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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.

Caitrin knew she should probably be more tired than she was. She hadn’t been sleeping as much since the twins had been born. Before then she had been sleeping most of the day away as carrying her bump around had been an exhausting task, especially by the end of her pregnancy. She had felt quite lazy, as most of the time she had just been asleep, or lying down. It had been to exhausting to do anything else, and uncomfortable. The only time she’d been up and about had been when she had met Elyan outside her room. Little had Caitrin known then she had actually been in labour. It had been the earliest stages of the labour, and her waters hadn’t broken for a few hours after that, but still, it had been uncomfortable, and she had probably worried Elyan half to death. Caitrin would have to make a point of apologising at some point. The last few days had confirmed that her life would be very different from now on. She had always been quite a wilful and carefree woman, and usually did what she wanted. Now however everything was different. She wasn’t the main focus of her own life anymore, her children were. Now she had to care about these two little lives as well, and she would keep them safe, and make sure they knew they were loved.

Arthur squealed a little in her arms, and began to stretch out his arms. His small mouth formed into a yawn as he opened his eyes wide to look up at his mother. Caitrin smiled softly at him, and kissed the top of his head, wondering if he knew just how loved he was by both parents. Caitrin had dressed him in a little tunic today, but it was much too big for him, but it didn’t really matter that much as he was wrapped in a blanket as well to keep him warm. The knock on the door forced her eyes upwards, and she grinned as Elyan popped his head around the door. She had hoped that he was going to visit soon. She shook her head at his words, she wasn’t resting as such, she had just been enjoying a few moments with her children. “Elyan, it’s nice to see you again.” She finally thought to say, and adjusted Arthur in her arms, who had clearly sensed that his mothers attentions were distracted.

“Come in, I have two little ones who would very much like to meet you.” Without Elyan of course Caitrin could have been anywhere in the castle, incapable of moving for the pain she was in. He had taken her straight back to her room, and there she had woke her husband up again and they’d got the ladies to attend the birth, and everything had gone smoothly. Caitrin stood up to greet Elyan, smiling softly, Arthur was still in her arms, “That is, if you still want to meet them?”

Caitrin was quite curious to find out what the name Isolde meant, as it was quite a pretty name. She was a little disappointed that she didn’t know what it meant either, but that was probably better than knowing it and not understanding like Caitrin did. She didn’t think she would ever understand why her name meant pure. It was an odd description really. “I hope you do find out one day.” Caitrin had run out of things to say about the house really, so she just nodded with a soft smile at Isolde. She wasn’t quite sure what else you could say about a house. It wasn’t as big as hers, but her brothers had often told her that their house was bigger than most so that was that wasn’t it? Not everyone could be of noble birth, even someone as young as Caitrin appreciated that fact.

Well, if Isolde was saying that her father was the best blacksmith in Mercian then that was probably a good thing. That meant that her brothers sword would soon be fixed. Caitrin couldn’t imagine being allowed to help with things like that. She was just about allowed to use her bow and arrow, and even that was usually done only on special occasions, and when her father was out of sight. “That must be so much fun.” Caitrin enthused with a wide smile. She had always been told that men did all the work, and that ladies had to just do the work inside the house. That never really appealed to Caitrin, but it was all she knew, “I don’t think my father would let me help to do jobs like that.” Her father would rather she be like her older sisters.

Caitrin always thought she had too many brothers and sisters. She was the seventh child of Ailith and Payton de Archer, and she was often reminded of that fact. Her father had wanted another son, so she had always felt like she had been a disappointment. “I have six siblings.” She held her hands up, “So I have two sisters, and four brothers, and I’m the youngest.” She hated being the youngest. Most of the things she got were second hand, and she was always treated like a baby. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

Caitrin should really have thought about getting the wound treated properly before now, but ever since the incident had happened, her thoughts had been somewhat dazed, and she hadn’t exactly be thinking straight. Her thoughts had mainly been on getting out as quickly as possible, and protecting Griff from further harm. There had been a guard on the room since Payton had left, with strict instructions to not let Payton anywhere near the couple on any account. Caitrin brushed some hair back off her cheek, and tucked it behind her ears so it wouldn’t stick in the wound. The ointment stung a little, and Yassia was right that the ointment didn’t taste nice at all. She pulled a small face, but did nod as she did push through, the pain was needed so that the wounds would heal. Soon there wouldn’t be any physical symptoms of the attack, all that would be left was the memory, “Will the cut scar?” She asked in a more serious tone, because she just wanted to know if her father had given her this scar to wear for life, or whether it would heal.

