Dario was born in Avola, Sicily, Italy. He is an interrogator and works under Teddy Marino and Matteo Romano. He was not born into the Mafia but joined up when Teddy and he met in the mid 80's. He has a set of knives, antiques, that belonged to his father. He used them for woodcarving. Dario uses them for torture. He is skilled with blades of all sorts but is especially dexterous with that set.
Dario is a vampire.
When Dario was a child, his father was a woodcutter. He helped him at every opportunity with his work but spent most of his time at home with his mother. His father also enjoyed hunting and every Christmas he'd bring home a pheasant for dinner. When Dario was 10, his father went off on his yearly trip. He did not return.
There had been other disappearances from the town, a handful every few years, and no one had been found yet. A search party set out after Christmas for his father but it was Dario himself who found him dead in the forest drained of all his blood. Confused and heartbroken, Dario and his mother stayed close to home. Dario began working in a pub on their street to provide for them.
One night when he was 13 and the pub was packed, he overheard a group of travelers at one of the tables talking about vampires. They were vampire hunters and had been combing the area for a nest they had been tracking. Dario told them what had happened to his father and they told him he had most likely been a victim of their quarry. The nest moved between towns every few years to avoid detection. They had most likely been in the area when Dario's father was killed.
Dario knew he could not abandon his mother to go chasing vampires but he knew he could not let his father's death go unavenged. He promised that he would do all he could to help the hunters. Several years passed and the nest was still evading them. Dario, now 16, asked his aunt to take care of his mother and left with them. He hunted with them for ten years. They exterminated vampires they found along the way and finally unearthed the nest they had been tracking. They didn't realize how large the nest was. Based on their track record they expected three, maybe four vampires. There were well over twenty.
That nest killed the hunters.
All except Dario, whom they turned and left to starve to "send a message" to others that would follow them. One of the vampires, considered softer by the others, stayed behind. His name was Antoyn and he found Dario's punishment cruel and unusual. When Dario finally awoke he prevented him from killing himself and took him under his wing. He taught Dario how to feed without killing. Although the two of them travelled Europe together, they never saw Antoyn's old nest again. They went to Antoyn's homeland of Champagne, France and stayed there for a number of years.
Antoyn fell deeply in love with Dario over the decades. Dario didn't know why but he couldn't quite return his romantic feelings. He cared for him very much but something just felt... different. He ignored his own hesitancy and courted Antoyn for many years.
In the late 70's, Antoyn and Dario were attacked by hunters. Antoyn sacrificed himself for Dario and was killed. Dario escaped and returned to Sicily. That's when he met Teddy.
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Pierre was good at what he did, not because he didn’t have a heart but because it beat slowly enough to allow him to think about every single step that went into taking someone down without remorse.
He wouldn’t go as far to say that it was a calling-those claims were reserved for those who bragged about their successful takedowns. Instead, the assassin thought of it as a job, one that he simply was good at.
The one he received that morning, with an illustration of his target, didn’t seem out of the ordinary at first. The nearby kingdoms had been suffering from power disputes for months, and it was only time before one royal put out a hit on another.
As Pierre set out-no horse, they were too noisy and he liked to travel light anyways-on the path that would lead him to the prince, all he could think about was when he’d get to eat next rather than the cruel act he’d have to commit for payment.
Isabella was good at her job because she had always been something of a brick wall. Born early with a fragile heart and kept safe like a prisoner in her young years she had learned to make herself strong. Exceeding expectations was her area of expertise. That was how she found herself appointed to the crown prince as a bodyguard.
They did not remain at the castle long after her appointment. They left the very same night, Prince Teddy disguised as a peasant and Isabella disguised as his wife. Teddy was not taking to his role well. He was thick-headed and boisterous and he did not know how to keep his mouth shut.
Isabella was beginning to fear that if his assassin did not find them first, she might kill the prince herself.
Dario snorted. "At home, I have waiting three deer pelts that need working. That's all. I have never much cared for romance. I have little use for a family of my own. And you? What waits for you at home?"
Letting out a little, “hm”, Pierre looked away when he explained that, “far more than I’d like awaits me, I’m doing this to pay off a debt accrued by a family member.”
