Chapter Text
“I will not be sent away.”
The icy hand brushing her hair stalled near the back of her neck, causing the prickle of gooseflesh. She heard the man behind her open his mouth, but he didn’t say anything. She crossed her arms as her cheeks warmed.
“ Will you give me good reply?” She demanded. Bobby stopped his stalling and continued to brush her hair.
“ I can recall you having said something similar, not terribly long ago.” He replied carefully,despite his actual words being anything but. Jean tensed, turning her upper body and smacking away his hand from her head.
“ How dare you insinuate that this is anything like-”
“ It be more similar then you think, lady,” Bobby cut her off. Jean turned fully on the bed, grabbing the hair brush from him.
“It be not, I think.” She contested. Bobby crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at her. Jean might have been inclined to be amused were she not so upset by the accusation. It took her a moment to realize why. Bobby’s words made her feel as though she were speaking to her father.
Silly girl, don’t you know we’re trying to help you? Silly girl, don’t you realize you want this? Don’t you realize how much you’ll enjoy this?
Jean did not want this. She did not want to be married. She did not want to be sent away again.
“I will not be sent away.”
“Jean this is not another matter where you can simply wave your hand and change my mind. It is for your own safety.”
“ Methinks I am perfectly safe here! In my home!” Jean crossed her arms.
“ These people mean to kill us, Jean! I will not have my house be pillaged and my daughter raped!”
“ You think me so base!? You wish not for me to be defiled and yet you send me away with a stranger, What do you suppose his intentions are!?” She yelled back.
Her father, with a frustrated grunt, threw up his hand and turned sharply away, not facing her. The knight stood only a few paces away, unspeaking.
She glared at the helmeted man. Her lip quivered.
“Yet silent?” she mocked. The man shifted his weight slightly. Jean moved around the desk chair to stand toe to toe with him. He was taller than her by quite a bit, at least a head length. She couldn’t tell where he was looking, but something told her his gaze traveled over her head.
“ Speak, sir.” her father waved a hand dismissively.
“ I wish you not to be afraid of me.” He requested lowly, his voice had a tenor quality to it. “ I swear to you, I have no intention to harm you.”
“And I suppose I am to simply believe you?” She asked.
Jean attempted to graze the knight’s mind with her own, but found the metal to be blocking her way.
“Remove your helmet.” She demanded.
“I will not, m’lady.” He refused. Her nostrils flared in frustration.
“And why not?” She asked with a pointed brow. She somehow felt the knight’s gaze settle on her.
“If you’ll forgive me, it is because I have no such intention to.”
Jean’s anger flared for a moment, white hot. The flame extinguished when her mind caught up to her emotion, and processed the words. An unfamiliar feeling washed over her, soothing and calm, curious.
“ What is your name, sir.”
“ Summers, at your service, lady.” He stooped into a bow. She offered her hand, and he took it.
“Very well….Sir Summers.”
Jean saw Bobby exhale more than she heard it, the fog of his breath haloing around her head before dispersing into the air.
“ Forgive me. I didn’t realize I was coming across…” he apologized.
Ah, she had said that outloud. Unsure of what to say, she remained silent. Awkwardness hung thickly in the air, and Jean was hyper aware of it. Every shift, stroke of brush, and clink of teeth as either of them opened their mouth and closed it again. She fiddled with the hem of her nightgown, gazing into the bedspread without seeing it. Her mind filled with images of veils and banquets sitting next to man twice her age and half her wit, looking at both the meal and her gluttonously. She shuddered at the idea that one day soon, that would be her life.
The tension remained unbroken when Bobby finally spoke again.
“When is your departure?” he questioned quietly. Jean was torn from her thoughts as guilt and.. fear permeated the air.
“ Three days from now. I am expected by Sunday.” she replied, attempting to descramble the wave of thoughts and emotions coming from Bobby.
Fearfearfearfearfear
What was it? What was he so afraid of?
Bobby nodded, continuing to brush her hair despite the fact that he no longer needed too. She wondered if they would be allowed to continue their tradition once she was married. Would he even be allowed to see her hair, under her veil?
A thought gripped her.
“ You will accompany me, yes?” she asked suddenly. The fear and worry, she couldn’t tell whether it was Bobby’s or her own, subsided.
“ If you would have me, Jean, I would follow you to the end of the earth.”
“ I wouldn’t dream of taking you from this place unless you so wished.” She turned, her mouth slightly open and brows furrowed. “ I couldn’t separate you from your family like that.” She was overcompensating, surely, trying not to seem too desperate for his company. “ But... You are quite important to me.”
Bobby half-laughed, half-sighed. He let his hands fall into his lap as a goofy smile crawled onto his face.
