Hector's recovery was much faster than Quirin thought it would be, at least physically. After he got a good night's sleep on a soft bed and a hot meal in his stomach he immediately seemed to have so much more energy than when Quirin had found him. His injuries were numerous, but Hector seemed unbothered by most of them, so Quirin figured that they were mostly just superficial.

He would still like to treat them, but Hector would growl and threaten to attack if either him or Adira came too close to him, so Quirin did just the bare minimum. Hector's cuts weren't openly bleeding, even the one on his nose, and his bruises were fading, so maybe he would be fine.

This thought went out the window when, after resting for two days, Hector tried to stand up, only to grimace as his leg buckled beneath him. Quirin had been on high-alert as he realized that they had overlooked an injury, and who knew what other pain he was hiding from them.

Quirin wrapped his arms around Hector's form and held him still so that Adira could more carefully and thoroughly look him over. The only current injury she found was Hector's knee, which was dislocated. Adira had quickly set his knee back in place. After looking over the rest of him she reported that, while she suspected that he'd had numerous broken bones, they were all as healed as they could be right now.

After fixing up Hector's leg, his physical recovery speeded up even more Mentally though, it felt like they were going backwards.

Quirin had hoped that Hector would relax and come to trust them after he realized that they just wanted to take care of and help him. Somehow the opposite happened. The more Hector's health improved the more suspicious he was of them. He seemed to dedicate every ounce of energy he had to glaring at them and warning them to keep their distance.

He wouldn't tell them if he was in pain, or if he was still sick. They could only find that he was uncomfortable by looking for the subtle signs that he tried so hard to hide.

Hector didn't tell them if his father truly was the one that had hurt him, or what exactly the extent of his treatment had been. He wouldn't tell them if he had any other family that cared about him and would make sure that he was safe. Hector did his best to not talk to them at all.

Quirin tried not to take it personally, but if he was being honest with himself it did hurt a bit that he tried so hard to help Hector feel safe, and the younger boy just seemed to resent him for it.

Quirin didn't know what he was supposed to do. He was capable of physically forcing Hector to let them take care of his injuries. He could put some old clothes of his on Hector so that he was covered up and got back some of his dignity. But that was far from the only pain he was in. Hector was emotionally, mentally, and intellectually suffering, and Quirin felt like everything he did just made things worse.

Quirin couldn't even get the collar off. It was simple enough in theory, he just needed to use his dagger to cut through the collar. It couldn't have been harder if Hector was trying to resist him.

Hector would flinch violently and fiercely try to defend himself whenever Quirin brought the dagger anywhere near him. It didn't matter how many times Quirin explained what he was doing and why, or how simply he said it, Hector didn't want the dagger anywhere near him. Quirin believed that Hector understood what he was saying when he told him what he wanted to do. This wasn't a matter of communication, this was a matter of trust.

Quirin had tried once to take the collar off when Hector was asleep, as it was the one time when he relaxed, but despite how exhausted Hector was he was a very light sleeper. The younger boy had jerked awake when the dagger was just a few inches from his neck. He had reacted so badly that Quirin just barely avoided cutting any of them. He hadn't tried again since.

It had been nearly a week since Quirin had brought Hector here, and he still seemed to see them as a threat. More accurately, he saw Quirin as a threat. Hector didn't trust Adira, but he didn't distrust her the way he did Quirin. In fact, during the first few days when Hector was at his weakest he would frequently seek touch from Adira. He was searching for any type of physical comfort he could get, but only from her.

Both Quirin and Adira hated it, for different reasons. She had been anxious to have such a clingy practical stranger rely on her touch. Quirin had despised that Hector refused to accept what he was so willing to offer.

Quirin was trying so hard, but it wasn't enough.

Usually when Quirin was feeling discouraged and frustrated about not having the knowledge needed to accomplish something he would throw himself into research. He had first gotten into farming because he'd overheard their farmers complain to his mother and the king about their lack of a harvest. He'd learned about astronomy while trying to learn more about the moonstone and the moon because Edmund had been overwhelmed and panicked at the thought of serving the moon. Those were problems that he could help fix just by having knowledge.

He couldn't fix this problem in that way, though he certainly tried. Quirin went to the royal library, as well as every small bookstore or collector in the kingdom. He tried to find any book that could help with this. He learned about trauma, child-care, even animal care, and while bits and pieces felt useful in theory, in practice it all fell apart. Hector's situation was unique, and Quirin could only get so far with generic advice.

