Drusilia Naïlo: The Making of a Watchman

[Drusilia Nailo]

It wasn't long after Papa had left that she heard hesitant steps approaching her from behind. They paused two feet away from her.

"You may as well sit, Ivellimor," she said, without turning around.

Seconds later, Ivellimor sat down in the chair that Papa had vacated, grinning. "How'd you know it was me?"

"A hunch," she said, smiling at him.

He glanced nervously back at the door. "I'm surprised your father left you here alone."

Dru laughed. "Why would he not have? And besides, he didn't," she said, gesturing towards her bodyguards.

Ivellimor shrugged. "He's very protective of you," he said.

"Are you planning on hurting me?"

"No, of course not!"

"Then you don't have anything to worry about."

Ivellimor looked dubious, but then his eyes sparkled. "There's an acting troupe playing in the Silent Siren. Want to go?"

Dru nodded, grinning. "Yes, that sounds fun. When?"

"Now!" Ivellimor leaped up, and grabbed Dru, pulling her out of her chair. Her guards bristled, and then relaxed when they saw that she wasn't being abused. Ivellimor pulled her, laughing, onto the night time streets of Freeport.

Several hours later, just before dawn...

Dru giggled, leaning against Ivellimor, as she staggered up the walk to her house. "Sure you can't come in?"

He mussed up her hair, and shook his head. "No. I'm probably already in enough trouble as it is," he said. "Getting the boss's daughter drunk...what was I thinking?"

Dru snickered, pushing him up against the side of the house, and kissed him passionately on the lips. "I think I know what you were thinking," she said.

He laughed, gently pushing her to a more upright position. "You are incorrigible," he said.

Dru mock pouted. "So you seduce me and now are dumping me off."

"Only to save my own skin," he said, with a grin. "Now," he said, pushing her towards the door. "Get inside."

Dru walked carefully up the walk, lest the cobblestones grab her feet. "Night, Ivellimor."

"Good night, Dru," he said. "Go inside."

She fumbled with the door, only to have it swing open on its own accord. Kennic stood there, glaring at her.

"It's almost dawn," he told her, as if she didn't know.

"Yes, Kennic," she said, stepping inside.

He sniffed the air, and then looked over his shoulder at the retreating Ivellimor. "You're drunk."

"Yes, Kennic," she said. "I think I'm going to go to bed now."

"Good idea," the older bodyguard said with a heavy sigh, helping her walk to the door of her bedroom. "I really hope that you know what you're doing, child," he said, pushing her gently inside. "We'll talk when you are sober."

 

[Horacio]

Another wonderful update in one of my favorite stories. Thanks, Dru!

 

[dpdx]

All I got to say is, "Yup. Saw that one coming..."

Can you say 'foreshadowing'? I knew that you could.

Great story.

 

[Drusilia Nailo]

Her head was pounding. She felt like there was mud running through her veins. And there was a dagger pressed to her throat. Her eyes flew open to see Papa standing over her, already dressed for his day. "I understand that you had quite the night out," he said coolly. "You must be quite sick from your drinking, or you would have heard me come in." He knicked her neck just enough to draw blood. "And if I were an assassin, you would be dead."

Dru stared up at him, wishing he'd go away, and wondering what he'd do next.

"Defend yourself, girl! Do you think I'm going to let you lie abed just because you can't control yourself?" His knife flicked forward again, cutting her neck a little deeper.

Dru rolled to the side, and reached for her own dagger, kept underneath her pillow. She brought it up, flashing silver in the early morning sunlight, and lashed out at her father. It scored a hit, cutting his knife hand. Her head pounded in rebellion, willing her to go back to sleep until it felt better. She knew Papa well enough to know that he wouldn't be that merciful, though.

He smiled thinly, and then cut at her again. "You're much more vulnerable lying on your back than you are on your feet," he said, drawing blood a third time.

Dru swallowed, feeling the blood running down her neck, and rolled towards the foot of the bed. She swung her legs around, leaping up, her feet hitting the floor. She then backed away from him, holding out her dagger defensively, and feeling ridiculous since she was still only dressed in a long tunic.

Papa nodded, and the dagger lesson for the day started in earnest. It was terrible. Dru couldn't move fast enough to block Papa's more dangerous cuts and thrusts, so she got more gashes than usual. Her head ached violently the entire time, and more than once she was afraid that she was going to have to stop to vomit before continuing. They fought hard, moving out of her bedroom, and into the hallway. Once she saw Kennic look around the corner worriedly, though his face disapeared after he saw what was going on.

Finally, Papa stopped, resheathing his dagger. He stared at her, while she, trembling, put her own dagger away. She sunk to the floor, putting her head into her hands.

"I trust that you understand the point that I was trying to make," he said.

Dru nodded, hoping he'd go away now.

He didn't, of course. "And, just to reassure myself that me efforts have not been wasted, what was my point?"

Dru uncovered her face, looking up at him. She sighed. "Your point is that I'm more vulnerable when I'm drunk, and when I'm sick the day afterwards."

