Explanations

[Isabella]

Isabella had not yet made up her mind whether or not what she was about to do was a good idea. Still, she was going to do it anyway. Taking a fortifying breath, she rapped her knuckles three times on the heavy oak door that led to the residence of the Lady Thea Linnet. Isabella’s mind was clouded with doubt the minute she had done so, thinking through everything that could possibly go wrong. Thea could be angry at her, and slam the door in her face. Or she could tell her something she didn’t want to hear. But she stayed where she was, remembering why she was here: Roe.
After learning from him of his marriage to Thea, she had been furious, full of hatred for him, and for herself. But then she ran into him at the Tripp inn, where he had told her that he had never been married in his life, and she, refusing to believe him, had stormed off. But Roe had realised she would not listen to him in the mood she was in, and told her instead to speak to Thea, and learn the truth from her.
And after mulling it over her head without much progress, she had decided to do as he said. It was partly out of curiosity, partly out of anger, but also fear, and guilt, and love. She wasn’t going to back out now. She steeled herself and waited for Thea.

[Thea Linnet]

The room was a mess. It was horrible, actually. Thea hadn't been in it it for than a week, probably less, and it looked like an absolute pigsty. Her trunks were still unpacked, but clothes had been thrown messily over the bed. About half of her possessions were spread out on the desk by the door, quills, papers and coins just tossed there upon entering.

"How on earth...?" Thea muttered as she began to clean. And after a few moments, the only messy things was the table, but that could be saved for later. Standing by the window, Thea admired the room. Despite her mutual hatred between her and her uncle, he'd left her with a nice room. Spacious, but not empty feeling. A large bed with soft sheets, a modest fireplace on the opposing wall, two chairs near the window and a desk for writing. She was about to leave the room for a walk around town when someone knocked. Three quick raps, and for a moment Thea suspected to find Roe on the other side. Why, she didn't know, but it would be lie to say she didn't want it ever so slightly. Guilt rushed through her when she opened the door to find Isabella standing there. She immediately felt guilty for thinking of Roe and her face flushed lightly in response.

"Isabella," she managed after a tense silence. "W-what brings you here?" Thea didn't know what Roe had told her, what to say, whether or not the woman hated her, whether or not Roe hated her. In fact, she knew very little of Isabella, other than her name and that she and Roe used to be friends. Thea stood in the doorway, stunned before remembering herself and moving aside to let Isabella in. The door slid shut, leaving the possibly volatile conversation contained.

[Isabella]

Isabella could see Thea’s discomfort written on her face the moment she opened the door. She seemed surprised at first, as if she had been expecting someone else, and Isabella could only guess at whom that might be. She stepped inside and the door slid shut behind her. She looked hard at Thea, finding that, despite telling her she had no quarrel with her earlier, that there was something she did not like about her. She could not blame her for what happened with Roe, but there was still a nagging at the back of her mind that told her this girl meant trouble. She couldn’t shake the feeling off, but realised that, given what Thea knew of her character, she must feel the same way about her. The situation she had gotten herself into was potentially explosive; Thea was young and with youth came impulsiveness, and she, though an older woman with much experience of life, had a short temper. That was always going to be her downfall.
“It’s about Roe,” she said, rather too bluntly.
She checked herself before continuing in a less aggressive tone.
“I still don’t know what exactly happened between you two and, given the current state of affairs, I think I need to hear the full story,” her voice was strong, like that of a mother scolding her child, and all the time she spoke her eyes did not move from Thea’s.
“For all that I know, Roe used me then married you,” she continued, visibly angered by what she said, wringing her hands as she talked as if to take out her aggression on them.
“But I don’t know, it could turn out to be something completely different,” she said brusquely, almost with a dismissive air.
“I hoped you could enlighten me,” she added.

[Thea Linnet]

When Isabella gave her a hard stare, Thea rose an eyebrow.
"And here I thought you didn't have a quarrel with me," she muttered as she walked to one of the chairs. At Isabella's first outburst, Thea sat back and gave a light chuckle. "Well, isn't that a surprise," she said sarcastically, pointing to the seat across from her. Again, Thea's eyebrows rose. This time at Isabella's tone. It was annoyingly maternal. Did this woman think she'd could scold Thea like she was her mother? Thea returned Isabella's stony gaze while a fire slowly started to build inside her. given the current state of affairs? What was that supposed to mean?

"What state of affairs? I thought you didn't love him." Thea looked away from the woman and focused her eyes on the bright daylight outside. There was something about the way Isabella held herself that put Thea on edge. It was like she thought herself superior to everybody. And the way she spoke of Roe made it sound as if she had a prior claim on him. And if she in fact did, Roe never made an attempt to stop Thea or tell her.

