05-18-2020, 05:58 PM
The fact that Satsume withheld information from Cecily did not please her one bit. She made sure to give him an icy eye, away from the gazes of the others, before returning her attention to Orica's story. As much as she would like to scold Satsume, which honestly was in-part to make herself feel better about completely missing the signs that Goldhardt was actually her friend Orica, the driver's announcement that they were approaching the castle meant that everything had become a secondary concern.
“Milady… you must guide them to the castle entrance, but discretion is critical. I will go to the barracks and use my, uh… credentials… to make sure they won’t be a problem,” Satsume was saying.
"We will be waiting for you," Cecily replied to Satsume. "If you can find Captain Serge, what you carry will be enough proof to convince him. But only if you deem him safe enough to take the risk."
Cecily watched as Satsume galloped off, putting into action the plan that the two devised.
This is it: she was returning home. From the looks of it, it will be a bloody return, but a return nevertheless. She retreated into the confines of her wagon and got to work. The guards would certainly be asking the driver for information, including his credentials. Usually, he would be able to enter the castletown by simply showing that he was here on behalf of Marquess Pherae, but Cecily suspected there would still be an inspection in order to confirm the driver's information. With banditry on the rise, extra precautions would be taken to prevent the kind of surprise attack that Cecily and Satsume wanted to do. However, no one would expect that so few people such as themselves would be capable of assaulting the castle under normal circumstances.
Pulling her cloak's hood over her head, Cecily sat down next to Shad. She would not even dream of doing this under normal circumstances, either, but her plan left no room for pride.
"I will only say this once, so listen carefully. And don't create a scene before we even reach the gates," Cecily explained. "I need you to pretend that you are my husband."
She looked into his eyes to make sure that Shad is paying attention. "I need you to kiss me the moment the guards check our wagon; people tend to avert their eyes from displays of intimacy. If you don't, we would have to subdue them."
Cecily was not done there. "And I swear, if you ever try using this as leverage in the future, you will wish your mother never conceived you."
She could hear an order for the caravan halt by the two guards flanking the gate entrance.
"Who are they?" she heard one of the guards ask the driver, likely referring to Orica and Lita.
"They're my escort. Marquess Pherae couldn't offer his knights, so he hired mercenaries for us," the driver replied.
"Identification, please," the same guard said.
She could see the outline of the second guard approaching the two on horseback, probably to question them himself, as the first continued his questioning. Eventually the first guard, as she suspected returned the driver's pendant and walked towards the back of the wagon. It is clear he intended to look inside their wagon.
"Now," she whispered.
Taking both sides of Shad's face in her hands, she leaned in to kiss him right on the lips. It was more of a love bite than anything, but it should keep the guard's attention off of her as he scanned the insides. The moment probably lasted several seconds, but it seemed like it took eternity before she heard the flutter of fabric as the wagon's drapes were return over the rear.
"Are they gone?" Cecily asked quietly, too uncertain to turn her eyes towards the opening.
“Milady… you must guide them to the castle entrance, but discretion is critical. I will go to the barracks and use my, uh… credentials… to make sure they won’t be a problem,” Satsume was saying.
"We will be waiting for you," Cecily replied to Satsume. "If you can find Captain Serge, what you carry will be enough proof to convince him. But only if you deem him safe enough to take the risk."
Cecily watched as Satsume galloped off, putting into action the plan that the two devised.
This is it: she was returning home. From the looks of it, it will be a bloody return, but a return nevertheless. She retreated into the confines of her wagon and got to work. The guards would certainly be asking the driver for information, including his credentials. Usually, he would be able to enter the castletown by simply showing that he was here on behalf of Marquess Pherae, but Cecily suspected there would still be an inspection in order to confirm the driver's information. With banditry on the rise, extra precautions would be taken to prevent the kind of surprise attack that Cecily and Satsume wanted to do. However, no one would expect that so few people such as themselves would be capable of assaulting the castle under normal circumstances.
Pulling her cloak's hood over her head, Cecily sat down next to Shad. She would not even dream of doing this under normal circumstances, either, but her plan left no room for pride.
"I will only say this once, so listen carefully. And don't create a scene before we even reach the gates," Cecily explained. "I need you to pretend that you are my husband."
She looked into his eyes to make sure that Shad is paying attention. "I need you to kiss me the moment the guards check our wagon; people tend to avert their eyes from displays of intimacy. If you don't, we would have to subdue them."
Cecily was not done there. "And I swear, if you ever try using this as leverage in the future, you will wish your mother never conceived you."
She could hear an order for the caravan halt by the two guards flanking the gate entrance.
"Who are they?" she heard one of the guards ask the driver, likely referring to Orica and Lita.
"They're my escort. Marquess Pherae couldn't offer his knights, so he hired mercenaries for us," the driver replied.
"Identification, please," the same guard said.
She could see the outline of the second guard approaching the two on horseback, probably to question them himself, as the first continued his questioning. Eventually the first guard, as she suspected returned the driver's pendant and walked towards the back of the wagon. It is clear he intended to look inside their wagon.
"Now," she whispered.
Taking both sides of Shad's face in her hands, she leaned in to kiss him right on the lips. It was more of a love bite than anything, but it should keep the guard's attention off of her as he scanned the insides. The moment probably lasted several seconds, but it seemed like it took eternity before she heard the flutter of fabric as the wagon's drapes were return over the rear.
"Are they gone?" Cecily asked quietly, too uncertain to turn her eyes towards the opening.
Insurrection - Lady Cecilia "Cecily" of Laus, third in line to the Laus marquessate