Lek ran downstairs, hoping to see his parents reunited to make things right again.

He stood before the cell door, occasionally calling for Aislyn.

"Papa!" Lek cried. "What are you doing in there?"

"It was determined that he is not Nelek," one of the guards explained. "In fact, the Merman even called him his king."

"I am Nelek!" He shouted. "He is a liar, he tortured my family for months!"

"I know he's my father!" Lek exclaimed. "Where's Mama?"

"Mrs. Gerthrim also denied you." He harrumphed. "Like we would take the word of the likes of him," he sputtered, indicating Mazi.

"Lord de Vale, Captain Spenser and your mother have gone upstairs to a conference room."

Lek charged up the stairs. Mama was terribly mistaken! He had to set this right. "Mama!"

Difyr walked into the dungeon with a basket of healing supplies. She eyed the barely recognizable Jack in his cell. He looked like he was dying, but if he had lasted this long maybe he would live.

"Guard, I have to treat the prisoner." She called to the closest knight. Then she spotted him, in a cell next to Mazi. "Nelek?"

"You know it's me!" He stuck a desperate hand out of the cell. "My wife refuses to acknowledge me! We have both been through so much apart, she can't recognize me. She's my heart. You have to help me!"

Difyr nearly dropped her basket. She walked over to his cell but kept a couple steps away from him. She stared at him. "Aislyn does not recognize you?"

He shook his head. "But you're a healer- you can help me! She must be in some sort of hysterics, you can give her something to calm her down so she'll know me."

I certainly wouldn't recognize him by the way he talks. Difyr thought, taking another step away from Nelek's cell and towards Jack's.

"I will see Aislyn and see what I can do." Difyr did plan on seeing Aislyn, though probably would not follow Nelek's treatment plan. "But first this patient needs me. Guard!"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:09, Thu 26 May 2016.

"Hey healer! Is Ila showing yet or is she barren?" Mazi called.

Difyr ignored Mazi as a knight let her in Jack's cell and made sure Jack could not attack her. Difyr son saw that the guard's protection was unnecessary. Both of Jack's arms and legs had been broken, his right arm looked like a sausage with broken bone sticking out of it. His hands looked shattered. He hardly had any face left, just one eye that still had some meanness left in it. He had lost a lot of skin being dragged. Difyr could not imagine how much pain he was in.

And for once she did not feel bad about a patient being in pain. She was not gentle as she felt his bloody throat for a pulse.

"You have a very slim chance of surviving." Difyr said, her usual compassion gone. "And with all the permanent damage done to you might not want to survive at all. There's a concoction I use to treat pain, too much can be fatal. If I had a patient I cared about in your condition I would give him enough of this concoction so he would sleep and never wake up- it would be merciful. After what you and your men did I have had to treat a lot of people for pain- people who did not deserve to suffer. Between that and your people raiding my stores I find I have a very short supply of this medicine. So you will have to go without. Guard- hold him while I reset his limbs- that right arm will have to come off, can you send for a very sharp sword and someone with a strong stomach? And maybe something to plug my ears, this will get loud."

The pain was unbearable, Jack did not think it could get any worse. The healer was there, telling him how she was not going to give him anything for the pain. Jack closed his eye to try to block her out. He regretted burning jars of the healer's herbs. He was regretting torturing so many people.

But when he closed his eye he found himself in that dress shop. Only he was the one on that table, everyone he had ever killed or hurt was there, holding him down. Except for Pinja. She was holding the scissors.

Jack learned that any pain could get worse. He screamed and screamed.

Liadan stomped into the dungeon, her eyes blazing with fury.

"Let Ais out you drek eating momzers!" Liadan demanded.

"Who? Oh. Mrs. Gerthrim. Lord De Vale and Captain Spenser took her up to the war room to talk to her. They didn't want her down here either, and wanted to evaluate her emotional condition."

"Interrogate and torture her in private you mean- oh what the hell is this?" Liadan noticed the man resembling Nelek in the cell.

"I doubt it. Lord De Vale and Captain Spenser both said she needed treatment more than anything else. That? He came in with the Captain and Mrs. Gerthrim's son, claiming to be her husband. She denied him, he aggravated her and upset her all over again."

Difyr looked up from putting the last bandage on Jack. She did not know if he would die soon, or live to be executed. But he was conscious and had to be miserable. A part of Difyr hoped he would last until minutes before his execution, save a rope or an axe from needing to be cleaned.

"Why hasn't anyone told me about Aislyn before now?" Difyr asked, picking up her basket.

"Treatment? Oh I know what that is code for, disgusting swine." Liadan swore and tore up the stairs to save her friend.

"You were treating that bit of garbage and Lord De Vale wanted to speak with Mrs. Gerthrim before bringing her to you."

"This piece of garbage might last long enough for a noose to be slipped over his neck." Difyr said. "Or he might die five minutes from now." Difyr shrugged. "I had better brew some tea for her. Tell Xavier I want Aislyn sent to me immediately."

The knight nodded toward one of the other men, who went off to find Lord De Vale.