"I came as soon as I could," Susan's tone was frantic as she handed Liana a heap of torn up pieces of cloth and made to refill the jug of water next to her. Liana didn't respond. She merely dipped one of the rags into the clean water and wiped away the flow of flood from Ronas's wound. It was impossible to bandage him using the resources available to her in Edmund's solar and since he had collapsed onto the floor she couldn't even examine him properly. Sighing, she kept her hand on the red stain at Ronas's side and used her free hand to check his pulse. Her face became grim.

"I need more people and I need to get him to the Houses," her voice was hoarse. "He's losing too much blood and I-"

"He said not to take him anywhere," said Edmund. He sounded like the wind had been knocked out of him, and Liana's heart ached for him but she couldn't bring herself to sympathize.

"I need to give him medicine, Edmund," she said quietly. "If I could even just get my sash I could at least stitch his skin back together."

"Where is it?" asked Susan. "I can go-"

"I don't know!" Liana felt like screaming with frustration. The man, whom, at this point in her life, she hated more than anyone else in the world, was dying in front of her. She didn't want to help him, but she was honor-bound to. It made her want to tear her hair out. Her hand shook as she roughly pushed her hair back. "I don't remember, I'm sorry."

Susan gently eased her hand off of the wound, replacing it with her own. "You've had an awful day," her friend's voice was soothing. "You and Edmund should go, try to find something that can help him. I'll stay here and I'll lock the door. Everything will be alright."

"She's right," Liana felt Edmund's firm hands on her shoulders as he squeezed them gently. He helped her stand up and caressed her face with the back of his hand. "We'll go to the Houses and get whatever you need."

Liana didn't argue, and allowed herself to be led out of the room. Edmund stopped and waited until he heard Susan draw the bolt from inside and then guided her out of the palace. Once they were out of the line of sight of the guards, Edmund stopped and tugged Liana closer to him. She resisted at first, but his hold was strong as he wrapped his arms around her and gently rubbed her back. Her shoulders slumped and she buried her face into his chest. She didn't know why he was offering her comfort, or even if he realized what he was doing, but she clung to him nevertheless.

"It was Ronas, wasn't it," it was a statement, not a question. He didn't even sound upset. Liana pulled away to see his expression and saw that his eyes held nothing except concern for her. He smiled a little at her look of shock. "You can't think that I wouldn't notice how upset you were to have to help him."

Liana closed her eyes. "Edmund, I-"

"I don't need to know anything else," he interrupted her. "Just tell me, is he the one you think threw the rock?" Liana rested her cheek against his shoulder and nodded wordlessly. She didn't know what to say. Luckily, Edmund didn't expect her to speak. He merely pressed a kiss to her hair, his lips lingering. "Alright," he murmured. "Now, let's go save his life so I can kill him myself."

!

Liana sipped her tea slowly as she watched the steady rise and fall of Ronas's chest from across the room. Edmund was asleep on the sofa, his head resting in her lap. Opposite her, Susan sat curled up on the window-seat reading by the moonlight; she was wise enough not to raise her eyes so as to have to disapprove at the intimacy of her brother and Liana's position. It had been four hours since they had returned from the Houses and Liana had managed to stitch Ronas's wound and had given him a sleeping draught so that they did not have to worry about him waking up from the pain while she worked. It wouldn't wear off until morning and while it was highly unlikely he would try to hurt her while she was surrounded by both Edmund and Susan, she didn't want to take any chances.

"You should rest," Susan's voice was quiet, but Liana heard it clearly through the silence in the room. "You have had quite an evening."

"I can manage," she put her cup down on the floor. Edmund turned his head slightly to one side, but didn't wake up. Liana ran her fingers through his hair absently, almost forgetting that Susan was watching her by now.

"He is very relaxed around you," said Susan.

Liana smiled a little. "I suppose he is."

"I know that you've noticed it, Liana."

"Of course I have, but I don't see how its relevant."

"He's in love with you," Susan's tone was matter-of-fact. Liana's hands stopped their movement and remained tangled in his hair. "But you already knew that, didn't you?" she said knowingly.

Liana bit her lip. "I- He cares about me, very much, I believe."

"You wouldn't have agreed to Peter's suggestion of making an announcement if you weren't sure. Has he told you yet?"

"Told me what?"

"That he loves you."

"He does not have to."

"Of course he does," Susan clicked her tongue impatiently. "What are you hiding from me, Liana?"

Liana sighed. "Susan, this is hardly the time to be having such a conversation."

Susan rolled her eyes. "I can never catch you alone now, surely this is as good a time as any?"

"Edmund could wake up at any second and Ronas could die at any second," persisted Liana. "You can catch me alone some time when the sun is up."

Susan rolled her eyes. "Are you going to pretend that this relationship does not exist forever?"

"Of course not."

"Then?"

"I haven't had time to think about it."

"You also haven't thought about the children much," pointed out Susan not unkindly. Liana was silent. "I know that you've been thinking about it. Has your brother written?"

"He wrote last week," said Liana quietly. "He found a house in Archenland. His ship is there, for many months at least. He thinks we have a chance to be a family again, if he gets married. He wanted me to send the children, as a start.

"Will you?"

"I haven't answered him yet."

"There's a cargo ship going there in a fortnight. I could arrange to have them on board. You could accompany them, if you wish."

"I spoke to the High King about it as well when the letter came. He said the same," she bit her lip. "I don't want to send them alone but if I go, I can't tell when I'll be back."

"Your family needs you more than we do, Liana."

"Yes, but…" she trailed off and touched Edmund's face again. There were dark circles under his eyes and a constant frown on his brow. He worried about her incessantly, she knew that. She didn't know how she would manage to look after herself when he had been the one doing it for many months now.

"He will still be here when you come back," Susan's voice was gentle. "You know he would never resent you for wanting to go."

"Wouldn't he?" a bitter smile crept onto her face. "My own brother resents me for not wanting to go."

"Ships go every few weeks; the day you decide to go you know we will do everything we can to help you."

"The Liana that lived in Archenland is not the same one who speaks to you right now," Liana ran a hand through her hair and fixed Susan with a firm look. "I grew up in a way no child should ever have to, without a mother or a father, and a brother whose priorities had changed after he married. I don't want those two girls to grow up in the same way as I did, but I do not trust my brother anymore. Perhaps a visit from him twice every year and a visit from me twice every day is better than having him around all the time."

Susan was quiet. "I am sorry," she said finally. "This is an impossible decision."

"Yes, but its hardly the kind of decision that needs to be made at such an ungodly hour," Liana made her voice sound brighter than she felt. "You should rest as well. I'll wake you up in a few hours."

Apologies for the lateness, so much has been going on but I'm steering this towards the major parts of the story now so one update a week, fingers crossed!