The longer the man stood in the room over her the smaller the room appeared to become. Over and over she closed her eyes praying for strength to endure what she knew was inevitable. When she had first been married to Lord Neville, Skylark had spent hours of her day praying for a miracle, praying for some escape route to appear. It was after a particularly horrific beating that she stopped praying for a miracle. Lord Neville had taken her to a small cottage in the woods and hired an elderly beggar woman to tend her after he had whipped her back so raw she feared the skin would never grow back. Skylark had known after that experience that God had decided she was to suffer and her pleas for rescue were falling on deaf ears. Now, now she simply prayed for strength.<br/><br/>She was lost in her own thoughts when his voice drifted to her once more. She instinctively sat straight and held her chin high, her only defence in the world was her facade of indifference.<br/><br/><em>"What do you suppose is the real meaning to the actions taken against you since your husband's death?","I fear that you do not truly understand the circumstances."</em><br/><br/>Her brown furrowed as she considered his question. These men had all been honorable once, men with good souls she knew for a fact. It was quickly becoming apparent to her that each of them believed she deserved this punishment and perhaps they were correct, partially.<br/><br/>With a firm voice filled with conviction Lady Sky looked at him with no fear in her eyes, "Lord Julien I know that there are two separate stories unfolding here right now. The most important is that the new ruler of Neville Lands is using 5 honorable men and their grudges to ensure his own will and purpose. Five men are being used to ensure that I cannot lay claim to the throne with the aide of any religious authority. Another wicked, devious, and powerful man is using others to make sure his life is comfortable and safe."<br/><br/>Sky paused for a moment to collect her thoughts and courage...<br/><br/>"Secondly, I have made wrong choices in my life, choices that I must pay for. Five honorable men who feel they were wronged by me and very likely were are now seeking to avenge themselves upon me. I am not afraid of anything you will do, I ceased allowing fear to control me many years ago." she finished speaking and simply sat patiently waiting for the man's opinion of her haughty reply. She knew very well that her attitude was going to get her in worse trouble but after years of developing the protective mask how was she simply to let it fall and be who she was deep inside her soul? Truly Sky was not even sure she had a soul anymore...scars that covered her entire body spoke of her loss of humanity years before.