When Fate Comes a'Knocking (Goblin)

[Zero]

Erthe had no idea why he had done what he'd done. The drow had just sworn something that he was now morally obligated to fulfill to the depths of his soul, and yet it was a promise he couldn't possibly keep. How was he to take care of Primrose when his entire mission seemed to be to her detriment? For now all he could do was keep her physically safe, as was his job, and he'd have to worry about the rest later.

The slave's horse fell in behind the dainty mare, and the pack horse followed behind him. Crimson eyes remained on her back, observing her in silence. She conducted herself admirably. Yes, Jain was quite right, a very special young woman. Erthe wasn't even sure how someone could both be so kind and gentle, and yet so proud and determined at the same time. If their positions had been reversed he didn't know that he could hold in his feelings so well.

His mind drifted to thoughts of Tara, another rather remarkable young woman. When the drow had been torn from her it had broken him. The light of hope had gone out of his eyes and heart that day. Had it really been twenty years? She would be older, married, and probably had grown or near-grown children by now. That thought stung him deeply, but at the same time, he knew that he deserved his pain - he had crossed a line, and had been punished for it. The gods still punished him for his transgression.

Erthe had fallen into a deep silence, his dark crimson eyes stared at nothing, listless.

[GoblinFae]

She led them onto the forest path, seeking to avoid running into people in the city who knew her and would ask questions. Primrose could not bear to explain where she was going and why she was not coming back to the young children she had called her students. The thought that she might run into some of Harkness' ilk had crossed her mind but she chose to believe they would stay far away from the one responsible for their son's death.

Unable to take the silence much longer she called back to her companion. "Erthe come ride beside me, please. I rather not be up here all alone, if you don't mind that is. I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable," she rambled, starting to fall into an old habit of hers.

[Zero]

Erthe was so lost in his own miserable thoughts that he didn't even notice which way Prim lead them, the stallion he was riding simply followed the mare by instinct with little guidance from the drow. Not that it mattered which way they went, as long as they were headed for Serendipity. Really, the forest path was probably for the best. Being stopped constantly by those that would know the lady would only slow them down even further and would have made the trip that much more unbearable for both of them.

Primrose's voice was the only thing that snapped him from his dark and moody thoughts. Giving the animal a gentle nudge, the slave moved his mount up along side of hers. "Your comfort and safety is paramount to anything else, Lady Primrose." He murmured, keeping his eyes down cast to the road before him. This was going to be a very long trip, but at least this time they were well-supplied and mounted. Now if only he could get her to stop worrying about him and his comfort - both were irrelevant.

[GoblinFae]

"My comfort hardly matters when we have a long journey to a marriage bed I do not wish to reside in, but thank you all the same." Primrose sighed and squeezed her eyes shut in guilt. "Forgive me, that was cruel of me. I do not blame you for your duty, you are only following the orders of my tyrant uncle. I doubt if I was in your position I could do any different."

The scenery passed her by and yet the noblewoman hardly noticed. She was oblivious to it, drowning in thoughts of anger towards her uncle and dread for her coming future. Trying to force herself to think of something else she asked Erthe how long it had taken him to get to her home in Adela and if he had experienced any troubles on the road.

[Zero]

There weren't really any words of comfort that Erthe could think to offer her. It wasn't his place to offer her comfort, only protection. "An apology is unnecessary, Lady Primrose." He said softly, sparing her a glance from the corner of his eye. He didn't blame her for being unhappy with everything. The drow wouldn't have blamed her if she hated him for his role in her plight, but she hadn't cast any blame on him - not once.


"It took weeks, lady, but aside from poor rations and bad weather there was no trouble." Sometimes you ran into bandits, but he had been on foot, alone, and obviously poor. Not to mention the sheer size of the drow discouraged most petty criminals on his way to Adela.

