(Collaboration between ConstableWalrus and KuroTenshi)

[i]Healing house, Trellenborg[/i]

It was when Harald left that the adrenaline started to fade from his system, even with the threat of Draugr in the fort. For one brief moment he had thought the troll was going to be the reason for his death, but it appeared he was wrong.

Never before had he been so happy to have misread a vision.

But as the threat and adrenaline faded he became aware of every ache and pain in his battered, cold and tired body. He resisted the urge to wrap his arms around himself for warmth now that he didn’t have his cloak and ignoring the pounding headache behind his heavy, scratchy eyes nodded to Ragnar’s order.

Though he had no supplies to do more than look over the injuries and take note of them. He couldn’t even bind them with bandage.

Vigi turned his gaze toward the burning healing house and felt pure rage crash through him like a wave against a cliff. All of their medicinal supplies, all that they had for the winter. Gone. Because of the foolishness of a madman, they were doomed to a winter of illness. He knew that the Great Hall must have some healing supplies, but it hadn’t been as well stocked as the burning building before him.

Harald would pay. He would not allow that man to continue his reign of terror on their lives. 

Turning away from the fire he forced himself to move and see to those that escaped the healing house. It was not good for the sick and wounded to be forced out into the cold after such an ordeal.

The first woman he approach looked at him with wide eyes and recoiled from him, making him pause in surprise. “I am fine.” She said before covering her mouth when she began to cough vigorously.

“You do not sound fine.” Vigi responded, frowning down at her. He could see she was flushed with a fever but it didn’t seem like anything too serious. “Get away from the smoke and find somewhere warm to take shelter and rest.”

She nodded slowly and Vigi moved on to the next person, but the man outright told him to stay away.

Vigi gritted his teeth and hoped that he was being turned away because of the draugr blood staining him and not for what Harald had said.

He jerked when Hallerna spoke to him, momentarily lost in his frustrated thoughts. “Unless you’ve a hidden stock of medicinal supplies there is precious little that can be done.” Vigi snapped at the woman, gritting his teeth when his gaze once again landed on the burning healing house. He clenched his hands into fists and let out a heavy breath through his nose to try to calm down. “I’m sorry Hallerna.” He muttered, pressing a black stained hand to his forehead and rubbing it to try and soothe his bounding head. “Just...speak with the survivors of this,” he waved to the fire. “Latest bout of madness. See what ails them at the least because they will not speak with me. I’ll go see if I can help elsewhere.” He turned to face the burning building and wrapped an arm around his torso to try to ease the pain in his ribs as he walked.

Loker’s men were getting the fire under control so his assistance was not needed and there was no way for him to fight draugr as he was. Standing briefly in the frigid winter air he felt his anger drain and exhaustion start to take hold. There was nothing he could do but get out of other’s way and tend to his own injuries.

His eyes landed on the red haired slave sprawled in the snow and sighed before approaching Anndrais. “I know you care little for our ways,” He began and nodded his head to Robbie. “He will not survive for long in this cold with that head injury. He may be safer at your housing. I can help you take him there if you need it and if you have any medicine or herbs I would like to see them.” 

Anndrais sat in the snow still panting lightly; he felt tired, oh did he feel tired, he just wished to go and lie down somewhere and sleep. But he knew he could not, and he rose up and grunted slightly as he stood and looked about; Tora was taken care of as was the little girl, and he wiped his brow trusting The Priest to do that for him.

He looked around for Orran and mused slightly to where he was but he paid it no mind. The pict could take care of himself and he slowly walked over to where his bow lay still on the ground with the small sized quiver; and he leaned over to pick it up.

Vigi frowned when he was ignored and raised his voice to get the man’s attention, “Monk!”

Anndrais looked up sharply; the large bags under his eyes noticeable as he glanced over at Vigi “Terribly sorry… My mind is scrambled at the moment.” He sighed gripping the bow tightly and glanced at Robbie.

“I cannot do much, I am sure the Ragnarssons, would not wish the slave to be taken away from their care, maybe they’ll just rub stones on him.” He rolled his eyes “I can do little without upsetting them, and I cannot risk it. Not right now… Unless we drag him to their home, and I can do what I can.” 

He did not wish Robbie any harm, but he could not bring him to the small longhouse Orran and Anndrais shared; not only was it too dangerous for the pict there, but he was sure it would upset Ragnar, and at the moment he wished little to do with any of them. His first instinct was to help, but he could not openly help; He knew that he had to play the situation carefully.

“They view him as property if I were to take him, even into my care, they would demand him back, and I can only move him once. It would be even worse to move him a second time.”

The Christian look as tired as Vigi felt and he resisted the urge to rub his eyes because of the dry, cursed blood on his hands. “You are correct that you taking him may incur their wrath.” Vigi raised both of his eyebrows and tried for a grin. “However I am placing him under my care, after all Ragnar asked of me to look after the injured.” He waved his hand in the direction he walked from. “However they will have nothing to do with me at the moment and he would appreciate a man such as myself looking after his property.” He looked back over to the slave. “I am in no better shape than you though at the moment, so whichever is closer that is where we should take him. I’ve no clue where the Ragnarson household is though just as I don’t know where you are staying.”

Anndrais sighed heavily and rubbed his chin “I cannot take him in, in your care or no, it causes too many problems… And I do not know where the Ragnarsson’s live.” He bit back a curse, he hated having to do this but he could not risk having anyone but Orran in the home.

Even having another Christian was dangerous, the less people came and went through the small broken Longhouse the better. He paced slightly, he was tired, oh by heaven was he tired. and he glanced over at Robbie and rolled his jaw “I do not know what to do, I cannot hold him, I have no space, and it is far too dangerous to move him twice incase they change their minds.”

“Nor can we simply leave him in the snow…” Anndrais clenched his jaw, slowly grinding his teeth as he thought; and paced lightly “The only way I see is the Ragnarsson claim to own this man, then he should be treated in their home.”

“Neither of us know where that is though.” Vigi felt his earlier anger and frustration returning as he watched Anndrais pace. “Curse my softness for slaves.” Vigi muttered under his breath, running a hand over his jaw and feeling the sharp bristle of stubble against his fingers. “With the fort crawling with Draugr we can not simply stumble about looking for the correct longhouse.” He sighed and rolled his neck. “Seems the best that can be done is borrow some blankets and furs from neighboring homes and wrap him in warmth but leave him where he is until someone comes to claim him. I can watch over him until then.” He was useless for anything else.

Anndrais ran his palm over his head; shaking out some of the ash that was on his face; and he sighed walking back and forth. Rubbing his temple, and gritting his teeth, He could not be at the longhouse the entire time; there was no way he could stay and watch the man and get stuff done.

“Then what of the other wounded then? Are they all to be stored in the space I have?” He snapped a bit frustrated at the situation and being put on the spot. “I cannot look after the man all day and night… He would need a full time caregiver.” Anndrais kept up his swift pacing; frustrated, he never did like it when things were thrown into his plans. And this was not expected nor wanted, he just wished to keep low, if they needed to play he wanted to have ears and eyes turned away from the shelter, not draped over it like it was ablaze.

Anndrais sighed again, and stopped looking out at the Buildings before back to Vigi “Orran knows where the Ragnarsson’s are… We find Orran, he can take us to the longhouse, and we can treat Robbie there.” 

“Anywhere else is too much of a hazard for him, and for myself and Orran… I do not trust the Ragnarssons to be civil if they find the man they claim is property missing.” He rubbed his forehead harshly and his pacing starting up again. He did not know what to do, the careful planning was nothing if they did not have someplace private, but to many eyes, to many ears would be upon him and Orran if they did this.