Getting back to the castle was slow moving, but with Ysmir to lean on she had an easier time of it than she might have on her own. She wasn't sure she'd ever make it back, at least not until someone noticed she was gone and came looking for her. Her limping made the trip back to the castle take forever, but at the very least Eilwen found them about half way back to the castle and she was able to send the raven on ahead to prep a few of the herbs she would need and let Ulric know so they wouldn't have to stop at the border and wait. "Thank you for doing this," she said softly to Ysmir as they neared the border, breathless from the struggle to make it here. Her head was swimming, but she was at least able to stay upright. She turned her swirled mint and lavender gaze up toward him for a moment, offering him a soft smile while she continued to lean on his shoulder. His kind face gave her something to focus on that wasn't the images that haunted her from her attacker and she was perhaps even more grateful for that than she was for his help getting back to the castle, no matter how silly that seemed.

She didn't think to ask if he would prefer to separate from her at the border. She knew he had his own pack to get back to and it was probably more than she could ask for him to continue to stay with her like this when they were hardly more than strangers, but as they approached the castle courtyard and it dawned on her that she might be testing the limits of her friendliness the thought of him leaving how made a bit of that panic from before well up in her chest. She continued to lean on him and use him to keep her balance all the way up through the castle doors and into the foyer, sighing with a bit of relief once the doors closed behind them and the outside world was closed away. "The infirmary is this way," she said, motioning down the corridor to their right, only half leading the way as she managed her way toward the familiar room. As soon as they stepped into the Infirmary she was greeted with the frantic swooping of her raven as she went from one side of the room to another, prepping the herbs and dressings to wrap Gwynevere's wound and placing them on a table beside one of the cots.

Gwyn eased herself down onto the cot with an exhausted sigh, stretching out her leg and letting Eilwen handle most of the work of making sure the bite was cleaned and treated, occasionally wincing as it was messed with. Her ears flicked back as she looked up at Ysmir again. She expected Ulric to be by at any moment to check on her, but she had made a point of telling Eilwen not to alert her mother just yet. She didn't need her mother's fretting and worrying right now. It was a small blessing that Artorias was away studying with the Armada so he wouldn't find out about this right away. "Do you... need to be going?" she asked hesitantly after a moment, hoping silently that he would say no. Eventually she would have to force herself to face what had happened and stand on her own again, but she wasn't ready for that yet.

Gwynevere | Eilwen

He was quiet on the trip back, but even if he could complain he wouldn’t have. The boy felt like he was helping repay Gwynevere’s kindnesses to him not so long ago. Plus he wasn’t sure he would have been able to say no to those big sad eyes of hers anyway. He didn’t like seeing her like this, but there wasn’t anything he could really do beyond supporting her weight as he helped to get her home. They were eventually greeted by a frantic raven who was sent ahead to ready the herbs and alert the alpha of the Hallows of their presence.

Gwynevere thought he needed thanks, and really he didn’t. Being able to repay her, and helping a pretty girl were rewards in and of itself. He didn’t realize it was so much more than just someone to lean on. He was literally helping to keep the demons at bay behind those panicked eyes. Eventually they found the border, he could feel Gwynevere tense up as they approached but she didn’t ask him to go and he was unwilling to pull away from her. He got her home, but she wasn’t ready to be let go. Something far worse than a bite to her heel had been done to her, if that wasn’t glaringly obvious before it certainly was now. Ysmir could sense it, and he wasn’t about to leave her alone even as he crossed into another pack’s territory.

He felt her relief when they were finally enclosed behind the castle walls. However comfortable they made her Ysmir felt uneasy. He didn’t let it show, but behind enclosed like this was not incredibly comfortable. The castle didn’t have the same light cozy feel of the barn at home. Still he continued along with her as they wandered to the infirmary where Gwynevere was finally able to relax. Whatever monster got a hold of her was no threat to her now, not at all.

Ysmir helped her into the cot, and his concern returned as she was finally seen to by her companion. The boy easily lowered himself to the ground at Gwynevere’s feet even before she asked in a round about way if he could stay. He shook his head quickly, almost exaggeratedly to show he was going nowhere. Not until someone told him to leave. She needed someone at her side, and she already showed that she wanted it to be him. They were practically strangers, but the sweet girl had made a life long impression on him. He saw her struggling and the young viking felt the rage of a thousand suns that anyone could hurt a kind and gentle soul like Gwyn.

