The Early Hours (Dante)

[Evie Perroy]

The sky was still dark, and the night clear and cool as Evie left the castle lights behind her and headed back towards her life in the slums. She was glad she had Dante for company, it seemed odd that she had only met him yesterday afternoon, as the hours in between had seemed much longer than they actually were.
Although the night had turned colder in the early hours of the morning, the ale inside of her and Dante's warm shoulder were keeping Evie warm, and she was content. The slums felt comfortable as the ramshackle streets were so familiar to her. On the down side, she had been made immune to the everyday suffering that went on around her. Some of these people didn't have roofs over their heads, and even if they did, the tattered beams were in no state to keep the cold draughts out. Evie was suddenly glad for her small room above the inn.

There were quite a few people out in the streets at this time of night. Others heading back from the bonfire, and a few homeless or drunkards could be heard rattling and coughing in the alleyways. There were also several women ranging from young girls to older women roaming the streets, wrapped in thin shawls and looking for work. Evie lowered her head and bit her lip as they walked past several of these women. She didn't want Dante to know that she had worked as they did in the past, just for the extra money to see her through winter.

One of the younger girls with thick red locks called over to Dante, she didn't hear her exact words but the tone they were spoken made it obvious what she was offering. Evie glared at her, then realising she actually knew the young woman- Amber- looked away quickly, hoping she hadn't been recognised by her friend. It was too late.

"Miss Evie, is that you?" came her voice, smiling as she walked over. She looked at Dante first, then Evie. "I didn't know you was workin' tonight?"
"I'm not. Sorry, we have to go Amber." Evie replied bluntly, and quickly pulled Dante forwards before the woman had a chance to say anything else.

[Dante Grixis]

Dante breathed a sigh as they entered the slums of Camelot. He was not used to the suffering that he witnessed every day in this place. He constantly felt bad, guilty even that he had a warm home and most of these people did not. It made him wonder how Henry was doing this cold evening. He was sure his friend was fine and it didn't exactly surprise him that he hadn't seen him at the Bonfire, he wasn't a particularly social person around new people.

He held Evie's arm tighter as a small breeze began to pick up, a stirring in the still night. Soon it would be cold enough to snow, another thing that Dante had never seen. He hoped that he would get to witness the beauty of it.

He looked at the girl who called to him, then at Evie who responded. Working? Dante thought to himself but said nothing of it after their exchange. Who was he to judge how people made their living? There were definitely worse things one could do to earn wage than sell themselves on the streets. And truth be told he had been known to use such woman's services in his particularly weak and lonely moments, or after a few to many drinks at the Ram.

He decided not to dwell on the subject. He looked at Evie. He noticed that she looked cold and he broke the happy silence between the two of them by asking "Do you want to wear my cloak?" It was a bit odd that they had met less than a day ago but they had gotten along well and they went with similar crowds. They had a strange connection it seemed. That thought made Dante smile inwardly as he waited for Evie's answer.

[Evie Perroy]

When Dante didn't speak at first, Evie assumed that he must be shocked, or angry with her, but when he finally spoke offering her his cloak, she barely concealed a relieved sigh. He was probably choosing not to say anything so that Evie wouldn't feel awkward, and she was glad of it. Although she wasn't ashamed of herself or lifestyle, she did care what Dante thought of her.

She accepted his cloak gratefully, wrapping it tightly around her and even putting the hood up. It was still warm.
"Looks like I'm the one who needs the hood in these parts..." but the hood was so large it dropped down over her eyes, and she stumbled forwards, catching Dante's arm to steady herself.
"How can you see where you're going in this thing!" she laughed, pushing it up slightly so she had a better view.

As the Black Bear inn appeared in the distance, she could see the downstairs lights were off and the bar closed. Evie led Dante down the parallel alleyway and stopped by a side door that led to the upstairs levels above the inn. The first floor operated as a house of ill repute, but above that were a few rooms that rented cheaply- and Evie's sat at the top of the building.

"Dante..." Evie began to ask a question that she had been wanting to ask him all night, fishing in her skirt pockets for a key at the same time. "Why do you want to kill Arthur Pendragon? Why not kill the King?" she spoke quietly, not wanting to draw anyone's attention to Dante, or the fact that her words and his actions were treason.

