How Two Little Birds Hid in the Boughs

Good evening Helian. You’re looking wonderful as usual.

“Good evening, Helian… you’re looking wonderful as usual…”

I took Helian’s offered hand and attempted to get up off the floor. She promptly grabbed me by the neck with her other hand and slammed me up against the wall.

“What are you doing here?” she screamed.

“Going to bed.”

“You promised!” Her grip loosened.

“I kept my promise.”

“Don’t play games with me! This isn’t what I wanted and you know it.” Helian’s breath was hot on my face.

“What do you want, then?”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense anymore, and it’s all because you had to screw with things! None of this is going right!” She collapsed onto my bed and looked down at her feet.

“I wouldn’t call what happened before ‘going right.’” I sat down next to her.

“Thanks to you, I’m a saintess now! Am I supposed to cure the blind? Will my tears be holy water? This is your fault!”

I took her hand gently. “I know. None of this is your fault; it’s mine.”

I couldn’t see her face clearly in the dark, but I knew from the sound of her voice that she had started crying. “You kept the earrings.”

“I did.”

“Rime looks healthy.”

“I visit her whenever I can.”

“What are we going to do? You’re in danger.”

“No one can see us right now, Helian. No one knows you’re here.” I hugged her tightly. “It’s a secret.”

“As long as you don’t tell anyone.” She gripped me tightly. “What have you told them already? What do you know?”

“I told the countess as much as she needed to know to protect you. And all I know… is what you’ve already told me.”

“I told you to stay out of sight. You shouldn’t be here. We can’t be together.”

I shook my head. “I don’t believe that. Why can’t we just keep one more secret?”

Helian flipped me onto the bed, pressing her nose flush against my neck. “You smell like roses.”

“I’m sorry.” The perfume was a gift from the countess.

“Did you enjoy it?”

“I thought of you.”

She traced the back of my ear with the tip of her fingernail and whispered. “That doesn’t answer my question.”

“You’re always on my mind.”

“That’s right.” She bit gently into my shoulder. “You’ll always be my little bird.”

“I will.”

“This all exists for me, you know? So, you do, too.”

The moon hung high in the dark, night sky. Helian began to unbutton my shirt.

Helian and the Cunning Countess (7)

As the sun rose, I quietly entered my assigned room on the third floor. Rosa got up from her chair and greeted me politely. “Good morning, Lady Saintess! I hope you had a pleasant evening.”

Yes, I did. 

“Thank you, Rosa. If you could prepare a bath for me, that would be wonderful.”

She nodded and went to run the water, speaking to me from the other room while she did so.

“Are you hungry? I can get a snack from the kitchen if you are. It’s important to restore your blood sugar after vigorous exercise, otherwise you’ll experience a ‘crash’ and feel weak. We wouldn’t want you to pass out in the tub—you could drown! Do you want me to add flowers or oils to the bathwater, Saintess Helian?”

I followed Rosa into the bathroom and undressed. “Yes, that would be nice. Do you have rose oil?”

“We do, Lady Helian. I’ll add it to the water now.” After doing so, she turned to face me and blushed. “Do you… need me to get any ointment for… bug bites? Or some bandages?”

“I’ll be fine, Rosa. Can I ask you to get me that snack now? I promise not to fall asleep in the tub.”

“Right away. I’ll be back to wash your hair in no time.”

The air inside the main building had not yet been warmed by the sun, and the bathroom tiles were cold to the touch. As I climbed into the hot bathwater, I shivered involuntarily. I sank in and lied back, closing my eyes.

I needed to convince XXXXX to leave the estate somehow. 

I could tell now that she was determined to protect everyone, but that just wasn’t an option. The situation couldn’t be resolved through simple subterfuge this time, and she had no hope of defeating the kingdom’s greatest swordswoman, even if she had assistance. If the two of us worked together we could probably defeat her, but then it would be impossible to avoid the author’s interference. 

I can’t risk everything just to keep her by my side.

Rosa quietly returned to the bathroom and began shampooing my hair.

“Hello, Rosa.”

