Enough For Now (Griff)

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin de Archer was sat by the fire in hers and Griff’s room. They’d been in Mercia for over a week now, but she still felt like she was a visitor here, rather than returning to her homeland. Mercia didn’t feel like home anymore, which was strange, because Camelot wasn’t really her home either. She was still seen as a Mercian in Camelot, but she seen as a visitor in Mercia. It didn’t make much sense to her, and it hadn’t helped her settle in at all. Caitrin pulled a blanket around her shoulders, Griff had stayed at the feast a while longer than she had, mainly because it was warmer in the hall than it was in their room. She began to fiddle with her engagement ring as she just looked on into the fire. I don’t belong here anymore The thought struck her completely out of the dark, and it felt like the spirits were speaking to her for a few moments. Her life wasn’t meant to be lived out in Mercia anymore. She would live in Camelot with Griff, and any children she bore him would be named Aubert, and aside from her, they wouldn’t have any connection with Mercia. That was an odd thought. In her childhood she just expected to live out her days in Mercia, but everything had changed now, but she didn’t mind. Caitrin couldn’t wait to leave now in a way, they would be leaving in a few days anyway so she didn’t need to worry.

Her line of view only perked up from the fire when she heard oncoming footsteps thundering down the corridor. She gave a small yawn and stretched out, hoping that this was Griff and that they could finally go to bed. The door swung open and Caitrin raised her head with a wide smile, “I was starting to think you’d stay in that hall all-“ Her eyes adjusted to the dark in the doorway and she saw who was standing there. She broke off straight away, and she just froze, like she was a rabbit that was being closed in by a fox. Caitrin stood up straight away, her blanket falling from her shoulders . Payton de Archer hadn’t changed a bit, and he smirked as he came into the light.

“Daughter, what a pleasant surprise this is.” Caitrin took a step back, and shook her head at him,

“What are you doing here?” She asked him, already feeling like she was the young girl who had left Mercia all those years ago. Payton put his head to the side and almost looked disappointed for a moment,

“I brought you up better than that.” His hand was starting to raise from his side, and Caitrin felt her heart thud in her chest. She inclined her head towards him quickly,

“Father.” Was all she could manage through gritted teeth. Payton smirked and nodded at her, stepping towards her again, though Caitrin still backed off him.

“Your Uncle wrote to tell me that you and your fiancée were visiting Mercia. It’s funny, I don’t remember you asking my permission to marry.” Caitrin stiffened up again, “Where is he?”

“I don’t need your permission, father. And my fiancée will be here presently.” Payton could tell an argument would be best had with the said man in the room, so he nodded and gestured towards the goblets in the corner of the room. Caitrin took the hint and slowly made her way into the corner of the room to pour out two goblets, half praying Griff just stayed in the hall, and didn’t come back tonight. She didn’t care what he did, anything was better than subjecting him to her father.

Tags: Griff Aubert
Timeline: Series 3-4 gap
Location: Griff and Caitrin's guest chambers in the Castle of Mercia
Notes: Thread of awkwardness[/size]

[Griff Aubert]

Griff wasn't warming up to Mercia and Mercia wasn't warming up. Caitrin had been lying when she said it wouldn't be that cold. It really, really was, even in the castle's great hall, then again, the alcohol he was currently consuming wouldn't be helping. But it would be rude to say no. And he was making friends. Northern friends. Fun northern friends...only without the fun. The north was weird. And cold. His head hurt. He ran a hand over his face, managing to almost miss said face in the process.

"I think you've had enough..." Lord Dunstan, who had known Griff for about two hours and yet was well aware of his thoughts about his parents, why the north was rubbish and could probably paint a fairly accurate image of Caitrin based on Griff's highly detailed description alone, was trying to take the tankard out of the young man's hands. "Bloody southerners. Can't hold their drink, the lot of them."

"I'll have you...know..." Griff began, using some vague hand gestures which basically involved waving his hands about, and swaying slightly. "I can hold a lot of things. Like...doors for women...and...and rings...can't hold a bee though." His face scrunched up. "Not going to happen. And that's not...southerners that's just a fact." He nearly fell backwards out of his chair, but luckily Dunstan was not drunk and his reflexes were working. Unlike Griff's.

"You're going to bed now." Dunstan told him, half dragging him out of his seat. He wasn't exactly sure how he'd come to be sat in the corner of the hall with the young Glouchedonian, but he felt responsible for him now. "Where are you sleeping?

Griff grinned up at him. "With Cait."

"Ah yes. Lady Caitrin - the girl with the legs." Dunstan shifted so Griff was leaning on him, but hopefully still able to walk. He'd heard quite a lot about Caitrin, enough to know that she probably wouldn't be too happy about her young man turning up in this state. And she was Mercian. It was not going to end well for Griff.

The young man started rubbing the palm of his hand against his eye. "I'm tired." He muttered, almost collapsing on Dunstan.

The Mercian sighed, "Well you can sleep soon. Just need to get you...up the stairs.."

*

It hadn't actually taken that long for Dunstan to locate Griff and Caitrin's guest chambers in the castle. He'd wanted to make sure the lad got their safely, but Griff brushed him off. Caitrin, he'd said, would be more annoyed if she saw he couldn't make it back to their room by himself. Dunstan couldn't argue with that. His own wife was Mercian.

Having been left by Dunstan, Griff was leaning on the wall, trying to at least be able to form sentences before he went into the room. Last time he'd been this drunk he'd started flirting with, or rather at, Yassia, about two feet away from Caitrin. He wasn't going to do something as stupid as that again. He was still having difficulty standing up straight but that was probably just a given now so he pushed himself off the wall fully and walked in. "Cait-" There was a man standing there, a decidedly un-Caitlike man. He frowned, or tried to frown and ended up scrunching his face again. "You're not Cait."