Gwyn's shoulders relaxed a bit and she smiled softly to Ysmir's enthusiastic denial to the question of if he would have to go. He might see her as the selfless one, but he was the one that had stumbled upon her and had stopped everything to make sure she got home and agreed to stay with her just because she was scared. "I'm glad," she said softly just seconds before the door flew open and Ulric came striding in, worry creased across his face. Gwynevere shifted a bit so she could sit up slightly without moving her leg while Eilwen continued to stitch up the bite wounds. "I'm okay," she insisted before he could say anything and she saw the edge slightly dissipate from his worry. She had spent a lot of time around the Aegis since she became Seneschal so she was pretty adept at reading his expressions and his reactions to things. "What happened? Who is this?" he asked, giving Ysmir a glance.

"This is Ysmir, he's a friend of mine." Could she really call them friends after only meeting twice and both times only being because one of them was hurt? She glanced toward Ysmir at the thought, but she knew that he was the closest thing she had to a friend besides her siblings and perhaps Syanna or Lillith. Either way, she was glad he was here and she was more than willing to call him a friend if it would get Ulric to allow his presence here. Refocusing on the Aegis, she added, "I was attacked by a man out by the Cedar Falls while I was gathering herbs. He tossed me in the river, but Ysmir found me where I washed up on the shore and got me home." She didn't want to give Ulric more details than that - at least not right now. She knew she'd have to admit it to at least her mother and Artorias when he undoubtedly found out about about this.

Ulric shifted his gaze back to Ysmir again, saying, "Thank you for getting her back safely. Please stay as long as you need and be sure to take some supplies with you before you head home." Refocusing back onto Gwyn he added, "What did this man look like?" Gwyn sighed softly, her ears flicking back as she tried to recall more details than just the blood chilling grin and his sinister eyes beneath the skinned face of her mother... "He was big. Probably about the same size and build as you... Most of his coloring was a dark, slate blue with lighter gray markings and dark gray eyes." She turned her head away then, a silent plea to be left alone and that this was all she wanted to say. Luckily Ulric took the hint with a nod, rising to his paws. "I'll go out with Ezra and see if we can find any trace of him. You get some rest." With that Ulric left the room and they were alone again. Gwyn let out a slow sigh with the tension she hadn't realized she'd been holding while her alpha was here.

Eilwen finished up her work and fetched a couple of pain relieving herbs, placing them in front of Gwyn before going to perch on a near by headboard. Gwyn took the herbs without complaint, used to the bitter taste of herbs by now from all the time she spent preparing them. She was quiet for a while, settling her head on her paws and letting her eyes follow the slight silvery flecks of Ysmir's fur just to keep herself from thinking too deeply about what had happened just a few hours before. "He... He wasn't just some man," she admitted quietly, dipping her toes in the water of addressing things and using Ysmir as her confidant. Her marbled gaze shifted to look up at Ysmir's face again, uneasy and uncertain even as the words left her lips. "He said he was my brother... Not by blood, but by name and... and he said I wasn't worthy of it. He said I was weak and tormented me before he threw me in the river."

Gwynevere | Eilwen

He wondered if his silence helped put her at ease, just a little. His best communication was through his own body language, somehow that made communicating that much more of an intimate experience. She had to pay closer attention to him to understand what he wished to convey, and yet that challenge seemed almost welcomed by this bright, beautiful, young woman. Ysmir smiled up at her as she spoke softly in return, glad he could stay with her. That was all he got before the infirmary door swung open in a flurry.

Ysmir’s attention, dual toned eyes and dark ears, were swiftly brought to the massive man that suddenly commanded the space. All he got was a quick glance at first, of course Gwyn needed to be the center of attention. Ysmir nodded his head respectfully as Gwy introduced him but obviously didn’t interrupt. His own focus swiftly returned to Gwyn. One sapphire and one silver eye returned to Gwynvere’s features as she explained, vaguely, what happened to Ulric. The girl did not play down his help, and Ulric turned to him again and thanked him and would be sending him home with supplies. Ysmir nodded again, in humble thanks, or as close as he could get.

Ysmir didn’t miss the tension that seemed to seep out of her when the alpha finally left after telling her to get some rest. Silence settled over the room as Gwyn took her prescribed herbs and made herself comfortable. Ysmir resisted the urge to rest his head on the bed close to hers. He watched her marbled gaze trace the patterns of his fur before she spoke again. He tilted his head slightly, a tiny gesture to continue if she wanted. He held her gaze carefully, but gave her his full attention. This was someone who knew who she was, but she didn’t know him.

The yearling boy whined softly as she told him the unedited version of her story, she still withheld details but he didn’t want to see her relive the horror. Ysmir wished he could say something to comfort her. Instead he reached forward tentatively and nosed at her paws softly as he offered his support and comfort. Whatever he could do. He wished her he could tell her how wrong the man was. How strong she was, and worthy of whatever name she wished.

