[1] WEEPING MONK // you're not what I was looking for

13| Before The Dawn

═ 𝘽𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙬𝙣 ═

[TW// discussion of religious fanaticism/abuse and implied past self harm/flagellation, internal conflict]

Ari and Lancelot reconcile some of their conflicts when Ari takes a big step into his world. Squirrel discovers a thing or two about Lancelot and the pair grow closer.

Whatever was out there had started to make Lancelot anxious. He couldn't tell if it was human or Fey but the scent was familiar. His head told him to find out but his heart overruled him. He turned Goliath, realising that he shouldn't have left Ari and Squirrel alone after what had happened in the morning. He cantered Goliath back towards the barn, pausing far enough away to glance around again at the trees. Whatever was there had gone but he still didn't like what his senses were telling him. Lancelot left Goliath outside and pushed his way back into the barn a little too forcefully.

"You alright?" The boy asked, his eyebrows raised at the man's restlessness. Lancelot had not hidden the look on his face that something was wrong, and his sudden appearance was a little alarming.

"Something doesn't feel right," Lancelot said, pacing back and forth as he kept an eye on the half open door.

The boy cocked his head at him then glanced over to the dying fire, "I thought the rabbits smelt funny-"

"That's not what I meant," Lancelot snapped at the child, earning a look from the woman. Ari picked up her head, her hand moving to grasp her sword which was laying beside her.

"What is it?" She asked the pacing figure.

"I thought I felt something, someone, watching me in the woods."

"Could it have just been an animal?" She wondered, for the Monk seemed to be jumping to a conclusion that might not be true. Lancelot stopped and turned to glare at her. I would know if it were an animal. Ari sighed, looking over to the boy who didn't seem overly worried. She turned back to Lancelot, "Okay, well the sun is high now and the snow is melting, we might as well move." Lancelot nodded, agreeing with her for once.

Ari tacked up Dusty and gave Squirrel her dagger, telling him to cut the blanket they had found in half whilst Lancelot kept watch outside. She rolled up and tied one half of the blanket to the back of her saddle with rope before leading her horse towards the dying fire. She kicked at the remaining embers and made sure that it was fully put out before ushering the boy outside. Squirrel gave the other rolled half of the blanked to Lancelot with a length of rope for him to repeat what Ari had done. They quickly got themselves and the horses up the slope and out of the valley and onto the trail which they had ridden on yesterday. They mounted the horses, Squirrel riding with Ari as usual, and circled east along the trail for another day's ride.