Chapter Nine – end

‘How did….’ They with drew from each other rapidly, Henry and Luke stood in the door, Henry appeared to be going redder and Luke whiter.

The scene seemed to hang for a moment and then Henry was crashing into the room and grabbing Matthew by the rough hessen habbit, ‘What the hell do you think you are doing!’ he growled. Luke in apparent slow motion tried to pull Henry away but Matthew was already flaring.

‘None of your business, get your hands off of me.’ He forced Henry’s arms away from him but Henry though younger was far more stocky and solidly built, he lashed out with a fist. She cuaght the punch without thinking feeling the force of it judder up her arm. Henrys eyes went wide and he glared at her.

‘I can look after myself,’ she said in a low voice.

‘You let him… let him… it’s not natural!’ Henry sagged slightly. ‘They could burn you.’ he said quietly.

She smiled sadly, ‘I know.’ she said.

‘Be more careful,’ he hissed.

She nodded and looked side ways at Matthew he was still seething. Luke was now with stranding him.

Henry glared at him and then stuck his head out of the door, looked up and down the corridor and shut it and put the bolt across. He turned back to MAtthew ‘what the hell have you been doing with my brohter?’ he hissed. She held her breath, homosexuality Henry could swallow but finding his new found brother was a girl would probably seal her death warrent.

Matthew was glaring,’what do you think?’ he hissed.

‘Wasn’t that girl in the village enough,’ Henry replied waspishly.

‘Henry, don’t’ Luke said.

‘Well, I mean, he’s supposed to be training to be a priest and he took the chastity oath when he became a novice and he just seems to spend his time dipping his wick.’ Matthew punched him. Blood splattered the stone, and the red haired prince reeled. His nose was an angry rose. He jumped on Matthew and they crashed into the furnature. They were on the floor rolling around in scary silence trying to seriously injure each other.

‘Stop it!’ she ordered they ignored her, panic began to fill her belly.

And then there was a pounding on the door, the fight had been quiet but not quiet enough and they had been placed somewhere where they’re well being was being monitored.

Luke looked at her for a clue as to what to do, voices were accompanying the banging. ‘They’ll kill each other at this rate’ she said – she would normally have wadded in but the fight was in a bizar way over her and she was none plussed as to what to do.

Luke shrugged and unbolted the door, the Abbot and 2 others poured into the room looking murderous, they saw the two boys fighting and dragged them apart. The Abbot was furious. ‘What is going on here?’ he snarled. Matthew was panting hard and looking the worse for wear, after all he’d already had one major scrap that day. Henry wasn’t looking too good either. With what looked like a thick lip and two black eyes looming.

The two of them crazed with fighting slowely came to realise that it was infact the Abbot standing there and demanding to know what had happened. ‘I..’ Matthew started.

‘This idiot,’ Henry spat, She froze, he was waving a hand furiously at MAtthew, ‘This.. IDIOT broke my vile of Saint Peters blood!’ MAtthew groaned and Luke looked scandalised – she realised her own eyebrows where raised rather high and her mouth was hanging open like a half cutted fish.

She risked a look at the Abbot – he looked dark and very angry the other men with him however looked amused. ‘Relics are a hang over to the old religon Carey,’ he said cooly and then turned to the other monks, ‘You may leave us brothers thankyou for your quick response.’ The others left bearly supressing laughter – they obviously believed Henry the Abbot however didn’t so it would not be put down to misplaced Princely arogance.

He waited a few minutes and then ordered Luke to shut the door. ‘Now I think some honesty is needed,’ he said glaring around the room.

She looked at Matthew he was either glaring or avoiding eye contact completely, she groaned inwardly if the Abbot was any good at reading people at all he would see the guilt right there.

‘Henry I take it you were defending your brother in some way?’ The older man asked and Henrys eyes went larger giving him away. He then turned to her, ‘I think I need to talk to you and Matthew, Edmond has already mentioned concern about the unnatural closeness you two are developing.’ She swallowed.

Matthew was starting to fizz again she needed to defuse the situation.

‘Please your Grace this is all my fualt,’ she said in as miserable and small voice as she could manage. ‘I got something in my eye and Matthew was trying to get it out when Henry came in and got the wrong idea.’

His eyes saw the lie but he wasn’t interested in what they were actually upto. ‘I see’ he said, ‘And the closeness you too are exhibating?’ he asked with patience she miss trusted. She looked at Matthew for some help.

‘I… ‘ he begain, ‘I wasn’t doing well with the LAtin,’ he said. She saw the cover and half smiled before she remebered herself.

The Abbot ignored it, ‘I see so you have been coaching him?’ She nodded.

He looked sternly round the room, ‘I will accept this as a pitiful excuess but just remember that the sin of sex not to beget children or even outside of matromony is considered a grave occurence by many and these are dangerous days. Discretion on everything is needed, including harmless comments about religous relics Mr Carey.’ Herneys eyes went wide again.

‘Matthew I wish to have a private word in the other cell,’ And he swept magically out of the room MAtthew stared at her his expression was full of pain and tears were pushing at her eyes as she watched him follow. The Abbot was bound to change the sleeping arrangements, she would be lucky to see Matthew at all if he had his way.

The door flapped shut behind them in a pathetic forlorn way, she slumped to the bed. Henry sat next too her, she was angry with him and glad he was there. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said through his thick lip. ‘Sometimes the older monks… ‘ he said lamely, she supposed it was an explaination. She shrugged and curled up on herself. Luke sat down opposite.

‘The Abbot is going to cover for you guys though I think he might split you up,’ he said, she could see he really was revolted by the thought but MAtthew had been his friend for years and he loved him in his own way. No hate was eminating form him. She was destroying everything that Matthew had worked his whole life to build up. She would be gone in the morning she decided, she could take the toff clothing and the food and head out into the snow.

Time was definatly dragging and the temperature was plummeting, ‘I know you were kissing,’ Henry said defiently as Luke lit more candles. She shrugged and looked away from him.

‘Anyway I was going to tell you that the Queens had a boy so we’re off the hook – hopefully that will put a stop to all these stupid plots anyway.’ She nodded feeling numb. What was the Abbot saying to MAtthew? Would he be sent to another monestry? ‘He’s called Edward’ he said, blantently just to fill the air with nose.

Finially an agitated Matthew appeared in the room, the Abbot was close on his heels ordering the other two back to their own room. He followed them out. Matthew bolted the door and sat on the edge of the bunk, looked at her and burst into tears.

She stood dumbfounded, for a moment before she sat next to him and cradled him against her – these were racking sobs, this was grief, and his intensity had guarded it well, the dam he’d built had a lot of tears stacked behind it. Why they had been left together she didn’t know but even if it was only this one night she was glad of it.

His tears socked through her habbit and the candles guttered around them. She shushed him and stroked him and then he was just weeping exhorsted.

‘We get to stay together,’ he said hoarsly. She stared into the distnace, wondering what had passed between him and the Abbot. ‘But we must be careful, and he thinks we are…’ he swallowed, ‘unconcemated though I think he doesn’t really believe that .’ She locked the door and they crawled into bed. She left the candles all burning and continued to cradle his poor battered head.

‘I’m destroying you career aren’t I’ she said, he shock his head and said something muffled she didn’t catch, then he sobbed himself to sleep. She spent an age staring at the cieling wondering if she would ever find out what the Abbot had actually said to him.

Posted: Saturday, November 28th, 2009 @ 6:58 pm
Categories: Uncategorized.
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