It was in that moment that the two hunters actually passed by Alexander and his followers, though neither party noticed each other. Instead, fate would ensnare them all later that evening in a tavern on the other side of the bustling town. For now, the captain set about looking for places to eat, complaining that, “there never seems to be good quality meat around here, and I cannot stand eating fish.”
“I don’t understand why noblemen value it so greatly, it tastes like feet, and they knock into my ship and put holes in the wood.”
"Oh, fish are delicious," Teddy groaned. "It's been so long since I had fish. The best food I've had since I left home was aboard your ship, my good man. Bella can't cook."
Bella scoffed. "Neither can you," she said.
Teddy stuck his tongue out like a child.
Bella pressed on. "I saw a fruit seller," she said. "At the end of the corner here. Everything there looked good."
Alexander ignored Teddy’s overly emotional compliment in favour of following Bella’s directions to the fruit seller; although he didn’t enjoy it much, not usually able to afford something so fresh, the captain still bought an apple and slipped it in his pocket before looking up at the sky.
Noticing how late in the afternoon it already was, Alexander let out a displeased, “hm” before offering the pair dinner at a nearby tavern. It was that same tavern in which Pierre was offering Dario a meal and respite.
Although the other hunter may not have noticed, Pierre took note immediately of his target when he stepped in, green eyes roaming over the crown prince before flitting to his partner. He assumed the woman was the same one Dario continuously cursed, though he didn’t comment on it.
Pierre liked to perform silently, a small tranquillising dart thrown when a target wasn’t looking, waiting in alleyways until the time was right, poison slipped into a drink. In fact, the only thing that gave away that he was on the hunt was him slipping a pair of black leather gloves on for reasons unknown.
Dario practically shook with rage when he laid eyes on the woman holding the prince's arm. He took a step towards them, fists balled. He was ready to brute force his way to them.
Quietly ordering for the two of them, Pierre then stepped in front of Dario with a, “not yet, my friend.”
Pointing toward the prince and then Alexander, he murmured something about knowing the both of them before adding that, “this would go better if your woman were isolated, correct?”
“If you lose the element of surprise, she will disappear into the wilderness, and I fear I’ll have to leave you to find her alone.”
He then motioned for the other hunter to sit down and pretend to eat, himself not making any moves to do so. Instead, Pierre hummed softly as he played with the leather gloves on his hands, perfectly moulded to slender fingers and even sharper nails.
When he looked up, it was to track the crown prince with his gaze; he couldn’t help but think that the shorter man was handsome, like his environment knew he was royalty and thus shielded him from the world. Furthermore, when his laughter drifted across the bar, it seemed genuine.
Alexander was trying to be the source of that laughter, voice loosened by a few pints and food in his system. In fact, he himself started to get too loud…until he suddenly paused. Eyes widening, he slowly turned to Isabella with a low, “is there somebody after you…there’s a man over there that is staring at you like you’re his prey…”
His face blanched even more when he caught sight of the slender man seated near Dario, gripping the table with a soft curse. In fact, for the first time since the pair had met him, Alexander looked scared.
Isabella rolled her eyes. "It's Teddy they'd be after. I'm nobody," she began to say. However, when her gaze followed Alex's and she actually saw Dario her words died in her throat.
"Oh no," she murmured. "How did he get here?"
"Who?" Teddy asked, looking wildly around.
Isabella grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "We have to go," she said. "Now."
"Now?" Teddy asked. "But I'm not finished my beer."
"You fool," Isabella hissed. "It will be the last thing you ever drink if you don't follow me right now."
Dario, meanwhile, watched them converse. "They know something's wrong," he murmured almost silently to Pierre. "She's grabbed that little man she's with. I think they're going to run."
Pierre was good at what he did, not because he didn’t have a heart but because it beat slowly enough to allow him to think about every single step that went into taking someone down without remorse.
He wouldn’t go as far to say that it was a calling-those claims were reserved for those who bragged about their successful takedowns. Instead, the assassin thought of it as a job, one that he simply was good at.
