Celia Beaumont

OOoh interesting!

Okay, so the details of their relationship does depend on when in Celia’s character arc they would be meeting … but I do think the outcome would be the same: enemies to friends. 

If they met before Celia was kidnapped … she would find him incredibly annoying! Not to mention beneath her notice. He isn’t the sort of guy she’d find attractive plus he’s a commoner so ???? Jimmy would think she’s gorgeous and would probably start by trying to flirt with her, but she’d turn him down flat and honestly the more he got to know her, the more stuck up and selfish he’d find her but he’d definitely still enjoy getting a reaction out of her, so he’d tease and prank her and Celia would hate him more and more!!! :D

She’d still initially dislike him if they met post-kidnapping, b/c he’s so unambitious and doesn’t have any initiative in his life and would rather be pulling elaborate pranks instead of doing some real good and she’d just find that super frustrating. I feel like Jimmy would like her more than he would otherwise, but he’d still find her to be a buzzkill (plus her constantly bringing up how he could do more with his life would grate on him) 

Tristan:

I feel like they’d probs be ~acquainted since they both live in the Imperial City and he works for Rowena and Arthur, but yeah???  HES OLD HAHAHAHSDLKFJKLSDJ  I love it!!  But yes!!!!  I doubt they know each other well or anything at all and yeS he is leery to hang out w the nobility for that reason I mean some of them like Arthur he’s already/always been friends w so no point dropping it now and others like Rowena he sees all the time bc he literally works at the palace (sometimes even work WORKs at the palace looking atchu Droyn ;D)

Possibly now they see each other more bc of the tightened security/he might be one of the ppl asking some of the questions about James etc for his trial (if the pirates are even getting a trial?????) but yeah beyond that I don’t really see that much here?

Her outburst surprised him, touched him.  He felt the corners of his mouth soften into a smile and he reached through the bars to touch her hand.  “Are you saying you’d miss me?” he inquired glibly, arching a brow, unable to resist the tease…and wanting very much to know the answer.  He chuckled, stopped, cocked his brows at her in an expression of mock innocence.  “My sense of humor is a delight,” he joked, mildly offended.  “And much in demand in times of crisis.”  In a sense it was true.  It was the crutch James needed to deal with such situations.  It was far too bleak to look her in the eye and say something somber.  Besides, if this were to be their last meeting, he preferred to think she would remember him with a smile on his face and a roguish comment on his lips.  

Still, she was stern and James sighed.  “Would you rather I wept?  I do not think that would serve anyone particularly well.”  She shrugged.  “Besides, this is hardly my first prison or near-death experience.”  It was, however, quite possibly his last such encounter, he thought, sullenly, glancing away from her.  He found he couldn’t think that while looking at her.  His eyes found hers again, at last.  “What would you like to discuss in such grave sobriety, Radiance?”  Despite his promise of earnestness, he couldn’t keep the ribbing tone out of his voice.  He never could resist joshing her.  

He paused, decided to take her tack.  “But you are quite correct, really,” he said with a shrug.  “I ought to have paid more attention when we snuck into this castle of how those tunnels connected to these prisons.  Even then, it might have been a useful thing to know.”

It was one of the useful facts he’d picked up from his extensive education, and he’d remembered the mostly-forgotten tidbit only because of Alexandir Godiva V’s exhilarating use of them.  It was the Thousand Days’ King who had taken the city by sending his fittest warriors through the tunnels while assailing its walls from the outside to distract the defenders inside.  It remained a footnote in history, because he had won the battle from the outside, anyway: the invaders within the castle having gotten lost and thus having proved less than useful, but still James remembered.  

Alexandir had been coronated the following day in the very Great Hall that now stood stories above them.  Endlessly James and Alymar had turned over the entire scenario together…but that had been another life.  For the both of them.  And, in any case, if Alexandir V hadn’t done it, James might never have known those tunnels existed and helped sneak his pirates inside, using them.  He might never have stolen that bracelet, might never have been marooned, might never have met Celia…It was strange, history.  He finally understood what his tutors had always said: everything connects.  Too late.

“Truly?” he asked in surprise, suddenly glad he hadn’t tried climbing the bars, after all - but then, even a glimpse of the stars or the moon would no doubt he worth it.  “I was unconscious upon arrival,” he admitted.  “It didn’t particularly help in estimating the time, but I was further off the mark than I’d have thought.”  Indeed, he would have ventured a guess of mid afternoon, if pressed.  He was a tad disappointed in that, having given his internal more credit than, it would seem, it was due.  He laughed, then, “I wonder does your mother venture properly to bed, or does the wine simply send her that way, unbidden, after a time?”

Her words took him by surprise, shocking him in the silence she seemed to crave.  Her eyes were earnest, lights in her pale face.  She looked tired and young, so very young, suddenly, and James caught himself thinking guilty: What have I drug her into?  Celia deserved better than all of this.  He chuckled as she mentioned the second time.  

