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(OOC: Discussion Thread!)

The night had been long, but at last it's over. The first few rays of sunlight come trickling out of the east, reaching fingers of illumination through the boughs and branches of the forest. The sky is brightening--slow, gradual--fading from inky black to indigo to faded blue. Sir Adelbard Laudessagne, with deep shadows under his eyes from lack of sleep, has been watching its progression. The Beauvraldian knight leans against a tree to stay standing, and he keeps one hand rested upon the hilt of his rapier. He looks around the meager clearing they'd stopped to rest in. It's not very big, perhaps four meters in diameter, but it's far enough from the road that they couldn't be easily heard or seen, and there are no rocks. Roots, surely, but no rocks.

The slumbering forms of his traveling companions are now beginning to stir. Some of them perhaps hadn't slept at all, given that they had precious little in the way of bedding--most folk were sleeping with only their cloaks as a bedroll. Adelbard had offered his own to the Lady Catherine so she might have a blanket. Thankfully the spring weather is pleasantly warm, and they didn't need to worry about wintry chill sapping the life from them while they slept.

The night had been hard for the party fleeing from Castle Paldwyn. Their number is large enough to attract unwanted attention, though small enough to pose no threat to the forces that pursue them. Adelbard knows that the Lady Annisse will stop at nothing to see their heads on pikes. In truth, he had expected to be overcome hours ago... but now, as the sunlight dapples his silver armor and pale cheeks, the knight feels a sense of hope that they might make it through this ordeal unscathed. It's enough to make his lips curve into a wan smile.

Adelbard adjusts his armor and straightens up, taking a quick inventory. No doubt the noblewomen would awaken hungry and thirsty, and Adelbard has not a clue of what could be put in their stomachs. They've no food, no water--whatever meager supplies they have were grabbed from the castle last night in haste. Perhaps they could find a clear stream to drink from, but they'd no doubt chased all the game from the area, and there couldn't possibly be enough forage for them all. He sighs and rubs his eye with a gauntleted hand, fighting back such despairing thoughts. Soon his companions would awaken... and they could figure out where to go from there.

Little did Sir Adelbard know that, Fredrick left the group slightly earlier before Adelbard woke up. Fredrick was used to waking up with very little sleep and decided to get some food he could find. The rather large group that he got involved with scared off the big game but he was able to bag two hare's with his crossbow and got a pouch full of blackberries. He soon returned to the group and saw Adelbard up and about. "Oi-psssh knight" he said towards Adlebard trying to get his attention as he shake the two hare's that he got.

Sir Adelbard hadn't slept a wink--at least, not as far as he knew. Still armed and armored from the chase, he had taken watch over the group for the meager couple hours they had to rest. That said, he is still but a mortal man, and exhaustion weighs heavy on him--no doubt his eyes had slipped shut every so often and missed Fredrick's departure. As he looks over the sleeping forms and comes to see that the mercenary is missing, his dark eyes narrow and he begins to scan the trees. Fredrick is but a foot soldier, and a mercenary at that, and Adelbard fears that the man had turned coat in the night... but then a hiss catches his ear. When he spots Fredrick holding the hares, a low sigh of relief leaves the Beavraldi's nostrils. "Master Soldier," he returns the greeting, keeping his voice low, though not to the point of whispering. He steps around the clearing to approach the man, armor clinking quietly in the dawn's stillness. The group will have to wake up soon anyway. "I'm afraid I didn't catch your name last night. I am Sir Adelbard Laudessagne of Upper Sueldey." He gestures to the hares. "A good catch, master."

"The name's Fredrick Augustine, Hessian solider from Frankfurt" he introduced himself to the Adelbard. "I also got a pouch full of blackberries too, for the women if they get a bit hungry before we can cook the hares" he said as he raised the small pouch of berries. "I'm not surprised you don't know me, but anyway we need to skin the hare's first and then cook them on a fire" he added as he looked Adelbard hoping he's not a knight by the cloth, meaning he bought his position as knight, which would signal to Fredrick that only hessian is possibly one of the few people in the group who can live off the land effectively

Marianne's eyes shot open and she sat up quickly. The events of the night before had given her nightmares. She'd woken up at least three times during the night. This time, she didn't want to go back to sleep, she was afraid of getting another nightmare. She hugged her knees and rested her head on them, staring at the trees. She felt a tear roll down her cheek, and she wiped it off with her sleeve. In all her dreams of adventure, not one of them included anything like this. The fear and stress... She couldn't even dream up something so terrifying.

