9.

Upon hearing about the abuse of an animal, Summer unexpectedly stood and took a step towards Magnus before speaking, "If I may make a request Sire," she murmured softly, her violet eyes already pleading, "I would like... I would like to take the hawk... If.... if I may. I do not care what state it is in, I will take full responsibility of the hawk. I know I have no right to ask, since I am a slave, but I promise to ask no more of you than this."

It was a thing unheard in recent years that elven slaves would ask for something to not just her master, let alone a lord. A few among the council expected the elf to be beaten on the spot, but to those who knew Magnus well enough knew otherwise. He then turned and marched up to the elf, looking over her bare figure with a cold gaze. But the tense moment passed like a spring wind over the remaining remnants of winter. 

With a smile the head of the Grimwards nodded, "I do not see why not, he was one of our finest hawks. I will have Merlin brought here quickly, his worse injuries have been mended, but I have a feeling you will take good care of him." With a snap of his fingers, two nearby guards marched away into one of the many corridors leading away from the hall.

With many a bowing head to their lord and new Sage, the Grimward council departed from the main hall. This left only a few guards, the lord Magnus, his bastard, and the elven sage. As the council left though the two guards sent by their lord returned with a small bird sized bed, and upon rested the hunting hawk known as Merlin. Without thinking about the consequences that could arise, Summer did not wait for the guards to get to her before she rushed over to the Bird of Prey resting on the bed. 

Carefully, she ran shaking fingers over one of the splinted wings and let out a muted sob. She wasn't sure why, but touching the Hawk, she could feel the birds pain and it made her cry. "How... how could someone do something like this?" she murmured so quietly only the Lord Magnus heard her words, "To harm a life so much smaller than you... you would have to be a monster."

After a moment more, she looked up at the Lord, "May I... may I hold him?"

The tall human smiled and nodded, "You may. And should you find it within yourself to care for Merlin, consider him your companion. I should warn you though, he may be healed physically, but his spirit seems to have dimmed since he came back with my son." He then nodded to the guards who placed the bed into Summer's hands.

"I don't know how Sire... but... I can feel his pain as if it were my own. He would like... He would like to know why Fredrick did this. He doesn't understand what he did wrong," she murmured, "He feels, he feels that he has been [i]betrayed[/i] by the person who was supposed to take care of him."

Summer looks up at Magnus and manages to maintain eye contact as she waits for either him to reply, or Fredrick. She hoped that her voicing what she felt in her soul from Merlin would not cause too many issues to erupt, but she also knew that the Hawk wanted those questions answered and she was the one to ask them. To her, Merlin was a being, a soul, to be treasured and taken care of, not hurt, beaten and broken. She would never look at Fredrick as anything more than a monster.

Magnus Grimward could only sigh, "I have failed as a father my young elf. The blame lies on me, any anger you feel toward him comes from my actions ... or inaction. I am sorry." And then he bowed his head to the naked elf.

Ostel seeing this could not help but gawk and ask aloud, "Father, what are you doing?" the bastard then shook his hands in disbelief, "Actually never mind that, what in the heavens did you just say?" Never before since the first wars between elf and man on Lucerna had a human say what the lord just said.

The head of the Grimwards merely said, "The truth, something that needed to be said." he then looked to the elf and again said the words, "I am sorry young elf, for so many things." he said with his gaze hitting the floor in shame. 

Before Summer or Ostel could ask him by what he meant, Lord Magnus took a deep breath and composed himself again, "I suggest you leave soon Ostel, the University in Tenebra will need your presence.soon. Take the elf with you though, and watch over her." he then looked to Summer, "Pardon me for moment, Ostel come here."
Ostel was unsure what to make of his father at that moment, but he seemed of sound mind. After walking to the foot of the throne, leaving Summer with the stricken hawk, his father then said something the Ostel did not expect, "The elf, she is the Sage of Wind."

And then the bastard's head reeled, but his father continued, "I cannot begin to tell you how this will affect us here in Lucerna my son. You must guide her, and help her realize that not all humans are as bad as Fredrick." He said with a rare hint of worry.

Ostel gave a disbelieving look, "I am not sure if I can Father."

With a grim look his father then said, "If you cannot Ostel, Sage of Light, then I fear for the safety of our house. No, for all humanity."