*Castor*

I wake up to a scream. High-pitched. Terrified. The shrill cry of someone being attacked, someone in mortal danger. I scramble from the bed, snatch up my trousers and pull them on, fastening the buttons and ignoring the pain in my side as I race out of my chamber before the echo of the sound fades. I tear down the hallway and up the stairs.

Only one other person is in this residence with me. The woman who does the cooking and cleaning lives in the village with her husband and returns to him every night. I learned that it is that bloke's clothing that has been lent to...