She felt the warmth of the rock slowly ebb away. The stone was cold. She looked out into the woods. She knew he was not her master, but it was what she was use to from all men in a higher status above her. A tear fell silently from her eye. She knew he was asleep, and he would not approach her anyway, she she could cry all she wanted. Another tear fell, followed by yet another. When would she learn not to keep messing up?

He raised his head slightly as he heard a sob and he saw her crying.
The dream had set him in a strange mood, and he felt bad about what had happened earlier.
He did not regret what he had said, but rather how he had said it. She was putting her faith in him to keep her safe, he could not have her fear him.
''Eonwe?'' he said quietly as he moved towards her, unsure of what to say or do.
He knelt in front of her and kissed her foot, as she had done to him on the day they had first properly met.
''I am sorry''

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She gasped and jerked her foot back, averting her gaze. Sorry? He had nothing to be sorry for. She was the one that had messed up. "don't...not to me...I am just...a slave. My fault, I messed up." was all she could manage, stuttering through her words, trembling. She still couldn't speak right, and was messing up again.

''You are no longer a slave. You should not act like one'' His head was still bowed as he also avoided her gaze. He was still upset about earlier but not to the degree he had been before. He should have handled it better. The way she was towards him, it was all new to him, he was still confused as to how to act around her.
''You are no lower than I am, if not better'' Turning he began to move back to where he had sat before.

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She was confused. Why had he apologized to her. She sat still and quiet as he left. What had caused him to come over anyway? She then realized. "I wasn't crying because of you." she thought maybe he had just noticed her crying and wanted her to stop. "I should be sorry, not you." she cringed after she spoke, burying her head in her knees. She had just messed up yet again. She groaned and scolde d herself. Someone such as her should not speak their mind, as she had just done three times.

He held up his hand to stop her talking.
''Put it from your mind. Let us agree to both be sorry and be done with it.''
''Why were you crying?'' he asked, curious. His dream imposed mood had still not left him.

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She swallowed. "Because I just keep messing up." her voice was muffled by her knees. It was the truth. "I keep speaking my mind, I keep falling an tripping, I can't even talk right...." she paused, she could go on with a longer list. it was no wonder her master lost patience with her so quickly.

''Dance'' he said, surprising even himself.
He wasn't sure what made him say it but he recalled her saying she loved to dance.
Perhaps that was what she needed to do to feel better.

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She shook her head. "No." even that was embarrassing. She leaned her head against the rock. "You should get more sleep." he hadn't slept much, she knew.

As she suggested sleep, the vision of the dream came back to him. He didn't want to sleep, he shook his head.
''I do not need it''
Pulling out some water, he drank.

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"oh." she said quietly. Her legs were cramping up, so she stood carefully and leaned against the rock, hoping to get the circulation going again. She felt a familiar twinge in her back and groaned as she knew that her wounds, that had not been cleaned since they left, and had not had the bandages changed, was infected. It didn't mean much, just more pain. She didn't let it show on her face, and she refused to say anything. It would only cause him more trouble than she had already been.

As she stood up and groaned, though her face did not betray her, Crixus was not fooled. He had been in enough fights to know the after effects of an injury.
''Your wounds.'' he realized they had not been touched since they had originally been seen to.
''Allow me to help''

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"They are fine, I'm sure..." she whispered. She didn't want him to know they were infected, let alone for him to see her bare back. She shivered. At the worst she would get a fever. Which for her didn't need tending. She had never once been tended to when she was sick, she just worked anyway. This was no different.

''You are no good to us sick. I would be more at ease, knowing you were well''
He stood up and reached for her slowly, taking her hand, willing her with his eyes to let him help her.

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She swallowed. More at ease? Why? She let him take her hand and gave in. But decided to say one thing "If you wish not to, it's alright. I don't mind being sick. I always worked anyway." she spoke quietly, hoping not to offend him.

''That was your past. Soon you may not have to work again''
He slowly lowered the top part of her dress making sure it still covered her waist and below.
As he looked he saw it was infected but he was confident he could help somewhat. He took of her bandages and began to clean the wounds, noticing how scarred her back was. It saddened him.
He reached in his pack and pulled out a small herb he had stolen from Abrax, crushing it into some water he held it out, nodding her to drink it.
''It will help with the pain and possibly the infection''
He began to put fresh bandages on and as he did he spoke, remembering what she said to him.
''Before you were but a slave, you didn't matter to your master whether you lived or died.''
He paused, his fingers trembling as he spoke, finding the words difficult.
''I... care for you. It is not shown much in my behavior or words yet I do''
Finishing bandaging her back, he helped her slip the top half of the dress back on and moved back, giving her her space.

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