Chapter 36
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"Why wouldn't I? I was never going to find a husband at court. I'm a third daughter. The only thing I can do is find a good husband and without that I thought, why not an adventure? That was the prince? He doesn't look like his portrait," Haribit hooked her arm through Isilla's and began leading her through the garden as she spoke.
It's not the same prince, things are complicated. Did you leave right away that day, she wrote, her letters messy but still legible.
Haribit nodded. "They pushed us right back into the carriage and turned it around. Someone met us at the border and took us the rest of the way back home. It took about a week of nonstop travel and almost as soon as I got back, the letter came from the prince for you to receive new maids. I only just arrived here a few days ago."
Days? Why are we just seeing each other, she scribbled.
"Calm down!" Harbit laughed. "I had to be shown your new rooms and learn all the duties of a Lady in Waiting. I guess I'm not really a maid. I'm supposed to accompany you to formal events and help with minor duties like picking out jewelry. Which sounds like a maid but with less work."
Isilla laughed as they leafy awning. Servants were placing dishes the table that waited under it, the smell of the meal making Isilla's stomach growl.
Haribit sat at the table, Isilla next to her.
"Tell me everything, starting with that thing," Haribit ordered pointing at Ilun.
Ilun sat next to Isilla, patiently waiting as the servants finished their work. One of them lowered a large tray filled with eggs and meats onto the ground for the animal, slightly away from where the woman sat. Ilun nearly bounced as he trotted over to it and began eating.
He's a nightmare and my pet, Isilla wrote.
"A nightmare? From where?"
Isilla watched as the servants left, leaving them alone. I have a lot to tell you but you have to keep it secret, she wrote.
"Of course," Haribit said picking up her fork, waiting.
Isilla began to write, explaining the change in her marriage, the strange powers. She started from the point where she had last seen Haribit and tried to lay everything out in order between bites of food.
Haribit nodded as she read, asking questions here and there but following closely, taking it all in.
"So that's the Prince's younger brother. Who is also the Lord of All Shadows who our nannies have been telling us scary stories about since we were old enough to walk," Harbit asked as Isilla took a bite of her food.
Isilla nodded.
"I thought he would be older," Harbit said.
He's older than us, Isilla wrote helpfully.
"He would have had to do all that stuff when he was, I don't know, eight?"
Five, she corrected.
"He's not as handsome as his brother," Haribit said changing the subject.
Isilla thought about it, comparing them. No, I suppose he's not. But his brother isn't as, I don't know, honest? Yes, Lehan is not very honest, there's something false in him. Arren is very honest.
"So you like him then? What of the man who wrote your letters? What if you like him as well?"
Isilla blushed. I don't know, she wrote. I thought I knew, that my feelings were clear but lately Arren has been, her pen stilled, the words escaping her, different.
"Let me fix your hair. Different how?"
Isilla sighed as Haribit began to remove the pins that held her tresses back. He was very cold to me at first but now, he is not, all the time, she wrote, her words slightly disjointed as she tried to piece together an explanation that Haribit would understand.
"You've seen him, in the dreams, yes? What is he like there?" she asked, practical and to the point.
Like he was today, Isilla answered.
"Then that's how he is, you know that. It hasn't even been two months in this place and you're already losing your head!" Haribit scolded as she pulled the last of the pins and began to unbraid her hair.
I'm happy you're here, she wrote.
"I'm happy too," Haribit's smile in her voice. "I brought you some gifts as well but I can give them to you later. What about the man from the letters?"
Isilla shrugged, I haven't given up on him, I don't think, but he hardly seems real and he might turn out to be someone more like Lehan.
"Well, there is no rush for now, I suppose," Haribit said, finishing off the simple, loose braid, letting it hang over Isilla's shoulder. "When you kissed him it was like he forgot how to talk for a moment," Haribit giggled at the hot blush that ran to Isilla's cheeks. "Is he a good kisser?" she asked, shifting the subject to something simple
Don't be so crass! We've only kissed a few times and I told you, it won't go further than that, she wrote.
