Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 4)

"I'm going to throw up if I move," Tomhas muttered around chattering teeth.
"Well, we're going to have to risk it." Gaius took him by the arm, helping him away from the tree. Tomhas whimpered. "Wick, help me with him." Wick nodded and moved forward to support Tomhas, taking his weight from Gaius. Harold followed along behind, looking two parts horrified and two parts bewildered.

Zander decided he was going to risk it, too, and wrapped his cloak around her shoulders. He was glad he did. He was instantly much, much colder without it. Which meant Ky needed it desperately.

She didn't react.

Tadaaki had collected Aashi and Tasia. They were both crying, but had recovered from their initial gut-wrenching sobs. He was trying to shoo them into the Keep. They could get things figured out. Then he and Ky could go. They just needed to get some food and horses if Tomhas would spare them. Then they could be on their way.

Tadaaki ushered Aashi forward, holding Tasia in his other arm. But he hesitated when they got to where Ky was standing. He handed Tasia back to Aashi and grunted for them to follow the men inside.

"Ky." Tadaaki approached her slowly. "Hey, Ky? It's time to go to your room now, okay?"

She blinked and looked up, but her eyes weren't seeing.

"He's done now," Tadaaki murmured. He felt like a bit of an asshole for being manipulative. But he knew how to work with this Ky. He'd seen far, far too much of her. "Now you have to go to your room. Let me help you. You need help."

Ky nodded stiffly.

Tadaaki touched her shoulder first. She tensed, but didn't try to get away.

"It's Aaki," he murmured. "I help you. Remember?"

She nodded stiffly again.

"I'm going to help you."

She nodded again; mechanical at this point.

He scooped her up in his arms and she fell against his shoulder heavily. They'd done this before. Tadaaki always took care of her after Aleth. Always.

He started towards the gate, Zander right by his side.

Gaius watched this happen, face softening as he saw how Tadaaki was with Ky. Good; they needed to get warm, and they needed to feel safe. So did his brother, for that matter. He followed Wick and Tomhas, gritting his teeth against the pain in his leg. He'd ask Sara if they could sleep downstairs somewhere tonight; he'd need someone to carry him if he was to brave the stairs.

(I'm off to bed. Goodnight! What a day this was.)

(Indeed! Night!)

What the hell had Aleth done to them? The fear was starting to wear off, leaving behind anger -- hot and sharp -- and Zander struggled to keep it under control. But he did. His anger wouldn't help anyone at all.

He wiped at his own face. Nyler's blood had sprayed across him. He didn't care. But he needed something to do with his hands since apparently, this random man was better with Ky than he was.

It was clear they'd dealt with something like this in the past. Zander felt sick to even begin imagining what she'd endured. Her abdomen made him want to cry and vomit and murder all at once. She'd been through so much. Tonight, but also in general, it seemed. Even without the capacity for rational thought she clearly implicitly trusted Tadaaki. Was willing to put herself entirely at his mercy.

Ky, meanwhile, was off to wherever it was that she always went when Aleth started hurting her. He didn't like when she struggled or cried -- that always made it worse. So she just went away to a safe little box in her mind where Aleth couldn't reach her. It didn't matter how much blood he let out of her -- that inner safehouse was there to guard the essence of who she was. And she could come out of it once Yeona patched her up again. She just needed Yeona to help. And then she needed to rest. Aleth almost never came at her a second time after he'd let Tadaaki into the room. Which meant it was over.

Tadaaki's face was grave but stoic as he quickly strode forward with her. The way she was laying left her left forearm resting across her own abdomen -- blood soaking into the fabric of her shirt. He couldn't tell much just from a quick glance, especially since it was still covered by her ripped, bloody sleeve, but it looked like she'd be okay. She wasn't losing consciousness -- yet-- which was a good sign. He always got so anxious when she'd lost enough blood she started blacking out. Ky was clearly in another dimension now -- but still otherwise alert -- which was good.

He just needed to get her inside so they could get her warm and looked over properly. He caught up with the men ahead of them quickly. "Where do I take her?"

(So Yeona was one of Aleth's slaves, too. Ky was his translator/scribe/secretary/etc. that you've seen so far. Tadaaki took care of his horse and his yard and acted as a bodyguard/physically threatened people and such. And Yeona did all the cooking/cleaning/etc. and also was the one who patched Tadaaki and Ky up when Aleth went to town on one of them. She was there before Ky and by the time Ky met her she was already timid and submissive and obedient -- and she spent by far the least amount of time with Aleth of the three of them -- and he had fairly routine expectations from her.

