Outside the Oak Grove (6 Spaces): Plot Thread

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`{@} Caryss {@}' and o.O.o Gwynllian o.O.o

Caryss's path takes her into the kitchen, where she is soon enfolded in the matronly arms of the keep's old but far from feeble cook.

"Miss Caryss! We had no word you'd be coming today."

Caryss smiles thinly as she returns the hug. "I am here for the wedding, Ekaterine, and it is good to see you. May I help you with those pies? I need..." she lets out a soft sigh. "I need some time out of my head."

Punching the dough, rolling it out, and forming it into the pie shells which wiill soon be filled with Ekaterine's sweet fillings occupies Caryss's mind as well as her head, and she emerges, dusted with flour but looking slightly more peaceful, some time later.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gwynllian allows an expression to cross her face which on anyone else would surely be a smirk.

"You don't fool me, girl. You may have that father of yours thinking that you're polite and demure, but the two of us know differently, don't we, my dear. There's fire there."

With this, she turns and begins to sweep from the chamber, poised and cool.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Another servant, little more than a boy, with all the gawky awkwardness of adolescence, approaches Torin, drawn by the sound of the man's playing.

He shifts his hat from one hand to the other, clearly nervous, and he coughs once, clearing his throat.
 
] Torin [

It is some moments before Torin quite realizes he is being watched, but when he does, he coolly ceases his playing, replacing the recorder into a small pocket in the lining of his quiver as he says simply, "Good day. Am I needed for something?"
 
The boy runs a hand through his mop of curls, his gaze not meeting Torin's.

"Yes...I mean...uh...no...I mean..." He stutters. "You're the one who came with her, right? Miss Caryss? She t...took care of me when I was sick. She's not...she's not like that mother of hers. Begging your pardon, sir..."

His cheeks go red with embarrassment.
 
Torin nods slightly in response. "I was asked to serve as escort to her and the Lady Aella on their journey here. I am Sir Torin."

He lets out a quiet 'heh' at the mention of Caryss's mother. "I can see the differences already. I too have had a fair few wounded tended to by her hand, and her manner in doing so is a deal less... sharper than I might expect from her mother. Of course, I do not know the woman well, and thus should probably keep reserved about such things.

"Again, is there something I can do?"
 
The boy stares at his shoes, mumbling something too low to be heard. He still seems absolutely terrified, but of just what...or who...isn't clear. With a gulp that causes his Adam's apple to bob, he forces his cracking voice to a slightly higher volume. He goes on as if he hasn't quite heard Torin's question.

"I s...saw you talking to her. She...she was crying earlier. I just wanted to let you know I'd do...I'd do anything for her, Sir. And...and you're not the only ones staying here. That...That Lord Raoulin is coming. I had t...to unpack for him last time he was here, right after M...Miss Caryss's father found out she'd agreed t...to marry that knight. Oh, he didn't like that...neither of 'em d...did. I wasn't supposed to hear...b...but I did..."

He still doesn't look at Torin.
 
] Torin [

Torin's brow lifts, clearly gathering that there may be more here than the surface shows.

Of course, the boy is not exactly in the best of states, either.

Torin thusly drops to one knee, in an effort to speak on the boy's own level.

"Easy, lad. I was asked to serve as her escort, and therefore her welfare is on my mind as well - perhaps this extent is not quite required of me, but I do have my own reasons as well. Lady Caryss is struggling indeed, and if something you can tell me might aid that, do please speak.

"Though it need not be here, of course. Perhaps you might prefer someplace less open?"
 
The boy sucks in a breath through his teeth. "Tamas," he offers, referring to himself, clearly.

He dips his head. "There...there's not much more th...that I should say, since." He frowns. "But...there were some things in Lord Raoulin's...bag. As mad as he was...what if...what if he comes back and wants to hurt me too? He..he yelled at me..."

Tamas covers his face with his hands, obviously not wanting to say anything more.
 
] Torin [

The archer's brow furrows as the young boy speaks, and something about his tone and choice of words. Before he can quite keep it in check, his curiosity starts to speak for him.

"Hurt you too? Then who..."

He halts himself.

Easy, Torin. The lad's clearly uneasy. There's no sense in pushing him too far, he'll just close up further, and there's no use to be had from that. Not to mention the poor chap's frightened enough.

