Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 6)

He glanced again at the tent. "Not long before we depart, I expect," he said. "I'm not sure it's worth it to me to crawl back in there. Maybe I'll sleep in the carriage."

Ky followed his gaze and nodded, also torn on what she should do. She didn’t want to risk waking up the others, given she probably wouldn’t get much sleep regardless. “That’s probably a good idea.”

"So." He huffed out a short breath. "Goodnight, I suppose." He limped toward his own carriage.

“Goodnight,” she said, still entirely unsure what to do with herself. Perhaps she’d get in her own carriage. It’d be cold, but at least she’d be out of the wind. Or maybe she’d lay back down in the tent and try to think of what the hell she was supposed to say to Tadaaki.

(I don’t really have much to add, but I can drag it out if you want some time for Gaius to process a bit ^^ otherwise down to skip to wherever)

(Nope, nothing to add either! Wanna finally skip to Serpent Keep and the arrival, either from Pratik or Ky's POV?)

(Sounds good! Would they allow Pratik to be in the courtyard to greet them? I think that’d be easiest for this scene to play out but dunno if Sera would have him locked in a room instead haha)

Ky was doing better emotionally by the time they finally got to the Keep, and was worrying Zander far less than she had been. He didn’t know what changed, perhaps she’d finally worked through all her emotions about leaving Tomhas and Anneke, but she was talking to him again and her smiles were sparse but didn’t feel forced anymore when he earned one from her. He was glad for it. He hadn’t told her he was leaving tomorrow. That would just upset her, and he didn’t want to upset her further. He wanted her to have the time to process what she was feeling rather than feeling rushed to get through her emotions before he left. He needed her to be safe. He didn’t need her to be nice, if she wasn’t feeling nice. He couldn’t blame her.

Ky was riding by horseback as the Keep came into view. It was as large and intimidating and foreboding as she imagined. She tried to shake off the feeling that she was about to stride into a dungeon. That the margin of her autonomy was shrinking with each step nearer.

Zander was to her right and reached out to clap her knee encouragingly, the nearest part of her body he could pat. “This’ll be good for you, kiddo.”

Ky looked at him and nodded, trying to find something to say that would both be truthful and appreciative. And there were very few things that met both criteria just then. “… it’ll be nice to get off the road.”

(I think after two weeks they've relaxed security very slightly. He'd be allowed to wander under guard.)

Gaius had switched to horseback about an hour ago and was riding at the head of the party. He sighed quietly as he saw the gates of the Keep up ahead; he was home.
"Nearly there," he called over his shoulder to his family, who were still in the carriage. "Very nearly there." He wondered if Pratik had made it, and if he'd brought the Seer with him as he'd ordered. How were they, if they were here? Starving and half frozen, beaten by Tarr? Or had they returned early enough that they were fit and well again?

Pratik wandered towards the courtyard as the news traveled that the party was returning. He was growing rather fond of the guards that cycled through babysitting him. He couldn’t blame them for the paranoia. He would also keep himself under heavy guard if the roles were reversed. And he could tell the guards still didn’t trust him as far as they could throw him. But even still he’d found at least a few were open to conversation as long as he kept it well away from any topic of substance. After so long of sitting down and shutting up, he found it refreshing to be allowed to talk again.

He was also grateful for the food and warmth and new clothes he’d been enjoying these past few weeks. He was still a bit thinner than normal and the scab on his collarbone hanging around far longer than was comfortable, so he was fairly sure it was going to scar, at least a little. Which was annoying. But it was what it was at this point.

He stepped out into the cold and waited for the party to arrive, burying his hands in his pockets and seeing the side eye from one of the guards, he decided he’d pull his hands out again once the gates actually opened, to prove he wasn’t a threat to Gaius or his family. But it was bloody cold out here and he wasn’t going to let his fingers freeze off before he needed to.

Ada had settled into life at the Keep fairly well; she got along with some of the female servants but stuck close to Rickard and Pratik for the most part. She was constantly heading outside to wander the courtyard. Now that she was safe and in warm clothes, she kept marveling at the snow and the dark trees peeking over the walls. She'd also gained some weight and her scars were healing.
She stood now beside Pratik, nestled in a warm cloak as she waited for the gates to open. She wondered what Gaius Ash was like. She'd gained some information about him from Sera and knew him by reputation in the South, but nothing compared to actually meeting someone. She had a picture in her mind of a very old man, thin and sharp as a knife, though she knew he was only forty or so. He had a kind face.

Rickard had taken longer adjusting. He had spent the first few nights awake, staring out the window or at the locked door as if he expected someone to burst in and take away his warm bed and new clothes. His days were spent mostly in the library as he studied the covers of the books and flipped through their pages, fascinated by the images and the shapes the words made. He took to wearing a kerchief about his neck to hide the scars from his collar but otherwise insisted on wearing the plainest clothes he could find in the Keep, still very wary of accepting anything luxurious.
He'd befriended Sera fairly quickly and spoke with her more than anyone else; his preferred territory was the infirmary and the surrounding rooms. Anywhere else he felt he didn't belong and spent as little time exploring as he could, with the exception of the library.
Over the weeks he had begun to loosen up, though, and with each passing day he was growing more confident that someone wouldn't beat him for stepping on the wrong cobblestone. Even so, he opted to remain inside when told that Ash would be returning that day.

