Elendor
Creatrach Jailbreak!
What starts as a visit turns into a jailbreak!
Sort Date: no date set
Location: Dunland - Creatrach
Description: [Gabhran(#15443)]
The hour grows late but the merriment continues on.
Naming of a new Ceann is cause of great celebration, and the Bear is not shy when it comes to celebrating. To every corner of the Keep, ale was furnished to every person in the clan. A half full barrel even found its way into the dungeons.
The guards on dungeon duty share the celebration as well, but in moderate amounts - just enough to make them a little tipsy and feeling a little generous.
"Aww, go ahead. Slosh some ale into the poor feller's dish. He's gonna hang come mornin' anyway. Let 'im enjoy a last bit o' drink on the new Ceann."
And so, one of the guards go down the stairs, carrying a full mug, leaving just two guards at the door.
It's up to these two guards that young Aeden Kavanagh approaches. He tilts his head back to look up at the two men, his shock of brown hair a frizzy mess and his clothes dirty, but he tries to put on an air of authority all the same. "I want to go down to see a prisoner." He states, planting his hands on his hips.
[Gabhran(#15443)]
"You do, eh?" A guard finishes a big gulp and wipes the foam from his mouth with the back of his hand. "Sorry boy. We're closed for the night. BWAHAHAHHA!"
He throws back his head and laughs, as if he made the funniest joke in the history of all jokes.
The other guard chuckles, mostly at his companion's antics, then says to the boy, "Who you wanna be seein?" He then squints. "You Brodie's boy, aincha? Sorry. No visitors until morning. Gwon. Git." He waves his hand.
Aeden scowls when the guard laughs at him, then lifts his arms to cross tightly over his chest. "Brodie is my papa and Gabhran is my grandpa. Do you want him to be mad at you for not letting me go down there? I'll tell him that you-.. " The child hesitates, then presses on, "I'll tell him that you hit me! Do you think he'll like that?
[Olmys(#32384)] A new figure slips into the hall and takes up position behind the young Kavanagh. "If there's any hittin' to be done it will be my fist hittin' there heads, lad," Cameron says as he scowls at the guards.
"Gabharn said the boy could visit his mother," he says to guards. "If you wanna go explain why you won't allow him, by all means be my guest," he continues gesturing towards the main hall. "I warn you though, Fian Kavanagh is not in the most pleasant of moods, so I'd stand back a goodly distance while your tellin' him."
[Gabhran(#15443)]
The laughing guard stops laughing suddenly. But instead of being intimidated like what Aeden may have hoped, he snarls angrily.
"I'll tell /you/ what, you li'l skunk-headed runt! If I killed you and hid your runty body behind them bushes, nobody would know any better, would they?" He takes a menacing step, but stops dead when he sees Cameron come in.
"Well Cameron, the boy didn't say nuthin' 'bout havin' permission from the Fian." He cracks a toothy grin. "Aww, I was jes havin fun with the leetle feller. What a cute kid, eh?" He steps aside and starts fumbling around for the key.
When the guard gets angry so abruptly, the boy scurries back with a worried expression on his face. At Cameron's entrance, the child looks over sharply with sudden fear for he most certainly did -not- get permission. Relief is quick to follow when Cameron backs up his story, and the child turns to look at the guards again with a smug expression on his face. "See?!" Such a cute kid.
[Olmys(#32384)] Cameron holds open the door to the dungeon and waits for Aeden to descend the stairs. "Let's make this quick, boy," he says as he begins to follow. "I'm not particularly fond of dungeons," he turns and scowls at scurrying sound off in the darkness. "Or rats."
[Gabhran(#15443)]
"Last door at the end of the corridor, Cameron. Dab's down there, sharin' a drink with one of the prisoners. Jus ask him to open the door!" The guard calls down. The heavy door begins to squeal close...
"..son of a crazy murderess and an imbecile drunk."
SLAM!
Aeden scurries in quickly, a sudden expression of delight and excitement on his young face. He begins rushing down the steps, but when the door suddenly creaks shut and slams so loudly, darkness fills in where light spilled down the stairs and the child stops. He looks back to make certain than Cameron is behind him, then sighs audibly in relief and continues down. "Mama?" He calls out loudly when he reaches the bottom.
