Lisieux Family/Steady Aim
As the sun faded over Akanos, a lone rider rode through the streets. In one hand, he held a jug of rum, in the other, the reins of his horse hung loosely. The rider himself leaned forward, swaying gently from side to side, only sitting up to take another swig of his booze before tipping over again. The loss of his beloved cousin had filled him with grief and remorse. In a way, he was happy that Alexandre's body was hundreds of miles away... seeing him would have driven the rider mad.
Finally, after a long journey that saw him almost falling from his horse a few times, the rider reached his destination. He dismounted, and careened into the iron gates as soon as his feet touched the ground. Hoisting himself up by the bars of the gate, he managed to stay more or less upright, and as soon as he had regained his composure somewhat, he started rattling the gates, shouting loud slurs into the crisp dusk air.
"GRIMBOLD! OPEN UP, YOU THICKHEADED EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN BEING!", the rider screamed. "DO IT NOW, OR I'LL GUT YOU LIKE A FISH AND STRANGLE YOU WITH YOUR OWN ENTRAILS!!"
Moments later, a towering figure approached the gates. Holding a torch in one hand and a set of keys in the other, captain Grimbold rushed to let his master inside. As soon as the key turned in the lock, Hugues kicked open the gates, almost hitting Grimbold in the face.
"My lord!", he spoke with genuine concern. "Are you alright?"
Hugues grinned, then lashed out at Grimbold with the jug. Fortunately for the giant, Hugues was much too drunk to see straight, let alone hit a man who stood a full feet taller than himself in the face. The nobleman spun around from his own momentum, and tumbled to the ground. Grimbold rushed to help him up, but his aid was not appreciated.
"Hands off, you buffoon!", Hugues garbled. "Get Buyak inside, lock up and get out of my sight before I decide to kill you..."
"But, my lord...", Grimbold protested.
Hugues swung at him again from the ground. "GO! Get lost, you oaf!"
As soon as Grimbold had left him, Hugues stumbled into his stable. He brushed his horse's cheek and kissed it. "Sorry, Buyak, old friend...", Hugues mumbled, "this is where our ways part..."
He searched around until he had found what he wanted, and left the stable with another jug of rum in his hand, and a long rope coiled around his shoulder. He went into the yard, sat down under the largest tree there and downed another mouthful of licquor. Looking up, he noticed that Esme was in her quarters, as they were lit feintly with torchlight. He grinned as he thought back of their earlier encounter... two stubborn fools bumping heads... a recipe for fun.
Hugues removed his gloves and felt his neck. The circular scar from his earlier suicide attempt was still there... a reminder of how his life had gone... one failure after another. He couldn't even kill himself... and everyone that came too close was hurt instead. No more. Rather than thinking about himself all the time, he would do the only thing he thought was left to try... He tied one end of the rope into a noose, and slung it over a thick, sturdy branch. The other end he tied around the trunk of the tree, making sure it would not give way even an inch. He found himself a crate to stand on, and stuck his head through the loop of the noose, and prepared for his final words...
"Lady Esme!", he shouted at the top of his voice. "Send my regards to our liege! Tell Duke Dekion that my estate has become vacant once more!"
He paused for a moment, hoping deep down that she would stick her head out of the window, but she did not.
"Fair enough...", he murmured, and kicked the crate out from under his feet.
Arnaud Capet (Knight of Akanos)
She heard her name called from outside her window, and she moved to it to look outside. At first she couldn't see him, but then she saw the man - the mysterious man. But he wasn't that mysterious. She knew in an instant that it was Hugues - or Arnaud as he liked to go by. But what was -- oh God! Hugues was hanging from a tree, a rope around his neck. She shouted in a panic as she jumped for her bow and grabbed an arrow.
She shouted out the window as she took aim. "Hold on Hugues! HOLD ON!!" And taking careful, very careful aim, she shot an arrow at the rope that was quickly taking the man's life from him. As the arrow raced through the air, she prayed to any and every God that her aim was sure enough, and that it wasn't too late.
The arrow did its job, and the rope broke, letting Hugues's body fall to the ground in a heap. Esme rushed out of her room, not caring who saw her. She was dressed in a gown, like a robe, appropriate for the bedroom, but not for public. She didn't care - never has she approved of suicide, as it appeared this situation was. She rushed down the stairs and out to the courtyard toward his body.
