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GUILT PERSISTED in Rosalia's heart while she imagined various ways of telling Squirrel why she didn't come back with Gawain, like she had originally promised. She believed it was a suicide mission with all the Red Paladins guarding him and as the Weeping Monk put it, his miserable state. Still, Rosalia felt like a coward, like maybe it would've been better to die trying to save him than to admit to the boy that saw him as his hero that she had failed.
But when she finally reached their designated meeting place near the big rock, the boy in question was nowhere to be found. Rosalia knew she had taken a lot of time, having to remain in the Weeping Monk's tent until nighttime, but she had specifically instructed Squirrel to wait for her. She screamed his name a couple of times with no response.
What was she supposed to do now? Everyone had evacuated Nemos because they were expecting an attack from the Red Paladins. Squirrel could have gone to Gramaire where Nimue and her friends were, although Rosalia seriously doubted it. She had spent the whole day looking for the boy, leaving her sister behind, who hopefully was well taken care of.
She tried to envision what was going in his mind, what he would've done when he was impatiently waiting for her here. Squirrel would've done something stupidly heroic, that's the reason Rosalia had gone after him in the first place. And now she terribly feared for his life.
But as Rosalia turned back, hoping to find him near the Red Paladins' camp, she spotted two silhouettes on a horse. She sighed when she distinguished Squirrel as one of them.
"Squirrel, I was so worried! What happened to your face?" She asked after observing one big bruise.
"A very ugly Red Paladin did this to me. But it's okay, Lancelot killed them all." He casually replied.
She furrowed her eyebrows.
"Lancelot?"
"That would have to be me."
Without his hood, she hadn't properly recognized him, but his deep voice gave him away. The Weeping Monk.
"You're hurt." She noticed.
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not. We should set camp for the night anyway. I know a cave that's not too far from here. "
They followed Rosalia to the cave. After she got off her horse, she rushed to Lancelot to help him do the same. She could visibly see he was in pain, no matter how hard he tried to conceal it.
"Hang on to me." She told him.
She led him inside the cave, where he could be at least a little more comfortable with his back against the wall.
"Squirrel, would you get some wood for the fire please?"
