"How long has she been thus?" Lena inquired the moment they stepped beyond the chamber.
"Two nights past," came the reply.
"And how long shall she remain so?"
Dylia pondered for a moment before speaking. "That, I cannot say. You see, Milicent was not merely wronged in body—she was stripped of her dignity, her very spirit wounded. Such a loss cannot be mended with time alone."
"Then what must be done to aid her?"
Silence fell between them.
At length, Dylia spoke again. "Has she kin? A beloved, perchance?"
"I know not," Lena admitted.
"In such a case, we must seek one who holds her dear. If she knows there is one who awaits her, one who has not abandoned her, it may give her reason to return to us. Yet, I cannot promise she shall ever be as she was."
Lena exhaled softly, nodding. "S
