"About bloody time we get someone new!"" Teagan wiped her hands briskly on her apron and went back to rolling piecrust, her body pressed close to the countertop so that the rest of the scullerymaids could pass behind her. "Fifty meat pies need to be filled in the next hour. Has anyone seen the cleaver? This is a bloody garrison. How can we lack for sharp objects?"

She turned on the nearest girl, a skinny thing who seemed to be rather lost.

"Here, I have to ask you. Listen. Do you know how to gut and skin a rabbit? Do you? Are you quick with a knife?"

Teagan fired these requests off rapidly, never ceasing in the ministrations of her rolling pin on the soft dough.

"I'm Teagan, by the by." She paused momentarily to swipe her sweaty face with one sleeve, leaving her hair standing up in sweaty frizzles about her forehead. "And you are? Come on, girl, I haven't all day."

Elsie had been posted in the Kitchen for the next few weeks. She had never liked the job, preferably because she hated the way she was constantly ordered about. If she had it her way, she’d rather be washing clothes or dishes in the nearby stream at her own leisurely pace, singing.

She stood looking around, quite dazzled at how fast everything moved. What was her position in here now? She had no idea of how this kitchen operated never having been under the command of this woman. Nor did she know her.

Brushing a strand of her blonde hair from her face, she watched the other women order others about. This place was chaos. How anyone could work under such conditions baffled her. Should she wait for the women to order her about? Or should she look busy? Elsie had worked in the kitchen when the last cook had been there. It had been rather slow compared to this.

Suddenly the cook turned to her, and introduced herself in a rather rapid way before requesting Elsie’s own name, “Oh, um. Elsie. What do you intend for me to do… Teagan?”

"We're trying to work off of as many fresh supplies as possible, so we're using some rabbit we've caught in our traps. Don't want to kill off all the cattle, do we? Right, so you see those rabbits there? Most are skinned already, but if you're any good with that, finish skinning and gut them. Toss the offal in that bucket, we give it to the hounds. And then cut the rabbit meat up into little pieces and put it over there, where Mary can mix it with our seasonings and lard and--you know--and then put it in crust."

She made a flippant gesture. The girl would figure it out sooner or later. She looked like she hardly knew out to eat, much less cook.

"Or if you're really hopeless, you can just help with the crust." She shook her head and blew out a breath. Teagan wasn't generally too unfriendly, but she had a certain rough-edged manner, and the breathtaking pace of the garrison kitchen--now that it was full to bursting with recruits--was starting to make her absolutely crazy. "Well, what'll it be?" She put floury hands on her hips.

Elsie listened patiently. She was used to taking orders, as much as she loathed complying to them she knew she must do as those above her said. The cook seemed able to handle the Kitchen, but was slightly intimidating in the process, making the otherwise youthful and bubbly Elsie less confident then she usually was. Instead of making a fuss over it, the damsel put it down to being due to the amount of pressure with all these damn men arriving in the garrison by the King’s decree.

She reached for her pocket withdrawing a ribbon to tie her hair up, “Well, I have never gutted animals,“ she looked over to the pile of rabbits. A fair few of them were skinned, another pile still waiting to have their coats removed.

“The last time I was placed in the Kitchen was quite awhile ago. I fear if I go wrong with gutting I might stuff up the entire process, which…” she looked out at the crowd of men arriving, through one of the doors for a quick moment, “… I am supposing would not be good. I may as well work on the crusts and let someone more advanced skin and gut.”

She could probably do it, if she set her mind up for it. Yet, to do it correctly it would take time. Time was not a luxury at this point in time, so it was best that she did what she knew how too.

"Right!" Teagan slammed down a block of dough in front of the new girl and handed her a rolling pin. "Get to it, flour's over there, might have to pick out a few weevils but who ain't done that at some time or another." Their supplies were adequate, but they'd hardly been able to muster the quality she was used to at the inn where she'd been working. Well, so many hungry men would hardly notice the difference, would they?

Teagan's own arms were floury to the elbow already. She hoped--

"Oy, and Elsie, make sure you're clean. Always wash your hands at the pump before you come in, if you hain't." Never gutted a rabbit--she was no freeborn. She was likely a serf, everyone knew they hardly got meat and weren't allowed to poach of their lords' lands anyway. Teagan might have been poorest of the poor, but she was still freeborn. Now that was something to pity. Her heart softened toward the girl, incompetent as she might be, and she watched the new scullery maid as she set to vigorously rolling out more dough herself.

"Whereabouts are you from?" She set to lining a pan with crust.

Elsie positioned herself to working with the dough to make the crusts. She turned to face Teagan, as the cook told her where everything was located. Then, she was informed that her hands must be clean. Elsie was a very hygienic girl, and she made sure she washed her hands before and after any gruelling tasks.

“They were washed a few moments ago, when I was told that I was to be stationed in the Kitchen for the next week or so,” she said as she turned to start working on the dough. She was not useless when it cam to rolling this stuff and making sure there was no air bubbles in it. She was quite quick, and as she began the work she put into the dough was of a good standard. She placed some flour on the bench she was working on and then floured the rolling pin. This would ensure the dough would not stick to anything bar itself.