[Olmys(#32384)] Cameron steps up behind the boy, and places a hand on his shoulder. "Hold on while I get us a torch, lad," the old man says as he turns to pull one from the wall. "Now listen, lad," he says turning back to the boy and kneeling beside him. "Dungeons aren't the nicest places, and your mama may not look her best when you see her. You just stay strong and remember that she'll be gettin' out of here in a few days, alright?"
[Gabhran(#15443)]
Cameron warned the lad well. The corridor is a dank, damp tunnel that smells of human suffering and raw sewage. Rats and vermin make their homes here, scurrying along the edge as if they had a purpose. Moans can be heard behind solid doors along with teeth jarring scratching sound. One can only pray it's not fingernail scraping down the rough stone surface.
Just as the other guards warned, there is another guard down here, standing in front of a cell door, urinating into prison cell meal bowl. He looks up lazily as he sees the torch approaching, assuming that it belongs to one of his guard buddies. "Heh.. this is how I share the.." the guard's jaw drops open when he sees that it is Cameron.
"Oh! Uh.. was there a prisoner you wanted to see?"
Aeden almost doesn't stop to listen to Cameron, but the dungeon is very dark and unfriendly. The child seems restless to be moving on and finding the woman, but he nods impatiently at the advice. "I'm not afraid." He insists, but he makes no move to venture further down the corridor as the desparity of the place sinks in. The boy has lived upstairs for the last year and never knew what the dungeon was like, it seems. "I want to see my.. I want to see Leah. Where is she?" The boy demands of the guard, but stays near to Cameron.
[Olmys(#32384)] Cameron has not lasted all these years with Kavanagh because he is slow, something the guard soon discovers. The old warrior's fist slams into the guards stomach and as the guard doubles over, Cameron slams both of his muscled forearms down on to the guards back to drive him face first in to the bowl. "Make sure you finish it all before I get back," he growls towards the guard.
A hard kick to the man's ribs follows and then Cameron bends down to retrieve the guards keys. "This way lad," he says then. "Only a few cells down here, she shouldn't be hard to find."
[Gabhran(#15443)]
The last they see of him is his face planted squarely into the foul bowl The guard's moans of pain are added to the other eerie sounds that echoes in this stone corridor, disappearing as Cameron and Aeden finally reach the end of the corridor.
In front of the door is a bowl with three large rats piled on and around the bowl, eating the contents greedily while snarling and fighting off each other at the same time. They begrudgingly scurry off only because Cameron seem meaner than all three of them put together.
A few tries and the third key unlocks the heavy metal door, and it opens only with effort.
When Cameron unexpectedly assaults the guard, the child's jaw drops open and he backs away quickly. He's known since he was big enough to walk to stay out of the way when fists are flying. Aeden watches the attack in complete silence, his eyes wide in the dim light of the dungeon. When the man tells him where to look, the boy swallows and nods, then quickly moves ahead of the fallen guard without another glance. It's certainly not the first time he's seen a guard take punishment.
Aeden keeps close to Cameron as the door is opened, looking around everytime there's a sharp noise or odd sound. When the man dragging it open, the child only waits until there's half a foot of space, then tries to rush forward and squeeze through. "Mama!?" He calls.
[Olmys(#32384)] Cameron gives the rats a bit of distance as he takes up a position outside the cell. Mumbling softly to himself about the quality of dungeon food he kicks the bowl off into the darkness, hoping the rats will chase after it instead of staring sulkily towards him.
"Make it quick, lad," he says as he places his back against the bars to watch the doors.
[Gabhran(#15443)]
Through the open door, the light from the torch pierces the suffocating darkness to light a lump in the otherwise angular room. Here, the smell is even worse without the benefit of ventilation. In fact, the smell is so putrid that it makes ones eyes water.
At the boy's voice, the lump stirs, and it seems to sprout a small head.
"Ah-den!"
Suddenly, a little voice of his sister cries out and two little arms reach out towards the boy. "Ah-den!" But the lump - most likely Leah's crouched form huddled beneath her shawl, does not move, nor does she release the little girl.
Aeden gags when the smell hits him and he reels back under the foul stench. The shock of hearing his sister's voice slams into him a moment later. The boy doesn't move at first, stunned, then rushes forward after he recovers from suprise and the horrible stink. "Brenna.. " He grabs for the three-year-old girl and tries to pull her away. "Mama! Get up!" The cry has an edge of panic, and the Kavanagh boy calls for the older man immediately after, "Cameron!"
