[Lyra Greenleaf]

If I post here, you can put it after one of your posts at whichever point you want- is that OK?

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"They'll all be alright" Elena said quietly, half to herself. She thought it had perhaps been the hundredth time that day she had said it, or Fiona had said it. Elena hoped that if they said it enough it would be true and her Papa and Fiona's family would be well.

Really she felt a weight in her middle, a sort of knot of fear which tried to tell her that they wouldn't be alright. From snatches of conversation she had overheard from men who came in to talk she knew that men from the village were fighting the bandits- Fiona had looked proud at that, her Papa fighting, but Elena was scared- and a lot of the village was destroyed and people were probably killed. When they saw that little girls the men didn't talk about such things, but Elena thought it might be true anyway. They WILL be well, she told herself silently. It did help.

The people from the Swan House were also at the caves with them, although not the nice lady. Annunfuin had visited them and talked to Fiona for hours. Elena liked him, but he was a bit scary and fierce. he seemed very glad to see that they were alright, and told them that the people in the house had been worried when they left. Elena was quite proud that she didn't start crying from guilt.

One of the maids liked to brush and wash Elena's hair, and Elena liked her to do it but she didn't want Fiona to think that she had gone completely back to the old Elena so she was trying really hard not to start crying. It was really hard though.

"They will be alright" she said out loud again, fiercely, and Fiona took her hand.