“Well,” he said, at last.  “I suppose that bodes well for your forthcoming nuptials, considering I was Loys when you met me.”  He wasn’t, though.  That had been the name of his masquerade, but that night, that night he had been Harrion Mortain for the first time in so many years and he felt an odd twist in his gut to think she might have preferred Harrion to James.  He wanted to hear her contradict him, too: both to hear that it was James she most liked, and to hear her say that she had decided not to marry his buffoon of a cousin.  “It wasn’t so bad, after all, was it?” he found himself asking, though he’d not meant to.  “We had our share of happy adventures, didn’t we?”

James chuckled.  “Well said,” he replied, shrugging.  “It was a…very different sort of prison, unfortunately, though you are correct on the circumstances that landed me there.  I was marooned…by my brother,” he added, glancing towards the spot where Godfrey was snoring.  “I stole from him, so he left me to die.  There were not bars on that prison so, eventually,” he gestured with his hand.  “I sailed away.”  He shrugged.  

“Sadly, I doubt as that shall prove as effective in this instance.  But,” he narrowed his eyes.  “If you truly do want to hear ideas for escape, I do have one or two.  Namely, those tunnels I mentioned earlier.  We used them to get from the sea to the Great Hall, before.  I imagine we could use them just as effectively in getting out of here and back to sea.  It would, of course, involve distracting or somehow incapacitating the guards, stealing the keys…” abruptly, he laughed.  “But then, that’s a skill that might benefit you in your future marriage,” he added, amusing himself.  “Loys is very fond of keys.”

James watched distress trail embarrassment across her face and, impulsively, he reached out to put his hand beneath her chin.  “Chin up,” he told her.  His smile was soft, his tone sincere.  “Understand, Celia…I’d never give them the satisfaction of cringing.  It’s not in my nature.  I would just…rather die, truth be told.  Perhaps I am too insensitive now to the danger, but I am not insensible of its presence.  My life is cheap, and I expect I’ll not live a long one, but this is the life I’ve chosen.  I’d rather die and own what life I’ve had than live any other way.  So, no, this is not the worst fate I could face.  But if I do die, Celia, I’ve one request to make: say that when Loys plants a passionless peck on your lips, you’ll remember what it was like when I kissed you, instead.”  He grinned.  “That would please me very much.”  

She reminded him of her mother and James nodded.  “I did underestimate her,” he admitted.  “But she made a far more grave error.  Whatever happens from here, you know the truth now, and you’ll be free to make your own choices.  It’s the mistake she’s made all your life: thinking you live by her leave.  But I know the truth.  Your mother underestimated you.”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous!” She scolded, “This isn’t because I’d miss you! I’m certain I should not! Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused since I’ve met you?” She asked, crossing her arms. The list was a long one. But so was, she realized, the list of things she’d gained from his acquaintance. She decided not to mention any of those things now. “I will be happy to be rid of you! But I ... I can’t ... sit and do nothing while you are sentenced to die.” 

She rolled her eyes, “Of course not! You know that’s not what I meant. I only want you to be serious! And do ... something!” She realized she had not suggestions to offer and no help to give. She only felt as though she had exhausted every option available to her to free him and she was angry and frustrated with herself. “You’ve been in these situations before ... how did you escape last time? You could do it again!” She cried, hands grasping the bars. 

As he related his time since he arrived, she began to despair in him having any sort of plan of escape. But when he mentioned the tunnels, she felt a new spark of hope. “The tunnels? The tunnels beneath the castle? I know my way through them! They connect the palace to Fain and Ravenwood! I could lead you through them!” She felt a rush of excitement at the idea, as though had solved their problem. But she had conveniently forgotten about how she would manage to sneak him out of his cell, through the prisons, and then to the tunnels in the first place. 

She didn’t appreciate his comment about her mother. “Don’t speak of her!” She cried, frustrated ... even though she supposed he was right. She had never stopped to consider how much wine her mother consumed, but she now imagined that she must slowly let it put her to sleep, just as she relied on it to get herself through the day. Celia’s relationship with her mother was not what it once was ... she couldn’t trust her ... but she loved her still. Part of her wished that it could be as it had been before and he had been the one to take that from her. It was silly, she knew, to be angry with him for her mother’s behavior, when all he had done was help her to see her for who she was, but it was easier, now, to be upset with him than herself for not seeing it all sooner. 

She softened, however, when he brought up their past adventures together. She didn’t mean to. She was supposed to be angry with him, but he’d managed to summon the good memories from the past few months and even though she hadn’t said it, she realized that she would miss him. She would miss him very much. One way or another he would leave this prison and, when he did, there was very little chance that they would see each other again, whatever happened. 

“They weren’t all bad.” She managed, finally. 

“You aren’t making any sense,” She said, when he described where he had been before this. “It was a prison, but a prison without bars? And one that you were able to simply sail away from?” Wherever he had been, it seemed very unlikely that he had gained any sort of experiences that would help them in their current situation. 

She paused, suddenly realizing what else he had said, “You stole from your own brother? Why would you do such a thing? Surely he would have leant it to you, if you had only asked him?” She stopped again, considering his story, “The money from my ransom ... that is how you meant to pay him back for it? Goodness, how much did you take?” 

