As They Fall [First Draft] ~ Currently Editing ~

Eight

A/N: Sorry for the longer than usual wait for this chapter! I had a bout of writer's block for a week or so and just couldn't get this chapter to come out the way I wanted it to.
But it's here now! It's also a little longer than the last few so hopefully that makes up for the delay ;)
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoy it.
As always vote if you enjoyed it and share your opinions in the comments below :)

"Who's gone Tia?" I asked, my voice impatient.

"Lord Alder m'lady. Your uncle." My stomach lurched as I stared at her dumbfounded.

"How?" was all I managed to say.

"The man I've been speaking to... I thought he loved me but he was just using me to find out about m'lord and you and..." she trailed off, sniffing loudly as she attempted to dry her still falling tears on her sleeve.

"What did you tell him?" I pressed.

"M'lady, I'm so sorry, I know it was private but I... I found out about your secret and he got me drunk and I never meant to tell him. I never meant any of it!" She was clutching the front of my dress now, looking up at me with pleading blue eyes. I shut my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to refrain from lashing out at her.

So you told him about the secret passage?" I asked slowly, opening my eyes to look at her.

"Y... yes," she replied, her voice trembling as she quailed beneath my hard gaze.

"And he used it to kidnap my uncle." I stood up as I said those words and began to pace about the room.

"Do you remember what he looks like at least?" I said, stopping to look at her for a moment.

"Of course m'lady!" she exclaimed, "he has brown hair and brown eyes. He's real' tall and he dresses a bit like a sellsword." I covered my face with my hand my irritation beginning to emerge. She had described almost every man who frequented the local tavern.

"Is there anything else you remember, a distinct feature, a name perhaps?" Tia paused for a moment before replying,

"Well he told me his name was Jack, but I guess he was probably lying about that too..." she trailed off into a hiccup as her tears returned. I considered comforting her but I still felt too bitter to do so.

"So there's nothing else to go on?" I sighed, sitting on the window seat. Tia had her head buried in her hands, desperately trying to remember everything she could.

After a few minutes had passed Tia suddenly sat upright and shrieked,

"I remember!" I flinched at her sudden volume. She stood up and walked over to where I was before she continued, "he has a mole behind his ear, about the size of a pea!" I could almost feel the relief flooding through her as she finished speaking and wished I could be as optimistic. A description was not much to go on and I would need to hurry if I were to have any chance of catching up to the man and my uncle. Nonetheless I still thanked her for her help and reassured her that she was not going to be punished for being naive. Despite the slim chances, I was resolute in my decision to save my uncle, he was the last relative I had. I decided to head back into the village to ask around about the man Tia had described, hoping someone would have seen him. I considered visiting Charlie but my cheeks flushed as I remembered the way I had awoken this morning. I had Tia dress me in an elegant green gown that I hoped would accentuate my status and make the townsfolk more likely to help me in my investigation. As I descended the staircase leading to the main hall I noticed the steward Arthur was speaking to Geoffrey. When they saw me they stopped speaking and greeted me.