𝖒𝖆𝖑𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖘

               𝖉𝖊𝖕𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖇𝖑𝖔𝖌 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖉𝖔𝖔𝖒𝖍𝖖. 𝖇𝖞 𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖎𝖈.

he found her charming, undeniably so. “very pleased to meet you, runa ilyich,” and he gives her his most charming smile right back. it was so easy to pull out his old tricks, to draw on old skills. any time he stopped at an inn or tavern, he rarely had to pay for the company of someone in his bed. sometimes he did– he liked to help the economy, so to speak– but his nights at ragnar’s brothel were less frequent now. a certain face flashes in his mind, then he turns his attention back to the woman in front of him.

 “i do a bit of this and that, nothing too interesting. and you?”

she can hardly speak he’s so handsome. it stuns her for a moment, and she’s spent staring at him when he says her name.  her flush is so bright, but she admonishes her brain for the despicable thoughts she has for this man before her.

“OH, JUST A MOTHER. WIDOWED!” gods, rúna, sound more excited, why don’t you? “MOSTLY, I EMBROIDER. OR SEW. OR... SIMPLY TAKE MY SWEET WILBETH OUT ON WALKS. NOT MUCH TIME FOR ANYTHING ELSE. SO, IT’S QUITE LUCKY I FOUND MY WAY HERE TO THIS ESTABLISHMENT.”

“thought i’d find you here,” he softly smiles as he approaches his friend, a woman he had known in his childhood and since had lived through war and family together.

“you seem … something’s happening up there,” he prods a finger to the center of her forehead as he perches opposite of her, concern knitting his brows together, “what’s happening, mar?”

she sits, staring at the box. it is a small box, unassuming and made of wood. it’s not a bad box. just a confounding one.

there’s a ring in it. really. a ring. for aoife. 

“I’M GONNA ASK AOIFE TO MARRY ME.” she looks up at oggy, affection coloring her features. “IS THAT DUMB? SHOULD I NOT? WILL SHE SAY NO? WHAT IF SHE SAYS NO?” she thumps her head against the table she sits at, just in front of the box.

“and when are you right, grigor? as i seem to recall us women are always right, and your boys.” she smirks as she leans forward in her seat, calling for an ale of her own.

soft moments were rare and far between so ivy would grasp them when she can, right now she reaches across and rests a hand atop his own. “i don’t doubt you, grigor, though my only experience with war is death. my truest heart went to fight the dead for arella a young and stupid boy, and he became one of the dead. all i know now is the haunting of death in these men’s eyes. in your eyes. i am sure the men and women we lost will be haunting our king just as much.”

“I’M RIGHT ALL THE TIME, MY SWEET.” he reaches forward to gently tap her nose, toying with her. he had always loved teasing poor ivy.

he does take her hand though, and he kisses her knuckles affectionately. “THERE’S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HAUNTED EYES AND EVIL ONES, MY DEAR. WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THIS, ANYWAY?” and now he pulls away, diverting his attention from serious matters to matters he can brush off. “LET’S GET DRUNK AND MAKE HORRIBLE DECISIONS.”

“part of me wishes i could retire my bow and put my feet up, but i wouldn’t get a day by without needing coin or meat. the life of a self sustained hunter i suppose,” she jests, a short laugh passes by her lips as she moves to grab a bucket of apples to bring across to vera  -  favourite treats for her favourite horse.

“the pleasure is all mine,” her voice is soft and clearly spoken, educated background works its way into her vocals as she moves to stand beside vera once more. “my mother wished us all to have names of past royals and nobles to give us a sense of status growing up, though i have neither sense nor status.”

“mother’s are funny like that, decide our future with a name.”

"PERHAPS ONE DAY YOU WILL. ONE DAY YOU’LL HAVE A MANSION ON A HILL. SERVANTS WILL BRING YOU MEAT AND SOMEONE WILL BRING YOU COIN. WE CAN ALWAYS HOPE FOR BETTER.” he shrugs before leaning against the stable walls and crossing his arms. he watches margeaux with ease, yearning for the simple life he leads. perhaps he should have given the kingship to someone else. he might have been happier like her. a wanderer.

