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Somewhere in the world (Candira and runawayninja)

Lionel looked at Rafe and spoke to him in the Germanic High Gothic that Rafe spoke from his homeland. "<I thought you were hiding something...you knowingly endangered Nora?>"

Rafe frowned. Candira could probably tell the words were serious and cross. "<I haven't attacked her have I? I'm not a danger to her...>"

"<I mean your vandel, barbarian friends.>"

"<I don't even know if they know where I am!>"

"Hmph. <Whatever, I'm not afraid of them.>" Lionel turned and headed out, a harsh look upon his face.

"Dumkopf." Rafe muttered out and shook his head.
 
Candira rose an eyebrow and then sighed as Lionel left the room in a huff. "Okay I was asking for that reaction," she said, groaning as she moved to lie back down on her bed, coughing a bit. "He'll come around. Nora's the one we need on our side, and it looks like she's in." She closed her eyes and looked over to Rafe. "So from what I gather, he's pissed right? Upset you endangered his charge? Seems like what he'd be upset about." She opened her eyes and looked over at him. "Will you come sit with me?"
 
Rafe sat next to her and nodded slowly. "Lionel seems like the kind of person who likes things to go as planned and when they don't, he wants to attack the problem with a sword. I've seen people like that in the Black Riders. Fate was similar, but he expected things to go wrong...and when they did he welcomed it because it meant he got to use his tactical prowess." He looked at Candira. "Speaking of which...when you're well, I'll teach you some basic self-defense if you like. Some of what I used back in the brothel, it's called the Hessen Defense."
 
She chuckled and looked at him. "I do know some self-defense, Rafe. I don't know if you've ever seen me actually fighting before, but you should know that when the behemoth from your group picked me up in a choke hold, there wasn't much I could do to fight. In fact, most people couldn't have fought of that monster." She coughed again and sighed. "I'm not defenseless, but I would appreciate you teaching me more--it never hurts to be prepared." She smiled and reached out to him. "I want you to promise me something, okay? Whenever you feel overwhelmed or sad by all this, I want you to come to me. And I'll do whatever I can to make you feel better." She smiled and held his hand.

She wasn't sure it was the best time to tell him how she felt. She was sick and couldn't do much more than hold his hand or hug him, but she wanted him to know how much she cared. Telling him she loved him right now might be a bit too much. So she'd wait just a little longer. "When I'm better, we're not standing in the rain again," she teased.
 
"I just want to make sure you're alright..." He gave a soft laugh and hugged her, leaning on her. "I promise..." His face sobered up as he stared outside the window. "I had a dream...I think. It was from the night we were in the brothel, I think my anger stirred the Raven Lord. When he sleeps, when I'm happy, he dreams and I can feel those dreams. Not anything conscious or overt, more like...fleeting memories. Lord Sin's past I think, fragments of it. Especially his moments of wrath. Battles of the gods. Great and...terrible things. I can only imagine the others that hold the fragments in them of the other gods feel the same but...sometimes it's like I can feel its persona bleeding into mine...when I get enraged, it feels good. It feels...right to just unleash all that pent up emotion in explosive fury." He looked up at her. "That's why I need you to keep me in check, even if...it means putting me down. You can't let the Raven Lord go beyond fighting the unjust. If I fail, you have to protect others. The power of the gods, even the tiny, merest fragments of it are not meant to be here on the world."

He looked back out the window, laying his head against her. "I can...almost remember being told by Gaia, the World Mother, that me and Dima would be forever parted. Sin felt...so angry. World shaking anger and...sadness enough to drown it ten times over. To divide night and day, light and dark for the sake of the world. And then to know that when I hated Dima, she'd yearn for me, and when I wanted her, she'd never stand the sight of me..." Rafe was mixing his pronouns when speaking of the memory. "I try so hard to understand Lord Sin sometimes, but what little I have, coupled with mortal limitations...it's like being and ant and contemplating a human."
 
She smiled and hugged him again, glad to have him near her. "I'll be okay." She smiled and squeezed him, watching him as he continued. "I can't imagine how hard it must be to live with a fragment of a god. It must be like having a whole soul sharing your body. Dima seemed to understand it all...she said that I could ask for the help I need from any of the gods at a temple...I only hope that we can get what we need," she said, hugging him. "I can't pretend to understand the gods, but I'm sure they understand us."
 
He nodded slowly. "That's good..." Rafe looked up at her. "If the gods are involved, this must be a grand plot indeed. But still, the question to me is, who could orchestrate such a thing and escape the wrath of the gods?"
 
"I'm not sure, but Dima said that a fragment stood little chance against the full power of a god. She named some of the other gods who'd been fragmented...I imagine the only people who'd do something like this had a grander plan than we are aware of...the wrath of the gods is inescapable as far as I know...but maybe they can't strike down a person with a fragment of themselves inside?" Her head was beginning to hurt.

"I don't know."
 
He shook his head softly and sat upright. "Now is not the time for such things. You need to get better. I'm going to go and see if we can get some kind of breakfast..." Rafe got up, intent on finding them something to eat.
 
Before he left she told him the directions to the kitchen and smiled softly at him, watching him leave. She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall feeling so tired already. She hadn't even been awake for more than an hour. "I love you," she said softly, though he was already gone. She'd tell him one of these days. Really she would.

Nora had gone to check on what her chores would be first. Mostly they had to do with prayers and other various services, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. The princess wondered if the others were alright in her absence. She was worried about Rafe and Candira, and Lionel as well. She only hoped that her protector would understand that this was bigger than her problems. Sighing, she went to work, knocking out a few of the easier services before going to the kitchen to see about food.
 
