Ripples

An Unfortunate Loss

"Magister de Nantes?" Lucas breathed, obviously in shock.

Lucas' current master? The magister who was Celine's father? Who had just seen the young man who was supposed to be marrying his daughter carrying in another woman - bridal style? That Magister de Nantes??

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything..." the older man stroked his graying beard, eyeing Amicia and then turning to Lucas in question. His daughter definitely had his eyes. 

"Father, really, it's not what it looks like!" Celine tried to intervene, her cheeks a little red.

"I would hope not..." Magister de Nantes replied, his vivid blue eyes flashing back to Amicia then to Lucas. "Shall we talk in another room, Magister Jacques?"

The older man nodded towards Lucas' bedroom where Amicia now slept, and Amicia wanted to curl up in a ball and die. What would he say when he found out she was sleeping there??

Straightening his tunic, Lucas nodded. "Of course, come. I want to find out the reason for your timely arrival!"

As the men walked away, Sylvie looked at Amicia with fire in her eyes as she took their cloaks roughly from Amicia's hands. As if saying "See what you did! You're going to get the young magister in trouble!"

Celine ran up to Amicia, fussing over her. "Oh my, what happened? What happened to Baude? Are you alright?"

Amicia just nodded, feeling a weariness starting to hit her full force. She explained what had happened, and Celine exclaimed in horror as she told her about the fiery death of Baude. Looking to the bedroom, she really hoped Lucas wouldn't be scolded just for helping her...

Celine patted her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure he'll be fine. He's always been able to hold his own against my father, and my father respects him for it."

"I just don't want there to be any misunderstandings..."

Sylvie grunted at this, and Celine shot her a look before turning back to Amicia.

"I'm sure it will be just fine. My father is an understanding man."

Amicia just hoped she was right.

"Do you want to help me with the patients in the tents for the time being?" Celine asked her before Sylvie could give her a piece of her mind.

The sudden desire to see Olive and Marie hit her full force, and she nodded. She prayed there was enough time to save them and everyone else...

******************

As the door closed behind Lucas, he turned to face his old master who studied him through bushy white eyebrows, his eyes searching. 

"When Celine wrote to me of the sickness, I knew it was bad. However, I did not anticipate seeing you carry in another woman into the house almost as soon as I arrived..."

"There's a reason -"

"I know you have your reasons, Lucas. Seeing the crutches, I understood why you had carried her. That's not what I'm interested in at the moment..."

"Then what exactly are you interested in, Master?"

"Who is she?"

Lucas straightened, and he realized this was going to be unexpected news to the old master, who he had told most everything about his past. "That's Amicia de Rune."

The magister's bushy eyebrows rose. "The girl whose brother you killed?"

Every time he was reminded, it felt like an arrow to the heart, but he fought the urge to look down. "Yes..."