He nodded, and then sat down in the hall across from her. He handed her a vial. "Drink this," he said. "Though I should probably make you suffer the wounds for awhile, to remind you of your foolishness."

Dru glared at him briefly before uncorking the potion, and drinking its contents. Her wounds started closing, though it did nothing for her headache.

Papa sighed. "I don't want to hear of orcs cutting you down in the street because you're staggering around drunk," he said. "It would be such a pathetic way to die, and one that is not worthy of you."

Dru bit her lower lip, suddenly feeling ashamed because of the worry that he couldn't quite conceal from her. "I'm sorry, Papa," she said after a moment. "It won't happen again." And, she resolved to herself, it would not. This felt terrible!

He smiled grimly. "I suppose this is one of those experiences that you needed to have for yourself," he said. "Otherwise, you'd never know what I spoke of. It likely made you do things that you ordinarily wouldn't do, it made you vulnerable to attack, even from second-rate cutthroats, and it makes you vulnerable the next day, while you recover."

Dru blushed, thinking about the night before, and looked down at her knees.

Papa cleared his throat, looking a little embarrassed himself, but didn't say anything.

Dru swallowed, and added, "And while you lie abed doing nothing, your enemy is one step closer to his plans for your demise."

He looked at her, surprised, and then nodded. "I'm glad to hear that you remembered my lessons, albeit belatedly." And then he turned back to the dreaded topic. "Now," he said sternly, "Ivellimor."

"It wasn't his fault," Dru said quickly. "I kept assuring him that I could hold my liquour."

Papa frowned at her. "That's not what I was going to talk to you about, though I might have a long conversation with him later. All I wanted to do was to warn you, again, to be careful."

"Papa, I can hardly believe that Ivellimor is using me to get to you. He just seems to want to have fun, that's all."

Papa shook his head. "Ivellimor's motives are, at least in that respect, pure." He leaned forward, seeking her eyes out with an urgency that she found surprising. "It's an emotional hold over you, Drusilia," he said. "Whether Ivellimor intends it or not. It's just something to keep in mind."

Dru stared at him, wishing that she could understand why the sudden urgency. "Alright, Papa," she said softly, "I'll keep it in mind."

He got to his feet, and helped her to her own. "I believe that Kennic has mixed up some terrible concoction for you to drink," he said. "It should make you feel a little better."

Dru impulsively hugged Papa. "I'm sorry for worrying you so much," she said, wishing that she could take back last night, or at least certain parts of it.

He hesitated, and then put a strong arm around her shoulders. "No harm done," he said. "You were lucky," he couldn't resist adding.

She pulled away, giving him a weak smile. "I think I'm going to go find that concoction of Kennic's," she said, moving towards the kitchen. "I hope that it works."

 

[Horacio]

Wonderful, as usual, Dru!

 

[Drusilia Nailo]

Thwock! An arrow sunk into the side of the building, right next to Dru's head.

Kennic reacted with the instincts of a born bodyguard; he pushed his charge roughly to the ground, and stood over her protectively, pulling his rapier.

Dru lay there, heart hammering while she slowly pulled her throwing knife from her cloak.

Four humans and two orcs surrounded them. All of them were looking at Dru.

"We don't care about you," said the human who was apparently leading the group, to Kennic. "Just give us the girl, and we'll let you live."

Kennic snarled his defiance, holding his rapier steady. "Run, Drusilia, if you get the chance," he said, finally lunging forward, faster than she'd ever seen him move before. The leader was impaled on his sword before the man even had a chance to move. He slid to the ground, and Kennic yanked his sword out of the man's belly.

The elven bodyguard was a good swordsman, but there were five more opponents, and only one of him. Both orcs and one of the humans rushed him, pulling short swords. Their blades flashed under the sunlight, and Dru felt sick as she heard the blows landing. She did what she could though, and hurled her throwing knife through the air at one of the two that were coming for her. It embedded itself in the man's chest. She wasn't left with time to feel satisfaction, though, because the other human was coming right for her... she awkwardly reached for her rapier, trying to get to her feet.

"I've got her!" The human loomed over her. He didn't take her with him, however, but instead thrust his sword through her stomach before she could even move. "It's done," he cried, yanking his blade free. And with that, he ran, as did the others.

Dru doubled over in pain, and watched in stupefied silence as her blood seeped out of her and onto the now abandoned street. She was vaguely aware of Kennic running through one last fighter, before the human could get away. Without even waiting to see if his opponent was dead, he staggered over to Dru, his eyes wide and frantic. "Oh no..." he moaned. He knelt in front of her, holding her head in his lap. "Drusilia..."

She watched him swim in and out of her vision. I'm dying, she thought, with sudden certainty. The pain... it was too much. No one felt this and lived to tell of it. It's not fair.. I'm barely over a century old... "Tell Papa..."

She stopped, coughing blood, and Kennic put a vial of something at her lips. "Drink this," he ordered, tipping her head back so that she'd swallow the liquid.