[Dante Grixis]

Dante laughed as Evie stumbled. "Well simply because I have practice." He said and smiled.

As Evie led him down a small alleyway and opened the door he listened to her question. Why did he want to kill Arthur? He pondered this silently for a moment and said "Well, it was what was assigned to me. I suppose that if the King were to die than Arthur would take his place, but if the Prince dies than Uther has no heir." He paused for a moment.

"But after seeing how the Pendragons treat the lows I want to send a message to Uther. Many have lost sons in the slums of Camelot from disease or starvation, and Uther should share the pain of loosing a son." He replied. It sounded cold, and it was. But he spoke the truth of how he felt and he decided that his explanation would have to suffice.

For simply thinking this he could be hung for treason, for doing it there would be no escape. But he knew that for the good of the realm the message must be sent. If he were to hang for it than it might be worth it. But only worth it if Arthur's funeral followed his. He waited to see Evie's reaction, hoping that his mentality did not change her thoughts about him.

[Evie Perroy]

"Hmm." Was all Evie replied to Dante's explanation. She understood where he was coming from, and she could see how someone could devote themselves and thier life to that line of reasoning. She wondered how Dante would react if he ever found out she was part of the royal army, and her training occured with Arthur. She liked Dante, and for this reason alone decided she shouldn't tell him.

She motioned for Dante to follow her up the tiny crooked flights of stairs that led to the top of the building, creaking loudly as they ascended. Evie pushed open the latch to her room, it was small, dark and a bit cold, so she set about lighting a few candles so they could see properly, and to give the room a bit of warmth.

"Welcome to Castle Evie..." she announced with a smile, handing Dante back his cloak.

[Dante Grixis]

Dante wondered what her resigned answer meant. Did she agree with him or did she find him a raving lunatic for it? The thought ran through his head as she led him up the old stairs and into her room. He figured that if she didn't like him she wouldn't have invited him in so he shrugged the thought from his mind.

He smiled at her comment and took his cloak back and draped it over his shoulders. The home was smaller than his, but it looked less cluttered with stuff so it appeared equally as big. He stood awkwardly in the doorway for a moment before stepping inside and closing it quietly behind him and sitting in a wooden chair nearby.

"Nice place." Dante said and smiled, looking around the room appreciatively. He scratched his face where the middle of his scar was and smiled at Evie.

[Evie Perroy]

Evie couldn't help but smile as Dante lingered awkwardly in the doorway before coming in. Her room had barely anything out on the surface, everything was tucked away in trunks, or cupboards. The only possessions on show were her hairbrush, a small charcoal sketch of her father she kept beside a small mirror, and the few flickering candles that lit the room. Dante sat down on a wooden chair, and Evie perched close by him on the edge of her bed.

"Nice place."

She smiled at Dante's words.

"Thanks." she sighed happily and stretched out backwards on the bed. Slipping off her shoes, she continued to speak staring up at the ceiling. "Where do you live? Far away?" she asked out of curiosity, not because she wanted Dante to leave.

[Dante Grixis]

Dante leaned back in his chair and answered "Far away, no. I live maybe a quarter mile from here in the slums. It's one of the only homes that isn't connected to another." He replied. He ran a hand through his hair and smiled. "Just around the corner." He said and looked at Evie.

He looked across the room into the mirror across from him. Seeing his reflection was strange, he didn't look at himself often. His hair was longer than it had been the last time he saw it, a faint dark stubble was forming over his cheeks and chin, bare where his scar ran down his face. He looked hardened, he thought to himself. He supposed it was true, after being in constant vigilance and battle for years he knew that it would take a toll on his body. He looked more tired than he felt, somehow older than he was.

He was tempered in the fires of battle but his edge was beginning to wear. He was afraid of his own mortality strange as it may seem for a man who worked so closely with death. He supposed he wasn't exactly afraid to die, he was just afraid of what lie on the other side. Part of him wanted to know and the other hoped that he would never find out.

After gazing into the mirror for a few seconds he turned his attention back to Evie.

[Evie Perroy]

Evie sat up cross legged, playing with the folds in her skirt as Dante spoke. She watched as he examined his own reflection in her small mirror, her eyes following his own gaze, and wondered what he was thinking. She could spend hours staring into that small mirror, not out of vanity, but it allowed her thoughts to run freely.