[GoblinFae]

She sighed and shook her head. "I know you wouldn't accept it but I am sorry that you had to even contend with that. Weather may not be helped but poor rations could have that stingy..." Primrose growled something out under her breath her hands curling into tight fists around the reigns causing her mare to whinny in protest. The noblewoman quickly relaxed her hold, patting the animal's neck.

"Your horse's name is Tucker by the way. Just in case you want to know who the crafty beast currently bouncing you along is. He was a foal when my father died. Tucker grew up with me, although I don't think he ever really did grow up. He acts more like a colt than anything else. I'm sorry if he gives you trouble. When boredom strikes, it's hard to keep him from getting antsy. I'm sorry, Erthe. I don't foresee him being trouble but," she sighed heavily, "you never know."

[Zero]

The thought of reminding her that she didn't owe him any apologies for anything crossed his mind, but Erthe knew that it wouldn't do him any good. He arched a brow as she began growling under her breath. The slave had suspected that the uncle and niece weren't exactly close, but it was more than that, he wondered if there was outright hostility.

When she spoke about the horse he was using, he couldn't help but smile, though the gesture was slight and brief. Primrose had a way about her, the way she looked, the way she talked. Erthe had never been accused of being a warm, friendly, or welcoming person, but he found himself enjoying her presence, despite himself.

"If he gets unruly we could try running it out of him, Lady Primrose." Antsy horses were usually receptive to a good working out, and some horses just loved to run.

[GoblinFae]

"A very good suggestion. My only concerns with that though are wearing him out but we reach our destination and poor Zinnia keeping up. Tucker was born to be a war horse and grew up helping out on nearby farms during the harvest but otherwise lives a carefree life. I don't even think he's been ridden since he was much younger and smaller."

She giggled at the memory. "If you wanted to though I don't mind you riding ahead with him so he can burn off some energy. I just don't want you feeling burnt out too at the end. I know a day in the saddle is rough and that a few weeks is going to be worse. I don't want to cause you any undue trouble."

[Zero]

"He's a magnificent animal." Erthe murmured, reaching a hand down to pat the horse's neck gently. He hadn't been on a horse in twenty years, but the drow had easily slipped back into the saddle, and found it kind of nice. After all, as a slave he considered himself akin to an animal, and drow were elves, albeit quite different from their sun-loving cousins.

"I would be careful to keep him fit, all through the trip, Lady Primrose. He'll be as spry and eager to go when we reach your uncle as he was setting out." Not only would Erthe take better care of Primrose than he would ever think to of himself, he'd do the same for their three animals as well.

The thought of riding ahead troubled him, though. Leaving her side for even a short time left a hollow feeling in his stomach. It only took a second for something to go terribly wrong, what if he wasn't there? No, he couldn't ride ahead, the lady must be protected at all costs.

[GoblinFae]

She smiled honestly, looking over at her companion with pride. "Thank you. I have no doubt that you would Erthe. However, once more I must ask you to call me Primrose. Would it not be safer for strangers to think me as someone other than a lady of position and with money? I would much prefer to not bring undue attention to ourselves if we can help it. Hopefully we will be mistaken for a ragtag group to begin with and not worth anyone's while."

Primrose winked playfully, knowing full well she was giving him a conflict of interest to deal with but hoping she could win on this matter. One way or another she was going to get him to call her Primrose before this journey was over, even if she had to beg him everyday they were together.

[Zero]

Erthe immediately opened his mouth to protest dropping the honorific to her name, but clicked his teeth together as he shut his mouth just as quickly, expression turning to a soft scowl. Primrose as a lady and he was a slave, he should refer to her by her respected title - he knew this, any slave that had tasted the whip as many times as he had knew this. There was logic to what she said though. People would be more eager to trouble them if they knew that she was a lady.

This was a rather tricky instance, and her playful wink only soured his expression further. She should not be enjoying this so much. Just knowing that she wanted him to stop calling her lady made him want to do it even more, just out of spite, as the only real defiance he could still express. It wasn't as if she was going to punish him either way, but it went so much deeper than that. His will had been broken years and years ago, that this woman wouldn't punish him and treated him with dignity and respect couldn't erase that. Tara had never even erased that - not really.

