There is always a choice

  • Thread starter Joanna Silverdale
  • Start date
"Uh huh. I must have been mistaken then. My apologies, m'lady", said Blage with a bright smile. "Now then, m'lady, could you describe the stalker in as much detail as you can?" he now asked, still smiling. "Please, give me as many details of him or her as possible, m'lady."

Outside the room discussed Hans and Jaan.

"You'll think that filthy stalker is found soon enough with Sir Gammon's help?" asked Jaan. "That's not the reason he'll be visiting us for a time being", answered Hans. "What do you mean, sir?" "Blage isn't here to just hunt down and finish off the stalker, if they turn dangerous to Vereesa. He's here to protect her from Lord Elenthras and his loyalists from assaulting or murdering her." "Why didn't you tell her about that, sir?" "It is generally better for Blage if Vereesa weren't knowing of Blage protecting her, because then Blage's knighthood won't be endangered", Hans explained to the dumbfounded armorbearer of his.
 
"I... I never got a look at the person... or... thing." Vereesa said as she tried to remember, but she only remember seeing something big falling from the roof and not actually what it could possibly have been. "I...I'm sorry." She said low and she inclined her head in an apologetic manner. When she felt her leg hurting, she placed her hand against the bandage on her thigh before she carefully sat down while still looking at the floor and she swallowed once. "I'm afraid I can't be of much help." She said with a slightly ashamed voice. The thought of her being returned to Elenthras was constantly in her head and a low sob escaped her lips, despite her best attempts of remaining calm and a few tears ran down her cheeks.
 
"Thank you very much, m'lady. You have been courageous to tell me what you saw. At the very least, you confirmed the presence of a stalker in the grounds of House of Goban. That is indeed very helpful to me. But m'lady, are you hurt? What is this, please let me look at it. I may not look like it, but I know fairly well on how to heal my comrades on battle. Please, m'lady", asked Blage as he noticed the bandage and tears on Vereesa's eyes. He got a little closer to get a better look at it. "May I remove the bandage temporarily and take a look at how severe that cut is?" he asked.
 
She flinched slightly like a frightened dog but then showed a brief nod as he asked if he could see the wound. "O-okay." She stuttered in a hesitant manner while she held her hands over her heart. Underneath the bandage was a cut that had without a doubt been done by a finely crafted blade and not a simple merchant blade. "W-what do you think of L-lord Elenthras?" She asked, the realization if what she had just asked came up to her and she swallowed once, her heart beating miles a minute.
 
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Blage took a good look at the wound and noticed a piece of metal inside it. "Ah-ha! No wonder you're in pain, m'lady. It is because of the tip of the sword that made this wound. Let me see if I can take it out. I'm terribly sorry for all the pain this may cause, but I still request you to sit still, m'lady", he took out his dagger, put it in the wound carefully and tilted the sword tip slightly. "Please sit as still as you can, m'lady, because it will be over soon..." Blage said extremely focused to removing the sword tip with as little pain as possible. He removed the armored glove from his left hand and pinched the sword tip between his thumb and index finger. In the blink of an eye, he withdrew both his dagger and the sword tip from the wound at lightning speed!
 
Vereesa sat completely still, a pained and surprised whimper escaped her lips as he pulled out the tip of the sword. The tip had a jagged shape and there was only one group of people who possessed such blades, Elenthras' most trusted guards. She looked at the sword tip and her face became paler as she was certain that she had now met her doom. She couldn't say anything either as she was in such a shock.
 
"Don't worry... it's over. It's all over now..." said Blage with a relieved expression on his face. He pulled Vereesa towards him into an embrace for a short time. "You have been brave. You have been so brave, m'lady, that I do not know what to say. You have come through many hardships and you still keep on going. Even Lady Luck's on your side, m'lady. See this sword tip? It hasn't got rust in it, even though it is merely iron. That means your leg is in no way infected and all that there is to do is patch you up!" he said cheerfully and bandaged Vereesa's leg. "Now if I could hear how you felt, I would be very much obliged!" Blage asked her.
 
Vereesa blinked a few times in surprise as he embraced her and her cheeks turned bright red before she answered the embrace and carefully wrapped her arms around his waist while the side of her head rested against his chest. "I-it feels much better now, t-thank you." She stuttered shyly.
 
After Vereesa had said that, the guestroom door opens and Hans peeks in. "Are you about done there, Vereesa? Didn't you have somewhere to go with a certain someone tagging along by your side?" Hans reminded her. "Yes indeed, Miss Vereesa, we really should go when the tailor's workshop is still open", said Jaan as well, awaiting on the front door. "M'lady, I'm terribly sorry for keeping you from returning to your duties. I sincerely hope that your life is at ease now at least a little bit", apologized Blage with a bow.
 
"O...oh! Uhm yes, of course sir H-Hans, forgive me." Vereesa stuttered and her face now turned bright red in embarrassment. "T...There is no need to apologize, sir Blage. A-and... thank you for... helping me with my leg." She said and inclined her head as he bowed, her hands resting over her pelvis and she looked down at the floor as she then bowed towards Hans and then went over to Jaan. "S-shall we?" She asked before she went outside and she'd then start to walk to the town of Serian while she thought about the embrace, seeming a bit confused but intrigued at the same time, she truly had not expected to be embraced, that was for sure!
 
