A Chance Meeting

[Oseya]

'SAMUS!' Oseya ran over to the burning remains of the house to find Samus crippled and trapped by a fallen beam. 'I'll get you out, you'll be fine I promise.' 'Just leave me Oseya, don't waste your energy on a dying man.' Oseya already knew it was too late,Samus was already too sick, but he had to try and save his master. 'I'm not leaving you here, can you help me with this beam?' 'Oseya, you need to listen to me. The Oak, in the field, with the rectangular incision, take this, and take what is inside.' He handed Oseya what looked like a small key. 'Go, don't waste your time on me, I am at peace, finally.' Oseya stood back respecting the dying man's wishes, tears welling in his eyes. He left for the Oak, found the keyhole, and took the gilded Blade inside.

Oseya awoke with a start. Every nightmare became more vivid each time. He put his hands over his face, and felt sweat dripping from his forehead. This was new. Running his fingers through his hair he could feel it was greasy. 'I need to find somewhere to stay, or at least get cleaned up' he thought to himself. Sleeping in forests was beginning to take it's toll, he hadn't found a stream or river for days and was in dire need of fresh water and a wash. His sense of direction was a little off, but by now he must have made it into Mercia at least, even if only on the very outskirts of the Kingdom. Oseya stood, brushed himself down quickly, and began packing up the equipment he had managed to obtain before leaving Esaria just over a month ago. Was that how long it had been? A month? It seemed far longer.

Once his items few were packed, Oseya picked up Samus' sword from the ground and placed it sheathed on his side. He hadn't yet been forced to use it for fighting, meaning it was still as clean as the day he obtained it. Quill and Shortbow slung over his back, Oseya left off again, in the direction of what he hoped would be Mercia.

He walked for several hours and eventually found a road. 'Thank heavens, finally a road I may follow. Hopefully this one will actually lead to a Village of Town.' There had been many bad experiences with roads. One road he followed, not long after leaving Esaria, sent him to a mine of sorts, then shortly after another road led him to a chasm without a bridge. Oseya could really do with some luck here, he was really running out of options.

After following the road for around an hour Oseya noticed a small group of bandits hiding amongst the trees either side of the road. Amateurs. You would think someone who's life choice makes it necessary for them to be hidden would be better at concealing themselves. However, there was six of them, and no matter how well Oseya could try, he would not have won against them. So instead he ducked into the treeline in an attempt to go around them. It was as he began this change of direction that he noticed a coach moving along the road in the opposite direction. 'Great' He thought 'The bandits will no doubt have something to prey on now'

He was right, the bandits started shifting, communicating between each other. Oseya had to act. The coach didn't seem to have guards, it looked defenceless. Oseya did not want to fight anyone, but yet felt strangely compelled by some inside force to prevent this from happening. He drew his Shortbow, hoping that he would manage to hit his target as would be unusual. He loosed an arrow, and managed to fly straight past on of the bandits, who didn't even notice it. 'Oh brilliant, now I'll have t get close and get Samus' sword covered in blood.' Oseya sighed, but nonetheless drew his blade and moved quickly yet quietly towards the bandits ready to pounce on the coach. 'Oh I do hope this doesn't go horribly wrong'

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin leaned her head against the side of the carriage and sighed. She hated going anywhere by carriage, it was just so stifling. She would have much preferred to go on horseback, but of course her sisters had had to use the horses that morning so she’d had to take the coach. She’d only wanted to go through the forest for a while, the guard she had taken to drive the coach of course hated her for it, but he was employed by her family to drive the coach and she needed driving. She’d drawn back the curtain of the coach so she could at least feel the wind on her face that was some small consolation at least.

She hated travelling by coach, it was so bumpy and just irritating, plus she had to go at whichever speed the driver chose, rather than the speed she wanted to travel at. Caitrin put her head in her hands and looked out of the window longingly. It wasn’t a cold day, quite the opposite, which only made it worse that she was stuck in this stupid carriage.
Caitrin pulled the small dagger she had lodged in the belt at her dress. She didn’t trust her driver to look after her if anything did happen, not that it ever did. Many thought better before messing with the de Archers. Her family wasn’t the friendliest of noble families, and certainly lived up to the name ‘warlords.’ Caitrin gave a small yawn, the coach was too stuffy and was making her feel slightly sleepy.

