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Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 3-6, Thaddius

Thaddius was not unaccustomed to traveling the halls of the castle late at night; he often found that the peaceful walks helped him ease his troubled and busy mind. Sometimes he would manage to make it back to bed before the sun rose and, on other nights, it just put him closer to the dining hall so he could eat alone without having to answer hundreds of questions from dozens of courtiers.

Brother Maynard assured him that dealing with dignitaries and petty nobles would become easier in time... especially once he wore the crown, but the big black Wolf often dreaded that upcoming eventuality. Those thoughts were in the back of his mind, however... his main objective for the night was to simply go to the north tower so he could watch the moon set. There was something beautiful about the quiet drifting of the silvery disc down to the horizon as his back felt the warming rays of the dawning sun. In his mind, it was the perfect plan.

Those plans were derailed however by the sound of a fervent objection, "No! Please! My Lord, I--" but the plaintive female voice was cut short by the sound of an impact... the back of a paw against a face if Thaddius was not mistaken. When it involved women, that was NOT a sound he enjoyed hearing. Changing his destination, the black wolf took a side hall and at the top of the stairway he encountered what appeared to be a very one-sided altercation.

The 'damsel in distress' turned out to be a young ermine woman... a castle serving girl who Thaddius had not seen in... a long time. The aggressor was the brutish, uncouth, poorly mannered son of one of the lesser petty nobles; frankly, the Wolf had no idea why the boy's father hadn't drowned him years ago. The loutish cur had one paw around the girl's throat while the other was pinned between the two of them, obviously intent on removing the clothes that separated them. Thaddius was not content to walk by.

It took the Wolf a moment to remember the whelp's name, "Wilbur... Remove your paws from her person immediately."

The hound pulled his paw out from between them but kept his other around her throat, as he turned to regard Thaddius, "It's Wemble, you brainless dolt... and this isn't any of your busin--" but he froze when he saw to whom he had spoken and his tail tucked immediately. "Oh! Your-- your Majesty!"

Thaddius reached over and grabbed hold of the canine refuse by the wrist, making the sniveling brat yelp in pain as his paw was forcefully removed from the cowering woman's neck. He looked immediately to the serving girl, "Has this sack of offal wronged you, my lady?"

The boy continued whimpering, but his woefully inaccurate sense of self worth apparently wouldn't let him keep quiet, "Your Majesty... she's... she's just a servant wench... she--" he was silenced as Thaddius squeezed his wrist tighter, forcing him to his knees.

The Wolf didn't bother looking at the pathetic piece of scum, rather, his eyes were taken aback by the frail beauty of the living art that stood before him. The young ermine woman was pressed as far back against the wall as she could be, her flawless white fur marred by the unwanted advances of the unclean churl who, for as far as the Prince was concerned, was as good as a demon masquerading as a nobleman's son.

She kept her eyes on the ground, still shivering but, at length, she finally responded, her voice meek, and quiet, "N-no, your... your Majesty... I'm sorry... he is Sir Eilwyr's son, and I should not have objected to--"

The Wolf didn't wait for her to finish fretting; she was mistaken if she had thought she had done something wrong, "My lady.. did he wrong you?"

The cowering canine somehow managed to muster up enough of a tone to object, "Your Majesty! She is a serving wench... is she is not mine to do with as I--?"

Thaddius' roar was enough to silence the conceited whelp, "NO! She is NOT!"

The Dog was near tears, "My.. my father--"

The prince picked the pathetic lout up by the scruff of his neck and growled into his face, "Will be better off without a disappointment like you." Thaddius easily ignored the Dog's screams and cries, gripping his shoulder and the back of his neck as he repeatedly drove the hooligan's head into the stone wall of the passage. By the fifth or sixth collision the simpleton's objections had silenced and, after one more solid impact he turned, walked a few steps to the stairway, and tossed the Dog down them.

Without providing whatever-his-name a second thought, the Wolf then turned to the ermine woman, who was still cowering. "He will not harm you again, my dear... I swear it." The prince extended a paw to her but paused as she drew back even further, if such a thing were possible considering how closely she hugged the wall. Looking down at his digits he was aghast to see that several of them were covered with blood and Thaddius was immediately embarrassed. "I... beg your pardon, my lady." and he immediately began wiping it off on his trousers.

The ermine woman's eyes slowly meandered to the stairwell, and the faint moan that arose from the bottom, "Your Highness... you... could have killed him."

