RP:When Somebody Loves You...

Part of the Larketian Fault Lines Arc

Summary: Alvina rushes to visit Josleen after learning of her imprisonment. The Larketian Guard are investigating the cause of Macon's brush with death. In the meantime, his mother Augusta is refusing Josleen access to their son, Gulliam. In a mad state, Alvina offers to find Chisel or Callum - to bring them back to the fort to determine what was used to poison the king and hopefully clear her name in the process.

The Dungeon

Josleen has been in the dungeon for exactly for a week. She’s received a few well-meaning and loyal visitors whose faces and names she will remember and value long after this ordeal has resolved--and it will. So long as the comatose King is still alive, she has faith that her strong and energetic husband will overcome this, even as she grieves that this happened to him in the first place and is torn to pieces over the fact that she cannot be with him when he needs her most. Her pain sharpens to agony by the fact that she’s been separated from her son as well. Initially, the King’s mother, Augusta, allowed Josleen to visit Prince Guillem under supervision, for one hour per day, but these visits were denied after Augusta felt that the meetings only made Prince Guillem more anxious. The boy screams terribly for his mother and father, and thanks to the royal family’s shared rage infection, Josleen can feel his rage from within the dank, narrow walls of her cell. Her closest handmaiden, Floria, has made great effort to revamp Josleen’s cell, but it’s like putting flowers on a corpse, the truth of it cannot be masked. Josleen spends her alternately crying, shouting, or, after the first 5 days, even begging. Please, let her see her son. Please, let her see her husband. Please. She kneels in a lightly soiled dress by the cell door, her forehead pressed against the bars, and begs the guards at the end of the hall (who she cannot see but know can hear her) to please let her see Guillem. She can feel his tantrum now, his anger. Poor boy, he doesn’t know, he cannot understand. “Please, take me to my son. He’s just a child. He doesn’t understand what has happened. Please. I would never hurt him. You can stand watch over us the whole time. Please.”

Alvina’s arrival had been delayed by the events in Cenril. It’s difficult to hear news of Larket while they are still counting their dead. Eventually it filters down and Alvina convinces Hudson she must go, immediately. Alone. The destruction of the witch detector would have been her last visit. Fear of falling under suspicion had kept her out of the city. When, it seemed that things were getting crazier by the day. The guards had begrudgingly refused to answer any of her questions or demands for answers when she’d first arrived. Macon could have no visitors, in case she was a witch disguised. Without the detector, they had no way of knowing she was herself. It felt like a personal burden now. All they –would- do was tell her where the Queen was being kept, and the charges against her name as it stood. Regicide. Alvina arrives down in the basement below the fort to the Josleen’s cries for her son. Immediately her chest aches. Even if she was guilty, which Alvina doubts entirely because…well, she can’t believe another reality where Josleen might harm Macon. They were so grossly in love. She rounds the corner to see her, kneeling by the door of her cell. The cell bars have pressed red marks against her forehead but she doesn’t seem to notice. “Jos…” Alvina whispers, rushing to the cell door and likewise dropping to her knee on her side. “What’s happened?” She doesn’t want the fake news. She wants to know the truth.

Josleen cries at the sight of Alvina, like a dam breaking further. With Alvina she can be vulnerable, and there’s no point trying to look composed. “Alvina…” Her voice cracks. “I don’t know,” she mumbles through sobs. “Someone tried to poison Macon.” She braces a hand over her mouth and takes a moment to sob and cry and loosen her throat enough to speak. “The fort is investigating whether or not it was me. They don’t believe mee-eee.” She cries again. “They won’t let me see him or Guillem. I feel so powerless.” She holds Alvina’s hands through the bar and lets herself cry with abandon for several minutes. Eventually, she’s able to talk about her situation at greater length. “They won’t believe me and so Augusta is in charge until Macon wakes up. She hates me, and she’s the reason they won’t let me see Guillem, at least not until I am proven innocent. But I can’t provide any proof aside from my alibi, and my only witness is Floria. Someone broke your witchcraft machine just before this happened. Do you think that’s a coincidence? Of course not! Whoever did this to Macon must have used witchcraft and destroyed the machine so their magic wouldn’t be detected.”

