Ash stood still for a long pause, his eyes directly staring at Gregar. Somehow, his mind was not really believing what the Duke said. If it was becoming of him, he'd have hung his mouth agape. [b][i]WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING OAKHEART?[/i][/b] He screamed in his mind. Becoming a knight just like that, a knight of the very man who had crossed blades not long before, of the same man whose bannermen reviled him as [i]Knightslayer[/i]. He briefly pondered if he was setting [i]trap[/i] in the deal. But he had the feeling he wasn't. The [i]Oakheart[/i] truly believed in honor, at least for what he had seen in the battlefield. And yet here he was, offering to raise Ash status beyond the common folk. For just defending a homeland that he had said he would defend anyway. [i]Are you a genius, or a fool, Gregar? Perhaps a bit of both.[/i] He thought again, thinking on all the strings he would be attached to. And to think he had given up on becoming a knight and leading a simple life...

Fortunately, the strange newcomer, with his posture and his venomous stare and regalia, made Gregar momentarily distract himself from Ash. He thanked the timely intervention, although not to what seemed a tribal warleader. He was clearly stating the intention to stir trouble, and unlike Ash posturing from before, this went beyond a mere show of strength. It was a hidden servile insult.

[i]What the hell, It'll make a good story, anyway.[/i] Ash finally conceded, and waited for an opportunity to give his answer to Gregar. He knew the virtue of patience and didn't press the situation much, content with standing idle for the time being. Patience was a virtue after all.

[hr]

[b]"Mother"[/b] Brier advanced slowly but surely, fighting an epic struggle to maintain her sense of self and integrity.[b]"Kevin is with the child now. Unfortunately, wounds he sustained in the war prevent him from coming here. Both are well."[/b] Brier let out a half-truth, omitting important facts like their deaths. [i]Or at least I hope so, they deserve a good afterlife. Both of them.[/i] If she had outright lied, her mother could've tried guessing the truth out of her. Mothers always did, in the end. [b]"Don't mind my looks. I just fell."[/b][i]In disgrace.[/i] She mentally added to her other half truth. Her arms reached for her mother's body, embracing her in a tight hug. [b]"I'm sorry to have heard about father."[/b] She said back, not hesitating. Her sorrow for her father, was drowned aswell. She'd felt sad otherwise, but the death of her little child had made her numb to the death of Rikard.

Letting her go after a while, she gently rubbed her shoulder. [b]"It must've been hell to you, mother. You look...haggard. You mustn't have eaten nor slept in days."[/b] Brier didn't even need to ask to know. Her mother's mind had been rattled so much she was almost dead in life, her mind shut in from most worldly matters, but still not allowing her body to rest. Definitely not good.

[b]"I'll give you a tonic."[/b] Brier smiled faintly. [b]"So you can rest for now."[/b] She noticed her left hand shaking. She was also at her wits' end. She decided that for the sanity of both, it was best she ended the encounter, so she leaned forward and kissed her mother in the cheek. [b]"i have to get a bath. I still stink."[/b] She added, excusing herself out and closing the door intently or slowly.

Biting her lip and clenching her fists, he saw Lidia prancing around with a bucket. [i]"Sorry, m'lady, everyone's else is busy, so the bath might take a while."[/i]. If Brier's gaze could turn people to stone, she'd done with the servant now. She eyed her up and down. [b]"Forget that."[/b]

[i]"m'lady?"[/i] The servant asked, obviously intimidating by Brier's stare.

 Brier grinded her teeth. How she wished to have poppy sap now, to make her own mother rest without pain. [b]"You will tell the handmaidens of lady Catryn to prepare a tonic. Said tonic will include the most powerful brandy you have in the cellars, and three spoonfuls of honey per cup. Make lady Catryn take two cups. No more, nor less. If she protests, tell them I, lady Brier, sent them with the tonic."[/b] Brier then took her skirt in her hands once again, and began in a hurried pace, to search for Joakim. There were things to be done. Many things.