Kyli's twin brother Kelly showed up in the middle of the night. They were twins, but his features more resembled Eulali's than Kyli's. Both favored their father. Like his sisters, he was also a fian and had come to join the coming battle. Morgan and Beren filled him in on what they knew so far as they cleaned the stag Angus and Magnus had taken down. It would be a rite in itself to partake the 'sacrifice'. They also told him about Damara. In an almost off-handed way, Beren suggested that while they were still all there at the castle, Kelly should guard Damara. "Give 'er a chance to redeem herself, Kelly. She seems sincere. A'right?" The next morning Damara had come downstairs saying she wanted to go for a walk. Morgan sent Kelly and his own big male wolf Tor with them as added protection. Neither one of them said much as they walked up into the forest above the castle. Not really knowing what to say to her, he told her a joke. It made her laugh. "Thank ya Kelly. I ain't laughed in ages," she giggled. "I bet ya feel strange havin' ta guard me an' all." He shrugged. "Aye, just a bit - but it's a'right. Nothin' better ta do at the moment. Pity ya ain't laughed in so long. It suits ya, lass." "Aye?" "Definitely. Why is that?" "Not much ta laugh about livin' in that hell-hole." "I s'pose not. I got ta say, I think t'was real big of ya ta come 'ere." "Really...I din' know what else ta do, Kelly. I had ta get away." Damara shook her head. "I just hope 'e don't find me an' make me go back. He'll make ma life a terror fer comin' here, 'e will." "Guess that's why they set me ta guard ya then, eh?" "I thought maybe t'was because they thought I'd run away, back home. No way! It's nice ta be with civil folk." She hung her head, stopping in her tracks. "Just bein' here...I feel like a whole different person. I can't believe how I used ta be. I was awful!" "Tell ya what, lass - long as I'm around, ain't nobody gonna drag ya back where ya don' wanta be. Believe it!" Damara smiled, blushing. Did she really blush? She didn't quite know what to think. All these folk were good and kind. She wasn't used to being treated like this. She liked it! This was what she'd been missing all these years. "I will believe it Kelly...if...if you'll believe in me." The import of her words struck him in a strange way. He'd once asked the same thing of his father, when he wasn't doing so well as a son.. "A'right. I can do that. I'm starvin' lass. You?" She saw in his expression that some part of him understood that request and it made her happy. "Aye! I think I can smell the bread bakin'." And it smelled like the best thing ever! She hadn't smelled fresh-baked bread like that since she was a child, living in Mab's house. She laughed again, and Kelly looked at her askew. "Nothin'...just happy is all." ***** Thanks for your comments and time, dear friends. I hope your week is going well! Rayvn