Purple Monster

That evening early very early they were all confined to their cells including the two ‘princes’s’ it was bearly not afternoon. Many of the monks would spend the time praying but the princes’s at least were placed in rooms with novices who had completed the first stages of brother hood. The idea being that extra tuition would occure mainly though it didn’t and they would disguess the world outside the monstry and to her suprise – women and men and who was at it with who inside the stone walls.

These were not the feverent monks she had known in France.

These ones seemed to think it was their duty to help the poor and education mainly as far as she could tell. Though she was confined to a cell with Matthew she was startled to find that they did connect to Henry’s room which he shared with a very blonde sick looking youth. She still hadn’t worked out what she was going to do when it came to getting ready for bed – sure the dress of the age ment she would be sleeping in quiet alot of material that would probably hide what she was but that didn’t change the fact that she would have to get change into it.

Then there was the fact Matthew kept looking at her oddly and she would blush everytime she remembered her smile at him. His closeness was becoming quiet uncomftable to be honest and she didn’t trust herself not to pounce him. An action that could result in death in or at least the exposure of the fact she was well a she.

That aside she had almost luaghed when she found out that she was expected to learn to read and write Latin and learn the finer skills of mathermatics. Europeans had long lost the finer aspects of maths right around the time they took a dislike to the muslim. She knew this she’d seen it.

As for Latin she knew it better than those teaching, she knew different versions of Latin and as for writing it well she’d seen Matthew’s level of literacy and wondered if she’d have to do some emergancy coaching to him to stop him getting into trouble.

They eat a very simple and annoyingly cold dinner in their rooms with the connecting annex open. Henry it turned out had a sister staying at Overcourt a few years his sineor he had hoped she’d spoken to her but the stay had been too brief.

‘She’s called Cathereen and she’ll be excited to meet you I just know she will!’ he looked so egar she felt bad she wasn’t really his half brother.

‘I bet your called Henry too!’ He grinned and she just didn’t say anything letting his enthusiasm carry the conversation. Matthew was watching her with a puzzeled look on his face again which was starting to worry her.

‘I don’t really like being a bastard prince do you?’ he asked ernestly she shook her head – well she really didn’t like being a bastard Prince it was too prestigous and too tracable. The Priest had said it was the only way for him to keep his head (if he was lucky he thought he was more lickly to be burned as a heritic) and for her not to rot slowely in some cell somewhere. She looked around the ‘cell’ she was currently in and wondered if she would quietly rot here until someone noticed she really wasn’t getting any older and then she would be the one being burnt.

‘You know why we haven’t been publically announced don’t you?’ He asked her looking far too serious. She shook her head she didn’t have a clue.

‘It’s becuase of Fitzroy. He died of a cough they say but my mother said that it was a Catholic plot apparently there had already been serveral attempts and they hushed them up. They were worried about it so he was married off like straight away in the hope there would be children but they got him before there was really a chance.’ He looked so solem and big eyed and she reminded herself that he was thinking about a brother he had never met but one that he obviously felt some sort of kinship with. She remembered how she had felt when told she had had siblings and how she still dreamed of tracking those left down. She shut off the memory of when she’d tracked one of them down, it was always hard in these sorts of surroundings though.

‘They accused my aunt of killing him,’ he frowned, ‘stupid really, she was the one who organised his wedding and she paid for my education.’ He looked pained but continued, ‘of course they say she was a witch and Mother had an argument with her, she’s sort of estranged from the family now, my mother that is.’ He went on and on but it seemed like stuff she should be listening too. She felt ice in her stomache at the realisation that his father had married his aunt and then had the woman put to death. Something was going arye with this monarch and unstable countries where not good places to hang out.

‘Do you think they will target us?’ He stared at her, she shrugged and then decided that they probably would. ‘Do you know how to fight?’ she asked him. He nodded and then gestured to his sword. She smiled it wasn’t a pleasant smile.

‘No I don’t men gentleman play I mean do you know how to fight, no honnor no glory just survivial?’ She had traveled far enough and been through enough wars to be a better fighter than most but her prefered weapon was running – as quick and agiley as she could preferably in the opposite direction to where ever the people with the pointy swords or the big explosive things were.

‘I’m a good swords man! And I’ve had a go with a pistol!’ He looked annoyed she musty have offended him somehow. That ment she had alot of educating to do here, she wasn’t sure why she cared but she couldn’t just leave him exposed to assasines off course she’d probably save his life and he’d be some awful tyranical King responsible for the disintergration of Europe but she always considered you cou;dn’t know what the future held and she had to take everyone as she found them – the same went for their personal pasts.

‘Lets find out then’ she said.