Dante turned to look at her and she met his gaze, suddenly finding herself wondering how many people he had killed. It never bothered her that her father had killed for a living, not whilst he was alive, but when he had gone Evie often wondered what had happened to him. She had known he was a good man, but if he was ever judged, he would be judged a killer. Evie had joined the assassin's division of the army- but had she thoroughly prepared herself for the brutality of taking life?

It was a late at night, she could see the city glowing drowsily from her window, like tiny candles lit in the distance. A moth butted against the panes of the window with soft thumps. Part of her wanted to move over to Dante, but instead she half-whispered:

"Do you sleep well? Being an assassin?" she bit her lip, wondering how Dante would take the question.

[Dante Grixis]

Dante nodded slowly, paused then shook it in the negative. "Some nights I sleep like a baby, but other nights I see the faces of the people I've killed in my dreams. Every man is haunted by his past, but mine is especially haunting." He said quietly. He wasn't ashamed of what he did, nor was he proud. It was simply his profession.

"I suppose it helps to think that whoevers life I ended did something really horrible to deserve it. It doesn't always help but it does sometimes." He stared distantly out the window into the quiet city. "People get this look in their eyes right before they die, kind of a blank, shocked realization, and that look stays with you for forever. When they look you right in the eyes..." He trailed off, his gaze still out the window. After a moment he shook his head and looked back at Evie. "Did that make any sense?" He asked quietly, his voice quivering slightly. He wasn't about to cry or anything and the shake in his voice surprised him, it rarely happened.

[Evie Perroy]

"Did that make any sense?"

It took Evie a few moments to realise that Dante was asking her a direct question, his previous words were haunting and had left her in an odd trance like state as she comprehended them. She noticed Dante's voice waver as he spoke; killing could really affect a man. Instead of asking him if he was alright, or something equally as patronising, she slid off of the bed and padded barefoot over to his chair, then sat by his side on the floor, legs pulled up close to her chest. She lay an arm gently on his leg in wordless reassurance.

Looking up to him she replied quietly, "Yes, It makes a lot of sense." She assumed Dante never really talked about the people he had killed- why should he? It was probably very uncomfortable to think about. Now was probably a good time to change the subject, but unable to think of anything to say, silence quickly crept over the room. Evie sighed, leaning her head against Dante's side.

[Dante Grixis]

Dante took her hand in his and was content to sit in silence for a few moments. As he slowly returned to his normal mental state he looked around the room. He glanced out the window to see that the light was beginning to streak across the horizon. He smiled and said to Evie, "It's getting early." He got off the chair and joined Evie on the floor, wrapping his arms around her.

"So, will you be working tonight?" He asked. He might start having to frequent the Black Bear simply to see Evie, even though the drink couldn't hold a candle to the Ram. The alcohol in his body from the night had run its course, leaving him tired and with a headache. He would have to leave soon, though he didn't really want to.

[Evie Perroy]

Evie was glad for the extra warmth of Dante's arms, and leant in, somehow comfortable against his hard chest. The first watery light of morning began to filter through the dirty windows, lighting everything in a pinkish hue. Dante was right- it was getting early...

"So, will you be working tonight?" The words vibrated through his chest, tickling her ear that was resting there.
"Yes, I'm working t'night." she replied sleepily and yawned before continuing, "We've got a new barmaid in I'm s'posed t'be training up. If you drop by, you should bring Henry, I want to meet him." Her eyes felt heavy as she spoke, and she let them rest closed, Just for a minute, she thought, as she waited for him to reply. The alcohol and the activities of the previous night had left her exhausted, and without meaning too, she soon fell fast asleep against Dante.

[Dante Grixis]

Dante smiled at Evie's sleeping form and slowly stood up and carried her to her bed. He gently laid her down and pulled a blanket over her before kissing her gently on the forehead. He crossed the room and grabbed his cloak and put it on. He quietly opened the door, pulled his hood up and exited the small home. As he made his was down the stairs he smiled. It had been a good night.

He was soon in home back in his own bed and fast asleep. He would have to remember to go to the Black Bear that night though.