[Olmys(#32384)] Cameron wrinkles his nose in disgust at the smell, but says nothing for the moment. His mumbling does get a bit louder and the soft curses more colorful at the sound of the little girls voice, however. When Aeden calls his name he turns to look into the cell for the first time, and his mumblings become quite audible.
"Why me?" he asks looking up towards the ceiling and spreading his arms plaintively. "Why me? I just want to be left alone with a bit of ale and maybe a nice lass, but no . . . Dungeons, rats, starving babes, sick mothers that's what I get. Just once I'd like to be left alone to celebrate when there's celebratin' to be done."
He steps towards the boy and glances towards the lump of his mother. "Leah?" he calls once. "Leah, lass," he says a bit louder and more forcefully. "It's me, Cameron. On your feet now, lass. I'm takin' you out of this hole."
[Gabhran(#15443)]
Leah cowers under her shawl, shrinking into an even smaller ball as Cameron enters, her back towards the door. She squeezes herself so hard that Brenna begins to cry out in pain. It is only maternal instinct that causes the mother to ease, and that's when Brenna makes a sudden break from her mother's hold towards Aeden.
"No! Brenna!"
Leah twists her body and reaches out in a desperate attempt to catch the little girl, and her face and arms are revealed.
Covered in endless series of scratches and scabs, the woman had torn clumps of her own hair out of her scalp, then scratched her face and arms. Her eyes are frightened, wild and suspicious all at once.
Aeden's face blanches in horror when his mother looks up, the grisly state of the woman frightening him even after the warnings from Cameron. She's almost not recognizable, so different does Leah appear. He tugs his sister closer and drags her back towards the hallway, stumbling past Cameron without any acknowledgement for his presence.
"Mama.." It's a choked sounding cry now, echoing through the dungeon now that Aeden is back out in the corridor. He hugs his sister close, looking around with uncertainty.
[Olmys(#32384)] It is at this moment that the door to the stairs open and light from about shines down into the dungeon. "You down there, Cameron?" comes the voice of Calblach Maulduin. "Them lasses aren't gonna wait for us all night, the one was just tellin' me how . . . ." his words break off as he nears the small group and his eyes widen slightly.
"Aeden," Cameron says softly. "I want you to go with Calblach, here. He's gonna take you and your sister to the Ceann and I want you to bring him back here. I'm gonna stay right here with your mother until you get back, alright?"
He waits only briefly. "Take him to Gregoir, and try and get word to Gabhran as well, be quick about it though. Take too long and I'll probably start gutting the guards to pass the time."
[Gabhran(#15443)]
At the top of the stairs where Aeden and Brenna are with Calblach, the guards can be heard protesting loudly.
"WHAT? She's insane! She murdered one of us! The Ceann can't possibly pardon that crazy witch! NO! I demand that you not go to.. Calblach.. CALBLACH!" The guard bellows out a thunderous protest all the way out, then he comes thundering back in, blade drawn. He starts running down the stairs.
"Cameron! By Kiern's law I demand that you keep that crazy bitch in her cell! That woman deserves to hang!" He points his sword at the old man.
Aeden jumps when the door opens up above and a chill runs through him. Instinctively, the boy slaps a hand over his sister's mouth to stop any forthcoming noise from the toddler. He lets out his own held breath when it isn't the guards, lowering his hand to Brenna's shoulder.
As Cameron lays out the instructions the boy nods, looking repeatedly between the two men, not daring to look back at his mother. It's only when Gabhran is mentioned that Aeden speaks up. "No! Grandpa will be mad. Not him." But all the same, he reaches down to pick up the girl, hefting her up and hurrying for the stairs.
When the ruckus breaks out at the top of the stairs, the boy races off to get help, with or without Calblach.
[Olmys(#32384)] Cameron glares towards the guard and steps forward. "If you're gonna point that sword at me you best be prepared to use it," he growls and then lifts an arm slightly to give guard a target. "Best makes sure the first strike kills me, though, cause if it don't I'm gonna take that sword from you and shove it so far up your ass it'll prick your brain."
Before he has a chance to follow through with these threats though, a new voice is heard from the top of the stairs. "ENOUGH!" bellows Gregoir, as he steps into the doorway. His grandfather limping up behind him a few moments later, his face red and sweating from the effort of trying to keep up with the younger Ceann.
