough so she could shift her weight. He shifted her over a bit more so they were laying closely side by side. He'd always thought of her as pretty, but just as a description of her. He'd never felt this way about anybody else, and smirked as she tapped his nose, wrinkling it in response.

When her fingers passed over his mouth, he gently caught them in his hand and kissed them gently. "Who could ever forget you? Especially their only friend in the world. And such a pretty friend as that..." he added, teasing her a bit. He rubbed his cheek against her face, humming to her.

Skylar felt like he could stay there forever, but he'd gotten so little sleep the past few days that he was thoroughly exhausted. He closed his eyes as they snuggled together, and eventually drifted off, his arm still around her, and his nose buried in her hair.
 
Luck must of been on their side. With it being so comfortable being curled up with Skylar, Celine had fallen asleep as well for most of the day. Thankfully, because everyone was so concerned about making sure she didn't leave the castle, no one was concerned about where in the castle she was located.

For the next several days, Celine made it a daily habit to visit Skylar. Usually it came with some tasty for lunch and a game to play. And more often than not, the game was ignored in favor of curling up in bed or on a chair to tell stories, laugh, and her most favorite.. snuggling! Snuggling had never been a forefront desire in Celine's mind before, but lately all she could find herself thinking about was the next time she could be alone with Skylar and sneak a kiss.

Then Celine was forced to share. Once Skylar's foot was healed well enough, he was summoned back to sentry work around the castle. Though she hadn't minded the days where Edward would be around, now that Skylar was needed for guard duty again, that meant no more long leisurely days of being silly.

On the bright side, Celine was very glad Skylar could walk again. And if he could walk, that meant she could lure him away so long as no one was watching and caught them.

Skipping down the halls, she spotted both Skylar and Edward with their back to her whilst they made their rounds. Quiet as she could (which was sadly, not as quiet as she hoped) Celine snuck up behind them. As soon as she was within reaching distance, she poked both of them in the back and squeaked as loud as she could to startle them. She had to keep guards on their toes, after all!
 
Ed and Skylar both turned and grinned at her. Though they hadn't been expecting the poke, they'd definitely heard her coming. Ed, being the good friend he was, kept watch so his friend could sneak an almost hungry kiss, having been missing her all that day. After that, he greeted the Contessa in his polite, but always friendly way.

"Greetings, Contessa, we were just headed up to the main parapet so I can give starry-eyes hear a little refresher on sentry duty. He hasn't been able to see past those sparkles for over a week! I swear, the other day he was daydreaming of you and almost kissed his own moose!" he teased, a wicked grin lighting up his face.

"Oh, stuff it Ed! I did not!" Skylar laughed, giving his friend a playful shove with one arm, his other still lingering around Celine's waist. "But truthfully, Celine, we are headed up for sentry duty now, if you wanted to tag along for a bit..." he offered. He knew she thought sentry duty was the most boring post of all, but he liked it because no one bothered them or came wandering past. Plus, his foot was still quite sore, to the point of limping even, so it gave him a chance to rest it.
 
"That poor moose...!" Celine could all too easily imagine Skylar kissing a moose, so she wasn't sure if it was a joke or not. Either way, the thought had her smiling wide, clinging her arms around Skylar's waist in a manner that would probably have Angus choking on his own beard if he came shuffling down the hall and caught them. Celine didn't care at all if they were caught. She loved Skylar and would prefer the world to know... but he didn't seem to share the same sentiment. He wanted it a secret for now, and Celine understood secrets better than he realized.

"I'll join you then!" she chimed, disentangling herself from Skylar to go skipping ahead of them and lead the way. "We can fling things and see if we can make pictures in the snow. I think I have a whole bucket of walnuts hidden up there somewhere."
 
The friends grinned at each other as they followed her up to the parapet. At least it wouldn't be a boring duty today.

When the three made it up to the parapet, Ed and Skylar relieved the other guards up there, and then Skylar blew the two short bursts on the horn mounted to the wall to signal the changing of the guard. After all that was done, Ed took the first watch, and Skylar had fifteen minutes to kiss and hug his Contessa, and he wasted no time at all doing so.

