laneys.info Beware of Yankees, drunks, and loose women.

There was pain. A dull throb was the first sign to Lericanin that he was still alive. Wherever he was the smell was horrendous, worse than the stables at home. His fingers clawed the area around his body and found only stone and straw. Something danced across his arm causing him to recoil and hesitate as his ears tried to recognize what had touched him. Nothing moved or made a sound.

Slowly, Lericanin reached up and felt the wound on his head. There was an ache and the dull throb which became more pronounced when he moved. The darkness was overwhelming as he tried to sit up. It was at this point that he realized his left eye was swollen shut and the right was coated with congealed blood keeping it closed. He managed to come to a sitting position and began gingerly wiping the dried blood from his face. After several minutes he chanced another try at opening the one good eye and was bombarded with an explosion of light. His head throbbed harder as he squinted into the light and tried to make sense of his surroundings.

The cold stone floor was covered in a light layer of dirty straw. Directly in front of him was a series of iron bars with a single door built into the cage. The roof was made of stone as were the walls and there was no sign of a window anywhere. Turning his head increased the pain and revealed new injuries. Slowly he began moving his head side to side and up and down hoping to work the stiffness from the muscles. Somewhere in the distance he could hear keys jingle and someone speaking in hushed tones. Light poured from a doorway across from where Lericanin sat as a shadow entered the dungeon. He remained on the floor straining with his one good eye to see who the visitor was but the light caused the pain in his head to explode forcing him to look away. The footsteps grew louder and a sweet swell permeated the area, it smelled of lilacs like the ones near the pond.

“Open the door.” Her voice was stern and commanding as well as familiar but different somehow. The guard hesitated remembering the order about no visitors. “Open the door now or your transfer to the frontier will be sooner than you’d like.”

Apparently the threat worked as keys jingled against the metal of the cell followed soon after by the creaking of the hinges. Lericanin tried to look at her once again but the pain in his head refused to wane. He felt as if his own eyes were going to explode. “Leave us…now.”

“My lady…” The guard never finished seeing the look he received as he began to protest. “Yes my lady, as you wish.” The young soldier cast a quick glance of contempt at the prisoner then moved to the door. As his footsteps faded Lericanin felt a rush of air as Nyrellia knelt at his side.

“You shouldn’t be here.” He managed to speak though he thought it sounded like more of a gurgle.

“Nor should you. This is all my fault. I don’t know how to correct it.” She gently caressed his face holding back tears as he winced in pain when she neared his wounds. “I am so sorry.” She whispered then leaned forward to kiss his forehead.

“Just so I know before…well just so I know, who exactly are you?” The light was becoming more manageable now as she gently began cleaning the blood from his good eye allowing him to see her face again.

Nyrellia hesitated focusing on his injuries with a gentle but learned touch. She managed to avoid his gaze as she searched his head for more wounds. When she finally looked into his one good eye she quickly turned away. “My uncle is the Duke Howard of Kecel.”

Lericanin contemplated this newest revelation without any apparent emotion though inside his stomach was turning. Fear began to creep into his mind as visions of the gallows and the noose began to coalesce into a solid image with his head within the loop. “I’m going to hang aren’t I?”

The whisper returned Nyrellia’s attention to him. “I’m not going to let that happen.”

“How can you stop it?” Lericanin buried his head in his hands forgetting the pain while his mind raced. “My fate is sealed.” A sudden thought entered his mind as he looked at her almost smiling. “You really are a wood nymph.”

Nyrellia’s brow wrinkled in puzzlement as she once again began to clean his wounds. She reached into a small purse and removed something small. “Here chew on this.”

He almost laughed as he bit down on the small fruit and chewed very gingerly. The meat of the fruit was extremely sweet and a sudden warmth enveloped his entire body. Concern filled his mind as he felt all of his limbs suddenly begin to tingle and he felt the pain and knots drift away. Even his eye felt better though he still had difficulty opening it. After several seconds had passed he wiggled his fingers and toes and immediately felt as if he had never been injured.

Nyrellia watched his reaction as he chewed. She remembered what Lady Marrisa had taught her about the herb and wanted to make sure he didn’t have a bad reaction. Once she saw the swelling around his eye subside she knew he was going to be ok. “I borrowed it from one of my teachers.”

Her voice snapped him out of his feelings of amazement. He continued to test his limbs, “Borrowed what exactly?”

“The herb. After the fight I knew that they would not send a healer to you so I borrowed it for you.” She took his head in her hands gently and began surveying his wounds. Once satisfied they were all healed she pushed his head back gently so they were face to face. “I’m not going to let you hang. You did nothing wrong Lericanin. I have spoken to my uncle and we have come to an agreement.”

His lips moved as he began to say something only to be silenced by her finger. Her eyes filled with tears as she stared into his. “I have never nor will ever know again what we have shared. It is unfortunate that we live in this world as we do but there are things that cannot be changed. I will never forget you, ever. You have given me something far beyond the physical things we shared, something I will cherish forever. For that one brief moment I knew freedom.”

Lericanin watched a single tear stream down her cheek as she continued holding his face. He took a deep breath through his nose and was overjoyed at being able to drink in her scent over everything else. He marveled at the shimmer in her hair that peeked out beneath her covered head. With a gentle hand he pulled away the hood of her cloak and brushed her hair over her shoulder. His fingers played among the soft strands as he watched her silently. Leaning forward ever so slightly, he lifted her mane of hair and lowered his face to it taking in a deep breath of air. Her scent filled his mind causing a swirl of brief memories to almost overwhelm him. As he remained kneeling next to her she lowered her head to his and placed her face cheek to cheek on his until their lips met. The kiss lingered for several long seconds until she pulled back reluctantly and with one last caress of her hand along his cheek, she rose, turned suddenly and left the dungeon without looking back.