Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree

It connected hard, and blood spurted from Tarr's nose. Tarr stumbled back a few steps, eyes wide with shock and fury. Then he leaped on Aleth, tackling him to the ground and slamming his fists repeatedly into his chest with the force of a madman.
Tomhas took a step forward, but Constance held up a hand for him to stop.

Ky gaped. That had been the exact reaction Aleth had had when Ky punched him, all those years ago. She cringed, remembering how badly that had hurt. If it had been anyone, anyone else, then she would have tried to stop it. To step in the middle of the fight to help them, no matter how much she got hurt in the process. But Aleth deserved it.

Tarr was even more terrifying than Aleth was.

Tarr didn't stop until there was an audible crunch somewhere in Aleth's chest. At that point he flipped him over and shoved him to the edge of the ring, where he began kicking him repeatedly.
"Think you can bloody my fucking nose, you whore's mole!" he roared, spitting blood onto Aleth as he kicked him. "Think you can break a Lord's nose? I'll break your fucking spine!"
"Give him another moment and we'll pull him off," Constance murmured. Tomhas dipped his head.

(Is that okay? If I hurt him too much I can edit it.)

(It's perfect! Highly enjoying Aleth getting his ass handed to him)

Ky was starting to feel... guilt? Sympathy? She wasn't sure. But she cringed. Her stomach felt a bit sick. And her fear of Aleth was quickly being bottled up and turned into fear of Tarr.

Dear gods, he was even worse than Aleth.

Sure, Aleth had broken a few of her bones before. But somehow Tarr seemed even scarier as he stood over Aleth, showing no indication of stopping anytime soon.

Lyra. Ky had a sudden pang of sympathy for the girl. She had to have it even worse than Ky had under Aleth. And, unlike Ky, she was just going into the abuse, instead of getting rescued from it. She wished there was a way she could rescue her. To offer to take her place so Lyra could go back home with Loquitur. But she was as helpless to fix that, as she was when Aleth beat her, and as she was now, watching worst beating she'd witnessed in her entire life.

"Enough!" Tomhas called as Tarr's boot connected with one of Aleth's eyes. "Enough, Ithicus!" Tarr either didn't hear him or didn't listen, because he kept beating Aleth without slowing. Tomhas leaped into ring, followed quickly by Ewan and Constance. All three of them grabbed Tarr, who struggled against them as they pulled him away from Aleth.
"I said enough!" Tomhas panted, trying to keep a firm hold on Tarr's arm. "Godsdammit, you were about to kill him!"

Ky felt afraid again. Aleth wasn't moving. It was taking all three of them to restrain Tarr. What if Tarr fought them off then came after her? It was an irrational fear, but, she was the next best thing to Aleth. People who wanted to hurt Aleth tried to do it through her.

She stumbled backward, trying to get away from the ring. Tadaaki put an arm around her, pulling her close to himself. Her chest was heaving and she looked up at him panicked. She had to go. They both had to go.

"It's okay," Tadaaki murmured. He was also uneasy from watching it, but there was no reason at all why any of the violence would be turned towards either of them. Aleth had earned it. He and Ky had done nothing at all that anyone in this entire keep, aside from Aleth, could have possibly taken offense to.

"We have to go," she said, looking at him desperately. As utterly as terrible as Aleth was towards them, he was at least a force that stood between them and whoever they were with. Aleth always cut in when people tried to push their luck with her. To tell her exactly what she needed to do to stay safe from everyone else in the world except for himself.

Aleth wasn't there anymore.

She'd thought it would be liberating, but now, she was terrified.

"It's okay," Tadaaki repeated, keeping his arm wrapped around her in a side hug. He met her gaze. He wouldn't ever let anything happen to Ky, ever again. Once his daughter was back in his protection, he'd make sure that no one could ever hurt anyone he cared about. "We're okay."

The three nobles dragged Tarr out of the ring, and Alexander rushed in, getting to work on setting Aleth to rights.

Ky was entirely unconvinced. Nothing about this was okay. Nothing at all. Her gaze flicked from where Aleth was crumpled on the ground, to the knot of nobles, Tarr still looking like he was ready to murder someone.

"I won't let anyone hurt you," Tadaaki promised, pulling her closer.

Ky threw her arm around Tadaaki, hugging him tightly, but keeping her fearful gaze on Tarr. Tadaaki was keeping her from bolting, but if Tarr got away from the other nobles, then she was going to rip herself free and run and never stop running until she collapsed. Let the snow kill her. She just didn't want to be hurt again.

(also I have literally 0 direction for any of this but if any of them say anything that is even remotely close to a request then Ky will absolutely fall all over herself to obey lol like idek but if Tarr was like "where's my shirt?" or something she'd literally sprint to go get it for him, etc. She's big scared right now lol)

(Poor baby I won't do that to her)

"Don't patch him up too much," Tomhas called, wincing as Tarr's elbow connected with his nose. "He needs to be fit to ride but not well enough that he won't need attention from Sera."
Alexander nodded to himself, taking Aleth's pulse. "May I have a blanket for him?" he asked. One of the soldiers hurried inside the barracks for a blanket.
Tarr calmed after several minutes of struggling and placating words from the other nobles. They released him tentatively, though Tomhas stayed close.

(aha fair)

Ky calmed down a bit as she saw that the other nobles had Tarr under control. She eventually let go of Tadaaki. He kept his arm around her gently, no longer restraining her, but there for comfort.

They stayed a cautious distance away from the fury ahead of them, and from Aleth's carnage, but watched intently.

Alexander patched up the majority of the worst wounds and patted Aleth's cheek in an attempt to wake him up. Tomhas, confident now that Ewan and Constance had Tarr under control, went back to stand beside Tadaaki and Ky.
"Alright?" he asked them. "That was...I suppose I should have expected that."

Ky didn't even know how to respond to that. What to say at all. But she was grateful that Loquitur at least wasn't one of the things that was scaring her just then. She shrugged Tadaaki's arm off her and took a slight step away, refusing to cower next to him now that attention was back on them.

Ky gazed past Loquitur, at where Alexander was working on Aleth. It was still so unsettling. But, also, what had he expected when he punched Tarr? Ky certainly wouldn't have done that. Her voice was quiet, eyes still locked on Aleth. "It's always so much worse when you fight back."

"It is," Tomhas agreed. "Perhaps he forgot."
"He'll live," Alexander called. "Barely. Might need to delay departure for a day." Tomhas stiffened at that.
"What?"
"He's in no condition to walk, let alone ride. He'll die if you send him out now."

Ky and Tadaaki both tensed, exchanging a glance. This was as irrational as her fear of Tarr had been -- more so, in fact. Tarr actually could hurt her if he wanted to, despite having no motivation. Alexander said that Aleth couldn't even walk... but... what if he could?

It wouldn't surprise either of them at all if Aleth decided to be vindictive enough to bring a knife into their room in the middle of the night. He didn't have to be physically larger to hurt them. He'd never been able to overpower Tadaaki, and Ky knew better than to try to stop him at this point.

"Fuck," Tomhas sighed. "Alright, fine. Have him moved to his room and keep him there." He turned to Ky and Tadaaki. "You two can stay in the infirmary; you're supposed to be there anyhow. The door there's sturdy as anything, too, so don't worry about any unwanted visitors."