She could see Teagan begin to work beside her, and admired at how determined she seemed to get the job done. Elsie was usually focused when she put her mind to something, and she was just as determined to get the job over and done so she could get out of the place and have a little freedom.

Well, a little time to herself.

Teagan spoke to her moments later, and despite wanting to look at the other women as she addressed her, Elsie knew she had to keep her head down and working, so that was what she did. However, that did not mean they could have some communication going on.

“Lawley Fiefdom,” she answered frankly, as she began to line a pan with the dough she had just worked before handing it to another who was to prepare the rest of it.

"Lawley, I heard some stories," Teagan muttered to herself, gouging out another risen tub of dough. As she turned to set her pan in front of Helen, who was mixing the fillings, she took the opportunity to glance around the kitchen. It hadn't taken long for them to see that she was really skilled and more than that knew her way around seasonings, so she was one of the real cooks--and that meant it was her job to keep an eye on everyone else. At the inn she'd worked for herself more than anything, and ordered around whoever Gil could hire. But this was an entirely different level of--

"Oy! Don't feed poisonwood to the fire, are you daft?" She dropped her dough with a hollow thump to the countertop, where it raised a cloud of flour, then stormed over to the guilty party. "That could kill us all. Take it outside and burn it where it won't do any harm. God's breath!"

Back at the counter, and still on the lookout for mistakes, she cast an eye at Elsie's rolling-pin. "You, girl, aren't rolling thin enough. That'll never cook. Take out what you done already and keep at it."

Elsie listened to Teagan as she worked. This woman surely knew her way around this kitchen. How long had she been here? Elsie couldn’t know. She heard Teagan suddenly shout at some of the hands in the kitchen who were attempting to stock the furnace with some estranged wood. Elsie turned to have a peep, but not for long.

How did she know about the wood? She must have a good sense of smell, or has eyes in the back of her head. Which would be very useful for the head cook.

Suddenly the anger or annoyance that Teagan had thrown out at the hands became aimed at Elsie. Teagan had returned to her post, and had said that the way Elsie had rolled the dough was overly thick and needed to be re-done.

That annoyed Elsie slightly. She knew she was not the best, however she did know what she was doing. If it was rolled any thinner it would break the moment someone picked it up. However, Elsie knew that the cook was perhaps not a woman to trifle with. So, without saying anything she took up the pile of dough and began again. Obediently.

For the moment Elsie intended to keep the peace, “So, where have you come from? I have been here for a few years but I daresay I have not seen you about in the last two.”

Teagan was chagrined for a moment. Was it possible that Elsie did know what she was doing? She was aware that sometimes she criticized for the sake of criticizing, because she liked to control what was going on in her kitchen--but no. Obviously Elsie had rarely if ever done kitchen-work before. Imagine now knowing how to gut an animal! Unbelievable. Unless she was pretending to ignorance in order to get out of the loathsome duty. Well, if there was one thing Teagan hated more than incompetence, it was lying laziness.

"From Winchcombe," she said briefly. "I was an inn's cook for a couple years there. And the pay here's better and there's more--well--excitement--" She shrugged, trying not to think of Damon. He wasn't the real reason, anyway. It was her datura sales--they were through the proverbial roof. "Make sure you keep away from the soldiers," she added, briefly glancing up at her companion. "They see a woman 'round here and think only one thing."

Elsie was a loyal character. She knew her duty. She had been working for anything to keep her alive since infancy, and she was under no circumstances lazy. Laziness did not get you the amount of goods, a hard worker might as far as she was concerned. She worked herself sometimes, to the point of exhaustion just to get a good pay. In her opinion if it was a way to survive- it was worth it.

She flattened the dough to the point she knew, would be far to thin and then began moulding into the tray. She kept listening to what Teagan had to say. So, she had been a cook at an inn. That would mean, she was good. Like herself, Teagan had come to the garrison for the extra money. A lot of serving women could use it these days. Especially with most the men heading off to war. Many women relied upon the men to bring in the income- that was in an upper society. It would be a big change for those snobs- when they started working.

Elsie could feel Teagan’s gaze on her for a moment, but she did not look up to match it, “Most of the soldiers that have been here, as long as I have been here have been pretty good to me. Those I worry about, are the new arrivals.”

Teagan glanced up again, though her hands kept up their steady pace. Flatten the dough with a few brisk strokes, rolling it thin to conserve their scarce flour. Mold it into a pan over some old drippings so it wouldn't stick. Shove the pan over to Helen. Start anew.

"Aye," she said, almost sympathetically. "It's the new ones, the forced ones, scared they are. And I don't blame them for that," she had to admit. "But I'd stick 'em with a knife as soon as be stuck. And you ain't hardly big enough to defend yourself so you best keep a blade about you too." She shrugged her shoulders, an animal-life twitch running through her solid, nervous body. It was a great fear of hers, rape, especially living here amongst soldiers. She feared them more than the barbarians sometimes, but Teagan was never without her defenses. Besides, there were other women around more available than she, women who didn't worry over catching the clap or having fatherless babies. Idiots.

