Merry storms in to find Immalaine after Rastellion leaves. “What was that about?” she demands, confused by Immalaine's reaction to the wonderful news. “He did something really nice for you, and … and you treated it like he'd killed your best friend!”
She strides back out into the main room to resume making coffee, and Immalaine trails after, cheeks still wet with tears. Unable to confide in the girl – the history she wants no one to know – Immalaine simply shakes her head. “I … there's lots o' things ye don't know about this,” she says sadly to Merry. “Things that Rastellion doesn't know … I ...” Immalaine closes her eyes, but opens them again. “Mebbe Zandrianna was right ...” she muttered to herself.
Merry slams the pantry door, before remembering that Zandrianna is still sleeping. Shamefaced, she goes to peek into the lady's room, but Zandrianna is still sound asleep, from a combination of the late night and the Rossiath’s sleeping draught. She sighs in relief, before turning to stare at Immalaine's, accusation in her eyes.
“Right about what? What things?” Merry presses, her voice still baffled. “Why don't you just tell Rastellion the things? Instead of … of treating him like … like …. ooh! You're mean!” With a toss of her head, Merry turns back to the coffee.
Stunned by Merry's angry outburst – the girl is usually so cheerful – Immalaine slinks back into her room. She sits on the edge of her bed, crying, as she realizes just how badly she'd reacted to Rastellion’s good news. Of course he thought it was good news – she’d never told him otherwise! She should have just told him everything then, she thinks to herself, but she'd been too shocked and terrified at the sudden announcement.
Closing her eyes, she can still see the devastation written on Rastellion’s face before she had turned and raced from the room to collect her shattered thoughts. Maybe it’s not too late. He won’t want to talk to her, but if she writes him a letter, takes it to him in Bree. If only can get there before … before he does.
Determined now, Immalaine goes to sit at a small desk in one corner of her room. She pulls out a piece of parchment and an old quill and ink bottle Zandrianna gave her for lessons, and tries to find a way to put on paper the things she needs to tell.
For several minutes she writes, the process laborious as she attempts to explain what happened, biting her lip as nausea swelled in her stomach at remembering what she'd had to do, what she has tried so hard to forget. She hears Merry moving around in the other room - from the sound of things, the girl is keeping Althessia happily occupied. Immalaine sets down the quill and starts to reread what she had so far. "Dear Rastellion," …
A knock sounds on the front door, not loud enough to interrupt Immalaine's concentration, but clear in the main room, where Merry is bustling about.
Looking up from Althessia, the little one giggling happily in Merry's arms, the young woman stops her pacing and goes to open the door.
A tall man stands at the door, dressed in fine, dark clothes, a heavy cloak about his broad shoulders and an expensive hat held politely in both hands. He smiles at Merry, his full lips parting to show a glint of white teeth.
Merry looks up at the stranger and grins at him. "Hello mister! Can I help you with something?"
"I do hope so, my dear. Is Immalaine Tattersoll in today? We were supposed to meet yesterday but..." He trails off and shrugs. "I hope she's well?" He steps inside, placing his hat aside, then smiles down at the cooing child in Merry's arm. He extends one gloved finger toward the baby’s grasping hands. "And what a lovely little girl. Your daughter, perhaps?"
With a blink, Merry looks down at Althesia for a moment, seemingly confused before grinning. "Oh, goodness, no, she's not mine," she says with a giggle. "I'm just watching her for her momma, so she can get some sleep. She's been feeling unwell lately." Looking back up at the man, Merry considers his words. "Immalaine is in her room, shall I tell her you're here, mister?"
The stranger turns his pale eyes on Merry again, taking in her features and figure in a quick, practiced glance. "Why, yes, if you'd be so ki...."
Engrossed in her thoughts, Immalaine looks up as she hears the door open and the sounds of Merry speaking with a man in the common room. 'Rastellion,' she thought to herself, 'he must have returned!' She jumps up from the small desk and hurries to the door, not realizing, as she does so, that she’s knocked over her bottle of ink.
"Rastellion, I need t' ..." she starts, coming to a stop just past the doorway as she sees the man that's haunted her nightmares for the past few nights, no, for the past months. Watching him, her eyes wide with sudden terror, she backs away as she looks for an escape.
