A softness touched Imrah's face. He might have been about to add something, but Arie ducked her face down. Imrah sighed resigned.

"If your mages find the person let me know. I might be able to find out where Ark is hiding from them."

"I can do that." A long awkward pause stretched between them. Neither really knowing what to say to the other. Until Imrah cleared his throat. "What will you do now?"

"I should go help Sir Nealen." then she remembered their respective stations and the dark looks from the guards. "By your leave that is, Sir?" She bowed stiffly to the older man.

He nodded warily. "Go."

Arie turned without looking at her grandfather and his guards only vaguely aware that he had followed her back into the main sitting room. He lingered long enough to give whispered commands to those standing by the door. When he left two of his guards remained inside the room.

"How is she?" Arie asked the knight.

"Damn lucky." Then he swore under his breath. The bowl beside him was almost half full. "What I don't understand is why she hasn't become a puppet. She's easily as advanced infection wise as the ones who infected the camp, but she retains control over her mind, even if she is impulsive in some acts."

Arie licked her lips. "I have a theory. I'm sure you noticed her devotion to her husband."

Neal nodded.

"I think she does everything. What she says, does, even thinks through the lenses of 'how will this affect the lord'. She doesn't give Ark purchase in her mind. Like how you can resist certain magic's if you have something your mind can focus on. Her husband is her shield that has allowed her to hold out. But it helps that she recognized something wasn't right with herself and she sequestered herself in her rooms. Affectively limiting the way she could spread this and shrinking the interactions with people. So no one noticed."

Neal grunted. Sweat dotted his forehead and was sliding down towards his eyes. Arie looked around for a napkin. She saw one beside the mess of food. Thankfully it had been spared during the commotion that resulted in it landing there. So she was able to dab at Neal's face to clear away the sweat.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Let me know if you need more energy."

"I will in a bit. This is going to take a while."

Arie cringed at the thought. She distinctly remembered the exhaustion after she had healed both Edith and Jess. And that didn't include the memories that still stirred to life if she wasn't careful. She shuddered. Neal was about to go through that exact same thing.

"Arie, can you ease her into sleep once I'm done. I don't think it will be a good idea for me to try it after expending so much energy."

"Sure."

The silence lapsed between them again for several minutes before Neal added, "Tomorrow we are going have to talk."

Her blood froze. "About what?"

Neal gritted his teeth in frustration. Whether it was at her response or Judith's condition she couldn't say for sure, but she suspected the former.

After that time slowed to crawl. Arie poured her Gift into Neal as he needed it. Constantly wiping the sweat from his forehead. She winced internally at every twitch or recoil the knight made as he progressed through the Lady's memories. It was hard for her not to feel responsible for this. It didn't matter that Arie hadn't poisoned the Lady. It didn't matter that she had been working for months to stop this plague. It wasn't enough. She took a deep breath through her nose and let it out in sigh.

Finally, Neal sat back on heels. Arie disposed of the poison with a flick of her fingers. Her Gift burned it like oil leaving the bowl perfectly clean. Then she helped the Lady slide into a healing sleep. Her grandmother looked so small and frail in her soaked night gown. All of the coldness she had seen years ago was erased in sleep.

"I'll take her to her room. Just rest there for a bit."

"Not like I can go anywhere." He sounded so exhausted.

Arie gently tucked an arm under her step grandmother's head and the other at her knees. It was disturbing how easy it was for Arie to lift the older woman off the couch and carry her from the room. However, maneuvering the Lady under her covers proved trickery than Arie had expected. But she managed after a few awkward tries. Then she left without a backwards glance at the other woman. When she returned to the first room, Neal was where she had left him.

"Come on. Let's get you back to your room." She hauled up the knight and supported him around the waist when he swayed like a drunk man. The guards watched the two of them stumble past them in tight lipped silence. "If any of you feels like it, you might want to tell the Lord his wife is okay and asleep." None of the men moved right away, but they did share looks as if asking who would relay the news with Lord Imrah. Arie resisted the urge to curse as she stumbled down the hallway with Neal's weight pulling on her. "You know you're goina hafta direct me to your room. I don't know the way."

"That's fine," he slurred and attempted to point to the right hand passage. This caused their collective weight to shift in an unexpected way. Arie struggled to keep them standing. Neal groaned and rubbed his head, "Why do I feel hung over without the fun of being drunk."

"What did you expect to happen after your body had so much magic coursing through you?"

"Is that why you slept so long?"

Arie almost nodded then thought better of it. "Pretty much. Though I don't think you'll hurt as much, since you didn't actually use up all of your Gift. Once we get to your room I'll make a tonic that help you sleep without dreams and you'll recover faster."

Neal winced, "Can't you just use magic?"

She chuckled darkly. "Nope. Your body is too exhausted from having and using too much magic. Adding more would be like pouring oil on a fire. Since I'm sure you wouldn't like to a human torch we will go the natural remedy route."

The knight sighed, "I suppose I deserved that." He directed her down another turn then was silent for a few moments. Arie got the distinct impression he was thinking something over. It was when he next directed her which turn to take that he also asked, "What happened back there?"

Arie froze mid step. Then she continued on while trying to get her tongue to work. She knew she needed to say something, anything, but nothing would come out.

"You've never shied away from healing anyone before. Why do you act differently around Imrah and his wife?"

She didn't answer. Couldn't.

