Rescued?!

Christine didn't know how long she spent in the darkness. Long enough to recite a complete rosary, but not hours and hours, and thankfully not long enough to have to close her eyes. The idea of having to sleep while rats and roaches crawl over her slumped body makes her shudder. It was helpless, she couldn't believe how far her fate in life has fallen. Just three days ago she was Lady Gerard, oldest daughter of Baron Gerard favorite advisor to the King, and now she was dressed in rags, covered in filth and chained in a dank dark hole.

Maybe she should have tried to please Bishop Anthryl like he wanted. The thought made her stomach turn, but in spite of the sick feeling she felt even more upset knowing that she had failed in her promise to her father. Failed in every way. As much as she wanted to do the right thing to set Erik on the path to knighthood, every single one of her decisions had been wrong. If she had allowed that fat bishop to ... she couldn't even start to think about it. She tried to be strong, but alone in the dark it was just too much, and she felt the tears start to trickle down her face.

The pounding on the door above was loud enough that she could hear it clearly as well as the footsteps that crossed above her head. Was the Bishop here already? The only thing worse than being chained in this awful hole in the ground was to be once again in the clutches of the corrupt and evil man. She couldn't hear what was being said, but it didn't sound like a regular visit. As she waited the voices got louder, and then stopped completely.

When the trapdoor above her opened the light was so bright that she had to look away. But she heard the heavy steps descending into her cell. Whoever it was is a large man, his frame filled most of the narrow hatch and he moved with confidence and grace down the narrow stairway.

Christine still couldn't see the man's face but there is something familiar about him. If she wasn't so exhausted and distraught by the events of the past few days, she probably would have figured it out, but when she heard his voice, she knew immediately who it was.