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin had just about calmed her nerves by the time she had poured out the two goblets of wine. She didn’t really want a drink, but she felt she had to be polite, even though she didn’t want to be. She quickly handed her father his goblet, “I hope it is to your liking, my Lord father.” She felt like a parrot, everything she’d always strived to go against, but his hand kept stretching from his side, and every time it did it made her heart thud in her chest. Payton took a few sips of the wine and to Caitrin’s surprise, he nodded slightly,

“My brothers tuition has not been wasted on you, daughter.” Though his words were almost a compliment, there was still an unfriendly chill about them. He was still sipping on his wine and just looked his daughter up and down. Luckily, Caitrin reflected, she hadn’t changed into her chemise just yet, she was still wearing a fitted scarlet gown. Payton circled his daughter, and Caitrin just stayed very still, not even moving to take a sip from her wine. “You have become a woman,daughter.” His hand were very quickly grasping her cheeks between his index finger and thumb, but still she didn’t flinch, “Who has your Uncle thought worthy to claim you as a prize?” He released her but only so he could step back and take another sip of his wine,

“I am not a prize to be won, father.” She bit back and Payton chuckled, as if this was all just some big joke to him. Caitrin finally took a sip of her wine, thinking it would calm her nerves somewhat; after all it couldn’t make them worse. Payton looked as if he was about to say something, but he was saved the trouble of speaking as the door to the room swung open. There was a blissful few seconds when Caitrin didn’t realise just how drunk Griff was, and as soon as she did she inwardly cringed. Payton sharply turned around and just looked Griff up and down with an instant air of disgust about him. He looked back at Caitrin who had already set her goblet down and was rushing to Griff’s side. “Griff, come on, I’ll help you to bed-“ Before Caitrin had reached Griff, Payton put his hand up and Caitrin just fell silent and rather still by her father’s side. She looked up at Griff, she had thought if she could just hurry him into their sleeping quarters that this crisis could be averted. She didn’t want to be having this conversation, especially when Griff was half cut.

“I think you should explain what this fool of a man is doing in your chambers daughter.” Caitrin still hadn’t moved and she let out a sharp breath and could feel her pulse increasing. She really, really didn’t want this to happen. Her father would disapprove of Griff, after all he barely approved of her, what chance did her fiancée have?

“This is my fiancée, Griff Aubert, we are to be wed in the next few months.” She explained, almost with a shaking tone, “Griff, this is my father, Lord Payton de Archer.” Payton took a step towards Griff and pressed his lips into a small smirk before looking back at his daughter,

“Is this some kind of joke daughter? Because you know I am not a well humoured man.” She shook her head and bit her lip nervously,

“No father, it is not.” Her courage was coming back slightly but she could see her fathers anger was rising, and Griff was just sort of standing there; helpful. “I intend to marry Griff, my Uncle has given us permission.” She wasn’t quick enough to step away from her father as the back of his hand collided with her cheek. Her slender hand clutched at her stinging cheek and she just stared down at the floor. Well, it was like old times again.

[Griff Aubert]

Griff was still confused as to why there was some random blonde man in the middle of the room. He was well aware that Caitrin had a reputation to match his own but really? He'd only been gone a few hours, this was perhaps a little premature. If he was slightly more in control of his movements and speech he would have said something, but as it happened he was currently distracted by the thought of being in bed. Ah, bed. Bed was nice. And warm. This was a good plan. Why was he not there already? What kind of operation was Caitrin running?

Such thoughts quickly left his brain when the blonde man spoke, and Griff found himself not liking him even more. It was one thing to be in the middle of his chambers at night with his fiancée, it was quite another to start insulting him. They were his chambers too! Again, if he wasn't quite so drunk he would have done something he'd probably regret. Luckily, he'd gone past the stupidity stage about an hour ago and was now safely in the not-really-understanding-what-was-going-on-but-going-to-carry-on-anyway-with-quite-some-gusto stage. "Now hang on-" the hand was waving about again but he'd quite forgotten what his point was. Before he could remember it Caitrin was speaking so his hand dropped and he just stood there, trying not to fall over.

Wait...Griff narrowed his eyes at Caitrin before slowly turning his head towards the man-Payton...de...Archer...oh. He was already scratching his neck. If he could just be sober right now that would be excellent. It would be really, really excellent. He was trying to think of something, anything he could say to salvage the impression he was making so of course he was drawing a complete blank and just stood there rather uselessly. If Payton didn't kill him now, Caitrin was definitely going to kill him when her father had left. Either way, his demise was inevit-

It took him a second to register what had just happened but already he could feel the anger building inside him, which probably wasn't going to mix well with the alcohol still in his system and before he knew exactly what he was doing it was too late to do anything to stop himself anyway. His fist collided with what he could only hope was Payton's face. Jesu that hurt his hand. He started shaking it but that wasn't actually making a difference. "No one touches my fiancée, you...Mercian!" It wasn't that greatest insult, especially as Caitrin was Mercian too but given the circumstances he thought he was doing quite well...in a round-about sort of way.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Payton de Archer never did anything without reason, and that included the way he was currently treating Caitrin. He wanted to get a feel for this man’s personality, and Payton preferred the upfront approach, rather than dabbling around the topic. After all, what good would talking do? Men could easily lie through words, but actions were much harder to fake. Payton set down his wine, his hand still stinging from where it had collided with Caitrin’s cheek. He smirked at her, but of course she was just staring at the floor. He just pressed his lips in mild amusement at her, he could still see that she feared him, and he enjoyed that kind of power.

The impact of her father’s hand against her cheek had split her lip, and the hot tang of blood only added to her discomfort. She was still cradling her cheek in her palm, it probably didn’t hurt as much as it felt like it did, it was the shock more than anything. Her father had always struck her as a child, by the end of most days her cheeks were redder than her hair was. She was used to it, but Griff wasn’t, and if Caitrin hadn’t thought about that before, she certainly realised it now. Her head whipped up as Griff’s fist collided with her father’s cheek. For a few moments she just stared at her fiancée, her mouth slightly ajar. If it hadn’t been her father he had just punched she probably would have been more vocal. But for the moment she wasn’t quite sure what to do. She’d never wanted her father and Griff to meet, but she’d never imagined the scene quite like this.

Coming to her senses, she rushed to her fiancée’s side, because that was where she belonged now. She took his hand, the one that had just punched her father, and squeezed it softly. Payton had just about recovered from Griff’s punch and he ran his hand over his face. Well, he’d wanted a reaction and now he had it. “She was my daughter long before you came into the picture, I will do as I will.” He replied rather sharply at Griff, but didn’t step forwards again. His pride had been wounded somewhat. Caitrin on the other hand still had tight hold of Griff’s hand, though her cheek was still red and stinging.

