Chapter Sixteen, Give You the World
Posted by DiF on Friday, November 9, 2012
Title: Dark Horse: Chapter Sixteen, Give You the World
Rating: PG-13 [language, drugs, sexual innuendo]
Summary: George is fed up waiting to rescue Sitara. Sitara worries about Kanti's absence. By nightfall, it all makes sense...
After a week of daily visits by Pattie and nightly visits by George and Donovan, George did not feel as if they were any closer to freeing Sitara than they had been prior to knowing her location. The chains remained on her iron gates and the doors closed to him during daylight hours. Despite his desires and her needs, he had yet to break her free of her cage.
He was normally a patient man, especially with the aid of meditation, but he was nearly at the end of his rope. Maybe being in the band where he could normally get whatever he wanted just by muttering half a sentence had diluted his sense of timing. Some things did not happen instantaneously.
“Bloody hell,” he muttered under his breath as he rolled out of his meditation pose.
Saying nothing more, George pulled on his shoes and headed out of his hotel suite, ignoring Pattie. He headed directly to Donovan’s room and knocked rapidly on the door. Taking a few minutes, Donovan opened the door, rubbing his face.
“What’s on fire, mate?” he muttered.
“We have to get her out,” he declared, pushing into the room. “Now.”
“Um…” Donovan rubbed the back of his neck as he turned, the door closing.
George’s eyes flitted to Donovan’s hotel bed. He was not surprised that someone held the sheets up to her chest. However, it took him a couple of breaths to process who was in the folksinger’s bed. Blinking, he tore his eyes away from the exotic woman to look at the Scot. Donovan merely smirked.
“I’m sorry, Kanti,” George met her eyes. “I did not expect you… to be here.”
Keeping the sheet tucked around her breasts, she smiled crookedly, “I did not expect to see you here either.”
“Yes, well…” he cleared his throat and returned his attention to Donovan. “We have to get her out.”
“I know,” Donovan responded, heading to sit on the end of the bed. “Kanti and I were just discussing that.”
“Naked?” he asked bluntly.
“Post-coital conversations,” he replied before lighting a cigarette. “Surely you talk to birds before kicking them out.”
Ignoring the slight, George glanced at Kanti again, “What ideas do you have?”
“Very few. But the staff has relaxed this week, mostly due to Pattie’s continued visits,” she answered plainly. “And now that I am free to come and go as I please…”
“Go on,” he sat down on a nearby footstool.
Kanti shrugged, “I may be able to get the key to her gate.”
George’s eyes lit up, “Really?”
“But that doesn’t mean that—”
“We’re getting her out of there tonight.”
“George,” Donovan spoke up, “I want to help Sita out as much as you do, but we cannot just walk in there tonight and—”
“If Kanti can get the gate open, she can go over the wall just like we do.”
Both stared at him blankly for a moment, processing what George so plainly stated.
“It’s so simple, it just might work,” Donovan grinned, grabbing Kanti’s clothing. “Let’s go, love. We’ve got a bird to free.”
Lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, Sitara strained to hear the ticking of the clock. She had no idea what time it was, if it was even near to when she should slip from her bedcovers and tiptoe out of the room. Why had Kanti not appeared to whisper to her? In fact, why had she not seen Kanti all day?
Deciding to take matters into her own hands, at least in regards to her best friends, Sitara flipped back the bedcovers and pivoted out of bed. She turned on a small lamp, quickly dressed, and slipped on soft-soled shoes. Leaving the lamp lit, Sitara inched towards her bedroom door. Cracking it open, she looked for any of the house staff, expecting she was still be observed at all times. Seeing no one, she smiled in relief and stepped out of her room.
After briefly checking Kanti’s quarters and finding them completely untouched seemingly in awhile, Sitara headed out to the gardens. Without pause, she headed to the stone lattice, where normally she met with George and Donovan on their nightly visits. Peering through the holes, her green eyes searched for her two male suitors, but saw neither one — nor really anyone. Finding that odd, Sitara moved to the nearest iron gate.
Her eyes went to the gate as she neared it. Her heart instantly stopped, jumping into her throat. The heavy chain that bound the iron bars together was gone. Without thought, she rushed towards the gate and quickly pulled it open. Even though she knew a larger, more solid wall kept her from true freedom, Sitara suddenly felt like the world was once more opening up to her.