He couldn't comfort Hector, because the boy was afraid of him. He couldn't give him space because he was afraid that he would just hurt himself. He tried to listen to what Hector had to say and be supportive, except the younger boy wasn't talking to them.

After several days of taking one step forward and five or six steps back, Quirin almost felt ready to throw in the towel. He wasn't going to give up on Hector himself, never, but Quirin thought that if he couldn't help the boy himself then maybe it would be best to get some additional help.

The king could convince anybody that no matter how bad somebody's past pain had been, he would keep them safe. The captain of the Brotherhood had years of experience working with and encouraging people who had been through all kinds of trauma. Most of all Quirin wanted to talk to his mom about this. He didn't know what exactly she could contribute that other people couldn't, but Quirin was feeling so overwhelmed that it just felt logical that the person he most wanted to turn to was his mother.

The only reason why Quirin hadn't gone to them yet was because this situation was complicated. If Hector was afraid of Quirin and Adira, who'd been doing their best to take care of him, then how would he react to total strangers invading his privacy? And what if they decided that he was too much of a danger to himself and others around him, and sent him away to get help from somebody else?

Quirin was also ashamed to say that there was a fair amount of pride involved too. He'd committed to helping Hector, but he wasn't good enough. It felt like giving up.

But if it meant that Hector got the help that he needed, Quirin's personal feelings about it didn't matter.

After one particularly hard day, where Hector woke up screaming from a nightmare, and hadn't stopped panicking and lashing out since, Quirin knew that he couldn't go on like this.

"I'll be back soon." Quirin said as he backed up towards the door. "Just…just be careful for a few minutes, okay?" Hector just glared at him. Quirin grimaced and left the room, closing the door behind him. He briefly considered locking the door, because he didn't want Hector to run off and go missing when nobody was here to keep an eye on him. However, the thought of locking him up, even for his own good, made Quirin feel sick to his stomach. He couldn't bring himself to do that.

Quirin stayed outside the door for a long minute as he just listened to Hector. The younger boy seemed to stop growling and whining immediately after he left, which made Quirin feel guilty. Had Hector just been scared of his presence? Quirin had been trying to help him, but his presence seemed to have just made things worse.

Quirin sighed and leaned against the door, only to jump back when he heard an angry shout and a loud thump on the other side of the door. Hector had thrown himself at the door, though Quirin didn't know whether it was because he knew that Quirin was out there and was trying to scare him off, or because he was trying to hurt himself.

Either way, Quirin couldn't stay here. If his presence was bothering Hector, then he needed to give him some space. If Hector was just hurting himself for the sake of hurting himself, then he needed to leave so he could hurry and come back with some help.

Quirin took a deep breath and wiped the tears from his eyes. He was so tired. He'd barely slept since finding Hector, and his exhaustion was catching up with him.

He briefly considered going to the captain, but he was currently working with the trainees, which was where Adira was at the moment. Quirin knew that the captain would leave if it was an emergency, but multiple trainees would then find out that something was going on, and Quirin didn't want rumors flying around right now.

Without thinking much about it Quirin set out to find his mom. Maybe she wouldn't be able to fix things, but she was always so good at helping him feel better.

Quirin found his mom in her study, doing some paperwork that he didn't understand. She didn't look up at him right away, but Quirin knew this wasn't an immediate dismissal. He stood near the door, back straight and head raised.

His mom always said that appearances were everything. Even when nobody else was watching, Quirin needed to present himself with confidence. Quirin knew that he took things too far, because even his mom told him that he needed to be more friendly and open.

Maybe that was why Hector didn't like him.

After a few minutes his mom sighed and pushed some of the papers aside, giving him her attention. "Did you need something, Quirin?"

"Help." He said simply. He wasn't sure how to explain all of this. It took a lot to try to ask for help in the first place. Fortunately, his mom knew him well. He may not come to her often, but it happened regularly enough that she knew what to do.

"Okay, do you need help from the king's second? Or do you need help from your mom?" She asked.

"A little bit of both." Quirin said. "But I mostly need my mom."

"Okay," His mom got up from the desk and walked towards him. "What's wrong? Don't think I haven't noticed that you've been acting strangely this past week. You haven't been to training, and Prince Edmund says that he's barely seen you."

"I've been busy." Quirin said. "I've been trying to figure something out, but…but I have no idea what I'm doing, and I feel like I'm just making things worse." He hated the way that his voice broke. He wasn't supposed to look so weak.

His mom looked blatantly concerned. She put her hands on Quirin's shoulders. Quirin couldn't help but relax in her grip.

"What's going on?" His mom asked.

"Do you remember last week when I was late for dinner?" Quirin asked.