The wolf approached her, gingerly running a single claw through the pristine white fur of her cheek, pained by the imperfections he saw that had been caused by the touch of the unfortunately still-alive, conceited, woefully uncouth son of Sir Eilwyr. Thaddius sighed, shaking his head, "I am afraid that is very unlikely, my dear, for life's twisted sense of humor usually guarantees that those who deserve death the most often live the longest."

The serving girl pulled her simple dress tighter around her and, as she looked back to him, the Wolf realized that there was still fear in her eyes. The sudden realization that disposing of the honorless lout in a manner he so deserved may have been excessive. Despite the fact that the Dog deserved to be punished, the simple, frail sensibilities of the beautiful treasure in front of him were likely unable to bear such decisive justice, "I apologize if I have offended you, my dear... that was not my intent." Thaddius offered a stiff bow, and turned to leave.

"M-my Lord?" The sound of her ruffling dress indicated that she stood.

He remained where he was, maintaining his composure as he kept his back to the vision of heaven behind him. His memory finally found the name he'd been seeking, "Miss Evelyn, is it not?"

He heard her courtesy behind him, "Yes... Your Majesty."

Despite wishing to provide her a chance to forgive him his overbearing trespass, the Wolf said the first thing that came to his mind, and that was about her beautiful color, "Your fur... it has not always been white, has it?"

"M-my fur?" there was a pause, "No, your Majesty... it recently turned white in preparation for the winter."

A smile slowly spread across the wolf's muzzle, and he whispered to himself, "Just like in my dream... it must be a sign."

He suddenly remembered she was there by the sound of her meek inquiry, "Your Majesty?"

Thaddius hated himself for asking the question, but he realized it was important far beyond his sense of comfort, "Miss Evelyn... I apologize for the necessity of this question, but has the... impropriety shown to you this night been an issue for you during your tenure here at my family's castle?"

The ermine woman quickly shook her head, "No, your Majesty... I... shouldn't have been out in the corridors so late... it was my fau--"

The Wolf's paw went from her cheek into the wall as a fist, "No." it was a single word, but spoken with all the conviction he had, "You were not at fault here, my Lady. The wretched pool of effluence at the bottom of the stairs is to blame... and, if he survives the morning I will see to it that his father knows of his hedonism."

The small, innocent creature before him immediately looked terrified, and she grabbed hold of his forearm. The Prince recoiled at her touch, realizing just how much he would tarnish her perfection... he was unclean, and could not bare the thought of her being anything but pristine.

She pulled away, cowering at his sudden movement, but she spoke nevertheless, "Please, your Majesty... I shouldn't have been out this late... please... I beg of you... just..." and she began sobbing.

Thaddius winced, his discomfort at the situation growing. Had he inadvertently offended the poor girl? Had he wronged her without knowing? A thought suddenly popped into his mind unbidden-- what if they were lovers and they were merely playing at a game? It would be highly unorthodox, but it wouldn't have been the first time the Wolf had heard stories about women requesting their lover to--- NO... not this vision of perfection... she was too clean... too pure... but, still, the Prince HAD to know one thing, "Miss Evelyn..." he couldn't even manage to look at her as he asked the question, "Did you... invite that man's advances?"

He finally received a firm, distinct answer from the girl as she offered a very emphatic, "NO!" followed by a much quieter, "...your Majesty."

He nodded, once again content in his acknowledgement that the young woman was as pure as her fur, "Then he was clearly in the wrong. I truly do understand compassion and forgiveness, Miss Evelyn... but Why do you concern yourself with what becomes of that vile poltroon?"

The young woman covered her face with her dainty paws, "The Priests said--"

The Wolf's ears raised immediately, "What do the Priests have to do with this? If anything they would call for that man to be made lesser for it." he made a gesture with his fingers of a scissor, "The Church prides itself on taking a harsh stance of any man who would defile an untouched maiden."

Evelyn moved her paws as she looked up to him, tears on her cheeks, "The church is caring for my baby."

Thaddius felt his heart stop at the admission and his brain along with it. There was a pause of several breathes before he could remember how to speak. When he finally did, it was a simple question, "If you have a child, why are you working? Is your husband too unwell to provide for you, or did he--?"

She lowered her head again, sliding down against the wall to a seating position, "... I am... unmarried... your Highness."

