Wulfsen and his men rode through the gates of the village. His heart sank at the sight of the destruction. He could almost smell death filling the air. He turned his destrier to look at his men. "Spread out, search for survivors. You and you," he said to the men with the wagon, "Go through the shops and homes, salvage what you can. Save room for any injured. We can come back with trunks and pack up the rest. For now, gather foods, weapons and animals."

He turned and headed toward where the guard barracks stood, or at least, where they used to stand.

Shawn had managed to dig himself out of the rubble at his office and half walked, half crawled to his home. He hoped and prayed his family had made it out of there. He had hated pushing Sileas away but he wasn't sure if he would be able to work free and hadn't wanted her wasting time and putting herself in danger.

When he reached his home though, Shawn could only let out a cry and fall to his knees. His wife, his children, his daughter's beloved, all gone. Nearly his entire family. Tears streaked down his cheeks and he rocked until he heard a small cry. Shawn crawled over to his family's remains and found one of his babies still alive.

"Olivia," he whispered. The daughter they had named after his mother. And just like her namesake, she was a survivor. "Let's see if we can find any food inside."

Finding only bodies at the barracks, it seemed the entire guard was decimated along with a few prisoners, Wulfsen tried to remember which way Shawn's house was from the barracks. He had visited a few times before but it had been a while.

Unless he missed his guess, it was in this direction. Holding his horse's reins, he began walking toward the forge. He found what was left, a horrible sensation settling in the pit of his stomach. Three of Shawn's daughters, a man Wulfsen didn't know but he appeared to have been defending them.

He waved another two men over. "Please give them a proper burial." Wulfsen heard sounds coming from the house. He pulled his sword and headed inside, only to find himself at sword point.

"Hello, Shawn."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:07, Tue 18 Aug 2015.

"Wulfsen!" Shawn greeted, he tried to smile but he just couldn't do it. Olivia nestled in his arm eating a piece of cheese. He put his sword away and hugged his old friend. "What are you doing here?"

"Apparently arriving too late," Wulfsen replied sadly. "Our spies relayed word of an impending attack, Xavier and I got here as soon as we could. It would have been even longer, but Father had been feeling for some time it was long due for a noble to be watching over the villages here. Especially with Tristan acting paranoid because he fears I am after his position. The last thing I want is the throne," Wulfsen added.

"I am sorry about Brie and the little ones," he added with quiet sadness. "And the young man. Brie's apprentice or Sileas's beau?"

"Her betrothed," Shawn admitted. "The second beau she has lost to violence." He glanced around. "I should have been here, at home, to protect my family. Instead I got buried under rubble at the barracks. I thought I was dead too, or would be soon. I pray that Sileas was able to reach the refugees and that they have reached safety."

Camped in the woods outside the village- what the villagers had called 'the hunting woods', Jack relaxed under a tree as he dabbed a wet cloth at some scratches on his face. He was feeling warm with the love of family, and accomplished. A cripple's wife now knew what a real man was like. Well, real men. As for the nosy cripple himself, no one recalled killing him so it was possible he survived. Jack was not disappointed, death was too good for him. It would be better if he knew what had happened with his wife. In fact Jack was thinking he would let her go in a couple days if she was still alive. If the cripple was a widower he could move on, but who wants a ruined wife?

A short distance away from Jack and his family and friends, there was the slightest hint of movement by a tree. Tied to it was a bloody and bruised woman who couldn't even summon the strength to moan. There was not one inch of her that did not hurt and not for the first time since the attack on the village, she wished she had died.

The scratches on his face clean, Jack picked up the bowl of pink water and walked over to the woman. He bent over to look at her. He grinned, even though grinning made the scratches hurt.

"Thirsty?" He flung the water over her. "We weren't like that cripple you married, were we?" Jack asked, pushing her foot with his boot. "Tell me, what was it like?"
This message was last edited by the player at 04:25, Tue 18 Aug 2015.

Brie shook her head. "I'm not thirsty." Truthfully she was parched, but she wanted nothing from these men. "No, it was nothing like being loved by the man who has my heart. None of you could ever hope to measure up to him." Wincing, she dragged her foot away from him, although she knew he had the advantage.

Jack placed his boot heel on Brighid's knee and slowly put his weight on it.

"Tell the truth, do you wish your husband left me and my wife alone, or are you glad my family came?"

Brie glared up at him, hatred burning brightly in her eyes. The pain was unbearable but she bit her tongue, not wanting to give him the satisfaction. "I wish Shawn had put you to death when he caught you. You don't deserve to live," she hissed. "He should have sent word to the King to have your family hunted down as well."

That wasn't the answer Jack wanted. He slapped Brighid across the face. "You need to learn better manners than that."

Little did Jack know what Brighid had gone through at the hands of Jeremy over the years. She didn't flinch or turn her head away. She spit in his face. "Only a pathetic excuse of a human behaves the way you do."

Jack swore. He stepped back and kicked Brighid in the stomach.

The air left Brighid in a rush and a groan escaped her. She hated giving him the satisfaction of knowing he had inflicted any pain but it had taken her by surprise.

Pleased to be getting the reaction he wanted. Jack kicked Brighid in the stomach again, harder this time.

Brighid emptied her stomach on his foot.

Jack shook the vomit off his boot. He was furious. He grabbed a whip he had been using earlier trying to tame a black horse that threw him. "Beg for forgiveness."

Brie silently glared at him. She would treat him no differently than she ever had Jeremy.

Pinja had been so much easier to break, too bad she turned out to be untrue. Jack lashed Brighid with the whip.

Brie's respect for her daughter grew immensely at the strike of the whip. She bit her lower lip until it bled. She intended to hold out as long as she could before showing any pain.

Jack was merciless. "Say you're sorry and I'll stop."

"I will not lie and say I'm sorry. I will never be sorry for anything I say or do to you," Brie hissed.

Jack swung the whip at Brighid's face.