The one he received that morning, with an illustration of his target, didn’t seem out of the ordinary at first. The nearby kingdoms had been suffering from power disputes for months, and it was only time before one royal put out a hit on another.
As Pierre set out-no horse, they were too noisy and he liked to travel light anyways-on the path that would lead him to the prince, all he could think about was when he’d get to eat next rather than the cruel act he’d have to commit for payment.
Isabella was good at her job because she had always been something of a brick wall. Born early with a fragile heart and kept safe like a prisoner in her young years she had learned to make herself strong. Exceeding expectations was her area of expertise. That was how she found herself appointed to the crown prince as a bodyguard.
They did not remain at the castle long after her appointment. They left the very same night, Prince Teddy disguised as a peasant and Isabella disguised as his wife. Teddy was not taking to his role well. He was thick-headed and boisterous and he did not know how to keep his mouth shut.
Isabella was beginning to fear that if his assassin did not find them first, she might kill the prince herself.
Dario snorted. "At home, I have waiting three deer pelts that need working. That's all. I have never much cared for romance. I have little use for a family of my own. And you? What waits for you at home?"
Letting out a little, “hm”, Pierre looked away when he explained that, “far more than I’d like awaits me, I’m doing this to pay off a debt accrued by a family member.”
It was in that moment that the two hunters actually passed by Alexander and his followers, though neither party noticed each other. Instead, fate would ensnare them all later that evening in a tavern on the other side of the bustling town. For now, the captain set about looking for places to eat, complaining that, “there never seems to be good quality meat around here, and I cannot stand eating fish.”
“I don’t understand why noblemen value it so greatly, it tastes like feet, and they knock into my ship and put holes in the wood.”
"Oh, fish are delicious," Teddy groaned. "It's been so long since I had fish. The best food I've had since I left home was aboard your ship, my good man. Bella can't cook."
Bella scoffed. "Neither can you," she said.
Teddy stuck his tongue out like a child.
Bella pressed on. "I saw a fruit seller," she said. "At the end of the corner here. Everything there looked good."
Alexander ignored Teddy’s overly emotional compliment in favour of following Bella’s directions to the fruit seller; although he didn’t enjoy it much, not usually able to afford something so fresh, the captain still bought an apple and slipped it in his pocket before looking up at the sky.
Noticing how late in the afternoon it already was, Alexander let out a displeased, “hm” before offering the pair dinner at a nearby tavern. It was that same tavern in which Pierre was offering Dario a meal and respite.
Although the other hunter may not have noticed, Pierre took note immediately of his target when he stepped in, green eyes roaming over the crown prince before flitting to his partner. He assumed the woman was the same one Dario continuously cursed, though he didn’t comment on it.
Pierre liked to perform silently, a small tranquillising dart thrown when a target wasn’t looking, waiting in alleyways until the time was right, poison slipped into a drink. In fact, the only thing that gave away that he was on the hunt was him slipping a pair of black leather gloves on for reasons unknown.
Dario practically shook with rage when he laid eyes on the woman holding the prince's arm. He took a step towards them, fists balled. He was ready to brute force his way to them.
Pierre was good at what he did, not because he didn’t have a heart but because it beat slowly enough to allow him to think about every single step that went into taking someone down without remorse.
He wouldn’t go as far to say that it was a calling-those claims were reserved for those who bragged about their successful takedowns. Instead, the assassin thought of it as a job, one that he simply was good at.
The one he received that morning, with an illustration of his target, didn’t seem out of the ordinary at first. The nearby kingdoms had been suffering from power disputes for months, and it was only time before one royal put out a hit on another.
As Pierre set out-no horse, they were too noisy and he liked to travel light anyways-on the path that would lead him to the prince, all he could think about was when he’d get to eat next rather than the cruel act he’d have to commit for payment.
Isabella was good at her job because she had always been something of a brick wall. Born early with a fragile heart and kept safe like a prisoner in her young years she had learned to make herself strong. Exceeding expectations was her area of expertise. That was how she found herself appointed to the crown prince as a bodyguard.
They did not remain at the castle long after her appointment. They left the very same night, Prince Teddy disguised as a peasant and Isabella disguised as his wife. Teddy was not taking to his role well. He was thick-headed and boisterous and he did not know how to keep his mouth shut.
