Nothing Personal (Gill)

[Henry Renold]

The smell of urine was starting to make Henry's throat burn. It had already made his eyes water and he had come close to vomiting too, but this sensation was unbearable and he was tired of being locked in such a tiny space.

Although Henry had very little to his name, he had always had his freedom and it was the one thing that being in the dungeons of Camelot castle could take from him that he cared for.
The tiny window of his cell allowed him to see the bright polished boots of many a guard, and occasionally the duller leather bound feet of a peasant and sometimes he could even hear the birds singing in the trees just outside of the main city square. Generally though, he had no sense of the freedom he longed for and instead he cheered himself up by being as rude and obnoxious as he could.

"Still here fatty?" He asked a rather portly guard who had just ventured down the stairs to check on the captured assassin. He gave Henry nothing but a surly glance but Henry laughed at him, knees dragged up to his chin and arms wrapped around himself tightly.
"Ever wondered why your here and not out on patrol with the others?" He questioned rhetorically, not even pausing for an answer before continuing arrogantly.
"That's right. Its because your too overweight. They'd be slowed down so much they'd end up sending another party out to find you!"

The guard, clearly not bothered by (or at least used to) remarks like Henry's, turned his back to the skinny boy who was crouched in the corner like a wild animal and busied himself with carving a piece of driftwood into the shape of a tree. Henry watched with wild eyes, wondering how on earth he was going to get out of this one.

[Lady Gillianne Auvray]

Gill swayed down the steps to the dungeons deep in thought. The letter she had received that morning had played on her mind all day, and she had already asked for permission to leave her post as castle maid, and return to her family home the very next day.

A few weeks ago, Gill had pretended to have the job of feeding the prisoners so she could sneak past the guard and talk to Henry. It was ironic, therefore, that she was now genuinely assigned this post. She stepped off of the last spiral step, shifting the basket of food onto one hip, and unhooking one of the torches from the wall with her now free hand. As she walked down the dank corridor, she wrinkled her nose with distaste. The dungeons always smelt musty.

"Evening Moss." she greeted the guard amiably, placing the nicest food parcel from the basket on the table beside him. He was concentrating on carving something, and so Gill didn't stop to make further conversation but began her rounds straight away. She visited the first cell, pressing the food through the bars. The simple chore was carried out automatically; her mind still on her imminent departure early the next morning.

[Henry Renold]

Henry heard the footsteps before he could see the maid who would deliver his lunch, and with excitement he ran to the bars of his cage, he was fed even less than he would have been out in the slums and his stomach ached for sustenance.

He had forgotten all about Gill. All about the date they had had planned before he got drunk and nearly killed himself on the roof of the Black Bear Tavern. All about the night they first met, until...

Gill rounded the final corner and came into Henry's view. The site of her seemed to spark something inside of him, and he sat back onto his heels in shock, his hunger a mere memory.
Thoughts of that night in the orchard and Arthur carting him down to the dungeon for the first time raced through his mind, and suddenly his face lit up into a smile. A real smile, not the maddened grin that those who saw him regularly had become accustomed to.

"Gill!" He called out, reaching his hands through the bars to her, "Gill its me!"

No one had ever known what had happened to the old, mild-mannered Henry, who was al ittle out of touch with emotions but who's heart was firmly in the right place. But he knew that he was back now, and although he might still look like the maddened criminal as he sat hunched in the corner of a dank, stinking cell, inside he was back. For now.

[Lady Gillianne Auvray]

Gill raised her dark head to look in the direction of the shout. Her slanted eyebrows pulled together into a frown before recognition struck, and an involuntary smile crossed her lips.

"Henry." she breathed, clutching the dishes in her hand a little tighter. It seems their roles had reversed. The last time she had seen Henry, she had looked pale and gaunt in the recovery rooms. Now, she barely recognised the boy staring out at her from the jail. His features had hardened and he looked rough and unshaven. If possible, Henry looked even more skinny than usual.

Gill walked over to the jail and curled one hand around the bars, looking down to where Henry was crouched on the floor. The initial fluttering in her stomach had passed, and she remembered that she was incredibly angry with him. Henry had promised to meet her that first day she had returned to work after her injuries had healed enough, and then left her standing in the courtyard until nightfall. Now here he was, in trouble again, and probably expecting Gill's help to free him.

She let her irritation swamp her desire to look after him, to reach her hand through the prison bars to hold his. Instead, she dropped his food unceremoniously onto the dirty straw floor out of his reach.