She stuck her head out of the coach window and frowned, “I wish to stretch my legs.” She said to the driver who groaned,

“Can you not wait until we get back home my Lady?” He said in an irritated voice and Caitrin shook her head,

“I am requesting you stop this coach so I can stretch my legs; now.” The driver groaned again but complied nonetheless. The coach ground to a halt and Caitrin stepped out of it, half jumping onto the ground. Now this was much better. She ran a hand through her hair, she was only fifteen now but she was enjoying every moment of freedom she could grab. She knew her father was in talks with her Uncle to send her to Camelot; Caitrin didn’t care much for the move, but it was much preferred to being shoved into a random nobleman’s bed, so she had gone along with the suggestion of a move so far.

She walked a short distance away from the coach, the dagger still at her waist and just inched slowly down the road, just to get some peace and quiet. The forest truly was beautiful and sometimes Caitrin forgot just how much she loved it. She bit her lip nervously; she would miss little things like this when she was sent to Camelot.

Her head flew up as she heard a branch snap. “Hello?” She called out, no one would dare try anything would they? Her hand lingered around her belt, just in case, just for her own peace of mind.

[Oseya]

As Oseya crept up to the first bandit, he noticed that the coach had stopped and a beautiful woman, most likely of noble descent had stepped out of it. She was truly beautiful, he had never seen a woman so elegant. He paused for a moment, gazing, almost forgetting the situation at hand. He was dazzled by her red hair. He had no idea that someone could have such a shade of hair. Being from a small village he had never met anyone with ginger hair before, and it amazed him.

Despite his utter bewilderment, he forced himself to continue toward the bandit, who Oseya could see was preparing to attack. He didnt have much time, he'd have to work quickly. Sword in hand he muttered 'Here goes nothing' and moved his other hand to the bandits mouth to silence him before ending his life. Oseya felt downhearted, he never thought he would be forced to kill a man. As the man fell to the ground there was a loud snap of a branch underneath him.

'Hello?' Oseya heard the woman call out, now there would be trouble. He had no choice but to attract more attention to himself. He saw the bandits shifting on the other side of the road and knew what was about to happen. Running out into the road, into full view, dripping blade in hand he called out to the woman 'Bandits! There's bandits by the road. Back in the coach, get back in the coach!' He then turned to find a bandit had run out of the woods behind him, sword in hand. As he turned he swung his sword to the bandit's throat, but was parried. 'A challenge? How fun.' Smiled Oseya.

The bandit swung, then stabbed, both of which Oseya was able to parry. He got close to the bandit, and punched him square in the chest, winding him temporarily, giving Oseya the advantage. A deft blade strike left the bandit disabled, who was quickly replaced by another two. Oseya unleashed a fury of attacks on the two assailants. He hadn't fought like this in a long time. It reminded him of when Samus, Gafgarrion and Oseya all trained together. Once the bandits had been dealt with, he attacked another bandit, who seemed to already be carrying wounds and had utilized half his quiver.

He was soon dealt with, and Oseya wheeled round expecting to find the other bandit, yet he was nowhere to be seen, and the coach driver had been shot with an arrow. Oseya checked to see if he was still alive. He had a pulse, but barely. He needed to find out where the other bandit went. He removed the arrow, very carefully, checked the tip. It was poisoned. He could heal the man, wake him, but the poison he could not heal. Oseya spoke the awakening incantation and placed a hand on the driver's head. He awoke with a start 'Who are you, what happened?' 'Names aren't important, you don't have much time. The arrow that shot you was infected by Dragon Fire poison, which I cannot cure. You need to tell me where the other bandit went, and the girl.' Of course, in his haste he had forgotten about the woman. Where was she? 'I don't know, I don't remember seeing anything, I'm sorry, but i can't he-' The man's words were cut off by a loud groan, followed by a deep sigh.

The man was perfectly still, the poison had taken hold. He wasn't dead, just frozen, and there was nothing Oseya could do. He had to find that bandit, and more importantly the woman. They cant have gone far, and for a moment he thought he heard running and rustling trees. He went with his instincts, ran towards the sound. He was met with the sight of a bandit's quiver, sword and half of a bow lying on the ground, followed by a thud that sounded like someone hitting the ground. 'No!' He shouted at the air.

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[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin felt her heart thud in her ears. She knew that it was probably nothing, she probably hadn’t even heard anything. These roads always did this to her, she was always more jumpy in the forests, she was only young after all, and she had heard about men who preyed on women on these roads. It didn’t scare her too much to put her off completely, but she knew she always had to be on her guard, she’d be stupid not to be on her guard really wouldn’t she? She took a step closer to where she had heard the noise and held her breath as she heard a thud.

