The visit went as expected, children chattering, the adults desperately trying to gain Willow's attention long enough to thank her profusely for the children's lives. In short, Willow's rooms were chaotic, and Willow enjoyed it immensely, feeling warmed and as if she was amongst family. For a moment Agnes interpreted the pandemonium, appearing with the requested beverages, but it quickly resumed as Willow gently guided the children onto a mat Agnes had laid out to collect all manner of the spills and crumbs that happened when children ate.
They stayed for an hour or so, before the exhaustion of the day began to settle into Willow’s bone’s and she made subtle hints at the parents to corral their children for the evening, something easier suggested than done but a necessary evil. The message however was quickly and easily heard, and parents pointedly encouraged their children to say their goodbyes.
Willow hugged each child as tightly as her injured, broken body could handle, so grateful that they had all made it out alive.
Willow had received a message from Edward indicating they had dragged the body of the strange beast into the compound to study it; it confused them as much as it had Willow, although Willow had paid far less mind to it beyond fighting it off. The body was being inspected as she had visited with the children and when Willow noticed Edward join the knot of parents in her rooms; she expected an update to the saga before she could finally turn in for the night.
For now, Willow had to contend with the innocent worry of the children around her, some fighting the orders to vacate the rooms, concerned Willow would get hurt where they couldn't help, not realising in their youth how little help they would be in such a situation. But as always with situations where all eyes are on a particular person, something awkward must happen.
"Willow?" Felix asked, stepping back forward, his brow furrowed in worry. He grabbed for her hand and flipped it over. "What's this?"
He pointed to a small, ugly twisting of scaring that had peeked out from under her sleeve while she was reaching for hugs. Willow had been careful about keeping these wounds from everyone, but especially the children. They needn’t know too much of the pain Willow had been through.
At his words, Willow froze, as did Edward, the only other person in the room to know of the true nature of these wounds.
"Does it hurt?" Felix continued, oblivious to the surrounding tension, some of the other children were now moving forward to inspect for themselves, curiosity peaked.
"No, it doesn't hurt," Willow replied, mechanically, struggling to find a way to explain away what to even a child's eyes must have been a gruesome wound.
"It's mostly healed up, but you do need to be careful. The skin isn't very strong yet."
"What happened?" Another child demanded, puffing up in a protective manner that would have been adorable if not about such a sensitive subject.
Willow rubbed her temples, "When I was on my way here from my home in the East, there was an accident. I was already sick, so my body couldn't heal very well. It left these marks." Willow looked into her eyes, made wide by innocent worry.
"But you don’t need to worry now!" she announced, forcing fake cheer into her voice and plastering a wide smile onto her face, "They're all better now, see!" Willow took the closest child's hand and gently guided her to run her fingers over the twisted, deformed skin. "It'll feel a little strange, but it’s healing just fine, promise."
Slowly, children moved forward to feel the strange skin for themselves, but their parents were quick to shuffle them out. They had been whispering amongst themselves and had been more than capable of putting the clues together. The general look of horror would be something Willow found burnt into her brain. Willow had been incredibly conservative about her injuries, telling almost no one. Most had thought Willow's initial stay in the medical wing was for exhaustion from the long trip. No one dreamed it could have been an easy journey.
This, however, was a bright showcase that it had not been an easy trip for completely different reasons than what they had previously assumed. Several of the parents struggled to reconcile these injuries with what they knew of the Betrayers. The Resistance had close ties with the group, and they had always been incredible supporters of the resistance, performing some of the riskiest tasks willingly and without complaint. How were these the same people who had inflicted injuries so egregious that someone with Willow’s enhanced healing had been left with such gruesome scarring? Willow had sent apologetic half smiles in their direction as they shuffled from the room, but Willow knew that word of this would be all over the compound by lunchtime tomorrow.
As the last of the parents politely closed the door, Willow slumped a little as she reached for her cold tea with a long sigh.
"That was interesting," Edward said, moving to take a seat, Felix shadowing his movements and taking the seat beside his father. He still shot furtive glances towards Willow's wrists, sometimes travelling up her arm and studying any exposed. Willow suspected he was searching for any other scars he was not aware of. Willow smiled a little at his concern before returning her attention to Edward.
Jonathon returned, having escorted several of the groups back to their domiciles and caught Edward's eye. Wordless communication seemed to pass between them before Edward spoke.
"Could you see Felix home?" The boy's head had been lulling back against the chair he sat in, but he was suddenly alert at these words and ready to fight.
"But dad...!" He protested, voice wheedling. "I wanna stay here with you and Willow!"
Edward frowned and shook his head firmly. "Absolutely not. It is long after your bedtime. Say your goodbyes. Rose will look after Willow, and you can come to see her in the next couple days when she feels well enough. Now go with Jonathon to bed and behave. I'll be back soon."
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Felix didn't argue further but failed to hide his balled-up fists and pout as he slouched from the room ahead of Jonathon. Once he left the room, the boy's voice could be heard from the end of the hall, beseeching Jonathon to allow him to eavesdrop. Willow smiled a little at his behaviour.
Edward turned back to Willow but remained silent until he was sure Jonathon had escorted Felix from earshot.
"We have new information about the beast that attacked you," he stated bluntly, and Willow sat back and pulled herself upright as best she could, having begun preparing tea in the lull.
"It wasn't good, was it?" Willow judged, noticing for the first time how drawn his face was, his hair unusually messy and his expression grim.
From his inner pocket, Edward pulled a metal flask and removed two matching short cups built into the lid.
He grimaced, "This is the kind of discussion best had with a little aid," he explained as he poured a nip into each cup. He raised his own in a little, if muted, toast before throwing his head back and downing the whole thing.