"Well? What is it like?"
He is very gentle, she paused, choosing her words carefully. When he kisses me it feels almost like when I read those letters.
"Do you think he wrote them?"
She shook her head, I did for a little while but no, it wasn't him.
"They were so romantic though! My dearest, how I long for you touch. To hold you would fill my world with joy. When I dream, I dream only of you. You are my every waking thought, every moment reminds me of your light and yet, I have never met you," Harbit said, her voice full of emotion as she mimicked the words of one of the letters Isilla had let her read.
I can't believe you remember that, she wrote embarrassed.
Haribit giggled and smiled at her, "Prince Arren doesn't seem so bad. Maybe all of those stories were just stories."
Isilla shook her head. They're true, she wrote, but I don't think they are who he is.
"Who is this?" Elixabete interrupted, "And what are you wearing?"
Isilla turned, looking up into Elixabete's sneering face. Behind her Isilla's three maids cowered, wringing their hands. Ilun growled, lifting himself from his nap to stand by his mistress' side.
Haribit frowned back, unmoved. "My name is Haribit, can I help you?"
Elixabete waved Haribit away, "My things were placed in the wrong room. I'm to have the bedroom with the large sitting room. You are to be on the other side of the wing, Isilla. Tell your maids to correct this."
"I don't think so," Haribit responded before Isilla could lift her pen. "You were given the correct room. And it is Princess Isilla."
The attack came quickly. The air changed, the force of Elixabete's magic aimed directly at Haribit exploded from her being, across the table, splitting it as it passed.
Just as suddenly, Haribit reacted throwing a wall of light between them, the raw state of her own magic, enough to stop the blow. As the shield fell revealing the surprised woman, Ilun leaped across the wreckage, intent on stopping the threat she posed completely.
"Ilun! No!" Isilla shouted pushing up from her seat and grabbing at him as passed, his body pulling hers along. Too late to stop his attack, he changed course, sending both of their bodies tumbling but avoiding Elixabete.
"Isilla!" Haribit called as she rushed to their side. Ilun whined and nudged Isilla with his nose.
"I'm fine," she said to the animal, rubbing her side where she had hit the ground. The air shifted around them again. Ilun growled but this time Haribit was ready and released a wave of light, throwing the woman back into the maids.
"Who do you think you are?" Haribit nearly roared as she stood, fists clenched at her side. "Do you think you can treat Isilla this way because she's kind? Is this how you repay her for saving your life?" she hissed, recalling what Isilla had told her of the girl.
"Elixabete! What have you done?" Vil cried from the path. "Princess Isilla! I'm so sorry, I only left for a few moments to help with the last of her things!" he said as he crossed the distance reaching out his hands to help Isilla to her feet. "She's found something she intends to use against you," he said in a rush before he released her, standing.
She nodded her thanks even as Haribit turned on him. "Is this your lady? Is this how the people of your lands treat one another? Is the Crown so forgiving that it allows the princess to be attacked in her own rooms?"
"It was you I aimed for!" Elixabete yelled back. "And then that beast tried to attack me!"
Isilla held her hand up to quiet Haribit. "Fetch my book, Ilun,"
The animal obliged, sorting through the wreckage of the table to find it. He returned with it clutched in his jaws, her pen held delicately in the beak of his newly sprung head. She took them, the second head striking back into his neck, disappearing beneath his fur. He took his place by her side, alert and ready to attack.
"If you raise your hand against myself or anyone in my care again, I will let Ilun finish with you. I've spared your life twice and I will not do so again. Leave," Haribit read the words that she had written, her voice clear in the still garden.
Frowning, Elixabete turned, leaving behind the ruin she had caused. Vil bowed low and followed her. The maids nervously attempted to do the same as Haribit stopped them.
"Are you three Isilla's maids?" she asked slowly.
They nodded nervously.