The admission struck him like a slap to the face. What he'd heard conflicted with every image of the girl in his mind. As he felt the righteous indignation begin to boil within him it was all he could do to get the next words out of his muzzle without a growl accompanying them, "And... your child's father... why did you not marry him to at least hide the shame of what you had wrought together?"

Evelyn shook her head, still looking down, "I cannot marry the father of my child, your Majesty..."

Thaddius felt his hackles begin to rise as he clenched his fists, and a growl escaped with his next words, "Why? Did you not know his name, girl?

Her next words were so quiet that he was barely able to hear them, "...he was my father too."

The Prince literally fell away at the admission. His back impacted against the wall and he slid down it until he was seated on the ground much the same as the ermine woman. Clearly Thaddius had overstepped his bounds. He could only wheeze the next comment, "I... cannot believe such a thing was by choice..."

She lowered her head into her paws, "...it was not."

If it were possible for heartbreak to bring about a renewal of purpose and the innervation of one's soul then that was what Thaddius experienced when everything FINALLY clicked. He rose again to his feet, direction clear in how he would have to redeem himself for thinking ill of such a perfect creature, "You do not want me to have this issue addressed because it will bring up unpleasant history for you."

She nodded, "Please, your Majesty..."

He held a paw down to her, "Then I will resolve this situation in another way." The moment Evelyn's fingers slipped into his he hoisted her up to her feet. Smiling reassuringly at the young woman, Prince Thaddius moved her paw to his forearm and walked her down the hall arm in arm; true, she was not royalty, but she was in his care and she deserved treatment befitting of a lady... especially after all she had been forced to endure.

"Sire... where we we going?"

The Prince berated himself; he was so eager to render assistance that he had rudely kept his charge in the dark. "I am bringing you to one of my most trusted retainers who will escort you somewhere safe."

She tensed, "But... my baby..."

Thaddius smiled comfortingly, "Will go with you, my dear. There is a Church in Newport who will be able to see after him, and I will send you with enough coin to help make certain that you are comfortable and, once you are gone, I will have Sir Eilwyr's... GET dealt with."

Although she relaxed somewhat as they took their next steps, her next question did not sound wholly relieved, "Your Majesty... I-- I cannot accept your charity."

The Prince took a few more steps before stopping outside their destination. He rested a paw on her shoulder and turned her to regard him as he leveled his gaze down at her, "First, Miss Evelyn, I am Heir Apparent to the Throne of Lehsunia, and you will do whatever I tell you..." He softened his gaze and smiled, "Though I am in awe of your pride and self-sufficiency. Very well... if you will not accept a gift, then we will call it a retainer fee." and, before she could question him further, he knocked loudly on the door.

There was a slight pause before an answer from within, "Present!"

It was not a common response for the knock on a door in Lehsunia, but, then again, Umberto wasn't Lehsunian by birth. The Wolf nodded patiently to the ermine and looked back to the portal and announced "It is I."

Chaos and cacophony sounded clearly from within the room and, a few seconds later, a mostly naked wolverine opened the door. Thaddius was pleased to see that the man's undergarments were suitably red, but, considering their guest, it was most unbecoming. The Wolf announced clearly, albeit a little too late, "I have a guest."

As the door closed, Thaddius looked back to the ermine on his arm, who had hidden her face in embarrassment. Sensible sensibilities, he reasoned, and quickly spoke up, "That was inadvertent, my Lady... please except my apologies. Umberto Marino is one of the Templars assigned to me by the Church, and I can think of no better man to see you safely to Newport than he."

The Ermine woman nodded and responded hesitantly, "I... I am sure he is wonderful, your Majesty... I just don't understand what I--"

"I have already said, my dear." he kissed her on the forehead as he turned back to address the reopening door. Umberto emerged, pointedly avoiding eye contact with the woman; he was obviously nearly as embarrassed as she. The Prince spoke directly and to the point, "You are to escort Miss Evelyn to Newport. I will pen a letter of reference personally, and I wish you to bring her and it to my sister's. She will begin working there immediately in the same capacity as she has done here."

The wolverine saluted, "Of course, my Liege."

"And see to it that she is given an advance on her wages..." he looked down to the young woman, smiling warmly, "100 Crowns per month should suffice." Perhaps it WAS easily ten times the normal stipend for even the highest rank castle servant, but Thaddius considered it was for a good cause. With nothing more to be said, he about-faced and made his way off down the hall-- the north tower was still waiting for him, and he never particularly cared for surprised expressions... especially when it came to wages.