His mom raised an eyebrow at him. "You mean when you said that you were late and covered in blood because you were taking care of someone's dog?"

Quirin clenched his fists. "He…he's not a dog." He took a deep breath. "And I wasn't completely honest when I said that I didn't bring home a stray."

The slightly teasing and scolding look in his mom's eyes became alarmed. "Quirin, what happened?"

And he told her. Quirin told his mom everything, from finding Hector chained up in the yard, to his defensive nature, and all of his injuries.

When Quirin was done his mom gave him a disappointed look. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Honestly, I don't really know anymore." Quirin said quietly. Every reason he could think of now felt very trivial.

"Okay, okay." Quirin's mom sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I need to speak to Hector."

Quirin felt defensive at the thought, but he made himself calm down. He knew his mother wouldn't hurt Hector, and the boy couldn't possibly be more afraid of her as he was of him. If anything, Quirin imagined that Hector would feel more relaxed around a woman than a man right now, since his father was probably the one that had hurt him.

Quirin's mom gave his shoulder a small squeeze. "Don't blame yourself too much. This is a complicated situation, and it's difficult to know what to do." She led the way out of the room and they both started to make their way to the training barracks.

"You know, this explains why I'd been hearing word that you have been spending the night in Adira's room." The teasing tone was back in Quirin's mom's voice. "You wouldn't imagine what rumors I heard, and there were probably so many more that people didn't dare to speculate in my presence."

Quirin rolled his eyes. He wasn't one to listen to rumors, but he wasn't surprised that they were floating around. The other trainees seemed to look for any reason to talk about anybody that was even just a little bit different, and being the only current female trainee at the moment, Adira attracted rumors like they were nobody's business. It was good that she had such thick skin. Quirin didn't think that just anybody could handle such a thing.

As they got closer to the barracks they heard a commotion. Quirin felt a shiver go down his spine. Please, please, don't let it be because of Hector. He was still hurt and wasn't supposed to be moving around too much.

Quirin prayed to the moon that Hector was okay. The trainees were pretty good at getting into trouble on their own. Quirin had never wished more that the trainees had gotten bored and pulled one of their questionably moral pranks.

Quirin's mom's eyes narrowed. She never tolerated the antics of the Brotherhood and their trainees, but she looked even more furious now.

"If Hector came across rambunctious strangers, what are the chances that he'll feel threatened and start a fight?" Quirin's mom said.

Quirin didn't answer. He was terrified of what could happen to Hector if he ran into the others. He was either going to absolutely destroy them, or undo all of the hard work that they'd done on his recovery.

Quirin followed his mother towards the main area of the barracks, away from Adira's room. And towards the source of the noise.

They didn't have to go very far before they saw boys running down the hall. Some of them were bleeding, and all of them looked scared. Further down the hall was another group of older boys, as well as Adira, running to catch up. They looked determined, furious, and some of them were laughing like this was all just a game.

In between the two groups was Hector, shouting and lunging at the younger boys. He seemed oblivious to his probably still sore leg.

Quirin was stunned for a short moment, frozen in his tracks. His mom reacted instantly. She stormed forward, intercepting Hector and the younger group. She wrapped her arms under his armpits and locked her hands behind his neck.

Hector yowled like he was being tortured. Quirin's mom grimaced, but didn't loosen her grip. She kept her hold firm. It was at this moment that Quirin found his feet. He started to make his way towards Hector, but he faltered again. He wasn't good at comforting Hector, and Quirin's mom, who was whispering in Hector's ear, seemed to be doing decently. At least, Hector slowly began to still and go limp in her hold.

Quirin didn't want to make things worse, so he decided to make himself productive in another way. He tore his gaze away from Hector and towards Adira. He wanted to find out exactly what had happened.

Adira had rounded on some of the older boys and she was scolding them intensely, but they weren't listening to her. The trainees frequently brushed Adira off because of how often she judged people when she felt like they were doing something wrong. The boys reacted defensively, and it was clear that things were about to escalate.

The captain caught up to them and walked right past the fighting group. He went to the younger boys and spoke quietly with them for a long moment. Quirin wasn't close enough to hear everything that the captain was being told. He was able to catch the words 'trespasser, vicious, and attack'. It was enough for Quirin to put together the pieces.

Hector had wandered off, and when the trainees had seen him some of them, probably the younger ones, had confronted him. Hector had gotten scared. He probably thought that he was going to be attacked by some boys who were clearly warriors. In Hector's eyes, he'd been defending himself, but the other trainees wouldn't see it that way.