(Would Pratik know about the attack? And/or know that Ky and/or Zander would be coming back or is this gonna be a shock? Haha)

Pratik was glad Ada didn’t regard him as the devil anymore. At least, that she’d warmed ever so slightly and he hoped that meant she regarded him getting her free was worth more than his betrayal that he’d told Gaius about her. Still, he was trying not to push and give her some space to decide when she was ready for a friend.

The gates were creaking open now, and Pratik pulled his hands out of his pockets to reassure the guards, even though his gaze was intently focused on the incoming procession.

(I think he knows about Ky; Sera will have relayed that to him the moment she got the letter but Gaius will have left out the details of the attack)

Gaius rode through first, followed by a few soldiers. Most of the others were flanking Ky and the carriages. He was pleased to see Pratik already there; it saved him from giving orders to find him. He gave Pratik a nod and circled off to the side so the rest of the procession could enter. Someone he assumed was the Seer stood beside Pratik. It surprised him how she had her chin lifted in defiance and curiosity; he'd have guessed she would be a bit more...well, she'd been stuck with Tarr.

Ada was pleased she hadn't been too far off in her picturing of Gaius, though he was far younger than she imagined. A bit of white streaked through his dark hair, but other than that and a few stress lines he couldn't be called old. His face was colder, too. Not kind, but observant and attentive. She didn't trust him, but he looked like a sensible sort.

(sounds good! thanks)

Pratik hoped Ky had made it safe and sound. Hoped that she was finally starting to relax, now that she was away from Aleth. He'd never understood why a kid as decent as Ky had started working for Aleth in the first place. Her being a slave made more sense, and made him so, so angry with himself that he'd bought the whole 'assistant' gimmick and hadn't thought to rescue her.

Pratik returned Gaius's nod, then turned his gaze back at the rest in the party.

Ky's stomach lurched into her throat as her eyes locked on Pratik. She wanted to believe he wouldn't hurt her. Wanted to believe she was safe now that she was within the walls of the Keep. But it didn't matter how thick your walls were if you locked a bear in the room with you.

"It's not me," Pratik said quickly, raising his hands in what he hoped was a disarming gesture. It hurt to see the utter terror flash across her face when she saw him. And hurt even more that it was well-deserved. What was Ky to think of him, when she only saw him when Aleth was hiring him to kill someone? She associated him with death, and he couldn't blame her.

So, she knew about Aleth's plan, too. He figured that would be the case. It wasn't much of a threat to keep her in line if she didn't know about it. Poor girl had probably had it hanging over her head for weeks now.

"He tried," Pratik said, deciding truth was the best option. "And I told him to go fuck himself. I won't hurt you, Ky. I swear it."

"I'm very glad to hear that," Gaius said briskly, accepting a guard's hand to help him down from his horse. He landed and took his cane, limping over to Pratik and Ada. "And glad to see that you've both arrived safely. You must be Ada." He turned his attention to Ada here, offering her his left hand. "Welcome to Serpent Keep."

Ada listened to his words, heard her name. His face was gentler now that he had approached them, though there was an air of businesslike tension in his voice. His left hand caught her off guard and her eyes flicked to his right; it was held close to his abdomen, almost protectively. Injured, then. She shook his hand warily and said to Pratik, "Have you shared all my secrets with him or does he not know I speak no Upper Tongue?"
Gaius answered that himself in near flawless Akarataran. "Forgive me; I did not. My apologies. Welcome to Serpent Keep." Ada raised her eyebrows at him.

(haha busted)

Pratik glanced between them, also a little surprised at how easily Gaius had switched languages -- but glad, for her sake, that she hadn't said anything that would embarrass her for Gaius to hear.

Pratik looked back at Ky, who had slipped off her horse and now huddled next to... Zander? What the hell was Zander doing up here? And why was Ky snuggling up to--?

His gaze flicked from Zander, to Ky, and back to Zander again. The connection literally had never crossed his mind even once before now. But seeing them side by side revealed, or at least heavily suggested, a familial bond. Well, now, that was surprising. "... huh."

"There's business to tend to." Gaius remained in Akarataran, assuming Pratik was learned enough to keep up. "I'm going to get my guests settled and then we'll talk immediately."

Ada watched the strangers dismount and the people whom she assumed were Lord Ash's family climb out of one of the carriages. Three small children and a freckle-faced woman who looked like she belonged more on a farm than in a Keep. The other two who weren't soldiers, the girl and the man who must be her father, looked out of place and uncomfortable. Were they prisoners?