She was about to call out again but a man suddenly jumped out of the trees. She gave a small scream, his sword was dripping in blood. Her eyes widened and she went to run but just found herself staring at the man who was shouting at her. Wait? Bandits?! Caitrin looked back to the man and then to the trees where several men were now emerging from the trees. She wasn’t usually one for running away, but she was faced with several men with swords, and she rather liked her face the way it was.

She grabbed the side of her skirt to pull it along as she tried to run back to the coach, but found her path blocked by one of the bandits. She drew her dagger quickly, her heart still thudding in her ears. The man made a grab for her but she swiped for him with her dagger, she’d been taught how to use one as a young girl, and she was well practised, however this was the first time she’d actually had to use one. She caught the mans arm and he swore out. She took her opportunity and ran forwards to the carriage. As she did she saw the coach driver sprawled where he had been sat with an arrow in his chest. She put her hand to her mouth and stopped dead, her mind went blank and the only thing she could think of was how on earth was she going to explain this to her father?

Caitrin looked around, a different bandit was now advancing on her, she didn’t look round to the man who had warned her before she took off into the direction of the forest, her dagger still in hand. She didn’t care where she was running to, she just didn’t want to be there. Caitrin looked back over her shoulder, she couldn’t tell whether the man was running after her or not, she just wanted to get as far away from the bandits as possible.

She looked over her shoulder again, and didn’t see the raised tree root in front of her and she caught her foot in it and tumbled straight to the ground. She let out a small cry and her dagger flew off in a random direction. Irritated with her own stupidity she groaned out with pain, and was then struck with the urgency of her situation. She could hear footsteps coming in her direction and she scrambled around for her dagger. She found it in the dirt and gripped it quickly, spinning round just in time to see the bandit gaining on her. She scrambled to her feet and stood in front of the bandit, holding the dagger firmly in front of her. Her hand was slightly shaking but she tried to ignore it; the man had a sword and this clearly wasn’t going to end amazingly.

The bandit gave her a toothy smile but she didn’t falter. Who the hell did this man think he was? She was Caitrin de Archer, how dare anyone treat her in such a way. Clearly this man had no idea of ranking, or his place in the world. She noticed his eye line and narrowed her eyes at him,

“Are you going to give me that jewel around your neck quietly or am I going to have to take it from you?” He asked her, drawing his sword and Caitrin kept hold of her pathetic little dagger,

“I’m not going to give you anything; forced or willingly.” She snarled at the man and took one step backwards, smirking but keeping her eyes on the man in case he tried anything.

[Oseya]

Sorry for taking ages to reply, my internet was playing up. Thank you for being patient

Oseya rushed to the sound of the thud. That was it, he had failed to protect an innocent woman, he had failed himself, and Samus. What would he do when he arrived to see her body lying on the floor? He knew nothing about her, he couldn't even return her to her home. Yet, what he found when he got there surprised him.

'How? How did this-' He was speechless. The woman and bandit were both there, but certainly not in the way he thought they would be. The woman, in all her beauty, was stood wielding a dagger, whilst the bandit was on the floor, writhing in pain. Oseya stood, dumbfounded. He would never have thought something of such beauty could be so... so deadly. 'You'll regret this, you stinkin' whore, just you wait, people'll hear-' Oseya silenced the man with his sword, before he could slander the woman any further.

'You're alive? I thought that bandit had got you for a minute there. Are you hurt? If you're hurt I can heal you, honestly, it's no trouble.' He was mumbling and he knew it. Part of him hoped she was hurt, just so he could touch her skin. He proceeded to decide this thought was slightly inappropriate, and of course wished that no harm had come to her.

'My name's Oseya, but you can call me Oz, if you like. What's your name? I bet it's not as beautiful as you are.' He gave a little smile. In fact, he was quite embarrassed at what he just said to her, and hoped he wasn't blushing. It was moments like this that made Oseya laugh at his naivety when he looked back at his life.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin was trying to stop her hand shaking. She had to keep strong even though the bandit was on the floor, even though she had the upper hand she was still shaking. Caitrin knew she was stronger than this, she was not shaking because she was afraid, no, she was a de Archer and she could handle this. However, the shock of the situation had taken a turn for the worse on her. She was still holding the dagger at the bandit as the man from earlier came racing through the trees. He was staring at her; why did men always stare? She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and pointed to the bandit with her dagger,

“There is a more pressing issue.” She half joked and the man seemed to get her drift. The bandit was starting to insult her and she took a step back from him, in case he tried anything. She knew that she had the upper hand still but she was still in shock. The man moved forwards and cut the bandits throat with such ease that it made Caitrin feel queasy for a moment and she turned her head away and looked to the floor until her stomach felt more at ease.

