"I know, Scarlet. But some truths are so harsh that they are hard to listen to. I didn't want to at first." Leonard stopped and turned Barry around, reaching up to pull the blindfold off and giving him time to adjust. They were in the middle of the forest, but it was a clear night and the moon shone brightly, so it wasn't too dark. Voices could be heard in a bit of distance, talking quietly. "If you introduce yourself tonight, it will be with 'Scarlet', all right? And you're with me, if anyone asks."
Not that he planned on leaving any doubt about that. "Are you ready to meet some friends of mine?"
"Scarlet? I have to use that? You know, you could have given me a better nickname." Barry wasn't exactly in love with Scarlet but he supposed he was stuck with it tonight. He adjusted his eyes and looked up at the moon for a few seconds, a stupid smile on his face. It looked so close here, so bright and beautiful, way better than what he saw through the telescope. The forest was beautiful really, he hadn't been in a forest since he was ten, it was nice to hear the crunch of the leaves and birds calling. "It's so beautiful."
He looked at Leonard and nodded his head, looking towards where he heard the voices. "I guess. It's why I came all this way, isn't it?"
"I don't know. I thought you just wanted to take a moonlit walk with me." That said Leonard turned and walked past a group of trees. The place they reached had some small shelters built, nothing up on the trees, all on the ground. A fire was in the middle of the area and the atmosphere was sombre, which wasn't that surprising. This wasn't Len's camp with the people that fought with him, this was the place for refugees.
Leonard stopped by the first place, where an elderly couple sat, the man with a blindfold and the woman feeding him. She looked up when Leonard looked at them, elbowing her husband and smiling up at Len. "God bless you." She elbowed her husband again. "It's Len."
The man reached out one hand and Leonard actually held it for a moment. "How's the pain?"
"Good, good. Thank you for everything."
"It's nothing." Leonard wished them a good night before walking further, lowering his voice as he spoke to Barry. "He used to be a tailor. He couldn't pay the taxes when they raised them and they blinded him and took their daughter. I haven't been able to find out where she is, she might just be dead."
Barry stuck behind Leonard, unsure what to do or what to think, he just kept his distance and slipped his arms better into Leonard's coat. He looked around at the people here and frowned deeply, they didn't look so good and their shelter was terrible. Maybe he could get them something better, there was a lot of empty properties not far from the castle and Eobard had discussed with him some kind of shelter for the homeless. It wasn't impossible.
He watched the old man carefully, unsure how to process this.
"Why -- why would they blind him? And his -- why?"
None of that made any sense. That wasn't the rules. If you didn't pay tax, you got evicted. That was the rule. Not blinding, not taking family members. "That's not right. That can't be -- this makes no sense."
"As punishment, I suppose. A lot of the men in charge of these things like to be cruel. You don't want to think about what happened to the daughter. I almost hope that she's dead by now." Which was an awful thing to say, but Leonard had seen many awful things. He was seeing awful things right now.
On the other hand, a little girl came running up to him and when she held out her arms, he lifted her up, turning so she could see Barry. "This is Scarlet. He's my friend."
She looked at Barry with suspicious, about six years old and more interested in putting her fingers in her mouth than in talking.
"Jane's a great marksman already. Her father was a hunter, she wants to be one too."
She seemed shy and not overly interested in getting to know him or speak to him, she mostly just wanted to chew on his fingers and lean her head against Len. She looked like she didn't trust Barry and honest to God, he didn't blame her right now.
Was. That's what Leonard said. Her father was. So either he was dead or someone horribly mutilated him too. God, this just kept getting worse and worse. "Is her dad here?"
Jane took her fingers out of her mouth to tell Barry what would happen. "I'm going to go and free him!" Clearly she was very sure of herself, but then she glanced up at Len and added, slightly sheepish. "With Len." A prison was a very big place after all.
"You're brave enough to. But it's more important you take care of your little brother here, isn't it?"
She nodded and struggled as a sign that she wanted to be let down, running off into one of the makeshift huts the moment she hit the ground.
"Almost all the people here are banished. They'd be killed or be in prison if they weren't hiding here."
"They'd kill her too?" She was so small and she had to watch out for someone younger? How was that even possible? None of this made any sense. He was going home, he was going to talk to Eobard, to ask him what his men were doing. He could fix this. He was sure he could. It wasn't like this was what Eobard wanted, it couldn't be.
Barry backed away from the make shift little camp and started to walk back towards the forest. He didn't like this much but there was nothing he could do about it but talk to Eobard. What was the point of standing here feeling awful?
He kind of hoped his first trip outside in years would be a little more fun.
Leonard wasn't surprised that Barry didn't want to stomach more. He followed him, finally stepping in front of him as they were inside the forest again. He put a hand on Barry's shoulder and gave a slight shake of his head. "We're not done just yet. Don't you want to see something a little less depressing as well?"
Besides, he definitely had to school Barry on what to do with all he had just learned, or he'd risk even Barry's safety.