Thea rose and managed to look down at Isabella. "Lady Thornton," she said, though didn't give the title any importance, "while I know nothing of your relationship with Roe, I can do nothing else than confirm what you've suggested." She gave her a sweet smile then walked over to her desk. "In my experience, I have found that men are very straightforward creatures. They mean what they say and do. If it seems like Roe has used you," she gave a little sigh as she faced Isabella, "he probably has." Thea shook her head sadly, but couldn't stop her smile. It felt good to do this, however horrible it might be. It was just something about the woman that bothered her. Her attitude, the air of superiority around her. And it was becoming obvious that Isabella felt the same way about her.

[Isabella]

Thea’s sarcastic comment annoyed Isabella, but she merely stayed quiet, bit her lip and sat down at the chair opposite the young woman, her eyes burning brightly with the anger that was welling up inside her. But at Thea’s next sentence, she found she could not hold her tongue.
“And you do?” she said, quietly but with sarcasm.
She was still so young - too young, Isabella reckoned, to know what love actually was. Passion, lust, yes. Love, no.
Thea assumed a superior air, telling her that she could do nothing but confirm that Roe had used her, that men were straightforward creatures. In truth, when Isabella thought about the men in her life, all she could think of was how they had brought her nothing but pain. Her father had dishonoured the family name. Her brother had sold her into an abusive marriage. Her husband had done nothing but beat and punish her. And now Roe. At Thea’s comment that she knew nothing of their relationship, Isabella felt she had to reply, tell her about it. Maybe then she’d understand.
“Alright, Lady Linnet, if you know nothing of my relationship with Roe, then permit me to tell you something about it,” she retorted, “We grew up in the village of Locksley together. We were friends. But then I left for France and never saw him again. Not until I came to Nottingham and met him again. He is my oldest friend.”
Isabella thought back to why she was here. Roe had told her to speak to Thea. Was this what he wanted her to know? That yes, he had used her? So why then had he maintained earlier that he was never married? That he didn’t have the time for such things? But then Isabella saw the unmistakeable smirk on Thea’s face, and realised that the girl was enjoying this. She wanted her to feel used and alone. She was just saying what harm she could, just to wreak more damage. Isabella felt yet more anger build up inside her. Had not enough hurt been dealt out, without her adding to it?
“Do you know why I’m here, Lady?” she spat, leaping out of her chair and coming closer to Thea, “Do you know why I even tried to get to the bottom of all this, instead of just turning my back and leaving you and Roe behind me?”
She stayed still for a second, daring Thea to answer her.
“It’s because I spoke to Roe. He knew that I wouldn’t listen to him, so he told me to speak to you. He must have thought you would explain. But I cannot believe that this is what he expected you to tell me. I might not like the man, but if he wanted me to know he’d used me, he would tell me himself, not get someone else to do it for him. He may be many things but he is not a coward, that I know. So would you please tell me what you mean by this?”

[Thea Linnet]

When Isabella leapt from her chair, Thea fell back, her hands gripping the edge of the desk for support. She listened to Isabella's story and rose an eyebrow at the end.

"So all of this," Thea gestured to the hostile stance Isabella had taken, "is for a friend? And if he was such a great friend, why would he send you to someone else to get the story? If you two were such good friends, why wouldn't you listen to him?" Thea pushed off from the desk and took a step to Isabella

"Why did you come here? Why didn't you leave Roe and I behind you? Perhaps you could give a proper answer, Lady." Thea crossed her arms and glared at the woman. It was Isabella's fault that Thea and Roe hadn't actually become a couple. If she'd just kept her mouth shut in the market, Thea and Roe could be together now. But instead, she was stuck with the jealous friend. It struck Thea that that's what Isabella felt. Jealously. And that thought made her smile.

[Isabella]

Isabella could see Thea’s growing anger towards her, but did not mind. She was beyond caring what the girl thought of her. She might prove herself to be a dangerous enemy, but it was too late to even try to avoid it now. It seemed inevitable.
“All of this is for a friend?” Thea asked incredulously.
She didn’t understand; either she couldn’t or wouldn’t, but Isabella was tired of trying to make her comprehend this. Maybe she would when she was older, when she had lived a bit more, when she knew how the world worked, maybe then. But not now.
“There are different kinds of love,” Isabella stated, “And you know only one.”
Thea continued to question her, asking why Roe had sent her to someone else to learn the story, and why she wouldn’t have listened to him. And it occurred to her that, like it or not, she was going to have to now, if she ever stood a chance of finding out what happened. The thought was not a welcome one. Isabella shook her head.
“I’m not going to make excuses, for him or myself,” she said bluntly.
But Thea kept on asking her questions, demanding a proper answer to why she didn’t just leave her and Roe behind. She would have wanted that, Isabella realised, as she saw the look on Thea’s face as she asked it. A look she was all too familiar with by now.
“I don’t have to explain my motives to you, or to anyone,” she replied, “I told you the reason I’m here. I thought then you’d understand. But seeing as you can’t accept the only reason I can give you, it seems either that it is impossible for you to understand, or you just do not want to. And I have my own thoughts as to which of those two situations is true.”
She shrugged, moving away from Thea. She just wanted to leave this girl, and wait for her to grow up. She might be upset about Roe, but she needed to learn that that was the way of the world. Terrible things happened to everyone, no-one could change that. All anyone could change was what lay ahead of them, and Isabella knew what she wanted her future to be like. She couldn’t care what Thea’s held; she would have to work that out alone. The girl was just going to have to learn some things by herself. Isabella wasn’t going to waste her time any longer. She was certain that Thea was a lost cause. But Roe, on the other hand, wasn’t. Not yet anyway.
Isabella moved over to the door and took hold of the handle, pausing and turning round to face Thea before she left.
“Goodbye, Thea,” she said, in the most polite tone she had used all day, “I wish you a good and happy life, but one which I shall take no further part in.”
And with that, she pulled open the door and exited the room, closing it quietly behind her. She strode away quickly, relieved to be away from Thea and the tense atmosphere she took with her. Isabella let out a breath she did not know she had been holding, and strangely, felt much better with her situation. It felt good to take out the frustration she’d been carrying with her for so long. But she doubted the encounter would have the same effect on Thea.