When she turned her attentions back to the man who had come to her aid he began to babble at her. Caitrin widened her eyes at him somewhat, her mind was still mulling over the events that had just passed but she did lower the dagger and replaced it at the belt at her hip. “I’m fine, honestly I’m fine.” She was probably trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince the man that she was alright. She was still in a state of shock but was doing her best not to show it. The only injury she had suffered was probably a bruise to her ankle where she had caught it as she had fallen, but that was nothing to worry about really.

Caitrin found herself pleasantly surprised by the man as he attempted to charm her. He was even blushing. Caitrin did not return his blush, she never blushed on behalf of a man before and could not see why she should start now. Instead she gave a small curtsey to the man, as was a force of habit and smiled at him. “I shall let you decide which is more beautiful, my name is Lady Caitrin de Archer.” They were in Mercia, so surely he would have heard of her family, they were quite dominant in Mercian lands. She knew she had family in Camelot as well but they were a less known branch of the de Archer clan. “It is a pleasure to meet you Oz.” She wouldn’t usually be so informal, but if he had requested that was what she called him then who was she to deny him? He had after all just saved her life.

She then shifted rather awkwardly and fell back on her confidence and smiled, “I should thank you, for warning me about these...” She tried to search for a word which was not too demining to her status, but still fitted the bandits accordingly, “Bandits.” Was the only word she could find and she smiled back at Oseya once more, “How can I ever thank you enough?” It was right that he deserved some thanks, after al she could be dead without his warning and help. She hadn’t been able to finish off one of the bandits, let alone the few who had originally attacked her.

[Oseya]

Good, she wasn't hurt, that was a load lifted at least. Which begged the question, how? How could such a woman have been able to evade harm from at least two of the bandits? Clearly he had underestimated her. Or maybe this kingdom was notorious for bandit raids, though Mercia was, as far as he was aware no more dangerous than Camelot. Unless he was not in Mercia. If that was the case, what could he do? Either way, he could always find out from this 'Caitrin de Archer'.

He was right, it was a beautiful name, though one he had not heard before. It sounded exotic, foreign almost. 'I'm glad you're O.K. I don't know what I'd have done if it had gone bad.' For a moment he thought that what he said might be a bit much for the woman to think about, and so paused, creating a somewhat awkward situation. He barely spoke to women at home, and when he did they were older women, or wives of Samus' friends.

'I was right, it is a beautiful name you have, if you don't mind me saying of course. Though it's not a last name i've heard before. Where does your family come from, originally? It sounds like a name from outside of Albion, sort of, exotic.' He needed to stop blushing. It was getting bad, he could even feel his face heat up. Great, now he'd made a fool of himself in front of a beautiful woman. Samus may have taught him how to fend off bandits or a trained soldier, yet he could not have prepared him for this.

Caitrin had asked him how she could repay him, and all he could say was 'You don't have to pay me back, honestly. You were in trouble, I was hardly going to stand by ad watch them jump out at your carriage now, was I?' Then he thought of a way he could be repayed. After all, he had spent the last month with no-where to sleep but the forest floor and the odd abandoned forest hut here and there. 'Though, if you could spare a bed, or even just some hay, and a place to wash I would be really grateful.'

She introduced herself as a lady, was dressed in what resembled expensive clothing and went for a ride in her own coach. Oseya's guess was, she had a place to stay, and probably had a spare room. Besides, it would be nice to spend a little longer with her.

[Caitrin de Archer]

The shock of the whole event was still stirring in Caitrin’s mind. She was aware of bandit attacks occurring in Mercia, but she had never been subjected to one. She just felt completely stupid; if she hadn’t stopped the carriage everything would have been fine. If she hadn’t been so bloody impatient and stubborn then she would still be in the carriage on the way home. At least her hands had stopped shaking and she began to brush down her dress, though she wasn’t sure how much effect that was going to have really. Her fall had stained parts of her skirts which would only be got out by excessive washing, and that could only be done at home.

Caitrin shifted slightly as Oseya reminded her of what could have been. It could have been her lying lifelessly on the floor instead of the bandits and she ran a hand through her hair thoughtfully. No, it had not been so she so she should not dwell on it; she was sure. If she constantly just thought about what could have come to pass then she would surely drive herself insane. “No neither do I.” She said half joking and gave a small sort of smile.