Ed smirked at them, and pulled out his wooden flute to entertain himself as he kept watch.

Next to the horn was a simple telescope mounted in much the same way. It could swivel to match the entire range of view of the sentry, though the guards barely used it, as it was very fatiguing to look through for hours on end. Instead, it was there just in case they spotted something while they were scanning, and wanted to get a better view.
 
Celine had her arms wrapped around Skylar's neck, nuzzling his cheek and giggling to herself. Such public displays of affection probably weren't respectable, but Celine rarely ever followed the rules on what a Lady was to Do and Not Do. The air was chilly, but she was dressed comfortably in heaven velvets and with the arms of a handsome guard wrapped neatly around her waist.

"Do you remember when it snowed several feet and we climbed out on to the roof? Then you slipped and fell below in the snowbank and I had to ask the Captain to come and dig you out? But by then you had made a tunnel through the snow and came out through the front gardens?" Celine was so afraid he had been smashed to a million pieces or a frozen ice cube that she cried all the way until Skylar made a sudden reappearance. Afterwards, she was never able to stop laughing about it and always wanted to give it a try herself.
 
Skylar laughed at the memory. "The snow in the bank fell in on top of me and I couldn't figure out which way was up! I was just as surprised as everyone else when I finally got out of there. And I caught a bad chill and you practically wrapped me like a mummy and practically held my feet in the flames until I was better," he teased her, kissing and nibbling at her neck. It was so smooth and graceful and warm, he soon got a bit carried away with it and gave her a bit of a love mark from his attentions.

Edward finally cleared his throat loudly, which roused Skylar from his trance.

"Your turn, lover boy," he grinned down at his friend cheekily.

Skylar groaned and stood up reluctantly, giving Celine one more peck on the lips before taking up his post.

Ed grinned as he walked over to where Celine was. "Sorry I'm maybe not as pleasant company as Skylar, but would you like to hear me play?" he offered jokingly with a bow, still twirling his flute in his fingers.
 
"You're always pleasant, Mister Edward." Celine responded with a grin. She moved a few paces to the side, adjusting her skirts as she hopped up on to the railing wall to have a seat. Everyone always fussed at her for sitting somewhere so dangerous, but it wasn't her who had a history of falling off of things.

"I'd love to hear to song. Something really cheerful and sweet!" Celine kicked her feet back and forth, running her fingers through curls of hair resting over one shoulder. Edward was indeed very pleasant, and though he was not Skylar himself, at least Edward was a joy to talk to in the mean time. It was easy to understand why Skylar was so attached to him. He had a sense of humor and an easy countenance that so few of the other guards shared.
 
"Of course! Whatever my lady wishes!" he said with another bow. Bringing the flute up to his mouth, he trilled a cheerful tune that seemed to make the reluctant sun peek out from behind the clouds to enjoy it.

Skylar smiled as he listened, and he was glad for the music, as it helped him focus on his duty instead of daydreaming about Celine. He scanned the grounds all around the castle and up to the tree line, even up into the branches of the first row of trees. Spotting movement and summarily dismissing them as he recognized them. Squirrel, cardinal, badger, huntsman, grooms, horses, moose. Oh, they're taking Birger out for his runoff. Good.

He watched his mount on a lead rope behind another mount and guard who were going on patrol. He was glad his mount could get out even though he couldn't.

By now, Ed had finished his gay song and launched into some stories about he and Skylar at the college. He kept them clean, for Celine's benefit. No sense horrifying the young lady and corrupting her with some of the ribald hijinx that went on in a school full of boys.
 
Celine listened to the tales with eager intent. Never failing to ask questions, especially when she knew there were details here and there that were left out. She was sure Edward and Skylar had their secret code of male bonding. Where they didn't divulge the little tidbits to the rest of the world. And it always made her all the more curious. Being over inquisitive was probably her most troublesome quality.


Meanwhile, while the majority of the guard were out to patrol or exercise the animals, it left the castle and it's immediate grounds almost devoid of people. The air was silent and crisp, aside from Celine's occasional giggles and Edwards jovial story telling. This left the perfect opportunity for the castle's secret inhabitants to move around.