"I will think on it, Lady Primrose." Erthe said in a quiet, but stubborn tone.

[GoblinFae]

Primrose giggled but nodded her head, relenting for the moment. "Take all the time you need, Erthe." She liked his stubbornness, knowing it would test her own, much to her amusement. The young woman always did like a challenge. Yet, it also delighted her to see that streak of stubbornness him as she deemed it as the slightest bit of defiance. She could only hope that he would be able in his own ways to give as good as she did to her uncle. That man deserved as much trouble as every person around him could give and more.

"Oh and Erthe!" she called, turning some to look at him again. "I'm afraid I forgot to tell you that I have a bit of a bad habit. I tend to forget to stop and take the time to eat or rest when I am busy thinking or doing something. Would you be comfortable with helping me with that matter? I think your stomach would be a better judge than mine to determine when it would be best for us to break and eat." She offered him a sheepish look as she said it but it was no lie. Primrose was eternally grateful to her servants who had always made sure to keep her well-fed despite her distracted nature.

[Zero]

The giggles she gave along with her response had Erthe turning his head away, not looking at her, and making a point of it. She was playing some silly game with him, he just knew it. It wasn't fair either, because the deck was stacked against him. Something Jolie said to him crossed his mind, about not letting her win just because she was pretty. If only it were so easy. Playing a game was hard when you didn't even know the rules - let alone how to win.

When she called to him, he didn't turn to face her, instead keeping his eyes on the task of scanning their surroundings, which was currently a very boring job. When she mentioned that she forgot to eat or rest, well, the slave sighed and closed his eyes. This was going to be a very long trip. "I swore to take care of you, Lady Primrose, and take care of you is what I will do. If that includes reminding you to eat and sleep, so be it."

[GoblinFae]

She saw his expression and took it as exasperation with her. Words fell from her lips before she had even realized she had said them aloud. "How you must hate me." Primrose looked straight ahead once more, her own face now absent of the mirth that had been there only moments before.

The noblewoman was no fool despite her naivety. She also was rather sensitive to the trouble she caused others. While she had an ulterior motive for asking Erthe to care for her, Primrose did want him to remember to eat and rest himself, she did see she had added more weight to his shoulders and now regretted her somewhat playful words.

"You need not worry. I will not be your burden for long."

[Zero]

That didn't go quite the way Erthe had imagined it. The drow's expression fell as he heard her words. How could she think such a thing? What reason could he possibly have for hating her? Now he felt strange, oddly guilty. Somehow he had caused this problem, he had stolen the laughter from her sweet lips.

Sighing again he shook his head, not really sure what to say, but knowing he was about to say something. "Lady Primrose, you have been nothing but kind to me since the moment you laid eyes on me - for what reason I cannot begin to imagine. I don't hate you, and you are not a burden."

She was a duty, but really, it wasn't going to be that bad. Sure, it was something of a ridiculous mission to be on, but he was a slave and that wasn't for him to judge. "Forgive me if I offended you in some way. I'm unaccustomed to polite society, Lady Primrose." He bowed to her slightly from his saddle, hoping that he had at least done some good with his clumsy words.

[GoblinFae]

"You did not offend," she replied quietly. "You need not worry about acting in polite company for I am far from it. I'm little more than property, same as you. Only difference is I was free to foolishly believe otherwise until now. You were born into this life, weren't you?" Primrose asked with a heavy sigh.

Her face contorted into anger as she continued to sit straight-backed and facing forward. "A slave. Property," she spat, "before you had even drawn your first breath and for what reason? It's disgusting what my people do to others let alone each other."

