aleathiel | Fic: Night Whispers

Okay, I don't know where this one came from!

Title: Night Whispers
Fandom: Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose (is it a fandom if it seems unlikely anyone else has ever written for it?)
Pairing: William/Adso (with mention of Adso/peasant girl)
Rating: PG
Summary: Adso wants to rescue the girl.
AN: Written without a copy of the book available. Apologies for errors. Written for the

tamingthemuse prompt "A rolling stone crushes toes".

It was dark when Adso rose, in silence. His feet were bare against the cold stone floor and the frayed hem of his habit, which he gathered around him, brushed against his legs. He had waited in silence, trying to regulate his breathing in an impersonation of sleep, until he heard the first rasping snore of his master’s breath.

There was no light at all and the darkness in their cell was impenetrable but their now not-infrequent nightly investigations had prepared him, and Adso was confident he could make it out into the courtyard with little noise.

The latch on the door was stiff and it squeaked slightly when he pulled at it. He winced, peering back across the dark room for any sign that it had woken William. There was a change in his breathing: that was definite. Adso stayed still, his hand on the door, hoping that if he could not see his master in this dark, that William could not see him.

“Adso?” There was the harsh whisper he had so hoped not to hear. For a moment he thought about staying silent, but he knew he would be found out.

“Yes, master,” he replied in an undertone.

He could hear the rustling of William’s blankets as the monk sat up. “What are you doing over there? Oh, Adso…” There was surprise and then sorrow in his voice.

“I can’t leave her to die,” Adso protested, and yet he knew now that was what was going to happen.

“Come here,” William’s voice was low, sympathetic, and Adso was compelled to obey, finding his way across the room to sit on the edge of the bed.

“She’s not a witch,” he whispered, trying to hide the choking tightness that was building up in his throat.

“I know.” William’s broad hand rested comfortingly on his shoulder, warm through the layers of wool Adso wore. He did not tell Adso again that it was no use – that the girl was all but dead. There was no need: despite his protestations Adso already knew. His attempt to rescue her would have been no more than an act of desperation that would probably have resulted in his own conviction – and maybe even tarred William.

It was more than Adso dared to risk. And yet he felt the hot tears spilling down his face at the injustice and he thought again of her pale bright face turned to his in the kitchen firelight…

He bit back a sob and felt William’s strong arm wrap around him and pull him close. For a while he cried and his master made no comment.

When, at last, there were no more sobs and his tears were tight and dry on his cheeks where they pressed against William’s chest, he felt his master’s fingers brush along the side of his face, down his hairline. “You must confine your efforts to what you can achieve,” William whispered. “We must continue to seek the truth of what has happened here.”

Adso nodded without speaking.

“Am I consumed by some evil?” he asked after a pause, “that I can think of nothing but of her?”

He felt the exhalation of William’s silent laughter against his face. “No, Adso, you are not consumed by evil. You have felt nothing but the tempting touch of lust. It is hardly uncommon, considering your youth.”

“I love her,” Adso dared to contradict. “It was not the carnal sin that drew me to her, but…”

William’s fingers brushed across his lips, silencing him. “Love of another person is not for us to experience,” he chided softly, and although his words were harsh his tone was kind. “Our love is for God and for the saints.”

Adso thought in silence for a time, while William’s gentle fingers stroked through his hair. “Surely love cannot be wrong?’ he asked, finally. “Are we not encouraged to love by the gospels?”

“Aye, but love is not indiscriminate. A rolling stone crushes toes. If you allow yourself to love this peasant girl with more than just the affection that you owe to all God’s creatures, then what will happen the next time our path crosses a beautiful maid? Will you be tempted to love her too? And where does your love stop? What of Berengar’s love of Adelmo and the sin that he drew him into?”

“That’s hardly the same,” Adso protested.

“No,” William agreed. “I was merely making my point.” There was something deep and sorrowful in his voice and for a while, once more, Adso had nothing to say. He settled close on the narrow bunk, since William’s arm was still around him and he was not being sent away. The proximity and warmth was a comfort.

“Master?” he whispered, just as he was drifting off to sleep. “Have you ever loved a woman like that?”

“No, Adso.”

Of course not, William was far too disciplined for that.

And then, trying hard not to think of his beautiful peasant girl and of the fate that awaited her, Adso fell asleep, held warmly in his master’s arms until the church bells woke them for prayer.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

talullahred.livejournal.com

Hi there!

It is a fandom! I wrote a piece a few years ago and later I saw people posting a couple of other fics to Yuletide, so welcome to the bunch!

I really enjoyed your piece - I like how compassionate and comforting William is and Adso's angst feels very real.

Well done!

(May I suggest that you post in rare fandom comms? I know there are a few but at the moment I can only think of

fandom_of_one, which I recently joined. It's a newsletter, so I don't know if you can post directly or have to send a link. It's funny that just this morning I asked the mod to include this fandom, among a few others.)

From:

Fic: Night Whispers

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags