Lukaer sat next to Mathieu, his sword on his lap and feeling quite old and worn out. So far in their journey, he had stuck close to Constans’ side. It was mentally exhausting, constantly comparing the man he was and the boy that he had been. That was the way of madness, but he couldn’t help himself. It was though he felt that each time he went to his brother’s side, he would find him miraculously better. Each time nothing had changed, though Lukaer didn’t really expect it to. So now he was taking a break, relaxing away from his younger brother, letting his mind recover. That didn’t stop him from constantly watching Constans, however.
His eyes also constantly drifted to the Templar, silently warning the man to stay away from his brothers. The fact that Aldric was a Warden didn’t maker a bit to the over protective Ledaal. He represented an order of men who had made the lives of his loved ones miserable. All of his anger and frustration that had until now been directed at a faceless order that he rarely had contact with, was switched to focus on one poor man. Lukaer didn’t trust him. The other members of the group had so far been cautiously welcoming to him and Mat. Several were actually quite kind, though he needed to get to know them better. He had no intention of extending the same courtesy to the Templar.
He was speaking to Mat about the Warden’s mission when they heard Bethen’s scream. Though the call was not meant for him, Lukaer immediately leapt to his feet and ran in her direction. His protective big brother instinct had decided to speak up. He reached the small clearing, sword in hand, ready to protect the young woman from whatever what befallen her. He was a gentleman like that.
But a quick glance around the clearing revealed nothing threatening. Their dogwolf sat next to Bethen and the two of them stood in front of a young, ragged but unthreatening young woman he did not recognize. It seemed as though something had frightened the mage, but it looked like whatever it had been had deserted the area. The young Warden looked absolutely panicked, so he focused his attention on her. “Easy, Warden Bethen, easy. What has you frightened? It’s gone now. It’s alright.” She seemed so young at that moment and he wanted to reach his hand out to settle her down. But frightened as she was, he did not trust that she wouldn’t turn her magic on him.
“You girl,” he said to the ragged young woman. “What are you doing out here? Who are you?” He reached out to stroke a hand over the dog’s head, thinking that he had moved to Bethen’s side to protect her. Like any good dog should.