Isabella was beginning to fear that if his assassin did not find them first, she might kill the prince herself.
Dario snorted. "At home, I have waiting three deer pelts that need working. That's all. I have never much cared for romance. I have little use for a family of my own. And you? What waits for you at home?"
Pierre was good at what he did, not because he didn’t have a heart but because it beat slowly enough to allow him to think about every single step that went into taking someone down without remorse.
He wouldn’t go as far to say that it was a calling-those claims were reserved for those who bragged about their successful takedowns. Instead, the assassin thought of it as a job, one that he simply was good at.
The one he received that morning, with an illustration of his target, didn’t seem out of the ordinary at first. The nearby kingdoms had been suffering from power disputes for months, and it was only time before one royal put out a hit on another.
As Pierre set out-no horse, they were too noisy and he liked to travel light anyways-on the path that would lead him to the prince, all he could think about was when he’d get to eat next rather than the cruel act he’d have to commit for payment.
Isabella was good at her job because she had always been something of a brick wall. Born early with a fragile heart and kept safe like a prisoner in her young years she had learned to make herself strong. Exceeding expectations was her area of expertise. That was how she found herself appointed to the crown prince as a bodyguard.
They did not remain at the castle long after her appointment. They left the very same night, Prince Teddy disguised as a peasant and Isabella disguised as his wife. Teddy was not taking to his role well. He was thick-headed and boisterous and he did not know how to keep his mouth shut.
Isabella was beginning to fear that if his assassin did not find them first, she might kill the prince herself.
Isabella opened her mouth to answer but Teddy beat her to the punch. "Absolutely, my good man! Your crew, the others on this vessel, they are most hospitible and very friendly."
"Don't take it too much in stride," Bella interjected. "He'd feel safe almost anywhere it seems."
"And she hasn't felt safe since she left her cradle as a babe," Teddy sneered. "No matter how far the danger she can always smell it."
"Better to be careful than a fool," Bella sneered back.
"Careful perhaps, or perhaps you're a coward!"
Bella slammed her fist down on the table before her. "Enough!" she said. "I am keeping you alive! Get that through your thick skull!"
"Oh yes, and I'm soooo grateful!" Teddy replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Now compose yourself at once, woman! You're making our host uncomfortable!" He gestured to Alex, who was caught in the middle of their argument.
Bella's eyes burned with rage but when she turned her gaze toward Alex it was clear she bore none of it in his direction. On the contrary, she sought some kind of understanding in his eyes.
Alexander watched the two feud with amusement before eventually stepping forward physically and into the conversation.
Clearing his throat, he busied himself with moving things around as he lightly remarked that he wasn’t “quite sure if you two are married…I must agree that it’s better to be careful-unless you’re wealthy, than you are able to pay others for you.”
“…Are you holding out on me in terms of funding your safety and this voyage?”
“Furthermore, this ship doesn’t take kindly to arguments, it seeps into the wood and causes us to crash.”
It seemed the captain sincerely believed that last part, biting his lip as he rubbed over the supporting beam in the cabin.
Still on land, Pierre seemed ready to start tracking the crown prince, seemingly an assassin with a one track mind. In fact, when he stepped outside, he appeared moreso like a wolf, something sleek slipping amongst trees, than man.
Teddy snorted. "To either of those things," he said. "I'd never marry her."
"You should be so lucky!" Bella hissed.
"He just told us not to fight," Teddy drawled. "And I for one intend to obey this captain's command. I am tired. I would like to sleep. Did you need something from us, sir? Or am I at liberty to rest?"
Alexander didn’t respond directly, merely letting out a, “hm” before turning on his heel and walking out of the cabin and up the stairs. The pair saw the captain the next day at the helm of the ship, talking to his gunner.
When he saw them, his eyes darkened slightly, and Alexander made his way over to them. Biting his lip, he let out a long sigh before explaining that, “we’re slightly off course, I’m not sure what’s causing it. We may have to drop at the next port if it gets too windy- your payment is what I was planning on using to fix my sails.”
"Honestly," Bella murmured. "It may be better for us if we take an unplanned detour. It will make our path that much harder to track."
