Time passed. There were feelings and there was none. But when Avis swam back to full conciousness she was back in the red usual room. Her room. On her own bed with cushions and comfort surrounding. And as far as she could tell no bonds, at all.

That at least was all good.

Though the same could not be said for her splitting headache.

Raising a hand she cupped her temples, letting out a slow moan. Headaches were something she had always hated, always detested. They were horrid things that deserved to suffer and die.

She groaned, closing her eyes and digging her head back into the cushions. Bringing up her knees to her chest she prepared to be a very birdy foetal ball for the rest of the foreseeable -

Then it struck her. The pain. The agony. The nasuea ... It had gone.

Well mostly gone. What she had felt earlier, in the other room, in her moments of fitful sleep, that had gone. To be replaced by tenderness and begrudging ache. It still felt horrible, but she did not need to scream out anymore, yell and shriek. It was gone.

Her hand fell from her head. Then headache still thrummed like a drum but in no way was it even comparable to what she had felt before. Sucking in her breath Avis dared to open her eyes once more.

Yes. The right room, her room. The right bed, her bed. And the cushions - there was more than plenty to go around, thank the gods. And on one of them nearby was an open piece of paper, crinkled slightly in one corner.

"Stare. I have healed you as best as I can at my brother's request. He says you are to rest until you are fully recovered. Ventrua."

Well at least that explained the pain. And it was a blessing. Avis wondered if Vitruvion was one of the more brutal of the brothers simply because he had Ventrua to clean up after himself. Or maybe the others were as brutal. They just had more females to get through on a rotation.

She sighed and slumped back onto the bed. Holding her head she decided that it was good time to let her current peace be used to its fullest extent, and thus she lay there, turning her head to have eyesight on the door. Keeping a look out, when she was awake.

Food and water came soon, brought by the usual young man. He smiled very briefly at her before leaving the meal on her table. She grumbled that she wanted it on the bed but he wasn't so placating. Instead she had to lie there until she had the energy and will to get up, then wolf down the food.

Later on she tried the door. And found it to be locked rather firmly. A glance around it, through the narrow window told her that the giant was now her familiar, and sat in a chair right outside, humming to himself.

Downing water and eating managed to quell her headache. After making enough noise the steward who came to get the empty plates took hint. He brought her a selection of pain killing herbs and plenty of water. As the day went on her headache waxed and waned but by the next day it had gone.

Her tense muscles remained, however, and it took several days for anyone but the steward to come and talk to her. Eventually the giant of the man himself made eye contact with her as the door was eased open and he smiled. And spoke to her for the first time in a deep, rustic voice. His name apparently was 'Brer.' He wasn't actually entirely a giant. In fact he was half-giant on his father's side and hailed from somewhere near Kachuk. His conversations with her were brief, but comforting and it turned out he was rather a friendly man. He had been assigned to her as her full-time escort and favoured the mattock and the hammer. He had come to Beinost seeking work as a mercenary, and had been found by Raevin. His few morals and his strength made him an excellent bodyguard. He also liked romance novels.