"I..." Her voice caught, then she smoothed it out again as best she could. "After the fight, with the sword, he... he did something to try and keep you alive, but it wasn't - " She breaks off to try and sort it out in her mind. "He saw me do something, after that, to keep you alive, and I think it confused him, whether he wanted me to or didn't want me to."

She cups her mug in her hands, but doesn't drink the tea.

"He wasn't sure what to do with me at first. But once he started... as long as he kept hurting me, he went lighter on the others. So I... I delayed the damage. Kept it from looking as bad as it was, so he'd stay on me longer and leave some of the others alone."