"Aren't you practical?" Teddy murmured. He clapped Alex on the back. "Don't fear, my good man. I'm sure we can give you extra recompense for the disruption!" He truly was out of touch. Normal people who paid for a voyage would often demand compensation if things went awry, not the other way around.
Alexander almost told Teddy to learn some better survival skills and perhaps grow a pair before remembering that they were his guests. Instead smiling cordially with a, “you’re far too kind, the both of you”, he then ushered for the first mate to direct them toward activities that would make the time pass.
The captain wasn’t lying when he warned the couple of potentially needing to stop in port. Apologising to his disgruntled crew, he promised he’d pay extra and that any tab opened that night in any tavern would be paid by him.
Walking off deck himself at some point in the late afternoon, he found Teddy and Bella and offered to accompany them “off-board, unless you two lovebirds would rather go into town alone or have the ship to yourselves.”
“If the latter, I must ask…please nothing overly hard to clean or puts me in a position of utter secondhand embarrassment.”
Meanwhile, an assassin and a hunter were stepping into that same port; Pierre was visibly a bit peeved that this job was taking him so long, face a little tighter than usual. However, he kept quiet and polite toward his companion, even he kept catching glimpses of weapons on his partner’s person.
"We're not married," Bella reminded him with a dark red tinge to her cheeks. "I don't love him. I'd rather cut out my own stomach than marry him. Please, for the love of all that is good come with us. Do not leave me with him."
"Not at all," Dario hissed cooly. "They're plenty light. Hunter's tools are meant to be taken on long journeys into the forest. These are for skinning deer but they work just as well on vile women."
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Pierre was good at what he did, not because he didn’t have a heart but because it beat slowly enough to allow him to think about every single step that went into taking someone down without remorse.
He wouldn’t go as far to say that it was a calling-those claims were reserved for those who bragged about their successful takedowns. Instead, the assassin thought of it as a job, one that he simply was good at.
The one he received that morning, with an illustration of his target, didn’t seem out of the ordinary at first. The nearby kingdoms had been suffering from power disputes for months, and it was only time before one royal put out a hit on another.
As Pierre set out-no horse, they were too noisy and he liked to travel light anyways-on the path that would lead him to the prince, all he could think about was when he’d get to eat next rather than the cruel act he’d have to commit for payment.
Isabella was good at her job because she had always been something of a brick wall. Born early with a fragile heart and kept safe like a prisoner in her young years she had learned to make herself strong. Exceeding expectations was her area of expertise. That was how she found herself appointed to the crown prince as a bodyguard.
They did not remain at the castle long after her appointment. They left the very same night, Prince Teddy disguised as a peasant and Isabella disguised as his wife. Teddy was not taking to his role well. He was thick-headed and boisterous and he did not know how to keep his mouth shut.
Isabella was beginning to fear that if his assassin did not find them first, she might kill the prince herself.
Though Pierre still considered himself sharp even after a few days of not having found the prince, he had to admit that whomever was hired to travel with him was just as smart.
Eventually finding himself needing a horse, he lost a few hours of tracking trying to tame the unruly beast, which seemed more suited to jousting than slipping between trees. Nevertheless, he persisted, only speaking to ask tavern owners and gate guards about travellers.
Meanwhile, Alexander had received orders at some point from the king to be on the watch for the crown prince and a guard. Though he’d rather drown himself in the ocean than deal with royalty, money was money, and he was broke. However, that also meant that if the other side paid him more, he’d turn in the prince himself.
Bella and Teddy arrived at Alex's tavern late one night. The storm outside drove them into the warmth and Bella immediately started bargaining for a bed. She found Alex right away, pulling him to the side.
"Good man," she said, clapping him on the arm. "Forgive our disheveled appearances. We are traveling and we are far from our homeland. My husband and I need a bed for the night."
Teddy, meanwhile, was fascinated with the atmosphere of the pub. "Bella," he hissed over her shoulder while she tried to speak with Alex. "Let's have a beer first. I've never had a beer before."
"Absolutely not," Bella replied under her breath, waving him off.
"I will pay for your beer, Bella," Teddy hissed.