Everything still felt so raw and fresh that even just telling Ysmir that much made her feel vulnerable and uneasy. He had seen her in the worst state she had ever been in though and this almost felt like nothing in comparison. Maybe that's why she was willing to share some of the real story with him where she hadn't been able to do that with Ulric. She wasn't ready to face anyone else and she wasn't ready to talk about any of it in more detail just yet. She hoped she would never need to admit to her mother what had happened to her even though she was sure word would get back to her eventually. She didn't want to be worried over, she didn't want to be fussed over. She just wanted to live her quiet life like she always had and pretend it never happened.

She watched Ysmir dip his head to gently nudge at her paw with a whine and despite the slight panic that still gripped at her chest and made it hard to breathe, she still managed a small smile, her expression softening slightly as she watched him. Her paw turned and lifted enough to brush his cheek gratefully, feeling the soft, black fur with her paw pads. She searched his face for a moment before she lowered her head to rest near his own, her nose brushing his opposite cheek with an equally quiet whine. She understood that he couldn't speak, but the little gestures he did spoke volumes to her and she could only hope that one day she might be able to speak without words as well as he did.

Being in the infirmary still kept her too much on edge to really be able to relax. She kept worrying that her mother or one of her siblings or Ulric might walk in and she'd be forced to answer more questions about what had happened or what was wrong. She couldn't handle facing any of that right now and she wanted nothing more than to hide away from the world. She laid with him for a little while like this until the herbs she had taken began to take effect. She started to sit up, slipping off the cot and onto her feet, careful not to put much pressure on her back leg. She looked to Ysmir then, saying, "I'd like to go to my room, but it's upstairs... Could you help me? I can always stay in one of the guest rooms down here if it's too much trouble."

"Gwynevere Carpathius"

Despite not being able to tell her everything he wished Gwyn seemed to understand and he could see the edge chip off. She was still tight and tense, it showed in her movements and how she held herself as she confessed. She touched his cheek, and gave him the hint of a smile as he gave her every comfort he could offer, which really didn’t feel like very much. Still, he appreciated being able to gaze up into her swirling gaze before she felt enough at ease to rest her head beside his own. Her nose caressed his cheek and a soft whine slipped from her inky lips. Ysmir would remain there with her for as long as she needed, gazing into the mint swirl of her eyes. This was no difficult task to perform for her, and the longer he spent in her presence the more special he felt.

Eventually Gwynevere pulled away to slip off the cot he was laying beside. Ysmir quickly scrambled to his feet when he realized what she was doing and helped her to her paws and offered his shoulder just as he had done earlier. She asked him again for his help, she wanted to lay in her own bed. Ysmir tilted his head slightly and nodded as she spoke. He would try his best to help her up the stairs. He’d go as far as trying to carry her if that was what it would take.

Ysmir gestured with one silver marked paw for her to lead him as he supported her as much as she needed. When she healed him after the tournament he knew how much he wanted to return home to lick his wounds, surely she would feel much more comfortable in her own den… room. He pulled his lips back slightly into a hesitant smile as he tried to silently encourage this sweet girl beside him. Who he was believing more and the more the gods put in his path for a reason.

Gwynevere looked up Ysmir as he hurried over to be at her side as she got to her feet, smiling gently as she allowed herself to lean into him to keep the weight off of her injured leg. She kept expecting him to draw some kind of line or decide he had done enough, but he just kept coming to her aid even when she didn't ask. He had more than repaid her for what she had done for him after the tournament at this point. In fact, she was beginning to feel as if she was going to owe him exponentially for his sweet kindness and gentleness. She would have to find a way to thank him once this storm had passed, but for now all she could think about was getting away to the sanctuary that was her room and pretending that none of this happened. She wanted to go back to this morning and change her mind on going out on her own. She should have taken someone with her or at least let Eilwen accompany her, but she hadn't and this was what happened.

At his gesture she began the slow walk toward the door, leaning against him with each step. Her leg was stiff with the bandages wrapped around it so walking was difficult and awkward, but at least the pain killers had done their job so she wasn't that uncomfortable. She brought them down the hall, through the foyer, and up the stairs, the stairs taking the longest of all with her having to pause very few steps to readjust and catch her breath. Getting to her room wasn't easy, but once she was through the door that opened to the small library she called home she was immediately relieved. The bookshelves on either side were full of old books on the top several shelves that were out of her reach, but many of the bottom ones were filled with various herbs and bots of concoctions she had prepared and was testing, all of it giving the room a very aromatic and herbal smell. In the middle of the floor was a large pallet made of furs and cushions from back when she had used this as her tiny version of an infirmary and she would use this as a bed for her patients. The far wall held a large window with a widow bench below it, the bench piled with furs and pillows that showed that was her usual bed. She didn't have a bed like some of the other rooms in the castle did, but this suited her just fine.