Alvina murmurs the Queen’s name again, her emerald gaze passing over her swollen features. She’d been crying for days, but the looks of her. “It’s Okay,” she offers, to soothe her. Of course it wasn’t okay. She’s in a jail cell. She can’t see her son. Her husband was poisoned. Alvina feels the jutting spike of guilt plunge into her heart at the declaration of terrible timing. Had Hudson known this would happen? Was that why he’d become so insistent that they break the machine as soon as possible? To set this series of events into motion? Surely not, she can’t believe he’d want to take Josleen away from her son. To hurt her like this, no matter what he thought of their witch policies. Alvina clutches Josleen’s hand supportively. Yes, cry, it’s okay. She nods sympathetically, feeling fears sting her own eyes for her friend’s blatant anguish. “Is Augusta in charge of the investigation?” She wondered aloud. If that’s the case, there’s no telling what the findings would be. Macon’s mother might make mad misjudgment’s. “What can I do to help? I’ll go to Augusta, try to find a way to trace any magic that might have caused the attempt.” While she didn’t want the witch hunts to resume, she couldn’t just let Josleen be accused of these crimes.

Josleen shakes her head at Alvina’s first question. “No, she is not. I believe law enforcement is operating under its own command until Macon…” Her voice squeaks and she aborts the sentence. “I don’t know what you can do, other than convince Augusta to let me see Guillem, but she won’t. She’s convinced I did this to Macon, and convinced it’s better for Guillem if he just gets used to…” Again her voice squeaks. “To being without me. If I’m convicted, they’ll hang me.” This doesn’t seem to scare her, possibly because of a certain silver saurian Queen. Hildegarde would never let that come to pass. But if convicted, even if saved, she’ll never see Guillem. “I wish Macon would wake up. He would set this right.”

Alvina slumps slightly in relief. Augusta might be able to influence the guard but she couldn’t outright make demands of Josleen’s immediate execution. That would buy them some time, to hope Macon would recover. “Is there anyone who can tend to him? What’s being done now for his health?” Could she –suggest- witch intervention? It’s likely no witch would dare assist after all the deaths the Larketian crown has executed or left unpunished. She didn’t know about the physician that had tended to the Rage king for his condition. Of course, she imagined the king had the BEST available healers. It wasn’t even that it was her specialty…but she wondered if there was a sneaky way to pull him back to consciousness. What would the cost be for something like that? A bolt of brilliance. “Jos..” she whispers, too low for the guard to hear. “Could we convince someone to disguise themselves like the King? Give the decree to release you. Have no memory of the culprit until he –actually- wakes up?” Her eyes shift across the Queen’s face. Was this insane? They might need Josleen’s knowledge of Macon to make it work. No doubt Augusta might be suspicious of the timing herself.

Josleen shrugs helplessly. “I have no idea how they’re taking of him--my own husband. I have no say in his care. I assume Headmaster Percival and Doctor Julius are heavily involved. I’ve asked to meet with Callum. He may know more about poisons if the toxin was plant-based.” Josleens wrinkles he nose at Alvina’s idea. “I am certain Macon’s real body in the hospital room will expose the imposter. Headmaster Percival can -see- magic as well. And besides…” She hesitates before adding, “I don’t want to do that to Macon’s image.”