Bella rolled her eyes. "And some beer," she said pointedly. "And we know you are busy and we know it is late and we are more than willing to pay you extra for your trouble."
Alexander couldn’t help but smile slightly when he caught sight of Teddy. He immediately recognised him as some sort of royal based on the way he stood and insisted on trying beer. Around any port, beer was more popular than water, a way for sailors to drown their sorrows for cheap.
He also smiled at the assumption that he was the owner of the tavern, when in reality, it was an older woman who never took a liking to Alexander nor those in his company.
Dodging a puddle of what the man hoped to be alcohol, he responded with a light, “but of course, only the finest room for you weary travellers.” However, he immediately felt bad and soon added on a soft, “although, I would likely ask the woman who actually owns this tavern for lodging-the most I could do is buy your husband a beer in exchange for information.”
“You’re from the northern region, based on your accent, yes? I need to know something about it.”
Isabella cocked an eyebrow. "My husband is from the south," she said. "I am from the north. I can give you information but not much I'm afraid. I'm... not well read like my husband is."
Isabella spoke through gritted teeth and ignored the smirk Teddy flashed her. She did not like pretending to be less competant than the illiterate and pompous prince she had been tasked with protecting.
Alexander wasn’t observant in the slightest but caught the look between the two; ever the entangler, he piped up with a cool, “right, well, I don’t believe that. I think you may be the more competent between the two of you.”
Turning to Teddy, he smiled and added, “though, that doesn’t mean the beauty didn’t instead go to you.”
“Now…the information? What’s the army situation there, how locked is the region in terms of government regulations on trade and…those selling goods that aren’t in the king’s favour?”
“A good answer grants you both more than a simple beer, and I’m a man of my word.”
Bella's eyes narrowed. "Soldiers march in the streets every day. People are being incentivised to turn in their neighbors and friends selling goods gotten illegally from the hostile neighboring kingdoms. The place is a nightmare. Children don't play outside. Shopkeepers are raided weekly, sometimes daily."
Bella's eyes scanned over Alex quickly. She took in his posture, his smirk, his demeanour, the way he played with his hands, and the way he breathed. She made her decision.
"That's why we left," she whispered, leaning in close so only Alex could hear.
Teddy put a hand on her shoulder and leaned in too. "Is he talking about pipeweed?" he whispered tactlessly. ""Goods not in the king's favour" like pipeweed?"
Instead of responding, Alexander turned to the bar counter to signal for the barkeep to pour three glasses of moderately priced scotch, two of which he then slid over to the couple.
Peering at them over his glass, he finally responded with a, “I’m not in the business of revealing my trade market, because you both could be spies for the king, but it’s not…pipeweed. If you’re looking for that, you won’t find any in this tavern.”
That was a lie that rolled smoothly off of his tongue. The tavern was a safe zone for all rivalries, meaning nobody sold anybody out within the brick walls and warmly lit interior. However, Alexander also looked out for himself most of all, which is why he was soon offering his services.
“You both look like you’re running from something. I won’t ask what, because you’d tell me and then likely slit my throat out back. However, pay enough, and I can make sure whatever…or whoever you’re running from won’t find you.”
"Smoking is a nasty, dirty habit that will send you to an early grave," Isabella chastised toward Teddy. Her concern for his well-being seemed genuine but it was clearly not romantic.
"You smoke," Teddy protested.
"Clove," Bella hissed. "It's different." She clapped a hand over Teddy's mouth to silence him, turning her attention back to Alex. Her eyes narrowed. "You can name the price for your silence," Isabella said. "But my husband and I haven't much money." It was a lie, though a well-concealed one.
Alexander lit his own pipe as Isabella chastised Teddy, raising his brow with a soft, “have always wanted to die tragically young.”
Then smiling to show that he wasn’t offended, he removed the pipe from his lips to motion towards a quieter corner of the room. Once they were all seated, the man leaned forward and eyed the couple.
“Name a fair price or trade, and I can have you on a ship out of here within a few hours- comfy lodging too, no being stashed away in a cargo hold.”
“I’m benevolent, I won’t rob you blind for this either.”
