#grimsins

leaves  crunch  beneath  their  feet,  the  only  sound  bold  enough  to  cut  through  their  weary  silence  as  they  trudge  along  through  the  brisk  evening,  relieved  at  last  of  the  bold  trespassers  that  had  thought  to  threaten  them.  lips  give  a  small  twitch  that  could  have  almost  indicated  amusement  if  she  wasn’t  so  tired  as  the  suggestion  put  forth  proposes  her  company  is  still  mulling  over  the  exasperating  exchange.  she  all  but  witnesses  the  wheels  turning  behind  his  eyes  with  a  simple  glance  to  her  left.  “  you  don’t  need  to  remind  me.  it’s  everyone’s  favorite  option  since  the  world  lost  every  last  bit  of  sense  it  had  left.  “  a  glance  is  thrown  over  her  shoulder,  then,  more  out  of  habit  than  any  real  sense  of  concern.  “  they  put  on  a  decent  act,  but  they  were  afraid  the  second  they  realized  they  weren’t  alone.  i’d  bet  we  never  see  them  again.  “  

        ❝  promise? ❞       her voice was shaky, fear slipping in between every syllable. currently they were s a f e, surrounded by four walls, but she could still hear the walkers outside, snarling, clawing at the walls, SEARCHING for any crack they could use. what if they found one? she’d seen what walkers did when they got their claws on a person, heard the screams as chunks of flesh were ripped away... it would forever haunt her nightmares.          ❝  there’s so many of them. we can’t... we have to get out of here. ❞          only fear possessed POWERFUL chains, and she wasn’t sure if her legs would move no matter how much she willed them to.

"      then   you   will    still   come   with   me?      ”        honey   gaze   alight  ,    tears   of   joy   still   clinging   to   trembling   lashes  ,    her   hands   brush   through   his   hair   and   find   home   at   the   back   of   his   neck  ,    drawing   him   closer   still.        “      louis  ,    i    ...    i   cannot   express   how   much   this   means   to   me.        we   will   be   happy   in   scotland  ,    i   know   it.      ”

think her brothers knows ,   the maid would have told on her by now .   sneaking out in the afternoon ,   it wasn’t proper .   knows the reprimant by heart at this point ,   but being out here again ,   it feels like she can breath again .   days had been filled with balls and silk and lace dresses   &   hours infront of mirror   :   someone tugging her hair in every direction .   and sure ,   she is still wearing a dress ,   but it’s less formal and certainly doesn’t speak to the title her name holds and beneath it ,   she had pulled on one of her brothers pants so she can use a man’s sadle .   finally had a moment to sneak out to the stables ,   tacked up aquila   (   her favorite mare .   )   and now she feel rain slowly drip down upon features while slowly riding through the forest .   it’s not the country side   :   it’s not far enough away from civilication ,   but it’s away from the ton and it’s away from everything she would rather be without .   reigns in one hand   &   she push a branch away from her face ,   duck beneath other .   hair grows more and more damp from the rain slowly falling ,   and when coming down to the lake   :   her final destination for the evening ,   aquila comes to a stop   &   she leans head back ,   letting drops hit against her face .   if she catch a gold ,   so be it .  

Had she convinced him of it yet  ––  that they could be good together,  as she knew they could?  Why must she always beg for the affections of the man she loves?  “We will show them,”  she repeated,  with more resolution in her tone,  “and then they will know that our power is nothing to fear.  Let me show you,  my love,  what we could do if we were together.”

a  cutting  crash  breaks  the  comfortable  silence  blanketing  their  search.  with  a  jolt,  she  turns  on  her  feet  instinctively  to  find  practically  half  the  trinkets  presumably  once  shelved  scattered  in  pieces  across  the  hardwood  floors.  why  is  it,  she  wonders,  that  noise  is  always  the  loudest  when  silence  is  the  most  crucial?    brows  lift  as  the  younger  woman  visibly  reaches  for  an  excuse  and  grasps  with  almost  painful  clarity  the  first  one  that  comes  to  her  mind.  “  that’s  your  defense?  it  wasn’t  you?  “  

it  is  understandable,  of  course,  the  sheer  amount  of  people  -  rick  included  -  that  simply do  not  recognize  the  polished  face  that  once  led  the  country.  they’re  distracted,  they’ve  never  seen  their  leaders  covered  in  blood  and  filth.  she  welcomes  the  anonymity  when  it  is  offered.  those  who  have  looked  hard  enough  have  not  been  kind;  the  president  of  the  united  states  is  an  easy  enemy,  easy  to  hate.  would  he  think  differently  of  her  now?  “  i  used  to  love  to  see  little  things  like  this.  i  loved  being  able  to  give  little  girls  a  glimpse  into  what  they  were  capable  of.  now  seeing  them  is  like  a  nightmare.  “          

       “ i too am competitive, ” kate muses only for daphne to hear, understating her nature, “ but the ego of man truly is such a fragile thing, wouldn’t you say? ” her head tilts back toward the bickering bridgerton boys as she tries her best to bite back her laughter. of course, she fails.