Esme knelt by him and held him, checking his pulse, his breathing. It was there. His pulse was there, faint, but there. His breathing was light, but there. She put her head to his chest and listened to his heartbeat to make sure. He stirred, and she rose to watch him. "Hugues? Are- are you okay?"
Esme Lisieux (Dame of Akanos)
Hugues slowly opened his eyes and coughed. He felt all the familiar things... the tingling feeling in his limbs, the stinging of the rope cuting into his neck, even the sensation of lying in a woman's arms... Still dizzied and confused by the lack of air, he saw a familiar face as well... He lifted his arm as best he could, trying to touch her face.
"Skye...", he mumbled, barely audible.
The woman looked at him questioningly, and then it started to come back... Skye wasn't there, and he wasn't in the orchard of his old estate back in Ossmat. It was Esme watching over him. He closed his eyes, and a tear rolled down his cheek as he cursed under his breath, as he realized that for the second time, the gods had denied him in ending his life.
"Can't a man take his own life anymore...", he whispered.
He tried to push her away, but he simply didnt have the strength. His arm fell onto the grass next to his side, and he sighed deeply. "Go away... leave me alone..."
Arnaud Capet (Knight of Akanos)
She held him in her arms and refused to let him go. She caressed him and held him to her chest. His arm flopped to the ground, and she pulled it back in. She was having a weak moment. She didn't care much for the man in general, but she couldn't lose Alex, and then his cousin. He said "Skye"... She didn't know who Skye was, but she didn't care. A tear rolled down his cheek, and she wiped it away with a finger.
"Hugues I don't give a damn if you want me to leave. I'm not leaving. You can't go and kill yourself like that."
She looked around, checking to see if anyone was around. They weren't, and she bent to kiss the top of his head, hoping no one saw the worry, and relief that shadowed her face in the light of the moon.
Esme Lisieux (Dame of Akanos)
"Hugues I don't give a damn if you want me to leave. I'm not leaving. You can't go and kill yourself like that."
She looked around, checking to see if anyone was around. They weren't, and she bent to kiss the top of his head, hoping no one saw the worry, and relief that shadowed her face in the light of the moon.
Esme Lisieux (Dame of Akanos)
Hugues didn't talk - he was too weak to - but his mind was racing. Why was Esme, a woman he had insulted and slapped in the face, tending to him? How did she manage to get him down from the rope in the first place? Why couldn't people just leave him hanging? He sighed again and looked at Esme. He saw genuine concern in her eyes... and he couldn't understand it. Nobody in their right mind would care for him more than they would care for any random noble in the realm... Skye loved him, and he robbed her city. Even when they married, he kept at it... Nobody should love him.
"Why?", he muttered, before the blackness overtook him.
His eyes rolled into his skull, and his head fell backwards. His body turned limp, and he sighed one last time, as he slipped into sweet unconsciousness...
Arnaud Capet (Knight of Akanos)
((ooc: a day later))
She was dressed in a proper evening gown, appropriate for the public eye. Her silky black hair was done up in a fancy bun. She knocked on the door and listened for a response. She heard none, and entered. There he was. Dressed in a gown appropriate for the healer's ward, the man lay in a bed. He was recovering from shock, grief, attempted suicide - and a nasty hangover. Two days had past. He'd barely woken - some part of him was resisting the healers' attempts to heal him.
Esme sighed as she waved the maids and healers away, and took a seat in the chair next to the bed. She watched him, and wondered if he could hear her - she'd been wondering that for awhile, as she'd sat by his bed, waiting to see when he'd wake up. She murmured comforting words, about how he'd get better, and feel better.
"Don't worry Hugues. I won't give you away - and I'll take care of you. You may have pissed me off, but you don't deserve death or hatred." She leaned back in the chair and rested her eyes as she smirked. "Besides, I'm sure you'll want to apologize as soon as you awake."
Esme Lisieux (Dame of Akanos)
Hugues slowly opened his eyes. A voice had woken him from his sleep, but he did not recognize it. The room was blurred at first, but slowly became sharper as he blinked a few times. He turned his head, and felt the bandages that were werapped tightly around his neck. He summoned the strength to lift his arm, and pulled down the bandages. He flinched as his fingers brushed over the wound left by the rope, just above the one he had kept from his previous suicide attempt. He sighed deeply as his arm flopped back onto the bed, and turned his head.
Esme sat next to him, looking at him. "Esme...", he said softly, "What happened?"
He stared at her questioningly, trying to read her face, as he waited for her answer.
Arnaud Capet (Knight of Akanos)