(So, he was still horribly nasty to her verbally and occasionally would slam her into walls and whatnot but never to the degree he did Ky and Tadaaki. And she got a break when he was traveling because he always wanted her to house sit rather than have her tag along. The household was just the three of them and Aleth -- no other staff or family or anything. I have no idea whatsoever what happened to her in the midst of all this haha she isn't developed at all. She is in literally only in two scenes of draft 1 -- one when Aleth first brings Ky home as a bloody, limp ragdoll that Yeona has to patch up; and then another where she answers the door and it's Ky being dragged home by a police officer and both Yeona and Ky are like fuuuuuck Ky's gonna die tonight haha)

(Absolutely Ky and Anneliese vibes! And I recall Yeona being mentioned a few times before, at the very very beginning of all this.)

"Infirmary, third floor," Gaius replied. "Laura should be up there. Quickly." He looked around for his wife and children, but they must have fled inside. He would have to find them first, let them know he was safe. And Tomhas needed the infirmary or his wife--probably the former, as a precaution. "Wick, will you find your sister and let her and the children know we're safe? Explain what happened."
"Of course, once I get Tomhas upstairs," Wick grunted; Tomhas was heavy. Tomhas still looked close to fainting, so Gaius stayed nearby.

(Ooh okay cool I forgot haha)

Tadaaki started forward quickly, heading for the stairs. Ky was heavier now — her body now somehow even smaller and yet dense, unable to stay alert. It made her harder to carry. And, worse yet, terrified Tadaaki. “Stay with me, Ky,” Tadaaki murmured. “It’s always worse when Yeona has to use the smelling salts, remember?”

He still felt like an asshole for leading her on like this. But he was familiar. The knowledge of Aleth attacking her and Yeona patching her up was familiar. And it was enough for Ky to open her eyes again. She didn’t like the smelling salts. She remembered that much.

Zander started to go after them, then heard the conversation and noticed Wick seemed to be struggling with Tomhas. Right, then. He wasn’t about to part ways with Ky — but if Tomhas was heading to the same place — which he looked positively green and close to fainting so he probably was…

Zander sighed softly but turned back to the other men. “Here, I can take him up. You can go find the others.”

"Thank you." Wick eased Tomhas over to Zander. "He's not hurt bad, I don't think. Just rattled." Tomhas, still shivering badly, tried to support his own weight with some success.

Zander nodded, still doing his best to heft Tomhas up as much as he could despite Tomhas seeming to regain the will to walk on his own. They’d get him there faster if Zander was doing most of the work — and he anxiously wanted to get to the infirmary as soon after Ky as he could. “C’mon.”

“She’s going to bandage your arm,” Tadaaki murmured soothingly. “Then give you medicine to help with the pain. You’ll feel better with blankets and meds and tea. You just have to hold on until the, little one.”

"You..." Tomhas took a deep breath. "You killed those men. Saved Ky..." He could talk without vomiting, that was progress. Was she alright? "Is Ky...?"

Yeah, he supposed he had. They’d see if he retained his welcome after the family just saw him kill two men with no hesitation and no difficulty. And no guilt at all. “She’ll be fine.” He hoped. “But the faster we get you to the infirmary, the faster we can both make sure that’s true.”

Tadaaki was still trying to keep her in this world, even if her mind was still elsewhere. Ky felt herself pricking back into reality. And she didn’t like it. Her arm hurt so badly and she felt so weak and afraid. But safer in Tadaaki’s arms. He said, “what flavor tea do you want? We’ve got all sorts today.”

He wasn’t expecting an answer. He just wanted to give her something that would force her to think. And think of something other than what had just happened.

"Thank you. I'm sorry." He grimaced. "I should have done something. I'm sorry."

“You did do something,” Zander said. “You kept him off Ky long enough for me to get there to finish him. We saved her together.”

Zander wasn’t sure Tomhas had it in him to take Nyler out — had he ever killed someone himself? — but the distraction had helped. And Tomhas needed something to focus on other than guilt.


“I bet they have some berry flavored tea,” Tadaaki murmured. “Or mint. Or maybe some green tea.”

"I just--I couldn't, not again. Not so soon." He felt lightheaded again, and he stumbled. "Ohhh, gods..."

Oh. Right. Aleth. He still seemed like a man who was better suited to governing and having someone else get their hands dirty. Zander wrapped his arm further around Tomhas and lifted more of his weight, all but carrying him at this point. And, if he was anyone else than the literal Lord of the Keep where Zander wanted to stay until he was satisfied Ky was better— he would have tossed him over his shoulder already and been carrying him up the stairs rather than having him limp along.

“I’m glad you let me have him,” Zander said honestly. For Tomhas’s sake — he certainly didn’t need that on his conscience — but also for his own. “It’s the next best thing to taking revenge on Aleth himself.”


“You always like berry tea, right?”

Ky nodded weakly. Tadaaki really did just know her so well.

“What flavor berries are in season this time of year? I can’t remember.”