Young Writers Society

"Let me take your cane," Sara offered as she held the horse. Gaius said nothing, merely passing his walking stick down to his wife and accepting a guard's proffered hand as he dismounted. He landed hard and staggered, and the guard steadied him.
"Are you alright, sir?" he asked. Gaius shook him off, holding his hand out for the cane. Sara gave it to him, but her eyes flickered over him.
"You're hurt," she realized. "What happened, Gaius?"
"She's gone," Gaius said flatly, leaning heavily on the cane as he limped toward the Keep. "I couldn't find her." Sara hurried after him, looping her arm through his to offer extra support.
"We don't know she hasn't found shelter." She looked him over again; he was favoring both sides now. There was no blood visible yet; he just seemed sore. "Gaius, you're injured--look at me." She stopped, and he turned slowly to face her.
"I'm cold," he protested without tone, a dead expression on his face.
"You're cold and we'll see to that when we get inside," she relented, "but you need to talk to me while we walk. What happened? Are you alright?"

He couldn't decide whether this whole matter with Cecily had made things easier or harder. On the one hand, it had given him free rein of the Keep for a few hours. On the other, it had clearly shaken Ash and would keep him distracted. Which either meant that Aleth would be left to his own devices, or he'd be locked down even worse.

He wasn't hopeful.

"I rode halfway to Bard's Rest," Gaius murmured, and they began walking. "I followed her tracks--she stole a horse. I followed her tracks and then it started to get dark...I kept going anyway." Sara said nothing, focusing on getting him inside where it was warm and food could be brought out. "There was a scuffle somewhere down the line; the ground was torn up and the snow scattered everywhere. Brigands, I thought, but I'm not so sure now. The boot treads were uniform."
"Soldiers?" If so, perhaps Cecily had found her way to Tomhas's men. But what were they doing so far into Venholm?
Gaius nodded heavily. "Maybe. I tracked them further, but I got turned around. Spiders." He paused as they stepped inside and pulled aside his cloak. His overcoat was torn badly on the left side, ripped all the way down to the skin where Sara could see blood oozing from a gash in his side. She put a hand to her mouth, staring in silence for a moment.
"We have to get you to Sera," she said softly. "Now."
"You think I don't know that?" Gaius snapped, straightening abruptly and letting the cloak fall. Sara only looked at him, and the fire faded from his eyes quickly as it had come. He allowed her to guide him toward the stairs with a weary breath. "I'm so tired, Sara..."

He wondered whether Ash was going to find Cecily. And whether he'd return even if he didn't find her. It was a strange matter -- this family's relations with one another. He supposed the answer to that would be telling in its own right.

"Yes," was all Sara said. He had plenty of reason to be so; some of those reasons she would much rather he were rid of, but she had argued with him about this so much already.
"Why even go to see Sera?" Gaius went on, cutting off short on the last word to snarl in pain. "Gods--"
"Take it slow," Sara advised as his hand shot to his bad leg. "Slowly, Gaius. You're rushing again."
"Gods, I know that, I know." Gaius sat down on the step promptly, stretching his leg out. Sara sighed and remained standing.
"Gaius."
"I need a moment," he said thinly, resting his head in his hands. "Give me a moment, please."

He was starting to get sleepy. He stretched his legs and settled back into the pillows.

They said nothing else on the way up; Gaius had descended into a broken sullenness, and Sara, the ever-patient wife, the listener, the supporter, made no protest. His silence was a common one, and this was no time to push matters any further. She could do that once he was well and ready to make more sound decisions.

"Gaius?!" Sera shot from her rocking chair as the pair entered the infirmary; she had been waiting as long as Sara had. "Good gods, what have you gotten yourself into, man?" Gaius, white as a sheet, sank onto the closest unoccupied bed.
"I've failed as a brother," he lamented, then shut up again. Sera and Sara exchanged a wordless glance, and Sera looked to Aleth.
"A servant will find you a room for the night," she said to him. "We'll be needing some privacy, I think."

Aleth wished he would have pretended to be asleep.

But he screwed that up. The entrance had caused him to perk up a bit. And now he was intensely focused on it, although after the initial shock he was careful to keep his gaze averted. He looked his own lap and picked at some lint on the blanket.

Gaius's pale eyes flicked to Aleth. "Ah, yes. I don't want to be a bother." He made to rise and Sera gently pushed him back down.
"You're going to be a bother whether you like it or not. Sit down and we'll take care of him." Sera waved for Aleth to leave.
"I'll see to it he gets a room," Sara sighed. "Goodnight, Sera; Gaius. Make sure you both sleep, please."

Aleth realized he'd misunderstood and promptly stood up. He limped a step then grabbed his cane and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Of course."

"Sleep well," Sera said gruffly. Sara stepped out. She wanted to lie down and cry, honestly, whether out of relief or anger or worry or love she didn't know. Gaius was so frustrating when he got this way, but she knew why it happened. She just had to wait it out and then he'd be alright. But they needed to find Cecily as well; that was a rather glaring problem. How, though? If she'd been picked up by soldiers--and it sounded like there had been a fight--and they were Tomhas's, she might be in safe hands. Then again, perhaps not. They might not have known who she was, in which case she could very well be dead on the side of the road.
Best not to think of such things...Sara kept her face carefully neutral.

"Ma'am," Aleth acknowledged, inclining his head. He nodded to Gaius. "Sir." He stepped into the hall after Sara.

Sera shut the door behind them, and Sara was again left alone with this exceedingly uncomfortable person.
"Please follow me," she said quietly; "I don't see any reason to busy a servant at this time of night. I know my way around the Keep."

"Yes, ma'am," Aleth answered, obediently stepping towards her. He wished he could be a fly on the wall for whatever was about to happen in the infirmary. "I'm sorry to be a bother."

"You're not," she replied. "I do this all the time, don't worry." She started off down the hall, being sure to keep at a pace he could match. She'd put him up in one of the higher wings, away from anything important and hard to get up and down with his physical impairment. She'd lock the door for good measure and that would be that until morning.