We were doomed from the Start.(CLOSED)

[CharlieBoyyy]

Darius just sat on the floor in the "punishment corner"- again because it was comfortable and he just watched us two sleeping quietly, peacefully. He wiped away a tear and pretended he definitely wasn't crying. But it was obvious the tears were forming in his eyes.


"This is what I needed to see. Happiness, stillness" he murmured. Half to the knight half to himself.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

I just smile and nod. I agree... after the nightmarish remains in the shop, we really needed to see this.


I start to buckle down my armour, moving as silently as I can, putting down piece after piece. I leave on the padded and still slightly wet garments under it... but without the armour I still move easier. Watching them makes my heart lighter, too...


I gather the ingredients for a hearty soup to my bag, and lean down to Darius.


"Okay. I'll go and start to cook. If you want, you can stay here watching over them..."


I want to stay, too. Just sitting here. Watching my family. But I see how pale and lean are both... a meal is definitely needed...

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

"It's okay, you need help." Darius said slowly getting up still fixating his eyes on his sleeping family.


He followed the knight out of the door. He was calmed by seeing what he had seen. He had seen complete love.


"Complete love is what was always needed. It's what we need to survive. It's all well and good having food and water. But without love you wont survive..." He said whimsically

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

I nod. The boy says the truth... and I have to smile.


My lord always believed in this. Regretfully, he also thought that everything can be solved by love... and forgiveness... but they are right in one thing.


Love is important. Company is important.


"That's why we need family" I say, opening the kitchen. "I will take care of the birds - sorry, but I think I'll be faster. You get the vegetables..."


I give Darius the tins and the herbs and roots I gathered. I pour water into a big cauldron, put it on the magical fire, and grab the pigeons.


I hate dealing with feathers, but I do manage quite well... I pluck the plumage quickly, bleed the birds out, and chop them up to palm-sized pieces. They are still young... we might not need to cook it that long. Thank everything almighty.


"Did you hear that?" I look up. Something sounded like distant thunder...

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

"Yeah somethings coming" Darius looked at the sky, as if there was no ceiling. He took the he took the vegetable and started preparing them the best he good. He wasn't much good at vegetables. It wasn't his forte. He could cook meat like it was nobody's business.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

I sigh. I remember how much I loved storms back then… we gathered in the castle’s hall, sitting in front of the fireplace, sipping piping hot mulled wine, sharing stories… in the last years, alone, those happy memories turned into a nightmare…


“At least we have a proper roof this time. I still don’t know how to warm up the room, though. We cannot do much…”


I perk up as I realize that we can do something. I smile.


“At least I have some wine; I can make a mulled wine. Would you be a dear and go back for that? It’s in my backpack, next to the chronicle. I’ll finish these in the meantime…”

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

"Nigel didn't like us drinking" Darius admitted, rather embarresed. "I don't know if he'd like us to be drinking. Maybe we should leave it for a bit. I don't want to upset him. It will upset my brother"


He kept preparing the veggies with his head down

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

I nod, remembering my lord’s peculiarity. He really doesn’t like anything alcoholic. And now there wasn’t an Ebony Lady to make them that delicious fruit beverage, which almost looked like the wine… I still miss it, but without a drinking company, it just wouldn’t have been the same.


“You might be right. My liege wouldn’t like it… and no way I could find oranges or anything else to prepare a children punch instead for him. We will have to make with the soup. Maybe with a spicy tea…” I trail off, digging around for my spice box, so I could turn the meal even tastier. “I just miss those nights… and I really want our old life back. I want us back in the castle… just as it had been… I was so happy back there…”


I sigh, gathering the mace, the black pepper, the bay leaves and the garlic, coriander and cumin, dropping them into the soup cauldron.


“Forgive me. I am starting to get old, I guess…”

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

"I like the stories" Darius laughed. He finished preparing the veg and handed the knight the load.


"Is this okay?" He asks her meekly. It wasn't his best work but the best he could.


"In sorry it's not great, it's the best I do with everything " he humbly admitted.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

I look at the vegetables, and smile, even if my mood is a bit down.


“Don’t worry, it’s perfectly okay for a soup. Besides, I cannot expect you to chop these with more experience than you have. I honestly thought you would do worse. This is much better than my liege would do” I share with him, smiling. “If you like stories, I have a big Chronicle Codex in my gear. It’s only our home town’s legends, but it even has paintings and pretty initiales in it!”


I quickly add the vegetables and a handful of salt to the water, then look into my supplies again.


“What do you think, should we try a bit of flatbread or biscuit to go with the soup? Some of the eggs survived my accident…”

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

"That's a good idea" Darius said meekly rubbing his arm with his other hand.


"I'd... I'd like to see that book at some point " he added. "But, yes bread would be a nice addition to the meal.


He didn't know how to put it. He felt nice and well loved inside. Because of who he was he felt awkward feeling this loved.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

I smile, stroking Darius’ hair, purely out of habit.


“Well. What do you say that we prepare the meal, make a nice hot tea, then go back to the room and enjoy food and stories?” I start to feel a bit better now. It is not exactly like before the End came… but still a very good feeling to provide for a family. I idly wonder if that was why my liege decided to adopt the boys… I can certainly understand that now. This is good.


I start to sort out the ingredients.


“Then, please, bring me some more water. I still have some lard from before winter… but we will have to hunt later so I can make more. I will teach you how to prepare some salted cake which keeps for about a week now…”

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

"Okay, cool" he says and goes to get some water . He brings it all back and hands it too her "I hope that's enough".


He helps her prepare the soup as best as he can. He does sort of get in the way a bit and make a mess.