The man steps forward, his back to Merry, and puts his arms around Immalaine. His coat is cool to the touch, freshly laundered and smelling faintly of pine. "Immalaine, my dear!" he exclaims, bending down as if to kiss her. As he does, Immalaine can feel the prick of a stilleto at the small of her back, and his low voice whispers in her ear, "You're going to come along with me now, willing and happy... or I will hurt your friends. Starting with that mewling infant." He steps back, the dagger hidden again, and turns to Merry, smiling ingratiatingly. "But I've been remiss with introductions. My name is Sallastin." He give her a slight bow. "And old, and very close, friend of Immalaine's. And you are?..."
Merry nods in greeting, and smiles as she gently jostles the baby on her hip. "I'm Merry," she replies, "Nice to meet you. You're a friend of Immalaine?"
"Oh, yes,” he assures her; “quite a dear friend. We were separated some months ago. I thought she was dead, until just the other day, when I ran into her in Bree. Just imagine our delight and surprise... isn't that right, Immalaine?"
The smile he turns on her now is relaxed and easy, but his pale eyes glint at her liked the blade of a dagger ... like the blade of the dagger up his sleeve.
There’s a buzzing in Immalaine’s ears – she barely the others’ words. A fear for her friend and the baby, and fury at his threat, war with each other, but now, as his gaze falls back on her, Immalaine freezes. She doesn’t dare to go against him here with the baby and Merry so close, with Zandrianna asleep in the next room. Her expression changes subtly, as she decides that, for the moment, she needs to play along with him. Looking to Merry and Althessia, she reassures them with a forced smile. "Yes, it was very much a surprise."
Sallastin chuckles low. "But a good one," he says, taking her hand in his black, kidskin glove and gripping it painfully. He looks back Merry, his eyes sliding from her lips, to her chest, to the baby in her arms. "And this sweet little one?" he asks. "What's her name?"
Merry grins down at the baby, who is busily squirming to get down onto the floor. "This is Althessia," she replies, setting child down on a small blanket on the floor. "She's getting heavy too!" she adds, chuckling.
To keep from yelping in pain as he squeezes her hand, Immalaine has down on her tongue. She notices with mounting fear how Sallastin is watching Merry. She has to get him away from them, she thinks to herself, and fast.
Sallastin's smile widens. "Well, she's a lovely little girl... you both are!" He gives Immalaine's arm a slight pull. "Well, Immalaine, are you all set to go?" he inquires in his smooth voice. "We have so much catching up to do."
Merry straightens up from putting the baby on her blanket, offering the stranger a smile as she remembers her hospitality. "Would you care for something to drink first? I could make some coffee or some tea ... and I think there's some bread and cheese fresh in the pantry to go with it." she says.
The man lets go of Immalaine's hand as his attention returns to Merry. "Why, that’s kind of you. Something warm and sweet would be most welcome on a brisk day like today. And you can tell me all about yourself, Merry, and about how you and my dear Immalaine met..."
Immalaine shakes her head quickly, she has to get him away from her friends. She starts toward towards the door. "No, we really should be going, Sa-Sallastin, you said yourself we have a lot t' catch up on."
She turns to look at Merry and Althessia one last time, smiling fondly at them as she backs toward the front door..
The dark man chuckles. "Always the bundle of energy, our Immalaine, isn't she?" he says to Merry - but then, after one more quick, appreciative look at the young woman, he turns and heads after Immalaine. When he opens the door for her, Immalaine can see, out in Zandrianna's yard, one of the man’s servants waiting just past the foot of the stairs, playing with a short blade. Sallastin gives her a little push forward in the small of the back, propelling her out the door.
Before leaving, he turns back and says to Merry, a smirk still lurking on his lips, "We may be quite some time. Don't wait up for us!” He lifts his hat from the table by the door and gives Merry another courteous little bow. “It was lovely to meet you. Any friend of Immalaine's is a friend of mine. Perhaps I'll see you again, sometime soon?" Then he turns and follows close behind Immalaine as she steps away from the safety of Zandrianna's home.
Immalaine flinches as she hears the door close behind her, the smile melting from her face now that Merry can no longer see them. Her chin lifts and she steps down towards the waiting servant, who pulls her roughly up onto the horse in front of him, displaying his dagger to her in warning, before he turns the horse and starts back up the road, following his master. If only she'd not chased Rastellion away earlier, Immalaine thinks, fresh tears springing to her eyes. Her watering gaze scans the passing roads, hoping to see some sign of him, but the horizon remains void of any life, as they turn and ride farther and farther away from Bree.
“I love you Rastellion,” she whispers. “Goodbye.”
(Credits and love go to Rastellion, who provided the voice of the male characters in this story. *Blows kisses to Rastellion and grins widely*)