Not two steps out into the larger yard, Sitara came to a dead halt. Her green eyes danced around, looking for the source of her sudden nerves. Her vision stopped on the outline of a man near a tree. She did not need to hear his voice to know who it was.
His arms opened and she ran, not caring about disturbing a sleeping peacock in her sprint. Their chests collided and he stumbled slightly back as his arms enfolded her. Her lips eagerly touched his, though she instantly blushed at her boldness.
“George,” she muttered.
He quickly kissed her again, “I have missed this…”
“Am I… am I dreaming?”
His fingers caressed her cheeks, “If you are, I am too.”
She nuzzled him slightly, “I cannot… I cannot… believe this.”
“Come with me,” he stated, his hand slipping down to grasp hers. “Let’s get out of here.”
“What?” she blinked.
George grinned before kissing her nose, “You know very well how I’ve been getting in and out of here, as it is exactly how you and Kanti slip out at night all the time. That is how we are going tonight.”
“Really?”
He nodded, “Yes. Don and Kanti are waiting on the other side for us.”
“Really?”
He chuckled, “Come on, dancing girl.”
With her hand in his, Sitara followed George away from the house. Her heart began to flutter like a million butterflies dancing around a newly opened flower. She could taste freedom again. It seemed so very… surreal.
Once they reached the arching tree, George paused. He quickly stole another sweet kiss before motioning her up the trunk. She nodded and quickly scaled the tree with ease. Donovan’s hands reached up for her, helping her jump down on the other side. Grinning, she quickly embraced him before turning to hug her best friend as well.
“I was wondering where you were…” she muttered.
“I was busy… with Donovan,” the older girl declared.
While she wanted to know exactly what Kanti was not telling her, Sitara did not have the chance to ask for George hopped down from the tree behind her. His fingers quickly found hers and he tugged her towards the street.
“Where are we going, George?” she asked softly.
“Anywhere but here, beautiful. Anywhere but here.”
Sneaking into ancient temple grounds was normal, but seemed far more risky with Donovan and George with them. Sitara did not mention her worries, especially since the two men helped her escape her father’s house. Nor did she mention how close Kanti and Donovan seemed to be. He had not even spoken much to her at all. She found that odd, almost as awkward as being in a former sacred space with two men.
“Sita?” George muttered as they strolled through the old dusty corridor.
Her green eyes flicked to his, “Yes?”
“I want you to come to England with me.”
She instantly stopped, her eyes remaining locked with his, “What?”
“I want you to come to England with me,” he repeated plainly, only breaking eye contact to notice Donovan and Kanti had disappeared from view. “We’ll leave in the morning. You can stay in the hotel with me and—”
“I cannot,” Sitara quickly interjected.
“What? Why not?”
“My father…”
“Curse your father. He is marrying you to your uncle because a quack doctor fucked you,” he stated, anger tainting his voice.
Her eyes went wide and she turned away from him. Instantly regretting his words, George reached for her, but she stepped away from his touch. As she continued to pace away from him, he wondered what had upset her so much. Did she not know of her impending marriage to her uncle? Or did he bring up horrific memories with mention of the doctor?
“Sita, I apologize. I did not mean to—”
“Of course I am to marry my uncle. Who else would have me after such lies of my purity were announced?”
“Sita,” his fingers touched her elbow, gently getting her to turn back to face him, “I would have you. I would have you for all eternity.”
She blinked, not sure how to respond to his words, “But, George, I am impure. I am not suitable for—”
“Bloody nonsense. The sweet and loving dancing girl I fell in love with is still in there, I know she is. I know she’s afraid to come out again, because of whatever your father and that man did to you. Trust me, Sita. I will never harm or betray you. Ever.”
A single tear left a dark path down her caramel-colored cheek, “George…”
His thumb reached up and wiped away her tear before he leaned down and kissed her lips gently, “I love you, Sita. I will do whatever is necessary to take care of you. Come back to England with me. Come back where you will be free.”
“George, I cannot,” she muttered, pressing her forehead to his.
“Why?”
“My father…”
“Who beat you.”
“He is all I have.”
“I will give you the world.”