"You are too nice to people, Isilla. If you keep following that woman, I'll see that you're all put out on the street," Haribit growled. "Get someone to clean this mess!"
The maids nodded and shuffled out behind her. Ilun began to forage among the broken table for the food that had fallen.
"Just the food!" Isilla called to him. He snorted in response, turning to her with a plate in his mouth. She frowned at him and he dropped it before turning back to his feast.
"Is this how they've been treating you?" Haribit asked her attention focused on Isilla.
She rubbed her hip, pain radiating from her fall and nodded.
"Isilla! Have you told your husband?" Harbit scolded lifting her skirt to see the injury clearly.
Don't tell Arren, she wrote.
"It's just a bruise," Haribit placed her hand over it, her palm radiating warmth for a moment, the pain gone as she removed her hand. "Why not?"
I can't bother him about these things. It's my fault. I told him to let the maid stay on and saved Elixabete. He will be upset if I asked him to step in again, she wrote.
Haribit shook her head. "I think you're wrong."
He was upset before, she wrote remembering how quickly he changed. I'd rather not chance it.
Her friend sighed, "Fine. I've just come here so maybe I don't know. But the way he looked at you, I don't think he would be upset if you came to him for this."
Isilla shook her head. I'm not so sure, yet, she wrote.
Haribit held out her hand, understanding when her friend still needed time, dropping the subject, "I'll show you around!"
Together, they left the garden, Ilun trailing behind them.
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"Why wouldn't I? I was never going to find a husband at court. I'm a third daughter. The only thing I can do is find a good husband and without that I thought, why not an adventure? That was the prince? He doesn't look like his portrait," Haribit hooked her arm through Isilla's and began leading her through the garden as she spoke.
It's not the same prince, things are complicated. Did you leave right away that day, she wrote, her letters messy but still legible.
Haribit nodded. "They pushed us right back into the carriage and turned it around. Someone met us at the border and took us the rest of the way back home. It took about a week of nonstop travel and almost as soon as I got back, the letter came from the prince for you to receive new maids. I only just arrived here a few days ago."
Days? Why are we just seeing each other, she scribbled.
"Calm down!" Harbit laughed. "I had to be shown your new rooms and learn all the duties of a Lady in Waiting. I guess I'm not really a maid. I'm supposed to accompany you to formal events and help with minor duties like picking out jewelry. Which sounds like a maid but with less work."
Isilla laughed as they leafy awning. Servants were placing dishes the table that waited under it, the smell of the meal making Isilla's stomach growl.
Haribit sat at the table, Isilla next to her.
"Tell me everything, starting with that thing," Haribit ordered pointing at Ilun.
Ilun sat next to Isilla, patiently waiting as the servants finished their work. One of them lowered a large tray filled with eggs and meats onto the ground for the animal, slightly away from where the woman sat. Ilun nearly bounced as he trotted over to it and began eating.
He's a nightmare and my pet, Isilla wrote.
"A nightmare? From where?"
Isilla watched as the servants left, leaving them alone. I have a lot to tell you but you have to keep it secret, she wrote.
"Of course," Haribit said picking up her fork, waiting.
Isilla began to write, explaining the change in her marriage, the strange powers. She started from the point where she had last seen Haribit and tried to lay everything out in order between bites of food.
Haribit nodded as she read, asking questions here and there but following closely, taking it all in.
"So that's the Prince's younger brother. Who is also the Lord of All Shadows who our nannies have been telling us scary stories about since we were old enough to walk," Harbit asked as Isilla took a bite of her food.
Isilla nodded.
"I thought he would be older," Harbit said.
He's older than us, Isilla wrote helpfully.
"He would have had to do all that stuff when he was, I don't know, eight?"
Five, she corrected.
"He's not as handsome as his brother," Haribit said changing the subject.
Isilla thought about it, comparing them. No, I suppose he's not. But his brother isn't as, I don't know, honest? Yes, Lehan is not very honest, there's something false in him. Arren is very honest.