Tipping back her head, she glanced around the kitchen, then roared: "Pick up the pace, dinner's in less than an hour!"

Elsie worked the dough into a pan and handed over to the woman, Anne whom she had seen about a bit. Elsie wasn’t great friends with Anne, in truth they had barely ever gotten on while Elsie was in the kitchen last. Elsie took up some more dough and began rolling it. Her hands working at a gentle, but not luxurious pace. The whole kitchen was in such chaos. Attempting to stay calm and focused all Elsie paid attention to was the woman beside her and the stuff in front of her.

“I do not take to using weapons so easily,” she stated. That was because she had never used one. Never intended to use one. However, she supposed when her life was at stake or threatened she would have too, wouldn’t she? She floured her hands, and the bench as well as the rolling pin after scrunching the dough. She had always feared men advancing on her, she had, had it happen to her once before but she had been lucky enough to have a few of her soldier friends come to her rescue. To her luck the soldiers that tried to advance on her went posted elsewhere.

“I will however, make sure I carry one. It is perhaps for the best.”

She began picking up the pace, as Teagan shouted out to the rest of the kitchen. She knew they had little time and they had to get this work done. They still had supper to prepare as well.

Teagan nodded and backed up, flinging the last of her piecrusts at Helen, and then set to covering the pies with the last of the dough. Most were done cooking, and they had a roast and a huge summer sallet. She poured olive oil and lemon into a huge brass bowl and set to whipping it. The soldiers could dress their foods themselves, but they needed the lemon or they would get the tooth-sickness, with bloody gums and weakness.

"Whew, right. Just about done for now." The last of the pies were going into the oven, and Lucy had enlisted some menservants to help them turn the roast in the spit. It took a lot of food to feed the garrisons these days, but with luck they would have leftover for tomorrow.

"Now, after this we get to eat ourselves. You look like you hardly seen a scrap of beef in your life," Teagan said frankly, surveying the other girl. "I'll take a pie for us, if you please. Or you can fend for yourself." Maybe because she'd not been unpleasant to her, even though Teagan knew she could be abrasive--and maybe because she was lonely--the thought of a little dinner company wasn't totally amiss.

Elsie was not far behind her last few. She helped Anne, without any communication fill the rest of the pies and place the lids upon them. The baker put them in the oven, and Elsie moved to clean the benches. Flour was everywhere, she had been lucky she was wearing an apron. However, the quality of the apron was not the best. It did not both Elsie, as much as she was hygienic she knew it was only flour and was harmless.

When Teagan stated that they could soon eat, Elsie was bewildered. Never had they been able to eat half way through the day like the troops. Well, when Elsie had been in the kitchen. The last cook had made them work all day. First breakfast, serve that, cook lunch, serve that, cook supper, serve that and then you had the entire mess to clean up afterwards. They barely ever had time to cook, and that was when there were minimal troops.

How could they possibly be able to have a break and eat at this period in time? They still had supper to get through yet? When Teagan offered to grab Elsie a pie, she could feel her stomach grumble at the thought of food, “Well.. I suppose. As long as there are enough for the soldiers.”

Teagan laughed. "Of course there are. Besides, I'm in charge now, and don't I make the rules? The scullery maids take serving and cleaning in shifts, and I always help, but it harms naught if we take a minute to eat."

She was a harsh mistress, but she'd gotten too many half-starved maids and manservants from the fiefdoms, or even the smaller towns and farms, not to have a bit of a soft spot for them. Under her guidance, no one would starve--silly to starve in a kitchen, anyway, of all places. "It's not my day to clean up. "Those who didn't serve this morning'll serve now, and the rest of us take a bit of a break before it's back into the breach."

She briskly wiped down the area of counter she had used, carefully conserving the flour in a pan to use later, then wiped it down with a damp cloth. "I generally go to eat in the mess hall or outside, to get out of this heat." She wouldn't go so far as to invite Elsie along, but it was there, in the undercurrents of her tender-rough tone.

Elsie smiled at Teagan’s laugh, but did not make much fuss about it. She looked around at the Kitchen, a few of the workers were hanging up their aprons and already heading out while others stayed back to clean up the mess, “I… um don’t really like people having to clean up after me. I’ll just clean up here, and then I will stop and have something to eat.”

There was no way she was going to throw away an offer like she had just gotten. It was probably the best meal she would ever eat. She might as well embrace the offer. Yet, good things should be deserved. Elsie would feel entirely guilty if she was eating while others cleaned up the mess she had made.

She cleaned up the bench, being quite a clean-freak. She was very careful not to miss anything that may contaminate food, or just seem untidy. She took her jobs quite seriously, and when she did them she made sure she did them to the best of her knowledge.

Perhaps this new cook would bring about something better for the Garrison. Not many, especially Anne were fond of change. Elsie loved it. She loathed routines. Her gold hair swayed along her back, as she wiped the benches with a cleaning rag. When she finished she placed the rag in a bucket of water and turned to Teagan, “I usually sit around the fire with a few soldiers. However, I might skip that from now on,” she said, slightly referring to the conversation they had, had earlier about more men arriving and to be careful, “I might go sit by the river. No-one usually goes down there and it is quite peaceful.”