“Perhaps this conversation is best had in the morning? When we have all calmed down.” Caitrin pointed out harshly to her father more than Griff, she was still incredibly impressed he’d stood up for her. When her father left she would have to show him just how much she appreciated it. Payton was already shaking his head, Caitrin hadn’t expected it to be that easy,

“No.” Was all he could manage before drawing another breath, “I came to see if your Uncle’s words, that you were marrying a respectable son of a Duke, were true. I see nothing here but a boy, and a drunken mess. Which part of that do you think is respectable?” He looked Griff up and down again, “What on earth made you think that you would be welcome to marry into our family?” Payton wasn’t going to give his blessing to this match, he’d already made his mind up about that, but he could try and salvage this. He wanted his children to make respectable matches, he wasn’t going to recognise this one, as it was anything but.

[Griff Aubert]

Maybe it was the alcohol that was still flooding his system, or maybe it was the adrenalin from having just punched Payton in the face, or a combination of both, but Griff Aubert was feeling rather confident right now. This was not a feeling that was likely to last, so he might as well make the most of it, and then severely regret it in the morning. Well...hopefully this would be his first and last meeting with Caitrin's father and the alcohol/adrenalin cocktail was telling him this was not an oppurtunity he wanted to miss. Caitrin had come to stand next to him and now she was closer he could see her father had managed to split her lip. He bit his own, resisting the urge to punch him again. The first one had probably been a rather fortunate accident.

"Fine, be my guest, but you're going to have to go through me first." Alright, it was a little cliché but he'd never actually stood up for anyone before - Jesu, he didn't even stand up for himself most of the time - so he was just sort of making it up as he went along and not altogether sure what he was doing. But he was determined that Payton wasn't going to touch Caitrin. This would have probably been a more impressive threat if Griff was actually capable of useful things and less drunk, although he was finding that the prospect of Caitrin behing harmed was having a rather sobering effect on him.

Payton, unsurprisingly, was not endearing himself to Griff. The young man had been sure that when they eventually met they wouldn't like each other, but he hadn't imagined it would be quite to this degree. Then again, he hadn't imagined Payton would have hit her. "Which part of hitting your daughter do you find respectable?" Griff was definitely still in the middle of an adrenalin high, there was no other explanation for why he was asking such a question with an eyebrow raise his future uncle-in-law would be proud of. He was doing well to keep his anger in check, although his free hand was clenched tightly and he really, really wanted to him again. He didn't however, telling himself that Payton wasn't worth it and then repeating that quite a few times. "Think what you like. Caitrin has accepted my proposal and your brother has given us his blessing." He was starting to think he should drink more often, this was all rather good confidence building. Maybe that's why Rouland always had a goblet in his hand...

[Caitrin de Archer]

Payton couldn’t help but raise his eye brows at Griff as he spoke. “Was that supposed to sound impressive?” He asked, his head slightly cocked to the side and his eye brows raised. If Griff thought he could scare, or worry him, he really had another thing coming. Payton was Mercian, and they weren’t intimidated by drunken Southerners’. The boy had missed the point, which wasn’t surprising really. Payton pressed his lips together, processing Griff’s words. Again, he felt his anger rising, the man was suggesting he wasn’t respectable, and he wasn’t going to have that. Who was Griff to judge anything that he did? He had no right to, and Payton didn’t appreciate it one bit. “The action is not respectable.” He agreed, but his lips curled up into a smirk, “It is about gaining respect.” He looked over to his daughter, who had stepped behind her fiancée, a mixture of fear and hate in her eyes. “You see, she will not strike me back. She never has. That is my definition of respect.” His words were quick and sharp, and he meant them completely. Payton breathed out slowly and grabbed his goblet, taking a sip of wine before setting it back down on the table. The scene he saw before him was completely pathetic, did Griff think that he cared that he was being brave? Or at least trying to. It didn’t change anything.

Payton was used to having a lot more respect than this. Caitrin was after all his daughter, so he would be expected to help his daughter with some of their expenses. Well, that was what usually happened anyway. The way this conversation was going, he would only have two daughters by the time the dawn rose. Perhaps that wasn’t such a bad thing, he should have cut Caitrin off years ago. “And yet, you would still expect me to aid your finances. I pay her Uncle to care for her, and that money will go to her husband, do you really expect me to put my money into such a worthless match?” He was half spitting his words at Griff, but he’d already decided that he didn’t like the man, so there was no budging him from this state of mind.

Caitrin had been silently by Griff’s side, trying to stop her lip from bleeding, and watching the scene intently. Her cheek still stung, which probably meant it had bruised; great. She was trying to calm herself down, and think of something; anything to say, but the fear was still there. She never cowered behind anyone else, but she couldn’t think what else to do. “Please Griff, he’s not worth it.” She tugged softly on the back of his shirt, her eyes never leaving her father. She didn’t want this to get even more out of hand than it already was. Her voice was only a whisper but she took Griff’s hand back in hers, and was shocked to feel that she was slightly shaking. “Father I want you to leave, now.” Her tone was anything but confident, and she already knew it wasn’t going to work even before she had spoken. Payton chuckled,

“Why would I leave when I’m enjoying myself?” Caitrin sunk back to her fiancée’s side, and looked at the ground. Payton was probably enjoying her reaction a bit too much, but it had always been this way. She had always been defiant, so he had always been strict, but Payton got his way in the end, and this would be no exception.

[Griff Aubert]

Griff had heard about Payton from Caitrin, she hadn't told him much though, she didn't often speak of her father and quite frankly he wasn't surprised. There was nothing Griff wanted more than to punch the man again, preferably in the face again and even more preferably with a chair. He couldn't even put into words how much he already hated the man. How could he think it was acceptable to hurt Caitrin? She was his daughter. Griff squeezed her hand. He wanted her to know that he would do everything in his power to prevent Payton from hurting her again, that she was loved and safe and she didn't need her father. She had Griff, she had Rouland - and he was much more impressive than Payton ever would be.

The more Payton spoke, the angrier Griff was becoming. It was obvious the man was trying to provoke a reaction from him. Well, it was working. Griff wasn't just going to stand there and listen as Payton spoke about the abuse Caitrin had suffered at his hands. He sounded proud of the fact. He bit his lip, watching the man very carefully and trying desperately hard not to lash out again. The only thing stopping him from doing so was Caitrin's hand in his and the fact that she probably didn't want him attacking her father. It was sickening. Payton could abuse her as often as he wanted, and probably had while she was still living with him, and yet Caitrin would still not want Griff to attack him. She was still under his control, and always would be. The Caitrin Griff knew, the real Caitrin would never hide behind him. She'd be able to stand up for herself. That was the worst thing. Not only did Payton hurt her, he made her a shadow.