Catherine doesn't know when exactly she dozed off, but it most certainly did not come easily. Instead of a plush bed with a pile of feather pillows to lounge upon, she only had a fur cloak, the hard earth, and Sir Adelbard's own cloak. She opened her emerald green eyes with a soft noise of discomfort. She blinked once... twice. It took a moment to realize where she was, that she wasn't dreaming. That she couldn't wake up back home. She slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. She looks around her to see the two knights conversing. She didn't feel like interrupting them because, she didn't even feel like talking, and didn't know what to say if she did.

"Frankfurt--not a province I am familiar with, I'm afraid. Good to meet you, Master Fredrick, though I wish the circumstances were a little fairer." Adelbard is a man from a relatively wealthy family--it wasn't coin that got him his title, but his family's influence certainly had helped. So when Fredrick mentions skinning the rabbits, the knight hesitates. Marianne wakes then, violently enough that Adelbard whirls, thinking they're under attack. Once he sees that all is well, he gestures for Fredrick to go ahead with the hares.

"My lady?" he says quietly as he approaches Marianne. He crouches beside her, somewhat awkwardly due to his armor. "Are you well? Would you like aught to eat?" It's then that he spots his ward rising as well, and he greets her. "Good morning, my lady, though I'm sure you've had better." His voice is somber. "How do you fare?"

Rose had not slept at all either, a strong feeling of unrest seemingly decided that she should be its host for the night. But even as the morrow approached, she could do nothing but lay there, staring at the trunk of an Oak. How fitting... For the first few hours, she was slightly prideful. The next few came realization. Of course, even the hardest of all trees fall... Ha... It must be her lack of sleep....

Marianne just nodded, wiping away tears with her sleeve.
"I'm fine," she whispered, voice cracking a little. "Just a little scared is all..." She felt as though she should say more, but couldn't think of anything to say, so she remained silent.

Fredrick took this opportunity to get behind a tree and start skinning the hare's with his small dagger that he kept on him. He sat at the base of the tree and looked at the fur, seeing that the fur is really nice, it should fetch a couple hundred gold coins. As he started to skin, he kept his ear's open to listen in on the conversation between the knight and the noblewomen.

((Sorry guys, I got sick and had to take a nap for a bit.))
Catherine smiled somewhat weakly towards Adelbard. "Good morning... I think we both know how I fare however, but I appreciate your concern." She removed his cloak from its position draped along her now messy and torn gown. She offered it out to him. "I believe this is yours."

Adelbard returns Catherine's faded smile, turning his dark eyes down to the ground. When she tries to hand him his cloak, the knight shakes his head and gently presses her hands back towards her. It is dark blue velvet with shimmery thread-of-gold lining. Upon the back stands the rampant white unicorn of House Laudessagne. "Hold onto it for the moment, my lady. The morn may prove chill." He straightens up and adjusts some of his armor plates that had gotten skewed during the crouch, then offers a hand to Catherine if she wishes to rise. Whether or not she accepts it, the Beauvraldi then goes to Marianne again. He lays his gloved hand upon the girl's shoulder and gives it a faint squeeze. "The night is gone and the day is come, you see?" he tells her. "It will be less scary when the sun is high." Gently he brushes tears from her cheek with one thumb, the leather of his glove smooth and dark. He offers her assistance to her feet as well if she wishes before going to rouse the others in the group. He comes last to Rose, reaching out to gently shake her shoulder before realizing her eyes are open already. "My lady?" he says softly. "Are you well? T'is time to rise, I'm afraid."

Seeing that Fredrick is tending to the hares, the knight nods. When he next speaks, it is to everyone. "You'll have aught to eat soon. T'is best to have breakfast, even if the night's happenings have turned your stomachs. We've hard travel ahead of us." The Beauvraldi's dark eyes settle upon Catherine once more. "And there's still the matter of what we're going to do next..."

