A Servant's Vision (closed for Laine80)

[lil_abbygirl]

Lady Capron stood in stunning silhouette in front of the massive window in her chamber that overlooked the lake below. The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky, shining so brightly through the window that it hurt Cara's eyes and she had to lower them to the floor as she approached with the Lady's gown, made from the finest silk and embroidered with an intricate pattern of jewels. "Thank you, Cara," said Lady Capron in a warm, confident tone that caused the young servant to look up, blinking her eyes to focus on the nude woman standing before her. She had always marveled at the Lady's figure, long with slender, sensual curves at her hips and breasts. With each pregnancy, she expected that time would catch up with her, shortly after the birth of each of her three children, her body had returned to form quickly and with little effort, much to the envy of many of the noble women.

"Your gown for the ball this evening is stunning, my..." Cara started before wincing and dropping to one knee as the sharp pain of another one of her headaches gripped her. Her mind raced as images streamed through her consciousness. After a moment, the images faded and the pain began to dull. She returned to her feet to continue her work.

Lady Capron stepped towards her servant and gripped her arm tenderly as she spoke, her voice filled with genuine concern, "Cara, sit, sit."

"I'll be ok, my Lady. We should get you into your gown."

"Please Cara, sit. My gown can wait. There is plenty of time."

Lady Capron led Cara over to a chair and eased her into it before taking the gown from her and lying it down carefully on the bed, then returned to sit with the servant. "Was it another vision, Cara?"

"Yes my Lady."

"What did you see?"

There was a time when Cara found her visions fun. Some came true, many did not, but since her mother's death, they all haunted her. She had seen her mother die so clearly, days before the robbery that took her life, but she could do nothing to stop it. In her grief, she told Lady Capron of the vision and ever since, she had taken keen interest in hearing every last detail. Cara hated talking about them. Most of the time they were so silly and foolish. She felt embarrassed and could feel her fair cheeks flush.

"It was nothing, my Lady."

"Please Cara, tell me."

"I saw myself, being dragged into the dungeon."

"By whom?" Lady Capron pressed.

Cara hesitated before she spoke, not wanting to reveal the answer, "Lord Capron." She paused as Lady Capron's eyes studied her. "But these are just nightmares, there is nothing to them."

"Oh Honey, you needn't fear Evan," she replied placing a hand on the servant's forearm. It always made Cara feel a little awkward when she referred to Lord Capron as Evan. Just hearing his first name didn't seem appropriate. "I won't let anyone take my best servant from me." Her reassuring smile was the same one she used to calm her own children. "You are a remarkable young woman, and you take after your mother. Servants like you are hard to find."

Cara could feel tears welling up in her eyes. "Let's get you ready, my Lady."

 

[Laine80]

Lord Evan Capron couldn't believe how his fortunes had changed in the last few weeks. He was a knight and a noble, but those had always been because of his lineage. He was well regarded as a knight, but now in his early 30s, he had failed to make a name for himself, but he really didn't have any regrets over that. He had a beautiful wife who epitomized being a Lady, and she had given him three wonderful children, including two boys. Life was good and it was comfortable.

"I've heard you had quite a week, Lord Capron," Lord Gentry said, waiting anxiously for him to break into the story, which had become quite polished.

Lord Capron obliged in his thunderous baritone, "Well, sir, I had been returning to the land after tracking down a band of thieves to the west of the kingdom. The thieves truly aren't worth mentioning other than to say that they are no longer with us." He paused as his listener laughed, as they all had laughed at the ill fate of the thieves. "When I came upon what was clearly one of the royal carriages, but pools of blood where the only remaining evidence of anyone that had been with the party. The battle was fresh and I knew there were a few caves to the south, the only place anywhere near here that someone could hide, so I mounted my steed and raced towards them. When I reached the cave, the bandits had torn the clothes from the princess and they were about to make her do unspeakable things. I pulled my sword and one after the next, I dispatched of them. I wrapped my cloak around the princess and her torn and tattered clothes and rode her back to the castle, returning her to the prince without a single scratch."

"Lady Capron says that one of her servants had foreseen the events?" Lord Gentry stated in the tone of a question.

"Oh, that's just Allison making up stories. Ever since her favorite servant was killed in a robbery, she has been saying all sorts of fanciful things. I keep telling her not to get too close with the servants. I mean, they're not slaves but they're not like us." Evan was tired of answering for his wife's crazy theories and now that his story was finished he was anxious to be on his way. "If you don't mind, I must head home. I will see you at the ball tonight. I'll be the one sitting with the King."

 

[lil_abbygirl]

The trees' shadows grew long across the dusty dirt road that led to Lord Capron's estate and after what had been a warm day, a chill was beginning to fill the air. The light sweat that coated Cara's skin when the sun had been stronger sent a shiver through her body with each gentle breeze. Her sleeveless robe was made for comfort during the hot afternoon hours. It was light and loose and did nothing to protect her from the breeze. She could feel goosebumps rising from her fair skin all over her body. She tried to tuck her long, dark hair behind her ear to stop it from blowing into her face.

Lord Capron's two guards stood a few steps behind her as they all waited for his return, a long and lonely wait for Cara since he was much later than expected and the guards were under strict orders not to speak with the servants. It all made their presence awkward, as she could feel their eyes upon her. She knew how they talked about her. They did little to hide it. She had been the subject of their leers and crude remarks since she was just a girl and they had become only more brazen in the years that followed. Her mother had told her to ignore them, but each and every she heard them, it made her sick to her stomach.

In the distance, Cara noticed a figure emerge from the forest and quickly recognized it as Lord Capron. She got down on her knees and waited for him, as he pulled the reigns of his horse to stop in front of her. The guards stood back, trained to be on alert for a potential attack. "Good evening Lord Capron," Cara recited just as she had been trained. "Lady Capron is in her chambers and is ready for the ball." Her eyes remained fixed on his boots, not daring to look up at him.