"I don't care what you think, what you define as respect." He seemed to be sobering up slightly, so he should know better than to say the next words that came into his head. But Caitrin's hand in his, the way she was stood behind him, it just spurred him on more. His sense of self-preservation was sprinting out of the window because he'd found someone more important than himself and wanted to prove it to her. "Do you think your important because people are frightened of you? You're disgusting. You're pathetic. You think of have respect? You have nothing. Your own daughter is afraid of you. What is wrong with you?"

Griff almost laughed at the man's words. This was all he was - violence and money. Well Griff had survived thus far with no inheritance, no real home, nothing, he could do so again. He'd become quite the expert at actually. "Do what you want with your money. We don't need it." Alright, that probably wasn't entirely true but he wasn't going to back down now. He was putting an awful lot of faith in Lucan's uncle - for some reason Allard had taken care of Griff so he was hoping that should they rely on his help it would be given. But Payton didn't need to know about that. All he needed to know was that Griff wouldn't be threatened by this. He wasn't going to be threatened by Payton at all.

He didn't notice Caitrin pulling on his shirt, his sole focus was on her father. It was only when she spoke that he was pulled away from the man and turned to face her. In hindsight she was probably right, but Griff was far too angry to consider what he was worth. Payton was a vile man and Caitrin had been abused by him. Griff wasn't going to let that go. "If you don't leave," he said, looking back at Payton, "I will make you."

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin de Archer was still stood firmly behind Griff, trying to stop herself from shaking. She felt the same as she had during most of her childhood, never really able to do anything, and just taking whatever her father had to throw at her because it was easier that way. No one apart from Helgund had ever jumped to help her, and the only thing she had done was to help to mop up afterwards. Helgund hadn’t stood up to her father because she hadn’t wanted to lose her position in the household. Everyone else had just always stood by, and let it happen. No one had cared. Griff was the first person she had ever seen standing up to her father on her behalf.

She couldn’t raise her eyes to look at her father, the only thing she was bothered about now was the fact that Griff was squeezing her hand back, and she didn’t feel so alone. Her father was right, she knew he was, she’d never strike him. She’d only ever raised her hand to him once, when she was eight, and she wasn’t going back to that. Caitrin shifted uncomfortably, but Payton was enjoying the reaction he was getting from his youngest daughter. He’d forgotten just how much fun this was. He didn’t see his children much anymore, and this was the first time he’d seen Caitrin in six years. She was still the same frail girl he’d sent away, only now she’d found herself this rather unimpressive man, who thought that a few words in the right direction would make him leave. He knew nothing.

Caitrin finally raised her eyes, but not to Payton, to Griff as he spoke about respect. She just admired him in those moments, she was just so proud of him for speaking up for her. It was strange, no one had ever done so before, and she squeezed his hand, a small smile forming on her lips. Payton looked equally unimpressed with Caitrin’s reaction as he did with Griff’s words, “She should be afraid of me.” Payton said in a matter of fact tone, “What would you know of respect? You’re little more than a boy, do you think your words make you sound more adult? More mature? Are you trying to seem like the big man in front of her?” Payton wasn’t going to stand there and be insulted, and he could give as good as he was given. Griff might think he sounded impressive, but to Payton the man would never be anything other than worthless.

The fact Griff was declining the money wasn’t a shock, in fact Payton had been hoping for a reaction like that. He shrugged at Griff, it made no difference to Payton if he wanted the money or not. He would never see a penny of it. However, he wanted to drive that fact to the core of Griff’s mind, marrying Caitrin would mean he would be in poverty. What self respecting man would want that? As Caitrin had slipped her hand out of Griff’s momentarily, with one swift movement Payton lunged forwards and grabbed the hair at the top of Caitrin’s head and dragged her a few feet away from where Griff was standing. The girl cried out, but it just made Payton smirk, she would probably help him get the reaction he wanted. He still had hold of Caitrin’s hair, and he whipped her round so she was facing Griff; he tugged the hair down so her head was forcibly raised. “Do you really think that this is worth living in poverty for?” He pulled at Caitrin’s hair a little more, so the girl would whimper. He saw her hands go to pull his away, but they quickly found their place back at her side. “You could have any woman, why settle for this penniless, vile, little harlot?” He was pulling at Caitrin’s hair with an alarming force, and one of his hands was like a vice around her wrist,

“Griff.” She half whimpered before Payton threw her to the side, knocking her off balance so she fell straight to her knees. Payton just shook his head at her, she was nothing at the end of the day and he turned his attentions back to Griff. His reactions were much more fun to toy with after all, and Payton was quite smug in the opinion he wouldn’t be struck again, he hadn’t so far after all. He smirked at the man’s words, who was he, Griff was a little nobody and that was all he would ever be. For all Payton cared, Griff could marry Caitrin and they would never have to cross paths again; ever again. He looked Griff up and down, and his arms went back to his side, he was a Mercian nobleman, and he deserved more respect than this, especially from a Southerner,

“Make me.”

[Griff Aubert]

Had permission to godmod.

Griff Aubert was not a violent person, he was an anti-violent person. He ran away from violence but Caitrin was messing with his sense of self-preservation. She was going to kill him for this but that doesn't matter nearly enough as it should. He wasn't going to stand there and watch someone hurt the woman he loved. He was going to make them stop, or rather attempt to and fail miserably but he doesn't consider that. It's not important. He just wants Payton to leave her alone. It was obvious, even to someone as oblivious as Griff, that Payton was trying to get a reaction from him, trying to make him angry. Griff was still biting his lip, refusing to let himself care about anything he said. Payton didn't know him so he wasn't going to care, wasn't going to let the man's words get to him. "Are you finished?" He forced out, fists clenched as tightly as he could because he just wasn't going to let Payton get to him. That wouldn't do Caitrin any good.