The older Maulduin turns to search for the young Kavanagh boy. "Well boy, what was it that you felt was so all important to pull us out here?"
Aeden is out of breath as well, still carrying his sister even after running with Calblach to gather all the men. He points down into the dungeon, gasping, "Cameron.. Mama is down there and she's .. she's .. hurt." The boy has tear streaks down his cheeks, but isn't crying any more as purpose took place of his emotions early.
[Olmys(#32384)] Calblach stays near young Aeden's side, with a hand upon the boy's shoulder. As the other men look towards the dungeon, Calblach leans close to whisper some advice to the young Kavanagh. "Stand straight, and don't let them see you're afraid," he whispers. "If they know they frighten you, they'll just try an scare you more."
[Gabhran(#15443)]
The guard, encouraged by the beer, thrusts out his chest and chin towards Cameron, with a look in his eyes that says "I can take you. I can take you!"
But there is enough commotion that he takes his eyes off his main opponent. His brows shoot up at the assembled nobles but again, fueled by liquid courage, the guard refuses to back down.
"The new Ceann Gregoir! This man, Cameron, was attempting to take that murderous, crazy bitch.." he points his finger at the cell door, "out of the dungeons! You know what she did! She stabbed one of us in cold blood! You can't just let 'em take her, just cuz she's the boy's mother! She's gotta pay for her crime!"
Aeden adjusts his posture at Calblach's advice, nodding his head once, but it's quickly obvious that all the activity is overwhelming the boy. At the accusation of the guard though, the Kavanagh child shakes his head, "No. They broke down our door, and they were talking about killing us!" He argues, not about to leave his mother out to dry when her chance is so near.
[Olmys(#32384)] Once again Cameron shows that he's still quite a bit of fight left in him despite the grey in his hair and beard. His left hand juts out to clip the guards jaw as the man turns his head towards those at the top of the stairs. "That /boy/ is the Fian Kavanagh, now that Gabhran's headed to Redvyrne," he says angrily. "You'd be obliged to pay him proper respects next time you meet with him."
He then glares up the stairs towards the men at the top. "Dungeon's are no place for a woman," he barks up towards them. "And they're damned sure no place for a child," he adds gesturing towards the sister with Aeden. "I've heard the stories of what she did," he continues. "It's as the boy says, Kedhern's men broke into their quarters and one of them got themselves killed. If anyone deserves to rot down here it's that damned Diarmad, not my lady of Kavanagh who did no more than anyone of our own lasses would do if someone threatened their children."
[Gabhran(#15443)]
There is a sickening crunch as Cameron's blow connects that foretells of this guard's liquid diet future for a long, long time. He falls down hard, and when he does, he pushes the door to the cell wide open.
There is a slight stirring noise that comes from within. The trembling, cowering lump that was the prison now slowly rises. Leah stands, as clumsily as a newborn fawn, then takes a shaky, unstable step. Then another, and another. Although her self inflicted mutilations mar her face and arm, the earlier expression of insanity is gone from her face.
"Lady Kavanagh?" she asks softly as she steps out of her cell and into the corridor. She looks at Cameron, then about those assembled, and finally, to Aeden. There is recognition, and that sparkle of maternal pride returns in her eyes. "Did they just call you Fian, my son?"
[Olmys(#32384)] Gregoir steps aside to converse with his grandfather a moment after Cameron makes his speech. When he steps back towards the stairs he gives the old man below a nod. "I'll have the healers see to her, Cameron," he says. "She can stay the night in the infirmary and on the morrow I'll make my decision concerning her known."
Cameron gives a quick nod and then extends his arm to Leah. "Come with me, my lady," he says. "I'll see you and the Fian safely to the infirmary, Kedhern's still got men about the Keep, and I'll sleep better if I know you're being watched."
Aeden is still trying to watch everything going on at once, but when Cameron lays the title of Fian on his shoulders his first reaction is one of surprised confusion. The boy shifts his hold on his sister, his arms beginning to grow tired, and remains quiet.
When his mother lurches out of the cell like some horrifying entity rising from a grave, the child stiffens and struggles to control his conflicting impulses that war between running to the woman and running away. His only response is mutely nod again, too nervous to speak now and get swatted for saying something out of turn.
Things rather quickly calm when the Ceann gives favorable orders, and Aeden actually smiles in a relief for a moment as his mother seems to be getting the care she needs now. The boy sticks with Cameron after that, not willing to wander far from him or Leah.
