Relentless Potential (Original Fantasy)

A/N: Confrontation!

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Her last encounter with Shadow a couple days ago aside, Eloise knows full well that she shouldn't be doing this. Creeping through her own house, making her way over to the guest bedrooms where she will once again spy on Lord Thomas and Dame Camilla having sex.

Even if she wasn't reporting on all of Lord Thomas' activities to the Dark Elf thorn in her side, she knows what she's doing is wrong. But… at least she hadn't told Shadow that he and Camilla had started a sexual relationship, right? No, she'd kept herself quiet about that, figuring it was something she could plausibly claim to know nothing about anyways. Of course, then Shadow had thrown it in her face all the same...

And yet… despite all of that, she was still going to go and watch, as shameful as such behavior was. She was going to-

It happens as she's creeping through the kitchen, which is conveniently located near the center of the house and therefore has to be traversed to get from her and her father's side to the guest side. She's moving as quiet as a mouse through the dark, unlit space… when suddenly a lantern is flicked on and light blooms into existence.

Eloise freezes, her eyes wide as they meet the cool gaze of Lord Thomas Marlow. The man is sitting at the kitchen table watching her quietly… while Camilla stands behind him near the wall. The lantern sits in the center of the table, Lord Thomas' hand outstretched to flick it on.

Slowly pulling his hand back, Thomas maintains his stare for a long moment before flicking his gaze to the other chair at the table.

"Have a seat, Eloise."

Oh no. He knew. He knew she'd been watching. They both did. Eloise's cheeks burn red hot with both shame and embarrassment as she stays frozen for a few more seconds before her shoulders slump inward in defeat. Slowly, carefully, she makes her way over to the table and sits down, curling in on herself in her chair.

There are no excuses for her actions, so she doesn't try to make any. Her behavior has been completely and utterly unacceptable so she waits for Lord Thomas to begin laying into her, ready to accept whatever punishment he deems appropriate.

"… I know about the Dark Elf. I know she's coercing you into reporting on me to her."

Eloise freezes all over again. That… wasn't what she was expecting him to say at all. She was expecting him and Camilla to be outraged that she'd been watching them while they were intimate. Instead… it's even worse than she'd initially thought. They know about Shadow?! How?!

Unaware of her panicked thoughts, Thomas answers her internal question with his next words.

"I caught you talking to her in your father's office the other day. I was sick and tired of you avoiding me and I decided I was going to find out why one way or another. Imagine my surprise when I overheard your conversation."

Oh… ah fuck. So it was about the sex, not that Lord Thomas knew it. She'd only begun avoiding him because she couldn't look him or Dame Camilla in the eye without blushing profusely. To think this was what had finally gotten her caught… Eloise supposed that looking back, she could see how the change in behavior would be worrying to the nobleman.

In the silence that ensues following his last words, Camilla suddenly lets out a snarl, taking a step away from the wall and towards the table.

"Well?! Do you have anything to say for yourself?!"

Lord Thomas is quick to raise a hand though, stopping the Knight Bachelorette in her tracks.

"Camilla, hush. I will handle this. You will be silent."

A shiver runs down Eloise's spine at the interaction. The relationship dynamic between Dame Camilla and Lord Thomas had changed dramatically since their fight against the King of the Forest and the lady knight's subsequent declaration of fealty.

For the better, to be clear. The Dame had become a lot more helpful ever since entering Lord Thomas' service, while Lord Thomas had thrived in the leadership role despite never seeming to want to take command of Last Hope as a whole. He gave orders and Camilla followed them… it was a solid relationship, at least from Eloise's perspective.

Still…

"She's right, Lord Thomas. I should explain myself. I… I call the Dark Elf Shadow. She's the leader of a gang of Dark Elves that live deep in the Darkwoods but still close to Last Hope. After my father fell ill, she first showed up to tell me of the deal that he and she had… a deal involving protecting the town. She and her kind supposedly keep the monsters at bay and make sure Last Hope isn't wiped off the map…"

Eloise grimaces because even as the words leave her lips they sound so… obviously and patently false. After all, it wasn't like Shadow and her gang had ever dealt with the goblins as decisively as Thomas and Camilla did. And the King of the Forest…

"I overheard you blaming her for the King of the Forest. You think she brought that monster to Last Hope on purpose, don't you?"

Wincing, Eloise nods.

"I… I can't prove it of course. But it just doesn't make sense otherwise. The King of the Forest would not have ranged so far from the depths of the Darkwoods of his own volition. Something chased him out of his home and caused him to bring his pack our way. And when I demanded that Shadow hold up her end of the bargain back when he first showed up… she refused."

Thomas raises both eyebrows at that.

"How did she justify that, exactly? If her and her ilk were being paid for protection… it seems like that was exactly the sort of thing that they should have protected Last Hope from."

Eloise nods back energetically, all but forgetting for a moment the situation she's in as she finds herself in full agreement with Lord Thomas.

"Exactly right! That's what I told her… but no. She blew me off, made it clear that she didn't see any reason to intercede when Last Hope had… you and Dame Camilla now. That's when I knew she was behind it. It was all part of her plan from the very beginning."

Here, Lord Thomas leans forward, his eyes sharpening and growing intense in a way that makes Eloise shiver and sink back in her seat.

"And what do you think that plan is, exactly?"

Eloise bites her lower lip… but frankly, if Shadow is lurking nearby and hearing all of this, it's probably too late for her and her father anyways. So, with a shuddering breath, she lets it all out.