She had caught onto Teagan, but she would not have it look like she was a sheep and followed others. Elsie enjoyed being her own leader and to constantly follow someone around, that was above her would make her look inferior. With no insult to Teagan of course.

Ned Colfax lounged against a tree by the river, listening to the rush of water and the rude, loud chewing of his mates. They had stopped by the mess hall and begged pies off of the serving-maids, bestowing a pinch or two where it was pleasing, then come out here to polish them off.

"Damn the sergeant, I see no wherefore or why we oughtta eat in the mess."

"Mess is right," Geoff agreed, taking an enormous bite. "Christ's blood. They can't need so many of us. I got a daughter at home, you know? At least, I think she's mine. 'Swhat the whore was after saying."

Ned laughed and socked his friend in the arm. "Least we're all in it together, and some of the girls 'round here ain't bad. They knows how to care for a man, even if the El Tee and the Sarge are flaming--"

"Sh, there's ladies coming, if I ain't mistaken." Geoff laughed.

"Ladieeees." Ned pushed himself to his feet, and flung an arm around the smaller, less mean-looking one. She had very comely blond hair.

"What's your name, sour-face?" Geoff said, making his way to the more voluptuous of the two. Teagan scowled at him.

"Do not touch me," she said, her voice very low. "Tell him not to touch her either. Or it will be your bollocks." She gave a faint smile. "You think I'm joking?"

Elsie had always loved water, she was a keen swimmer but apart from that the entire music of flowing water was enough to soothe her after a few hours of labour. Both herself and Teagan had decided to spend a few moments beside the river, while eating just to get away from the heat of the Kitchens and the loud rush of conscripted soldiers. It had come a lot more chaotic, a lot more dangerous for all the women at the Garrison with all these men sitting around waiting for the call. They had nothing to do, so it was likely the men would turn their attentions upon the women.

Elsie was walking alongside Teagan when a gathering of men stood and came their way. Elsie took a deep breath, it wouldn’t be good to show fear in this situation, would it? So, she carried on walking until the men that were approaching were able to stop both women in their tracks. One slipping his sly arm around Elsie’s waist. Her entire body froze in fear. She did not know these men, and each of them looked- well they looked a bit needy.

“Come on Lady,” the one with his arm around her waist said to Teagan, “We are just having some fun.”

His grip around Elsie tightened, and the strength within that one particular arm told Elsie there would be no way of escaping him- and all the other men. He pulled her a little closer to him. His slimy hand running up and down her stomach. For a moment Elsie put up no hesitation. Yet, as soon as that hand began to caress her stomach through the clothing she pulled away from his grip.

“Come on Blondie,” the men said stepping closer to Elsie once again, “I am sure we could have some fun.”

“I know your sort of fun,” she said with a gulp, “And I want none of it.”

They tended to ignore Teagan, and Elsie had no idea why. Probably because Teagan didn’t appear as weak as she did. Well, they had managed to separate both Elsie and Teagan, which was not a good thing and Geoff stood in Teagan’s way. The man, by the name of Ned was so close that Elsie could feel his breath reaching for her face. It was disgusting, and her heart was beating at such an extraordinary pace that she felt like she had ran all the way from her barracks to Lawley. Within a split second, Ned had grabbed her, and propelled her over his shoulder, so she was incapable of getting away.

In the meantime Geoff positioned himself so that he had Teagan, “Don’t worry about your little blonde friend. Ned’ll take good care of her, very good care of her,” he said with a disgusting smile, “That means… well it means you and I have all this time to ourselves. ‘Ought we might have some fun to huh? Ya look like you could use some,” but he stayed hesitant. There was something about this woman, that he wasn’t to trusting about.

Elsie had been carried off. Her voice had literally disappeared from all the screaming, abandoning her. Ned lifted her off his shoulder and placed her feet on the ground. His face, so wicked. In the dark it was even more evil then she had supposed. She attempted to make way, but he grabbed her arm in such a harsh way that it hurt and she was in no way able to get away. It was then, he pushed her up against a tree. Clasping her hands in his, and pinning her legs so she couldn’t damage his goods and aid her escape.

“Get off me!” she tried to scream but her voice was only so loud, and against the river it meant nothing. She tried to remove her hands from his grip, but that was…. Not working.

“Hush. And it will be all over in a minute, Blondie,” he said and crushed her screams beneath his drunken lips.

Thomas had been having a rather glum day as far as days went; which was normal for him any time he started thinking about his sister. On such days he was wont to do several things-snap at anyone who even vaguely irritated him, wear himself out training in an attempt to distract himself, and then walk alone by the river in gloomy acknowledgement that beating the tar out of a training dummy was not going to make him forget Renna. Today he'd managed to do the first two in fine form, and now at last had given up and was headed for his routine stroll along the river's edge.

Today was different, though. The young soldier's ears pricked as he caught muffled sounds from the riverbank, and he picked up his pace. Maybe he was crazy but he could swear he was hearing...women...and one none too happy either.

