The twist of fists on the cloth of his shirt served Ewan?s purpose in bringing the two men within inches of each other. Ewan?s taller build could have been intimidating, but Hudson was solid with the muscle needed for his chosen profession ? and this was not the first time someone had tried to loom over him. Black eyes went hard as he listened to Ewan?s flat delivery, and he reached up to insert his forearms between Ewan?s grasping hands. Aiming to spread his arms and shrug off the grip, his own hands were knotted into fists with the action. ?Ye be sailing dangerous waters, lad. Dinnae seek tae threaten me; I willnae take kindly tae it. I didnae ask ye for Kayle?s release, just information.?

The grip broken, Ewan's arms swung out in arcs the momentum would have brought them back in cross against the stomach, but he halted. There were eyes on them now. He hoped no eyes from the manor house.

Ewan sharpened his attention on Hudson, ever watching the man's moves, his posture. He was certainly ready to defend, the way those fists held clenched and prepared. Striking out a hand, full meaning to grip one of Hudson's wrists and twist it back. If he could get Hudson's arm up behind the man's back, Ewan could make his point clear without further conflict. "Information I gave you, or are you really that dense? He is here. He is not there. He is obviously still alive, or is it you feel it necessary to see him? That my word is not enough?"

Teeth gritting for a moment, Hudson grated out his answer. ?Aye, I?d feel it necessary tae see him, when th? last words ye spoke about his questioning leave me tae wonder about his condition. There be living and living, Corinsson, and I think ye ha?e a habit o? thinking that one be th? same as th? other.? Ewan?s grasp for his wrist was familiar ? it was a favored move of Alasdair?s, his older brother. As Ewan?s hand was just starting to close, Hudson twisted his wrist sharply and pulled it back to the level of his chest. Most opponents would close their hands convulsively at the jerk and end up pulled along and thrown off balance. Otherwise, the grip would be broken; either result would serve his purpose.

Ewan felt the twist and move, adapting his intention, the hand withdrew, but he bent down slightly at the knees, using his own momentum, meant previously to draw Hudson's wrist back, into an elbow aimed at the man's ribcage. If Hudson should turn to avoid the blow, Ewan's angle would carry him past the man in a twist of step that would still keep him facing his opponent. If the elbow struck, well, there would be some pain in the man's side with which to contend. "Do not try to tread in the deep waters with me. You know nothing of who I am."

Fast enough to recognize the intended elbow blow but not quite fast enough to avoid it entirely, Hudson turned and gathered what would be a nasty bruise along his ribcage, although he did not have his breath knocked out as could have happened. A flicker of black eyes sought the manor house, the guards and workers passing through the courtyard that were starting to become curious about the confrontation. ?I dinnae need tae ken th? depths o? ye tae see yer determination, Corinsson, but I?d see my man.? Implacable, the resolve was not disrupted by the shift of his weight to a lighter balance, nor the scarred hands still held firmly in fists. ?Dae ye want tae ha?e this discussion here, then??

"See your man, is it? Fine then. Let us see your man." Ewan did not stride, he prowled past Hudson towards the barracks once more. The door was opened in one smooth, controlled motion. There was no anger in or disruption of his motion. Every footstep knew its place, the hands open at his sides, but the cage was rattling inside him and it revealed its influence in the chill of his expression as he lead through the hallways around to the doorway in the back and opened it to a steaming room.

Recognizing the cat-like grace of the predator, Hudson followed with ill-concealed bad temper. He rather doubted that Ewan was leading him to see Kayle, but perhaps he was misjudging the man. The steaming room was not at all what Hudson expected, but he was not terribly surprised either. He entered and waited just a moment for the billowing steam to clear enough that he could see his surroundings. And then, turning, he faced Ewan. ?If ye tell me I dinnae ken ye, I?ll tell ye th? same, Corinsson. What dae ye seek tae achieve by this??

"Here," Ewan walked in afterwards, "I will not have to watch what I say, or what I do. You should take a page from Her Excellency's book. Stay out of my way and let me do my job. Only you will not, so it seems I have to do some convincing for you to leave me alone." The words may have been leave him alone, and part the truth, but the truth went further, extended into others. If Hudson's nature was to delve into every dark corner of Yransea workings, he put Sylvia and her children at risk without even the knowing. It was past time to set the man aside and back to his place.