Inching slowly out from a hidden door was an elderly dwarf. He warily peeked around, being sure that no one was walking near the outer walls of the castle. He had somewhere he needed to be, or else he'd have never dared to sneak out during broad daylight. Once he believed the coast was clear, he intrepidly started shuffling out in to the snow to make his way towards the forest.

Celine seemed to be at the perfect angle to see. It was with luck that Edward hadn't been facing in her direction, as her entire face froze in worry! That big idiot, this is a terrible time to sneak away! When Edward turned back her face was smiling again, if still a little worried. She tried to look as nonchalant as possible, even while she kept an eye on the dwarf's progress. He is almost to the forest... Oh... run faster! You'll make it!
 
Just before Skylar would have seen him, he turned to Ed, finishing his turn at post.

"Your turn, Ed. You'll have to finish your story later," he interrupted.

Ed broke off his story and stepped up to the wall with a grin, which immediately faded. "Skylar, what's that?"

Skylar had seen Celine's face and was about to ask her what was wrong when Ed called him. He looked, then his head whipped back to Celine, hoping that what he was seeing wasn't true.

Ed, meanwhile, after grabbing the telescope to confirm what he was seeing, blew a long, strong warning blast through the trumpet. An intruder!

The grounds outside the castle burst into life, with guards streaming in from the forests on mounts and out from the walls on foot, all of them carrying rifles with bayonets affixed.

"Stop! Stop or I'll shoot!" one of the guards cried out above the noise.

The dwarf, in a panic, tried to hurry his speed through the snow, trying to make it to the forest.

A shot rang out, and all was instantly, deathly silent.

The old dwarf lay in a twisted heap in the snow, dark pellets of shot and burnt powder dotting the area around him, and a small pool of blood began to spread from under him.

The guards were frozen, now unsure what to do. Only Edward wore a smirk of satisfaction at the sight.
 
"Stop...!" Even as she said it, Edward already blew the horn. Celine was left leaning over the balcony watching in horror as the dwarf tried to run faster. The shouts of the guardsmen trying to get him to still. He was so close! Then... POW! The dwarf stumbled and went down.

Celine broke away from the balcony, pushing past Skylar in her rush to leave the parapet. She couldn't hear him calling her name. She couldn't hear anything outside of the gunshot still ringing in her ears. Down the stairs she went, not stopping to answer anyone's curious queries or glances.

"Celine, do not-" It was Angus' voice. Celine passed him in the main hall and he managed to snag her arm. In a furious huff she wretched her arm free and continued on. Angus struggling to keep up with the small fleeing Contessa.

She finally made it outside, trudging through the ice and snow to the clearing where several confused and baffled guardsmen were standing around wondering what they should do next. One was already kneeling in the snow next to the dwarf.

Celine stopped suddenly. So pale and so furious, her hands were balled up in to fists at her sides. Her shoulders shaking. "This is... this is WRONG! It is murder and it's... WRONG!" she choked out in a sob. She pointed a finger at the guardsmen holding weapons. "You don't it again! You won't ever do it again! I forbid it and won't allow it!"

"Contessa." Angus said firmly, near out of breath.

"But it's WRONG." She responded, weakly. Tears were streaming down her face now and she cast another glittering glance at the small form that was once a welcomed guest to her home. By now a thick red stain had spread underneath the body, leaving a grim red blotch over the snow. Celine felt dizzy... nauseated. One moment she was shoving Angus away and the next she was tilting dead away in a faint!
 
Skylar called after her and tried to chase her, limping on his sore foot. It seemed to take him forever to reach the yard, but he could hear her screaming long before he could see her. When he reached the yard, his foot felt like it was on fire, but he pushed on through the snow.

She was hysterical, screaming at the guards, who looked even more confused now. Wasn't that their job? Why was she mad at them? They looked at each other, trying to come up with an answer, or an excuse or anything.

Skylar was almost to the end of his strength when he saw her faint away into the snow. He fell to his knees next to her and lifted her upper body into his lap and out of the snow, carefully brushing the white powder from her face and hair.

