In Need Of Assistance (Maeve)

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin knew she was in a greater comfort here with Maeve than she ever would have been at home in the same condition. There she would have been left to her Uncle’s physicians who hardly had a gentle touch. She knew she would have to return to her home with a broken arm, perhaps it was not too far to walk when she had the strength to think about it. She smiled at Maeve’s later words, about Caitrin finding happiness in Camelot. Caitrin would not have believed it possible to find happiness in Camelot when she had first been sent there. She hadn’t wanted to know anything about the place, and was sure her reception would be as cold as her existence had been in Mercia. She had been proved wrong however, and it was for the best she supposed.

Although she knew Maeve was just being polite, Caitrin could not smile back at her comments about a big family being nice. Never in Caitrin’s life had she supposed this to be true, she had always felt lonely in her Mercian home. Her brothers had little to do with her life when she was growing up, apart from when she had joined them in archery practice. And as for her sisters, well, they had never quite understood Caitrin, and vice versa so they too had never got on. Caitrin gave a small shake of the head, “I was never lonelier than in a full house.” She said softly and then turned her attentions to Maeve’s next question. She had not seen much of any of her siblings before she had left Mercia, and none of them have bothered to write to her so she had returned the favour, “I have not heard from anyone but my father since coming to Camelot.” She always dreaded her fathers letters, after all, they were hardly friendly and always concerned her lack of marriage.

Caitrin’s eyes were still following Maeve’s hands as they concocted the potion for her. She wondered what she was putting in it, but then the only way to find an answer to a question was to ask for it, “What is in the potion?” She asked brightly and took the goblet as Maeve handed it to her. She sniffed it first, she did not suspect Maeve of poisoning her or something like that, but she wanted to gain a smell and taste for it before it hit her lips. It smelt odd so she raised the goblet to her lips and began to drink the potion. It did not taste horrible, but neither did it taste nice. She drained the goblet quickly and felt slightly queasy for a moment and took a few moments to gather herself before passing the goblet back to Maeve with a smile. “It was fine.” It was only a small lie so it was not too terrible, “Will that dull the pain?”