One Hundred Tears In The Sunset

Chapter Eleven

Oh sweet one?

Why must thy suffer?

Wash 'e away on a in a sunset day...

Forget thy's face,

Thee shall remember thy's place.

*

It is cold. A cold she never knew. And dark. Pure black. The darkness of shadows she has ever seen. At first the air is silent and hollow and she fumbles in the blackness searching for something but then the noise comes, loud and overwhelming. A thousand voices screaming. The cold changes into warmth and the darkness turns to light. The princess is in a castle, a large ball room full of happy dancing people. Music fills the air. She laughs and holds hands with a handsome man. It changes again. A grey cloud covers the sunlight that pours through the windows. The screams are louder now and the dancing people still their moving limbs. Teyha is frowning, waiting. The doors are throw open so quick they blur and a dart of blue skin jumps through them. It is a blue tattooed man, she realises with a start. It is a bandit. The air is frozen as she tries to run, but the world is chaos and one by one the bodies around here are thrown to the floor in deep red. But not her. She is left untouched. The man bandit stares at her. He is a young man, thin with brown mud pie eyes and a thick set of brown messy hair. His tattoo is a large swirl rounded over his bare chest. He's waiting, and then a shout echoes in the air,

"I have them." She turns her shocked gaze to the door and watches her mother and father being pushed through the ball room. There is blood on their clothes but Teyha barley breaths a word. The bandit takes a step towards them and holds a short knife, he meets her eyes seeing a look of pity in them, and then the knife is slashed along pale necks. The thud of their bodies hitting the floor consumes her yet she does not move. She waits, she can not move, she can only wait and watch the puddle of red slowly stain the edges of her blue dress...

The covers were twisted around her making it impossible to break free. She thrashed at them but they held tighter. Teyha tried to calm down but her pulse was racing, her head too dizzy. She was hot, boiling hot, sweat clung to her skin. She was gasping for oxygen,

"Shhh. Calm down. It was a dream." The soft voice changed everything. Her thumping heart slowed a bit. She watched his hands unwrap the covers away from her tangled limbs and a rush of cool air sang upon her damp skin as it was released. Teyha's skin was still burning. She was so hot but the dream had left her at last. Always the same dream, always of the bandits. She felt the bed dip as Brooke sat by her feet,

"I have too say sorry Teyha for last night" He muttered after a silence, "I was in an unforgivable state. I should not have came here." The princess tried to tell him she hadn't minded but her voice for some reason wasn't working. Her head was thundering, and all that came from her lips was a soft moan. In an instant she felt Brooke beside her. She saw his blue eyes staring down at her in concern. He put a rough hand on her forehead,

"Christ, you're freezing." He mumbled and quickly stood. Teyha frowned, I am boiling hot! She tried to move the covers from herself but they were too heavy. He came back holding a glass of water,

"Not, thirsty,hot" She manged to whisper,

"No, no Teyha you're ice cold," He knelt beside her and rose the glass to her dry lips. They seemed to realise at the same time what was wrong because Brooke's eyes widen in fear,

Fever.

"You never got it treated did you?" He whispered and grabbed for her hand. She was too weak to stop him from removing the bandage and staring at the ugly infected burn. She didn't answer, there was no point, he could see for himself, "No. Oh why not Teyha?"

"For...the best." She mumbled and closed her eyes. Hopefully the fever would spread quick, hopefully she could return with her parents soon,

"But. Ah, I see now." Brooke spoke softly. His face was unreadable, a mask of no emotion. He let her hand drop slowly to the covers, "Well I'll go now, thank you for last night," And then Mr Heathingdale had slipped out of the her diamond window without a backward glance.

*****

Teyha closed her eyes when she heard the knock. For a moment her racing mind thought it would be Brooke but then she remembered he had left,

"Teyha what is the meaning of this?" Her Uncle hissed from behind the door. She didn't answer but watched him walk into the room, "Teyha?"

"Fever." She whispered and watched him frown. His green eyes landed on her swollen arm,

"Infected?" He asked and she nodded. A small smile played on his face. The Princess may have imagined it though, her head was swimming with sickness,

"I know about Rose." He said softly, "I know you helped her escape."

"Oh." She whispered,

"Yes, well I'll find her of course." He muttered. Teyha's gut dropped but she couldn't bring herself to think about it. Instead she turned her head and a dark blackness grabbed her.

*****

Four days later

******

"They've bin saying the Princess is ill." Clarence picked his finger nail and stared at the Brooke, "They've also said that 'er Mr Drumond has not left 'er bedside since they found 'er, pale and half dead."

"Did you come here to gossip Clarence or to learn?" Brooke muttered from the wooden stool he sat on. The air was thick and hot in the evening breeze, a soft perfumed wind wafted from the blooming flowers and the magical music of the stream rang in the woodland. They were sat outside Brooke's small house,

"I came ta see ya and ta learn, well kinda learn." The boy smirked but Brooke didn't laugh, didn't say anything. All the man done was pull out the sliver flask from his pocket and swig down more of it. Clarence turned his face away, hiding the worry in his eyes. It wasn't like Brooke to drink so much, yeah the man drank, but not every hour of every day,

"Then look down at the book and learn or I will send you away." He grunted. Clarence lowered his eyes and stared at the writing but after a few few stuttered words he grew bored and dared another stare at Brooke. Two black bags rested under his eyes, his skin was pale and the black hair that usually shinned was greasy,

"What is it then?" The servant boy sat back, giving up on reading the meaningless words,

"Wuthering heights, a women's novel but the only story I could find with some death in and since you said you wanted dea..."

"Not the bleddy book. You! What the hell is wrong with ya?"

"Read the book Clarence." Brooke hissed, "Stop making nothing, something."

"It's not nothing." The boy shot to his feet flinging the story to the floor, "Ya don't eat, ya don't smile, ya just drink and ya try and hang ya'self but ya say nuthin about it. It's like ya think it's normal!" The man didn't even move at the boy's shouts. He reached out slowly and picked up the blue leather book from the ground,

"You know, Heathcliff loved Catherine since the day he first saw her." Brooke's voice was soft. It made Clarence sit down,

"You're talking about the damn book" He muttered,

"Yes" The man said softly, "He loved her even though I think some part of himself hated her as well." The silence lasted so long that the servant boy frowned and urged Brooke to talk,

"What happened? What happened in the damned story?" Clarence snapped,

"Catherine realised she loved him too late. She died and Heathcliff was left behind." Brooke's blue eyes rose from the book and stared into space for a few more endless minutes,

"Well it sounds like a stupid story."

"Yes, it's a women's novel." Brooke mumbled and then seemed to snap out of his trance like state, "I'll find you something more manly next time. Now get back to the castle or you'll be missed." He stood up and brushed his rumpled shirt,

"I doubt that, everyone is running around for the Princess."

"She's that bad?" Brooke raised an eyebrow and Clarence nodded,

"I 'eard the cook saying that she 'eard Mr Blair saying it'll be lucky if she gets better at all. I think. I think she's dying."

"Dying?" Brooke whispered softly,

"Yeah, it'll be a shame though. I never saw much of 'er but she was always kind." Clarence shook his head,

"It'll be more than a shame Clarence." Brooke muttered but the boy had already disappeared in the woodland before the words reached the air.