Lys: God's Best

Cathair followed the man's nod and saw what he meant. "Yes," he said, grimly. "I know that work very well." His brow furrowed, he looked inquisitively at the man. "Do you think we have that long? The winter has not yet arrived. If Vortigern can recover enough men, I do not see why he would not try once more before hunkering down to wait out the snows."

Recover enough men... A thought came to him, at that, and he was not sure whether to speak it or not. It had the potential to help his new lord greatly, but it would also break Aithne's heart, and she could not take much more breaking. He decided to think on it awhile longer before deciding. Perhaps by doing so he would come up with a solution that did not harm anyone.

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Aithne looked, and listened. The Guttersnipe was right, of course, but that was a thing one knew in one's mind- a thing that did not necessarily make its way to one's heart. "I know what you are saying, Guttersnipe. But it is harder for me to remember it. You have years upon years of living in this valley- seeing it rise and fall with the seasons, seeing Lord Ambrosius and Lord Artos win the day more often than not. But I do not have that. It takes more... more faith for me to believe than for you. I do not doubt that God has what is best for us, nor that he gives us strength when we need it. But those promises say nothing about how much it can hurt in the process..."

She trailed off. Her emotions were evening out. She wondered if it wasn't apathy taking over. She still wanted nothing so much as to be away from it all- to wake up and find it all, all ten years, nothing but a horrible dream, and be back home, making ready to wed Cathair and move into her own home- his home. But the sensible side of her was regaining some control, and she reminded herself that it was reality and she had to live with it.

All the same, she wanted to see Cathair again- to make sure he was real, and not a dream she conjured to help her process things. Standing, she shook out her half-dry tunic and shivered again as a cool Autumn breeze fluttered through the trees. "Are you ready to go back?" she asked. Suddenly she had a flashback to the stream by Vortigern's villa, and the unexpected and unwelcome appearance of Mordred. Shivering again, she looked about, half-expecting to see him step out from behind a tree.