songbird

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠.

❛ Race you to the bridge? ❜

❛ What do you think? ❜

❛ Can a man still be brave if he’s afraid? ❜

❛ Do you understand why I did it? ❜

❛ The question was not why the man had to die, but why I must do it. ❜

❛ We hold to the belief that the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword ❜

❛ If you would take a man’s life, you owe it to him to look into his eyes and hear his final words. ❜

❛ Easy to say, and harder to do. ❜

❛ Up here it was different. ❜

❛ Every noble house had its words. ❜

❛ And it will only grow worse. ❜

❛ I know how little you like this place. ❜

❛ Is it really mine? ❜

❛ What does he want from us? ❜

❛ The fire is in our blood. ❜

❛ I want to go home. ❜

❛ I don’t know. ❜

❛ You have not changed at all. ❜

❛ In those days, the smell of leather and blood had clung to him like perfume. ❜

❛ She deserved more than darkness. ❜

❛ This is her place. ❜

❛ I was with her when she died. ❜

❛ Promise me. ❜

❛ They had found him still holding her body, silent with grief. ❜

❛ I bring her flowers when I can. ❜

❛ In my dreams, I kill him every night. ❜

❛ A thousand deaths will still be less than he deserves. ❜

❛ Some old wounds never truly heal, and bleed again at the slightest word. ❜

❛ You are still too serious. ❜

❛ I believe I was younger than you the first time I got truly and sincerely drunk. ❜

❛ You don’t miss much, do you? ❜

❛ I forget nothing. ❜

❛ Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. ❜

❛ Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you. ❜

❛ What is it? You’re shaking. ❜

❛ I’m afraid. ❜

❛ That cut deep. ❜

❛ Just where do you think you are going? ❜

❛ You’ll shame us all! ❜

❛ It isn’t fair. ❜

❛ I did not make the rules. ❜

❛ _______ is truly a little shit. ❜

❛ You’ll be sorry! ❜

❛ Let me do it. I can beat him. ❜

❛ Nothing is fair. ❜

❛ It was almost like being invisible. ❜

❛ Don’t you see the danger this puts us in? ❜

❛ Don’t play the fool. ❜

❛ Come back here. ❜

❛ I tell you, he loves me not. ❜

❛ What are you doing? ❜

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠.

❛ Race you to the bridge? ❜

❛ What do you think? ❜

❛ Can a man still be brave if he’s afraid? ❜

❛ Do you understand why I did it? ❜

❛ The question was not why the man had to die, but why I must do it. ❜

❛ We hold to the belief that the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword ❜

❛ If you would take a man’s life, you owe it to him to look into his eyes and hear his final words. ❜

❛ Easy to say, and harder to do. ❜

❛ Up here it was different. ❜

❛ Every noble house had its words. ❜

❛ And it will only grow worse. ❜

❛ I know how little you like this place. ❜

❛ Is it really mine? ❜

❛ What does he want from us? ❜

❛ The fire is in our blood. ❜

❛ I want to go home. ❜

❛ I don’t know. ❜

❛ You have not changed at all. ❜

❛ In those days, the smell of leather and blood had clung to him like perfume. ❜

❛ She deserved more than darkness. ❜

❛ This is her place. ❜

❛ I was with her when she died. ❜

❛ Promise me. ❜

❛ They had found him still holding her body, silent with grief. ❜

❛ I bring her flowers when I can. ❜

❛ In my dreams, I kill him every night. ❜

❛ A thousand deaths will still be less than he deserves. ❜

❛ Some old wounds never truly heal, and bleed again at the slightest word. ❜

❛ You are still too serious. ❜

❛ I believe I was younger than you the first time I got truly and sincerely drunk. ❜

❛ You don’t miss much, do you? ❜

❛ I forget nothing. ❜

❛ Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. ❜

❛ Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you. ❜

❛ What is it? You’re shaking. ❜

❛ I’m afraid. ❜

❛ That cut deep. ❜

❛ Just where do you think you are going? ❜

❛ You’ll shame us all! ❜

❛ It isn’t fair. ❜

❛ I did not make the rules. ❜

❛ _______ is truly a little shit. ❜

❛ You’ll be sorry! ❜

❛ Let me do it. I can beat him. ❜

❛ Nothing is fair. ❜

❛ It was almost like being invisible. ❜

❛ Don’t you see the danger this puts us in? ❜

❛ Don’t play the fool. ❜

❛ Come back here. ❜

❛ I tell you, he loves me not. ❜

❛ What are you doing? ❜

@ariaharte | ANNETTE 

there’s a part of him that wonders why his typical facade weakens around her; he finds no real reason to prove himself… to act out. he feels something akin to familiarity being around her, despite them never having met in their youth. it was something about listening to her sing, almost like— 

  hush little one…

almost like he was unable to outgrow old habits, oh well. 

it helped that annette’s competency in her field meant that felix didn’t have to worry about her well being in battle. it would be a boldfaced lie to say that the prospect of training her would be unpleasant, an even greater one to say that it would be a waste of time. annette wasn’t spread thin in her interests and was more than capable to handle several different disciplines at the same time.

“Maybe.” 

just in case. there’s an authenticity to her request that actually manages to cause his cold front to break down with a small smile. he’s amused himself for a while having women from the kingdom sidling up to him with disguised offers of ‘training’ only to walk away dismayed when they find him more than willing to honor the request. he’s a good judge of skill, typically refusing a bout if it was apparent there was nothing to be gained on his part from the training session, time was the most valuable resource one could offer after all. 

and yet if meant spending more time with her-

“Nimble footwork is important, good for evading blows and closing the distance but let’s see if we can tighten up your stance. You need a solid foundation to actually swing your sword without falling over.” with ostensible indifference, felix would point with his head towards the general direction of the training grounds.