“Sorry to disturb you, Lady Saintess.”

“That’s alright. You’re doing a good job.”

We both remained silent as she continued her task. I suppose she knew how to read the mood when the situation called for it.

The problem I faced was finding a way to compel XXXXX to listen to me. It was clear that simple requests wouldn’t work, and it was impossible to threaten her with any sincerity. Perhaps there was someone else she’d listen to? I could trick the countess into sending her away on some sort of mission, and then she wouldn’t be able to refuse – and even if she did, she’d be ejected from the estate, which would solve the problem. That would do.

I felt some guilt when I thought of the trainees and estate staff dying needlessly, but it would be too dangerous to try and send additional people away. Such behavior would attract attention. With any luck, Ruby and Sapphire would be away from the estate at the time this all went down.

“I’m done with your hair, Lady Helian. Would you like me to heat the water back up?”

I should make sure to send Rosa out on an errand when the time is right. Maybe she can pick out a nice dress for me. “Yes, please.”

I remained in the bath for a while longer until my skin was bright red. Until my arrival at the estate, I hadn’t had a proper bath in decades, so I now found myself in the habit of overindulging.

------

As usual, the countess invited me to the third-floor dining room for dinner, but tonight, the invitation was delivered by Dame Selene instead of one of the servants, and she had an unreadable expression on her face.

When I entered the dining room, the door locked behind me. The table was only set for one.

“Good evening, Helian. What have you been up to?”

“Since we last spoke, Lady Solana, not very much. I had a bath this morning, which was very relaxing – thank you for assigning me quarters with a full-sized tub. I sincerely appreciate it. After my bath, I ate lunch outside, and then I went for a short horseback ride around the outskirts of the estate. After that, I retired to my room to read.”

The countess nodded. “I see. Do you remember my words when I gave you permission to wander the estate?”

Was this a trick question? “You said that I could explore freely as long as I was accompanied by Dame Selene or my assigned maidservant."

"Yes, precisely. Did you heed my words?”

“Yes, Countess. I’ve had one or both at my side any time I ventured outside or explored the estate. To be honest, I feel guilty for wasting so much of the dame’s time.”

Lady Solana narrowed her eyes and frowned. “Which one of them was with you last night?”

I swallowed. “Pardon?”

“Last night. You didn’t return to your room. I know where you were, but I want to know who was accompanying you. Which of them was it?”

“Neither, Countess. I wasn’t aware that visiting the second floor counted as exploring the estate. And I believe you know who was accompanying me. I was in no danger.”

The countess closed her eyes and spread her arms wide. “That isn’t the issue, Helian. I fear that in my excitement to welcome you to the estate, I wasn’t clear enough about what I expect from my people. The first and foremost virtue you are to demonstrate is obedience.”

I had been foolish. If I’d wanted XXXXX to stay out of sight, the last thing I should have done was look at her. But I couldn’t pull my gaze away. 

I could have just gone back to my room. I should have.

“The condition I set for your freedom is not onerous, is it?”

“No, Countess. It is not.”

“And it is simple to comply with my conditions, is it not?”

“It is very straightforward, Countess.”

“Then why did you neglect to do so last night? Was your maidservant away without leave? Did Selene refuse your request for assistance?”

“No, Countess. The fault does not lie with them.”

“Thanks to this indiscretion of yours, I believe I’ve come to understand the cause of a few different problems weighing on my mind as of late. You see, I have a little bird in my possession. She sings quite beautifully, and I need only wave my hand and she will flit to and fro as I wish.”

She looked seriously at me. 

“But this little bird once had a mate, and that mate taught her some bad habits. Now I find another little bird has flown onto my estate, and it shares the same unacceptable tendencies. I realize now that allowing the two to flock together was a significant error on my part. The only appropriate step in this situation is to return them to their cages where they can’t misbehave until I have a chance to educate them properly.”

The countess’s eyes were clouded, and though she stared at me, she did not see me. She stood and walked to the door, knocking three times before speaking. “Selene, please escort Saintess Helian to her quarters, and have someone ensure she remains there.”