“ If you ask me, I think a bit of distance from my family would benefit everybody involved.” he joked. Jean let out a small laugh of relief, and surged forward to hug him.
“ You are my greatest friend, Bobby, If i am quite frank i don’t wish to imagine going anywhere permanently without you.” She confided. Bobby returned her hug graciously, squeezing her tightly.
“ And I you. I was terribly lonesome when you were away with…” He trailed off suddenly, upset by where his mind took his tongue. Jean looked out over his shoulder with slightly furrowed brows. Her lips pursed against her will.
“ Would I be better off forgetting him?” she asked.
“Pardon me?”
Jean glanced over at the knight, travelling at a steady trot on his jet black horse next to her. A smirk toyed at her lips
“ I do not repeat myself easily sir knight.”
“ I entreat you, m’lady.” He replied in turn.
“ Ah, you charm me so, Goodman. If you insist.” Jean said playfully. She allowed the silence to carry between them for a few more horse paces, waiting.
“ I do Insist.” Summers clarified cordially. With his helmet on she had no way of knowing where his eyes landed, so she had begun to get into the habit of treating him as though they were always on her. Partially to maintain her own image, somewhat to tickle her fancy.
“Ah, of course. I simply wonder if we should abandon this childish flight and return to the estate.”
He scoffed rudely. Her demeanor spoiled.
“ Well. Pardon me if I offend.” she bit, spurring her horse to go faster. He increased his speed to keep up with her.
“ You do no such thing, M’ lady.” he insisted. She sped up again. He followed again. With a roll of her eyes she turned her horse to block his path. He reared back quickly.
“ Whatever is your qualm?” he asked incredulously, soothing his horse.
“ This is a fool’s quest, and you are a fool.” she told him. “ But simply because you are my father’s knight does not mean I will be jerked around like a pawn. You will treat me with the same respect that is due to my father.”
He was silent for a moment before dismounting his horse. She tried not to look confused or surprised.
Summers removed his helmet, and for the first time Jean saw his face. He secured a sort of odd looking contraption to his eyes, with bands of leather that went separated his head into quadrants. Reverently, he requested her hand from the reign of her horse. She hesitantly allowed it, as she had in her father’s study.
“ I am not your father’s knight, M’lday. I am yours. Your protection and safety is my mission, and your security and happiness my responsibility. While I cannot bring us back to your home, as I know you wish, I will do everything in my power to make this journey palatable for you.” He spoke. “ Of this you have my word.”
Something traitorous in her heart believed him.
“What would you do for me.” She questioned.
“What would you have me do?” He replied in turn. She let her eyes trail over the smooth skin, soft hair, brightly lit eyes behind stained ruby glass. A question for another day.
“I wish to sleep in a bed tonight.”
His lips quirked upwards.
“Then I will see to it you shall. If you would follow me, m’lady.” He replied, remounting his black steed.
She allowed herself a small smile in return.
“If you so insist.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jean’s vision was swimming as the party traveled through the village streets on the road to a looming castle. They were joined King’s Guard, who had joined them on the cities border, nobly protecting them from the children admiring the clean, dressed horses parading the ‘new princess’ to her betrothed.
Such children, Jean though, required not such attentive soldiering. It wasn’t until they fell behind that her heart shuddered.
The trailing group abandoned them at the same moment the streets became eerily void of life. Shuddered windows were unable to ward of the lingering smell of pestilence.
“My God…” she heard Bobby say. Her head swiveled as quickly as it could to look at what he was looking it.
At first she thought it a corpse, ashen-white as it was. It took a shuddering breath before she realized it were a child. Skeletal and spinal, spindly under sweat-slicked skin. She gasped, bringing her horse to a stop.
“Lady-“ one of the guards said as she dismounted. A hand grasped her bicep firmly.
“Return to your horse.”
“That child needs medicine.” She said firmly.
“He is as good as dead. The illness strikes mercifully quick.” He told her surely.
“And yet he lives.” She replied. With a defiant curl of her nose she shrugged his hand off of her, approaching the child.
It should have scared her more, if it were true.
“ Hither, child, I pray you.” She coaxed. “Bobby-“
“Here, M’Lady.” He was at her side in a moment, handing her a saddle banker to wrap around the youth. He shook and coughed violently, a small, bone- thin hand curling over the edge of the blanket.
“I will ride with him, you must keep your focus.” Bobby said. “I will find him a doctor.”
“At my insistence, you shall.” She confirmed.
“Lady Grey.” The Guard ordered. She turned to find him holding the reins of her horse, feeling very much like bounds for herself instead.
Without word she remounted the steed, aware that he remained leading her. It made disgust boil in her gut. Paraded through the palace gate and yard like a concubine after war.
