Rhys Hunter

                                                 THE WAY he smiled, the way he looked at her and his whole reaction were enough to relieve her of any remaining doubt. Her whole body and soul were believers now, believers in them them, and in their bright future. It was a sentiment of bliss, of happiness, something she hadn’t feel since she was a child. That jittery feeling on the top of your stomach when you’re beyond exited for something. May they gods bless their union, because it didn’t matter where they wen’t as far as they were together. 

                                                     “YES, YES, of course.” She agreed, the last thing she would want would be to offend anyone by something that would mean the world to her. He stole her breath away with his kiss, but she did not pull away, she leaned forward pressing her lips with his, the scruff of his shadow beard already felt like a familiar feeling, one she would crave from then on, of that she was sure. “I bow the same, with you and the gods as my witnesses. My lips, my soul and my body will belong to you, and to you only.” She whispered only a slight space between his lips and hers, brushing them as she spoke.

Who would have thought they’d have ended up here in such a short space of time? Pledging themselves to one another and meaning it. Rhys had always intended to take his wedding vows seriously, but had never planned to make Ravella do the same. If she wished to be his wife in name only and for them to live separate lives, then he would not stand in her way. Yet he had found himself with more than a wife - she was a companion, a friend, someone he could pour his soul out to without fear of judgement or humiliation.

Her lips brushed against his, light as a butterfly’s wing, and with her pledge his face lit up. There had never been anyone who he could call his own. To possess someone like that meant opening yourself up to being owned by them in return, but Rhys was happy to be Ravella’s humble servant. “You are mine as I am yours.” The words rang out like wedding vows, and although they were not legally binding, Rhys knew that those words were binding to them.

                                       KISSES WERE suppose be breathless, they were suppose to leave you winded and light headed, at least that’s what she had read, that’s what she had experienced once upon long ago. But with him it was like coming back outside for fresh air, it was like learning how to breathe for the first time. It was both intense and just so calm, all at once.

                                       HIS ARMS,  that’s where she was planning to spend the rest of her breathing days, if she feared for the madness of the capital was simply because of him. For the danger their future faced if by any chance they got dragged into the mess the bigger houses were creating. Her hands clung to the fabric of his shirt over his chest, as if her life depended of it. The gods new, she would never let him go. Ravella broke the kiss as she tried to recover her breath, she used her hands to hold on to his face. “Let us get married, the sooner the better. Its crazy. Oh Gods! Its insane, but I don’t need a big wedding, the flowers, the pleasantries, I can live without it all. I won’t have to be out of your sight, and you won’t be out of mine.” She rambled on nervously, scared it will scared him away, that he would find her to be out of her sanity. 

Rhys was by no means an expert in the art of love. He’d had dalliances of course - being a friend of Tyrion’s made that practically unavoidable - but none of hem had come close to making him feel the way he did as he kissed Ravella. He knew that her past, like his own, was not exactly chaste, but it didn’t bother him. How could either of them be upset about something the other had done before they were even betrothed?

When she broke the kiss, he knew it was not because of an aversion to him, and he smiled softly at her. One hand reached up to rest against one of hers cupped against his cheek, and he stared into her deep eyes that he believed he could get lost in. When she spoke, it took him a moment to emerge from his dreamlike state, and he realised just what she was proposing. The grin that broke out across his face was not exaggerated in the slightest. “As soon as we possibly can. We must still keep things quiet since Augustine’s death is too fresh in everyone’s minds for them to see us celebrating. But yes, I want to be able to call you my wife. I want to have Lady Ravella Hunter by my side, always.” He kissed her again, unable to resist and unable to keep his smile at bay. “You are not the first girl I have ever kissed, but by gods you’ll be the last.”

                                              “I CANNOT wait to see the nature of our home.” Ravella whispered with both excitement and love for the place he called home that would soon be hers too. The Blackwood girl smiled widely at his words, he was right at least the gods had given them each other to burden together the red keeps lock down. Of course she had her family, the other ladies she had grown up with, but with Rhys. With Rhys she felt the safest, just having him at a reaching reach was enough for her heart to beat at a much peaceful rate. 

                                              RAVELLA HAD been in the middle of answering him once more when she was cut by his kiss, so suddent, so soft, so tender. Her body felt as if it had loosen up, melting against his. It felt right, it felt like she had never done anything right before until right there and then, like the entire loneliness of her life had been erase by such small gesture. If there had been any doubts of her loving Rhys one day, they had all gone out the window.