Alvina sighs. It wasn’t a –perfect- idea but maybe. “We could move him?” But then who would take care of him? Would Percival or Julius understand the situation or did they believe Josleen to be guilty of the charge? She shakes her head, letting the idea go. “I’ll try to find out what they’re doing, okay?” How in Sven’s name did she intent to do that? Under the guise of repairing the machine? People would become suspicious then if she didn’t actually repair it! Those names were intimidating. Above her magic and medical grade, to be sure. But Josleen mentioned Callum. A name she knew! Meri’s boyfriend! “I-I can try to find Callum!” She offers, a little too excitedly. It’s possible he’s off on vacation with Meri. Damn it. “Or Chisel? She has a good knowledge of potions? Have you heard of her? She was the druid living in Larket a while back but she’s since moved.” What’s with the history lesson? “Can I get you anything, anything at all?” She anticipated her to suggest another heartbreaking cry for her son. One of the few things Alvina couldn’t offer. “Let me give you something to help you sleep Jos.” Just a little herbal concoction she used on restless nights. Nothing heavy or deeply involved. “Mix with water, that’s it.” Alvina reaches into her satchel, regardless of Josleen’s reply. “Jos, you have to rest. If you don’t take care of yourself, it could hurt Guillem in the long run. Please…”

Josleen also shakes her head at the idea of moving Macon. Never. He needs the fort’s exemplary care. Josleen hadn’t thought of Chisel and perks up at the idea. “Chisel could be helpful, though I don’t know where her allegiances are.” Alvina asks again what she can get, and Josleen buries her face in her hands. “I just need Macon and Guillem. That’s all I want.” She sobs again. When she feels the vial pushed into her hand, she reluctantly accepts it. “I miss them both so much. If Macon…” she squeaks on something that sounds like the word ‘dies’. “I don’t understand it. How can this happen to him? He’s so powerful and shrewd. How? And Guillem… still aging far too fast… I have no idea what he looks like right now…” Tear flow freely again. “I’ve never felt such pain as this. They’re my world. How can anyone think I would harm Macon?”

Alvina holds Josleen’s hand still, with her right digits woven around hers. Her left weaves through the bar to rub across her back in soothing circles. “I trust she’d help you, if I ask her to.” The murder doll had only ever been kind to Alvina. Their natures aligned. (punthx) When Josleen wheezes about wanting her husband and child, Alvina feels that pinch of guilt again. She had to ask Hudson if he knew. If this was a thing he was involved in. Breaking Josleen down like this. She hates that it’s one of her first thoughts. “He won’t, he won’t of course he won’t. He’s far too strong – “ And hairy, but she doesn’t mention this. “- and he loves you too much. Guillem too. He’ll forget this whole mess once your together again.” Wasn’t there some lesser punishment she could confess to that would allow her to serve some humiliating sentence but grant her access to her son or Husband? To be where she belonged, by their side? ‘How could anyone think I would harm Macon?’ A brilliant and dismal question. “People believe what they want to believe, regardless of how much is fact and how much is fiction.” She swallows, feeling her throat tighten with emotion. “They don’t want to believe a love as strong as yours exists so they’ll do what they can to tear it apart. Dismantle it as fiction so they feel better about themselves. But don’t worry…we’ll figure this out okay? I promise.” Her arm pulls Josleen close to the bars, an awkward embrace.

Josleen nods weakly as Alvina insists that Macon will survive and people believe what they want to believe. “That’s why this happened too. Some people want to believe he’s prejudice against witches, and cruel. He isn’t. He’s tough on crime--on crime. Not witches. And just because some people refuse to see that, to believe that, he’s…” Her voice chokes again and she returns the embrace awkwardly. She is content to be comforted for a few minutes until a guard informs Alvina that her time is up. Josleens squeezes Alvina’s hand to say goodbye. “Do find Chisel. Thank you, Alvina. You’re a true friend. You always believed us.”

Alvina didn’t know what to believe in the regard of witches. She’d heard and seen so many instances of prejudice but…now wasn’t really the time to discuss that with her. The guard approaches and she flinches a little. What did he mean time was up!? Couldn’t he see Josleen needed more moral support! There’s no breath in her lungs to clarify that she just really believed in Josleen. Because she loved her and that’s how love works. It makes you see the good in people, even if they are making horrible mistakes or blinded to the things their loved one’s do. It had to be the same way she looked at Macon. It’s the only thing that makes sense. “I’ll be back soon.” Hopefully with Chisel in tow. The guard continues to stare at the bard until she stands. She offers Jos a thin lipped, apologetic smile before he leads her out.