She shook her boots and angled them towards the fire in another direction. It was frustrating waiting for them to dry out. With a little wiggle, she pushed herself back beside Casavir and pulled the furs over her toes.
"I am sorry."
"What? For what?"
"For earlier. I should not have challenged you in front of your troops, and I should have realized that there was no moon or stars to light our way."
Avera nudged his leg, "Don't worry about it. We all get carried away at times."
"But I should not have …"
"Look, Casavir, sometimes we need someone to question what we are doing. It keeps us humble and from making mistakes. I mean, wouldn't Katriona question you if she thought you were giving a bad order?"
He caught the catch in her voice when she spoke Katriona's name, "Yes, you are right."
"So, don't go thinking you have no right to point things out." She turned to smile at him, "And this is not a troop. We're friends. A family of sorts."
"But you are with the watch?"
She bobbed her head sideways, "Well, I am. No one else here is. They are friends who follow me. Goodness knows why."
"I think I can see why." He said sedately, "You are talented in leading people."
"Puhlease don't say that. I don't want to lead people."
"What do you want?"
She could see a twinkle in his eyes as she stretched out over his leg, "I'm not sure. My main concern has been to keep my home town from being attacked again."
"But what is it you want for you?" He glanced over at the sleeping forms in the makeshift tent because of a loud rumble. He turned his attention back to this nimble sprite on his leg and wondered why he was allowing her to get so close. He had no trouble with her touch at all. Normally he would back away to keep his personal space but Avera made him cheerful whenever she made physical contact with him.
"You don't want to know."
"Why not?"
"It's the normal female fairy tale. Well, not quite normal with all this adventuring deal."
"Find a man and settle down?"
She peeked at his face, "Not 'settle down' but something like that. Silly, isn't it?"
"No."
"Problem is that I want my first real time to be special."
"Real time?" He blinked then touched her shoulder, "You …"
She cursed her tongue, "Yeh. It happens. I wasn't even five. Some troop of thugs came to town. My father was on the trap line and had left me with a nanny. These people did horrible things to my nanny then killed her. One of the thugs was a huge hobbit that liked little ones. He was as big as Grobnar. Anyway, he did things to me and I stabbed him in the eye with my whittling knife. So he gutted me." She shrugged, "Daeghun had come home in a rush. 'Father's instincts' he calls it." She chuckled, "Anyway, he got there just in time to save me. Then he left me with the magician and disappeared to go 'hunting.' When he came back he kept telling me I was a good girl and it wasn't my fault."
"Did he …"
"Oh he found the group alright. I overheard him telling our magician that none of them would ever be back."
He didn't know what to say to her. His temper was boiling overboard and he could not trust himself to say anything. As the image of what she had said burned into his mind's eye, she rolled onto her back with her head on his leg. She seemed so peaceful there even though she had just told him a part of her past that she likely had never told anyone else. He held onto this prize of trust and touched her ponytail as she rolled her shoulders.
"There is nothing between Katriona and myself." Now why had he said THAT? Maybe the trust she just gave him, like a special heirloom, made him feel that he wanted to share as well.
Avera turned, searching his face, "Aren't paladins a lot like priests?"
He snorted, "We take no vows of chastity if that is what you mean."
"That isn't what I meant but it is interesting to know. No, I mean books and people tend to say that paladins are pretty much married to their work." She pushed herself up then onto her side, head still touching his knee, "Yet here you are."
"It's almost time to wake the next watch." He announced. This was not the time to speak of his troubles. He felt it would only burden her at this time.
"Yes, you are right." She let him get away with avoiding the question. There could be time to ask again.
"Avera?" She turned her head, "I don't mean to be insulting but I was thinking. Being a hobbit, you are … well … not that large, and it may be a good idea for you to sleep between a rock face or wall, and maybe myself. I'm able to take more damage in a sneak attack then most everyone of this group. Barring Khelgar."
"Do you think that we should continue doing that if you are on watch and I am not?"
He breathed a sigh of relief that she had not read anything into his intentions, "If the situation calls for it then I do believe it would be best. I would also like to suggest that at least two of the shifts has myself or Khelgar on it."
"That way we have one big fighter in two of the three shifts. Good ideas!" She stretched, crawled over to her boots and tested them, "Casavir?"
"Yes?"
"Would you mind if I put my pillow against you. Khelgar lets me. It is just more … well … comforting to feel someone there."
He nodded, "That will be fine, my lady."