"I might just leave you to it" he said with a small laugh. "I'm making more of a mess than if I just stand here"

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

It’s strange. I should be annoyed, but Darius is so diligent and trying to be helpful that I cannot get mad at him. I just try to fix everything as well as I can and I laugh at his attempts to make it right…


It warms up my chest, stirring up some memories in the back of my mind… fooling around feels good.


“It’s okay, honestly” I laugh, kissing his cheek. “Go back to your brother and father. I’ll finish this. Maybe you should wash up and make them too. And judging from this stubble, tomorrow a shave is in order, young man!”

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

"Yes , mum.. MA'Am" he corrected himself covering his lips. "I think I'm going to go watch them sleep. Make sure they're safe. I hope my brother didn't hear the thunder. He never liked it as a kid. I'm not sure how he takes storms now."


He nods and walks back into the bedroom to see his brother unmoved from the bed, he thinks his father MAY have moved slightly, but he can't be sure. He smiles and sits to watch them.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

“Let’s settle on Auntie” I suggest, smiling wildly at the lapsus linguae. “And in this case, definitely watch them well. My lord never had this problem, but I really don’t need Mitchell more disturbed…”


I finish up the dough and form the smallcakes, putting them into the oven. Then I get back to preparing the soup, tasting and testing the bits…


Nie dreamt, in shattered pieces, a strange mix up nightmares and happy dreams. He let himself wander on his dream wasteland, just to be taken by the impressions.


It was strange, one minute the sheriff and the commander torturing them, next time playing with their children with Joy… taking on Carsten and Ma Baker at the same time at the tournament, and fighting them off… chasing down the escaped dog with Lily on his shoulders, then searching for Lily in the forest, only finding torn, bloodied clothes… watching helplessly as Commander Wilter prepares to torture his sons…


He moved around slightly in his feverish sleep, not too much, deterred by weakness and pain… but he slept deep, without waking up even when he turned to his back… the incoming storm crept into his dreams, painting the scenes with lightning and resounding thunder…

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

My sleep wasn't am disturbed by the incoming storm. I don't remember much from the sleep at all. Just that it was deep and long and nice. There was something about sleeping alongside my father that made me feel comfortable.


Maybe more comfortable than I've ever felt before. I was snoring. I hadn't snored in years.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

I taste the soup again, and nod. The pigeons were young enough, I only have to cook them for about an hour and a half… and I made the smallcakes flat enough to time them being perfect the same time as I finished the soup. They smell wonderful from the cumin and parsley, and I smile while I put them into a small bowl, heaping them up high.


I am strong enough to manoeuvre back to the room without problems, holding the cauldron in my extended right hand, the smallcakes in the other. The thunder sounds closer now, and I hear rain on the windows as I enter the room… I smile.


Perfect timing…


“Are they still sleeping?” I whisper in the dark. I only hear snoring. I’m quite sure it’s not my liege… “Please, Darius, light a candle for me…”

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

Darius scurried over to the weed smelling candle and lit it quickly.


"Here we go, yeah they're still sleeping" he says, taking the soups off the Knights hands and placed them around the room making it easier for everyone to get it when they awoke.


"Shall we wake them, auntie? " Darius asked.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

I smile and nod, putting down the smallcakes on the table, too. I look around. We didn’t make a big mess, but still… I quickly put the unnecessary items away, making the room look clean again.


“Yeah, let’s do it. They should eat something warm, too, and if your brother is afraid, we can calm him down. Maybe get my liege to tell us some stories, he is a great tale-master…”


I step to the bed, too, touching my lord’s skin. He is still too hot, almost burning my hand, and that’s when I realize how strained his smile is… he looks even more corpse-like, and only the fact he is still breathing helps me choke back a scream. I try to gently wake him up, but without much avail, and I get more and more scared…

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

I wake up to Darius shaking my arm and handing me a food bowl.


"Thank you" I say to him then I look at the Knight as well "thank you too. I'm sorry I fell asleep."


I tuck into the soup. It's delicious and runs down my throat a treat .


"It's delicious. Its absolutely delicious "

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

I try to smile. Try.


“Eat some smallcakes with it, too… your brother helped… to make it…” I cannot really concentrate on the matter. I am way too scared because no matter what I do, my liege just lays there with eyes closed, half a smile on his pale face… I am trembling. I barely keep from crying now, I want to stay strong, but this starts to be too much, too painful now, and I just sit on the edge of the bed, holding the skeleton of the man my lord has become, and I have to choke back a sob…


No way. It cannot be… he is still alive, and he promised to us he will live…

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

I turned around and see my father not moving.


"What's... Is he not waking up?" I rise slowly shaking and out the half ful bowl and running over to the Knigjts side too.


"Is he dead. He can't be.. No".


Darius rises too. But stays in the background watching the events unfold. Fearing for the worst.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

I listen to my liege’s laboured breathing, touching his neck to feel out his pulse. His heartbeat is still steady, even if it is weak… I am still shaking, holding him in my arms. He never seemed so small and pale before… I almost saw him as big as I am, and now I have to realize he is shorter than me, and without his muscles, he looks like the skeleton of the Crimson Knight.


“I… I think… he is just… sleeping…” I have trouble speaking. Way too big knot in my throat. “He is… still breathing… I think… he must be… exhausted… his fever is… shouldn’t those witchcraft pills help? Please…”


I am begging. I know I’m begging. I am in shambles, and I cannot be an adult now…

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

"They should be working. I don't know why they're not. I don't know. He just told me to take them I'm sorry. I don't know."


I start crying slightly and Darius ran over to hold me tightly.


"Hrs going to be okay "