Serenity looked at her back, hurt, the sudden jolt of guilt almost overshadowed the physical pain she was in.
Realizing that her massaging wasn't going to do her much good this time, she undid the covers and went under them, carefully extending her legs so that her feet wouldn't sting and making sure there was enough room for Margrett to join her.
"Good night," she said, it was a simple wish.
I'm sorry...
She said nothing more and almost immediately fell asleep, her body wasting no time in trying to drift off slowly.
Margrett shrugged her armor off and walked to the other side of the bed, pausing, unsure of what to say. Eventually she just pulled the covers aside and laid down.
Night china doll.
Still a little nervous, sleep came slowly, but eventually it did.
Serenity opened her eyes in the middle of the night, surprised at first that she didn't sleep all the way till midday given how tired she was. The pain in her feet seemed gone, until she moved them a little under the covers. She turned around slightly to look behind her and saw that Margrett was in bed as well.
Facing forward again, she thought about their last conversation before going to bed and how her refusal to accept Margrett's help must have seem offensive, or rude to say the least.
She played the scene back in her mind a few times while still looking forward at nothing, trying to picture herself and how Margrett must have seen her.
Doing this wasn't helping her go back to sleep and just invited the feeling of guilt to return.
Oh this isn't getting me anywhere...
She sighed quietly and carefully moved herself out from under the sheets, carefully standing up so not to invite all the soreness of her feet back all at once. Every step caused pain as she stepped out of the room quietly, but Serenity did her best to keep quiet as to not startle Margrett from her sleep.
When the Mage reached the hallway, she stepped a little quicker and searched for a balcony if any, hoping to get a little air to forget about yesterday.
There was a door in the side of the room, that opened onto a small balcony that overlooked the small town. There were still a few lights on, a few flames burning, but mostly the town was cool and quiet. Behind her, Margrett stirred but did not wake up.
Serenity walked carefully out into the balcony, taking in the warm night breeze as it lapped at her every so often. She pulled up a chair and relaxed, looking onward at the town. For a few moments she just enjoyed the scene, not really bringing anything to mind.
"A glass of wine would be good right now..." she said quietly to herself.
Serenity listened to the ambiance of the town, the wind pushing against branches, the flicker of the torches, and the singing of crickets in the distance. It was peaceful, and she giggled at herself remembering the nonsense she had to go through to get here.
Then she frowned slightly, remembering seeing Margrett's back before she went to bed and feeling unappreciative over not accepting her help, with both carrying her to the inn and offering to massage her aching soles.
Its only natural, what any good friend would do for another. Even I would make such offers, there's nothing wrong with accepting them...
Yet she was always reluctant, even of little things that sometimes include opening the door for her (unless she was pulling strings around a man) or even offering to buy her a drink.
Then she remembered an event from her past, a time before before meeting James, when she was the lady of House Howle. The memory played back like a stage performance in her mind, perfectly executed. The expressions were so real, and the actors moved as if there were no curtains between them and the audience. Only it was no stage play, but a real memory, and those were looks of fear that looked at her.
Serenity rubbed her brow, What a horrible woman I was, or still am perhaps. Those servants deserved better...
She sighed and tried to shake off the memory, looking straight at the town again whilst listening to the sounds.
Last Edit: Oct 17, 2011 1:08:33 GMT -5 by Serenity
Serenity heard something behind her. Margrett was standing there, the blanket from the bed around her shoulders. She was quiet for a moment, then stepped next to Serenity.
When she turned suddenly, Margrett raised an eyebrow.
What? Oh, no. I just...don't sleep well sometimes. She looked away. The truth was she was a light sleeper, and anything might have woken her up; least of all a person walking by. She noticed Serenity fixing her hair and chuckled.
You look fine. Don't need to fix your bed head for me. After a moment, she almost reluctantly raised one arm, offering her half of the blanket.
Serenity smiled slightly, as well as it could be seen in the dark, when Margrett said she didn't have to fix her hair. It was just a habit, Serenity thought, always wanting to appear presentable whenever and wherever she was.
She looked at the blanket for a few seconds, at first as if not sure what to do with it, and then suddenly wrapped it around herself.
"Thank you, Margrett." she said almost sheepishly.
Serenity at that moment did her best to get over herself as to not offend Margrett, especially so late at night. The mage was quiet for a moment, looking down at the street as if waiting for something to happen.
Finally she looked up at Margrett, "I'm sorry about earlier, with you picking me up and then offering to massage me. I know you were being kind and I appreciate it, truly, I just have trouble accepting favors...recently."
The apology came out impulsively, as if Serenity was waiting to just blurt it out when she got the chance to.
She could have sworn she said that last word in her mind alone. Serenity shuffled a bit in her seat to adjust the blanket, before flicking away a few strands of hair in front of her face.
"Oh its nothing really, I was just remembering my years at the manor, my servants. Not sure why," she lied, "but their faces came to mind as I stared out into the town."
The lady made a small frown, barely visible in the night, before her face continued to look straight on in front of her. She was quiet for a little while, a quick breeze brushed through her and forced more hair in front of her face which she moved away. Her eyes were getting a little heavy once again and she relaxed herself in her seat.
"I wasn't exactly a princess growing up in royalty, though I thought I was at the time. I was terrible, especially towards my servants. Not once did I show them any respect."
She spoke solemnly, straightforward, there was no hint of melancholy in her tone as she continued to face forward, barely turning towards Margrett.
"I didn't abuse any of them, not physically anyway," she said with a quick bemused expression, "But not once did I thank them seriously for all the deeds and work they accomplished in my House and for me. I suppose I always regretted that once I left."
This development was slightly disconcerting. Serenity having servants? She shouldn't be surprised; she was a noble after all. She pushed that aside, trying to work through it just as much as help Serenity accept it.
They had a roof over their heads and food. That's a lot more than a lot of people can say. Even though you may not have shown them much respect, they probably didn't think much of it. They were glad to get in out of the cold. I would be.
She sighed, nodding her head a little, "I suppose you're right, no point in thinking about it at this moment anyway."
Her head turned to Margrett, "So, what would you like to do tomorrow? I figured after all this nonsense you'd like to just go home after breakfast. I'm certainly in no mood for shopping anymore, but who knows," she shrugged her shoulders, "My spirits my change in the day break if you're willing to wander around town for a while before going back to Wistvale."
Well, we're here. We might as well see what the town has to offer. We'll walk around a bit, then ask about home. She nudged Serenity a little bit with her shoulder, playfully.
Serenity smiled slightly, "Alright, might as well seeing as we went through the trouble of getting here."
She stifled an upcoming yawn, "Perhaps we should return to bed, I don't want keep you up," the lady got up slowly and was prepared to walk with Margrett back to the room and sleep the rest of the night away.