Page 7 of Thief of Roses
Her fear swelled once more in his nostrils.
“A bargain then?What can I give you to pay for the cuttings I have taken?”
He wanted much, but only one thing struck him as equitable.
“Thou must gyve me a year and day of thy life.”
She opened her mouth several times to speak but reconsidered each time.Moments passed before she formed a complete thought.
“Do you mean that I will die a year and a day earlier than I should?Or do you mean that I will be a servant?Or,”she gulped audibly,“your mistress?”
He growled again, frustrated with his inability to be clear, and concise, and understood.Words came.His enunciation improved with every phrase, but his language lacked.If he lost his tongue it would be no great impediment as he did so poor a job of expressing himself.
“None of such servyce,”he assured her.“Thou wilt resyde here, with me, for the stated durationne, as companionne, yf thou must have positionne afsigned.”
“And what does ‘companion’ entail?”She asked.She retrieved a shard of glass from a pocket in her skirt and tucked her hand behind her back.Then she eyed her only other escape route — up her side of the horseshoe staircase and into the apartments from whence he had come.“What are my responsibilities?What will be provided for me and what will be my responsibility to provide?”
“Thou soughtest shelter — thou shalt have shelter.Thou soughtest protectionne from those without my domayn — thou shalt have protectionne from those without my domayn.Thou stolest for thy profitte for rebuildyng thy life — thou shalt have opportunyttie to rebuild and profitte on thy departure.”He struggled to think of what he could offer since it had been such a long time since another guest stayed.If nothing else, there was magic for guests.He could make concessions with that.“Thy hunger shall be sated and thy thyrste quenched.Thou shalt be provided room and byd and every comfortte of thy desyre.”
“You offer much for little.But this is supposed to be my payment.What is required of me?”
“Thou mayest not leave the forest.Thou must resyde and accorden withyn my domayn.Thy tyme ys thine own and thine amusements and entertaynments thine own concerne.Thou mayest request what thou wilt, yet grantyng of thy will shalt be at my discretionne yf not yet provided.Thou shalt refrayn from tendyng, touchyng, and pluckyng roses without mine agreement though thou mayest attend any oother florae thou choosest.”
“What do you get from this arrangement?”
“Thou must endure my companie on occasionne,”he requested.“Thy room remayneth thy sanctuarie where Y may not dysturb thy solytude.”
“I need a place to winter anyway,”she mused.“If my time is my own, then I can ready supplies for my departure.And you did say I would be compensated when I left.”
“Aye, ‘tis so.”
“I would like to request that we change the wording of the bargain.I will stay here for a year and a day under the conditions you have set forth but I will not give you anything save that which you have described — the endurance of your company.”
He nodded his assent and then recalled that she needed words as he remained in shadow.
“Thy gyvyng describeth thy paymente and no more.I accept thy amendmente.Thou shalt stay for such tyme as hath byen dyscufsed according to conditionnes whiche hath already byen described as recompense for thy,”he almost said ‘theft’ again but sought another word for an equitable contract,“transgrefsionne.”
“I will not be treated as a plaything, There will not be any expectation of me in an emotional or sexual manner.I will hurt you if you attempt such.I will endure your company but not your insults or abuse.I reserve the right to leave for my own room when I choose and to remain there for as long as I wish without threat or coercion.While Varnasian is not my native tongue and your manner of speaking is archaic, I will not allow you to take advantage of me.”
He sighed at his inability to make such things apparent in the conditions he presented.“Thy meanyng and desyres art acknowledged and understood.I shall abyde by thy conditionnes.”
“I will not be touched,”she added.
“Thy request mayest not be moost practycal.”Touch could happen by accident even if he took pains to prevent it.Such required accommodation.“Yf agreeable to thee, Y wilt swear ne’er to touch thee by yntentionne unlefs thou giveth thy permifsionne or yn event that thou art yn peril that Y must transgrefs thy request.”
“Very well.May I touch you?”
He floundered for a response since that had never been a concern before.“Yf thou wishest.”He hesitated.“Thou woldest not likely choose to doon so oother than yn violent manner.Thy weapoun wilt not deal damage as thou art ymagynyng yf such thyng be cause of thy ynquirie.Thou perhaps mayest hurt me but thou sholdest know that mine existence canst not be so easily escaped.”
She glanced down at the hand that held her glass shard and heaved a sigh.
“I am inclined to accept,”she conceded,“but I will never agree to any bargain unless I see with whom I am bargaining.”
He could deny this request, but she deserved to know the creature with whom she would be residing.Still, as she had been asking for conditions, he asked for his own.“I shall acquiesce to thy request yf thou permitest mine approach, quite close, that thy scents mayeth be known to me.”
“No touching,”she warned.
“No touchyng,”he agreed.