She forgot her anger and confusion for a moment, when he began to mention the plans for escape that he did have. Why had he not mentioned all of this earlier? She thought, frustrated. But she was pacing now, her thoughts fixated on what he had said, “I might distract one of the guards ... “ She said, “But would I be able to get the keys at the same time?” She wondered, aloud. And she would need a lookout. “We need help.” She said, finally. But who could she trust? No one, she realized. No one at all. 

“James, is there anyone else in the city you trust?” 

She felt like slapping him when he requested that she think of him when she kissed her husband. She had no great expectations what her romance with Loys would be like (she thought it much more realistically would be nonexistent based on what James had told her), but she would not think of another man when she was with him! “How dare you say such a thing!” She cried, “I don’t expect to love him, but I will not be having any such thoughts of you! I wish you’d never kissed me and don’t mean to ever think of it again!” Even as she said it, she knew it was a lie. She thought of it often, already, and a part of her suspected that she would only think on it more, rather than less. But she would rather die than let him know that. 

As Celia asked the question, Evie nodded slowly.  “Yes, I did,” she replied.  “And yes, I do.  Alexandir is many things, but he’s not murderer and he certainly wouldn’t have done it in that fashion and left it there like that for anyone to find him out!”  

Evie plucked impatiently at the clips holding her hair in place, just for something to do with her hands.  She had too much nervous energy.  “I’ve spoke to everyone, to mother, to Lord Massard, to Arthur, to the Queen…No one will listen and no one will do anything!”  She paused.  “They’ve all known him longer than I have.  They can’t possibly be ignorant to the fact as they pretend to be, and-” she paused.  “Oh, Celia, while you were away…I’ve seen a side of mother come out that I had never seen before.  She is bitter and she is angry and, Celia…in truth, I fear what she will do given half a chance.  She needs our help…She needs our help from herself.”

She paused.  “Did you go to see him or…to see the man who kidnapped you?”  Evie couldn’t decide which seemed more unlikely, but it was a night for it, regardless.  Evie would never have imagined that she, herself, would go against her beloved and trusted mother and cousin to defend a man accused of murder.  She chewed her lip.  “Tell me about him…about what happened to you.”  Celia had been oddly evasive on the whole point and, at first, Evie had thought she was simply loathe to discuss a harrowing experience.  Now she began to wonder if something else had held her silent.

“I’m certain of it, Celia,” she replied, honestly.  “He asked me not to take up his case but…I can’t do nothing!  It’s not right.  And, besides, if I grow silent and let it happen like all the others, I’m just as culpable.  I just wish I knew what to do.”  No, that wasn’t it.  She knew she had to free him, somehow.  The question was how.  Evie paused, took her sister’s hand, hoping she would understand.  "Besides, when Jon married Lynessa, he became family and that means that, in some way, we’re a little responsible, doesn’t it?  I mean, not you, of course, you weren’t even here, but…me.  I was here and I am.”

Celia felt a wave of relief wash over her as her sister spoke. She wondered if she’d be able to trust any of them, but now, she knew, she had at least one ally in this. It had been a lonely and helpless feeling, to know that those she had once loved and trusted above all others could not be confided in. 

She grabbed Evie’s hand, “Evie, there is much to say, but we cannot speak here. It isn’t safe.” She had much to say about the Queen and, if she must speak treason, she didn’t think it wise to do so in the Queen’s own palace where anyone might overhear them. 

She said no more to Evie on the subject until they had returned home to Ravenwood. Lynessa was staying with their cousins at Fain and their mother had gone that evening to dine with them and see how her daughter faired. Back home in her own chambers, Celia had little fear of being interrupted or overheard. 

“Evie, there’s so much to say I ... “ She paused, “I do not know how to tell you.” She exhaled, “Our mother is not the only one who we have misjudged! Our cousin, Rowena she ... she isn’t who we thought she was. She’s -- “ She paused, again, “There’s so much you don’t know,” She said, “I should start at the beginning, I suppose.” 

She hadn’t told anyone who James really was and she wasn’t sure how to start. It didn’t paint the best picture of him, she knew, but if she was going to confide in Evie, she supposed she should know the whole story. “The first night of my capture was unpleasant ... he was insufferable and made horrible accusations our mother and our family and even Loys himself. I knew it must only be a matter of time before someone came looking for me and I relished the idea of seeing him being taken away in chains to pay for what he had done. Through all of it, there was something familiar about him ... I couldn’t place where we had met, but I knew this wasn’t the first time I’d encountered him. I couldn’t, however, begin to imagine where I would have met such a man as this, and brushed the thought away until ... until I realized who he was.”

She’d been pacing, back and forth as she spoke, but now she stopped, and turned to face her sister. She exhaled, again, remembering the sick feeling she’d had when the realisation had first washed over her. “He was Loys.” She paused, “Or rather, he was who I thought Loys to be. He and his band of pirates had somehow managed to sneak into the ball and he did so by pretending to be Loys Mortain, himself! And while he flirted and danced and charmed me, all he had really been after was my jewels.” She shook her head, “I’d hated him up until that moment, but you cannot imagine how much I hated him then! To know that I had been silly enough to fall for his charms! And that I had cared for him enough to wish to marry him! And that he had since discovered that those had been my feelings! I was mortified and angry and I wanted to escape him more than anything!” 