"So you like him then? What of the man who wrote your letters? What if you like him as well?"
Isilla blushed. I don't know, she wrote. I thought I knew, that my feelings were clear but lately Arren has been, her pen stilled, the words escaping her, different.
"Let me fix your hair. Different how?"
Isilla sighed as Haribit began to remove the pins that held her tresses back. He was very cold to me at first but now, he is not, all the time, she wrote, her words slightly disjointed as she tried to piece together an explanation that Haribit would understand.
"You've seen him, in the dreams, yes? What is he like there?" she asked, practical and to the point.
Like he was today, Isilla answered.
"Then that's how he is, you know that. It hasn't even been two months in this place and you're already losing your head!" Haribit scolded as she pulled the last of the pins and began to unbraid her hair.
I'm happy you're here, she wrote.
"I'm happy too," Haribit's smile in her voice. "I brought you some gifts as well but I can give them to you later. What about the man from the letters?"
Isilla shrugged, I haven't given up on him, I don't think, but he hardly seems real and he might turn out to be someone more like Lehan.
"Well, there is no rush for now, I suppose," Haribit said, finishing off the simple, loose braid, letting it hang over Isilla's shoulder. "When you kissed him it was like he forgot how to talk for a moment," Haribit giggled at the hot blush that ran to Isilla's cheeks. "Is he a good kisser?" she asked, shifting the subject to something simple
Don't be so crass! We've only kissed a few times and I told you, it won't go further than that, she wrote.
"Well? What is it like?"
He is very gentle, she paused, choosing her words carefully. When he kisses me it feels almost like when I read those letters.
"Do you think he wrote them?"
She shook her head, I did for a little while but no, it wasn't him.
"They were so romantic though! My dearest, how I long for you touch. To hold you would fill my world with joy. When I dream, I dream only of you. You are my every waking thought, every moment reminds me of your light and yet, I have never met you," Harbit said, her voice full of emotion as she mimicked the words of one of the letters Isilla had let her read.
I can't believe you remember that, she wrote embarrassed.
Haribit giggled and smiled at her, "Prince Arren doesn't seem so bad. Maybe all of those stories were just stories."
Isilla shook her head. They're true, she wrote, but I don't think they are who he is.
"Who is this?" Elixabete interrupted, "And what are you wearing?"
Isilla turned, looking up into Elixabete's sneering face. Behind her Isilla's three maids cowered, wringing their hands. Ilun growled, lifting himself from his nap to stand by his mistress' side.
Haribit frowned back, unmoved. "My name is Haribit, can I help you?"
Elixabete waved Haribit away, "My things were placed in the wrong room. I'm to have the bedroom with the large sitting room. You are to be on the other side of the wing, Isilla. Tell your maids to correct this."
"I don't think so," Haribit responded before Isilla could lift her pen. "You were given the correct room. And it is Princess Isilla."
The attack came quickly. The air changed, the force of Elixabete's magic aimed directly at Haribit exploded from her being, across the table, splitting it as it passed.
Just as suddenly, Haribit reacted throwing a wall of light between them, the raw state of her own magic, enough to stop the blow. As the shield fell revealing the surprised woman, Ilun leaped across the wreckage, intent on stopping the threat she posed completely.
"Ilun! No!" Isilla shouted pushing up from her seat and grabbing at him as passed, his body pulling hers along. Too late to stop his attack, he changed course, sending both of their bodies tumbling but avoiding Elixabete.
"Isilla!" Haribit called as she rushed to their side. Ilun whined and nudged Isilla with his nose.
"I'm fine," she said to the animal, rubbing her side where she had hit the ground. The air shifted around them again. Ilun growled but this time Haribit was ready and released a wave of light, throwing the woman back into the maids.
"Who do you think you are?" Haribit nearly roared as she stood, fists clenched at her side. "Do you think you can treat Isilla this way because she's kind? Is this how you repay her for saving your life?" she hissed, recalling what Isilla had told her of the girl.