She felt her wounds closing, and then her world became ripping pain. She curled up into a tight ball, gasping and holding her stomach. It wasn?t supposed to happen like this... "Help," she whispered to Kennic.

Kennic stared at her, and felt her forehead. He leaned down, and sniffed the drying blood around the freshly healed stomach wound. "Poison," he half-whispered. He pulled out one more vial, and put that to her lips as well. "Antitoxin," he said, tipping her head back once more. She swallowed.

"I've got to get you to your father," Kennic said, more to himself than to her. He picked her up as gently as he could, and threw her over one shoulder. He started to carry her down the street, and then stopped, noticing that the second man he'd downed was still breathing. With a shrug, he grabbed the man's shirt collar, and began dragging him through the streets behind him.

Kennic moved as fast as could be expected, while carrying one elf and dragging one human. Draped over his shoulder, Dru stared in numb horror as she watched the man being dragged through the street, leaving a bloody trail behind them. She hadn't been aware that one body could hold so much blood...

As they entered the usually calm and peaceful kesir, several people gave them startled and fearful looks. And then they were inside a house. Kennic dropped the now-unconscious assailant on the floor unceremoniously, and then cradled Dru to his chest with a surprising tenderness.

"Don't die on us now, child," he said, putting her down gently on the couch. "Don't just stand there," he barked at someone in the background. He sighed, then, and said wearily, "Go find Tensin and bring him here."

Dru moaned as her stomach started cramping even worse, wishing fervently that it would stop. "Kennic," she said. "This hurts."

He crouched beside her. "I'm going to mix up something for the pain. You'll drink it like a good girl?"

Dru nodded. "Yes," she managed, before another bout of cramping hit her.

It seemed like an eternity later, but Kennic did come back, and was standing over her. "Drink," he said, for the third time that night. "It will stop your pain." And it did. She slid into unconsciousness willingly.

 

[Horacio]

And yet another wonderful update, Dru...

And a cliffhanger too, are you learning that evil art fro drnuncheon?

 

[Drusilia Nailo]

Why, yes. How did you guess? They always go over so well on this board that I figured I could use it too!

 

[Drusilia Nailo]

Consciousness. Her eyes flew open as she heard a man screaming in terrible pain on the other side of the door. As she tried to remember what happened, her drug-fogged mind noticed that she was covered in sweat, and that the room had a lingering smell of vomit in it. Poisoned, she realized, as her mind cleared somewhat. She'd been poisoned. With tremendous effort, she tried to sit up, but fell weakly back against her pillow.

Kennic poked his head into the room, his face unnaturally pale. His eyes were wide, and very, very worried. When he saw Dru looking at him, his eyes suddenly moistened, before he hastily wiped them with the back of his hand. Over his shoulder, he said, "Sir, she's awake."

The screaming suddenly stopped, and Dru winced as she heard the sound of a body hitting the floor. Papa strode into the room, his arms covered in red gore up past the elbows. His eyes had a wild, crazed look to them, and he crouched beside her.

"Drusilia." That one word had enough emotion in it that he didn't need to say any more.

"Papa," mumbled Dru through numbed lips. She had never seen his emotions that high before.

He smoothed her hair back from where it was plastered to her forehead, leaving sticky red in the wake of his hand. "The fever's broken," he said to Kennic, all business again. "She's going to live."

Only Dru saw him close his eyes after he said that, and she understood that this must have been a very close call for her. "How long... have I been out?"

"Two days," said Kennic, from behind Papa somewhere. His voice was ragged, and she could guess that neither man had gotten any rest the entire time.

Papa leaned down, smoothing her hair again. "I just found out who wanted you poisoned. He's a small time human gang leader.... has aspirations to be much more. He goes by the name of Merck."

Dru looked at Papa's bloodied hands, having no doubts about how he had "just found out" this information. "Stupid b*****d," she muttered groggily.

"Indeed," said Papa. "I will need to make an example of him, of course, and so will you. You will come with me to utterly destroy him and his."

Dru started to sit up again.

Papa pushed her back down gently. "Not now," he said. "But as soon as you have recovered. But you have my promise that he will be thoroughly punished."

Kennic came up behind Papa, and held a mug out to Dru. "Drink this. I don't think the poison's completely out of your system yet."

"Why did he do that?" Dru was completely shocked. She had never hurt this Merck, or any of his people. She drank the medicine obediently, and then lay her head back on the pillow.

Papa snorted. "Because you're mine," he said. "You need to start building up a reputation anyway, so it might as well be now that we strike him."

Dru closed her eyes, suddenly exhausted again. "So no one will try it again," she murmured, sensing that the darkness was going to take her again, and soon. She felt Papa gather her up into his strong arms and hold her tightly against his chest, something that he hadn't done since she was really small. The world was safe once more, and she could rest.

 

[Horacio]

Another wonderful update... And you update almost dayly...

Dru, your story is WONDERFUL!