?Ye act as if th? world circled around ye and yer actions. I?ll tell ye true, I be more than happy tae leave ye tae yer work in whatever manner ye choose. As soon as ye show me th? state o? Kayle. Yer work be touching on mine now, Corinsson, and I willnae neglect my responsibility. Nae when I?ve failed in that regard th? once already.? Another working of his jaw as his eyes narrowed again, showing the fan of wrinkles at the corners set in by squinting against the weather. The footing was faintly slick with the condensation of steam, and the damp heat had the fabric of his clothing clinging unpleasantly. Not the best of environments, and ill-lit besides, especially compared to the bright light outside.

The grab at his belt was not at all what Hudson had expected, and he didn?t block the motion in time. The sudden pull as Ewan fell into the pool brought Hudson down as well, with a sharp cracking sound as his knee hit the edge on the way down. A stab of blinding pain lanced seemingly from his knee directly through his groin to his spine, and the splash as the two men went under was just barely enough to keep him focused. But water was no stranger to the fisherman; he could swim like an otter. It was enough to keep him from drowning. As they surfaced, Hudson aimed a blow at Ewan?s face, hoping to gain himself the time to get out of the pool and back onto solid footing.

A blink at the wrong time was just what Ewan could not do, and just what he did. The blow crashed just along the cheekbone below his right eye, blurring the vision all the more. Instinctively, he changed his awareness to his ears, until his eyes could be more instructive to the position of his enemy. With details unavailable and only the motion leading his way. Ewan leapt with the entirety of his body mass onto Hudson with every intention of taking him under the water, and keeping him there as long as he could. If nothing else, a good clout along the back of the Scotsman's skull would serve him just as well.

The slowing effect of the water was more than likely the only thing that saved Hudson from the full impact of the full-body tackle. He had started to climb out of the pool, only to be caught around the waist and driven to the side. If he had been turned fully face-on to Ewan, he would have been completely submerged and with his arms pinned. As it was, turned partially sideways, the blow left his left arm free and he went to one knee under the water, but was still able to breathe. He could feel his knee ? the injured knee, and Chriosd but that hurt ? slipping off the sitting ledge. Grabbing the side of the pool with his free hand, he switched that to aiming a cross-body blow at the side of Ewan?s head. If Ewan managed to push him off the ledge before he could get back to his feet, the water he loved would be his doom.

Ewan saw the man let go of the ledge, and the only reason to do that was to make an attempt to strike again. Ducking his head down, he brought it back up quick intending to crack skull against jaw as he leveraged his hip around to angle the man away from the ledge and draw him into the depths of the water. No words, oaths, or curses left his mouth, bundled up inside to feed the strength of his rage which powered his arms and legs. Pain in his back became a banner to his need to get this man into line, and into line meant a good soaking deep in the water.

But it was like trying to tangle with a wild boar slicked up with grease, and Ewan was struggling to keep his dark side out of power. He did not want the man dead, he just wanted to him to learn to stay out of his way. It hindered his decisions and his maneuvers. He had to avoid killing the man, but the longer this went on the closer it came to cracking against that reserve and he would do anything to end it, anything to allow him to continue to serve his liege in the best way he saw fit.

Missing the blow lost him his leverage to no good effect, and the impact of Ewan?s skull against Hudson?s jaw snapped his teeth together with a crack. If he had been just a little unlucky, he could have bitten off part of his own tongue. As it was, the blow was enough, combined with the loss of grip, to push him backwards off the sitting ledge. Again the injured knee made harsh contact, this time with the base of the pool. Hudson had just time to suck in a deep breath before he went under again.

Trying to struggle to the surface with Ewan?s grip holding him down would be futile. Hudson made a grab for Ewan?s elbows, above the edge of the man?s bracers, and tried to dig his thumbs into the nerve clusters there. He had to release the grip of the Master at Arms before his held breath could run out. At the same time he grabbed for Ewan?s elbows, Hudson used his half-kneeling posture to lunge forward, ducking his head to try and knock Ewan back.

The pinch to the nerve clusters was a familiar move of his own, and he slid his arms back just enough at just the wrong time so that the lunge sent him back further in the pool. Ewan broke away and he screamed out the fury that built inside. If he did not, if he had kept it inside, he knew what would happen. There would have been nothing to keep him from killing Hudson. Here, in the back of an empty barracks, the confines of a stone room, there would be none to find them. No warning to the splashing for someone to come stop the murder. Murder is what it would have been and Ewan walked its edge.

Free of the man, he walked backwards to the other end of the pool, and growled, "Swords and arrows, you damned fool! Are you wanting me to kill you? You trap me between duties to Sylvia," her name, not her title, "on both sides. Get free of here!" Ewan was pacing in the water, and so strange the way he moved as if it were nothing more than air to him. His stride was not slowed, it was as if he were but a blade to slice through it.