Longbow Hall was very dear to him, and so to see that Ravella was truly excited to make it her home was enough to make him believe he had made the right choice. Her brother would no doubt be smug that his matchmaking skills had been proven, since Rhys and Ravella were alike in so many ways and genuinely enjoyed each other’s company.

The kiss had been born from an overwhelming rush of affection for her, which soon turned to panic as he feared he might have overstepped his bounds. But before he could pull away, he felt her respond to him and a rush of relief swept over him like a calming breeze. His hands slid down to her waist, pulling her in closer so that he might lock her in his embrace. Most arranged marriages were distant affairs designed for creating alliances, and though Rhys had always known his own marriage to Ravella would not be a distant one, he had thought it would be one of companionship. But after the death of Augustine, the relief of finding Ravella safe had made him realise that life was too short and he had to take his happiness where he could find it. And for him, his joy was Ravella.

                                       RAVELLA’S FACE continued to be light up by his presence, the dark circles under her eyes were still there, and the pale of her skin under such circumstance, but having her there and well was enough for her. The killings were mostly Lords, ruling Lords, and her mind had traveled to the worst case scenarios while she was still searching, waiting to hear anything from him. Her heart felt whole at the thought of him worrying just as much for her as she did for him. The Blackwood closed her eyes at the soothing touches of his fingers, her lips curved slightly in a content smile. 

                                        “I HARDLY doubt they got any business with me.” Ravella replied as her own fingers found themselves tangled in the hair on the back of his neck. “We are both alright and that is what matters.” She whispered calmly as she opened her eyes again, looking at him with tenderness. “I wish we could go now, instead of waiting here.” There was a hint of sadness in her voice this time around. 

He knew it wasn’t logical to be so worried about her when she wasn’t a prime target, but he couldn’t help it. She meant so much to him that it was difficult to come to terms with the fact that she was just another noblewoman to some others, not particularly worthy of much attention just like his position designated him as not requiring much attention as a threat or a target. But fear was not logical; it wormed its way into your heart and twisted through every nook and cranny, locking you in its vice-like grip.

“I wish for that too. This place is so confining - I miss the open air and the scent of the pine trees. You can’t see a single tree for miles down here.” Nor had there been a drop of rain, anything that might clear the thick weight of the humidity down here in the South. “But we have the good fortune to be trapped here together, and I meant it when I said I would not let you out of my sights again.” He would act as her human shield if it would keep her safe. Looking into her eyes and seeing the same tenderness and warmth there mirroring his own, Rhys acted on impulse and pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss.

                                      HER FATHER had been very stern and precise when he had demanded Ravella to remain tucked away in the wing designated for the Blackwoods. The oldest Blackwood had promised to come back first thing he found about Rhys, but Ravella knew better, he would beat around the bush and not return if anything bag had come to her betrothed and she simply could be still about it. The servants pass ways guided her out of her chambers and out to the main halls where people were still rushing back and fort, the place was loud and overly crowded, it was almost hard to walk but anywhere she looked she could not find him. 

                                      RAVELLA HAD opted to look in less crowded places, perhaps she had not heard the bad news, people had whispered there had been three bodies. Her chest clenched at the mere thought of it. The raven haired girl found her way to the library her eyes burned from the obscure thoughts but they were interrupted by the sudden opening of the doors behind her. And then she saw him and everything else stopped. Without a second thought she ran to his embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her forehead against his. “Thank the gods you’re alright. I was so worried too, and searching,” she chuckled in between her tears. “We probably missed each other in the halls.” Rhys had become part of her now, she understood as her green eyes stared right back into his. 

His fingers swept her hair back from her face so he could really look at her, one hand cradling the back of her head and stroking her dark locks. She seemed completely fine, and even in good spirits. He had known logically that she would likely be fine - these killers were going after high lords, and neither Ravella’s ties to House Blackwood or him seemed enough to make her a target, but he had still been terrified. The mind didn’t think logically when there was a threat of someone you cared about being hurt, and all he had been able to think about was finding her and making sure he could see that she was safe with his own eyes. 

Those green eyes raked over her now, checking for even the smallest sign of injury. “I would have never forgiven myself if something had happened to you.” She was his betrothed, and it was his responsibility to protect her, but this went beyond the duties laid out for him in the verbal contract of their engagement. He wanted to protect Ravella because he cared about her, because her happiness was now essential to his own.