As she spoke though the noblewoman was not seeing what was in front of her but memories of her childhood. She had never forgotten her father's stories of his past life nor the treatment of Engilram's slaves during her time living in his home. Her own parents had been against slavery but left it up to their daughter to decide for herself. For own part Primrose was aghast and disgusted by the idea of enslaving someone to do work one was too lazy to do on one's own.

It set her blood on fire to think about it. Add to the mix her own arranged marriage that she saw as not much different and she was fit to be tied. Primrose wanted to scream and shout, to rage and howl so that the world might now of her pained heart and yet she found she could not. Like a statue of cold stone she sat upon her favorite Zinnia and play the part of the perfect noblewoman.

"I am not angry or upset with you Erthe. I'm sorry if I disturbed you I just...I have not yet come to terms with some things. I know I should be happy about my upcoming nuptials yet, I cannot in good faith say I look forward to them. It puts me in a sour mood. I am sorry I took that out on you."

[Zero]

Never once had the drow considered Primrose's plight in such a light, but now that she painted the picture for him with her bitter words, well, it was obvious. Sure, as a slave he was beneath everyone, lower than dirt and easily discarded when his usefulness was ended, but his life in a cage wasn't really that much different than hers, was it? The major difference was her cage was gilded and pretty, heavy with deception, and unseen bars.

Erthe realized that his master was doing little more than selling Primrose to a new owner by passing her on to a husband that he hadn't even given her the option of considering. Looking at it from her perspective he felt his stomach twisting in knots. Did that make him her slaver? He'd been sent out to fetch her to the block, to herd her like cattle to where she was wanted by the butcher. How had he not seen it before now?

"Why should you be happy about marrying a man you probably don't even know, Lady Primrose?" He asked quietly. She didn't have to pretend on his account. "You don't have to apologize to me for feeling how you feel, take it out on me, I'm an easy - and safe - target for your frustrations. I just hope that you know that I don't want to be here, or to do this. I just didn't have a choice."

[GoblinFae]

She swallowed dryly, fighting the urge to cry in front of him. Primrose had her pride and did not wish to let him see weakness in her. It had not escaped her that he had already seen her despaired upon his arrival. The last thing she needed was to be treated like a child a or a fragile maiden for she was neither.

"That is exactly why I should not take things out on you Erthe. You didn't have a choice any more than I do. I don't blame you for this, you're doing your duty just as I must do mine but, ever the optimist I can't seem to find something to..." Primrose paused as her eyes welled with tears and danced about, staring at the branches above her in thought. "Something to be happy about. I used to and yet now," her hand raised before flopping helplessly back down upon her knee. "I don't know anything to look forward to. I just sit here, and it's so unlike me, you must understand that, but I just sit here and keep thinking about all the things that are happening that I don't want to. I don't know what to think."

[Zero]

Erthe listened to Primrose, hearing her frustrations, knowing that she was fighting tears and despair. The slave could understand how she felt - to have your whole world and life turned upside down and to not be your own. Part of him wanted to feel sorry for her, but honestly, he couldn't. Sympathy and empathy, yes, but not pity. The drow didn't want to take her to this life of dreary regrets, but he didn't have a choice, and if she thought her options were bad, well, she obviously didn't realize how fortunate she actually was.

"You could be happy that you are not me." He offered in a soft tone. She had not been given a choice in this marriage, but he had never been given a choice about anything in his life. Erthe was born to amuse others and then to die when his usefulness ended. Most of his life has been spent in fighting pits, trying not to be killed while people like Primrose's uncle jeered at him and the poor bastard he was being forced to kill.

[GoblinFae]

"No, I do understand that," she protested, feeling desperate to try and make him understand that she was not just some foolish little spoiled brat feeling sorry for herself. "You are right. I recognize that I should be grateful for all I have and the good life I have lived and may I really am as pathetic as I sound but...but nothing."

Primrose sighed and shook her head. "I am a fool. I know there are people who suffer more than me. I have seen them, talked to them, worked beside them. But today, I think I would rather be you than be me, at least then I would know my place or die from my own defiance."