Letter delivered to the Sworn office for Lady Crofte
Dear Cici,
I was so happy to see you again at Bronze Lake. The past sevenday must be so hard upon you and, at the very least, I am so comforted to see you as much as I have afterwards.
I will not lie. I was in so much pain. Was physical and upon my heart. Is odd when one had a bit of tending, the other would be sore.
The night after the pilgrimage my body ached and it was all I could do to stand.
Sir Vashyr noticed it and did insist upon staying near. I would have written you sooner had he not bid me to sleep. He managed to secure a room in Drybone for the night, much as there are no fond memories in that place, perhaps there is one now.
His smile is strangely disarming yet assuring all at once. I feel so comfortable in his presence it is easy to find rest. There is something very assuring about him and he acts truly like a paladin you could be proud of. He is strong, but does not extert it at every moment. I only wish he did not hold me with such reverence for the favor I did Turns ago.
Still, I hurt. It was bad, Cici. Lady Reinette and Lady Meli worked extensively with me to help my body recover to the point it is now and I will be glad to visit you in the Jewel again. I feel remiss to leave you to deal with so much turmoil; it is different from the cults before. It feels far more personal and complicated this time.
I heard word you spoke to Sir Iron. He told me not of his plans beyond the simple mention of your name and that he cannot afford to fail you.
He always speaks of failure. It confuses me; is it a practice to berate oneself so severely? To always foreshadow in doubt and repression? The man eagerly shows examples of his accomplishments when giving advice to others, but when it is about himself it is as if they did not exist.
We found him in the desert wasting away. I could see the wear and tear upon his frame once he took off the sand-encrusted armor. Lady Reinette and Master Sigurd were crucial in talking the man into coming to the Still Shore and I am glad he has been here. I have learned much about him, least of all that he is nothing.
This past night Lady Edda and Master Franz did also come. I have been made starkly aware of how much Sir Iron has avoided his life. Lady Edda's scornful and empty words were much unbecoming the lady I have seen before and I can only imagine what Master Franz has been holding up with on his shoulders of late. I wonder if the children would like to know their hero could use some encouragement? Maybe some words from them will help in that regard.
I am glad you are bringing that part of Sir Iron's life back into awareness for him. Much as I enjoy his company while cooking and the like, I dare not enable him to leave all those he left behind. Surely other bad tidings will come and then where shall he run to?
I did overhear his words to you about a dream, where he ran and no matter which door he opened, it only led to nowhere. That he could turn back around and stop looking for ways to run... I do wonder what he would see.
I will come find you soon. I wish to confront this "Miss Ridah" you mentioned and find out what duress she was under to resort to using force. So many things went wrong that day. So many.
Be Safe,
Jancis
Dear Cici,
I was so happy to see you again at Bronze Lake. The past sevenday must be so hard upon you and, at the very least, I am so comforted to see you as much as I have afterwards.
I will not lie. I was in so much pain. Was physical and upon my heart. Is odd when one had a bit of tending, the other would be sore.
The night after the pilgrimage my body ached and it was all I could do to stand.
Sir Vashyr noticed it and did insist upon staying near. I would have written you sooner had he not bid me to sleep. He managed to secure a room in Drybone for the night, much as there are no fond memories in that place, perhaps there is one now.
His smile is strangely disarming yet assuring all at once. I feel so comfortable in his presence it is easy to find rest. There is something very assuring about him and he acts truly like a paladin you could be proud of. He is strong, but does not extert it at every moment. I only wish he did not hold me with such reverence for the favor I did Turns ago.
Still, I hurt. It was bad, Cici. Lady Reinette and Lady Meli worked extensively with me to help my body recover to the point it is now and I will be glad to visit you in the Jewel again. I feel remiss to leave you to deal with so much turmoil; it is different from the cults before. It feels far more personal and complicated this time.
I heard word you spoke to Sir Iron. He told me not of his plans beyond the simple mention of your name and that he cannot afford to fail you.
He always speaks of failure. It confuses me; is it a practice to berate oneself so severely? To always foreshadow in doubt and repression? The man eagerly shows examples of his accomplishments when giving advice to others, but when it is about himself it is as if they did not exist.
We found him in the desert wasting away. I could see the wear and tear upon his frame once he took off the sand-encrusted armor. Lady Reinette and Master Sigurd were crucial in talking the man into coming to the Still Shore and I am glad he has been here. I have learned much about him, least of all that he is nothing.
This past night Lady Edda and Master Franz did also come. I have been made starkly aware of how much Sir Iron has avoided his life. Lady Edda's scornful and empty words were much unbecoming the lady I have seen before and I can only imagine what Master Franz has been holding up with on his shoulders of late. I wonder if the children would like to know their hero could use some encouragement? Maybe some words from them will help in that regard.
I am glad you are bringing that part of Sir Iron's life back into awareness for him. Much as I enjoy his company while cooking and the like, I dare not enable him to leave all those he left behind. Surely other bad tidings will come and then where shall he run to?
I did overhear his words to you about a dream, where he ran and no matter which door he opened, it only led to nowhere. That he could turn back around and stop looking for ways to run... I do wonder what he would see.
I will come find you soon. I wish to confront this "Miss Ridah" you mentioned and find out what duress she was under to resort to using force. So many things went wrong that day. So many.
Be Safe,
Jancis
![[Image: hpThOka.png]](http://i.imgur.com/hpThOka.png)