Caitrin had never come across anyone with the same last name as her before, apart from her immediate family. But she had never really thought it particularly exotic. She smiled at his small compliment, she had received many compliments over the years, but no one had ever complimented her name before. “My family have always resided in Mercia, all but my Uncle who now lives in Camelot.” He was blushing again and Caitrin let out a small half nervous laugh. She had only met her Uncle a few times, but her father had often made it known he was considering giving him her wardship. It had never come to anything so she often just put the thoughts to the back of her mind. “Are you ok?” She asked him with a kind smile, his cheeks were practically scarlet and she couldn’t help but smile at his condition.

Caitrin had expected a reaction like that from Oz, and she was about to protest when he did suggest a way she could repay him. She considered it for a moment, and faltered slightly. She would be glad enough to give Oseya a bed for the night but her father would perhaps prove less willing. She was sure she could get past that little hurdle, if she was lucky her father would not even be in, then she would only have to deal with her sisters. “My father’s house is very large, I’m sure I could offer you one of the rooms for as long as you need.” She finished it with a smile, she was sure her father was supposed to be on some war mission at the moment so he wouldn’t even be at home.

She was feeling slightly awkward, not to mention nauseous as the bandit’s corpse was still lying within eye line. “We should get going, it is a long way off, and I would rather be away from...” She gestured towards the corpse lying there. Of course the coach would still be on the road, that was a point; there was a horse on the carriage. That or the carriage itself could surely be used to get them back to the de Archer household sooner rather than later, “I think I remember the way back to the carriage.” She said shakily, looking off into the trees. She hadn’t really been paying attention when she had been running here, but perhaps between them they could find their way back to the road.

[Oseya]

Oz was glad that Caitrin knew her way, in his flight to her whereabouts he had ran without thinking about where he was going. She had it right though, they needed to get away from these bandits and back to the coach. If the horse was still able they could use the coach. It would be easier that way, Cait could be comfortable within the coach itself while Oseya led the horse to her home. Though she would actually have to show him which way to go...

As they walked back to what Caitrin believed was where the coach still awaited, it was rather tense. Oz wanted to speak, but something was almost holding him back. He just couldn't think of anything to say to the woman. They had both experienced the same thing together, yet it was as though they were so separate from each other. She may have spoken to him, Oz couldn't be sure. His head was pounding. Not now he thought. This is probably the worst time to have an episode. He tried to keep it under control, he couldn't let this woman see his weakness. It just kept pounding. Harder. Pressing. Against his skull. He could feel himself weakening. Suppressing it made it worse.

Oz felt a pain in his shoulder. They'd hit him with something. Not an arrow, and they were too far away for a sword hit. Magic, it must be. He fell to the floor. Clutched for his sword. Another hit, his leg this time. His vision was blurred, he found it so hard to move. He couldn't get to his sword, he heard someone getting closer. The man spoke, his words distorted. 'Versum Emunastra' Oseya managed to utter the words of power with what little energy had left. He was no longer in the hallway of that place. That dark, stinking place. A forest, the light bearing down on his face, a woman standing over him.

He awoke with a start. Almost as though his vision was merged with reality. Cait stood above him, he felt safe with her. Yet he felt a fool. Oz couldn't believe he had shown weakness to this beautiful woman, he was shamed...

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin vaguley knew her way back to the carriage, she hoped at least it would still be there. If she'd lost the cart as well as the driver her father would string her up by her neck. That was already worrying her, but she wasn't about to admit such things, no she'd put a brave face on like usual and just smile at the world. It was how she usually got by after all.

The shock of the whole event still made her hands shake and brought a bit of bile of her throat. She didn't like bloodshed, it was never a pretty scene. It always made her uncomfortable when her brothers and father spoke of such things. War was never a topic which should be discussed with any degree of positive emotion. How could the killing of men be discussed with pleasure at all? Caitrin didn't understand it.

Lost in her own thoughts, she turned around to make a comment to Oz, but she blinked as she found that he wasn't there. What on earth? And then she spotted him lying not too far back on the forest floor. She froze; had he been hit with something? Rushing forwards as her brain moved into gear, she quickly fell beside him and her eyes washed over him. She couldn't spot any place of impact, but she kept searching. She looked up rather wildly, now worrying that the bandits had come back and caused Oz some sort of injury.