[Thea Linnet]

Thea scoffed at Isabella, unable to keep her comments to herself any longer. She waited until the room was empty, but the words were fighting to be spoken and soon Thea was in the corridor, blocking Isabella's way.

"And what sort of love do I not know, Lady Thornton? The love of a friend? The love of a man? I know those types of love, dear, but I also know the anguish of loving someone's who's passed. Now tell me, do you know that kind of pain?" Thea didn't let her respond, another rant already started.

"You have no need to explain your motives to anyone, but expect everyone to just give you an answer, without question? Even I know that's a mistake. And you fear he's used you? But instead of talking to him, you come to me for an explanation? And I do find it impossible to understand why you can't just explain yourself to me and wait for a response before jumping at my throat!" Thea took a quick breath then took a step away from the fuming woman.

"Why don't take a moment to compose yourself and when you feel you're ready, we can try this again," Thea said in her most patronizing voice and gave Isabella a small smile before turning back to her room.

[Isabella]

Isabella had only taken a few steps down the corridor when Thea rushed to catch her up. She seemed to have a habit of doing that. An annoying one. She blocked her way and started up the arguments again, determined to prove her point and not let Isabella win this battle. She just couldn’t let go, and it frustrated her.
She questioned if she knew the pain of loving someone who had died, making Isabella let out a short, sarcastic laugh. Who did Thea think she was? She had barely lived herself, and she doubted that an older, far more experienced woman had known what she had. Anguish? What did she know of it? Isabella had spent seventeen years – probably the length of Thea’s life – suffering at the hands of Thornton. No-one could talk to her about anguish as if she was a stranger to it.
She did not have time to do anything more than fold her arms before Thea started shouting again. Isabella found herself wondering if she ever shut up. This time she wanted more answers, answers which, quite frankly, she could not compel her to answer. Isabella was sick and tired of being doubted by a girl. She had nothing to prove to her, even if Thea thought otherwise, and had neither the time nor the inclination to speak with her any more. It would just continue in an endless barrage of arguments, to which Isabella could see no happy outcome.
Having finished her angry outburst, Thea retreated to her room, advising her to ‘take a moment’ to calm down before trying again. As soon as she had turned away, Isabella took the opportunity to leave.
“There’s no such thing as a fresh start,” she said, striding briskly off down the corridor.
All she wanted was to get away from Thea, but she was hounding her to her wits’ end. If only she could get out of the castle. Her stomach sickened as she realised that she would merely be postponing the next encounter. But this was too much for her to bear. Thea was pushing her too hard, trying her luck. She couldn’t let it get any further. Leaving was the wiser thing to do; the lesser of two evils. Isabella quickened her pace.

[Thea Linnet]

Once in the confines of her room, Thea let out an angry groan, muffling it with the help of one of her pillows. That woman was so annoying! And the worst part was not only had the whole encounter done nothing but fuel the fire both women felt for each other, it had probably ruined Thea friendship with Roe. Which, upon reflection, was bound to happen anyways. Thea knew that she and Isabella would cross paths again and the same feelings would arise, but nothing could be done until both women swallowed their pride.

Thea stalked to the window and watched Nottingham while thinking. Isabella's tone implied that Thea was nothing but a little girl who knew nothing of the world. And, true, Thea hadn't seen much more than her hometown and Nottingham, but she was fully twenty years now, not some little girl to be scolded by some lady. Did Isabella think that love, and with it pain, was simply measured in years? That because Thea was so young she couldn't know love or pain?

Thea longed for the company of Runner. He would have known exactly what to say to the crass woman and then comforted Thea after. He would have taken Thea straight the the nearest Inn and insisted on a few ales, just to make her smile. With a sigh, Thea admitted that he was in France and not likely to come to her rescue again. She turned back to her bed and kicked off her shoes, letting them fall unceremoniously to the floor. Despite the sun outside, Thea hoped that tomorrow would be a better day. She hadn't seen her uncle in some time, and perhaps they'd meet at breakfast. She was sure he would be an endless supply of entrainment, whether he wanted to be or not.