"Cover up the body and remove it," came a voice of authority. The appearance of the captain of the guard snapped the bewildered guards from their stupor. "Take it out to the woods and burn it."

They did as they were ordered, silently and with respect to the creature the Contessa had shown such worry for.

"Guard Skylar, you shouldn't be running about and in the snow with that foot," the captain said, turning to Skylar as the few guards left behind cleaned up the snow and removed all trace of the offending sight for the Contessa.

"Yes sir, I know sir, but...it was my fault. She saw the shot. She was up on the parapet with Guard Edward and myself..." he admitted reluctantly, still holding his Contessa, cradling her in his lap. He didn't dare look up at the Captain with his eyes wet like they were, struggling to hold back the tears.

The captain clearly was not impressed to hear that, but said nothing more about it. For now. He quickly assigned another guard to replace Skylar for sentry duty before turning to the pair again.

"Take the Contessa to her room and watch over her. Let the healer know if she needs any draughts, and get your foot checked. And you are to come to me as soon as you are available, Guard Skylar," he said bluntly.

"Yes sir," Skylar responded woodenly. Carefully picking up Celine, he carried her back inside, limping painfully. On his way, he stole a glance up at Ed, still high in the parapet, watching the scene.
 
Angus watched the young guard leave with the Contessa. Turning to the Captain with a slight scowl riddling his wrinkled features. "This will not sit well with her, Captain. I am afraid we will have a problem."

The Captain nodded. "Indeed. Have you taken my suggestions in to consideration? The Contessa was far too young to be left with such a responsibility so soon on her own."

