Lys: Loyalties and Lies

Aithne had not been sleeping. She heard everything, and struggled to come up out of the thick, murky fog before harm was done to any of them. She managed to lift her head and open her eyes, pulling herself up on an elbow.

"Stop... please, just stop... He doesn't know..."

Cathair abandoned his knife and Lord Ambrosius to kneel by her side, placing a tentative hand on her shoulder.

"It's all right, Cathair. It's not their fault. Not anyone's fault. It just... happened. One day I was fine, the next..." She sat up, Cathair steadying her. "Do not blame them. They are good people- all of them." There was a bit of a twinge when she said that. Not all of them were good to her, but perhaps she deserved their disdain. She could not label them 'bad' for it.

She turned pleading eyes towards Lord Ambrosius. "Please forgive him, my lord. I haven't had a chance to tell him about you and your people. He didn't know... please don't take him..."

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Somewhat embarassed at having Aithne try to "rescue" him, Cathair nevertheless backed down. He had no wish to make an enemy of the man, merely to do whatever he could to restore Aithne. And while he could not do much there, he could at least try to see to it that others weren't harmed in the same way.

"I am sorry, sir." he said, hoping the man would understand. "I meant no disrespect to you, only a wish to know who or what had harmed her." He stood, pulled the blade from the ground, and offered it to the man, hilt first. "You have my loyalty and my thanks for protecting Aithne. If you can forgive me, if you will have me, I would become your man."

He hoped the warlord understood. He had never suspected or accused him, and never accused the Saxon or the small man, though he suspected the former may have had something to do with it. Had he not been so entirely misinformed, there would've been no thought of following Cunorix into battle against a man such as Lord Ambrosius. Could he help that he had been fed a steady diet of lies and provocations? But now he knew the truth, and he was eager to ally with it- to serve it.