His last memory of Renna's face seared across his mind, tear-streaked and pleading, and he burst into a run. God forbid that another girl suffer so, and certainly not while he was around to do something. He'd frozen once. He would never do it again.

There it was, a band of men with two girls, one already pinned against a tree and struggling vainly. She seemed the weaker of the two, so Tom determined to get to her first. He stooped to pick up a large branch lying by his feet, and then surged forward and seized the assailant by the hairs on the back of his neck. Rage made him stronger than even months of training had managed, and he had no trouble in ripping the other man away. He said nothing, but let his branch descend in a fury of blows that spoke all too clearly. Thomas could barely see his target through the red veil misting over his eyes, and then all at once he could see Renna, asking him to stop, so he dealt a final blow for good measure and then growled in the general direction of the scum. "Touch a girl like that again, and I. Will. Kill. You. Promise."

... Geoff did not take her seriously. Teagan was a menacing girl, but she was also still a young girl, and she hadn't taken quite enough pains to seem thoroughly unwanton. Her neckline was low, her body set in a stance that was, in fact, defensive--but could be mistaken for a strange sort of aggressive invitation. Could be mistaken for such, of course, if you had a mind as selective as Geoff's.

He took a step forward and had her in a bruising grip, his hands around her upper arms.

Bloody new recruits, she thought, anger struggling to overcome fear as her heart sped up and her body thrummed in horrified expectation. "Let go," she said, through gritted teeth, then forced herself to relax. Concern for Elsie was now in the back of her mind--she came first. "I mean--it'll be a lot more fun if you let me use my hands..." Deliberately, she dropped her gaze. "... right?"

When, grudgingly, he let go his death grip of her arms, Teagan moved quickly. She plunged one hand into her skirts and withdrew the wicked kitchen knife she was never without. Anger singing in her teeth and behind her eyes, she slid it into his skin. Teagan wasn't totally stupid. She didn't aim for a vital organ or for his stomach--and you didn't work in a kitchen without figuring out which strikes spilled guts and which just hurt like Hell--but for his thigh, painfully close to his groin. Geoff doubled up with a howl of pain, blood spurting.

Teagan kicked him. She set her face into a sneer, but her hands were shaking, and she was very frightened. Only when she looked up did she see Elsie, freed, standing by as another recruit (Teagan thought she recognized him as one of the several Toms running about) beat the living shite out of her attacker.

"Elsie!" Teagan had dropped the pie in the confusion, and almost trod in it as she made her way rapidly toward the other girl. She would not have embraced her, disliking human contact as she did, even had she not been smeared with Geoff's bloody, but she did check her over to make sure she was unharmed. "Are you a'right?" Her voice was shaking. It shamed her, and she turned her gaze to the Tom.

"Oy--you--stop, you'll kill him--" But he was already, thankfully, breaking off.

Thomas watched his victim crawl away with his brows set into a scowl, and then twisted to check on the two ladies. Blue eyes widened a moment to see the stronger one covered in blood, and he did a brief mental check to try to figure out how that had happened. Oh, yes. While he was busy turning the slime into a living training dummy, the girl had stabbed the other man. This made him grin, and for half a moment Tom wished that he'd paid more attention to her so he could have seen that. Served his fellow recruit right for being an idiot.

But then he remembered that he had two frightened young women to deal with, and quickly thrust his makeshift staff behind his back. "No, m'lady, I won't kill him. This time. Although he prob'ly deserves it. "

The former farm boy caught a glimpse of a gown cut far too low and turned his head away, back to the blonde. At least she was dressed decently; he could look at her without shame. "Are you two all right? Here, misses, sit. Both of you. " Tom added that last bit to let the indecent lady know she wasn't being ignored; he simply found it too embarrassing to look at her and wonder how far he could see down her blouse. The soldier put his hands on Elsie's shoulders and guided her gently down to sit, then took a step back and gave Teagan a swift glance. "I'd help you too, Lady, only I mistrust that knife o' yours. It was well used."

It was by far the worst situation for any woman to be placed in. Terrible, frightening and inescapable. Terrible as in the awful event occurring without your consent, frightening being terrifying and feeling utterly alone and inescapable- the fact that the attacker could over power her in a physical way. Her only chance to be able to live with some sanity after this, would be to block it out mentally. But tears had already stained her face, rendering her almost incapable of blocking this horrible incident from her mind.

Within seconds the pinning mass had been removed and she was freed from the event. Her body was shivering, she was shaking incurably. What was running through her mind, was possibly how pathetic she had been. How could she let someone even come that close to her? It was all her fault. She should have been prepared, she had spoken with Teagan only moments before about carrying a weapon. However, she had failed to do so. This just made her feel more dismal. She watched without removing her eyes from her attacker, whom was in a role reversal and was being attacked by another soldier.

Suddenly Teagan was beside her, no embrace just a quick check over. Elsie didn’t really expect Teagan to hug her but she knew Teagan had been slightly worried about how Elsie faired, “I’m ok,” the blonde damsel managed to say to Teagan whom turned to the soldier, begging him to stop the attack. Thankfully, he was already laying off.

