Under The Full Moon

Understanding

It didn't take long for Broin to move away from where he was standing, the man making his way over to Wysteria. "Where is she going?" He asked as he walked, his tone hard. Wysteria turned to face him, watching him as he approached her. His shoulders were squared, and she could see a less than thrilled expression forming on his face.

"I sent her away... Broin... you have to understand it was for the best..." 

"What do you mean "For the best"? She has something going on that she needs help with, and the best thing you can think to do is send her away? What if something happens to her?!" Broin's voice began to raise, Wysteria taking half a step back away from him, a defensive expression crossing her face. 

"Broin..." She started, though he didn't give her time to finish. Before she could finish, Broin turned sharply, going over to where he had tied his horse. "Broin wait! You can't go after her! Just let me explain!" Wysteria shouted, her voice sounding a little panicked. Some of the soldiers took note of this, one of them moving to try to stop Broin from leaving. "Broin! This has to do with the Crone! You can't go after her, she needs to get as far away from here as possible, please, listen to what I'm trying to tell you!" The young woman pleaded, watching as Broin shoved one of the soldiers away from him. Harland, having been standing nearby, moved to grab Broin by the arm. The young man turned, narrowing his eyes at Harland.

"You'd better listen to Wysteria... she knows more about what's going on than any of us here. I know you want to help Gale... but going after her when she needs to get as far away from here as possible is not helping..." Harland spoke, his voice holding a tone of warning to it. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but having heard that it was something to do with the old Crone that they had fought against was enough for him to understand that Gale's departure was something that was of great importance. He knew that if it was something Wysteria saw as needing to happen, he would trust it. As far as he knew, she was the only one that could truly tell them what was going on with Gale. Not because he had seen what she could do, but because of the link she shared with what Gale had become. Broin didn't move, his expression remaining the same for a moment before he tried to pull his arm away from Harland. The older man tightened his grip a little, showing that he wasn't messing around. 

"Broin, please..." Wysteria pleaded softly from beside Harland, his gaze shifting from Gale's father to the young sorceress for a moment before he sighed. Harland let go of his arm, but only when he was sure that he wasn't going to try again. "She needs to get away from here and if you try to follow her, I can't guarantee your safety if something goes wrong..." Broin didn't answer, but he did move to take the bridle off his horse. "I'm not saying that anything will go wrong, but if she gets irritated enough, Gale needs to have the space and the peace of mind that she isn't going to hurt anyone if she does go into a rage... I was hoping that you of all people would understand when I told you," Broin snorted, moving to grab the buckle of the saddle beneath the horse's barrel. "What is your problem? Why does it bother you so much that I sent Gale away? We understand that you care about her..." Wysteria stopped when Broin wheeled around to face her. 

"It bothers me because she comes to everyone but me for help! While I sit here and watch you all help her, I feel like I'm not enough to do what needs to be done for her!" Broin shouted, Wysteria flinching back with a frown. "So trust me, I understand... but how do you think it feels? Think about how you felt when Dillan was unconscious and there was nothing we could do to help him..." 

Dillan scowled a little. "Do you understand that me being knocked out and Gale being chased around by something she can't fight are two completely different issues? I woke up, but Gale? Gale can't get away from the Crone... and she is supposed to be dead and gone!" Broin's gaze shifted from Wysteria to Dillan. He eyed him for a moment before he turned away, finishing his adjustments on the saddle before he hooked a finger under the horse's halter and started off away from them, flicking the bridle over his shoulder. It was clear he was finished with the discussion, but they could only hope that he listened to them. 

Wysteria sighed, looking to the ground at her feet. She felt horrible for the way Broin felt, though she wished he would see it from their side as well. She understood that he cared for her deeply, but her safety was important. If Gale went into a rage, she needed to be somewhere safe when she did, otherwise, there would be injuries not just on her side, but on the side of the villagers and soldiers as well. This was something that Wysteria wanted to avoid. Looking off toward where she had last seen Gale heading off in, she hoped that she found somewhere safe to tuck herself away for the evening until she could go a little further. She looked up as Dillan set a hand on her shoulder, his gaze on Harland, who had also looked toward the mountains ahead. "I feel so... helpless," Wysteria spoke softly. Dillan shook his head. 

"You're doing what needs to be done. Broin needs to get that into his head as well. Who knows, maybe he will once he has the time to process it," Dillan reassured her before she gave a slight nod. 

"I suppose. It doesn't help much that I just sent her away without letting him talk to her first. What I saw though... Dillan, I was hoping we were finished with her," Wysteria's voice had begun to tremble a little. "I... I just want Gale to go home where she belongs..." Dillan looked at Wysteria, frowning some as he watched her bring her hands up to her face as a small sob hitched in her breath. 

"Hey," Dillan whispered, turning Wysteria to face him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, settling a free hand to the back of her head. "It's going to be alright. Maybe once we get her out of here it'll settle. It might be something to do with this area, maybe the Crone was attached to it somehow and her spirit is still around somewhere," Dillan offered his thoughts. Wysteria, her head rested against Dillan's chest, sighed and sniffled a little.

"I don't think so... I'd be able to sense it if she was. I'm not sure what it is..." She whispered, lifting her head to look up to Dillan. He watched her for a moment or two before he gently lifted a hand to wipe away her tears. Wysteria closed her eyes, leaning her cheek into Dillan's touch before he rested his chin against her forehead, allowing his eyes to turn toward the mountains. Wherever Gale was, he hoped that she was safe.