Alyxander listened to the whole scene in shocked silence. He wasn't truly afraid, but more worried about the safety of the castle. 'I knew he was up to no good. If Lady Malora just wanted me dead, she would have killed me herself. But me being a gift to Kate instead.... it was the perfect change for Lord Draco to gather his troops and prepare an attack. The mountains aren't far from the wharf where I had been abandoned.' He hoped the family had faith in him, worried that the fact that he was a servant of the enemy not so long ago would make them fear him... or worse, think him a traitor instead. So he held his tongue, refusing to speak until spoken to.<br/><br/>However, in his mind, Alyx was trying to see if he could tell where his former master would strike next. Was this a trap? A warning that something even worse was coming? If so, they had walked right into it and were already helpless. But he wasn't going to let everyone here be put into danger. He knew of Lord Draco's strategies, his battle tactics... but now to figure out which one was being used.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"No one leaves the manor grounds...I am sorry Kate. Alyx, I know you can fight, can you ride a horse?"</span><br/><br/>Alyxander's gaze turned to Lord Lyons as the man spoke, and he nodded. "I battle better on foot, but I have been trained on horse as well." He answered. "However, if only a small army was found before, wouldn't that mean the enemy would assume we'd think they would attack from the same direction? Defending alone would do no good if we don't know where they may attack from. A small army is usually a decoy, as there is more often than not a bigger one behind it." He knew that this was often used in almost all of Draco's plans; sneak attack while the enemy has their back turned, thinking the threat is coming from the wrong direction.