#leo.fic

"Have you had a chance to examine the grounds? There is a tower- very well maintained, might I add- on the North end of the keep. Perhaps we could explore a bit more of our accommodations." Her smile was tight and sharp and perfect. "Dear brother, I desire nothing more." Her eyes dropped, to a part of him she did desire, and then she turned and left him, smiling like a fool.

Stark had wrapped his cut fingers while Jaime had righted himself, and Cassel handed over his gorget; the metal was undented, if scuffed and dirty. When Jaime looked to see what it had been caught on, he was quite annoyed to see it was, in fact, a tree root that appeared to have shown itself to the sun for the sole purpose of his humiliation. "What on earth did you cut yourself on?" Jaime blurted. The wood was quite whole, and Stark's fingers had been cut cleanly. His gorget was well finished, so as not to be a hazard to the wearer. Stark- hesitated. "No matter. Can you ride?" Jaime stared at the man, then looked to Cassel. Why on earth would Stark refuse to answer?

Jaime casts a hopeless thought to the Warrior. Grant me the strength to hold fast.  To the Mother- grant me the courage to hold fast.  And To the Father- grant me the honor to hold fast. 

new fic time!!!!

Fwirl marshalled her thoughts, tail flicking. "If I left the Abbey tomorrow," she started, looking back through the trees at the red sandstone spires, still visible. "If I left- I could come back. The gates wouldn't be closed to me. A week, a season, ten seasons- I could come back."

"You," Tagg said, his voice hard, "Were raised by woodlanders. You are pretty, and small, and soft-spoken. You look like them. You talk like them. You think like them."

Fwirl looked at him again. He was staring fixedly at the trunk of the tree she perched in. She read anger in the set of his shoulders, the shiver of his whiskers. Anger, and misery. 

"I do," she agreed, because it was true. "And that's why I know you'd be welcome back, too. If you need to leave, to be under the trees and stars and carry a knife and be called a different name, you can. Nobody will stop you."