Author note - Disclaimer:

I do not own any of the characters the appear in this piece, they all (but Doctor Finnico) belong to Angie Sage.

Dear Madame Marcia Overstrand…

This letter is sent to inform you of…

Who is currently lying unconscious…

Who participated in a fight at a local bar…

The crew members invite you to come visit him…

Might face trial…

Mr. Milo Banda.

The words of the letter Marcia had received less than an hour ago kept replaying in her mind. Milo… He was lying unconscious in some random hospital somewhere in the Middle East, in an unknown region. He got drunk, she assumed, and started threatening strangers at the bar. One of them was too strong for him, probably.

It fitted Milo, to say the truth. To get into this kind of trouble. Fights in bars, threatening the wrong person… But standing trial? No. That was not Milo's style. He was never that kind of bad guy. If he was going to stand trial… Marcia couldn't help thinking about their relationship, and how it might suffer from such a thing.

She banished those thoughts away. For now, she thought, she had other things to deal with. She had to go visit Milo, she knew. She had to make sure the castle was safe while she was away. She didn't need more deaths on her conscience.

"Marcia?" A voice made her jump. "What happened?" Alther floated in, and was now in front of her, worriedly studying her. "What did Milo do?"

"How do you know it has something to do with Milo?" Marcia asked, trying to change the subject. She wasn't really in the mood to tell Alther, who had always disliked Milo, about all his latest wrong-doings.

"You have that sort of look on your face, that just tells me Milo is in trouble. Sort of loving-and-annoyed look. Anyway, what's the problem?"

Marcia sighed and reopened the letter in her hands.

"Dear Madame Marcia Overstrand,

This letter is sent to inform you of the state of Mr. Milo Banda, who is currently lying unconscious in the Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel. Mr. Banda, who participated a fight at a local bar, may stand trial for his actions in the fight. The local police are checking the evidence right now. The crew members of the Cerys told us to inform you and tell you you should come visit Mr. Banda, as he would appreciate your visit very much if he was responding. Therefore, we'd be glad to see you come pay him a visit, whenever you can.

Yours

Dr. Finnico, Ichilov hospital, Tel Aviv, Israel."

Alther heard her till the end, not saying a word. When she finished, they sat quietly for a minute or two, Alther thinking what to say and Marcia wiping a few tears away. Saying it out loud, telling everything to someone else, as close as he may be, made it real. And thinking of it as real made it harder. It made all her emotions attack her at the same time. Her worry, her fear, her anger, her love, everything.

"What are you going to do?" Alther asked simply, not knowing what else he could say.

"Go to pay a visit, I guess."

"Well, obviously. About the trial, I mean."

"Hope he won't stand. Though at his current state it doesn't really matter, they can't do a trial to an unconscious man."

"You'd be surprised." Alther said, then added quickly, "I'm kidding."

Marcia sighed deeply. "I should go to visit him." She stood up slowly, forcing herself up.

"How are you going to get there?" Alther asked. "You can't Transport there, you don't know what the place looks like."

Milo can't take me this time, she thought bitterly.

"I guess I can ask Septimus to let me fly on Spit Fyre."

"Smart." Alther said shortly but happily, trying to cheer her up. Marcia left the room without responding, leaving him to wonder if she'd bother to listen to him the next time he'd tell her all her boyfriend does is cause more trouble.