Song of the Piper

::24:: The Chosen Path (Part 1)

Music is Take Your Bow, Knave from the Assassin's Creed Syndicate OST. Play it!

Image above is Lady Gertrude.

******

Lord Konrad shot me one nasty look before storming out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Lord Alonzo followed suit, albeit less violently, and his eyes held nothing but regret as they locked onto mine.

With a heavy sigh, I got up and dusted my skirts. I was just about to leave when a hand clapped my shoulder.

I jerked from the contact, shrugging the hand off and wheeling around. Lady Gertrude. I dipped into a hasty curtsy.

"A word," was all she said before she headed out. After a moment's hesitation, I caught up to her.

I prayed that she wouldn't say anything which made me feel worse than I already was.

"I heard that you and the Tinker were very close," she said suddenly as we shuffled down one of the smaller hallways.

Were. She's already decided that he's dead, I thought.

"Heard from whom?" I tried to deflect her statement.

"Lady Anya, of course." She wasn't as tall as Lady Anya, but she was still taller than me. She shot me a sideways look down her nose, and I held back a sigh of frustration. "She did show you Anton's memories a few days back and offered you a way you could help, no?"

"Yes," I admitted. I kept my eyes pinned forwards, refusing to look at her.

Gently, she touched my elbow and guided me to a corridor down the right. "All right, I'll be frank," said Lady Gertrude, tone clipped. "Are you sure you agree to our plan?"

"I'm not sure I quite understand what you mean, Your Ladyship."

"No use going around in circles, Klaudia. If you want me to be even more precise, I want to know if you're all right."

I stopped in my tracks, looking at Lady Gertrude. She stopped as well, and proceeded to stare me down with narrow green eyes. "I—don't know," I answered slowly. It was the truth. I didn't know how I should feel about the situation. About the fact that I was being used like a tool by everyone. About everything.

"I was expecting that." She folded her arms and straightened her posture. We were going to have our conversation here, it seemed. "What are you confused about?"

I folded my arms too, staring at the ground. I guessed that it couldn't hurt to tell her my thoughts. "It's just—I feel like I'm supposed to appreciate what I have for now," I stumbled over my words. Drawing in a breath, I laced my fingers together and continued: "I'm safe. I escaped Heidelberg. Yet I don't know...I don't feel as appreciative as I'm supposed to?"

I waited for a severe lecture from Lady Gertrude. Instead, her lips twisted into a wry smile. "That's to be expected. Welcome to Council politics, my dear."

I blinked furiously, trying not to goggle at her.

"Don't look so surprised. I was once your age too." The light in her eyes dimmed in mild melancholy. "I'm the youngest in the Council, so they don't regard me as seriously as I'd like them to. You, however, will bear the brunt of their scorn."

"Because I'm the latest addition to the line of Magi?" I said sourly.

She chuckled in response. "Is there any other reason?"

Despite myself, the corners of my lips quirked up at the corners. "No, there isn't."

"Precisely."