"Elixabete! What have you done?" Vil cried from the path. "Princess Isilla! I'm so sorry, I only left for a few moments to help with the last of her things!" he said as he crossed the distance reaching out his hands to help Isilla to her feet. "She's found something she intends to use against you," he said in a rush before he released her, standing.
She nodded her thanks even as Haribit turned on him. "Is this your lady? Is this how the people of your lands treat one another? Is the Crown so forgiving that it allows the princess to be attacked in her own rooms?"
"It was you I aimed for!" Elixabete yelled back. "And then that beast tried to attack me!"
Isilla held her hand up to quiet Haribit. "Fetch my book, Ilun,"
The animal obliged, sorting through the wreckage of the table to find it. He returned with it clutched in his jaws, her pen held delicately in the beak of his newly sprung head. She took them, the second head striking back into his neck, disappearing beneath his fur. He took his place by her side, alert and ready to attack.
"If you raise your hand against myself or anyone in my care again, I will let Ilun finish with you. I've spared your life twice and I will not do so again. Leave," Haribit read the words that she had written, her voice clear in the still garden.
Frowning, Elixabete turned, leaving behind the ruin she had caused. Vil bowed low and followed her. The maids nervously attempted to do the same as Haribit stopped them.
"Are you three Isilla's maids?" she asked slowly.
They nodded nervously.
"You are too nice to people, Isilla. If you keep following that woman, I'll see that you're all put out on the street," Haribit growled. "Get someone to clean this mess!"
The maids nodded and shuffled out behind her. Ilun began to forage among the broken table for the food that had fallen.
"Just the food!" Isilla called to him. He snorted in response, turning to her with a plate in his mouth. She frowned at him and he dropped it before turning back to his feast.
"Is this how they've been treating you?" Haribit asked her attention focused on Isilla.
She rubbed her hip, pain radiating from her fall and nodded.
"Isilla! Have you told your husband?" Harbit scolded lifting her skirt to see the injury clearly.
Don't tell Arren, she wrote.
"It's just a bruise," Haribit placed her hand over it, her palm radiating warmth for a moment, the pain gone as she removed her hand. "Why not?"
I can't bother him about these things. It's my fault. I told him to let the maid stay on and saved Elixabete. He will be upset if I asked him to step in again, she wrote.
Haribit shook her head. "I think you're wrong."
He was upset before, she wrote remembering how quickly he changed. I'd rather not chance it.
Her friend sighed, "Fine. I've just come here so maybe I don't know. But the way he looked at you, I don't think he would be upset if you came to him for this."
Isilla shook her head. I'm not so sure, yet, she wrote.
Haribit held out her hand, understanding when her friend still needed time, dropping the subject, "I'll show you around!"
Together, they left the garden, Ilun trailing behind them.