Gill threw a glance at the guard who, so far, hadn't noticed the exchange.
"You have some explaining to do." she hissed, her mouth pressing into a line.

[Henry Renold]

Henry's spirits lifted as Gill approached his cell and he couldn't help but smile back as he saw he lips curve upwards in that way they always had done...

"Gill..." He breathed, relief and happiness flooding his voice, "I'm so glad its you, but we have to stop meeting like this." A laugh passed his lips, but it was one that Gill did not return and without meeting his eyes, she dropped his food across the floor, where Henry's shackles wouldn't reach.

"Gill?" He questioned, dragging his skinny arm back through the cell bars after he realised she wasn't going to take his hand. He seemed unable to form words that weren't her name and yet he wanted to, so badly.

But how could he explain that Dante had died and Henry had become a ruthless killer? There were no words that could explain that, so instead he just stared up at her- eyes wide and sad.

[Lady Gillianne Auvray]

Gill was too angry to notice the hurt look of surprise cross Henry's face. She waited for an answer to her request, but all Henry seemed capable of was repeating her name.

It was unbearable to see him gazing up at her so sadly; she crouched down on the floor so that her eyeline was level with Henry's, and also so that their conversation would draw less attention from the guard.
"You never came to meet me that day." Gill bit her lip as her dark eyes began to give away the hint of rejection she had felt when Henry had left her waiting into the night. "After everything that had happened between us..." feeling her voice trembling, Gill changed tack, hardening her approach. "You left me there that night; after I'd barely recovered for one day. And then these past days, weeks.... nothing? I've looked for you every day- I even went back into the slums to look for you. You said you'd explain everything to me..." the words were coming of their own accord now, and the tears that up until now had been held back by her dark eyelashes began to run silently down her cheeks. "You better have a good reason for all of this Henry. You said you'd tell me who you were, and you said you'd never leave me again. You promised. I don't know why I ever believed you. You blow hot and cold; I never know where I stand with you." She trembled to a stop. "I don't deserve that."

She slid her hands through the bars, and pushed the food so it lay within reach of him. "And now it's my turn to leave." Gill thought of the letter requesting her home. She would have so liked to spend her last week in Camelot at Henry's side, but it was too late for that now.

[Henry Renold]

Henry sat back on his heels and listened quietly to all that Gill had to say, all the while his eyes were large and sad in his pale face.

He wanted to object on more than one occasion, to reason with her and to explain. But the words failed him, and if he was completely honest he had spent so many of the past weeks drunk that he couldn't even remember the day she was talking about. Had he really forgotten to meet her? That was so unlike him...
Vaguely he remember that day in the apothecary room, when she had been recovering from the kidnapping ordeal but still he couldn't remember making any promises.

Still, the fact that she had gone to all of that trouble just to try to find him meant something and he realised that no matter what he was going through, he couldn't lose Gill as well.

"Gill," He said one last time, apparently still unable to form any real words. "Gill... Dante...He's dead."

There He thought. I've finally admitted it.

[Lady Gillianne Auvray]

"Gill... Dante...He's dead."

All of Gill's anger and annoyance at Henry drained away as he spoke those words. Suddenly, she understood why he looked so haggard and so broken. She hadn't known Dante well, but he had helped save her when she was abducted, and she knew that him and Henry were close.

"I'm so sorry." were the natural words that came to her lips. Gill had heard them from a young age when her mother had died. She knew how little comfort they offered. She crouched down, resting her forehead against the iron bars. "I know that doesn't bring him back." She moved her hand through the bars, laying her palm gently on top of Henry's hand and sliding her thumb across his with a sad smile. Whether or not Henry wanted to share this with her, she would be here for him while she could.... even if that was only tonight.

Henry was obviously hurting now. And the dungeons were not the place for them to talk things over or make amends. As far as Gill was concerned, all that mattered was being with Henry, and being there for him.

"It's Uther's birthday celebrations," she explained, "I can get you out of here tonight. I know the guard, and by the time anyone finds out it was me... well, I won't be around the Castle. It'll be easy to hide an escaped prisoner in amongst the festivities, I'll get you a mask, and a change of clothes..." Gill gave Henry's hand a squeeze. How had she forgiven him so easily? He seemed to have that effect on her...

"I'll be back." she whispered, her dark eyes flashing as she leaned in as close to the bars as possible. "And don't eat that food; we'll find something much better once you're out." She gave a small smile so Henry knew she has forgiven everything.

In one fluid motion she stood, her dress sweeping about her feet as she moved to the prison exit to speak with the guard.

-fin.