Elsie was thankful, but still in quite a state of shock. The kindness of this soldier preceded him, when he helped her take a seat. She managed to say thankyou, in an almost whispering tone and sat down starring blankly into the night. Somehow there was a deep sense in the girl of it being her fault, but another force acting against it, telling her she was the victim. Her mind was in utter chaos, contributing to her state of shock.

She wrapped her arms around herself for added support. Her pale frame slowly regaining a natural breathing pattern. But, still she was in a way traumatized, by the events that she hadn’t even realised Teagan could possibly wounded, there was blood all over her.

Thomas' brow furrowed, and an expression of pain flashed into his eyes. Was this how Renna had looked when her captor had finally brought her to his home? Had she been shivering like this? Tom realized that she was probably doing worse, because she was helpless and aloneand her attacker would not have stopped, and he tasted bile. The young soldier fell to his knees beside the girl who had thanked him and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her face into his shoulder. "Shh, lady. Shhh."

He rocked her from side to side and let a broad, rough hand stroke down her hair to her back. "Don't cry. I'm here now; I'll keep you both safe. Aye? It's done. It's done."

The poor girl was quivering like an aspen leaf, and he put his hand under her chin so he could grin into her eyes. ''Twill all be fine, milady, and if you'd like I shall teach you enough tricks to throw the next villain who decides you're naught more than a pretty morsel. It's impossible to fight until it's instinct in the way of emotion instead of vice versa anyway, poor girl. I can get you there. The name's Tom."

Blue eyes twinkled at her. "Hey now, I've a riddle for you. What do you call a sheep with no legs?"

He didn't wait for her to answer, since his primary goal now was to get the frightened young woman to smile. Instead he answered his own question, promptly and with a face purposely made ridiculous. "A cloud!" ^v^

How does one overcome trauma? Medicine, confinement, revenge?

It is never truly apparent for each individual, is different to the next and each is capable of different healing methods. Some change, and hide within themselves, some seek revenge to avenge the cruel deed that has passed by them. Others, well depending upon their strength and their injuries will get back up on their high horse and ride into the sunset. All in all, it depends on upon the healing systems of that one individual. Sometimes they require the strength of those around them, others depend upon their own strength.

Elsie’s emerald eyes were as distant as the snow-capped peaks of the mountains, and the tears that had funnelled from them were like the frozen rivers that made their way through them. She had never been put in such a situation before. Most of her life she had spent entertaining people on streets for food or coin but none had never advanced on her. When she came to work at the garrison, none bar one, had attempted anything.

The soldiers arms took her into an held around her, in a comforting hug, where there was a surge of energy that she was thankful for. A sort of symbioses, only between humans. Her shaking had deceased, but still she was quite timid. When the soldier placed his hand beneath her chin so his eyes could look comfortingly into his, hers took a few moments to meet them.

Her rescuer seemed intent in attempting to make her smile. Perhaps, so that he was assured there was still some hope in her feeble mind to carry on and make it through and had not saved her decency for nothing. Of course, she had not entirely been raped but so close to it. Oh so close. She watched his eyes as he attempted to quiz her on a riddle, and he succeeded in making her smile, “Thankyou,” she said huskily, as though she had been struck down with the cold, “How will I ever be able to repay you?”

She attempted to show, that she was slowly breaking out of the shocked state, but the entire image of her shaken appearance was enough to show that she was still in that deep hole, but was pushing to break out.

The lad looked at her, startled, and then laughed gently. "Pay? M'lady, seeing you all in one piece is kind of the point of this. I've a mother and plenty of sisters back home, all of which are loved dearly by me, son and Big Brother. No payment needed, although a smile or two more wouldn't hurt. There now."

He patted her head and stood up, stretching out his arms and casting a quick glance around in case the assailants showed up again. "You've had a bad fright, so let's just stay out here for a bit. It's lovely outside. Perfect for a walk by the stream." Thomas turned his head and winked at Teagan. "And while yon lassie is calming her poor nerves, I'll be having some of the dinner you brought with you. Thank you kindly."

He skipped over and began rooting through their basket, knowing full well that most women did not enjoy crying with someone looking over their shoulder. Instead he smacked his lips. "My stars, it's just like being home again. The slimeballs went after the wrong victims if y'ask me. They'd have done better to kidnap the victuals. Idiots."

Teagan, whilst all this conversation was going on--though she kept half an eye to their 'rescuer', whom she didn't trust farther than she could throw him, not yet--went to the stream to clean her dress. It was one of only two she owned, but luckily cold water was good for getting blood out. She held the part of her skirt that had been stained under the chill rush of water, then did her best with the bodice. And of course the man was flirting with Elsie. Hardly appropriate at a time like this, but then, men were men. And of course he'd flirt with the pretty little blonde one. Teagan preferred not to examine the source of this particular thought, and so brushed it away.

Standing, her dress damp--though not as unpleasantly so as when it had been with blood--she made her way back to Elsie.