“But is it really yours to give?”
He quickly kissed hers, “For you? Yes, yes it is.”
Rating: PG-13 [language, drugs, sexual innuendo]
Summary: George is fed up waiting to rescue Sitara. Sitara worries about Kanti's absence. By nightfall, it all makes sense...
After a week of daily visits by Pattie and nightly visits by George and Donovan, George did not feel as if they were any closer to freeing Sitara than they had been prior to knowing her location. The chains remained on her iron gates and the doors closed to him during daylight hours. Despite his desires and her needs, he had yet to break her free of her cage.
He was normally a patient man, especially with the aid of meditation, but he was nearly at the end of his rope. Maybe being in the band where he could normally get whatever he wanted just by muttering half a sentence had diluted his sense of timing. Some things did not happen instantaneously.
“Bloody hell,” he muttered under his breath as he rolled out of his meditation pose.
Saying nothing more, George pulled on his shoes and headed out of his hotel suite, ignoring Pattie. He headed directly to Donovan’s room and knocked rapidly on the door. Taking a few minutes, Donovan opened the door, rubbing his face.
“What’s on fire, mate?” he muttered.
“We have to get her out,” he declared, pushing into the room. “Now.”
“Um…” Donovan rubbed the back of his neck as he turned, the door closing.
George’s eyes flitted to Donovan’s hotel bed. He was not surprised that someone held the sheets up to her chest. However, it took him a couple of breaths to process who was in the folksinger’s bed. Blinking, he tore his eyes away from the exotic woman to look at the Scot. Donovan merely smirked.
“I’m sorry, Kanti,” George met her eyes. “I did not expect you… to be here.”
Keeping the sheet tucked around her breasts, she smiled crookedly, “I did not expect to see you here either.”
“Yes, well…” he cleared his throat and returned his attention to Donovan. “We have to get her out.”
“I know,” Donovan responded, heading to sit on the end of the bed. “Kanti and I were just discussing that.”
“Naked?” he asked bluntly.
“Post-coital conversations,” he replied before lighting a cigarette. “Surely you talk to birds before kicking them out.”
Ignoring the slight, George glanced at Kanti again, “What ideas do you have?”
“Very few. But the staff has relaxed this week, mostly due to Pattie’s continued visits,” she answered plainly. “And now that I am free to come and go as I please…”
“Go on,” he sat down on a nearby footstool.
Kanti shrugged, “I may be able to get the key to her gate.”
George’s eyes lit up, “Really?”
“But that doesn’t mean that—”
“We’re getting her out of there tonight.”
“George,” Donovan spoke up, “I want to help Sita out as much as you do, but we cannot just walk in there tonight and—”
“If Kanti can get the gate open, she can go over the wall just like we do.”
Both stared at him blankly for a moment, processing what George so plainly stated.
“It’s so simple, it just might work,” Donovan grinned, grabbing Kanti’s clothing. “Let’s go, love. We’ve got a bird to free.”
Lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, Sitara strained to hear the ticking of the clock. She had no idea what time it was, if it was even near to when she should slip from her bedcovers and tiptoe out of the room. Why had Kanti not appeared to whisper to her? In fact, why had she not seen Kanti all day?
Deciding to take matters into her own hands, at least in regards to her best friends, Sitara flipped back the bedcovers and pivoted out of bed. She turned on a small lamp, quickly dressed, and slipped on soft-soled shoes. Leaving the lamp lit, Sitara inched towards her bedroom door. Cracking it open, she looked for any of the house staff, expecting she was still be observed at all times. Seeing no one, she smiled in relief and stepped out of her room.
After briefly checking Kanti’s quarters and finding them completely untouched seemingly in awhile, Sitara headed out to the gardens. Without pause, she headed to the stone lattice, where normally she met with George and Donovan on their nightly visits. Peering through the holes, her green eyes searched for her two male suitors, but saw neither one — nor really anyone. Finding that odd, Sitara moved to the nearest iron gate.
Her eyes went to the gate as she neared it. Her heart instantly stopped, jumping into her throat. The heavy chain that bound the iron bars together was gone. Without thought, she rushed towards the gate and quickly pulled it open. Even though she knew a larger, more solid wall kept her from true freedom, Sitara suddenly felt like the world was once more opening up to her.
