Lia making her way down to Auster had been a surprise, but when it came time to force herself to go back to the Armada she was grateful for Lia's company on the trip back to Boreas. The walk back to the wintery northern continent was miserable enough without having to do it alone. After they got back it was pretty late in the day so she went to bed pretty soon after, but the next morning she woke up burrowed into the furs of her bedding like she was trying to escape the cold of the night and early morning subconsciously. After spending a few weeks in the warmth of summery Auster this was a harsh change to come back to snow and cold and her body certainly did not agree with the change.

She groggily lifted her head from the furs, blinking her eyes open with a miserable sniffle. It was like the cold had sucked all the energy out of her and after a couple of sniffles the congestion that had formed started to make her cough and clear her throat. She put her head back down with a grumble, tucking her head under her paw as she hid away in her bed for a while longer. She was back to being somewhere she didn't want to be, far away from Artorias, stuck in this cold weather she hated... and now she had a cold on top of it.

She didn't feel like calling for any of the healers because she knew she'd be terrible company with her sour mood, but then she remembered Lia had a bit of knowledge in that field and since Lia lived with her she'd already know what her mood was like. Briar sighed and lifted her head again, looking out of the doorway that led into her room. "Lia?" she called, hoping her handmaiden was somewhere outside the den so she could hear her. "Lia? Could you get me something for congestion?"

"Briar Fatalis"

Returning to the Armada was a far cry from leaving it. She felt safe and secure at Briar’s side. Especially knowing her Mistress had already risked life and limb once before to keep her safe. The smaller wolf trotted along beside the other woman, and they arrived without drama. Briar went straight to bed, and Lia wasn’t far behind her.

Lia woke before Briar did and went about preparing a breakfast for the two of them. She was just outside the den when her lady called for her. Poking her head inside, her eyes met the gentle blue of Briars. “My lady?” she asked softly.

“Of course My lady, just one moment” she said, and hurried to the packs stores. She returned with a little poultice of Marshmallow and Meadowsweet. She offered it up to her Mistress, and while Her Lady took it, she moved to toss a blanket around her and bundle her up. “I’ll prepare some warm broth for you, My Lady” she said, it would be easy enough to turn the meat she was preparing into a broth instead.


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Luckily Lia was outside the den after all and as soon as she heard the request for some medicine her dutiful helper was on it. She smiled softly as she watched Lia go off to to get the supplies she needed and she lowered her head to lay it between her paws again. She was more and more grateful each day that she spent with Lia that Art brought her here. She may be a slave by rank and a handmaiden for her as a job, but she really had become more of a companion and a friend than anything. If she hadn't had Lia when Artorias went back to The Hallows or now as she tried to make herself content with living here for at least the next couple of seasons she wasn't sure what she would have done. Her time with Artorias made her get used to having an almost constant companion and Lia filled that role when they were apart.

The fire-marked woman reappeared shortly after that with some sort of poultice and a fur that was tossed over her to surround her in warmth. "Thank you, Lia," she said as she took the medicines that had been given to her, the bitter taste of herbs filling her mouth. Part of her regretted that the small bit of healing knowledge she had managed to accumulate before she gave the craft up had mostly escaped her. The only things that really stuck were some of the skills needed to quickly patch up injuries from a fight. That was useful information to have, but it did render her pretty helpless against something like a cold. When Lia mentioned making her a warm broth she smiled again, nestling deeper into the furs she was surrounded by. Just a little bit of care from her had helped turn her mood around and that helped even more than the fragrant herbs that were clearing her sinuses. "That sounds wonderful."

"Briar Fatalis"

She watched as Briar took her meds, making sure she took all of it, before taking the container back off the other woman. She could clean it out and return it to the stores soon. With briar bundled up in furs and the medicine - hopefully - beginning its work, the woman was already looking a little better.

Impulsive, Lia reached out and touched her paw gently. “Don’ worry, we’ll have you better in no time” She promised, offering her a shy smile at the sentiment. “I’ll have that broth to you shortly, and make sure your father knows you won't be performing any of your duties today” she added, prepared to take care of everything so Briar could concentrate on resting up.

With that, she slipped out of the den to pass on that message and get started on heating up the broth. Luckily, in the Armada, there always seemed to be a fire going somewhere. She returned with one cup filled with warm tea, and another filled with warm broth. She settled them both in front of her Mistress. “Would a massage help, My Lady?” she asked as she reached over to press her paw against Briar’s head to check her temperature.


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Briar smiled as Lia's paw reached out to hers, giving her handmaiden a grateful glance. Lia always had such a positive outlook on things that sometimes it made her feel incredibly ungrateful for what she had and the position she was in. Having to live apart from Artorias for a couple of months and waking up with a cold from the sudden shift in her climate had put her in such a sour, miserable mood, but Lia always helped reframe things into a much better light despite the fact that she had been through so many more hardships that she probably ever would. She knew their experiences were just completely different in every way and she knew some of the things she had been through were still worthy of being considered difficult and traumatizing, but if Lia could be this up beat and supportive then why couldn't she?

"Thank you," she said again when Lia reassured her and told her she'd let her father know she'd be taking the day off and then watched the fire-marked woman slip away to follow through with her promises of broth and message delivering. Briar settled into the warm furs she was wrapped up in, letting her eyes close while she waited on Lia to return, hovering on the edge of a nap when she heard paws coming back into the den. She blinked her eyes open and looked up at Lia as she came to place two bowls in front of her - one with tea and one with broth, both steaming and smelling delicious. She looked at them for a moment with her ears flicking back as emotion squeezed at her chest, blinking away tears that misted over her eyes. She didn't know why it effected her so much just to have Lia taking care of her like this, but it meant a lot to her and she found herself looking up at Lia with a grateful smile as she reached a dark paw up to feel her forehead.

She considered the offer of a massage for a moment before she gave a little shake of her head. "Honestly... Could you just lay and snuggle with me?" she asked shyly with a bashful flick of her ears. With all the time she had spent with Artorias over the fall season and then again in the weeks she spent in The Hallows while he recovered she had grown accustomed to having him at her side and now that empty space beside her felt cavernous. She shifted a bit to make room in the bed for Lia before dipping her head to take a few long drinks of the broth that was offered to her, humming happily as it warmed her from the inside out.

"Briar Fatalis"

“I’m my pleasure, my Lady” Lia promised her, wanting nothing more than Briar to be happy and healthy. She saw the way she reacted to the hot cups before her, and fretted for a moment. Was Briar unhappy? Before she realised it was gratitude in her Lady eyes. That was strange and unexpected, and she didn’t know what to do with it. She swallowed down her own emotions as she felt the woman's temperature. She definitely felt warm and unwell.

“If you wish. You need bed rest and fluids, and it would be easier to keep an eye on you from here” she agreed gently. Watching as Briar gave her room. It was strange to share a bed with someone and not perform other duties for them, but Briars shyness on the matter was enough that Lia knew that wasn’t what was to be expected of her. She lay beside the other woman, and wrapped her paws gently about her, feeling the warmth given off by her flu.

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