Avelina felt an odd shock of regret as Celia expresses her continued desire to return to the South and wed its Warden.  Oh, certainly this was a dynastic boon in terms of Lynessa’s hopes, but Avelina realized some frail part of her had longed for Celia to stay with her, instead.  “My brave girl,” whispered Avelina, gently touching Celia’s face.  In a way, Avelina supposed, Celia was the most courageous of her daughters.  After all, unlike Lynessa, she did not know what was coming: only that she must persevere.  But then, perhaps that in itself was a blessing, too.  Either way, her daughter was exhibiting boldness and, as much as she hated parting with her once again, Avelina was proud. 

“Loys must be worth his weight in gold,” she teased softly, tilting her head in an inviting way, arms linked once more with her daughter.  “You need fear nothing more.  You are safe here and your sister has secured your safety in traveling once more.  These new guards are the sharpened warriors of the North, all the way from Valles’ territories.  They are crack troops with none to equal them besides Loys’ own most elite forces.”  

The North and South both bred survivors.  But in the North, these men were stalwart and disciplined.  In the South, one was more likely to encounter ill-fated adventurers, such as this Garin character.  It was no coincidence that the Godivas had arisen with the rebellious South, while House Arrington found its support in the unflinching North.

“Of course,” soothed Avelina, finding herself relieved.  She rubbed her daughter’s back.  “All the time in the world is yours.  And, if you’d prefer, we might invite Loys here to wed you and return with you, after a time.  I understand Lady Mortain is engaged to wed Lord Moran, which will be bringing Loys with some contingent this way in a few months’ time.  But naturally, we need make no decisions of that kind today,” she added, quickly, not wishing to place undue pressure on Celia.  She had been through much and more already, Avelina was sure.

Avelina turned to Celia with confusion, touching a hand to her heart.  The heat of surprise washed over her in a current and she stopped in her tracks to hear her decision questioned by her own daughter.  There had been more and more of this of late, unfortunately, first with Evie about Alexandir, now…her own Celia.  Avelina forced a smile she often wore when reasoning with the disapproving.  

“My own sweetheart,” she said, reaching out and taking her hands, but then a sudden fear clenched her heart.  “Surely…surely you have formed no attachment with this,” Avelina cast a glance towards the swearing pirate who, despite being shackled, was punching one of her men in the face.  Avelina began to walk again, picking up her pace.  “Roguish, unattached thief.”  She was grateful to gain the inside of the castle and closed - and bolted - the door behind them.  “Whatever has he filled your mind with?”  Gathering her daughter to her, Avelina rocked her for a moment, running fingers through her hair.  “You must know he is no true friend to us.”  Anyone who is not us, she had warned, often.  Is against us.  

Releasing Celia, she looked into her face.  “I am, I assure you, fulfilling just what I told him.  I promised that he would get all he deserved for stealing away my daughter.  This is the penalty for that, Celia.  And, yes, certainly I confess, I made it sound as if I meant a reward rather than a punishment, but I was afraid for your safety, should he begin to think he might gain nothing from the transaction.  And, certainly, I could not give him anything.  If I did, every young lady who ventured onto the road would be snatched up by some hoodlum looking for gold.  This Garin may not have harmed you, but those who emulated him may not have shown so much restraint.  That precedent could not be set, lest no lady ever be safe upon the road again.  Not you or your sisters or, my own sweet darling, even the Queen, herself!  Villainy must never be tolerated.”

Avelina nodded slowly as Celia asked what would be done with him.  “I will turn him over to the Queen’s justice, of course,” she replied.  “Stealing away one of royal blood is a crime whose punishment must be meted out by your cousin, alone.  What that will be…” Avelina shook her head as though she did not know, though that too was misleading.  “We will discover soon enough.”

As Celia said she would do the same to return home, Avelina rounded quickly.  “I do not believe that you would put another life in jeopardy to do so, which is precisely what this fellow did, both to you and to the men who guarded you.  He has displayed a reckless disregard for all others that I find, frankly, disturbing.  Avelina sank, emotionally exhausted, into her chair by the fire.  

When the servants had poured the wine, Avelina raised a glass to her lips.  “My darling, these are troubling times.  There is much and more that has happened here which…may not have reached your ears.”  Reaching out, Avelina took one of Celia’s hands in her own.  “During your absence, both of your sisters became engaged.  Lynessa was betrothed to Jon Valles and, at their very wedding…he was ruthlessly murdered by your other sister’s fiancé: Alexandir Godiva.  This only goes to prove that the foulest of intents can lurk in hearts that appear for all the world to be good and pure.  Who could have suspected?”

Avelina began again.  “Lynessa is in such a state, Celia, it is…” Avelina blinked back tears, though in truth they were more of relief for Celia’s situation than any grief for Lynessa’s.  “Truly heart-wrenching to witness.  In days like these, one may present a fair face but their heart may be blackened with wickedness.  For all his mighty deeds, we know now that Alexandir was no true friend of Aragoth’s or ours, though he looked to become a part of our family.  Whatever this James character may have said to you,” Avelina glanced away and back again.  “We know now that not everyone is to be trusted.”