It had only been a few days since Rhys had last seen Ravella and while this was not something that concerned him originally, now it had him running around the keep checking every corner and flinging open doors. His heart was in his throat with fear as he raced around the castle until he finally found her. Safe and well, she looked to be in no immediate danger, but Rhys couldn’t keep himself from sweeping her up into his arms and spinning her round. “Gods, I was so worried about you. After hearing what happened to Augustine i was terrified that they might have gotten you too. I’m not letting you out of my sight for the rest of our time in the capital.”

@ofblackwoods

                        THE DAYS had come and gone after their last meeting, the meeting that was suppose to be a meet and greet of sorts, and had ended up with them agreeing to a betrothal. They were a good match, she had felt it to her soul, and while there wasn’t any love between the two she was sure it would come, slowly and with care and thought. Ravella hadn’t been sure of what to do next, she had wrote a couple of enticing letters, but wasn’t sure if it was what was suppose to be done. Was she suppose to seek his company constantly? Or wait until the marriage came? She was at loss. After her first betrothal she had given up home of anything else coming her way, she had closed herself to the idea and had stopped paying attention to what courtship was like. Big mistake, now she found herself bitting herself mentally for it. 

                      THANKFULLY RHYS had sought out for her first a small message to meet him at the stables, without a doubt or second thought she had accepted, it wasn’t until after she had sent her response back to him that it had downed on her. Stables equaled horses, horses equaled to her worst nightmare. There was no going back, when the day came she got up bright and early, mostly because she hadn’t been able to sleep all on night. Another girl would’ve worried about the dark circles under her eyes, but her mind was far more concerned with the horses. 

                      WRAPPED IN a pretty red chal that matched her dark dress she found herself sitting outside the stables earlier than she was suppose to be there, as she waited she simply left her eyes roomed around her surroundings, mostly setting her green eyes on the sky. While her favorite times to look up was the night since the stars were one of her favorite things, the clear blue skies and the pretty while clouds did justice to it all as well. 

@rhysandhunter

It was a strange thing to no longer wake up every morning in solitude. Of course he still slept alone, and in those first few bleary-eyed moments of waking he did realise that, but then he remembered that he was an engaged man now. It was only a matter of time before he would be waking up to find someone sleeping beside him. Things with Ravella had gone better than he expected, but now he found himself at a loss for what to do. They were already betrothed - was he still supposed to seek her out and spend time with her? He wanted to, but would that be frowned upon with people thinking he was becoming too familiar with Ravella? She was to be his wife and he wanted to get to know her better, but most arranged marriages were treated for what they were: business deals or agreements of alliance. After the first few days, he decided to say to hell with what people expected. If he was to be wed, then he wanted to spend time with his future wife and he sent her a message asking for her presence at the stables.

He remembered what Ravella had said of horses and how nervous she was around them. Being something of an equestrian, Rhys knew that horses were grand, noble beasts that made loyal companions and he suspected Ravella’s unfortunate experience had made her fear them unnecessarily. Yes, there were risks involved with them, but those risks were worth it to gallop through the landscape with the wind tugging through your hair and the sound of the horse’s hooves against the ground like a thudding heartbeat.

It was still early in the morning, as Rhys had thought it better to help Ravella with her fear of horses early in the day when there would be no one else around but the odd stablehand. She was already there when he arrived, the golden rays of the early morning sun lighting her like a beacon, and she drew him in like a moth to a flame. “Ravella,” He said cheerfully, alerting her to his presence. “I didn’t think you would be here so early.” His letter had asked her to meet him half an hour later than this and he hoped she hadn’t been waiting long. The weather was warm enough, but there was a slight chill in the air that he expected to burn off later in the day. A concerned expression on his face, he took both of her hands into his to warm them. “You can wear my riding gloves. Your hands are like ice.”