Still, the questions pour into Torin's mind, and he finds it difficult to be content with letting them bounce around.

His choice of words implies that he's hurt others before... why? How? And he clearly saw something that only served to agitate such fears... what was that? This must be handled delicately...

Resolved to find out what he can, he puts a firm, but not uncomfortable, hand on the boy's shoulder, still speaking on his own eye level.

"There is courage is speaking the truth even when it is difficult, Tamas. And if we are to help Lady Caryss, I think that is what we need."

The wider an archer's scope, after all, the better he can read the situation and where to make his move...
 
Tamas draws in a sharp breath, his words seeming to get choked up in his throat. He stares at the ground, finally speaking in a near-whisper.

"I...I don't...don't know if I'm brave enough for that..."
 
] Torin [

Torin's tone remains gentle but firm.

"Bravery is nothing more than being able to do the right thing despite fear. And that is something we are all capable of."

He stands, not desiring to leave without the knowledge the boy seems to possess, but also not wishing to yank it out at the boy's expense.

"Whether you act upon it, however, is no one's choice but your own. I shall not press you to decide contrary to what you feel."

He smiles faintly. "I shall be around, however."

He begins to make as if to move back towards the manor.
 
Tamas

Tamas blinks several times, gulping in a huge breath. His hands contract into fists.

He barely whispers, "Th...there were the rats...and..the d...dog."
 
] Torin [

Torin halts as the boy continues, whirling. Not having expected to have heard anything further from Tamas, the surprise is evident on his face, at least for a moment. He makes his way back, returning to one knee, again to speak with the lad on his own level, and lowers his own voice.

"What do you mean? What about them?"
 
Tamas

Tamas blurts it out, finally. His voice has the choked sound of one who is determined that he will not cry. He looks at the sky, at the trees, at the withered grass—anywhere but at Torin.

“They…d..died. He killed ‘em..I s…saw him give them…food. Must’ve been p…poison. And n…now he’s coming back. F…for me.”

This is too much. The boy breaks down and, Torin’s presence or no, he makes a dash for the house.
 
] Torin [

Torin's brow furrows, this little bit of information somehow needing a moment to digest.

Whatever he may be thinking as a result of it, however, he apparently decides it can wait.

The archer rises, and heads off at a light jog in the direction the boy left. Though there is a bit of time separating them, Torin's longer strides and speed bring him to Tamas soon enough. He reaches out a hand and puts it on the youth's shoulder, friendly but firm.

"Hold a moment."
 
Tamas

Tamas squeezes his eyes tightly shut at the touch, freezing in place.

"A...all right. You're...you're not gonna hurt me too, are you?"
 
] Torin [

Torin shakes his head.

"Of course not. As a knight, it is my duty to see to the safety and the welfare of my country and its people. From the King to the lords to the villagers to the servant boys."

He again drops to one knee, more to speak on Tamas' level. "You have my word that I will do nothing to hurt you, on my honor as a knight. And I will do what I can to see that no harm comes to you for what you have said. There should be no fear for speaking the truth, after all. Although, some would have you think otherwise."
 
Tamas

Tamas takes a deep breath, forcing his shaking to stop.

"W...well, if you promise you can prot...protect me...I'll tell you wh...what you wanna know..."

His eyes never leave the ground.
 
] Torin [

"Upon both my honor as a knight and my brother's sword, I give you my word I will do my utmost to."

The archer offers a small smile, in hopes of easing the lad. "You need not fear me. I strive to be a man of my word."
 
Tamas nods, his expression unusually solemn for a boy his age.

"All right. I'll...I'll try and t...trust you much as I c...can. What else do you want me to do to help Miss Caryss? I c...can be brave."
 
] Torin [

The archer gives a small nod. "I understand you have little reason to trust me beyond my position - you hardly know me, after all. I will not press you into anything you are not comfortable in saying."

He pauses. "You spoke earlier of Lady Caryss's father and Lord Raoulin speaking after they discovered Caryss had promised herself to a knight... that knight was my brother. He and I were... very close, and as a result, it is my desire to see to her safety and welfare, as my brother would do himself were he still alive. Whatever you can tell me of the man..."
 
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