Really, all Payton had just been trying to make his presence known through violence, and he had wanted to show Caitrin that it might have been many years since they had parted, but he could still have that control over her, and he always would. That fact still scared Caitrin, and it always would, which was one of the reasons that she was running back to Camelot, where she felt safe. As she listened to Yassia, she felt a little reassured by her words. In her childhood, Caitrin had often been subject to her fathers beatings by herself, and she had just put up with them, and accepted them as a fact of life. If it hadn’t been for Helgund, Caitrin supposed that her childhood would have been completely terrible, and that she would have been quite untrusting of men on the whole. Helgund had always told her that her father was the exception, and that one day she would escape him. Though it had taken her a while, Caitrin was now settled with Griff, and he was her way of escaping. Griff was there to protect her now in his rather unconventional manner. “He’s never been any different.” Caitrin explained and winced slightly, “Myself and Griff will still be getting married, you’re right, I know you are, but it’s hard to see it like that right now.” She managed another small smile, because at the moment it was hard to see the positives in what had happened. Everytime she looked at Griff she felt immense guilt. She had let it all happen in front of her eyes, she’d leapt in to stop her father too late.

Caitrin didn’t want to leave Yassia in such a rush, and it wasn’t in the slightest the ideal scenario. Really, Caitrin felt incredibly bad about leaving Yassia at such a time, but she knew she couldn’t stay here much longer. They had stayed much too long already. When Caitrin had agreed to make this trip she had only expected to stay for the pre-wedding feast, and to be taking Yassia back with her to Camelot. Everything had changed now, and though that wasn’t a bad thing in Yassia’s case, Caitrin felt like she had overstayed her welcome, and that her father had just cemented that fact. She belonged in Camelot now, with Griff and Rouland. She did want to just go back home now, and sooner rather than later. She was shocked in a way that Yassia would think that she would miss her wedding. Of course Yassia might miss her wedding as she and Griff had not set a date yet, but Caitrin would not miss the union of Yassia and Oliver for anything. “Of course I will come to the wedding, Griff and my Uncle will come as well, if they are invited, mind.” She gave Yassia a small smile, “I would not miss it for anything.” Though she would be coming with her own personal guard next time. She would not put herself, or her family in harms way again.

Caitrin began to wipe her hands on the cloth that had been in her herb basket, and she was glad now she had not had to use any of the herbs today, because Nora’s father was very much improved in some respects. He would never get better, but in a way this was more for Nora than it was for him. She could tell her friend was a gentle soul, and that she wouldn’t rest easy unless she thought that she was doing the most for her father that she could. Caitrin smiled to herself at the thought, and nodded in agreement with Nora. She would come to the manor as quickly as possible without a moments hesitation, as long as both the twins were settled. She couldn’t come if they needed changing, or feeding for example, though perhaps Griff could help her with most, but the feeding she still had to do herself.

It was still difficult for Caitrin to let anyone else handle either of the twins. She had been somewhat isolated since giving birth, as the twins needed a lot of her attention, and it had taken her quite a while to recover from the birth anyway. She didn’t walk towards the pair though, she needed to do this more often and let others handle the twins, because it wouldn’t do them any good to become too isolated. Arthur looked happy enough, and Caitrin found comfort in that. She just didn’t want either of her children to think that she was ever passing them over, or that she didn’t want to be the one who was holding them and playing with them. Caitrin almost wished Nora had her own children for a moment, not so she could have Arthur back, but because she was so at ease with the baby. Others who had tried to handle the twins were usually quite stiff, and handed them back in a few minutes. “He is, or more he’s become more curious and adventurous.” Caitrin was already dreading the day he learnt to crawl, “But he’s always been interested in things that were going on around him.” Arthur, Caitrin always thought, seemed to be a silent thinker, and hardly ever cried. He just seemed to look around him, trying to see what life had to offer.