Griff didn't move as Payton grabbed Caitrin. He'd already seen the man hit her, he didn't know what else he would do, but for some reason there was a part of him that was convinced Payton would just hurt her more if Griff moved. His fingernails were starting to split the skin, his fists were clenched so tightly but he didn't notice. He was too focussed on Caitrin and how he could get her out of harm's way. "Caitrin is worth far more than you'll ever know." He forced out, his eyes not leaving Payton. If he didn't let go of her very, very soon he would regret it of that Griff was certain. He stepped forward, having decided that Payton was going to hurt her no matter what Griff did, unless he managed to stop him of course, which is exactly what he was going to do. "Let go of her."

Right...well, the plan had sort of worked. Payton had let go of Caitrin but by this point it didn't matter what the man did. Griff was no longer trying to tell himself why hitting him again would be a bad idea. Caitrin was out of harm's way, so if Griff kept Payton preoccupied he wouldn't be able to do anything to her. The only flaw in this plan was Griff's being able to keep the man preoccupied but he was past all that. He just wanted to make the man suffer. "Well if you insist." Oh Caitrin was very definitely going to kill him. His fist collided with the man's face again, this time it must have been harder, or fully taken Payton off guards because the man stumbled backwards and ended up tripping over, landing rather unceremoniously on the floor. Griff, never being in a fight whilst this sober before wasn't really sure what to do next. So he kicked the man's stomach and hoped for the best. He didn't wait to see Payton's reaction before he found Caitrin who was still on the floor. Asking her if she was alright would be utterly pointless, the answer was quite obvious so he just put his arms around her. Once again he had no idea what he was supposed to be doing, but Caitrin was alright now, or at least she was going to be.

[Caitrin de Archer]

When Griff spoke though, Caitrin couldn’t help but feel warmth run through her again, she wanted to believe that this was all going to be fine, and that she and Griff would get through this. She wouldn’t blame him if he never wanted to see her again after what her father was putting him through. In those few moments her childlike state returned to her, she hated her father, she always had and she always would. It wasn’t a nice thought, and it wasn’t becoming of her, but it was nothing but the truth. “Is she?” Payton asked in a mocking tone. He hoisted Caitrin up by her hair and looked on at her, “You must have low expectations.” He grinned at Griff. Out of all his children Caitrin was by far the most disappointing. She had done nothing but defy him since birth, but she had always been the most fun to toy with. The others had fallen into line, but she had always been the one who had stood out.

He did release Caitrin, not because her precious Griff had commanded him to, but because he had grown bored of her so far. He missed the days when she had bit back at him, because her reactions were always so pleasing. She was almost subdued, and it was incredibly boring. He spat down on the floor where she lay before turning his attentions back to Griff. It took Payton too long to register the boys words before he was on his back, his face was in absolute agony, and to polish it off his stomach began to burn. He swore loudly and cradled his back in pain, going onto his side. He could only see red, and he sat up suddenly, trying to get the air back into his lungs. This wasn’t going to end well, but he would make sure Griff suffered for this utter insolence.

Caitrin, who had been huddled on the floor, was trying to ignore all of this and block it out. Once again she felt like a child. She was just looking down at the stone, praying she was somewhere else. She didn’t see Griff punch her father, she could just hear a noise in the distance, it felt like it was all happening miles away and she jumped as Griff put his arms around her. She knew it was Griff, his smell engulfed her and for a moment she forgot all about her father and nudged herself into his embrace. She hated this, she hated what her father made her. She closed her eyes, and all she could thing to do was to whisper, “I’m so sorry.” As she gasped back a sob. The warmth was quickly taken away though and Caitrin’s head jerked up to see her father there.

Payton had had enough of this, this wasn’t how he had planned it at all. Caitrin was his by rights, he could sell her to whoever he wanted to, and she could make him better riches matched with anyone else but this utter fool. Once he had caught his breath he looked straight at the scene unfolding in front of him. He would have laughed, if he had the patience. He took a few strides forwards and grabbed the back of Griff’s cloak and threw him a few steps back. He did the same with Caitrin, so the pair were now a few steps apart. While Griff was still writhing around on the floor he drew the man up by the front of his shirt and his fist collided with the side of his face, knocking him back down to the floor. Payton had completely lost it by this point and he leant over Griff, his fists colliding with the boys face at an impressive rate. When he looked back at his fists it was hard to tell whose blood it was lying on his knuckles.

He only paused for a few moments, until he felt something on his back, Caitrin had her hands around his neck, trying to pull him off Griff. He could feel her fingers trembling from the adrenalin, “Get off him.” She was screaming, and Payton found the time to roll his eyes before forcibly taking her hands from his throat. He turned around swiftly, his attentions leaving Griff as he swiftly knocked Caitrin back to the ground,

“Stupid girl.” He swore again and kicked her side, Caitrin had already curled up, trying to stop him from causing any more damage than he already was doing. She was shouting for him to stop, but Payton was past reason. His lip was bust, his nose was bleeding and he had lost his pride to this bloody southerner, they were both going to pay for this.

[Griff Aubert]

Griff didn't have time to register what was happening, but even if he had that wouldn't have made much difference. He would still be on his back, trying and failing to get Payton off him. The adrenalin and alcohol were ever present in his bloodstream, but they weren't preventing the pain surging through him. His mouth was full of blood - hot and metallic and having to be spat out. It was hard to concentrate on anything other than the pain, pulsing through his face growing ever more unbearable. Jesu, he just wanted this to stop but all the time Payton was attacking him he was leaving Caitrin alone. That was some small consilation, made even smaller as Payton's latest punch smacked the other side of Griff's head against the cold stone floor. He was vaguely aware of Caitrin's voice, and then the attack seemed to end. Griff just lay there, unable to do anything other than spit out a mouthful of blood and a couple of teeth. He ran a hand across his mouth, for all the good that did, completely unaware of what was going on only a foot or two away from him.