Touching a hand to her mouth, Avelina shook her head.  “Oh, my sweet girl,” she murmured.  “You must have been terrified!”  It horrified her that any thing should happen to her own daughters and anger blackened her heart.  That her own Celia, who brought only joy to those around her, should be thus treated…Avelina wanted to scream.  

“Clever girl,” she commented approvingly, squeezing one of Celia’s hands in her own, when she mentioned how she had known he’d not truly harm her.  Avelina’s nostrils flared with renewed ire to hear that her daughter had - for whatever span of time - been bound.  “That blackguard!  Thinking to could cow you, an Arrington!  Daring to bind these sweet hands,” Avelina kissed her wrists, where she imagined the ropes must once have been.  “My Celia is no man’s captive!  Happy am I that you were born to a rich family!  I tremble to think what might have happened had he come upon a poor girl with no ransom to offer.”

“I’m not afraid,” She promised, resting a hand on her mother’s. “I’m more resolved to go now, then I was before.” But not for the reasons you believe. Her head had been full of silly fantasies of what life would be like when she had last left; but now she would go knowing exactly what sort of life she would be marrying into. It wasn’t at all what she had once dreamed of – but in many ways, she supposed, it was better. She could bring about some positive change to the people of Aragoth, where once she might have been content to sit by blindly and do nothing, enjoying her home and comforts and not giving a second thought to the condition of the rest of the world.

“Loys is … “ She stopped. She’d lied to her mother before; this was far from the first time. She used to sneak out in the late hours of the night to meet Cordelia in the passageways that connected Fain and Ravenwood when she should have been in bed. She once told her mother that she had only been in the library when once she went to check on her and found that she was not there. But she had never lied to her mother about something like this. But she knew that she could not reveal to her that the Loys she thought she knew, had been James all along … not when she was so fixed against him.

One day soon, she would find out the truth. Celia knew it would not be long before her mother made her way south to visit her and her new husband … and when she did, she would see from the first that Loys was not (and could not!) be the man Celia had once been so eager to marry. The truth would come one day but … for now … Celia felt it best to say as little as possible.

“… Loys is worth a hundred trips to the South and back,” She said, glowing with happiness. She didn’t realize that as she spoke, she’d been thinking of James to make her lie sound convincing.

“Yes, perhaps,” Celia replied. She didn’t want to quickly dismiss the idea but, In truth, she had no intention of wedding Loys here. From what James had told her of him, she doubted he would care to make the trip North, even if she did. But she knew that she would not be able to make her mother agree to the match if she met him beforehand.

“No!” Celia broke away from her mother’s embrace when she questioned if Celia had developed feelings for James. “I certainly have not! He is the most … frustrating man I have ever met! And I’m happy to be free of him …. only … despite his many, many flaws, he was promised something for my safe return and I believe he should have it.”

She wasn’t sure what fate was in store for James, but she knew it could not be a pleasant one. She had had some hope that she might be able to persuade her mother, but now knowing that she wished to turn him over to the Queen, herself, all hope of saving him felt lost. “You would give him to Rowena?” She asked, “I – “ She stopped, realizing that she was about to say much more than she meant to. She did not mean to tell her mother anything of what she had seen or learnt concerning her cousin on the road. She realized that her mother must know (she could not be as blind to it as she had once been!) but she also knew that she did not know where her mother stood and for the first time in her life, she felt as though she could not trust her.

“– I suppose you are right. We should leave this up to her to judge.” She said, sinking into the chair opposite her mother. Even as she spoke calmly and even toned, her mind was already racing. She knew that being left to Rowena’s judgements was as good as a death sentence for someone like James. Even if she had little of intention of something quite so severe, if he was given a trial and allowed to speak, she knew that he would easily, with only a word and a look, infuriate her cousin. If his only way to freedom was death, then he would have to leave before it got him. But how would he manage that?

Celia shook her head, still in disbelief, “So it is true? You were to let that horrible man marry Lynessa? I am glad he is dead! Could you not see what he was? Could you not see what he would have done to her? What he must have already done to her? I cannot believe that Lynessa would mourn the loss of such a man! He – “ She shuddered, even know, thinking of the last time she spoken with him; how his dead eyes had looked her over and sent a chill down her spine. If it was true, Alexandir seemed more friend to their family than Avelina, herself, was! She had almost said as much to her mother, before stopping herself.

Evie was agitated.  Still clad in her house colors - which she had donned to address the Queen, officially pleading on the behalf of her fiancé - Evie’s hem was trailing thick mud from visiting the prisons and her mind was in great distress.  It was all far, far, far worse than she could have imagined, but then she had realized something about herself, as well, in all this.  As guilty as the Queen was in perpetrating such deeds, Evie herself had a share in that guilt, too.  All this time, Evie had shut her eyes to it, all this time turned her head and refused to see what was right in front of her, all along.

