Night Falls

Gareth slipped out of the room, tugging the door shut after him gently as not to startle the baby. His face was grave with the task at hand, sharp blue eyes almost glowing in the dim unsteady candlelight of the hallway. At his right side, a man cleared his throat quietly as to make himself known before the intense looking man ran him over in his charge to his task. "M'Lord?" This from the butler, watching Gareth with a fearful respect.

The response given was a soft growling tone, roughened more by his intention to get his point across without chance of argument or defiance. "No one is to disturb his Lordship. He is spending time with his child, and is deserving of that time. No matter what request her Ladyship makes, the staff will take to it or I will do so, as I do now. Do I make myself clear?"

The man before him paled some at the tone, his skin already aged and spotting with that age becoming sallow and sickly colored. His voice was somewhat less confident, shaking just noticeably after nodding automatically at the demands. "Yes Lordship. The Lady asks one message sent..."

The rest of the words were lost then, a growl coming from the man before him silencing the elderly butler before he could finish his sentence. "No one is to disturb him. If the Lady has words for him she can give them to me. I dare say her tone will be more respectful then the one she uses with my brother."

With this he passed the man, little patience for his groveling. Mounting the wide sweeping staircase, he took them with powerful steps, almost silent from habit as he took his large form up towards the eastern wing of the Manor where the Lady kept her suites and guest quarters. Of course she kept herself separate from the formal parts of the house and as far as she could arrange from her husband and children's quarters. It disgusted him, and anger boiled the long cold blood in his veins. But this was his brother's wife, a woman that believed herself above him and all others she associated with.

The few hours of pain she suffered were only endured for her gain, and no other reason. It was these dark thoughts that brought him down the hall to her quarters, startling staff that passed him at the animalistic anger that near poured from the man. They stepped far to the side of him, watching him with wide eyes.

He gives barely a glance to them, usually not one to wish fear of him amongst the staff but now angry far beyond such concerns. As he approached the large heavy wooden doors that guarded the Lady's quarters, he passed her servant, a harried woman even at her young age. This woman he gives effort to, as she looked already as if the woman inside has torn her apart this eve. Pausing he gave her a curt nod and waited while she passed him, giving him a fearful eye as his very presence rolled with his irritation.

"Fear not, young one." His voice was forced to gentleness so as not to further her anxiety. "My blood boils not for you, and that one that it does...she will soon feel it."

The woman nodded with an uncertain shake to the movement. Her loyalty, which was so hard pressed to her mind, demanding she defend her Lady but the woman's torture stated that she should feel some of the same in return. Gareth watched the emotions play over the tired pale face of the woman before him for only a moment before he relieved her of the internal war, dismissing her to go and rest.

Pushing open the doors, he was greeted immediately by the cold elegant voice of the Lady of the Manor, demands starting already. "Marie, has that lazy man brought my child to me yet?"

He had to growl at this, shutting the door after him with more force then necessary. This caused a shriek of anger from the woman, clutching the sheets of her bed up to her breast in an attempt at modesty, though most that knew her knew that modesty was the least of her qualities.

Gareth ignored the motion, much as he ignored the woman and her state of undress. He didn't look away from her, as to give her the impression that he was embarrassed by her nudity, but looked her straight in the eye.

"The child will be returned to you for her feeding when she hungers. If then, since I'm sure you have a wet nurse for such things. For now, the young Princess stays below with Esiah and you shall shriek for him no more. Yes, I know how you have whored yourself for the crown and born it's blood in the girl downstairs. But as she is spirit of my brother's spirit she shall be protected and you shall feel no pride for that."

He watched the babbling woman, shocked that the man would dare speak to her in such a way and said as much to him. "Be fair warned Lady, should harm come to that man or his children the price shall be yours to pay."

Iliana found her voice now, her spine straightening and her face, still flushed from her efforts to rid her body of the pain and the child, twisted with cruel confidence. "I know your secrets, man of death, and you are weak. I can dispatch you myself, a woman of no strength. So do not believe yourself God enough to threaten me."

The insolent words only managed to make him angrier, a growl rumbling through him loud enough to pull the blood from her face as she looked at him. "If I am gone, many more will search to find me and will know my fate. And you, Lady, for all your strength, will fall in ways terrifying beyond your night horrors."

With that he left her before he enslaved the smug woman, dominated her mind or outright harmed her. His large sleekly muscular form seemed to drive itself from the room with the force of a natural storm. The woman was left to stew and plot as the man's insults and threats could not be left stand without retribution. It was then that the future was forged, and one man would fall for another's words of protection.