'Call me Tom' had skipped over to their basket and was making annoyingly cheerful conversation. "Done better to 've captured the food, aye?" she demanded, taking a seat beside Elsie. Tentatively, she touched the girl on the back, then removed her hand and looked away, unsure as to how best to be comforting. Teagan wasn't even sure she wanted to be, or ought to be--wasn't the best thing for all to stiffen the backbone and just move on, not wallow? "How charming y'are, and how false, just like us all." In a most unladylike move, she spat on the ground by her feet. "Mighty chipper for a man as just tried to beat another to death, Tom."

Thomas turned his head and looked at her, a long, slow glance that managed to focus entirely on her face. The soldier's blue eyes sharpened as quickly as his tone, and he brushed his hands off on his knees brusquely. "You're awfully glum for someone who was rescued from a near-rape. Oh, forgive me, you rescued yourself.' He gave her a quick bow, but his tone was still short. "As for being chipper, I've good reason to be. Frankly it's none of your business, m'lady, but I will also say that there are two names I won't take from any man." He gave her a glance. "Or woman, as it were. I won't be called coward, and I won't be called false. You're welcome to call me an ignorant, interfering, ugly clod or anything else you can come up with, but them two are out of the running. Yes, Your Honor?"

The smile was back at his little pun, and he stepped away from the basket of food. "It's all yours, milady. No need to panic that I'm here to steal your dinner. Nor your friend." Mochrie nodded at Elsie. "I have a girl already."

"Too ignorant to know what false is, then. And havin' a girl never stopped no one from havin' another before. But you can have my share of the pie. Too much sugar turns off my appetite." She took out her flask of water and took a sip, clearing her throat of the lingering tang of blood and bile, then offered some to Elsie. It wasn't just Thomas's nauseating cheer that took away her appetite; it was the fight. Hard anger had replaced the hunger in her belly, that and--however used to evisceration, from the kitchens--the wounding did turn her stomach a little. She was a woman. There was only so much as could be expected, she thought sourly.

"Hey, Elsie." She unstoppered her flask. "You want some? It's clean, I filled it just this morning when I had a bit of a break."

She ignored Tom, apart from motioning for him to bring the basket over. She needn't deprive Elsie of her lunch just because she was too angry and generally discomfitted for food. She could get something later in the kitchens anyhow.

Elsie remained quiet for the passing moments that continued after their slight conversation. She had noticed Teagan wander off towards the stream and had returned with less blood upon her gown then before. Teagan was not a girl of charm and she seemed to dislike to much attention. She was smart and stubborn. Despite their differences Elsie could sense a sort of allying friendship arising between both Teagan and herself. Elsie let a small corked smile cross her face when Teagan sat beside her, and offered her the little comfort she knew.

Without words, she exchanged a look of gratitude. Well, wasn’t a smile enough to express that? At the moment, she barely felt like speaking so remained content with listening to the conversation Tom and Teagan began. Teagan was not quite the trusting type and could appear quite discourteous at times, however it kept her character strong. Whether it be a virtue of ill trait, it seemed to keep Teagan pretty balanced.

When she was offered food, she simply shook her head. She had no appetite now, even though she had probably not eaten well for the past few days. She had been hungrier earlier, however now, her desire for food had been washed away like most of the blood on Teagan’s gown. Instead of keeping her eyes in the conversation they once again travelled out into the distance. It was possible that trouble would come out of this. Once the soldiers that had attacked them were found, it was quite likely that both Thomas and Teagan would land in some trouble for injuring the majesty’s trouble. But surely, when it came to the defence of the innocent and weak, as well as defence of oneself their deeds could be excused?

Tom looked at the very much put-out Teagan, his brows snapping together in a puzzled frown. But he simply swept her a low bow and lifted the supper basket easily in his arms, carring it over to set before the blonde with a rather theatrical flourish. "As my Lady commands."

His glance flicked over to the dark-haired woman, and then he quickly reeled it back. Why did she insist on wearing such a low-cut gown? Did she want to invite trouble to her? Granted, there were men who wouldn't care if a dress came up to the middle of the throat, but there were also the type to assume that someone was a whore and then imagine that it didn't matter. Thomas had to wonder if it really didn't. Would a whore feel violated if she were raped? Stilll. The better half of him concluded that she would, at the very least, be being robbed, so it was the best policy to come to her rescue just the same as if she were a full-fledged Lady.

"Eat, please, little miss. I realize you're not much in the mood for it but you've just had a bad shock and you need your energy. For you, warrior maid, I must be in awe at your having sugar in your pie. It's terribly expensive in these parts. I wouldn't dream of depriving you of it."

"Aye, you should." Teagan stood up, and touched Elsie lightly on the shoulder. "And anyways, we did all the work of cooking it. No sense letting those idiots get us in such a temper we let it go to waste." She walked purposefully over to the basket and picked up the pie, then carried it back with her. Sitting beside Elsie, she picked out a knife--not the one she'd used on the hapless Geoff, but her eating knife--with a flourish and started to carve it up.

"And I'm no warrior maid," Teagan snapped at Thomas, taking an enormous bite of pie and forcing it down. "Just a cook, and handy with a knife. I've gelded plenty o' pigs in my day, I'll tell you, and the only sugar in my pie is what you put there--" She blushed blazingly red all of a sudden, aware that this was an innuendo. Damn and blast! She'd never be able to control that blush... "I mean," she went on, more subduedly stuttering. "I mean, with your stupid cheery words." It came out lamely, and she turned back to Elsie.