She recalled dressing for Lynessa’s wedding, her mother had come in, fussing over her appearance.  She’d tugged the dress downwards to expose her breasts, and straightened her back and finally come very near to insisting that she wear something else altogether as this “does nothing for your fine figure.”  When Evie had refused to change, despite all Avelina’s cajoling, Lady Beaumont had finally turned to her with anger.  “Just like your father,” she spat.  “Always hiding.”  She wasn’t wrong.  Though her mother had meant something a little different, Evie realized that all this time she had been hiding: with her books, in her library, amongst her sisters, in her own cherished happiness, never daring to cast her gaze outwards and see what lay beyond or wonder how others got on in any form that mattered.  And Evie hated herself for that.

Evie had gone first to her mother, hoping for a powerful ally, next to Dmitrei, eventually to Cousin Arthur, and finally to the Queen, herself, and not a soul had been moved to lift even a finger when - she knew very well, they could see it at long last in their eyes - they all knew just as well as she did that Alexandir was innocent.  So they let a good man die and a murderer walk free - and all this over a man who was, himself, a known killer.  No one deserved to die for Jon Valles, and certainly not after he was already dead.

Something had to be done, Evie knew, and she understood at last that she must be the one to do it - only she had no idea what to do.  She couldn’t allow an innocent to go to his death, but she had no idea how to prevent it.  Her first line of defense had always been to trust in her cousin, the Queen, but now that the lawful route had been extinguished, she feared there was nothing for it but to do something truly desperate - but what and - more specifically - how?

She’d been pacing the familiar halls of Ravenwood, watching the sun set slowly behind the distant mountains. She didn’t know who she could trust. She hadn’t spoken of what she had seen on her journey with James to anyone. She feared they would be afraid that James had tricked her, at best, or that she was speaking treason against their Queen, at worst. 

This had once been her world, but now she was more eager to leave it than ever. Once she was in the South ... once she was married to the warden, she could affect real change. But for now, what could she do? She felt like she was treading on ice and one false step and it would break beneath her. 

And even more pressing -- what of James? Every moment that passed was a moment less she had left to help him. His crimes were many and he deserved to be punished for them, but he did not deserve to die. She wouldn’t be able to bear it if he did. 

As if in answer to her prayers, her sister Evie was suddenly standing before her, asking her if she had been down to the prisons, too. 

“You went to see Alexandir Godiva?” She asked, suddenly hopeful. “You believe he’s innocent, despite what everyone says?” 

She’d been surprised to hear that Evie had been there, at all. Of the three of them, she’d always been the kindest, the gentlest, and, above all, the most obedient. She could not think of something that would anger their mother more than hearing that Evie had gone to visit the very man accused of killing their new brother as he awaited execution for his supposed crimes. (And Celia could not know how very right she was in this. She did not know how much her mother had always despised Alexandir Godiva). 

“You think he’s innocent?” She asked. She did not know Alexandir Godiva well, herself. She’d been eager to meet him, when he first arrived in the North after his great victories in the South. She’d hoped for thrilling and romantic tales of his time there, but her mother had managed to talk her out of her interest. Since he’d returned, she’d barely spoken a word to him except in passing. 

But Evie had always been kinder. And she was certain that when they were engaged, she’d taken even more effort to get to know him. If Evie was willing to defy both their mother and the queen to speak to him, had she already started to suspect injustice? Could she trust her with what she knew? 

She didn’t say it, but she was so terribly happy that it was Jon who had died and no one else. She could still remember the way he looked at her; the way he looked at her sisters; the way he looked at all women as though they were simply his for the taking. The thought alone made her uneasy and she pushed all of them aside.

“I was. A little. But he only wanted me for the ransom, which he would not receive if he did not return him unharmed. And he did manage to defeat my entire guard, so I did oddly feel safe with him. I don’t think I ever was in any real danger. At least not from him.“  

She exhaled, “But yes. The beginning. Let me start there.” It had been weeks since she’d left that first day, but already it seemed like years. She thought of the girl who had left and she doubted that she would recognize who she had become. She’d known when she’d left that she’d be a woman when she returned, but she hadn’t expected this.

“The first few days were terribly exciting and horribly boring, all at once. I’d never been far from the Imperial City before and to see what lied beyond the city walls was — well, the poets hardly do it justice. But the days were long and tiring and I was very eager to reach the south.”

She wanted to laugh then. She’d be so eager to see Loys and who should stop her from her journey there but the very man she thought was Loys?

“Darling,” Avelina put her hand on Celia’s arm, leading her inside.  “Rest easy.  I will have that ruffian dealt with.  You will never again have to think of him.”  Stopping, Avelina put both her arms on her daughter’s shoulders.  “All is well.”  She paused.  “And should you still wish to venture South, rest assured, it is these men to whom your fate will be entrusted, not the loathsome excuses for men who failed you so dramatically before.  However, if you’ve lost your appetite for Loys,” she added.  “No one should ever blame you for it after so harrowing an experience.”  Evie could wed Loys and claim the South, after all, if not Romayne.  Celia could wed someone else - perhaps the West, the North, or even some powerhouse here in the East.

She cast a glance over Celia’s shoulder as she spoke so passionately in the defense of her captor.  “Careful, child.  If I didn’t know better of your gentle heart, I could misconstrue your value of all human life for an interest in this particular one.”  Avelina affectionately put a hand to Celia’s chin as she searched her face.