"Why wouldn't I? I was never going to find a husband at court. I'm a third daughter. The only thing I can do is find a good husband and without that I thought, why not an adventure? That was the prince? He doesn't look like his portrait," Haribit hooked her arm through Isilla's and began leading her through the garden as she spoke.It's not the same prince, things are complicated. Did you leave right away that day, she wrote, her letters messy but still legible.Haribit nodded. "They pushed us right back into the carriage and turned it around. Someone met us at the border and took us the rest of the way back home. It took about a week of nonstop travel and almost as soon as I got back, the letter came from the prince for you to receive new maids. I only just arrived here a few days ago."Days? Why are we just seeing each other, she scribbled."Calm down!" Harbit laughed. "I had to be shown your new rooms and learn all the duties of a Lady in Waiting. I guess I'm not really a maid. I'm supposed to accompany you to formal events and help with minor duties like picking out jewelry. Which sounds like a maid but with less work."Isilla laughed as they leafy awning. Servants were placing dishes the table that waited under it, the smell of the meal making Isilla's stomach growl.Haribit sat at the table, Isilla next to her."Tell me everything, starting with that thing," Haribit ordered pointing at Ilun.Ilun sat next to Isilla, patiently waiting as the servants finished their work. One of them lowered a large tray filled with eggs and meats onto the ground for the animal, slightly away from where the woman sat. Ilun nearly bounced as he trotted over to it and began eating.He's a nightmare and my pet, Isilla wrote."A nightmare? From where?"Isilla watched as the servants left, leaving them alone. I have a lot to tell you but you have to keep it secret, she wrote."Of course," Haribit said picking up her fork, waiting.Isilla began to write, explaining the change in her marriage, the strange powers. She started from the point where she had last seen Haribit and tried to lay everything out in order between bites of food.Haribit nodded as she read, asking questions here and there but following closely, taking it all in."So that's the Prince's younger brother. Who is also the Lord of All Shadows who our nannies have been telling us scary stories about since we were old enough to walk," Harbit asked as Isilla took a bite of her food.Isilla nodded."I thought he would be older," Harbit said.He's older than us, Isilla wrote helpfully."He would have had to do all that stuff when he was, I don't know, eight?"Five, she corrected."He's not as handsome as his brother," Haribit said changing the subject.Isilla thought about it, comparing them. No, I suppose he's not. But his brother isn't as, I don't know, honest? Yes, Lehan is not very honest, there's something false in him. Arren is very honest."So you like him then? What of the man who wrote your letters? What if you like him as well?"Isilla blushed. I don't know, she wrote. I thought I knew, that my feelings were clear but lately Arren has been, her pen stilled, the words escaping her, different."Let me fix your hair. Different how?"Isilla sighed as Haribit began to remove the pins that held her tresses back. He was very cold to me at first but now, he is not, all the time, she wrote, her words slightly disjointed as she tried to piece together an explanation that Haribit would understand."You've seen him, in the dreams, yes? What is he like there?" she asked, practical and to the point.Like he was today, Isilla answered."Then that's how he is, you know that. It hasn't even been two months in this place and you're already losing your head!" Haribit scolded as she pulled the last of the pins and began to unbraid her hair.I'm happy you're here, she wrote."I'm happy too," Haribit's smile in her voice. "I brought you some gifts as well but I can give them to you later. What about the man from the letters?"Isilla shrugged, I haven't given up on him, I don't think, but he hardly seems real and he might turn out to be someone more like Lehan."Well, there is no rush for now, I suppose," Haribit said, finishing off the simple, loose braid, letting it hang over Isilla's shoulder. "When you kissed him it was like he forgot how to talk for a moment," Haribit giggled at the hot blush that ran to Isilla's cheeks. "Is he a good kisser?" she asked, shifting the subject to something simpleDon't be so crass! We've only kissed a few times and I told you, it won't go further than that, she wrote."Well? What is it like?"He is very gentle, she paused, choosing her words carefully. When he kisses me it feels almost like when I read those letters."Do you think he wrote them?"She shook her head, I did for a little while but no, it wasn't him."They were so romantic though! My dearest, how I long for you touch. To hold you would fill my world with joy. When I dream, I dream only of you. You are my every waking thought, every moment reminds me of your light and yet, I have never met you," Harbit said, her voice full of emotion as she mimicked the words of one of the letters Isilla had let her read.I can't believe you remember that, she wrote