Having managed to gain his breath back and somehow ignoring the desire to just lie on the ground and be in pain, he pulled himself up and having to fight the urge to just let himself drop back on the floor. He couldn't remember being in this much pain before - normally he was full of a lot more alcohol than this when this sort of thing happened, and even then tavern brawls had long since become a thing of the past. Fortunately, no one played fair during tavern bralws and as a result, Griff had learnt a few tricks of the trade that he had never actually used before as he'd normall skidaddled long before they were needed. But this was the exception because, well, quite frankly, Payton deserved it. Griff half crawled across the floor, trying not to draw too much attention as he had a feeling the man would be on him again if he did, but he managed to reach the man and grab hold of his shins. With a forceful tug, the man was thrown forwards, landing on his stomach. Griff took the oppurtunity to pull himself fully off the floor. This was not going to end well once Payton recovered from that particular blow. "Cait, get out of here." He said firmly, not taking his eyes of her father, fists clenched and trying to look as though he was ready for whatever the man was going to do next.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Payton, for a few moments, felt like he had blacked out. There was a ringing in his ears and he was only partly aware of Griff’s voice in the distance. He blinked a few times, then remembered how he had ended up on the floor. Anger ripped from the bottom of his stomach and his vision swam back into focus. Caitrin was still in front of him though she was making an attempt to get back to her feet. Payton grabbed one of her slender ankles with what little effort he had left. If he couldn’t hurt Griff in the physical sense, he still had his daughter to toy with. He could have an effect that way.

Caitrin yelped as she felt her weight go from beneath her, and she collided with the stone floor again. This time she didn’t move, she could only focus on the pain. Griff was telling her to leave but she couldn’t move, she didn’t have the effort to even try. Payton, opposite her, hauled himself up to his knees and coughed blood into the back of his hand. “Not leaving so soon are you Caity?” Caitrin wasn’t moving so Payton left her for the time being and turned his attentions to her pathetic fiancée

Wobbling slightly he stood up and faced Griff and looked him square on in the eyes, feeling he had proved his point more than anything. He wasn’t going to stick around to see himself dragged down further to this mans level. “Do not think that I will ever count her as my child ever again.” He was spitting his rage at Griff through bloodied lips, “You have caused this, when you are penniless and have a child thrust upon your responsibility every year expect no help from my family.” Standing up steadily, he took one last forceful kick towards his daughter and sent her off balance again, splitting the side of her cheek on the tip of his boot. It was always easier to hurt her than Griff; she didn’t bite back. Nevertheless, as he turned round his fist collided with Griff’s cheek; he called it a parting gift. He spat down on the ground at Caitrin and then turned and left the room as quickly as he could; he didn’t wait to see what damage he had caused, he had caused this whole situation and that was enough for him.

Caitrin was just about teetering on the brink of consciousness, though she’d rather have been unconscious. Everything hurt, and she was still huddled in a ball on her side. She shifted so she was lying on her back, because both her sides were bruised. Raising a hand to her cheek, she didn’t even react as she pulled away scarlet fingers. She didn’t want to imagine what she looked like, but the only important thing at the moment was the fact that the shouting had stopped. There was a slam in the distance and she held her breath, waiting for the attack to continue, but it never did; an awkward silence hung in the air. Shaking, she managed to pull herself up so she was sitting down. The room was spinning which probably wasn’t a good thing, but she could just about make out Griff. She bit her lip nervously and coughed roughly. What could she ever say to him that would excuse her father? “Griff- I’m- I’m so sorry,” Tears were chocking the back of her throat, “This is my fault.” She should have never come here, she never should have brought Griff. She had known her father wouldn’t approve of him but she had clung to the naïve hope that somehow he would suddenly start approving of her and her life. She had been so, so stupid, and this was the result of that, “We’ll leave, whenever you want, I don’t want to be here anymore.” They had already had the wedding feast, there was no reason for them to stay any longer, they could be back at Camelot in her Uncle’s care within the day. She couldn’t stay here with her father looming over her. She was probably thinking too far ahead but she was upset, and everything just hurt so much.

[Griff Aubert]

Griff was beyond feeling threatened by Payton - somehow he'd managed to prove that he could actually hold his own against the man. Were his words meant to be a threat? Personally, Griff was seeing this as a positive outcome. The man might be Caitrin's father but she was better of without him, far better. They had managed perfectly well without his influence, and if this encounter had taught him anything - apart from his not being a complete failure when it came to holding his own in a fight - it was that they could continue managing without him. It seemed neither of their families was ever going to be a positive influence on their relationship, but quite frankly Griff didn't care. He had nothing but anger towards the man and didn't bother saying anything more to him. As far as he was concerned, Payton wasn't worth it. All he wanted now was for the man to be gone so he could make sure Caitrin was alright, or rather, because she clearly wasn't alright, try to change that.

The last punch came as a somewhat shock - he really had been expecting the man to just leave, and he was caught off balance a little. By the time he was steady on his feet again the man had gone. Immediately he was on the floor by Caitrin, trying to work out what to do. She looked hurt. How could anyone hurt their own daughter like this? He could feel the anger rising again but he tried to ignore it. Payton wasn't here anymore, his sole focus was now Caitrin. His arm was around her, lightly though as he wasn't sure just how she'd been hurt and didn't want to cause her anymore damage. As for himself, he was just about managing to focus and every inch of him seemed to be burning, his mouth still tasted like blood and there was a sharp pain in his gum where the teeth had been knocked out. He had no idea what he looked like, but he doubted it was good. But right now that didn't matter. He'd soldier on.

"It's not your fault, Cait, none of this." He said firmly, before having to cough. His gums must still be bleeding because small splatters of blood appeared on his fist where he'd been covering his mouth. He wiped the first across his mouth, probably managed to smear the blood on his face in the process, not that anyone would notice. Once again he was at a complete loss of what to say. Nothing he could think of would stop Caitrin's pain or convince her to think differently. Payton still had that hold over her. "If you want to leave, that's what we'll do. Just...just don't blame yourself, please Cait? It's not your fault."

[Caitrin de Archer]

At least the shouting had stopped, the pain was still there but it wasn’t being made worse and she couldn’t hear anything. To Caitrin that was the most important thing right now. She breathed in slowly and tried to draw herself up. It was a lot easier than she had originally thought. Sitting up, she kept her head down, and put her hand to her cheek, pulling it away she blinked at the smudges of blood now lying there. Her cheek was split open, but the cut didn’t feel deep enough to need anything other than cleaning out. It was easier to think about anything other than what had happened, she ran a hand through her hair shakily and probably smudged blood everywhere but she was past caring. She finally looked around the room, and saw her father had left. The relief swam over her, but she couldn’t find it within her to smile, not just yet anyway.