“ravella.” the name falls flat between them. “blackwood.” she moves stand, a scoff falling from her lips as any number of memories and assocations tumble through her mind’s eye. she should have known not to get comfortable, complcaent — happy in this new life of hers. she should have known. life always dealt her a horrible hand, always gave her happiness only to pry it from her hands. ( ravella blackwood. ty’s former betrothed. no doubt might have been his wife, in another life of theirs. it’s funny, almost — no mention of a betrothal to rhys made when they spoke. maybe the little thing had more brains than celaena gave her credit for. )

she rounded once more, facing him — her height somewhat shorter than his, but there’s no mistaking it: celaena takes up the room with her ruined, bitter and twisted expression. “so what am i supposed to think, rhysand?” her brows listed. “you say you did not plan this. yet of all the fucking women in the goddamn seven kingdoms, you ask her.” the word was spat with disgust and hurt — and maybe, even a tiny bit of fear. “do you find some sick joy, in parading ty’s former… playthings in front of him? reminding him of his past actions? refusing to let him move on, look to the future and the life he deserves?” she may not have known the details of what happened between them — but she knew her husband. she knew what he was and what he did. she knew enough to gleam some idea of what happened. something happened between them, no doubt — the marriage later broken enough and another woman broken, littering his past. ( normally, it doesn’t bother celaena. she doesn’t care about the lovers he takes, men or women, doesn’t care when it meant he was distracted and leaving her alone. when they were at each other’s throats, it was the biggest blessing in disguise. but everything’s different now. she’s a parent, a mother. her marriage is good, finally, after too long. she doesn’t want to loose that again. ) “or maybe… maybe you enjoy parading them in front of me. reminding me what kind of man i married and that this… this is something i have to deal with.” celaena scoffed. “for a man who claims to be my friend, you surely have an amusing way of showing it.”

It was worse than he thought and Rhys twisted his hands in his lap as she stood and towered over him. She was like a vengeful god, seething with rage and there was no mistaking the disgust in her voice. Rhys had known she would hate that he was betrothed to Ravella, and he had prepared himself to sit silently and allow Celaena to voice every complaint she had about it with no challenge from him. But his jaw clenched at the accusations levelled against him. Being angry about his choice was one thing, but believing he had acted out of any malice towards her or Tyrion was not something he could bear, and Rhys got to his feet. They had argued before, but it had never been on this scale since Rhys was always the one more likely to back down and allow Cel to have what she wanted, but not this time. This time he intended to stand his ground.

“I did not plan this!” His raised voice echoed throughout the empty library. “Her brother heard I had started seeking a wife, and he suggested I meet with Ravella. I did so as a courtesy to him, and given what happened with Ty and Ravella, I did not expect her to want anything to do with her former betrothed’s best friend.” At first, Rhys had only intended to tell the truth of how the match had come about, but as he went on, all of his hurt and rage at what Celaena had accused him of poured out. “We were able to put what happened with Ty behind us because neither of us wanted to be defined by past or present relationships with him. We talked, and we found we had a lot in common and both needed things from a marriage that the other could provide. That was why I agreed to the betrothal, and not because of any malicious desire to hurt you or Ty!” He paused for a moment, breathing heavily, and although every inch of him screamed of his anger, his green eyes gave away just how hurt he really was. “How could you think that, Celaena? How could you believe that after everything we’ve been through, I would ever want to hurt you or Ty on purpose?” He shook his head in disbelief. “This is my betrothal, and it did not happen because of anything to do with you or Tyrion. I agreed to it because gods damn it, I actually like Ravella! She knows how it is to feel alone in a sea of people, and I need someone like that.” 

Too much of the truth was leaving his lips now, but Rhys couldn’t stop it. The cork of all the pent up feelings had burst from the bottle, and those feelings were pouring out of him whether he liked it or not. “I know your marriage is difficult for you sometimes, but you cannot deny that there are plenty of days when it is good, especially since the birth of your son. You have someone to share your life with, and despite all the arguments and misdeeds, doesn’t Tyrion always come home to you? And yet you won’t allow me to seek that happiness for myself because it reminds you of the bad times in your marriage? Would you rather I be alone forever, so that I might be permanently at your beck and call to comfort you when Tyrion does something wrong?” He shook his head, and the anger that had been flowing out of him changed to grief. “I can’t, Celaena. I can’t keep doing this. Do you know how much it hurts? Every time I offer you calming words and you smile at me, every time I hold you in my arms so that you have a shoulder to lean on, it always feels like my guts are being torn out. You use me for your own comfort and then leave without thinking of how if affects me to be your rock when I feel for you the way I do. Well now it is taking its toll and that rock is crumbling away. To have you so close and not to have you at all is torture. But I support you, and I watch as you smile and get back to how you were before your husband upset you, and then I have to watch you leave and go back to him and I must bite my tongue to stop myself from begging you to stay with me. And then I must go through it all again when Tyrion does another stupid thing because he doesn’t appreciate what he has, and I go to bed every night envying him because he has you and then despising myself for wanting my best friend’s wife.” 