And it was a parade. Servants and kingsmen stopped and watched on as she was lead to the great hall. Cold stone walls squared away a dead courtyard from the land around it, reaching towards an open sky.
The horses were lead to the stables as her company went further inside. Bobby walked behind her, the small boy on his back, head covered by the saddle blanket. Great oak doors were pulled open, presenting them to the room.
A red runner drew her eye to the backward of the room. Colored sunlight cascaded through stained glass windows, bathing the small group of people In the otherwise empty hall. There was terse silence for a moment as one turned to face them.
“He sent- I told him!” A man her age said bitterly. Golden hair curled softly around his ears, making it difficult for her to see a golden circlet crown hidden within locks. He stood pin-straight, with the grace of an archer. The richness of his tunic told her that this was likely her betrothed. It eased her only a touch that he was not terribly her senior. One of his hands clasped an ornate carved cane, which he leaned on slightly. He voiced his displeasure to a knight or Gaurd of some kind next to him.
“ You’re highness, have some discretion.” The next voice called. Jean’s eyes flickered to a beautiful women. She was tall, and her skin as dark as onyx.. She held herself in an incredibly refined manner compared to the rather upset men next to her. A shock of puffy white hair could be seen at the nape of her neck as she turned her head to address the prince.
“ Have some discretion she says- Lady Monroe, this man has sent sentinels to parade my future wife through the town like she’s some- some- concubine! Instead of following my wishes! My specifically requested wishes!” The prince threw his hands up.
“ He’s not here to defend or rebuke, so I feel as though your dramatics are best left for the dinner table, Warren. Now, are you going to greet her?” Lady Monroe asked, gesturing to the redhead. Jean took the opportunity.
“ We require a Doctor.” She demanded.
“ Are you injured?” the knight asked worriedly. He attempted to take a step forward, but was halted by the Prince’s cane, even while the man’s face reflected a similar question.
“ This boy is sick, he requires a physician.” Bobby took a step forward, careful not to startle the weak boy resting on his back. All softened visibly.
“ Sir, take Lady Grey’s manservant to see Doctor McCoy, then return here.”
“ Will you have me escort the lady to her chambers?”
“ I will do no such thing, I have need of you.” he said dismissively.
“...Very Well.”
“Go.”
The knight dismissively beckoned Bobby to follow and exited the room, making way for a sudden and unpleasant silence.
“Lady Grey, it is a pleasure.”
“Prince Worthington, equally so.”
“Goodness gracious- you are dismissed now, thank you!” He rudely waved away the kingsmen who had accompanied her. They exited swiftly.
“My most sincere apologies, My lady. Those are my fathers Guard. They very notably report only to their fustilarian master, hence my begrudging.” He explained, his demeanor changed notably “How was your journey, not terribly unpleasant, I hope?”
“Twasn’t.” She felt very uncomfortable by herself. Worthington seemed to notice.
“Ah, I am relieved.” He smiled, pained. She gave no such response. Lady Monroe looked between the two of them uncomfortably.
“Would you like me to show you to your chambers, Lady Grey?” She asked. Jean exhaled in a small relief.
“I would be appreciative, Lady Monroe.” She replied. The women smiled kindly and linked arms with the redhead. The prince clasped his hands behind his back and rocked on his heels.
“I will have the servants bring your luggage up.” He ended abruptly, as though he was about to say something more hopeful. Her demeanor iced over.
“You have my thanks.” She replied smoothly. He smiled.
“Will you be accompanying us for Dinner?” He spit out. She pursed her lips.
“I will not, I think I shall retire early.”
“Of course.” He said hurriedly. She shifted her weight foot to foot.
“Uhm. Goodnight then.”
“Goodnight.” She raised her eyebrows, and her and Lady Monroe took their leave.
“My goodness.” She muttered. Monroe laughed joyfully.
“That was quite possibly the most unpleasant interaction I’ve ever had the displeasure of witnessing.” She informed. “I assure you, he is not usually so.. displeasurable.” Lady Monroe patted her arm, taking her down a stone corridor.
“Lady Monroe I cannot imagine such a man is very pleasurable at his best times.” Jean replied assuredly. The other woman smiled.
“Please, Lady Grey, call me Ororo.”
“Then to you I am Jean.”
“Very well Jean, and I promise, Warren is a kind gentleman and a good friend. He will make a good husband to you.”
The stone in Jean’s chest crushed her heart once more at the reminder of such a thing. She gazed wistfully forward. It didn’t go unnoticed
“There is another, then?” Ororo said knowingly. Jean startled.
“Pardon me?”
“Is it that servant boy you came with?”