Rafe returned with some hearty stew and fresh water from the well, along with a loaf of bread for them to split. He smiled and set a bowl and mug on her nightstand before going back to get his own. Once he returned and smiled and sat, starting to eat. "Mmm, this is good...good hearty meal for the morning..."
 
"Oh wow, I didn't know they made this kind of thing for breakfast," she said, sitting up and taking her bowl. "It smells so good," she said, taking her spoon and digging in. It was delicious, but it was definitely not the typical breakfast. She wondered if he liked this kind of thing better for breakfast or if he was just glad to have a good meal. With a shrug she smiled at him and ate with him, enjoying his company.

Nora had found out that Rafe had just been to the kitchen for some breakfast for himself and Candira. She smiled at the thought that he'd taken it upon himself. She made sure Lionel hadn't come in yet and then started in the direction of the rooms with some food, looking for him.
 
Lionel was outside, helping to carry in buckets of well water. He was wearing simple, plain clothes, carrying in two pairs of buckets with a long, thick staff upon his back. As he walked with obvious effort, his musculature strained with the weight of the water upon him, showing the years of training and swordsmanship on his chest and arms. Lionel had opted to carry four at a time.
 
Nora should have figured he'd do something physical to clear his mind. Lionel always seemed to throw himself into his work when things were bothering him. She frowned as she saw him straining himself, but said nothing, preferring to wait until she wouldn't distract him from the task at hand. She had to admire his strength though, the way his muscles seemed to tighten and flex as he moved. Blushing softly, she looked away until she was certain he was finished hauling the water. Then before he could go back outside, she stopped him.

"Lionel, will you eat breakfast with me?" She asked, the tray she carried obviously showing that she had brought the food anyway so he may as well take a break. There were benches around so that he could go right back to work when he was finished if that's what he wanted.
 
Lionel smiled a bit and nodded slowly. "Sure...I could use a good meal before I work too much more..." He walked to her and sat near her, happily taking one of the bowls. "Thank you, I appreciate this..." He seemed to be in good spirits as he wiped a bit of sweat from his brow, starting to dig in. "I suppose we'll be moving again, are you alright with all that's going on?"
 
She smiled at him as he took the bowl from her. His mood seemed to have improved drastically, so strike one up for physical labor. She took her bowl and dug in as well, sitting on a nearby bunch with him. "I'm getting used to the idea. There's no real reason to be upset. I've already come this far, after all." She shrugged and continued to eat her stew. "I was upset before for a number of reasons. It's a little daunting, but I think there's no avoiding it. She smiled at him and turned to face him a bit more. "What about you? From what I saw earlier, I'd venture to say you weren't pleased?"
 
Lionel grunted a bit. "I'm just anger at that man, Rafe. What he didn't tell us could have put all of us and our objective in great danger...perhaps I'm overreactingly, but that's how I feel and only time will make that go away, I suppose."
 
She nudged him a little with her shoulder and smiled. "Well it's not as if Candira wasn't aware of it too. You're right; he could have put us all in great danger, but I don't think he'd ever intentionally do so, Lionel." She sat back and broke a little bread roll in half, handing some to him as she took a bite of it. When she finished chewing she continued. "In any case, we know now. And I'm glad you're with me," she said with a smile. "I'm sure I'll be safe with you."
 
Lionel nodded slowly, dripping the bread in the stew and chewing on it thoughtfully. "Well...I suppose it was just the shock. I just...I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you. If I failed your family..."
 
Well there was a loaded statement if she'd ever heard one. What exactly did he mean by that? Or rather, how did he mean it? There were so many different ways to take it, and she didn't want to get her hopes up when it came to Lionel because he'd made it clear that he didn't think they belonged together. "I don't think it's possible for you to fail us, Lionel," she said gently, taking a sip of water. "I know that you'd protect me the best you could, and that's all anyone can ask. I know you'd do everything in your power." She smiled and went back to her stew. What I don't know is why! She sighed and wished that for once, she could get a straight answer out of him. But she doubted that she ever would. She was coming to the conclusion rather quickly that he was a lost cause.
 
Lionel quietly began to hum a little tune, one he had heard Nora herself hum when she was a child and his family was at the royal palace. Lionel had watched her in silence from the gardens. He looked at her. "Do you remember that?" It seemed sudden, but he was oblivious to her indecision.
 
It took her a moment to recognize the melody, but she did remember it. She used to hum it all the time when she was little. What brought it up now, she wondered. She blinked and looked over at him as he asked her if she remembered. And she smiled softly, nodding. "I do. I used to love that song," she said with a smile. It caught her off-guard to be reminded of such a thing and she chuckled. "It must have driven the people around me insane to hear it so often. I'm a little surprised that you remember it though. I don't remember you being around all that much when I was that little."
 
"Well, I wasn't...but..." He chew some more of the bread and swallowed before speaking again. "My family visited the palace once and a while and..." He shrugged a little. "I remember seeing a pretty girl in the gardens once, humming to the birds in the fountain..."
 
Well now...what the hell was she supposed to do with that?! She wasn't entirely sure what to think and it was making her head hurt, to be honest. Still, the fact that he remembered her and spoke about it made her think it was a happy memory, and it made her smile. "I had no idea I'd made such an impact at an early age," she said with a chuckle. She smiled and finished off her stew, setting the bowl back on the tray to enjoy her water. The question now was whether or not it was duty that bound him to her. That little jaunt down memory lane had muddled up her very clear answer again.

"Why did you bring it up now? Did something remind you of it?"
 
He looked back out to the sky above the walls around the castle. "I...I don't know. Maybe it was all the natural surroundings around here, made me think of the gardens. But...I just clearly remember seeing this pretty girl...humming..." He was rapidly getting lost in the memory. "And I had no idea who she was, I was just a boy, and...I was just too nervous to talk to her. I kind of wish I had."
 
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