“your … your aunt?” her voice is barely above a whisper as she eyes the other woman, the niece to her sister and one of the few people that probably had demelza’s happy years. “i see …” there’s a sense of envy within her, this woman may have spent more of her life alongside her sister than margeaux ever has. demelza didn’t even know she existed.

once in the home margeaux follows suit and seats herself by a fire, the armchair a plush red velvet. “please. please tell me she is well. that is all i wish.”

lucia moves about the house, nervous energy apparent as she brings a warm cup of tea to the young woman as quickly as she can. then, lucia finally sits, swallowing thickly.

arlo had spared her the horrors of their aunt’s death. arlo had spared lucia a great many things, and now arlo and demelza were both gone. “DEMELZA... SHE HAS PASSED ON. SHE DIED.” lucia hung her head, always dreading being the bearer of bad news.

“there is a darkness in the air, has been since the battle … as if a curse has fallen upon us all once more.” her voice is quiet as she pads softly along the track with bare feet, keeping a watchful eye out for any lurking beast.

“i fear we are entering a new era of horror.”

“MM. DARKNESS, INDEED.” sten kept his hood up, watching the woman with great interest. she was pretty. pretty hair too. despite sten’s messy state of hair, he could always appreciate pretty hair.

“I was on my way back from helping someone near the castle, I think I lost it there,” Guanying said, rubbing the back of her neck and looking back over her shoulder in that direction. Part of her wondered if she should explain why she was so attached to it, but then she decided not to. 

“THEN, WE SHALL HEAD TO THE CASTLE.” mara smiled at guanying before offering a small hand to her. “I AM MARA. MARA WOLFF. PLEASURE TO MEET YOU.”

anna turns to the man speaking, blinking up at him.  usually she’d be quick with a response to him, but his question has taken her by surprise.  it’d been rough since faust’s return from the battle, since he’d changed, but she’s determined to not let anyone see her falter.  the people need her to be strong.  faust needs her to be strong.  

“i suppose i’m sad because no matter how much i do to try and help my people, there’s still so much they need,” she finally replies, bending to press one of lucia’s loaves into a beggar’s hands with a sweet smile.  “i wish i could be multiplied, so i could help them all.”  the queen looks up at him, a soft smile on her lips.  “i don’t believe i’ve met you before, sir…?”

“WOULD YOU LIKE HELP?” he asked out of the kindness of his heart, a hulking, gentle giant. then again, how could one help being giant with the queen?

“I AM STEN. STEN LUND. I’M A HUNTER. OFTEN TRAVELING. OFTEN WANDERING. THOUGH, I AM CHOOSING TO STAY IN ARELLA FOR THE TIME BEING.” he reaches for the loaves of bread, and he begins to hand out to the people surrounding the queen. 

          tove hums beneath her breath as she grinds the herbs and mushrooms into a tea form. “did you want this extra strong or just a normal strong?” her hands gave off a light glow as she held them over the bowl.

          “that is munin, though sometimes i just call him little bastard. as for me, i am tove, also known as the forest witch.”

“NORMAL STRONG WILL DO,” he replies. he goes to sit down, pushing his hood from his head to reveal dark, stringy hair. it’s dirty. he doesn’t get the chance to wash often.

her cheeks flush in embarrassment at the good-natured teasing, but the joking is making her feel a little more human.  a little more herself.  his hand is warm as he pats her back, and she finds herself swaying a little towards him again.

“sorry,” she mumbles, even as she takes another sip.  smaller this time, of course.  it went down easier that way.  

his hands are gentle as he begins to unbraid her hair, and she can’t help but close her eyes and sink into it.  “i thought you’d be mad at me,” she blurts out, eyes still closed.  “for going.”  she has a hangnail on her thumb, and focuses on fiddling with that instead of opening her eyes to look up at him.  

he gently taps her chin and kisses the top of her head. “DON’T APOLOGIZE. I CAN GET MORE BRANDY, DEAR.”