“ Bobby? Oh heavens no!” she insisted. “ I assure you there is no other.”
Ororo gave her a disbelieving look. Jean paused.
“ Though.. I would wonder if you would entertain bringing me to see him and the physician, I worry about that child.” She asked. Ororo’s face softened.
“ Of course, Jean. It’s just this way.” She motioned for the servants to continue bringing Jean’s things to her temporary room while she led them down a separate hallway. Her gait slowed significantly by the time shadows could be seen from an open room.
“There is something you should be aware of,” Ororo said. Jean’s leaned backwards.
“Oh?”
“I hope it won’t alarm you greatly.”
“Pray tell.”
“ It would be simpler to show you.” Ororo smiled, they turned into the room, previously hidden from Jean by the wall and Ororo’s body.
Jean froze in the doorway.
“Jean, this is our physician, Henry McCoy.” Ororo bowed her head to the… man.. as a greeting.
“Please, do not be alarmed by my appearance.” Henry said. “ I assure you I am more man than beast.” he extended a large furry blue hand.
“ Jean!” Bobby exclaimed. “There are witchborn here!”
Jean took Henry’s hand with a small amount of hesitation.
“ I see that, Bobby.”
“ I do hope your not too perturbed.” Henry smiled.
“Why would she be? We-“ Bobby found his mouth suddenly closed by some unseen force.
“There were witchborn at home, as well. I hold no ill will, I was simply surprised.” She explained with a kind smile. “I’ve never seen someone to obvious cursed as you so openly.. allowed within the mechanics of the aristocracy.”
“It is at the prince’s insistence, Goodwoman, if you still harbored doubts of his goodwill.” Henry smiled. “I was the court physician for long before I was blue. But these things,” he gestured vaguely to himself, “ sometimes take decades to manifest. The king may not be in favor of such deviation, but he begrudgingly tolerates the cursed among society.”
“Not so much those accused.” Ororo added. Jean raised a questioning brow.
“Indeed?”
Henry threw a log into a fire that kept a boiling pot alive.
“At least two are killed every year, sometimes more.” He explained quietly, as to not frighten the child or the maidens, or perhaps to hold this information as a terrible secret. “ Witchcraft as an accusation received gravely in this court. I myself barely escaped it when I was translated.”
“My deepest apologies.” Jean folded her hands in front of her. Henry waved her off.
“I need them not, dear lady, I have no use for such pleasantries. “ he smiled kindly. Jean held his gaze.
“The child will live, yes?” She asked. Henry sighed and moved to a door on the other side of the room, he opened it slightly, revealing a small sort of infirmary with a single bed, occupied by the ill boy.
“I have done what I can, but we may only hope the illness runs it’s course. Thus far it has appeared to be the toss of a coin weather or not those inflicted survive.” He noted solemnly. “But rest in a clean bed is among the greatest medicines,”
A shadow fell on the room from the doorway. Henry’s smile faltered.
“Ah, hello Hank.” The knight straightened his back as he saw the woman and servant.
“Hello.” Henry closed the door to the small bedroom, turning to the knight. “To what do we owe the pleasure.”
“ I came to ask if you had seen the mistress, I have a message from his Majesty the king.” He directed the last part of Jean herself, which was gained a small amount of appreciation.
“Speak it.”
“He wishes to know if you will accompany him and the prince at dinner.”
“I thought I had made it clear-“
“He wishes to hear it from yourself and not the prince.”
“You may tell him that my answer has already been given sir-.”
“Breakfast, then, My Lady. He wishes to meet you sooner rather than later.” The knight took a step forward, he halted when Henry extended a paw. Jean set her jaw at this slight.
“Very well. You may tell him I will join them tomorrow.”
The knight stood there a second too long in befuddlement. Jean was ready to repeat herself, but Hank beat her to it.
“Leave, sir. Your presence is not required and I’m sure your master has use of you.. elsewhere.”
There was the distinct click of a jaw shutting.
“Very well.” He said, turning in his heel and taking a swift exit.
Hank turned away, picking up a quill and making note of something.
“You would do best to retire, Lady Grey. You will need your patience for tomorrow morning.”
She sighed.
“Indeed, it would seem so.” She replied, turning back to Ororo, who extended an arm and request to find Jean’s temporary rooming. Henry coughed once, gaining her attention once more.
“And please, Lady Grey, call me Hank.”
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Warren's door opened and shut with an unkind ferocity. He did not raise his head.
“You.. are late.” He said, focused on the document under his quill.
The inkwell tipped over as a helmet was slammed down onto the desk. Warren looked up, meeting his knight’s fiery gaze.
“You have quite a lot of explaining to do. And for your sake I do hope you are quick.” Scott warned in a low, angry voice.