"I-I don't know. I know she's obsessed with you, milord. She's been focused on you for months… she only started to heal my father all those months ago because it was the only way… the only way she could get me to regularly report on your comings and goings."

Eloise looks down at her hands as she admits that last part in a quiet voice. But the blow up she's expecting from Lord Thomas never comes. Dame Camilla makes an angry noise in the back of her throat but stays back as ordered by her Lord. And when Eloise finally looks up… she sees sympathy of all things in Lord Thomas' eyes.

"I saw that part too. I watched as she cast whatever magic she knew and saw how it helped your father… or at least seemed to anyways. That's her lever then. You betrayed me in order to save your father."

Eloise's throat closes up, her eyes burning with unshed tears as emotion chokes her. In the end, all she can do is nod, wiping furiously at her eyes with the back of her fist. Now was not the time to cry. Whatever happened next… she'd brought this on herself.

"I-I'm sorry milord, truly I am. I've… I've completely and utterly betrayed your trust. I told Shadow everything I learned about you and there's no taking any of it back. I don't fully understand her interest in you, other than that you're an i-interesting man to begin with. But… I'm very, very sorry. I know that's meaningless, but it's true. I-!"

"I forgive you, Eloise."

Wait, what? Eloise freezes for the umpteenth time, staring at Lord Thomas with wide eyes as he looks back at her.

"I won't pretend like you haven't wronged me. I won't act as though you haven't done harm with your actions. But… I forgive you. What you did, you did for the sake of family. For a father who you love with all your heart."

The last thing Eloise was expecting was understanding. At least, not to this extent. A man as good as Lord Thomas shouldn't be real. There's no way someone like him exists! And yet… and yet there he is in front of her, ready to forgive her in an instant.

"Things would be different though if anyone from Last Hope had actually died in the Dire Wolf attacks."

Eloise flinches, both at Thomas' sudden hard tone and words. He's not wrong after all, and that was something she'd fretted over the entire time they were under threat from the King of the Forest. Every farm animal stolen, every attack barely thwarted… she was just waiting for there to be a human life lost.

That it hadn't happened was both a miracle and a testament to all that Lord Thomas and to a lesser extent Dame Camilla had done to stave off the worst of the King of the Forest's pack. Without the two of them, Last Hope wouldn't exist right now…

But thanks to their help, her home, her father's town… it was still hanging on. And it would hopefully continue to hang on well into the future.

"I didn't confront you immediately about all of this because I wanted to take a moment and think things through. That's why I'm willing to forgive you Eloise, because with some time to process it… I don't think I would have honestly done anything different in your shoes."

Eloise's eyes widen. That's a bit more than forgiveness, isn't it? And yet, Thomas just continues on as if he hasn't said anything.

"What we need to figure out now… is whether this Shadow is actually telling the truth when she says she can cure your father or not."

That… Eloise blinks and shifts from side to side. Lord Thomas is bringing up things she really hasn't wanted to think too hard about for months now. Her father's progress has been extremely slow and gradual, but it has been there. In fact, just the other day he'd woken up long enough to hold a full five minute conversation with her.

She hadn't told him anything about current events of course. Not about Lord Thomas or about the King of the Forest attacking the town. But still, it had felt very, very good to talk to her father again. And yet… Eloise would be lying if she said she didn't have some doubt in the back of her mind that said Shadow's 'healing' was just an illusion of some sort. Or that it had its limits and all she was doing was stringing Eloise along until she got what she wanted from her.

In the end, Eloise slumps in her chair, defeated.

"I-I don't know if she's telling the truth or not… I mean, my father is getting better but… he's not all the way cured yet. And I don't know if he ever will be fully cured."

Camilla breaks her silence at that, speaking up from over by the wall in a considering tone.

"Someone with Rot Lung that advanced should be a goner. There is no cure, as far as I know. And yet… the Mayor's recovery has been fairly miraculous. It's possible the Dark Elves know something we don't about how to cure Rot Lung."

Then, she looks to Thomas with a sharp gaze.

"We should lay a trap for this 'Shadow' Lord Thomas. Lie in wait for her and when she comes back again, capture her outright and interrogate her about what she knows. That's the only way we can be sure that we'll get the truth… both regarding her crimes against Last Hope AND whether or not she can fully cure Rot Lung."

Eloise blanches. On the one hand, she's not surprised that the warrior woman is advocating for the bluntest, most straightforward approach. On the other hand…

"I-I know that my word is worth less than dirt, but I don't think that would be a very good idea! I call the Dark Elf 'Shadow' specifically because she has some sort of strange technique that lets her teleport through shadows. One moment she'll be one place and the next she'll vanish from view and be gone entirely!"

Thomas inclines his head thoughtfully.

"Yes… I saw a bit of that the other day. You went from your father's office to his bedroom the usual way, but the elf… she managed to make it from the office to his bedroom before you could somehow…"

Eloise nods. See, Thomas knew what she was talking about! And yet, beyond agreeing with her, he still seems to be contemplating it. She can only hope that he won't go with Camilla's idea… while he had every right to be angry and want to bring Shadow to justice, attempting to capture her physically could only end in her escaping… and then they'd all be in deep, deep trouble…

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A/N: Hmm, what will Thomas decide for how to deal with 'Shadow'?

Please let me know what you think! Your feedback, suggestions, and ideas for this story are keeping the inspiration flowing in a big way!

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https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/157707/relentless-potential-original-fantasy