The small village surrounding the castle was bustling with normal traffic as the folk of the fiefdom went about their daily business. The sun was just reaching its apex in the sky marking the day to be around noon. It was a warm sunny day in Lawley but all was not well

On the narrow cobbled street about halfway between the castle and commons a few mixed shouts of anger could be heard. With the sickening thud of flesh meeting flesh as a quick-flying fist connected with a face. A handsome young man in the fine silk robes of a high ranking servant stood hovering over a dirty, middle-aged woman; she sitting uncomfortably on the stone sobbing openly. A cut on her lip was bleeding down her chin.

"By all the hells Edwina! How flaking hard is it to obey an order!!" He screamed down at her. His suddenly face calming and his tone taking on a chilling texture. "You were suppose to deliver green apples to the kitchens by sunrise bitch. Lady Katherine enjoys eating them in the mornings....she finds they have a refreshing texture." His voice lowered into a growl, "Instead you deliver these inedible, red, wormy, cooking apples, and leave the lady in a sour mood for the entire day!!" His voice reached a heightened pitch at the end of the phrase.

The small red apple in his hand suddenly rose up above his head and was flung down onto her. A shriek escaped her lips as it thudded painfully against her side; it split open on contact and rolled to the dirty ground. She began to cry harder and attempted to respond. "P-please Owain I tried to find the greens but they were'nt to be found nowhere!"

"What are you looking at?!" he snapped at a farmer who had unwisely chosen to wander past. "Be on your way waif!" He turned his attention back downward. "You will not be paid for your delivery today, or for the rest of the apples you will be delivering for the rest of the week.....CORRECT?!" his voice was cold and commanding.

Father Worth was walking slowly along the narrow street, reading from a small book. It had been wonderfully quiet all morning, and he had been thoroughly enjoying this leisurely day. He had a great many things to do, of course, but he could do nothing until it was darker. The serfs may not look kindly upon any friendship he had between Brian and Elena, and furthermore they might try to prevent him from visiting them.

The sounds of the conflict now flooded through the street, and Felix quickly pocketed his book and quickened his pace, arriving to find Owain and the poor servant. He rushed forward and grabbed Owain by his shirt’s collar and pulled him backward. “Stop beating her, you brute. Do you always search these streets for something to beat that is weaker than you who would fear you? You coward, you fool!” The priest exclaimed fiercely.

He could not bear to watch the suffering of another, especially a defenseless old woman. He couldn’t help but wonder if this man was amoral, or if his conscience did create guilt as he hurt another. “Would you like to have confession now, to be pardoned your offense against God?”

His eyes narrowed in anger as the priest gripped his collar with surprisingly strong hands. “Would you like to have confession now, to be pardoned your offense against God?” the priest stated piously. A sputtering burst of laughter the immediate response. “Confess!? For what!!” Owain stated poignantly. “For teaching that useless oaf a few manners?” he waved a hand in the direction of Edwina to emphasize his words. A derisive snort escaped from his flared nostrils. “Like hell I will!”

He straightened his back with an insulted air. His mouth formed into a haughty sneer. “Let go of me priest,” his tone flat was and cold. “I don’t want your filthy hands leaving smudges on my collar. M’lady would not approve of……unseemliness.” He reached up and flicked his hands on the fists balled at his neck. His unwavering eyes never left Felix’s.

Edwina had risen to her feet unsteadily by this point. She wiped some clotting blood on her dirty sleeve and watched the men nervously; eyeing Owain like he might suddenly pounce again. A crowd of villagers gathered in the narrow street; intrigued at the altercation between their priest and the locally infamous abuser & bully.

“Thou shalt not kill; that includes bodily harm and injuries. Disrespect to a priest is also a sin.” He said dryly, letting go of the collar with a push. “Although I do take care to keep myself clean, it is not my main concern. I have found it has been the case for some time that God prefers those pure of heart rather than clean clothes. In fact, it is rather difficult for the rich to enter the gates of Heaven. Are you not concerned about that?” He asked in the same stern, cold tone as he usually did to people like this, but he couldn’t help the small bit of laughter that entered his eyes. To Felix, this was a fool to the priest, petty mockable fool. Of course, he never really did understand villains.