The fact Griff’s arm was around her made her feel comforted somewhat, but her own arms were just hugging her middle softly. She was bruised, and her face was still bleeding but apart from that the damage was psychological, not physical. She didn’t want to be here anymore, she didn’t want to stay in Mercia; she didn’t want this to happen again. She knew her father, and she knew that he would not settle until his pride was restored. Eventually she thought to pull back from Griff, and just sat opposite him. “I can’t stay here.” Caitrin managed to whisper, and then finally raised her eyes to Griff. Her eyes widened, and she suddenly had the urge to retch again. In those moments she realised just how much she hated her father, he couldn’t let her have this one thing, it had never been any different. He had seen fit to come in here and try to ruin everything for her, there was no gain in this for her father, except with knowing what he had done. How could Griff possibly want to marry her after this? She couldn’t look away from him, but she was just staring instead, not sure of what to say; sure that nothing would make this seem any better.

“Are you- oh Jesu- Griff I-“ She couldn’t form the words, nothing was coming to her. She didn’t want to blame herself, but looking at the man she was supposed to care for and love in this state made it harder to deny. “I’ll-I’ll get some water, to-to help clean you up, it’ll be fine, I know what to do.” She was still stammering, but she was still shaking as well. There was a water bowl and cloth in the corner which was for her personal use in the morning, but this was a greater cause. “Where are you hurt?” She asked, a little more confidently as bloody fingers tucked her hair behind her ears. There was just blood everywhere, and she couldn’t just sit here doing nothing. “Go-go and sit on the bed, can you make it that far?” She was already half scrambling to her feet, and made it there shakily. When Griff had sat himself on the side of the bed, Caitrin made her way over to him and placed the water on the bedside table and rung the cloth out. Her hands were still shaking, and she swore under her breath at herself. Jesu, she needed to do something right this evening. Sitting down next to Griff, she raised the cloth and looked up at him, guilt running through her, “This might sting.” Well, she had warned him, knowing Griff he would still complain, but she proceeded anyway and began to wipe the cloth against his cheek, wiping the blood off slowly and tenderly.

[Griff Aubert]

Griff would have bit his lip, or scratched his neck, but he found such movement quite beyond him at the moment. He hurt. Of course he’d been in the odd tavern fight before, usually ones he’d managed to start himself, but he was far more intoxicated and usually the other person – or people – was drunk too and so not able to inflict quite so much pain. His entire body just wanted to stop but unfortunately that wasn’t an option. He had to carry on and ignore everything because his priority wasn’t himself anymore – it hadn’t been himself for quite a long time – his priority was Caitrin. He nodded as she spoke, really not surprised by her answer. He didn’t particularly want to stay either, but this wasn’t a new feeling. Mercia was not a place Griff thought highly of – it was far too cold and northern. His mind was wandering again, it had a tendency to do that when he was trying to be serious and focus on something important. It was something he’d always done, because obviously serious problems were far too much for him. So he thought about unhelpful things like how cold and northern Mercia was when he should be making everything alright again. But he didn’t know how. “We’ll leave, tomorrow, we’ll go back home, alright?” It was an odd thought, thinking about Camelot as home, but he supposed it must be. Glouchedon would never be his home again, Camelot was the place he was happiest, so it was home.

Judging by Caitrin’s reaction, his face was a complete mess. That was reassuring. Then again, he was in too much pain and far too tired to care about what he looked like. He could care about that later, when his head stopped throbbing and he stopped wanting to throw up. “I’m fine.” It was an obvious lie, and a far too pathetic attempt at making Caitrin feel better, but he was going with it anyway. He really didn’t want her putting herself out; she was in a state herself. He’d had enough injuries to know that if she started cleaning his wounds it would sting. A lot. This was just getting better and better, it wasn’t enough that his brain felt like it no longer wanted to be in his skull anymore, he had to face severe stinging as well.

Where was he hurt? The quickest answer would be where wasn’t he hurt? But this was Griff and he was trying to make light of the situation – as he always tried to do and usually failed but he was going to do that anyway. It was the only thing he could do with quite some confidence. A grin tried to form on his lips, but it was forced and made ugly by his split lip and bloodied teeth and gums. “Well there is a certain pain...below my waist...” Doing as he was told, he made his way over to the bed – slowly and painfully and regretting moving at all, but he eventually sat down, safe in the knowledge that movement was something he didn’t have to think about for quite a bit now, and what a nice feeling that was.

He watched her hands as she started ringing out the cloth, noticed how they were shaking. He put his own over them for a moment, gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile before moving his hand so she could continue. He knew very well how it might sting, he thought dryly, but he didn’t say that – Caitrin was only trying to help. He winced as soon as the cloth made contact with his skin, she wasn’t wrong about the stinging. “Ow.”

[Caitrin de Archer]

Home. Caitrin looked back at the man who would soon become her husband, and found herself lost for a few moments. Half of her wanted to scream out that she was home. She was Mercian, she still spoke with the accent, she still wore the fashions, and she was still known in Camelot as a Mercian. But the other half was quickly taking over. No, Griff was right. They would be going home to Camelot; where they both belonged now. “I’ll get everything ready in the morning.” Caitrin agreed softly, and took one of Griff’s hands in her own. “Thank you.” Because he was taking her home, back to Camelot, where she would be out of her father’s grasp for good. She would see to their packing, and transport in the morning. They hadn’t brought much with her, so it shouldn’t be an issue logistically. Another thought crossed Caitrin’s mind, “I’ll have to tell Oliver and Yassia we’re leaving.” She wasn’t looking forwards to that, but it would have to be done. Neither of her friends would thank her if they just took off without saying goodbye.

Caitrin bit her lip, and let her eyes rest over her fiancée. She wanted to remember this moment in a way, because it would always remind her how much she hated her father, and how he could never control her life again. He had tried to, yet he had left unsuccessfully. These cuts and bruises would heal; the insult to Payton de Archer’s pride and status never would. Griff was lying, badly. She frowned at him, her own lip stinging in the process. She was mainly bruised, apart from the cut on her cheek. Her injuries were nothing when they were compared with Griff’s. Caitrin couldn’t think what to say, he probably knew his lie was a pointless one. Instead she slowly brushed some of his hair back off his face, but she knew she wasn’t smiling. “You will be fine.” She said with quiet confidence. She would never let this happen again.

In truth, Caitrin shouldn’t have been shocked by Griff’s answer, and she uncharacteristically found herself flustered, as she toyed between taking him seriously or knowing he was only making light of the situation. When she had realised, mainly from the look he was giving her, that he was joking, she raised an eye brow at him. He had just been beaten up by her father, and that was really the main thing on his mind? “And what would you like me to do about that pain?” She asked, realising then she was just as bad. She found it impossible with Griff sometimes to resist fanning the flames, because she never regretted the result.

