Page 529: The Land and The People
The Land and The People
Summary: Arabella and Einar have an early morning discussion of the night before.
Date: 03/Jan/2013
Related Logs: Morning after The Not So Great Escape
Players:
Arabella Einar 
Flint Camp, Highfield
Large clearing with lots of tents. A big pvaillion and multiple smaller ones, also a cook fire and the foundations of a small manor.
Thu 03 Dec, 290

After staying up the evening before cooking and eating with those who had tried to escape, Bella had remained far into the night just listening. As they had spoken of the life up north, the days when their lives made sense, she had remained with them offering a smile, a gentle touch to the hand, comforting words of hope. The people had lost everything including their freedom and some their very lives and it touched her very soul to be able to do anything she could to help when her herbs had failed her.
The morning had dawned bright and clear and instead of sleeping in, Bella had roused early and prepared a breakfast from the food supplies donated by the Naylands. A hearty meal for the hearty folks. Now she is just sitting around the fire, notes spread on her lap, trying as hard as she can to keep a grim expression from her face. Upbeat.. she had to be. Not only for them but for those who had come with her to help who were all feeling tired, feeling sick. Everyone except her.

Einar too had had a long night, but that doesn't seem to have stopped his habitual early rising. As such, he's been up for a while already and has decided to make use of the time while almost everyone else is still asleep, or at least resting, to go collect more firewood. He knows how far out the guards are, roughly at least, and should be easilly recognisable as someone not in the middle of an escape attempt. Or so he hopes anyway. Returning back to the woodpile with a final armload he then makes his way towards the fire for a brief sit down and a few moments of quiet to arrange his thoughts and plans for the day ahead.

With the immediate silence broken by the arrival of the Flint noble with an armload of wood, Bella welcomes the distraction and looks up, her eyes bleak in the otherwise sunny nature of the girl. "Einar, it is good to see you." Knowing he had been up talking with his people late into the night also. "How are you feeling?" Trying so hard to keep the question casual as if they were just two who happened to pass in the street. The concern in her voice belies the attempt. Of course there was more to the question, had his condition deteriorated or was it simple fatigue.

"Tired," Einar answers as he takes a seat on one of the specially positioned logs, "don't think I actually slept much, just in case another shout went up." He's not terribly keen on letting the Highfield guards be the first thing anyone making a run for it encounters and in fact, his main plan of action for the morning is to make the rounds of those not sick, remind them they're not alone and all that. "Yourself?" he then asks, leaving off a specific greeting as he's aware that people are trying to keep things informal, even if he'd personally prefer as many semblance of normality kept as possible.

Bella feels just fine, perfect in fact. How could she say that though and give him cause to worry about his own condition. "Just a little sleepy. I went to bed late, got up early." Trying to knock it down a few notches for his sake. "Kind of like you. I noticed you were already out by the time I woke up." Looking towards the tent where the healthy reside, she sighs softly. "She said there were more planning to run. We cannot let them, though how do we convince them to stay while not making it sound like they are in a prison? These are people who have done nothing wrong yet feel like they are being punished with a death sentence. She asked me would I not leave if I could. I answered truthfully last night when I told her no. I was thinking like me at the time. Since then, I reconsidered. If I were in her place.. I would."

Einar nods briefly as Bella reports also being tired, it's a natural state to be in after all and so he just accepts the answer at face value. As she glances to the tent so does he then he turns back to her a shrugs slightly. "You are in her position, she's just been in it a month longer. We're all in her position." It's not exactly inspiration words, but as previously mentioned, he's tired. "To be honest, I am surprised it took this long for there to be an attempt and if Ser Erik keeps up with his plan to self-quarantine and then leave then there'll only be more. If he and Lord Daryl can go, then why can't they? That is the only question I can not answer. Why is there one rule for the Ashwood pair and one for the my people?" Not that he's entirely sure where he, Arabella, Visenya and so on stand in that scheme either, although he suspects. "I'll be spending the morning doing what I can, talking to them and if needs be telling them horror tales of what would happen if this spreads to the Finger. I hope.. I really hope I don't have to do that, but I can't sure it out."

Bella looks back down into the fire, watching the little bursts as the logs burn, the warmth emanating from the blaze unable to warm the chill deep within her. Absently she rubs her hands over her arms in a vain attempt still the foreboding feeling his words cause. "No. I am not in her position at all. I have a tent of my own, I have the choice whether I go to the pavilions or not. I can wander around at will. She is resigned within her prison among the rest of her people just watching each other, waiting for sickness to break out in even one to contaminate them all." The mention of Erik and Daryl has her gaze sweeping to the tent of the Jast Knight. "They should not go, Lord Daryl should never have left. It is a strong mark against us all." While her gaze rests there still, the Fenster muses softly, "He knows no humility, no humanity." The disappointment echoes in her words though she shrugs it off. "They should be treated like people."

"No. He should not," Einar agrees, "it has undermined the entire process of keeping this thing contained. Not only do we now have an indefensible action to try and explain away, there is also those at Highfield to think about. He has family there, so do I and his recklessness has put all of them at risk." Despite the words, the young Flint can't seem to summon the energy to get angry. There's feeling certainly, but it's not as passionate as it might otherwise have been. As for Erik? He doesn't look to the tent, he knows there'll be no sign of the night until well into the morning, and even then chances are he'll be hungover. "He may be Lord Aleister's representative here, but I am Lord Anders'. He has the land but the people are mine and I have no intention of tolerating wanten aggression towards them. Have no fear on that."

Bella tears her gaze from the tent that holds the man in question and rests it instead on the Flint Lord. "The land matters not without the people on it. Last night.." The sick feeling that comes to her at the thought of the treatment of the people by the sheriff has nothing to do with the illness. "I almost wish he had never even come out of his tent and noticed those trying to leave. The only thing that stops those thoughts are if they had not been stopped by you both, then the guards would have used deadly force." For a moment, she just allows the silence to surround them before filling it again. "If you would allow, I would go with you to speak with them. Unless you think an outsider among them would only worsen things."

Einar shakes his head slightly at that. "If he hadn't spotted them, and if they'd somehow made it past the others, then chances are they'd have covered a lot of ground before symptoms started to show, might even have reached the southern borders of our land. If they hadn't been spotted then this thing might already have been spreading." Might still be of course, at Highfield, but that grounds already been covered. As for her company late, that he gives a few moments concentrated thought to. "I think," he starts, slowly, "that it is one of those things I should do, and be seen to do. They are my people and my responsibility. It's not a question of outsiders, please trust me when I say that. It is simply something that I must do."

Bella smiles just a little before looking back at the fire. Displaced since the Charltons had changed loyalty and she had been forced to leave Hollyholt, her home for most of her life, the Fenster had not found a niche for herself neither at Broadmoor or.. well there was truly nowhere she belonged except back home in Tavin's Rest, with her parents. If she is envious of Einar and his bond with his people, she would never deliberately show it. "I understand.." And for the most part she does. Would she not want to do the same were it her people? Whether his reassurances of her not being an outsider were acknowledged or not, she does manage to nod to him just then. "Your people and your responsibility." She repeats. "I think I will just go and help Mistress Ragny out for now."