The hour grows late but the merriment continues on.
Naming of a new Ceann is cause of great celebration, and the Bear is not shy when it comes to celebrating. To every corner of the Keep, ale was furnished to every person in the clan. A half full barrel even found its way into the dungeons.
The guards on dungeon duty share the celebration as well, but in moderate amounts - just enough to make them a little tipsy and feeling a little generous.
"Aww, go ahead. Slosh some ale into the poor feller's dish. He's gonna hang come mornin' anyway. Let 'im enjoy a last bit o' drink on the new Ceann."
And so, one of the guards go down the stairs, carrying a full mug, leaving just two guards at the door.
It's up to these two guards that young Aeden Kavanagh approaches. He tilts his head back to look up at the two men, his shock of brown hair a frizzy mess and his clothes dirty, but he tries to put on an air of authority all the same. "I want to go down to see a prisoner." He states, planting his hands on his hips.
[Gabhran(#15443)]
"You do, eh?" A guard finishes a big gulp and wipes the foam from his mouth with the back of his hand. "Sorry boy. We're closed for the night. BWAHAHAHHA!"
He throws back his head and laughs, as if he made the funniest joke in the history of all jokes.
The other guard chuckles, mostly at his companion's antics, then says to the boy, "Who you wanna be seein?" He then squints. "You Brodie's boy, aincha? Sorry. No visitors until morning. Gwon. Git." He waves his hand.
Aeden scowls when the guard laughs at him, then lifts his arms to cross tightly over his chest. "Brodie is my papa and Gabhran is my grandpa. Do you want him to be mad at you for not letting me go down there? I'll tell him that you-.. " The child hesitates, then presses on, "I'll tell him that you hit me! Do you think he'll like that?
[Olmys(#32384)] A new figure slips into the hall and takes up position behind the young Kavanagh. "If there's any hittin' to be done it will be my fist hittin' there heads, lad," Cameron says as he scowls at the guards.
"Gabharn said the boy could visit his mother," he says to guards. "If you wanna go explain why you won't allow him, by all means be my guest," he continues gesturing towards the main hall. "I warn you though, Fian Kavanagh is not in the most pleasant of moods, so I'd stand back a goodly distance while your tellin' him."
[Gabhran(#15443)]
The laughing guard stops laughing suddenly. But instead of being intimidated like what Aeden may have hoped, he snarls angrily.
"I'll tell /you/ what, you li'l skunk-headed runt! If I killed you and hid your runty body behind them bushes, nobody would know any better, would they?" He takes a menacing step, but stops dead when he sees Cameron come in.
"Well Cameron, the boy didn't say nuthin' 'bout havin' permission from the Fian." He cracks a toothy grin. "Aww, I was jes havin fun with the leetle feller. What a cute kid, eh?" He steps aside and starts fumbling around for the key.
When the guard gets angry so abruptly, the boy scurries back with a worried expression on his face. At Cameron's entrance, the child looks over sharply with sudden fear for he most certainly did -not- get permission. Relief is quick to follow when Cameron backs up his story, and the child turns to look at the guards again with a smug expression on his face. "See?!" Such a cute kid.
[Olmys(#32384)] Cameron holds open the door to the dungeon and waits for Aeden to descend the stairs. "Let's make this quick, boy," he says as he begins to follow. "I'm not particularly fond of dungeons," he turns and scowls at scurrying sound off in the darkness. "Or rats."
[Gabhran(#15443)]
"Last door at the end of the corridor, Cameron. Dab's down there, sharin' a drink with one of the prisoners. Jus ask him to open the door!" The guard calls down. The heavy door begins to squeal close...
"..son of a crazy murderess and an imbecile drunk."
SLAM!
Aeden scurries in quickly, a sudden expression of delight and excitement on his young face. He begins rushing down the steps, but when the door suddenly creaks shut and slams so loudly, darkness fills in where light spilled down the stairs and the child stops. He looks back to make certain than Cameron is behind him, then sighs audibly in relief and continues down. "Mama?" He calls out loudly when he reaches the bottom.
[Olmys(#32384)] Cameron steps up behind the boy, and places a hand on his shoulder. "Hold on while I get us a torch, lad," the old man says as he turns to pull one from the wall. "Now listen, lad," he says turning back to the boy and kneeling beside him. "Dungeons aren't the nicest places, and your mama may not look her best when you see her. You just stay strong and remember that she'll be gettin' out of here in a few days, alright?"