Quirin clenched his fists. The captain could be kind when he wanted to be, but he wouldn't let wannabe trainees who couldn't pass the trials try to force their way into their ranks by stirring up trouble.

If Hector had reacted poorly to some other boys ruffling his feathers, he was going to freak out if he started being told off by the captain.

Quirin had never stepped between the captain and those that he was getting ready to discipline, but Hector wasn't like the Brotherhood trainees. He needed help, and even if nothing that Quirin had done so far had helped he couldn't just give up on him.

When the captain looked towards Hector, a stern look in his eyes, Quirin knew he had to act. He stepped in front of his mom and Hector, putting himself between them and the captain. He spread his arms out defensively.

"I'm not going to let you hurt him." Quirin practically growled. The captain looked stunned at his tone and words. The captain didn't back away, but he didn't force his way past Quirin either.

"I'm not going to hurt him." The captain said sternly but not unkindly.

"If you come any closer, you will." Quirin insisted. He knew that the captain wouldn't lay a hand on Hector, but he didn't need to to hurt Hector. If the younger boy thought he was in trouble he would panic even more and possibly hurt himself even more. Quirin wasn't going to let that happen. He didn't care who he had to step in front of.

"Captain," Quirin's mom said from where she was holding back Hector. "This is a sensitive situation and I need to talk to you about it before we do anything else. First, this boy's hurt, and so are some of your trainees. We need to get them to the infirmary and make sure they're taken care of."

The captain sighed. "Yes, yes, of course." He looked over Quirin's shoulder to see Hector, who was still squirming, even if he wasn't shouting. He still looked feral. "I want him away from my boys. I'll take them to the infirmary."

"And we'll take Hector to my quarters and have the doctor meet us there." Quirin's mom said. She looked at him. "Quirin, Adira, you're with me. Help me get him upstairs."

Quirin nodded and put his hand on Hector's arm. "It's okay. You're safe. I haven't let anybody hurt you yet, and I'm not going to hurt you now. I know you don't trust me, but I need to get you upstairs so we can make sure you're not hurting anymore."

Hector was breathing harshly. His eyes were wide. He looked around frantically. Quirin grimaced and put his hands on Hector's face, making him look at him. "Hey, no hurt. I promise."

Hector blinked and Quirin felt like he was staring right into his soul. "N-no hurt." He closed his eyes and nodded. Quirin took this as permission. His mom finally let go of Hector, letting Quirin step in and lift him into his arms, just like he'd done a week ago.

Hector was incredibly tense and seemed to be struggling to keep quiet. He was still scared of being hurt, but he was trusting Quirin at least a little bit, and he wasn't going to betray that trust. His mom went over to Adira to pull her away from the older trainees so they could make their way upstairs.

Hector whimpered and clung to Quirin as they walked. Hector looked over Quirin's shoulder as they walked, keeping his eye on the captain until they were out of sight. Once they rounded a corner Hector turned his gaze to Quirin.

"In trouble?" Hector asked quietly.

"No, you're not in trouble." Quirin said. He wouldn't allow it.

Hector shook his head and poked Quirin's chest. "Not me. You. You in trouble?"

"What?" That was the last thing that Quirin had expected to hear. "No, I'm not in trouble. Why…is this about the captain?"

"Fought him." Hector said. "Not supposed to fight."

Quirin stared at Hector in shock. Was…was Hector worried about him? That warmed Quirin's heart, even if he was probably looking too deeply into this.

"I'm fine." Quirin said quietly. "And even if I was in trouble, I'd do it again."

Hector's breath got caught in his throat. "W-why?"

"Because I don't like seeing you in pain." Quirin said. "Seeing you hurt hurts me."

Hector didn't tilt his head at Quirin, so he assumed that he understood his words, but Hector still looked incredibly confused.

"But…but why?" Hector asked. His voice cracked with confusion and pain. The warmth in Quirin's chest turned cold in an instant. How badly had Hector been hurt that he didn't understand that somebody would help them out of the goodness of their heart.

Hector clutched tightly at Quirin's shirt. He started muttering the word 'why' to himself over and over again. Quirin recognized this kind of breakdown, as it was the most intense of Hector's moments. Quirin wanted to stop him before he spiraled too far.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." Quirin tightened his grip on Hector. He tilted his head down and whispered soothing words into his ear. It was just a traditional prayer to the moon in the old language. The prayer was one for guidance and protection, and if there was anything that Hector needed right now, it was just that. Quirin just hoped that, if the moon willed it, he'd be able to provide those things for Hector. It was the very least that he deserved.