Angus' snort preceded his response. "Aye. It will not go over well either. But there is little else that can be done now. I will make the arrangements."

~~~

Celine awoke some time later, finding herself in her own bed. She sat up with a start, the entire outside scene playing over again in her head. In a blast and a second a life was taken, leaving nothing but blood and broken hearts behind. That dwarf had a family and friends. He was a person, and now he was gone. All for no worthy reason! Her face fell in to her hands as she began crying again. Her shoulders shaking with every sniffle.
 
Skylar bolted up from his chair where he was watching her, grabbing his crutch and moving quickly to her.

"Celine!" he begged her softly. "Celine, please don't cry. Please. Please talk to me..." He sat on the bed and pulled her into his lap, holding her and stroking her hair comfortingly. "Celine, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."

It was killing him to see her so upset. He felt responsible and guilty. If only he hadn't been on duty. If only he'd seen it and not Ed. If only...

"Gods, Celine, please..." he begged again, his own voice breaking as he held back tears.



Elsewhere, Ed was coming off sentry duty. After asking around, he found that Skylar was still tending to the Contessa. So, he went to his barracks instead, and sat down to write a letter.
 
Celine cried against his shoulder, trying so hard to still her sobbing. But every moment she thought she finally had it under control, she would see the dwarf stumbling face first in to the snow, with blood splattered in every direction. Her hands curled in to his clothes, clinging desperately and willing for the entire thing to just be erased away from her mind!

"His... his name was Belgrim and he has s-six children an- and a dozen grand children... and he was nice and so brave..!" she choked out against his shirt, her face buried against his chest. Celine muttered several other things about the dwarf, sniffling in between each or breaking in to another round of sobbing.

Though it took some time and a lot of rocking in Skylar's arms, Celine had to finally force herself to stop her crying. Tears were still streaming down her face, even as she muttered an apology for getting Skylar's shirt all wet. Patting the spot with a hand, as she finally sat up straight in his lap.

"It's all my fault... I said he would be safe here. And now he's gone..."
 
So it was true. "Celine..." he said, not sure what else to say. He knew how well-meaning she'd been, how good her heart was, how wrong the king was, and also how foolish an action it had been. What could he say? He reached over to her bedside table and picked up the draught the healer had left. "The healer left this here for you. He said it would help calm your nerves and allow you to rest. I think...I think you should take it. I need to talk to the captain...but I want to make sure that you're okay before I go..."

He looked down at her red, tear-stained face and wanted to grieve himself. The joyful innocence in her face, that was gone now. He would've done anything to keep the harsh realities of the world from her, and the first time he was tested, he'd failed. Tears swam in his eyes.

"Celine, I'm so sorry...for your friend, for you..." He choked up then, and could do nothing else but kiss her, wanting just for one moment that all could be right with the world again. He kissed her deeply, then let her go, laying her gently on the bed again and smoothing her hair before picking up the crutch again. "I've got to go. You stay here, and I'll be back later to see you, alright? You just rest..." He pressed the tiny bottle into her hand and turned, heading out the door and down to the captain's office.
 
Celine curled up in bed, looking at the small vial of draught in her hands. There was no way she could sleep now. Even with the draught, Celine was sure she would have nothing but nightmares. How could she ever sleep again, knowing the the safety she promised the magical people was nothing more than an empty lie? She couldn't hide them here to keep them safe... She had to do something more...

Tossing her blanket aside, Celine left the draught sitting on her bedside table. She was without shoes, but she knew that more was something that she definitely needed her to do. Angus wanted her to be more responsible. The castle was hers and she was supposed to protect and care for everyone inside it! It was high time she lived up to her title and did so.

So Celine marched her way for the guards' barracks. She would address all of the men and make sure not a single soul was hurt on her property and then she intended to take her complaints straight to the King himself.
 
Skylar knocked on the door of the captain's office before allowing himself in.

"Guard Skylar reporting as ordered, sir," he said, saluting and standing as straight as he could on his crutch.

"At your ease, Skylar," the captain sighed, coming around his desk to lean back against it while they spoke.

"The Contessa's awake now, sir. She's still very upset, but she's calm now. The healer left a draught for her and he wants me to use the crutch for the rest of the day. It's just a strained muscle..." he reported.

"How long have you and the Contessa been sharing affections for each other?"

That stopped him short. Skylar hadn't expected him to be quite so blunt or forward about it. He stared at his feet, turning a deep red.

"LOOK AT ME, GUARD SKYLAR!" he ordered, pounding the desk. "I said, how long?!"

Skylar's head snapped up. "Since the first day, sir. When I was in the infirmary..." he confessed, struggling to keep his eyes up to his captain.

"Have you had relations with her?" he asked sternly.

THAT got Skylar's attention. "Sir, no sir!" he answered quickly. "I would never, I mean, not if she didn't want to, I mean..." he flubbed on, trying to dig himself out of his hole. "I haven't sir. She didn't want it, or was even thinking about it, and I never pressed her..."

The captain sighed and relaxed slightly. "You know this is a very foolish, and very dangerous game you're playing, Skylar. You seem to have forgotten your place in this household. You are a guard. And this is not a childhood crush. You have a job to do and by the gods, you're to DO IT! IS THAT UNDERSTOOD!"

Skylar's heart fell out the bottom of his feet, and he swallowed hard. "Y-yes sir. I understand..." he said dejectedly.

The captain sighed, resting his hand on the young man's shoulder. "We're in a very delicate position, son. You know that now, especially after what happened today. We are sworn to uphold the king's laws, but we need to protect the Contessa as well. I am loyal to her, just as I was loyal to her father. But, we have to do what's best for her, especially when she's not doing it for herself. You getting caught up with her will only complicate things. You're to have no further direct contact with her until further notice. Understood?"

Skylar couldn't look at him. He couldn't speak. He understood the precarious position, but what the captain was asking him was impossible! He nodded dumbly, staring at his shoes.

The captain patted his shoulder, dismissing him. "Go ahead back to the barracks. Rest your foot."

"Yessir..." Skylar mumbled, turning and limping out of the office.


Back at the barracks, all the guards were buzzing. The Contessa had just left after screaming and ranting again about not hurting anyone they found on the property. But, true to Celine, she hadn't told them what they were supposed to do then. What about the king's law? They couldn't let these creatures go running rampant all over the castle!

Skylar ignored all of this, and headed straight for his room. Ed was in there at the desk and looked up when his friend entered. He opened his mouth to say something, but Skylar put up his hand to stop him. He didn't want to hear or talk to anyone. Without a word, he climbed into bed and turned his face to the wall.
 
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