Chapter 27 - Morning Sport

Isa showed me how to open the shade of the lamp above us so I could read better in the night before bowing towards me and leaving me alone again on the balcony. Intrigued I opened the book. It was a fairly tale of a girl being trapped inside a Garden with a ruler who governed over it. But at his side where three wise wives and through various means they always managed to help in secret when the situation got dire. I could clearly read the intent between the lines of suggesting to support each other, even if the ruler was opposed to what was planned but it was written well enough that unless you read a majority of it you would not pick up on the hidden meaning.

Among others it conveyed the message that the head wife and only the head wife had the right to choose who shares the bedroom with the ruler for the night. Another that the world outside the garden is far less dangerous than the ruler made it appear. I was quite focused on the book even to the point of that I had not noticed how my legs were protesting against me sitting to close to the side of the bench and I got a cramp. I stood up, silently cursing, and tried to put pressure on the painful leg with limited success. When it finally had calmed down, I decided to take a moment to shake my leg and walk around. I noticed a door at the end of the balcony that was locked with a bar from this side so out of curiosity I attempted to open it. It was well maintained so it didn't do much noise, but at the same time it didn't feel like it had been used much if at all.

Behind the door was a short corridor and a stairwell down, and another door at the opposite side. It took me only a moment to see that it was the stairwell Suha had shown me before. Down from here where the harems quarters. So there was a direct connection from my quarters trough there ... I really should change those doors so they could be unlocked from the inside as well. Although I still would want them to be able to be locked to prevent the little ones to just climb out on the balcony. I shook my head slightly and gently closed the door again. Walking back to the pavilion. I reminded myself to explore this whole palace one day but not in the middle of the night. On the opposite end of the balcony, I could see another door in the darkness.

I was certain that this would guide me to the staircase down towards the kitchen. And a quick glance inside confirmed that as well. Satisfied with that I sat back down below the pavilion and continued my read of the book, this time however I took care to sit so that my legs where not pressing against the stone of the bench. I was deeply immersed in the book and had just slightly registered that the sun was slowly creeping over the Horizon. I just had reached the part where it was to decide whether the girl would be to stay forever in the garden or would be able to free herself when I barely noticed something on the grass below. It was just some movement, but my body was moving way before my mind had fully realized what I had seen.

It was either Sabiha or Madiha in their tinny night cloth running with outstretched arms towards the water, alone on the whole yard below. A part of me wanted to calm me down but with every argument it came up with a split second I had the counter argument of that happy girl being motion less in the water and I would not allow that to happen. I ripped open the door I had just discovered a few hours earlier and sprinted down. My feet where almost gliding over the steeps while trying to be downstairs as quickly as possible.

The drumming of my feet was quite loud while I was focused on only one goal getting down these stairs as quickly as possible. On the floor where the big table was, I saw a worried Neile who looked at me with large eyes. She maybe said something to me but I didn't stopped long enough to listen and my ears where full of the sound of my own steeps and the wind rushing past. I reached the ground floor and scraped along the wall when trying to change my movement from going down the stairs to getting going straight but I barely noticed it when my legs started to accelerate again out of the door on the green grass of the inner yard of the Harem.

My heart felt like it stopped when I couldn't see the shape of the black-haired tiny girl where I had seen her last and I accelerated with all my strength. I crested the small hill and finally spotted her ... Sitting peacefully at the beach with her legs barely in the water playing in the sand. All the sudden I could feel my heartbeat again ... going way to quick like my whole body was but it was like my mind could focus on more then just one task again. Still stopping on the downwards slope on the lose sand proved to be impossible and I landed flat in the water near to the little girl who was clapping her hands with a with a cheerful "MISS KITTY!"

I got out of the water completely soaked and all I could do was to kneel down and hold these tiny pressures life in a tight embrace while gasping for air, trying get it back into me. This must have been the quickest I had run in my whole life. Even quicker than trying to catch the assassin just a week before. I had the draining feeling that you get when the danger was over where you don't know if you should cheer or cry. It took me a long while before I could look around again and noticed that someone else was sitting next to us hugging both of us tightly.

Neile who had tear-streaked eyes was holding her for her dear life. Madiha had a big, confused smile and just said a. "Miss Kitty you wet!" She said but didn't fight against my or Neile's embrace. All I could do was laugh. A healthy laugh that broke through the rest of the remaining stress from the sprint. "Yes. Yes I am." I gently hugged Neile with one arm as well she clearly was extremely shaken. "Why are you out here little one?" She tilted her head slightly looking confused. "To swim with miss kitty!" I looked confuse back to her. "But nobody was here when you got here right?"

She stopped and looked at me as if I had just asked her one of the biggest questions in life. Suddenly Neile spoke with a broken voice. "I said 'I am certain she wouldn't mind ask her later.' Right?" Realization dawned in the tiny face and she nodded carefully. "I ..." She looked to the older one and worry filled her eyes. "I am sorry Neile." Neile gently rested her head against Madihas closing her eyes and just doing deep breaths. We sat there like that in the sand for quite a while Just calming down and drying up a bit. My shoulder started to hurt more with time passed and became an constant annoying pain but I didn't regret it one second.

"Shall we go back?" I asked carefully and Neile Silently nodded. We untangled ourselves and stood up or at least tried. The second I tried to stand pain did spread trough my shoulder. And a cramp returned to my leg from sitting so long in an awkward position. I collapsed with a low grunt back in the sand. Madiha who thankfully was in Neiles arms giggled and looked confused at me. I took a deep breath and tried to stand a second time to put some pressure on the hurting leg. To my surprise Neile offered me a Hand to help me up which I gladly took with the unharmed side. Her grip was firm way firmer then a fine lady of a court would have but she definitely was not as strong as a trained fighter like Johanna.

