Wolf has slept for most of the day. He is irritable, unhappy. Meanwhile, Marinette, her friend, who I now know to be named Guvadan and I discussed possibilities for the days ahead.
None of us know which plant is sought or where it may grow, save for Davick who has rather unhelpfuly stated that it is somewhere in the "scrublands." The only place aproximating scrublands that I can bring to mind is the small valley within the Ram Duath. I told them what I could of the dangers there - the orc forts and the passes that lead to Bail Rova and the Trev Duvardain who inhabit that place.
It occured to me that, for once, the dark hue of Marinette's skin may work in her favour in these lands where everyone else is so pale, for the Trev Duvardain are known to be age-old allies of the men of the far south. I mentioned this to her and, jokingly, suggested that she attach ropes to the men and claim them to be her slaves in an effort to pass by unmolested should they have a need to go near the fortress. At first, it was taken as a joke, but soon enough they began to seriously consider it.
Before I knew it, we were discussing how best to hide the cuts on ropes so that the "prisoners" would be able to break them should there be any trouble, and yet appear to be properly bound to any onlookers. Guvadan even went in search of rags and smeared mud all over himself in an effort to look the part!
Guvadan is not particularly pleased with the plan, but he will go along with it all the same. Marinette, on the other hand, is very much enamoured with it and even excited by the idea of needing to decieve so many on such high stakes. They went to make further preparations, seeking blades and whatnot to serve them well, leaving me to see about adding pockets to the insides of their clothing for concealing small knives.
I went to Davick around that time only to find him livid. He instantly jumped to the conclusion that they were off making good use of the sleeping furs together. His anger and hurt, the vehement possessiveness he displayed, made it clear to me that he had made his choice between she and I. When I said as much, he did not disagree.
It is saddening, I must admit, and it does hurt me, but to say that I have not expected this outcome all along would be a lie. The one redeeming part of this whole sorry affair is that he has finally agreed that I should be allowed to find someone for myself without his interference. Perhaps now I will be able to find someone to love me, someone that I can love, someone I can be happy with.
That, however, is a concern for another day. Overlooked and unappreciated or not, I have to ensure that my guardian gets what he came for, and that he does not kill Guvadan along the way.