After they had left, Hans closed the door. "What are you going to do now, Hans? You're harboring a maid of another master in your household, even though you know there will be consequences", said Blage with his usually happy-go-lucky face molten into a concerned frown and a furrowed brow. "What are you going to do about it, Blage?" asked Hans calmly. "Nothing. All I am giving to you is a word to the wise: there is evidence that she is the runaway maid", said Blage and held the tip of the sword in front of Hans' face. "I trust you to get rid of it the best way possible", said Hans as calm as ever. "Fine with me, but don't think I'm doing this because of her safety. I'm doing this since we have been friends ever since", said Blage with an indifferent tone. "So if we never had met and you'd encounter Vereesa, you'd deliver her back to Elenthras?" asked Hans with fists slightly clenched. "It would be my duty as a knight to do so", Blage countered. "Yes..." said Hans slowly, "yes, it would."

While walking outside, Jaan tried to strike up a conversation. "So, um... how do you like Sir Hans Goban? I think he's the most protective man and the best master any servant could ever have, but I haven't really had any other master, so... well, that's how I think of him!"
 
"H-he's really kind, he's nothing like Lord Elenthras... or well... not of how he is now, but he reminds me of how Lord Elenthras used to be." Vereesa said as she looked at the ground and then up at Jaan and she smiled briefly. "Sir Hans seems like a really nice person with a good heart." She said before she looked at the ground in a thoughtful manner. She still had a slight limp as she walked but it had improved a lot after the tip of the sword was removed from her thigh. "What... what do you know about sir Blage?" She asked curiously as she looked back up at Jaan.
 
"Oh! Sir Gammon is always the most honored guest in the House of Goban. He is always smiling to everyone he meets and frankly, I'm surprised if there'd be a day when he didn't smile! He is one of the healers among the knights and has this Katzbalger, his sword, with him that would allow him to fully heal a person except if they're dead or the number on its guard reaches zero. He can only heal eight people per day with that enchanted sword of his! I'd hate to be the ninth wounded soldier on the battlefield. He also can heal without the sword well and as many times as he needs to. He is the brother of Lady Priscilla and Lady Paige of the Gammon household and loves them over anything else! That used to be the reason to most of his visits until now, you know, with Lord Elenthras going all bonkers as you said and his guards lurking about, you know? So he has come to live temporarily under our roof so he could protect you from any and all threats you might face, so you really don't need to worry about sir Gammon. He is just like Sir Hans! By the way, I'm very excited to finally having to start working with you. We're colleagues now! Work comrades! How do you like that, Miss Vereesa?" Jaan finished another one of his total silence -inducing speeches.
 
"Eh? To protect me?" Vereesa asked and her eyes narrowed in a confused manner. "I... I thought he was just there to ask me about the stalker." She then said as she stopped and she looked at Jaan before she looked over her shoulder in the direction of the Goban household, she felt anxiety growing inside of her, she didn't want more people to be harmed because of her and she now feared of what would happen if Elenthras ever found out about where she were.
 
wolf slowly climbs out of the bushes and holds his arm. "this is bad my right arm is broken" looks over and sees guards running his way yelling at him. " great this not what i needed" pulles out a short sword with his left arm and prepares to fight.
 
Vereesa raised an eyebrow slightly as she heard some shouting coming from the guards back at the household and she turned her upper body slightly. "Should we go back there to see what's happening?" She asked as she turned her head to look at Jaan.
 
"Augh! I blathered again, didn't I? You were not supposed to know so that Sir Gammon's knighthood wouldn't be endangered, Miss Vereesa! I'm so sorry! Please do not tell either sir, please! But um... we really shouldn't return if they've found the stalker. I'm sure both sirs do their best in teaching not to soil our soil with their filthy feet! But, you could be in danger if we return now and the stalker is still there", Jaan said, a bit embarrassed to have let it slip, but then changing the subject at the best possible opportunity.

Back at the mansion, Blage stopped the guards from advancing, saying: "He is mine for violating the privacy of my friend's property." He stepped up and pulled out his Katzbalger sword, readying it and said: "If you would kindly explain your business in the private property of my friend and promise to leave at once and never return after that, I will let you leave in peace."
 
Vereesa looked at Jaan before she looked towards the household again and she frowned in a conflicted manner, her hands tightly clenching over her heart. "But what of it is one of -his- men? I-I can't just leave them." She thought to herself and she swallowed once.

Priscilla raised an eyebrow as she stepped outside and when she saw the commotion. "Hans? Blage? What is going on?" She asked but kept a distance so that she wasn't in line of sight for an attack.
 
"Ah, you forget that both sirs also work for Lord Elenthras, Miss Vereesa! Besides, it is more of a reason I can't let you return while the situation is still underway", Jaan objected. "Besides, not to insult you in any way Miss Vereesa, but what would you do if you returned? Give yourself to them so that either of the sirs wouldn't be harmed? That I cannot allow, Miss Vereesa", Jaan said and suddenly clutched onto Vereesa's arm. "I do not want to lose my fellow servant now that I have one, so let's move on to 'Sow, Sew, Shaun' to get Master Shaun to make you that dress", he insisted.

Back at the mansion, Hans stood on guard on the front porch. "Please return inside for your own safety, my love", he asked Lady Priscilla. Meanwhile, circled by the guards, the stalker and Sir Blage Gammon stood with their weapons drawn. "Do you not understand me, stranger?" Blage asked the stalker.
 
"But..." Vereesa started but then silenced herself, she flinched a bit as Jaan clutched her arm, as if the gesture brought back a memory and she swallowed once. "O-okay.." She then said and she clenched her free hand over her heart.

Priscilla looked at the guards and then at Hans before she took a step back to head inside again, she knew better then to argue with Hans in a situation like this.