Avelina had taken a chance.  By walking up to James and holding on to him, as she had, she had ensured that in order to draw his sword, the ruffian would be forced to run her through.  Knowing he’d certainly hang for slaughtering Lady Beaumont in front of so many witnesses, Avelina had gambled he wouldn’t dare.  And if he had - she felt confident her magic could stop him.

“Do not imagine no harm was done, even if he did not hurt you,” began Avelina softly.  James was struggling with his captors the whole way, but there were many of them and they were Valles’ men, an army that had once fought the last supporters of the Dragonriders: battleborn as their master once had been.  “Do you not see, my dear, if no action is taken, other bandits - worse ones than this - will see fit to seize any wealthy maiden who dares out upon an open road.  This man may not have hurt you, but the next one who dares it may not be so wise or kind.  I am not just protecting you, I am protecting you sisters and your cousins and your friends and, yes, even your own daughters with time.  He must not be allowed to get away with this unscathed.”

She kissed Celia’s brow gently.  “Besides, my dear child, there are other hurts beyond the physical.  You may not even know how deeply he has hurt you, yourself.  No, truth all to me, Celia.”  She smiled warmly into her eyes, brushing her fingers through Celia’s hair.  “I will take care of all.  Now, come inside.  Tell me everything that happened to you.  I want to know it all, no matter how harrowing.”

She was still determined to return to the South and marry Loys -- although for different reasons than she’d had when she’d first left. But how was she to explain everything to her family, now? One day, they would meet Loys Mortain and he would certainly not live up to the description she had once given them. But relieving to her mother how not only had James Garin kidnapped her, but disguised himself as the Warden of the South and then stolen from her, would certainly not help his case. 

Perhaps one day, she would tell them -- when James was free and far from here -- but for now, she would say nothing. 

“No, I want to go back to the South,” She said, determined, “As soon as --” Had it not been for James, she would have left as quickly as it could be arranged. But his fate was uncertain and she realized that she could not leave him. “-- as soon as I am strong enough.” 

Her eyes followed James as he was taken away, “What are they going to do with him?” She asked. “Do you forget, that you gave him your word? Does that mean nothing? Mama, you must pardon him! He should not have taken me, but he meant no harm. He needed the ransom to return to his brother. Wouldn’t have either of us done the same, if we had been in his position? I would do anything to return to you and my sisters.” 

She wearily followed her mother inside, eyes scanning over her home -- a sight so familiar and yet she felt as though she was seeing it for the first time. She’d never considered the luxuries she was so used to until she was forced to live without them. As soon as they moved into her mother’s chambers, already food and wine was being brought to them. It was a small feast - with all of her favorites. They would hardly eat enough of it to show any sign that they’d eaten at all, before it was cleared away. She thought of the starving mothers and children she’d seen in the towns they’d ridden through and she felt sick. 

As soon as she was seated, her mother waited expectantly for her to begin. She knew not how. She could not tell her all -- she would not tell her all. Somehow she didn’t trust her enough to bring up all she had seen and all she had been told. It was a new and strange feeling: once she would have said anything to her mother, but now she treaded with care. 

“We had only been traveling for three days. I admit I was scared when I woke up and I’d seen what had happened. But even then, I never doubted that I wouldn’t make it home. I was worthless to him if I did not return home unscathed. He treated me as well as he was able, given the circumstances. The first hour or so, my hands were tied, but he freed me from my bonds when I promised not to run. And from there, he led me safely back.” 

She said nothing of their stop in the town, or the robbers they’d encountered, or the things he’d taught her to do on the way. 

He was half asleep when he heard her voice.  Half-dreaming, he heard Celia calling to him, calling his name.  He dreamt he led another life.  He dreamt of Silverwynne, it’s soaring dragonfired glass walls.  He dreamt that he’d done the right thing and stayed.  His cousins had survived and Loys and his mother had never done anything more with their time than counting his keys and coins, respectively.  He dreamt that the Dragonriders still flew the skies, streaking in vermillion and emerald and cobalt across the hazy morning skies.  And he dreamt that Celia Beaumont came to him, dressed in her House’s colors, to be his bride.  He was reaching out to take her hand in his as the dream crumbled and James found himself once more in a dark, dank cell, waiting to die.

“Not for the first time,” James muttered to himself, rolling his eyes towards the dreary stone ceiling.  Not for the first time, perhaps, but he feared that at last it was for the last time.  He’d do anything to spot just a scrap of sunlight.

He was thinking of a mad attempt to climb the bars in an effort to peak out the tiny gap, so far away, out towards the sky, when he heard it again.  Not a dream, he thought in surprise.

“Celia?” he hissed in surprise, creeping towards the edge of his paddock, hoping against hope to catch a glimpse of the girl.  Hearing her question, he arched his brows in bemusement.  “Never better,” he joshed, gesturing around himself.  “You see, your mother gave me what I could not give to you: a roof.  Granted, it seems to be about as water-tight as I’ve heard Yilankale rumored to be, but I’ve no pressing concerns that it might topple.”