Caitrin had no reason to rush off back home, after all Esmae had been sleeping when she had left, and Arthur seemed happy enough. “I’d love that.” Caitrin enthused and took up her herb basket, wondering if Nora would offer to carry Arthur or not, “Would you like to carry him downstairs, or should I?” She might not feel comfortable with carrying her son, which was fine, and Caitrin would completely understand, “Should we sit outside, or inside?” It was a beautiful day, and though it would be a shame to waste it she supposed Nora might want to sit in the comfort of her solar instead.

Caitrin was also glad that Nora’s father was feeling better. She felt like she had achieved something at bringing her friend some peace in this respect. She flashed her a soft smile as she continued her checks, just as she’d been taught years ago. Really, Caitrin wished she could find someone who would continue her tuition, because she still wanted to learn, but she didn’t want to risk her gifts becoming too mainstream. She knew some methods were too close to sorcery for some people, and now she had a family to protect she had no interest in causing trouble just for the sake of it. She would be content with her current knowledge and live with that for the time being. Maybe things would change in time. She hoped so, but there was nothing to suggest that anything would significantly change. Caitrin had learnt to live with that fact, and her sorcery was kept a secret by both her and her husband. “I’m glad he is in a greater comfort now.” Caitrin finally said as she stood up next to Nora’s father, wiping her hand on a cloth she had brought with her herbs.

A visit again in a few days seemed like the right way to go forwards from here and Caitrin nodded at her friend. It made sense of course, so that she could see if the potion was needed in a few days. In a few moments of darkness, Caitrin wondered just how long Nora’s father would last. They both knew the end was inevitable, but accepting the fact when it came didn’t make it any easier. She bit her lip and looked over the man, wondering if he had led a full life. She could tell Nora loved him very much, or she would not have sought help so urgently. It was refreshing to see, and Caitrin envied it a little. She hated her father, and he would never be allowed near her children, not after the pain he had caused her in her youth. That was a fault on his part though, not hers, so she felt no guilt about the fact. “If you need me at all then just send a messenger, and I will come as soon as I am able.” The only thing she couldn’t rely on was what the twins would be like if such an occasion arose, but Griff would be able to help out in that respect.

Now that Caitrin was done with her tasks, she leant up against the bedside table, and grinned down at Nora and Arthur. The baby certainly was happy, but he usually was. He always seemed so content, and Caitrin never really questioned why. She did always want him to be happy, him and his sister. She hoped that it wouldn’t be too long until their family was expanded, though she was more bothered about the children she had at the moment, rather than the ones she might have. “He’s just started getting a little more adventurous, but I like it. He’s showing us a bit more of his personality every day."

It felt strange to have someone call her ‘Lady’ Caitrin. She didn’t feel like a Lady, even though she looked like one. Caitrin looked down at her clothes, and then looked at the girl in front of her. It was quite clear they were from two very different walks of life, but Caitrin pulled a face at being called a Lady. That was what her sisters strived to be, and although she did want to be a good Lady, she didn’t want to be anything like her sisters. She wanted to be more exciting and adventurous than either of them. To her, they were just boring, all they talked about was their hair, and boys and their dresses. Caitrin couldn’t understand why they just talked about boys all the time, for her, they were just silly. She just nodded at the girl in front of her, she didn’t want to tell her off for calling her a Lady, because that was what she was really.

Caitrin wasn’t sure whether she liked Isolde or Issy more. She did like the name Isolde, it was so pretty and it just sounded so different. Caitrin had never met anyone called Isolde before, so it was quite exciting in a way. “What does Isolde mean?” She asked curiously, she knew her own name meant pure, which she didn’t understand. Caitrin wasn’t quite sure how she could be pure, but Helgund had promised to tell her when she was older. Though her nurse had laughed when she’d told her the meaning of her name, and said it was ill suited to her. Caitrin had found it very rude she had laughed and not even wanted to tell her why she was laughing.

Though Isolde had been the one to say that the yard was small, Caitrin was polite enough to know not to agree with her. She couldn’t think of a good word to describe it though, she’d already said it was pretty. “It’s... homely.” Was that even a word? Caitrin had heard Helgund use it to describe somewhere once, and she wasn’t even sure what it meant. She was sure it was a good thing though, as the person she had been saying it to had been happy enough. Caitrin was probably just worrying about nothing.