He met Willow's eyes as she took a small sip of the alcohol. It was strong, and even that tiny sip burnt down her throat a little as she set her share on the table. Edward shrugged in a 'suit yourself,' manner and continued.
"The beast was not a thing of nature, but a magical creation..."
Edward began as Willow's mind raced at the implication, and it dawned on her why Edward had offered the alcohol.
In a quick motion, Willow had snatched her cup back up and downed it in one, holding a finger up asking for just a second. The burn was more pronounced this time and made her eyes water, but it helped to focus her mind.
Edward gave her a knowing grimace as he refilled their cups before continuing. "On several places on its body we found some pretty nasty branding: branding in the shape of the King’s insignia. We also found a note just under its rib cage sewn into its flesh."
"Sewn..." Willow echoed, nauseated by the mental image.
Edward nodded solemnly. "Yes, sewn. We unpicked it and cleaned it up as best we could." He pulled the small slip from an inner pocket and placed it open on the table between, sensing Willow's reluctance to lay a finger on the scrap.
Willow lent forward far enough to read the letters written there. It wasn't over large, the marks where the needle had sewn were still prominent as were the dark, almost black bloodstains coating the slip. The words clustered together tightly in a loopy handwriting that looked distinctly feminine. It was a short message with only 4 sentences, but it was enough to make Willow's blood run cold.
You are Traitors. The Great Ruler of this Land knows this. Release your leader to us and we may spare your lives. Refuse and we will slaughter every living thing within your walls.
Lt. Gen. Ala
"They know," Willow stated, face pale as she collapsed back into her chair, ignoring the sharp pain clawing at her shoulder.
Edward leaned forward to nudge her cup towards her and Willow knocked it back quickly, the burn unnoticed this time. While Willow did this, Edward quickly whisked the note from sight back into his breast pocket.
“We've had the compound on general lock down since you came here, and we added to that this evening after the attack. I have doubled the guards around the perimeter until further notice. We will do our best to keep everyone safe. I've also sent a note through to Wandering Foot. It's not an ideal situation, but I have a favour for you to consider. I know that you may be reluctant to trust the Betrayer's again, but if The King comes here, we must transport you out. Regardless of your opinion of the situation, you are too important for us to allow you to fall into his hands.” Edward shrugged before adding, “And having a fugitive amongst these walls will probably only make the King more determined to attack if he finds out you're here.”
Willow was barely listening as Edward tried to reassure her; all she could hear was the screech of the raven, the final death knell of life.
She jumped when Edward placed a comforting hand atop hers. She met his gaze, her fear palpable.
"We will keep you safe. You have my word, Willow, you will be safe. But we may have to transport you out of here. To do that, we need the Betrayer’s. Do I have your permission to arrange that?"
Willow's brain seemed to restart, and she nodded slowly. Forcing her throat to move, she croaked out, "Yes, of course. I will not cause more danger to come to your doors then needs to."
Jonathon entered quietly, having escorted the reluctant Felix back to his bed, his face grim and tired. Willow gathered he already knew of the contents of the conversation and chose to ignore the conversation the two men were having around her.
Was there anything more could she do? Should she run? No, those beasts might be out there still She wouldn’t get very far as she was. What if The King captured her? What would happen to her family? The King would know who her family was as soon as he had her.
If the Resistance was still here, The King would come like a deep sickness, pervasive and destructive.
Around and around Willow's thoughts circled, searching desperately for the cure-all until she was hyperventilating, and she suddenly found Jonathon crouched in front of her, holding her face between his hands in the gentlest hold Willow had ever felt. Slowly, he guided her breathing back to normal, breathing with her until she felt calmer and able to return to normal. She coloured deeply, embarrassed at the momentary lack of composure.
“If it would help, Agnes and I could stay out here tonight,” Jonathon offered gently, gesturing around the room aimlessly.
Willow took a calming, deep breath. "If it would be no trouble," Willow mumbled, embarrassed once more at needing such comforts at twenty-one years old.
Jonathon smiled, "Not at all." He glanced over his shoulder and Willow heard the shuffling of shoes against the floor.
"I apologise for this distress," Edward apologies sincerely. "I relieve Agnes and return to my son. Try to sleep, Willow. It'll help you feel better. I'm sure if you have any trouble, Agnes would be more than happy to procure you a sleep aid." Willow nodded and Edward departed.
Willow felt calmer now, although her anxieties of the situation had not passed. Jonathon handed her a glass of water and she greedily slurped the liquid down. Agnes returned quickly and fussed over Willow, checking bandages delicately as best she could, smothering Willow in maternal care and love. Willow had never been so grateful for that compassion and attention, but it also forcefully reminded her of Esther.
Willow hid tears as Agnes gently herded her into her rooms, subtly wiping her eyes when she was sure Agnes wasn't watching. Agnes gently lifted her arms so that she could change Willow's clothing into something loose for sleeping before tucking her gently into the bed with all the motherly care in the world.
The swell of homesickness was strong, and Willow allowed it to pull her down and under the blankets, a barricade against this strange place with its chill and fear. With a gentle kiss on the forehead, Agnes made to depart, pausing when Willow called for her, eyes just peaking above the blanket. She requested a sleeping draught quietly, admitting defeat on that front.
Agnes had nodded warmly and fetched it quickly before closing the door behind her. Willow listened as the older couple readied themselves for bed, they had dragged a mattress of straw from one of the other rooms onto the floor of Willow's living space. They spoke only a little, trying to not disturb Willow, but Willow could feel the love they shared and had shared for forty years. Willow wondered if she would ever feel love even half so tender.
When they settled down for the night, Willow took the aid. It worked quickly and Willow found herself relieved when her thoughts dispersed, and she passed into blissful sleep.