He grasped one of the iron bars that separated them and smiled at her.  Gods, it was good to see her.  It felt queerly as though it had been half an age since last they spoke and James was possessed with the mad impulse to pull her close and kiss her even through these iron bars.  Laughing aloud at the idea, he quirked his brows towards her.  She looked well, very well indeed.  There was a reason he called her Radiance.  “I’m surprised to see you here.  I’ll wager your mother doesn’t know.”

As she demanded to know why he’d not listened to her, James glanced away for a moment.  “I suppose for the same reason I whisked you off to a life of adventure, in the first place.  I was greedy.”  Greedy, in this case however, for he knew not what.  But whatever it had been, he’d wanted it with a mad passion that whirred in his head like barn sparrows when intruders veered too near their nests.

He thought, I love her like this.  Her eyes glowed with passion, her face lit with feeling.  She was a storm - roiling across his horizon with peals of thunder - he thought, and by all the gods, James had believed growing up in the South had taught him enough about them.  He’d often thought a storm would kill him, and perhaps he was right.  He knew now that lightning could burn sweetly.  He wanted to kiss her now, again, but differently this time.  Not urgently, but softly, like they had all the time in the world.  He wanted to make her smile.

His grin grew slowly as she accused him.  “I am,” he confessed.  “All that and more.”  And, gods, am I glad to see your face, he thought.  He nodded.  “I hardly blame her,” he drawled.  “I gather wanting to murder me is a natural state upon meeting me.  Your mother is not the first person who’s wanted me dead.  Did I ever tell you where I’d so lately been when I swept you up?”  He smirked.  “Never fear, Your Radiance.  I’m not afraid of death.  I’ve been there before.”  Slowly, he cracked a knowing smile.  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were worried about me.”

“Stop it!” She cried, “Don’t laugh. Can you please be serious for a moment?” How could he be so calm? She'd felt sick for days. She hadn’t been able to think of anything else. She hadn’t eaten; she hadn’t slept. She’d tried approaching the subject with her mother more times than she could count, but she’d remain firm: James would die for his crimes. 

She shook her head, “No, she doesn’t. It’s the middle of the night,” She added, realizing he may not know. There was no sign of the outside world, here. No way to tell day from night. She wondered if the meals, at least, were regular or if the prisoners were often left forgotten. She couldn’t imagine being trapped here, where even the air was stale. She wondered how he could bear it -- he who so loved the sea and the skies and the wind. 

But even this place, it seemed, hadn’t been enough to break his spirits. 

She, on the other hand, already felt defeated. She would set him free, if she could. But how was she to do that? If pleading with her mother would do no good, then she knew going to the Queen herself would be even less so. Her Arrington cousin would not hear her pleas if he knew that granting her request would go against both Rowena and Avelina. 

There was no one left to help her. 

She’d thought about stealing the key, but the only one hung by the jailer’s side at all times. How was she to get it from him? And even if she did, how was she to get James free from here? Once they were inside the tunnels, she could release him before they reached Ravenwood, but how would they get there, in the first place, unnoticed? 

She couldn’t do any of this alone and she didn’t know who she could trust. Was there anyone left? 

His statement made her think of the first time they’d met -- not in the woods, but the time before that. “I didn’t want to murder you, the first time we met,” She said, before she realized she’d said it, “The second time, however, is a different story.” She added, remembering how horrified and foolish and angry she’d felt then. She could have never imagined that she’d be here, now. 

“You never did tell me,” She said, when he asked her if she had known where he had been, before they met, “But if it was escaping from a prison where you were being held because someone wanted you dead, perhaps you have some ideas of how to escape from this one?” 

when they went to the inn, while celia was sleeping, james cleaned some of her things for her but pretended the staff had done it

they were beset at one point by a number of robbers, whom they managed to fight off

exhilarated, james kissed celia and then spent the rest of the trip alternately teasing her and pretending it had never happened

at one point, they got turned around and confused???? and james had celia climb a tree to ensure they were going in the right direction it was a whole thing™

james continued to make tons of key innuendos about loys THE. ENTIRE. TIME. (to hide the fact that - at an all-time low - he’s actually kinda jealous of loys)

james taught celia how to start a campfire, how to widdle, and how to saddle her own horse

he also taught her how to throw a proper punch and promised to teach her how to wield a blade…”just as soon as you’ve no cause to use one against your instructor”

he asked her “jokingly” to become a pirate w him - she turned him down and he laughed it off

im trash so at least one time they had to cuddle by the campfire for warmth tbqh

one time james went hunting and he came back to find…CELIA GONE!!!!!

he totally lost his shit, started searching everywhere, and somewhere along to line realized he was much more worried about her safety than the cash he’d miss out on

he was in total freak out mode…when she suddenly staggered out of the bushes w some eggs apparently she’d gone looking for them and gotten lost

he wanted to cry w relief when he saw her…so instead he made fun of her for getting lost the rest of the trip

one time james accidentally slept in so late celia woke up first…she was hungry so she decided to make breakfast…she nearly burned herself and def burned the first course but her second try was super tasty

he teased her all day…and helped her make dinner later

asp celia cut her hand somehow so he bandaged her up and told her stories about his adventures at sea to distract her

asp james swindled some passersby out of money and the two of them had to BOOK IT THE HELL AWAY