lคץ ๓є l๏ฬ

[assassinrue]

Something bad happened. Cassius new it because he could hear the messenger running up the stairs to the main house. Cassius jumped up and followed him, straight to the Lady's door, he backed far enough into the shadows that he didn't stand out but could be seen.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

When the knock on the door sounded, Averyl frowned and walked to the door. She was still dressed in her sheer nightgown, but the look on the messenger's face made her forget all about it. "What happened?" she demanded.

[assassinrue]

"I'm..I'm sorry Lady Averyl but your father, he's...he's passed on ma'am."

Cassius involuntarily stepped forward. No.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Averyl's breath froze halfway to her lungs. She felt tears sting the backs of her eyes, so she closed her eyes for a moment and tired to get herself under control. "Thank you. You may leave now."

[assassinrue]

The messenger stared a second then disappeared down the hall. Cassius stepped forward again, a dangerous act, but he couldn't stop himself. "Mi'lady?" He said softly.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Averyl's gaze snapped to him. Her mouth opened slightly in surprise. "Cassius? What are you doing up here?"

[assassinrue]

"I heard the messenger running, I knew something was wrong." He stepped toward her again.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Averyl turned her face away from him so he couldn't see the first tear slip down her cheek. She hastily wiped it away. "Well, I'm fine, so you can return to your quarters."

[assassinrue]

Cassius daringly defied her orders. Oh he could get kicked out for this. "Pardon my boldness Lady Averyl, but it's alright to cry, losing a parent is..." Cassius sighed as he took another cautious step toward her. "It's the second worse thing to losing a child." He knelt beside her.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Averyl glanced at his face, and she was shocked by the kindness she saw there. The caring. Who was this man, who she hadn't even known the name of until tonight? "Ladies don't cry," she said softly.

[assassinrue]

"Well, I think ladies must suffer terribly then. Crying is good for you." He placed a soft hand on her shoulder. "No one will know. The messenger will be long gone by now and I will carry this to my grave."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Averyl held his gaze for a moment and then glanced up and down the hall. "Come inside," she said quietly. She stepped back to let him in and then closed the door behind him.

[assassinrue]

Cassius did not allow himself to look startled but followed her inside. He felt odd being invited into her room like a guest."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Averyl walked over to her bed and sat on the edge. She put her head in her hands, her hair falling around her face, but still she didn't cry.

[assassinrue]

Cassius stood uncomfortably in the room. He wanted to go to her, hold her, reassure her, but he didn't want to overstep his boundaries more than he already had.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Averyl lifted her head, her eyes glistening. "Have you ever lost someone you loved?"

[assassinrue]

Cassius winced. "Yes ma'am. My mother when I was 8, my father when I was 17. I lost my wife and my son 2 years ago."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Averyl's breath caught. "You had a wife and son? What happened to them?"

[assassinrue]

"The war I suppose. Our house was burned down several months after I moved out here. Another villager found them frozen in the snow a week later." Cassius looked at the ground. His voice was stronger than he felt. Even now he felt like collapsing into a pool of tears, but it was not his time, it was hers.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Averyl winced. "I'm so sorry." She thought of herself as a fair person, a caring one, but she didn't know her servants stories. She didn't know most of their names. How was that fair to them?