[Gabhran(#15443)]
Cameron warned the lad well. The corridor is a dank, damp tunnel that smells of human suffering and raw sewage. Rats and vermin make their homes here, scurrying along the edge as if they had a purpose. Moans can be heard behind solid doors along with teeth jarring scratching sound. One can only pray it's not fingernail scraping down the rough stone surface.
Just as the other guards warned, there is another guard down here, standing in front of a cell door, urinating into prison cell meal bowl. He looks up lazily as he sees the torch approaching, assuming that it belongs to one of his guard buddies. "Heh.. this is how I share the.." the guard's jaw drops open when he sees that it is Cameron.
"Oh! Uh.. was there a prisoner you wanted to see?"
Aeden almost doesn't stop to listen to Cameron, but the dungeon is very dark and unfriendly. The child seems restless to be moving on and finding the woman, but he nods impatiently at the advice. "I'm not afraid." He insists, but he makes no move to venture further down the corridor as the desparity of the place sinks in. The boy has lived upstairs for the last year and never knew what the dungeon was like, it seems. "I want to see my.. I want to see Leah. Where is she?" The boy demands of the guard, but stays near to Cameron.
[Olmys(#32384)] Cameron has not lasted all these years with Kavanagh because he is slow, something the guard soon discovers. The old warrior's fist slams into the guards stomach and as the guard doubles over, Cameron slams both of his muscled forearms down on to the guards back to drive him face first in to the bowl. "Make sure you finish it all before I get back," he growls towards the guard.
A hard kick to the man's ribs follows and then Cameron bends down to retrieve the guards keys. "This way lad," he says then. "Only a few cells down here, she shouldn't be hard to find."
[Gabhran(#15443)]
The last they see of him is his face planted squarely into the foul bowl The guard's moans of pain are added to the other eerie sounds that echoes in this stone corridor, disappearing as Cameron and Aeden finally reach the end of the corridor.
In front of the door is a bowl with three large rats piled on and around the bowl, eating the contents greedily while snarling and fighting off each other at the same time. They begrudgingly scurry off only because Cameron seem meaner than all three of them put together.
A few tries and the third key unlocks the heavy metal door, and it opens only with effort.
When Cameron unexpectedly assaults the guard, the child's jaw drops open and he backs away quickly. He's known since he was big enough to walk to stay out of the way when fists are flying. Aeden watches the attack in complete silence, his eyes wide in the dim light of the dungeon. When the man tells him where to look, the boy swallows and nods, then quickly moves ahead of the fallen guard without another glance. It's certainly not the first time he's seen a guard take punishment.
Aeden keeps close to Cameron as the door is opened, looking around everytime there's a sharp noise or odd sound. When the man dragging it open, the child only waits until there's half a foot of space, then tries to rush forward and squeeze through. "Mama!?" He calls.
[Olmys(#32384)] Cameron gives the rats a bit of distance as he takes up a position outside the cell. Mumbling softly to himself about the quality of dungeon food he kicks the bowl off into the darkness, hoping the rats will chase after it instead of staring sulkily towards him.
"Make it quick, lad," he says as he places his back against the bars to watch the doors.
[Gabhran(#15443)]
Through the open door, the light from the torch pierces the suffocating darkness to light a lump in the otherwise angular room. Here, the smell is even worse without the benefit of ventilation. In fact, the smell is so putrid that it makes ones eyes water.
At the boy's voice, the lump stirs, and it seems to sprout a small head.
"Ah-den!"
Suddenly, a little voice of his sister cries out and two little arms reach out towards the boy. "Ah-den!" But the lump - most likely Leah's crouched form huddled beneath her shawl, does not move, nor does she release the little girl.
Aeden gags when the smell hits him and he reels back under the foul stench. The shock of hearing his sister's voice slams into him a moment later. The boy doesn't move at first, stunned, then rushes forward after he recovers from suprise and the horrible stink. "Brenna.. " He grabs for the three-year-old girl and tries to pull her away. "Mama! Get up!" The cry has an edge of panic, and the Kavanagh boy calls for the older man immediately after, "Cameron!"