embarrassed.Haribit giggled and smiled at her, "Prince Arren doesn't seem so bad. Maybe all of those stories were just stories."Isilla shook her head. They're true, she wrote, but I don't think they are who he is."Who is this?" Elixabete interrupted, "And what are you wearing?"Isilla turned, looking up into Elixabete's sneering face. Behind her Isilla's three maids cowered, wringing their hands. Ilun growled, lifting himself from his nap to stand by his mistress' side.Haribit frowned back, unmoved. "My name is Haribit, can I help you?"Elixabete waved Haribit away, "My things were placed in the wrong room. I'm to have the bedroom with the large sitting room. You are to be on the other side of the wing, Isilla. Tell your maids to correct this.""I don't think so," Haribit responded before Isilla could lift her pen. "You were given the correct room. And it is Princess Isilla."The attack came quickly. The air changed, the force of Elixabete's magic aimed directly at Haribit exploded from her being, across the table, splitting it as it passed.Just as suddenly, Haribit reacted throwing a wall of light between them, the raw state of her own magic, enough to stop the blow. As the shield fell revealing the surprised woman, Ilun leaped across the wreckage, intent on stopping the threat she posed completely."Ilun! No!" Isilla shouted pushing up from her seat and grabbing at him as passed, his body pulling hers along. Too late to stop his attack, he changed course, sending both of their bodies tumbling but avoiding Elixabete."Isilla!" Haribit called as she rushed to their side. Ilun whined and nudged Isilla with his nose."I'm fine," she said to the animal, rubbing her side where she had hit the ground. The air shifted around them again. Ilun growled but this time Haribit was ready and released a wave of light, throwing the woman back into the maids."Who do you think you are?" Haribit nearly roared as she stood, fists clenched at her side. "Do you think you can treat Isilla this way because she's kind? Is this how you repay her for saving your life?" she hissed, recalling what Isilla had told her of the girl."Elixabete! What have you done?" Vil cried from the path. "Princess Isilla! I'm so sorry, I only left for a few moments to help with the last of her things!" he said as he crossed the distance reaching out his hands to help Isilla to her feet. "She's found something she intends to use against you," he said in a rush before he released her, standing.She nodded her thanks even as Haribit turned on him. "Is this your lady? Is this how the people of your lands treat one another? Is the Crown so forgiving that it allows the princess to be attacked in her own rooms?""It was you I aimed for!" Elixabete yelled back. "And then that beast tried to attack me!"Isilla held her hand up to quiet Haribit. "Fetch my book, Ilun,"The animal obliged, sorting through the wreckage of the table to find it. He returned with it clutched in his jaws, her pen held delicately in the beak of his newly sprung head. She took them, the second head striking back into his neck, disappearing beneath his fur. He took his place by her side, alert and ready to attack."If you raise your hand against myself or anyone in my care again, I will let Ilun finish with you. I've spared your life twice and I will not do so again. Leave," Haribit read the words that she had written, her voice clear in the still garden.Frowning, Elixabete turned, leaving behind the ruin she had caused. Vil bowed low and followed her. The maids nervously attempted to do the same as Haribit stopped them."Are you three Isilla's maids?" she asked slowly.They nodded nervously."You are too nice to people, Isilla. If you keep following that woman, I'll see that you're all put out on the street," Haribit growled. "Get someone to clean this mess!"The maids nodded and shuffled out behind her. Ilun began to forage among the broken table for the food that had fallen."Just the food!" Isilla called to him. He snorted in response, turning to her with a plate in his mouth. She frowned at him and he dropped it before turning back to his feast."Is this how they've been treating you?" Haribit asked her attention focused on Isilla.She rubbed her hip, pain radiating from her fall and nodded."Isilla! Have you told your husband?" Harbit scolded lifting her skirt to see the injury clearly.Don't tell Arren, she wrote."It's just a bruise," Haribit placed her hand over it, her palm radiating warmth for a moment, the pain gone as she removed her hand. "Why not?"I can't bother him about these things. It's my fault. I told him to let the maid stay on and saved Elixabete. He will be upset if I asked him to step in again, she wrote.Haribit shook her head. "I think you're wrong."He was upset before, she wrote remembering how quickly he changed. I'd rather not chance it.Her friend sighed, "Fine. I've just come here so maybe I don't know. But the way he looked at you, I don't think he would be upset if you came to him for this."Isilla shook her head. I'm not so sure, yet, she wrote.Haribit held out her hand, understanding when her friend still needed time, dropping the subject, "I'll show you around!"Together, they left the garden, Ilun trailing behind them.