With Ysmir's help she went to the pallet in the middle of the room and eased herself down onto the wide spread of furs and pillows, the door swinging mostly shut behind them on its own. She sighed as she settled into the furs, laying out her leg so it could be in a more relaxed position while she propped herself up on her elbow to look up at Ysmir with a grateful smile. "Thank you," she said, feeling as if she was just thanking him again and again, but it was for good reason. He had done so much for her with nothing to show for it besides her graditute and fondness. She glanced toward the window, seeing the sun very nearly gone below the horizon with just a faint hue of sunlight still visible. It was already fairly dark and the stars were very visible. She didn't typically go to sleep this early, but as she laid here in the safety of her room the exhaustion of the day really began to catch up with her. Glancing up at Ysmir again, she said, "It's getting awfully late... Would you like to stay here for the night? There's more than enough space here to sleep or there's guest rooms downstairs across from the infirmary if you'd prefer. I'd just hate to have you walking home in the dark and... I'd like if you stayed."

"Gwynevere Carpathius"

He struggled with her up the flight of stairs, it was not an easy task but the boy was determined. With his careful efforts Ysmir helped the girl up the obstacle and helped her down the hall to her room. Ysmir had the thought that if he had to climb a staircase, unnatural and even, up to the moon carrying Gwyn he would have. He didn’t know why he felt so much devotion towards the girl who was really a stranger to him. It went against everything he had grown up with. Still, he remained at her side, very nearly ducking under her when they were but a few steps away. The boy resisted, unable to even ask, and knowing she likely wouldn’t appreciate his efforts.

All of the difficulties in the task were rewarded when the door swung open and Gwynevere relaxed. The build of tension hadn’t been lost on him, her stiff movements were palpable in the change that overcame her when they walked through the threshold. Her movements were fluid and soft as he helped her into the pile of soft furs at the center of the room. She eased herself down and she looked the most comfortable she had been since he found her. The way she looked up at him, she didn’t even have to say that she was grateful because it was so obviously written on her face. Her sweet smile and tired but beautiful eyes were all the payment he might need.

Ysmir could hear his mother’s suggestion that now the Hallows could be held in their debt but he ignored it. This was between him and Gwynevere, not that he could tell anyone at home anyway. Instead the boy grinned back bashfully, he really didn’t feel like he was going out of his way, not when he enjoyed her presence so much.

He didn’t really have an exit plan, he’d stay as long as she needed him to. Instead of sending him off to a guest room, or home, she asked timidly if he would stay, and her desire for that as well. Ysmir smiled and nodded slowly. He wouldn’t be missed for a night... or two. Ysmir tilted his head though, unable to relay the question of her. He didn’t have a preference sleeping close, or in another room. However much he wanted to remain here with her. She was the one who would decide where she was comfortable.

She surprised herself with how well she was picking up on his silent questions and gestures, reading the emotions on his face and watching him closely for any nods, smiles, or tilts of his head. It was a completely different experience from what she was used to, but it was somehow calming. It gave her something to focus on and kept her from overthinking every motion and word and made her feel so much more free in how she communicated with him. Communicating had never been an easy thing for her - she was too in her head, to worried about what others would think of her. It was something that she felt like they could relate on so much even if maybe Ysmir didn't realize it yet. His challenges were far more noticeable than her own, after all. In her eyes at least he was one of the strongest wolves she had encountered just from seeing his kind heart and the way he went about his life completely silently. It wasn't a brute, physical strength - even though she was sure he was a strong fighter as well if she was just judging by his build and the fact he had been in the tournament - but she appreciated that emotional strength even more than that.

Gwyn gave a pleased smile when Ysmir nodded to her offer of him staying the night, her tail wagging and brushing gently against the bed to show how happy she was at the turn of events. The tilt of his head she assumed was because of the options she gave him for where he could sleep, perhaps wondering if she would be okay with him sleeping close to her or not. Her silver dipped toes fidgeted shyly with the fur under her and she gave him a bashful smile as she told him. "Stay in here... I'd rather not be alone anyway." It was hard to not think about how it had felt when he was holding her by the river and right now all she really wanted was that safety and security his embrace offered. She was too shy and awkward to actually say or ask for that though so she settled for just having him laying here beside her. Just not having to be alone tonight meant the world to her.