[Olmys(#32384)] Cameron wrinkles his nose in disgust at the smell, but says nothing for the moment. His mumbling does get a bit louder and the soft curses more colorful at the sound of the little girls voice, however. When Aeden calls his name he turns to look into the cell for the first time, and his mumblings become quite audible.
"Why me?" he asks looking up towards the ceiling and spreading his arms plaintively. "Why me? I just want to be left alone with a bit of ale and maybe a nice lass, but no . . . Dungeons, rats, starving babes, sick mothers that's what I get. Just once I'd like to be left alone to celebrate when there's celebratin' to be done."
He steps towards the boy and glances towards the lump of his mother. "Leah?" he calls once. "Leah, lass," he says a bit louder and more forcefully. "It's me, Cameron. On your feet now, lass. I'm takin' you out of this hole."
[Gabhran(#15443)]
Leah cowers under her shawl, shrinking into an even smaller ball as Cameron enters, her back towards the door. She squeezes herself so hard that Brenna begins to cry out in pain. It is only maternal instinct that causes the mother to ease, and that's when Brenna makes a sudden break from her mother's hold towards Aeden.
"No! Brenna!"
Leah twists her body and reaches out in a desperate attempt to catch the little girl, and her face and arms are revealed.
Covered in endless series of scratches and scabs, the woman had torn clumps of her own hair out of her scalp, then scratched her face and arms. Her eyes are frightened, wild and suspicious all at once.
Aeden's face blanches in horror when his mother looks up, the grisly state of the woman frightening him even after the warnings from Cameron. She's almost not recognizable, so different does Leah appear. He tugs his sister closer and drags her back towards the hallway, stumbling past Cameron without any acknowledgement for his presence.
"Mama.." It's a choked sounding cry now, echoing through the dungeon now that Aeden is back out in the corridor. He hugs his sister close, looking around with uncertainty.
[Olmys(#32384)] It is at this moment that the door to the stairs open and light from about shines down into the dungeon. "You down there, Cameron?" comes the voice of Calblach Maulduin. "Them lasses aren't gonna wait for us all night, the one was just tellin' me how . . . ." his words break off as he nears the small group and his eyes widen slightly.
"Aeden," Cameron says softly. "I want you to go with Calblach, here. He's gonna take you and your sister to the Ceann and I want you to bring him back here. I'm gonna stay right here with your mother until you get back, alright?"
He waits only briefly. "Take him to Gregoir, and try and get word to Gabhran as well, be quick about it though. Take too long and I'll probably start gutting the guards to pass the time."
[Gabhran(#15443)]
At the top of the stairs where Aeden and Brenna are with Calblach, the guards can be heard protesting loudly.
"WHAT? She's insane! She murdered one of us! The Ceann can't possibly pardon that crazy witch! NO! I demand that you not go to.. Calblach.. CALBLACH!" The guard bellows out a thunderous protest all the way out, then he comes thundering back in, blade drawn. He starts running down the stairs.
"Cameron! By Kiern's law I demand that you keep that crazy bitch in her cell! That woman deserves to hang!" He points his sword at the old man.
Aeden jumps when the door opens up above and a chill runs through him. Instinctively, the boy slaps a hand over his sister's mouth to stop any forthcoming noise from the toddler. He lets out his own held breath when it isn't the guards, lowering his hand to Brenna's shoulder.
As Cameron lays out the instructions the boy nods, looking repeatedly between the two men, not daring to look back at his mother. It's only when Gabhran is mentioned that Aeden speaks up. "No! Grandpa will be mad. Not him." But all the same, he reaches down to pick up the girl, hefting her up and hurrying for the stairs.
When the ruckus breaks out at the top of the stairs, the boy races off to get help, with or without Calblach.
[Olmys(#32384)] Cameron glares towards the guard and steps forward. "If you're gonna point that sword at me you best be prepared to use it," he growls and then lifts an arm slightly to give guard a target. "Best makes sure the first strike kills me, though, cause if it don't I'm gonna take that sword from you and shove it so far up your ass it'll prick your brain."
Before he has a chance to follow through with these threats though, a new voice is heard from the top of the stairs. "ENOUGH!" bellows Gregoir, as he steps into the doorway. His grandfather limping up behind him a few moments later, his face red and sweating from the effort of trying to keep up with the younger Ceann.
The older Maulduin turns to search for the young Kavanagh boy. "Well boy, what was it that you felt was so all important to pull us out here?"