Not two steps out into the larger yard, Sitara came to a dead halt. Her green eyes danced around, looking for the source of her sudden nerves. Her vision stopped on the outline of a man near a tree. She did not need to hear his voice to know who it was.
His arms opened and she ran, not caring about disturbing a sleeping peacock in her sprint. Their chests collided and he stumbled slightly back as his arms enfolded her. Her lips eagerly touched his, though she instantly blushed at her boldness.
“George,” she muttered.
He quickly kissed her again, “I have missed this…”
“Am I… am I dreaming?”
His fingers caressed her cheeks, “If you are, I am too.”
She nuzzled him slightly, “I cannot… I cannot… believe this.”
“Come with me,” he stated, his hand slipping down to grasp hers. “Let’s get out of here.”
“What?” she blinked.
George grinned before kissing her nose, “You know very well how I’ve been getting in and out of here, as it is exactly how you and Kanti slip out at night all the time. That is how we are going tonight.”
“Really?”
He nodded, “Yes. Don and Kanti are waiting on the other side for us.”
“Really?”
He chuckled, “Come on, dancing girl.”
With her hand in his, Sitara followed George away from the house. Her heart began to flutter like a million butterflies dancing around a newly opened flower. She could taste freedom again. It seemed so very… surreal.
Once they reached the arching tree, George paused. He quickly stole another sweet kiss before motioning her up the trunk. She nodded and quickly scaled the tree with ease. Donovan’s hands reached up for her, helping her jump down on the other side. Grinning, she quickly embraced him before turning to hug her best friend as well.
“I was wondering where you were…” she muttered.
“I was busy… with Donovan,” the older girl declared.
While she wanted to know exactly what Kanti was not telling her, Sitara did not have the chance to ask for George hopped down from the tree behind her. His fingers quickly found hers and he tugged her towards the street.
“Where are we going, George?” she asked softly.
“Anywhere but here, beautiful. Anywhere but here.”
Sneaking into ancient temple grounds was normal, but seemed far more risky with Donovan and George with them. Sitara did not mention her worries, especially since the two men helped her escape her father’s house. Nor did she mention how close Kanti and Donovan seemed to be. He had not even spoken much to her at all. She found that odd, almost as awkward as being in a former sacred space with two men.
“Sita?” George muttered as they strolled through the old dusty corridor.
Her green eyes flicked to his, “Yes?”
“I want you to come to England with me.”
She instantly stopped, her eyes remaining locked with his, “What?”
“I want you to come to England with me,” he repeated plainly, only breaking eye contact to notice Donovan and Kanti had disappeared from view. “We’ll leave in the morning. You can stay in the hotel with me and—”
“I cannot,” Sitara quickly interjected.
“What? Why not?”
“My father…”
“Curse your father. He is marrying you to your uncle because a quack doctor fucked you,” he stated, anger tainting his voice.
Her eyes went wide and she turned away from him. Instantly regretting his words, George reached for her, but she stepped away from his touch. As she continued to pace away from him, he wondered what had upset her so much. Did she not know of her impending marriage to her uncle? Or did he bring up horrific memories with mention of the doctor?
“Sita, I apologize. I did not mean to—”
“Of course I am to marry my uncle. Who else would have me after such lies of my purity were announced?”
“Sita,” his fingers touched her elbow, gently getting her to turn back to face him, “I would have you. I would have you for all eternity.”
She blinked, not sure how to respond to his words, “But, George, I am impure. I am not suitable for—”
“Bloody nonsense. The sweet and loving dancing girl I fell in love with is still in there, I know she is. I know she’s afraid to come out again, because of whatever your father and that man did to you. Trust me, Sita. I will never harm or betray you. Ever.”
A single tear left a dark path down her caramel-colored cheek, “George…”
His thumb reached up and wiped away her tear before he leaned down and kissed her lips gently, “I love you, Sita. I will do whatever is necessary to take care of you. Come back to England with me. Come back where you will be free.”
“George, I cannot,” she muttered, pressing her forehead to his.
“Why?”
“My father…”
“Who beat you.”
“He is all I have.”
“I will give you the world.”
“But is it really yours to give?”
He quickly kissed hers, “For you? Yes, yes it is.”
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