"Yes, I am well.. Must I? I do not see the point, but if you insist..." The woman gave out a sigh before sitting up. She had bags underneath her eyes, the only evidence of the slumber she had gone without. Hunger was driving her wild, especially her thirst, but she dare not speak up. That would only show her to be weak and rude, both traits she believed did not fit someone such as her. Both of the other women had awoken, and appeared to be fine. Physically, anyway. Whether or not the event had scarred them did not concern her. What did was escaping this ordeal, alive. At least they had not been ambushed and slain in the middle of the night, or else that would prove to be very... Not ideal for her. She planned to live out the rest of her days, not to be imprisoned or killed.

Marianne shook her head. From the fear and crying, she wasn't feeling very hungry. She felt more tears coming. She looked around at the others and couldn't help noticing that she was, in fact, the youngest of the group.
"I-I'm just going to... take a small walk if anyone wants to come..." she said, trying not to cry. She knew it was probably a really bad idea to walk around without the entire group, but she really just felt like getting away from the space for a little while. Maybe she could even forget everything for a little while...

Catherine does indeed accept the knight's hand, nodding curtly to him and gathering her own downtrodden cloak from the earth. She turns to Marianne, lips becoming pursed. "'tis a fool's errend, you realize." She yawns softly, hand going to her mouth to cover it. She lowers it again, gaze still upon the other noblewoman. "The worst has happened last night and it can strike yet again. What can go wrong... unfortunately, shall."

She looked at the ground, tears rolling down her cheeks once more.
"I... I don't care about danger! I've lived through what was surely once the 'worst that could happen' only last night!" she snapped. "I want to go home!" she yelled, running off, but not too far. She realized running too far would be a bad idea, so she just ran in a large circle around their camp.

Catherine rolled her eyes at the lesser noblewoman raising her voice at her. She sighed, hiding the fact she was also terribly stressed and homesick. "Fine then. Enjoy your little run." the heiress scoffed slightly as she said. She wrapped her own cloak around herself, then her bodyguard's rather beautifully made one. Much better. Her gaze went to Adelbard. "Lady Marianne might not be joining us for breakfast I'm afraid. But, yes. There is much to plan."

Marianne pushed aside branches as she ran. I'm only a child! she thought, finally becoming tired from running. She sat beneath a tree and completely lost it, turning into a crying mess.

Fredrick chuckled at the small conflict between nobles as he finishes skinning the hares. "I have berries in this pouch of you can't wait!" he yelled as he sticked out his hand that has pouch of berries in it. As he held out his hand for someone to grab it, he was piling sticks and fibers together to start a fire to cook the hares.

"T'is best, my lady," Adelbard tells Rose. "No doubt we'll be on the move as soon as we've broken our fast. Master Fredrick prepares a meal as we speak." He turns away to let her compose herself, returning to his ward's side. As Catherine dons the two cloaks, his gloved hands lift to assist her with the clasps as dutifully as any attendant. "The lass must get aught to eat," the knight says with a sigh, looking off into the trees after Marianne. "And who knows if we've been followed? I'd best go see to her. By your leave, my lady."

Provided Catherine dismisses him, he'd turn and take off into the trees, following the sound of Marianne's crying. It's not too difficult to find her, provided she hadn't gone far from the clearing. He makes significantly more noise as he treks through the underbrush, given his greater mass. Twigs snap beneath his sabatons and branches rustle and squeak as they scrape past his armor. Once he finds the girl sitting beneath the shade of a tree, the Beauvraldi approaches her and crouches beside her. He pulls a handkerchief from a pouch at his hip. "Now, now, lass," he says, handing her the handkerchief to dry her eyes. It is white and lacy with "A. L." embroidered in thread-of-gold on one corner. Though he is older than her, the dusting of freckles across his nose and cheeks make him appear quite boyish. "You must be strong, noi sierre. We all must be." His words are gentle and confident, belying his inner turmoil. This is by far the worst situation he's ever found himself in, and his own dread threatens to overwhelm him. Still, his warm smile doesn't falter. "On my honor as a knight, we shall persevere. You are Lady Marianne, are you not? I do not think we were introduced at court--I am Sir Adelbard Laudessagne of Upper Sueldey."