Aithne felt a sickening dread in the pit of her stomach- she could see it in the eyes of others, as well. Was he dead? Were the cries that of desparation as Lord Artos bled out? She had no idea. All she knew was that the silence was unnatural and dreadful.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cathair saw it all with a grim feeling. Their lord had mettle in him, to have been quiet for so long in the presence of his people. But now, out of their sight, he had allowed himself to slip- and who wouldn't?
Then the noise ceased, so quickly that the silence was roaring in their ears. He saw the courage flicker, saw the fear enter their eyes. The room was primed for revenge, but the spark had not yet been lit. Not yet.
Unable to stand by any longer, he swung into action. "These men aren't going to heal themselves." Surprised, he heard his words spoken by another voice at the same time. Aithne had also shaken out of it and stepped forward. He smiled at her, and the two of them, having broken the awful silence, got to work helping the more skilled in their tasks. He would not accept direct work- there were some things a warrior did not chance- but he did his best to fetch and carry as needed.
Even working with them, though, he sensed the fear some of the women had of him. He smiled at one, but that only seemed to increase her fear.
From then on he kept his head down and did what was needed as unobtrusively as possible.
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Aithne watched him when she could. This is a new side of him. The Cathair she'd known would not have been so servile. Gentle and considerate, but he would not fetch and carry like a commoner. He was above that, it seemed. No matter how many times Brother Parthalan told him otherwise, Cathair always managed to find a way to serve without humility.
She smiled. This new side was a good thing. A good thing amongst so many bad that had surrounded her.
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