Miss Rosalind. Your Majesty. The voice had changed -no longer one of concern, and now burdened with a title. Rosalind had gotten used to being called merely Rosalind. She had gotten used to someone caring. She opened her eyes groggily and frowned up at the nurse scowling down at her. She had gotten used to Sir Drake's smile. She kicked back the bedclothes harshly, sitting up straight. The nurse fussed and tried to make her lay back down. "What have they done with him?!" Rosalind demanded. The nurse, she didn't know anything. Rosalind stepped into her shoes and, shoving past the pestering nurse, dashed into the hall. She stopped the nearest maid. "Do you know what they've done to Sir Drake? Man who was with me, what have they done to him?" The maid didn't know either. Rosalind continued, asking whoever she came to, the nurse still following frantically. Finally Rosalind found someone who knew something. "They's taken 'im to the dungeons, Your Majesty."
The dungeons. Rosalind hurried through the castle, the nurse and a few maids she had gathered still following.
When she reached the dungeons she spoke to the guard, "I wish to see Sir Drake of Hulluth." The guard eyed her suspiciously but led her down into the dungeons. He stopped at a cell and unlocked it. As soon as he opened the door Rosalind flew in and dropped to her knees before Sir Drake. "Drake? Drake, speak to me."
His head rolled and he opened his eyes in confusion. "Rosalind? What are you doing-" he coughed vehemently "-down here?"
"Coming to see you, of course," she hardly whispered. He shook his head wearily. "No. No, you shouldn't. You could get sick, or, or something..." His forehead was pulled together in pain and Rosalind ignored his rebuke but began rubbing one of his hands between her own. "Your hands are freezing," She whispered.
"Yes, well, tis freezing down here," Drake replied with a weary grin. Rosalind bit her lip. "How long have we been here?"
"Oh, two days or so. Hard to tell when there's no sun and irregular meals. Can't be much longer than a few days, though, as I'm still in this dungeon and not in the ground."
Rosalind's eyes widened. "You don't mean-" She shook her head, horrified. "They can't, I shan't let them, they..."
Drake put up a hand to stop her. "Shan't let who? People under your father's order?"
Rosalind shook her head again. "I'll speak to him, I'll beg him, I'll not let you die!"