Aeden is out of breath as well, still carrying his sister even after running with Calblach to gather all the men. He points down into the dungeon, gasping, "Cameron.. Mama is down there and she's .. she's .. hurt." The boy has tear streaks down his cheeks, but isn't crying any more as purpose took place of his emotions early.
[Olmys(#32384)] Calblach stays near young Aeden's side, with a hand upon the boy's shoulder. As the other men look towards the dungeon, Calblach leans close to whisper some advice to the young Kavanagh. "Stand straight, and don't let them see you're afraid," he whispers. "If they know they frighten you, they'll just try an scare you more."
[Gabhran(#15443)]
The guard, encouraged by the beer, thrusts out his chest and chin towards Cameron, with a look in his eyes that says "I can take you. I can take you!"
But there is enough commotion that he takes his eyes off his main opponent. His brows shoot up at the assembled nobles but again, fueled by liquid courage, the guard refuses to back down.
"The new Ceann Gregoir! This man, Cameron, was attempting to take that murderous, crazy bitch.." he points his finger at the cell door, "out of the dungeons! You know what she did! She stabbed one of us in cold blood! You can't just let 'em take her, just cuz she's the boy's mother! She's gotta pay for her crime!"
Aeden adjusts his posture at Calblach's advice, nodding his head once, but it's quickly obvious that all the activity is overwhelming the boy. At the accusation of the guard though, the Kavanagh child shakes his head, "No. They broke down our door, and they were talking about killing us!" He argues, not about to leave his mother out to dry when her chance is so near.
[Olmys(#32384)] Once again Cameron shows that he's still quite a bit of fight left in him despite the grey in his hair and beard. His left hand juts out to clip the guards jaw as the man turns his head towards those at the top of the stairs. "That /boy/ is the Fian Kavanagh, now that Gabhran's headed to Redvyrne," he says angrily. "You'd be obliged to pay him proper respects next time you meet with him."
He then glares up the stairs towards the men at the top. "Dungeon's are no place for a woman," he barks up towards them. "And they're damned sure no place for a child," he adds gesturing towards the sister with Aeden. "I've heard the stories of what she did," he continues. "It's as the boy says, Kedhern's men broke into their quarters and one of them got themselves killed. If anyone deserves to rot down here it's that damned Diarmad, not my lady of Kavanagh who did no more than anyone of our own lasses would do if someone threatened their children."
[Gabhran(#15443)]
There is a sickening crunch as Cameron's blow connects that foretells of this guard's liquid diet future for a long, long time. He falls down hard, and when he does, he pushes the door to the cell wide open.
There is a slight stirring noise that comes from within. The trembling, cowering lump that was the prison now slowly rises. Leah stands, as clumsily as a newborn fawn, then takes a shaky, unstable step. Then another, and another. Although her self inflicted mutilations mar her face and arm, the earlier expression of insanity is gone from her face.
"Lady Kavanagh?" she asks softly as she steps out of her cell and into the corridor. She looks at Cameron, then about those assembled, and finally, to Aeden. There is recognition, and that sparkle of maternal pride returns in her eyes. "Did they just call you Fian, my son?"
[Olmys(#32384)] Gregoir steps aside to converse with his grandfather a moment after Cameron makes his speech. When he steps back towards the stairs he gives the old man below a nod. "I'll have the healers see to her, Cameron," he says. "She can stay the night in the infirmary and on the morrow I'll make my decision concerning her known."
Cameron gives a quick nod and then extends his arm to Leah. "Come with me, my lady," he says. "I'll see you and the Fian safely to the infirmary, Kedhern's still got men about the Keep, and I'll sleep better if I know you're being watched."
Aeden is still trying to watch everything going on at once, but when Cameron lays the title of Fian on his shoulders his first reaction is one of surprised confusion. The boy shifts his hold on his sister, his arms beginning to grow tired, and remains quiet.
When his mother lurches out of the cell like some horrifying entity rising from a grave, the child stiffens and struggles to control his conflicting impulses that war between running to the woman and running away. His only response is mutely nod again, too nervous to speak now and get swatted for saying something out of turn.
Things rather quickly calm when the Ceann gives favorable orders, and Aeden actually smiles in a relief for a moment as his mother seems to be getting the care she needs now. The boy sticks with Cameron after that, not willing to wander far from him or Leah.
Players: Aeden, Cameron, Leah
Located in: Dunlending
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