"This is good, isn't it?" But she had to force herself to keep eating, and her face was very hot.

Elsie collected herself back to reality, allowing her eyes to return to the commotion between both Teagan and Thomas. Slowly she began to accept what had happened, was none of her doing really and she was returning to her natural self. Her mind did not seem to reach out to wander, where she could escape reality, but instead it refrained to keeping her right here, right now, with Thomas and Teagan.

He seemed cheerful and friendly enough, however Teagan didn’t seem to accept him in one way or another. She was quite a character to try to figure out. One moment you could believe you had her figured out and within seconds you would realise that what you thought you knew about her, was only a small portion of her true character and there was so much more to learn about her.

Elsie returned her eyes to the fellow as he moved over towards her and encouraged her to eat. She knew she needed the energy, but her appetite had truly been left behind a good half hour ago. Then Teagan was at her about eating. There was no way she would get out of this. Both reasons she was given to eat were fairly good ones, and remembering that she hadn’t eaten so well over the last few days also helped encourage her to take up some food.

She took a bite, and gave it a good chew. Savouring every ounce of flavour within it. Having to cover her mouth, to save herself from spitting it out after Teagan’s comment about the sugar in the pie. She swallowed the food she had in her mouth, and took a deep breath and looked patiently at Thomas, he seemed deep in thought. Her undeveloped smile was once again upon her lips, “It seems that we only know your name, and it seems unfair that you should go without knowing ours. My companion here is Teagan,” she said gesturing to the woman who sat beside her, “And I go by Elsie.”

"Ah. Elsie and Teagan." Thomas nodded, relieved to have something distract him so he didn't have to respond on the fly to Teagan's innuendo. He'd understood what she meant, of course, but he had also grasped the second meaning of the words and it was making his cheeks a little warm. On the other hand she was plainly embarrassed, and he wished to ease that a little. Hopefully that wouldnt' be too hard to do; he had mixed up his vocabularly notoriously as a little boy. The soldier lounged against the tree with his arms folded across his chest and gave Teagan a smile, his expression kind.

"I knew what you meant, m'lady. I've done worse." The smile stretched into a grin. "Do you know, when I was a mite I let my sisters put some junk in my hair? A 'magic serum' sold by one of those traveling charlatans...the man swore up and down that it would turn any hair gloriously long and thick, and because they wanted to play at being fairies they decided they needed a long haired fairy prince. With golden hair, naturally." He snorted. "Well, they rubbed it in, and bless me if my hair didn't turn green. My folks were askin' all night what on EARTH I had in my hair, and I didn't want to tattle so I held out, but then I got hungry and confessed. Unfortunatly I couldn't remember the word for 'serum' so I said..." He looked around, almost anxiously. "...Told my poor Ma I had semen in my hair. She nearly died, and when I learned what that was so did I."

Teagan had to hide her hot face in her shoulder for a moment, not sure if her true reaction were laughter or just overwhelming embarrassment. Whatever it was, she found she couldn't look at Thomas at all. Instead, she turned back to the pie, her red face pointed deliberately down. Elsie could see it, of course, but maybe she'd just think she was trying not to laugh. In truth, she had rarely felt less comfortable. That word, that was so--disgusting! Teagan heard plenty of barracks humor, but she tended to block it out and move on. It was more the shock of this, on top of everything that had happened, and then embarrassment at her embarrassment.

Teagan knew the ways of the world. If nothing else, she had learned from from Ciarda, though not in explicit detail--she stopped up her ears, childishly, when conversation drew too close to uncomfortable territory. So why did it always make her blush and squirm when people talked about it? Ridiculous, she told herself curtly in her head, taking an angry bite of her pie. You are a ridiculous person.

"Very amusing," she said at last, swallowing. She stood. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I should really--will you be a'right, Elsie?"

Elsie smiled at Thomas’s story. She was not one of the most accurately educated girls around, she had literally taught herself most of what she knew. She could read a little and write a little, but no as vastly as many. However, some words she still remained unsure of. She knew what Thomas spoke of though. She could see from the corner of her eye Teagan trying to contain herself either from laughter or embarrassment but she felt at no liberty to say anything.

Elsie took another bite of the food, still not feeling her appetite. The food however, had quite a sense of flavour. It was perhaps one of the only things that kept her eating. It seemed her companion did not much enjoy vast amounts of company and was rather content with keeping to herself. That didn’t bother Elsie, everyone was different.

She felt Teagan shift and stand. Her eyes watching her, wondering where she was going. Surely she could not have been badly embarrassed that she was going to leave? Elsie took a quick glance at Thomas and then turned her attention back to Teagan and nodded to her question. Well, it was best to let Teagan do, as she wanted she supposed.

Elsie would have to hurry and clear her head, she knew she would have to return to help out in the kitchens for the next meal. She did not like being late, however under these circumstances it might be better to calm down before she entered a kitchen where a nice round of weapons lay, neatly set out. She was not much the type for revenge, but in this state of mind it was possible.