The fact Griff had moved his hand over hers did settle her nerves slightly. She flashed him a soft smile, finally managing one for him. Finding her hands a little less shaky, she began to wipe the blood from Griff’s face and wounds. She didn’t roll her eyes at him as he started to complain; she had expected no less after all so she wasn’t that shocked. As she wiped the blood away, she found herself smiling a little more. Taking the blood away had made Griff look so much better, though there were still obvious signs there had been a fight. Setting down her cloth, Caitrin looked up at Griff, and just felt incredible guilt. “Griff I’m so sorry, it was my fault. I should have sent my father away when he came calling on me, I did want to, I really did...I just couldn’t.” Because she was a coward, because she could never face up to her father in the way that Griff had. When her father was around, Caitrin was little more than a shadow of her usual self.

[Griff Aubert]

Griff nodded in agreement, going home seemed to be the best option. He didn't want to run the risk of seeing her father again but in Camelot they were safe, Caitrin was safe from him. She looked a little unsure about telling Oliver and Yassia they were leaving, and he doubted she would want to tell them the reason for their sudden departure. He squeezed her hand. "I'm sure they'll understand." He said, hoping to reassure her. Part of him did think it was a shame to leave like this, but it was only a small part, and the other part was far too concerned with making sure they never found themselves in a situation like this again.

Yes, he would be fine, Griff was rather good at bouncing back from unpleasant situations. He was resiliant, or at least he always pretended to be which was near enough the same thing, and anyway, he was sure he'd had worse in the past. He was in pain now but it didn't matter. They were alone now, and Caitrin was right, he would be fine, they both would.

Griff could think of several answers to Caitrin's question. Just because he couldn't actually breathe without his chest hurting, and his skull felt like it had been shattered into a million pieces didn't mind his mind was any further from the gutter. Besides, focussing on the inappropriate was taking his mind of everything else - it was certainly a more appealing prospect, even if anything physical was quite beyond him at present. "Well you could always kiss it better," he replied, still grinning, "Isn't that what you're supposed to do?" Not only was such conversation distracting him from his pain, but it just felt normal again. It didn't matter what had happened with Payton, or at least it wouldn't because they were still able to act as they always had - and yes, they did always act and speak inappropriately, but it was reassuring. It was a sign that everything was still alright.

Caitrin was finally smiling, although whether this was because she was feeling better or because she was managing to cause him more pain with her damn cloth he couldn't tell. Either way, she was smiling again and that was the main thing. She'd be fine, she was a lot stronger than he was giving her credit for. "It's not your fault," he told her firmly. The blame lay with her father, no one else. She was entirely guiltless in this, she was the victim. "None of this is, so don't blame yourself." This was perhaps the worst of it. He could deal with his own pain, and he could probably eventually deal with Payton's attack on Caitrin - but only because he'd managed to fight back, but he couldn't understand how the man could have such control over her, so much so that she blamed herself. It made him sick. "Alright? This isn't your fault."

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin knew she would only be completely settled when she got back home in Camelot, because there she was protected. None of the Mercian noblemen would pass over the border without good cause, and they had guards protecting them at the manor if anything did happen concerning her father. But she knew him, Payton wouldn’t go into Camelot without good cause, and a strong will behind him. He wouldn’t have that for some time so she knew at home they were safe. The next thing though was telling Yassia and Oliver that they were leaving. “I hope so.” She knew Yassia would fuss, and if Oliver caught wind of this then he might even have a mind to do something against her father, but she didn’t want that. Plus, the de Archer’s were a rich ally of the crown, no one would harm the head of the house if they had any wisdom about them.

The guilt still just pulsed through her, and though she knew she had wounds of her own to tend to, at the moment Griff’s wounds were more important, and he was more badly hurt than she was. Caitrin just looked on at him, once the swelling and bruising died down there would be little recollection of this incident, physically anyway. Caitrin pushed some hair back from his face so that she could see the damage properly; she forced herself to take it all in so she would never forget this. They would both recover from this; she would make sure they did. It was a numb and almost hollow that she was making herself promise, but it was true, and she would see it done. Her father would never be able to break them apart, no matter how hard he tried. Tonight had proven that.

She found a small smile pass her lips, Griff never failed to surprise her. He must have been in so much pain, and yet to still be making out like everything was fine, and continue in their usual manner was quite admirable really. She could reprimand him of course, for reminding her where her duties lay as a woman, but she knew he was just jesting with her. “Where exactly do you need me to ‘kiss it better’?” She asked him, her smile almost fully returning to her lips, but not quite yet; she didn’t feel like she was quite there just yet. Caitrin did doubt his teasing would lead anywhere though, not tonight, she was as exhausted and in pain as he was, so it wouldn’t end well.

Caitrin ran her cloth along Griff’s exposed skin, picking up the dried blood as she went until all that remained were a few bruises and the occasional cut, which had already been cleaned out. She put the cloth down and gave her fiancée a dull sort of smile, which quickly went as he began to tell her that all of this wasn’t her fault. She almost couldn’t listen to him saying that, because it felt like it was her fault; that everything was her fault. Since childhood she had always accepted that her father hurt her because of her actions, it never changed them, but it had become a fact she had just accepted. Now Griff was making her question that, and though she did want to believe him, there was still that part of her which wanted to tell him he knew nothing, and that he was lying. She’d never really told anyone about her childhood, not in detail anyway, she’d never felt like she could. In her deepest memories she could still see the child she had been, trying to nurse cuts and on one occasion a broken ankle, while everyone else had run around her, pretending they never saw anything. “It-“ She stopped herself, feeling her tears coming back, Jesu, had she really matured so little? She still couldn’t get over this, not unless she spoke about it, properly, she just needed a nudge in the right direction, “It was always my fault.” She quickly put in, but she still couldn’t look at Griff, and when she looked down at her hands she found her eyes were blurry, and tears were rolling down her cheeks, “He’s never been any different. That was tame compared to-“ Again, the tears were choking her words in the back of her throat, “Compared to what he used to do.” She finished quietly, and her tears began to soak her already ruined gown. She couldn’t do this, she couldn’t be this strong all the time, something had finally given way, and Caitrin was crying the tears she should have cried during her childhood.