Green eyes glinted with tears as he looked at her, wanting to fall on his knees and beg her to love him, or else cut out his heart with a knife because it would hurt less. “Do you see now why I sought out a betrothal in the first place? If I am wed then I will have a wife and a marriage to focus on, and it will not only keep me from my loneliness, but it will also provide a distraction from thinking of you. I love you, Celaena.” Finally, those three words were out in the open. They had always known that they lurked beneath the surface, but to admit to them would only lead to heartbreak because he knew she could not love him back. “But you’re not mine. You were never mine, and you never can be. I need to accept that and then maybe my torment can finally be at an end.”

                             THE YOUNG blackwood began to nod her head gently before she began to speak again. “If you wish me to learn, it would be my joy to do so, learning and knowing things are perhaps the one thing I do best at.” Ravella explained. She wasn’t sure how good she would be at it, reading and absorbing the knowledge was completely different than putting into play, she had learned that a long time ago. However there was one thing he could be certain of, and that was she would try her best, to learn the trait and to advice him in the best of her capabilities. Ravella surprise herself already wanting to please him, appeal to him.  She was getting a sense of how much her opinion would matter, that he would not simply want her as a trophy that would simply be broadcast when needed, or simply to bare him children.

                            IT WAS the thought of children that brought her back to being more aware of his presence and the way his finger very gently and with great intimacy began to caress the back of her hand. There was a small ting of her cheeks, she pretended to hide by looking over her shoulder and out to the gardens. Of course there would be children, or at least they would try for some. and the general idea of children of her own had terrified her for years. It was something she could never quite wrap her head around. But just like he would help her with anything else, there was a part of her that told her he would help with that too if needed be. And surprisingly enough at the very moment, the thought of having children, his children didn’t quite scared if in the sightless. 

                                THE SOUND of her name matched with his was bitter sweet, she had always prided herself in being a Blackwood, such an old name that demanded respect. But she also like the sound of her new name being gently spoken by him. It only pushed the slight tint of her cheeks to a more prominent pink. it made her green eyes stop fake looking to the outside and set sight on him once more. “It has a good ring to it, does it not?” She dared to speak, but her voice was gentle and almost too quiet, as if she was too scared to speak out loud and break the moment they were sharing. Her small hand have his a gentle squeeze. Yes. She sure liked the sound of it. “I am looking forward to what our future will hold for us, as husband and wife.” Ravella was a simple girl, planning a wedding for her would be the easiest task anyone could have.

So she was willing to learn, that was a good sign. Rhys didn’t want her to involve herself too deeply if it was not what she cared for, but he had to admit he would prefer being married to someone who could at least offer him opinions now and then on his duties as ruling lord, rather than someone who avoided the subject completely and concerned herself with nothing more than what she would wear that day. But if she could learn how to support him as ruling lord, then he could learn how to be the best husband for her. Rhys had been alone for so long that he had gotten used to it, and so the thought of sharing his life with someone was daunting, but a challenge he was willing to undertake.

It was only when she squeezed his hand that Rhys realised he had been stroking it. His first instinct was to drop her hand and apologise profusely in his embarrassment, but he didn’t. If they were to be wed, they had to get used to intimacy between them, even if it was as small as hand holding. How could they expect to have children if they couldn’t even hold hands? Gods... children. He tried to swallow his nerves. They had always been something he wanted, but it seemed unreachable. Now that they were betrothed, children would be expected of them once they were wed, and heirs were needed to secure the line of Hunters to hold Longbow Hall. But he had to put that to the back of his mind. They had only been betrothed this one day, there was plenty of time to think about the future.

“It makes it seem more real.” He admitted, still clasping her hand in his. Lord and Lady Hunter - it tied their lives together, changing them from two people to one pair. They would still be the same people and have their own lives to lead, but they would always be bound to each other, and the names and metal bands on their fingers would be proof of that. Turning back to his betrothed, Rhys smiled and lifted their clasped hands to press a soft kiss against her knuckles. “It will certainly be an adventure.”