[jobiehanna]

Dusa | #8000FF

The large castle was made of stone and mortar. It's three towers went up and away from the large wooden double doors that were the entrance. Each tower had a purpose: the shortest tower for sending out ravens, the second tallest for boarding the ravens and falcons used for the sport of falconry, and the tallest had (until recently) been used for prisoners that deserved better treatment than the castle's damp dark dungeons. However, the tallest tower had been fitted to house the lord of the castle's daughter, Dusa.

Lord Anders Meste was a strict lord and father. He expected nothing less than perfection from his house and family. However, he tried to be fair and just. There was nothing worse than having a castle full of people who despised you. In this case, he saw no other option. His only daughter Dusa was the problem here.

A brave, lively little girl, Dusa had never been one to cause trouble. She learned quickly and knew how to behave in court. She grew up under the gentle wing of her mother, and the stern one of her father. She was well loved, and as innocent as they come. She was groomed to be the perfect lady. It so often tragedy befalls such a girl.

It was three weeks after the incident. One week past her time. The seventeen year old girl was frightened and alone in the tallest of the towers. No one believed her. It wasn't her fault. Alas, that is not what people believe of a young, pretty thing like her. They think she did it on purpose, with one of the stable hands or another low born.

In reality, she didn't know what was going on. She just knew she was with child, and her father and mother hated her for it. She blamed in on her lord father's Master of Swords, Derwin Wright. She knew there was something wrong about the way he'd touched her. The words 'whore' and 'liar' floated through her conscience on more than one occasion. Those were the things her own father had called her, while her mother watched on without saying a word.

The tower was nice enough though. If she was lucky, no one would know she was going to have a baby. No one would know but a select few. Then she could still marry someone of importance. But Dusa didn't like the tower. It was too high up and away from her friends and the ladies who visited. She couldn't be with them and admire their dresses or work on needlework. She was all alone, and it was just the beginning of her nine month sentence.

[Baconwizard]

As a knight loyal to the Lord Meste, it was Gareth's duty to perform any task assigned to him. Even if that task was standing in a hallway, looking after an innocent girl who clearly had no intention of escaping. Gareth shifted his weight from one foot to the other, uncomfortable in his heavy armor. He had no intention of playing nursemaid to the young lady Dusa. That task was better suited to a woman, to be sure, someone who could understand what the girl was going through, not a rough-and-tumble man like him. A knight of his abilities should be out protecting his lord's lands, or at least training new squires. Anything but the dreaded monotony of staring at a blank hall wall for hours on end.

It was hard to feel anything but pity for the girl on the other side of the wall. Not many in the castle knew of what caused her imprisonment. Besides Gareth and the few other guards under his command, no one knew about Dusa besides the Lord and Lady Meste, the maid assigned to bring food and clean the chamber, the physician, and, of course, the midwife. It was not Gareth's place to question his liege lord, but even Gareth had to wonder at the severity of this punishment. Confinement and solitude in the most isolated tower had to be driving the poor girl mad. He had seen her flitting about the castle, on occasion, a young maiden surrounded by her train of companions, full of innocence and light. It was hard to imagine that such a tragedy could befall her.

Maybe the knight was acting on this pity when he stopped the small slip of a maid came up the long stairs, carrying a heavy tray for Lady Dusa's lunch. Maybe he wanted to see the girl's face, and make sure for himself that the allegations made against her honor were true as he took the tray from the wide-eyed maid and sent the girl away. Maybe it was just the boredom of sitting in a hallway without anyone to talk to getting to his mind, but he knocked on the heavy door once before opening it and entering the girl's chambers.

"Excuse me, my lady," Gareth said in his quiet, rumbling voice, bowing his head at the girl. "I have brought your lunch." He took a quick scan of the room; it seemed as if Lord Meste wasn't completely heartless. The chamber was meant to be a prison, but the furnishings were as comfortable as possible. The sitting room had a desk and soft couches with books and assorted things to occupy a young lady's mind, and there was a partition separating the room from the bed chamber.

[jobiehanna]

Dusa sat on one of the plush couches with a book in her hand. She wasn't reading it, only flipping through the pages. Her thoughts were too dismal to be readying. She dwelled on what she was missing. She wanted to be down in the entrance hall with her mother and father. A baby is not something she wanted, at least not this way. Like many girls she dreamed of marrying some lord and giving him sons, but this was not in her plans.

Now she would wither away in the tower with no company but the serving girl who saw to her cleaning needs and food. The physician was to visit once a week to check on her, and the midwife as well to guide her along. She would be surprised if she saw her father at all - he was so mad at her. She hoped to see her mother, but her father might have forbade it.

She was still on the couch when she heard a knock on the door. The young woman gave a small start and looked up from her staring at the book to see Sir Gareth in her doorway. Puzzled, she furrowed her brow. "Sir Gareth, you startled me," she said in her own soft voice, a pale blush darkening her pale cheeks. She set the book down and rose; then gave the knight a curtsy. There was no separate room for her to take her meals, so she motioned to the desk near the curtained window.  "Thank you. You can sit it there, Sir," she said with a small smile.

[Baconwizard]

The knight nodded once, then crossed the room to carefully set the tray on the desk. He straightened up, a strand of dark brown hair falling in his eyes as he turned to look at Dusa. She didn't look ill, maybe a little pale. As a trusted knight of Lord Meste, there were certainly times where they had crossed paths. He would always bend his head until she passed by, and then continued about his business. Gareth had never spoken with her, certainly not alone. "Forgive me the intrusion," he replied, inclining his head towards her. There was a moment of silence that hung in between the two. If he continued to speak with her, it might cross the boundary of decorum. Gareth didn't want to give the poor girl more trouble. But yet... he couldn't just turn away. "Are... you comfortable, Lady Dusa?" He asked, words falling from his mouth slowly. It was a stupid question. "Is there anything you require?"

[jobiehanna]

Dusa watched as the knight went to sit the tray down. As one of her father's trusted, she had seen a lot of the knight over the years. "I quite welcome the intrusion," she admitted with a small sigh. "It's very lonely here." She knew she would be better off to keep her mouth shut, but her other guests didn't talk much. When they did it was only to inform her of what her pregnancy would be like and what to expect. The serving girl only asked about her preferences of food, but was mainly silent when cleaning her rooms.

"Oh yes, I am quite comfortable," she told Gareth. She had a comfortable abode. The furniture was soft and comfortable, and she had books to entertain herself. The only thing she required was for someone to talk to. Someone to tell her of the happenings in the great castle. Someone who could distract her better than the books. "My only wish is for companionship," she admitted with a tiny smile. Her vibrant, bright blue eyes widened at her comment. She hadn't meant to admit that. "I'm sorry, sir. That was not... that was not polite." Dusa cast her eyes down to the paisley carpet on the floor. Embarrassment caused her cheeks to flush again, this time a darker red.

[Baconwizard]

Gareth stood stiffly, unsure of how to respond. He stared at the spot above her head––he felt so tall in comparison to the slight maiden––then his gray eyes slipped to meet hers. "There is no need to bow your head, my lady," he said, voice softening slightly. "Any person sentenced to solitude would naturally desire what is denied to them." Another pause, then Gareth continued. "If you desire, I can bring news from the castle." Clearing his throat, Gareth straightened his back, his hand going to rest on the pommel of his sword as if to remind himself of his duty. He was this girl's guard, not her confidant. "If all is well, then I shall take my leave."