"No. I want to go home." It was kind of hard to want to be excited and see things when he just saw that. Mostly he just wanted to go home, crawl up in his bed and debate how to broach this subject to Eobard without getting himself into a shit load of trouble. Which honestly seemed impossible but there was no other way to do this. And he had to do it.
It was kind of hard to want a positive encore after something like that. His eyes welled up a little and he balled his fists up. "Please. I want to go back."
"Of course, Scarlet." Leonard hesitated, then he wrapped his arms around Barry and pulled him close, trying to recall how he had felt when he had first encountered the injustice in this world. But his work wasn't done. "The taxes have been raised and the punishments have gotten stricter, because the prince wants the money at all cause. Poor lives hold no value to him. Make no mistake, he knows everything about this. He watches every execution."
"That's a lie, I bet Eobard doesn't know about it. I have to talk to Eobard." Barry pushed away from Leonard, he had to, he didn't know what to do or where his loyalties should be, either he was being lied to or his idol and the man he looked up to was some kind of monster. And that wasn't easy to digest in a matter of moments. "I just want to go home, Leonard. I need to talk to Eobard. He's not like this, he'd never want this. It's a mistake."
"Just do me one favour, Scarlet, and don't talk to him right away. Think first. Make sure. Try to ascertain that he really is the man you believe him to be." Leonard reached into his pocket and pulled the blindfold out, holding it out to Barry. "But at least you know what I fight for now. This is what cost me my knighthood." Not to mention being an outlaw, being a wanted man. Leonard shrugged. "I have no regrets."
"I don't know anything." Not right now, not like this. Barry had to think about it, he had to talk about it, he had to understand what was happening. All his life, Eobard had meant so much to him and now he was being told he was the villain of the story? He needed a lot of proof before he jumped off Eobard and onto Leonard's side. Sure, the evidence was damning so far but he had to know more. "I'm just know I'm going to talk to Eobard."
"Just be careful. Be careful what you say." This had been a mistake, everyone who had warned him had been right. Barry was no longer willing to listen and he might very well make the situation worse. But he couldn't change it now and he had made a promise, so he put the blindfold on and took Barry's arm. "You'll be back before anyone is the wiser, as I've promised you."
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Not that he planned on leaving any doubt about that. "Are you ready to meet some friends of mine?"
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He looked at Leonard and nodded his head, looking towards where he heard the voices. "I guess. It's why I came all this way, isn't it?"
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Leonard stopped by the first place, where an elderly couple sat, the man with a blindfold and the woman feeding him. She looked up when Leonard looked at them, elbowing her husband and smiling up at Len. "God bless you." She elbowed her husband again. "It's Len."
The man reached out one hand and Leonard actually held it for a moment. "How's the pain?"
"Good, good. Thank you for everything."
"It's nothing." Leonard wished them a good night before walking further, lowering his voice as he spoke to Barry. "He used to be a tailor. He couldn't pay the taxes when they raised them and they blinded him and took their daughter. I haven't been able to find out where she is, she might just be dead."
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He watched the old man carefully, unsure how to process this.
"Why -- why would they blind him? And his -- why?"
None of that made any sense. That wasn't the rules. If you didn't pay tax, you got evicted. That was the rule. Not blinding, not taking family members. "That's not right. That can't be -- this makes no sense."
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On the other hand, a little girl came running up to him and when she held out her arms, he lifted her up, turning so she could see Barry. "This is Scarlet. He's my friend."
She looked at Barry with suspicious, about six years old and more interested in putting her fingers in her mouth than in talking.
"Jane's a great marksman already. Her father was a hunter, she wants to be one too."
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She seemed shy and not overly interested in getting to know him or speak to him, she mostly just wanted to chew on his fingers and lean her head against Len. She looked like she didn't trust Barry and honest to God, he didn't blame her right now.
Was. That's what Leonard said. Her father was. So either he was dead or someone horribly mutilated him too. God, this just kept getting worse and worse. "Is her dad here?"
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Jane took her fingers out of her mouth to tell Barry what would happen. "I'm going to go and free him!" Clearly she was very sure of herself, but then she glanced up at Len and added, slightly sheepish. "With Len." A prison was a very big place after all.
"You're brave enough to. But it's more important you take care of your little brother here, isn't it?"
She nodded and struggled as a sign that she wanted to be let down, running off into one of the makeshift huts the moment she hit the ground.
"Almost all the people here are banished. They'd be killed or be in prison if they weren't hiding here."
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Barry backed away from the make shift little camp and started to walk back towards the forest. He didn't like this much but there was nothing he could do about it but talk to Eobard. What was the point of standing here feeling awful?
He kind of hoped his first trip outside in years would be a little more fun.
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Besides, he definitely had to school Barry on what to do with all he had just learned, or he'd risk even Barry's safety.
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It was kind of hard to want a positive encore after something like that. His eyes welled up a little and he balled his fists up. "Please. I want to go back."
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