as his hands unbraid her hair, he picks dirty and larger pieces out of her hair. “I WAS. FOR A WHILE. I GOT OVER IT WHEN YOU ACTUALLY LEFT, AND I WAS SITTING HERE ALONE, WISHING YOU AND GWYN WERE HERE. IF I WERE A STRONGER MAN, I WOULD NOT BE ON THE BRINK OF TEARS,” he whispers. his voice wavers now, uncertain and soft. “IF I WERE STRONGER, I WOULD BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND THE FEAR THAT GRIPPED ME.”

her lips tremble at the thought of seeing for however long, eyes burning.  the only thing that comforts her is the idea that he and gwyn- and surely even llyr, lucia, the sad bard…with them she is safe.  safe.  safe.  she’s so tired.  

she follows his guidance to the study, taking the glass and looking up at him a little nervously.  a quick sniff makes her eyes water, but surely grigor wouldn’t poison her?  slowly, and then all at once.  audr raises the glass to her lips, closing her eyes before taking a big sip.

less than a quarter of the sip makes it down her throat, warming her belly as she coughs and chokes on the remainder.   she makes a mess of it as the burn of the alcohol startles her enough to spit most of it out, hurriedly wiping at the drips trailing down her chin.  “that’s- that’s brandy?” she coughs.

he watches her as she takes the glass. her sip is bigger than he expected her to take, and when she coughs it up, he pats her back and drinks his own with his other hand. he tries not to laugh too hard, but he does, still.

“WHAT A WASTE OF GOOD BRANDY.” he reaches up to run his fingers through her hair, sitting his brandy down to begin and unbraid the white gold locks. “LET’S TAKE THESE OUT. THEY’LL MAT IF WE’RE NOT CAREFUL.” it’ll help when she bathes too. “I ALWAYS WISHED I’D HAD A DAUGHTER TOO. WHEN YEVA, MY EX WIFE, TOLD ME SHE WAS WITH CHILD, I LEARNED HOW TO BRAID HAIR JUST IN CASE THEY WERE A GIRL. STILL CAME IN HANDY SINCE GWYN HAS ALWAYS LIKED HIS HAIR LONG.” he snorts.

rising to her feet, tove begins to gather the requested ingredients into a little bowl. “i have always had good luck growing things, but this-” and she pauses to raise her arm as several more mushrooms unfurl. “this is relatively new.” munin caws, hopping down to the floor to waddle to the man. “it came in very handy during my travels here.” and to emphasize her point, she leaned over and bit off what appeared to be a chanterelle. 

“MY...MY DAUGHTER ALWAYS HAD A KNACK FOR IT TOO. THAT I REMEMBER.” he smiles to himself and then at the crow who waddles towards him. pretty bird. always a good sign when you met a friend of the birds.

“HELLO, THERE,” he says, leaning down to scratch at the crow’s head. 

“i am?” she repeats, words feeling like she had to reach deep into her core and drag them free with clawed, desperate hands.  she closes her eyes when he kisses the top of her head.  there’s a flash of bone and blood and war and death.  her breath catches, and she opens her eyes again.  

is this what war truly is?  her breath shudders in her chest at the thought, and she sags into him, suddenly bone-weary.  “how do you- how do you stop seeing it?” she asks, finally truly looking up at him.  “i see it whenever- i- whenever i close my eyes,” she mumbles, clinging to him.

“TIME. YOU’LL SEE IT FOR SOME TIME, BUT EVENTUALLY, THE VISIONS WILL LESSEN. YOU’LL BE ABLE TO SLEEP SOON. FOR NOW, I’LL WATCH OVER YOU. ME AND GWYN. I PROMISE.”

he lets her cling, instinct to protect her making him angry about the war gain. it was senseless, this fighting. someone ought to do something about it. 

then again, he was in the business of dealing war. would he give up his wealth to protect those he cared for?

yes. yes, he would. 

“I’M HERE FOR YOU. NO MATTER WHAT. COME. BRANDY AND A BATH.” he calls one of the servants he’d hired while they had been away to make a bath. she responds quickly, and he smiles before guiding her to his study where he pours them both a big glass of alcohol. it’s stout, but it’ll help.