“I’m surprised your mistress would approve of this behavior, I suppose it proves some of the things about the heartless noblemen I have taught over the years are true.” He was not surprised, he knew who his mistress was, but he wanted to get across to this man that it was not normal, not good

“Are you alright?” He asked the old woman with deep sympathy. “Is there anything I can do to help? There is a nurse in the church who could give you some aid.”

After having been let go by Felix; Owain brushed off his collar vigorously. Without as much as a blink he stepped around the priest, spat on Edwinas dress, and turned to stalk away. “Remember those apples oaf,” he growled at the woman. His eyes coldly glaring at her as his sharp footsteps rang on the stones.

A murmur rose from the surrounding peasants. Pitying eyes fell on Edwina and dark stares followed Owain’s retreating form. Edwina turned toward the Father; tears marring her worn face and dried blood caked her chin. “Father how can we live like this?......help us please Father,” she pleaded. “I know I will not be able to find those apples…not that I can pay for them if he won’t pay me for them!” her tone taking on a panicked tremor. “Even if I do he will just beat me for something else.” Frustrated tears brimmed in her eyes. The other peasants who had gathered remained to see what the Father would say. Grasping for any shreds of hope he could feed them in their dire station in life.

Some hours later, as the sun was waning in the sky, a disturbance could be heard coming from the entryway of the church. An extremely bedraggled looking Owain stumbled in the doors. His unsteady steps catching him on the last step and he tumbled to a knee. “Damnation,” he gasped. The pain in his side searing throughout his form as his knee slammed on the floor.

His fine clothes were torn and dirty, blood caked the left side of his torso. His hair was hanging messily and sticking to his sweat-mired face. “H-help,” he gagged as the words slipped weakly from his lips. Both of his hands were occupied with gripping the deep wound in his side. He looked groggily into the main chapel; the tone of his skin a ghastly pale.

((Sorry for the double post but Nora and I decided to move the RP along to the next encounter))

Father Felix was kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament in the main chapel, consumed in prayer, "Sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a Malo. Amen.." He prayed in a low murmur, gazing fervently at the Eucharist. He was completely unaware of all his surroundings for some time, as his eyes dropped he heard movement at the doorway. He suddenly realized he had heard someone cry ‘help’ and hurried to the door. He looked down painfully with deep sympathy at the suffering, wounded man. He was visibly relieved when he realized it was Owain.

Felix placed a cot onto the ground next to Owain, and slid him onto it. He dragged it into the small room where there were medical supplies and pushed him up upon a bed. “Placing yourself in the hands of the Church? Risky. If I were not a man of God, I would call you foolish for coming to me for anything.” He said dryly, beginning to clean the wound on his side. “But you are fortunate, my son!” He said an almost a sarcastically cheerful tone. “Even the most sinful man is safe here.”

With gritted teeth Owain moaned in agony as he was pushed on to the mat and pulled into a back room. “Placing yourself in the hands of the Church?” the Father said, “Risky. If I were not a man of God, I would call you foolish for coming to me for anything.” His voice was dry and unemotional. Owain groaned on the inside, “Damn his hair, he should know I wouldn’t come here if any other option were plausible.” A look of surprise crossed his reddened face as the father began to clean the wound on his side. “But you are fortunate, my son!” Felix said with an almost a sarcastically cheerful tone. “Even the most sinful man is safe here.”

He laid his head back on the mat weakly. An occasional gasp or groan emanating from his dry lips as the father cleaned the wound. “Well Father,” he said in a weak voice, “At least you will be kept busy this week. I am certain you will be called upon when I am well enough to leave and *gasp* ach….to leave and have the man who did this arrested.” A thin chortle that turned into a wet cough gagged from his lips. “He will probably want last rights before he is hung," his weak voice had taken on an amused lilt. "It was that farmer, Hermire,” he winced as the father cleaned the open wound. “He seems convinced I had something to do with the rape and mutilation of that little daughter of his.”

He coughed again weakly. “You might have seen her around…..has bandages covering half her face,” a hollow snort accompanying the words. “The fool doesn’t know what he is talking about…..I can bring forward a dozen castle servants who will gladly swear I never left my ladies side that night. He will die for his misplaced revenge.” His voice was getting weaker and weaker as he spoke,

Before he passed out he suddenly reached out and grabbed Felix's arm with surprising strength. He looked up at the priest with glassy eyes. His weak voice was almost a whisper as he mumbled out two final words. "Get....Lucy....." he finally passed out from the bloodloss and pain.