Anger flared on the boys face and then he was scrabbling for his sword.

‘There isn’t room in here for fighting!’ squeeked the albino. His white eyelashes fluttering with fear.

But before he or Matthew could move, she stepped forward and grabbed Henry’s sword arm twisted it cuasing him to drop the sword.

‘First off you need to realise what sort of fighting is suited to which situation not all enemy’s carry swords and the sort that will be after you… us… will probably come quietly in the night with poison they same as they did with Fitzroy. That Priest who brought me here.. he tried to stop them killing Fitzroy and they still got him.’ It was a bit of an exaggeration but she needed to get a point over and he was too young hell most normal people always were too young for their whole lives to realise how diversely fear and self preservation could make you react. The Priests behaviour had been a complex one and she didn’t feel up to defending his weakness.

Carey looked at his hand in horror, ‘how? How did you do that?’ he asked quietly.

‘I’ve been educated abroad,’ she shrugged.

His eyes gleamed, ‘Will you teach me?’ She shrugged why not it was something to do and it might save both their lives if they were attacked.

Matthew was still staring at her even more puzzeled looking than before, he was really starting to disconcert her now.

The rest of the even passed amicably enough though she a small impatient arguement with the young Henry about starting lessons then and there. Where exactly they would be able to practice she wasn’t sure but the cells really were not suitable at all.

Then there was the issue of her name – they had assumed her name to be Henry but really two Henry’s was going to become a headache and she didn’t really want people asking for a title or surname becuase she wouldn’t know what was safe to use or even make up.

She could go for the French equivalent but it really did sound too close. ‘I think you should call me Harry,’ she said at last. ‘It means Henry and its just going to get confusing other wise isn’t it.’ The others nodded and Carey looked at her hard.

‘How old are you Harry?’ He seemed edgy, of course he was worried that she would be older than him or was he hoping that she was older than him and that he wouldn’t be in line to the throne?

She couldn’t really double guess and she didn’t really know how old he was either.

‘I’m 12,’ she said. She had no idea if she looked like a 12 year old male but she hoped it didn’t really matter. He nodded and then sank onto the bed.

‘I’m 13, I was hoping you’d be older you know. I don’t want to be King I don’t think court sounds to bad but I don’t want to run the country, have everyone depend on me. Its just too well big!’ She nodded she understood but she also didn’t really see how he was going to get out this one with out being well dead.

They solomly shock hands and then Henry and his cohort went off to their cell through the annex. Matthew then bolted it and shut up the cupboard, he then bolted the main door, solid bar a peep whole which to her suprise he covered up with a piece of cloth.

He stood there looking at her hard, tilting his head listening hard, she begain to get fidgety.

He stepped forward and whispered into her ear, ‘I know what you are.’ A chill ran through her, but she remained quiet there were several layers of deception here and she wasn’t sure which one he was refering too.

‘You don’t smell right,’ he said lamely she looked at him. He blushed, ‘I mean you smell like inscense and burnt sugar. Your not a boy, or a man so if your not a girl I don’t know what you are, some sort of elf maybe?’ He looked scared, and she realised he really was worried she was an elf, she suddered again, what was she? She wasn’t normal that was for sure.

His closeness was scaring her and driving her wild, she’d never been rumbled by smell before. ‘Are you a girl?’ he asked awkardly after the silenced stretched.

She sagged, ‘yes’ she said simply. Now would be the deciding point – was she going to have to try and fight her way out. She was trianed sure but somehow she always still made mistakes.

A tension went out of him and he touched her cheek. ‘Why are you here like this?’ he asked quietly.

‘To survive’ was her response. He run his thumb pad down her check and then stepped back from her as if burned.

‘I’ll look away whilst you change then.’ he muttered and busied himself in the corner. She smiled wanely, he was gawky gentleman it would appear. she hoped he wasn’t going to drop her in it. But she didn’t think he was the sort of person to find deception easy either.

She changed quickly sniffing all the time to see if she could tell the difference, to her suprise she did actually smell queit strongly but not in an unpleasant not washed manor that she had been experiencing in recent years. She did smell of sweet alluring things but then she realised he smelt better, like a hot nutriscous meal. She wanted to taste him but climebed under her corse wollen blanket instead.

He looked at her like a frightened rabbit and begain to change himself. He stared at her whilst he did so and she wondered if she should be looking away.

‘Goodnight then,’ he said extinguishing most of the candles.

‘Goodnight and thankyou,’ she said. He sighed and climbed into his bunk and rolled over away from her.

Posted: Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 @ 10:23 pm
Categories: Uncategorized.
Subscribe to the comments feed if you like. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.