"Does it have anything to do with the fact your mother is Lord Imrah's only daughter?"

Arie stuttered to a stop. Her shock and horror must have been written clearly across her face because the knight snorted.

"I admit it took longer to realize than it should have. Your speech gives you away the most. But when I saw the painting that's when it all clicked. You're the spitting image of Anna. If it weren't for your eyes I'd have said you stepped right out of that painting."

"Stop."

He plowed on as if he hadn't heard her at all. "I get not liking nobles. We are a pompous lot, but you actually hate nobles. For the most part. Why?"

"Because they left my mom to die because she wouldn't throw me away!" These words that burst from her were sharp and bitter. They echoed loudly in the empty hall. She took a deep breath before looking at Neal's face.

The knight was startled. "Are you sure?" He shook his head and rubbed his face. "No. Sorry. Of course you're sure. It's just not my experience with Lord Imrah. It's hard to take in the man I know as a good commander and a devoted father."

"Yeah, well, being here the past few days was the first time I had actually spoken with him. I'd seen him from a distance every now and then when he rode through the port." Arie sighed, she regretted snapping at Neal. None of this was his fault. Everything was just piling on top of her too quick and she had lost her temper. Thankfully, the knight didn't seem to take her out burst to heart. In fact he seemed content to let the silence stretch between them. Only speaking to direct her through the final few turns. The room he ended up directing her to was actually just down the hall from the room she shared with Kel. After she opened the door nearly tipping both of them into the room at the same time, Arie dumped the knight unceremoniously into his bed.

Neal grunted. "Wonderful bedside manor you have."

Arie snorted. "At least I didn't make you crawl back by yourself. That would have been quite the picture of knightly dignity."

He didn't bother to dignify that with a response and Arie was gracious enough to let subject drop. Instead she flipped open her bag and began digging out the various ingredients she'd need for a tonic of sleep. Each packet of herbs was labeled in a neat script. Once she found everything she needed she swiped a glass that had been sitting empty on Neal's wash basin. Arie added exactly what she needed before grabbing a pitcher of water that had also been on the stand. A quick glance through her Gift found the water was clean even if it smelt slightly stale. Neal watched as she at the water to the cup and stirred. He cringed when Arie handed him the glass without even bothering to hide her smile.

"Cheers." He threw back the glass and tried to drink it down as quickly as he could. Three gulps and it was gone with shudder.

"How do you feel?"

He blinked in surprise. "Not bad, no headache anymore." He made a face and shook his head. "That's bitter though. By the Gods that's very bitter." He shook his head a couple more times, then yawned. His eyelids fluttered as he fought to stay awake. A losing battle. A few seconds later his head dropped back and Arie had to catch the glass before it fell and shattered on the floor. She dumped the dregs out the window then left the cup where she had found it. A quick check of the knight's vitals proved he was well and truly asleep. Arie was about to leave when she noted Neal's boots. With a sigh she wriggled the offensive smelling shoes off and placed them by the door. Then she left the knight to get his rest.

Arie slipped down the hall as quietly as she could. She needed a quiet place to think. Her feet moved on their own, driving her down a familiar path. Arie moved through the halls in relative silence. Exhaustion was starting to creep into her as well as hunger. But she was too tired to try and find something to eat right now. Nor did she have any desire to face Lord Imrah or any of his people at the moment. She wasn't sure if she could bare the looks of suspicion they would have. Maybe they even thought she had something to do with Lady's poisoning. It had been hours ago that they had first started healing Judith and word travels quickly in a castle this size. So instead, Arie found herself heading out of the castle and towards the stables. There was something she needed to do there anyway.

The smell of horse and hay filled her nose while the dying light of the sun lit the path just enough that she could see, but not so much that others would notice her. But judging by both the time and the lack of human sounds coming from the stables, most of the stable hands were off eating dinner. No one would see her let herself into SandStorms stall. The stallion didn't even look up from his munching as she closed the gate behind her. Arie sighed knowing her horse friend was angry with her. Not that she blamed him.

"I'm sorry." She put her hand on her friend's back. It was embracing to have to grovel to her friend, but Arie accepted her fate. "I'm sorry I left you in here without visiting. I'm sorry for making you worry. And I'm sorry for not listening to you."

SandStorm's ears perked up then flicked back and forth. Finally he turned and snorted in her face. "Next time you will not leave me to wonder if you were okay or not. I could feel your magic from here little one. Even had to use that silly bird to check on you."

"I'm sorry."

"As you should be." SandStorm butted his head against her chest in what was supposed to be an affectionate gesture, but Arie was so tired she stumbled back into the stall wall. Her horse friend was even more surprised than her. "Arie, what's wrong?"

Arie sighed and slid to the floor. "I'm so tired, SandStorm, so damn tired."

"What happened?"

"I just feel like I've been fighting this for an eternity. I'm not gaining against this, in fact I feel like I'm losing more ground than I'm gaining. I just want to lay down and not move." A small part whispered 'just give up'.

SandStorm's dark eyes watched her with such understanding. "Rest little one. We can pick up the fight again once you're well rested. I'll keep watch while you sleep."

"But-."

"No. Sleep." The horse blew a breath into her face admonishing her stubbornness.

Arie grumbled but curled up in straw. The exhaustion that she had been pushing away not beat at her. She was barely even aware of SandStorm moving to block her from the sight of anyone who passed by. Sleep claimed her just as quickly as it had claimed the young knight.