I hobbled around a bit before the leg decided that was enough pain for now and finally relaxed again. The shoulder did not get better from the fall and started to annoy me even more. I was certain that it wasn't broken simply because I could easily move everything, but I was certain it still would bother me for a few days before calming down. We walked back to the house while Neile was carrying the little one on her shoulders. Madiha who seemed to barely realize that she gave us a mayor scare played innocently with the young woman's long braided red hair. I followed them back into the house when she suddenly froze. At the bottom of the stair stood Suha with a worried look. "Mama!" Madi squeaked happily reaching her arms out.

"What happened? Is everything all right?" Neile gently did put Madi down looking extremely remorse full. "I ... I was taking care of Madiha in the morning and letting her do her potty training and went out for a short moment to get dressed and ... she was gone when I returned." Suha gently massaged her little girl's shoulder. "She" she pointed to me carefully while explaining "came down the stairs while I was searching, and I just knew that it was because of Madiha. She had told me earlier wanted to go swimming with miss kitty but ... I didn't realize until ... I am so sorry Suha I should have ..." Suha stepped to her and gave her a gentle hug nodding in understanding. She clearly didn't looked pleased but there was no accusation her eyes. "Are you both ok?" She carefully looked over Neile and me.

I nodded slightly while Neile just buried her head on Suhas shoulder meanwhile the little one just stood to the side looking confused to Neile. "Mommy? Mommy? Mommy? Is Neile hurt?" Suha just shook her head. "No deary it's just you scared us earlier." The little one did bit her lip and muttered a "I am sorry mummy." Suha gently caressed the redheads back while looking to her daughter. "What are you sorry for deary?"

She bit her lips thinking. "For making Neile cry." The black-haired woman nodded while still gently caressing the redheads back. "Do you know why she is crying?" Madiha shook her head while gently taking the hand of Neile. "Because she thought she lost you when you suddenly went out on your own." There was no anger in her voice just a calm explanation of what had happened. "So what will you do next time when you want to go swimming?" The little one did ponder for a short while then answered with conviction. "I will go with someone!" Suha smiled and nodded to her. "Good now go up Gabrielle should have the breakfast ready." The little one did a jump before climbing up the stairs. They were way to tall for her to use the normally but she had a solid system and the ornamented railing had basically a handrail at the right high for her below the main one. It wasn't intended but she clearly was using the decorations like one while climbing. It was most likely how she got down in the first place.

She gently cupped Neiles head and kissed her on the forehead who only could whisper a "I am sorry Suha ... I should have paid more attention." Suha smilled gently. "Just four months ago I would have exploded with anger dear but she has escaped from me and Gabrielle so many times since then that I have to accept that it will happen. Usually, the other catches her but you where unlucky that nobody else from us was awake. Well apart from you dear duke." She looked at me and smiled. "Thank you." I smiled and nodded to her. "Its not much I am just glad that it was only a scare." She shook her head slightly with a smile. "Would you like to ..." Suddenly her eyes had a more worried look. "What happened to your shoulder?" She pointed at my hurting right shoulder making me look at it as well out of reflex.

A growing red spot had started to form there exactly where I had graced the wall. "Its not much I just was to quick down the stairs and stumbled against the wall." I waved off but she and Neile had let go of each other and steeped towards me. Suha gently but firmly took a hold of my arm and raised the thin cloth. You couldn't see much just a spot where blood did run from in small quantities, I knew it would stop on its own soon enough. "Neile dear can you go into my office and get the basket next to the door we will be in the bathroom." Neile nodded and rushed up the stairs. I shook my head and opened my moth to protest but she squashed that with just a raised brow. She gently put the cloth back down and looked towards the wall.

It wasn't hard to spot where I gotten the wound from. The wall had a small raised ornament of roses and branches and fruits right at the height of my shoulder. One of them must have been sharp enough to hurt me. She must have come to same conclusion. "Thank you for worrying so much about my little girl." She talked with a calm voice while guiding me to the downstairs bathroom, but I could see and hear the tension that she was trying to keep calm. I gently lay my hand on her arm stopping us both and could feel her tremble. She closed her eyes taking a deep breath. "What I told Neile is true ... Madi has escaped a few times already, but we always caught up with her quickly or knew where she was. You saw how easily she climbs the stairs, but I never had imagined for her to run straight towards the beach."

She shook her head slightly. "If you hadn't spotted her ..." She shuddered and I just shook my head. "Nothing bad has happened thankfully. We can close the door or install a gate so she cant get out there on her own or create a fence out in the yard to prevent her getting close to the water. According to my mother children will find always new and interesting ways to endanger themselves and all we can do is be watchful until they are old enough to know that one should not do something like that." She opened her eyes again and nodded to me with a soft smile but before she could say anything else we heart the hurried steeps of Neile coming back downstairs. What I didn't expected was Viola who was right behind her with a serious expression.

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This took way to long sorry for that. It was really tricky because writing Madihas and Suhas reactions took a lot of tweaking but i love the endresult. The chase downstairs was fun to write and i hope it is fun to read too.

Another reason why it simply took ages is that currently i dont have a specific place to write nor a specific time to do that. I struggle with this year a lot but thanks to you guys and your awesome comments keep me motivated and willing to come back and write some more. I think i am slowly clawing back my spot and place where i can calm my mind enough to focus on nothing else but writing.

So stay healthy and have fun ^^ Till next chapter!

P.S. What impression do you guys have about Viola so far?