It hadn’t even struck the young girl that her presence might be a strange thing to the girl, as she had just popped out of nowhere. “Oh, my nurse is getting a sword fixed for my brother.” She explained with a smile and pointed to the door she had come out of, “So I think the man in there is fixing it.” Caitrin had no idea how you fixed a sword, but she hoped it wouldn’t be done too quickly now she had someone to occupy herself with.

The feelings running through Caitrin were just strange, and there was no other way of describing them. She just wanted to lie here with Griff, with his arm around her, and do nothing else but be content with the fact he wanted to be here. She wanted to mentally slap herself, and tell herself that this wasn’t what she did. She never stayed this long after pleasing a man, they never wanted to stay much longer either, but Griff was completely different. She just smiled up against him, and nuzzled into his side, kissing the soft skin at his chest. She just wanted him to be happy, and to enjoy this as much as she was. Jesu, what was happening to her?

Caitrin wasn’t even fazed by Griff’s threat of leaving. She wasn’t even sure why he had even bothered to say it, because they both knew he wasn’t serious, and that he never would be. The fact he hadn’t moved, and that she had caught him looking over her, disproved everything he was saying anyway. Caitrin just smirked and let her hand slide down over his lower abdomen, getting closer to his upper thigh, and then it just rested there, on top of his left thigh, and she just grinned up at him, “You were saying?” Her ego was getting bigger by the second, she knew how to play the game, but it wasn’t just like that with Griff. She wanted him to stay because he wanted to, and not just because she was making him.

The sensations of Griff’s fingers on the back made it hard for Caitrin to think further than these few moments with him. She sighed softly, a grin at her lips as she closed her eyes, focussing solely on his touch. The more his fingers traced across her skin, the less she wanted to move. Irritatingly, Caitrin guessed that had been hi s motive somewhat, but she couldn’t care less at the moment. She shuddered involuntarily, and realised that neither of them were going to show much self control, or anything near that in the immediate future, and Caitrin had no issue with that. Opening her eyes, Caitrin shifted her arm so it came to rest across Griff’s chest, and looked up at him with content eyes. She didn’t really want to move, she just wanted to stay here, in his embrace for as long as they could. Griff didn’t have to know that right away though did he? Smiling, Caitrin pressed herself up against his side, and raised her head so she could look on at him, “Give me three reasons to stay, and I will.” She challenged, “For as long as you want.” She was trying to be serious, but Griff would probably know her motives. Neither of them were incredibly subtle. If he could keep up his end of the bargain then she would keep hers, she had no problem with staying here with just him anyway. It was a new sensation, but Caitrin was starting to like it more and more.

The girl looked friendly enough, and Caitrin felt quite at ease already, though she never really felt worried or nervous about much. She never really played with girls her own age, or when she did she only got to now and again. She was the youngest in a large family, and what she wanted often paled in comparison to what her brothers and sisters wanted. It had taught her to make the most of occasions like this, and it was why she knew her nurse didn’t mind her wandering off that much. She wasn’t silly enough to run into trouble that she couldn’t get herself into. Helgund had taught her not to talk to strangers, but this little girl looked ok, and nice enough. She didn’t look as if she was going to hurt her anyway, and she was sure that was what Helgund had been so worried about when she had gone through that lesson. Anyway, she had only ever spoken about not speaking to bad men, and this was a girl. “It’s nice to meet you Isolde.” She replied politely, remembering her manners. She knew Helgund would be cross with her if she found out she had forgotten her manners. “I’ve never heard that name before, but I like it.” She declared boldly and looked around the yard with intent interest. She loved discovering new places, and that was probably why Helgund was so worried she was going to get into trouble eventually. “You can call me Cait, everyone does.” She explained, and it was true. Hardly anyone, aside from her parents, called her Caitrin all the time.

Caitrin looked about the small yard and wondered where the rest of the house was. Her father had once told her that they were special because they lived in a large house, but Caitrin couldn’t really understand that. She knew she was a noble-girl of course, and that their family was above people who were called peasants, but that was it. “Is this all of your house?” She asked, and then realised that her words might sound rude and she widened her eyes slightly, realising her mistake, “It’s very... pretty!” Yes, that was the right word to use, it certainly was quite nice. Caitrin wondered if many people lived like that. She just assumed everyone lived the same way that she did, and that everyone was just fine and happy.