Episode SIXTEEN
She once again offers her hand to help lift him from the ground. She brushes off the back of his shirt as they are walking back towards the house from the pit. William’s pride is crushed as is his side it feels like, “I’ve never encountered any defensive military exercises like that before. Where on the Lord’s good green earth did you learn to do that? I was completely helpless!”
She chuckles and answers, “It’s called jujitsu.”
“And that would be, what?” William asks as he holds the back door open for Elouise to enter first.
She answers while holding the next door open for him to enter now, “It’s a martial art and combat sport based on ground fighting and submission holds. It focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, controlling the opponent, gaining a dominant position, and then using a number of techniques to force them into submission using multiple joint locks or chokeholds. It originated by the Buddhist monks of India, but modern forms of it is from Japan.”
As they enter his room, she has him sit on a stool, he grunts out in pain, “I must say you are full of surprises, I look forward to learning more about you.”
She smiles at him as she pours fresh water in a basin next to him and places a cloth in, “Let’s get you out of that shirt and unbind that bloody wrap. I’m sorry for going so rough on you.”
“Ah no need for that.” He brushes the matter away as if nothing happened, “I’m just glad I…”
Lillianne walks in with Winnie interrupting, “Is Papa going to be okay?”
“Yes dear, it’s just time to change his dressing, Winnie dear could you hand me the ointment over next to the table…Thank you.” She pauses from beginning to unwind his bandages seeing the girls are watching, “You girls leave now. He will be quite alright. I can manage. No worries.” She smiles softly.
As the door closes ajar, she continues to unwind the bloody cloth linen until the very end she sees is stuck on his wound by the previous dried blood, “Please hold this my Lord, I need to wet the gauze so it doesn’t…” Before she finishes, she hears from behind her a muffled groan, she turns and sees Will has yanked away the gauze without waiting, causing blood to run down his side. She sighs out and hurriedly reaches her hand into the basin. With the cloth wrung out she rushes to him while saying sternly, “Young man, that is exactly what I was trying to avoid.”
William chuckles out, “Young man? My word, Last time I heard those words my mother was still alive. Gods rest her soul.” He winches out from pain caused by Ellie applying ointment to his now cleaned wound.
Taking up the linen Winnie brought in she begins to wrap William’s torso while saying, “I’m sorry to hear your mother has passed. My father died as well, quite a few years ago. October seventh 2168. It was one of the hardest…” Ellie stops mid-sentence realizing the mistake she said as William is staring at her with a questionable glare, “…I mean 1194, the year was 1194 when he passed.”
She goes to finish wrapping the bandages, but William grabs her wrists swiftly. She drops the linen as he pulls her closer. His grip is stronger than before and his gaze is cold and harsh. She hesitates before meekly pronouncing, “My Lord. That hurts. Please let go.”
He grips harder and twists her right arm. She’s knelt between his legs. He towers over her and grips her face with his other hand while he decisively declares to her, “I’m a patient man.” He pauses while bringing his face next to hers, “Let’s try this again. Who are you?”
“She’s from the future. Don’t hurt my mommy.” Alfred utters with tears running down his face. He holds a small wooden knife towards William, seeing the predicament Ellie is in.
In a stressed tone Elouise mutters out, “Alfred…hunny…I’m gonna need you to leave and shut the door behind you.”
Shaking his head, “Not until he releases you!” he takes a step forward jabbing the knife at the air towards William.
Releasing her face, he allows her to sit back on her heels but is held there by her wrist still in his grasp. William speaks to Alfred in an amusing tone, “You’re a brave boy, wielding a knife at a noble. But are you smart enough to know how to use it?”
“I’ll stick it in your wound, if you don’t let go!” Alfred says furrowing his brows taking a step forward once more.
The rest of the children have slowly gathered outside the door. Lilly gasps in horror from her father’s actions and what Alfred said to her father. With all this attention, William releases Elouise’s wrists and turns his attention to Alfred, “Smart lad, that would put quite a bit of pain in my side. Though I’m more curious about how smart you are, like how you know she’s from the future?” Looking towards the rest of the children now, “Or do the rest of you want to speak up as to who your supposed mother is? Hmm?”
Nora
sniffles out, “Mama, just tell him. Or show him your…”
“Don’t.” Ellie points at Nora
to stop speaking midstance, “You’ve poked around enough up there when I’ve
explicitly said it’s off limits, multiple times.”
William’s attention now on Nora, “Lenora, sweet girl, what is off limits, can you take me there?” He holds his hand out to her and she takes it, walking him towards the opposing room.
Elouise shouts out while briskly walking after them, “No! Stop! …Okay, I’ll tell you, just don’t go there. It’s private and…”
Interrupting her with a scoff, William asks, “…classified? Something like what you said to my wife all those years ago?”
The silence that follows is deafening. Elouise holds herself and sniffles, wiping away angry tears. “It’s about an hour carriage ride to Lord Paynel’s manor, the children can stay here while we…”
“…THE CHILDREN WILL COME ALONG as so you don’t leave anything UNSPOKEN!” William commands in a booming voice.
The silence is awkward until the children one by one speak up to excuse themselves from the situation.
“I’ll grab the antlers and pelt.” Joseph announces.
“I’ll hitch the wagon up to Peter and Jack.” Henry declares.
“I’ll help.” Luke responds following after Henry.
“We’ll grab some books!” Lenora says racing to the library while taking ahold of Lillianne’s hand to drag her along.
“I’ll grab some food and water!” Winifred proclaims.
“I guess I’ll go put this away.” Alfred quietly walks up the stairs with the knife by his side.
With the children now away, William turns to Elouise raising his hand to her face, he points sternly, “Everything! Nothing will be left out…or so help me I will flog you before this day ends. Understood?”
Gritting her teeth, her head is lowered, “Yes my Lord.”
They both return to the room where she finishes up bandaging his wound and gets him dressed in casual clothes from his luggage that were luckily not damp. His decent outfits were unfortunately ruined. He chose to wear his hunting clothes that has a hood he could cover his hair. When they walk out the door, the children are all gathered in the back of the wagon. William holds his hand out to help Elouise up, but she rejects it and walks pass him hopping up on her own.
Once he climbs up, he leans into her ear, stating, “My wife often gives me attitude, I know the perfect way to be rid of it. Would you care to learn what way that is?”
Ellie does not speak, only straightens her back and proceeds to take the reins in hand and urges the horses forward to begin the journey she has been dreading would come one day since the accident.
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