Chapter Text
"D-darcy?!" I sat next to the Hagioscope, paralyzed. I wanted to run - towards her, away from her. I wanted to hug her, I wanted to return her accidental kiss... I wanted to tell her that I trusted her implicitly, despite everything.
But I just sat there, like a statue, as keys rattled, as the door opened.
"hedwig" Darcy's expression was serene, emotionless. She carried a bundle under her left arm, and the Mother Superior's keyring in her right hand.
"i brought you something" She slipped the key into her habit, and held out the bundle.
"careful" she warned as I took it, "theres food inside"
I dutifully unwound what looked like a fresh habit from around what looked like a covered pot.
"angela was supposed to bring you breakfast" Darcy smiled cryptically as she reached into her habit and handed me a wooden spoon "but she couldnt find the key"
The pot felt warm. I took the lid off - a slurry of oats and hot water. Oatmeal. A simple breakfast, appropriate for this time of year. Bland, yet filling. Just what I needed... and maybe just what I deserved.
"Th-thank you," I stammered. "H-how... should I return the pot?"
"bring it with you when you leave" Darcy seemed entranced by the view from my window. It was a snowy morning; Linbarrow Tor was covered in thick, almost opaque fog. "or one of the other sisters will pick it up" She shrugged. "its a slow day" She turned her attention to my fireplace. "they may want to visit" She picked up a log, tossed it expertly onto the fire.
"hedwig" I couldn't tell if she was asking a question, or making a statement.
"Y-yes?" I was still sitting next to the Hagioscope, still almost entirely paralyzed. By fear. By self-loathing.
"how do you get firewood in here" Darcy nodded to the small stack of split logs neatly stacked in an iron rack next to the fireplace.
"Uhm... the same way I get my m-meals. Every so often someone comes and slides a few logs through the Hagioscope. I d-don't know w-who... I kind of... I thought it might be you, honestly." In hindsight, it was probably Catherine... but who did it now? If not Darcy, who kept me warm now?
"i dont know who it is" Darcy smiled placidly. "im glad youre warm" She reached into her habit, and pulled out a little glass vial. "drink this" She held it out, offering it to me. "it'll help the day pass quickly"
I set the pot of oats on the table next to me and accepted the vial. I looked it over, and without really thinking about it I pulled the stopper and downed the thick, viscous fluid inside. It tasted... I'm not sure what it tasted like, to be honest. It tasted how a newly bound book smells, with hints of berries. I popped the stopper back into the bottle, and handed the vessel to Darcy. "I-I p-probably... should've asked w-what it does," I stammered.
"mmm" Dary's smile widened. "os lingua mens sensus vigor" She paused, considered. "or something like that" She produced the key to my cell, and headed for the door.
"D-darcy?" I stammered, still stuck to my chair.
"yes hedwig" She stopped in the doorway, and turned to regard me.
"Th-thank you. For the clean habit, and the oatmeal." And your presence.
"youre welcome" She slipped through the doorway, and closed the door. I was relieved to hear the sound of the key in the lock, relieved to hear the clack of the bolt.
Relieved, to be alone. Where I belonged.
I could move again. I quickly changed into the clean clothes that Darcy had brought for me. I neatly folded my old habit, and set it on the table near the Hagioscope.
I could taste the potion in the back of my throat as I ate the oatmeal. It added a sweet note that helped to liven up the blandness of the warm, wet oats. I couldn't help but enjoy the meal, sweetened with something I didn't think I deserved.
As I ate, the world became brighter. I sat in front of the fire for warmth and became entranced by sparks and embers - bright, and fluid, flitting about the fireplace like glowing flies.
And I heard the bell, and I realized that Darcy had come to visit me in the third hour.