His chest was still moving, so at least he was still alive, that was something. She put her hand on his shoulder and began to speak his name to him, trying to gain some sort of response. Jesu, what had happened? He had been fine a few moments ago! His eyes were starting to open, so she crooked her neck over his face and bit her lip, "Are you ok? What happened?" She asked softly, but also with urgency; she wanted him to be ok, she didn't want to see any more bloodshed today.

[Oseya]

Still lying on the floor in a heavy daze, Oseya looked up at the girl stood over him. She spoke inaudibly and he tried to stand up, to no avail. He would usually wait for ten minutes or so before getting up after a vision, they left him so weak, but he felt the need to appear strong in Caitrin's presence. He had shown his weakness in front of a woman he had only just met. Not only could this ruin any strength he wished her to see of him, but it also meant that he was almost forced to place trust in her not to say anything, trust he wasn't quite sure he should be placing just yet. He managed to work out what she had said just seconds ago, he was processing very slowly. 'I'm fine, honestly, there's no need to worry. It's just something I have every now and again. It's fine, really I'm fine, I just need to be still for a moment.' He was very aware that his speech was slightly slurred, a problem that was to be expected. These visions seemed to get more violent each time, and that one wasn't a memory, as far as Oseya was aware at least. They say that some memories are so shocking that they bury themselves, could this be one of them?

As he lay there, with Caitrin above him, caring as a mother would her child, he realised that he had never really had such a caring person around him. Of course he had Samus, but he was never truly a caring man, and the closest to a mother he ever had was the village nurse, who he never really saw. It was nice to know that someone was worried for him.

Eventually he managed the strength to stand, then took several moments to begin walking again, back in the direction of the coach. He felt he should explain to her exactly what happened. After all, she must have been rather worried, and if it happened again she would most certainly be far more hounding. 'Look, Cait, I should probably explain what happened back there.' He turned to look at her, but continued walking. 'Recently, I've been having these kind of, sort of, visions. Usually they're in my sleep so they aren't that bad, but every now and again they happen whilst I'm awake.' His heart was beating very fast, he'd never told anyone this before, though he's never really had the chance. 'They've been getting stronger, more violent, to the point where some of them actually hurt me. Like then, I was hit in the back by something, and I felt it in reality. I'm sure they aren't anything to worry about, but I just wanted you to know, just in case, I don't want you to worry about me.'

They probably were something to worry about, but that was his issue, not hers. He needed to resolve it, if of course he could. Oz was strong, and was sure he would be able to keep control of these 'visions' to the extent of not causing him sever damage.

[Caitrin de Archer]

As he tried to speak and move, but promptly failed, Caitrin only felt her worries increase. She had no idea what to do. She knew the healing power of herbs, but they were in the middle of nowhere. Plus, vital information had a habit of escaping your line of thought when you needed it the most. She just stayed very still and watched him, at least they were free from the threat of bandits for the time being. Breathing out slowly she nodded as he told her not to worry and gave him the room he so clearly needed. She stepped away from him for a few moments and began to gather her bearings. Although she had been running away from the bandit when she had left the road, Caitrin had a vague idea of where the carriage and horse was. "Feeling any better?" She now asked softly as she wandered back over to him.

Her lips pressed together in concern, would she have to move him herself? Or she would even have to find the horse and bring it to him. A hundred and one thoughts were racing through Caitrin's mind, but it seemed she wouldn't have to put any plans into effect. "Are you ok to stand?" She asked him when he had finally got to his feet. Caitrin kept by his side, just in case he went a bit wobbly again. At least then she could try to catch him, or at least cushion his fall if he did go faint again.

As Oz began to tell her about his visions, she listened with curiosity. It sounded interesting, and yet worrying at the same time. She just nodded at his words, she couldn't imagine being inflicted with such an ailment. It would be more irritating than anything to Caitrin. He could tell her over and over again not to worry about him, but she wouldn't listen. How could she not be concerned about him? He had been fine one moment, and the next moment he had been on the floor unconscious. "What are these 'visions'?" She asked curiously, "What do you see?" She hoped he wouldn't think that she was being rude, she was just interested after all.

Caitrin then shifted her vision so she could focus on the path in front of them. Fortunately she could see the road and she let out a soft sigh of relief. Smiling she turned back to Oz, "Well at least that's one problem solved." Caitrin declared softly and moved towards the carriage, "Do you still want somewhere to stay?" She hoped this little episode wouldn't have changed his mind, he wasn't any less of a man in her eyes, and she just wanted to repay him. "We should be getting to my fathers estate soon if you do?"