Eventually they both settled down, their sides ever so lightly brushing together just from the size of the space that was there for them. Neither of them were small wolves necessarily, though Ysmir was certainly bigger than her. She liked the slight touch though, it just reminded her that he was there and it was comforting as the exhaustion finally took over and she drifted to sleep before she even realized she was falling asleep. At first her sleep was deep and dreamless, her body very obviously needing the rest, but not even an hour or two into their night together a nightmare started to creep up on her.

Visions of the man that claimed to be Resin's son looming over her, the memory of her mother's skin bobbing and waving around on top of his head, feeling the pressure and weight of that brute's body on top of her own. For a moment she wasn't in the bed any more - she was back by the edge of the river, that wolf's scent filling her nose, his voice in her ears. In her sleep she started to twitch and whine, her legs giving little twitches and kicks, only showing a fraction of the fight she was putting up in her dream. In her dream she was kicking and struggling against her attacker, yelling for him to let her go, but he felt even more immovable than he had in real life. She could feel herself being crushed under him and suddenly she couldn't breathe, everything hurt, everything suffocated her and she couldn't find a way to escape.

"Gwynevere Carpathius"

He couldn’t really describe or fully comprehend the feelings that erupted in his chest every time he managed to make Gwynevere smile. He’d seen her half dead, scared, and at her lowest point of life. Ysmir was able to return her pretty smile to her face, the feeling that created in him was nearly overwhelming. There wasn’t anything like it. Gwyn lowered her marbled gaze as she interpreted him correctly and answered with timidness Ysmir didn’t often see in another wolf. She was endearing to a point the boy felt himself easily drawn to protect her. Maybe his debt was paid, but now he stayed at her side because he wished to.

Ysmir gave a soft nod and lowered his slightly bigger form next to hers, leaving enough space that she could close the rest of the distance between them, and he could just barely feel their sides touch. He was here for her, ready to protect her from whatever could come through those door. The Finnvi boy fell asleep after she did, remaining alert until her breathing softened to peaceful rhythmic breaths.

The boy was in deep sleep when the girl began to twitch in her sleep, plagued by nightmares of what had happened to her the day before. A sudden kick against his belly jostled him awake. It was by no means hard, but he was alert being in this new place. Sleeping with one eye open so to speak. Ysmir realized immediately that she was dreaming, having nightmares beside him. The boy whined softly, shifting himself so he was nuzzling her cheek. He placed one of his larger black paws over hers as he tried to ease her into wakefulness.

The gentle affections against her cheek was her lifeline that eventually tugged her away from the clutches of her nightmare and when she woke up with a gasp, her marbled gaze flew open and she frantically looked around the room until her eyes finally landed on Ysmir at her side. She panted for a few moments while she came back to her senses, blinking as she looked at him with blurry, teary eyes. The man that attacked her was no longer there, the weight of him on top of her was gone, but it still took several moments for her mind to catch up. She was home, in her room, with Ysmir beside her. A shaky sigh left her as she slowly began to calm down and blink her eyes clear of any of the fearful tears that had gathered in her eyes. An apology for waking him up hung on her tongue, some fake assurances that she was okay hung there as well. In the end she didn't say any of them. Her ears folded back against her head and as she looked at his kind face there was really only one thing she could think of that would make her feel better.

She carefully shifted closer, leaving her gaze on his with a questioning look that asked if this was okay as she moved to press into his chest. She put herself in his embrace the same way she had when he found her by the river and she curled into him with her face pressed into his chest as if she could hide from the world here with him. He felt like safety and stability when everything else felt like it was spiraling out of control. She knew that he physically couldn't speak, but right now she was thankful for his silence. All she needed was his presence and the feeling of him holding her like a shield that could protect her from whatever was coming for her. Slowly she began to relax again and another sigh left her as she gently nuzzled his chest thankfully, her forelegs slipping around him to hug him in return.

It wasn't really until after she was fully calmed down again and back in the present away from the nightmare that lurked on the edges of her mind that she realized how tangled up with him she was and how she had pressed herself to him. The realization made her heart skip and her face flush as her ears flicked back shyly, but when she lifted her head from his chest to look up at him she couldn't quite convince herself to pull away. She looked up at his two toned eyes and even though they still didn't know that much about each other she just couldn't find any reason to not fully trust him. A small, bashful smile pulled at her lips before she daringly brought her muzzle to his to give him a sweet, gentle kiss. A silent thank you for being here with her and comforting her through all of this. Her heart was doing flips and summersaults in her chest and she quickly tucked her face away into his neck to hide the burning read flush on her face that she was mistakenly convinced he'd be able to see even through her dark fur in the dark.

"Gwynevere Carpathius"