"Questa!" Sileas shouted. "Do you have ANY idea what they will do to someone who knocks out a Lord? Much less a son of the King?" She glared daggers at Questa and hurried to Wulfsen's side. "Here, hold this," she said to Yehudit, handing her her bow. Sileas knelt down and pushed her hood back. "Wulfsen?" she called softly while lightly patting his cheek.

Wulfsen groaned and squeezed his eyes shut against the pain in his head.

"Yor only in trubble if yer get caught, right, he didn't spot me. Wotcher so angry about, isit? He were gonna ruin yor plans." Questa pulled off his belt and frowned when she heard him groan. "Stand back, right, I got ter hit 'im again."

Sileas rose to her feet. "You touch him one more time and I'll turn you in myself. Wulfsen is a friend. We'll never know now if he would have let us go because you had to go and knock him out. He may well have permitted Yehudit and I to to the village." She doubted it was likely but she wasn't about to give credence to Questa's words. "Give me your cloak and go get Difyr or Alyssa," Sileas demanded angrily.

"Me cloak? But it's cold! Struth! He were 'appy walkin' 'round wivout a shirt on and 'is chest 'air flappin' in the chuffin' breeze, right, he don't need me cloak." Questa drew her cloak around herself. "And I didn't 'it 'im that 'ard, just tapped 'im. He's already comin' 'round."

Sileas ground her teeth. She spotted a small group of knights only a few yards away. "Give. Me. Your. Cloak. Or I will call them over here."

"Give 'im yor own cloak if yer don't want Yehudit starin' at 'is boobs so badly." Questa said boldly.

"I want to pillow his head until he's ready to sit up. You're the one who injured him, you can damn well sacrifice your cloak."

Wulfsen's eyes fluttered open and he looked up at Sileas. "Sileas? What happened?" Wulfsen sat up and gingerly touched his head. "Ouch. Did part of the wall fall off on me?"

"Aw damn, right, too late now." Questa hid the belt under her cloak. "I can keep me cloak now."

"No, the wall is innocent though it wouldn't surprise me if part fell off and hit someone. I apologize, Questa misguidedly thought she was helping and hit you," Sileas said softly. She held up three fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?" She glared at Questa over his head.

"Three." Wulfsen counted, confused. He stood up. "Why-" He barely caught his pants before they could fall down. His sword was left on the ground. "Uh?" Wulfsen was further confused and quite embarrassed.

Sileas sighed and stormed over to Questa. She held out her hand. "Give me Wulfsen's belt. NOW."

Questa gave Sileas the belt. "Nice ter know yer got me back- after I were tryin' ter help yer! Struth!"

Yehudit's eyes were like saucers. She was not overly helpful.

"I didn't need the help. I may have been able to enlist Wulfsen's help. Instead you have blown the whole plan from the water." Sileas walked over to Wulfsen and extended her hand. "Here, again, I apologize. Questa has a good heart but she's misguided."

Wulfsen was holding his pants up with one hand so he could pick up his sword and scabbard. When Sileas extended her hand, Wulfsen wound up dropping his pants. Mortified Wulfsen dropped the sword on his foot and tripped over it as he hastened to pull up his pants again.

"Do you need some assistance?" Sileas offered her friend. "Yehudit, you had better look away or Aunt Lia will know you've seen something you should not."

Wulfsen was more red than a boiled lobster. "No, thank you. I can dress myself. Uh..." Wufsen got back to his feet and pulled his pants up. He reached for his belt.

Yehudit blinked for the first time since Wulfsen appeared. "How would she find out?"

Sileas managed to keep an innocent expression on her face, not even a hint of a little naughty grin. Sileas handed him his belt. "You know Aunt Lia. She will take one look at you and just know. She might not know exactly what it was, but she'll know it happened."

"Then we gotta go back to Buckley Village so she never finds out about this!" Yehudit exclaimed in alarm.

Sileas winced. Now the plan really was botched up. "The plan is still in effect as soon as I make certain Wulfsen is all right."

Wulfsen was working his belt through the loops on his pants and nearly dropped them again.
"You're going back to Buckley Village? But you can't- there could still be raiders around."

"I have to go back, Wulfsen. I can't shake the feeling that Mama is still alive." Sileas clasped her hands in front of her. "I took a nap a short time ago, and I kept hearing her calling me to help her."