Bella opened her mouth to begin to bargain but Teddy beat her to it. He hauled an exorbitant piece of jewelery out of his pockets and tossed it onto the table non-chalantly.
Isabella stared at it. Her gaze panned to Teddy slowly. Her voice dripped with venom when she said, "Where did you get that?"
"Found it," Teddy replied non-committally.
"You weren't supposed to bring anything like that," Bella hissed. "You were searched-"
"I know. I hid it in my mouth. Clever, huh? I figured we would need it."
Isabella slapped Teddy on the arm and snatched the pendant. The damage was done now. She needed to explain this.
She shoved it toward Alex under the table. "I thought we left everything of value back home," she said softly. "If the soldiers catch you travelling with anything worth money your papers are revoked so you cannot leave. My husband is thickheaded so I should have guessed he'd try anyway." She shot a pointed glare at Teddy. "It's the most valuable thing we own but you'll grant us safe passage then-"
"No it isn't," Teddy interupted. "I have more where that-"
Alexander’s eyes hadn’t left the jewellery from the moment it was tossed onto the table. It was hard to even not just glance at it, striking light set against a grimy tabletop.
When he finally did look up, it was with a distracted, “uh huh…I’d say welcome aboard from now, but how can I trust that you didn’t steal this, and its owner will be on my trail from now on.”
“If you lie to me, I’ll have to demonstrate the sway I hold in these parts…you understand, possibly coming from an upper class lineage, the power of well timed words and influence?”
He was entirely guessing the economic and social status of the couple but also knew that the jewellery on the table in front of him wasn’t the kind peddled by street vendors of passed down through generations.
Isabella pinched her temples. She looked close to hysterics. Clearly this was not the first time on their short journey that Teddy had pissed her off so badly.
"I didn't steal it," Teddy said indignantly. "It's mine. Bella, I'm just going to tell him. He's not a threat, look at him."
"Oh you moron," Isabella hissed. "I should just leave you to fend for yourself." In a hushed voice she hissed out, "We are not married. I would never marry someone as thick-headed as him. We are not upper class. He is. I am his servant. We are fleeing political unrest but he seems hell-bent on getting himself killed despite all of my efforts. All that education and they couldn't teach you to do the one thing that's supposed to be basic instinct; survive!"
Alexander shrugged, and a half smile spread across his face when Teddy deemed him not a threat.
Furthermore, when he witnessed the couple begin to bicker, his smile grew larger.
Entertainment was hard to come around in a port already devastated by trade loss and illness. However, not being from there, the man soon took pity on them both and interrupted.
“Upper class or servant, survivor or prey, my word stands…with an upped price, considering I now know one of you is able to pay more for safety.”
Leaning over to Teddy, Alexander added a soft whisper of, “Some advice, don’t play all your cards at once” to his offer.
“We leave tonight if so, you’ve already been seen by too many patrons for my liking. Also, you’re both carrying too fucking much, leave some things behind.”
Teddy grinned. "You're a gentleman and a scholar," he said, reaching out to shake Alex's hand.
"And you're neither," Isabella chastized. She grabbed Teddy's shoulder and hauled him to his feet. "We will meet you shortly," she said. "Name your price."
Alexander shook Teddy’s hand with an equal grin before sobering up when he turned to Isabella.
“The ship you’ll want to board is the blue one at the far left of the port; fair warning, the captain is a shithead and has been described by their crew as brash and risky; in terms of payment, we can discuss that later.”
With that, he nodded and walked out of the tavern, taking care to tip the barkeep extra for not ratting them out to whomever asked after the trio.
True to his word, there was a blue ship toward the end of the port; fully lit, it managed to look both threatening at welcoming.
Teddy and Isabella approached it. Isabella went before, trailing Teddy along after her. The prince thought this all to be some great adventure he was on. Isabella was more serious.
"Quiet," she scolded Teddy who had opened his mouth to speak yet again. "And help me to find the captain."
Although it was evening, there were still a few crew onboard like on the other ships ; in contrast to the other vessels in the harbour though, they were hauling in ropes and preparing to set off.
When one of them caught sight of Isabella and Teddy, they were waved onboard, clearly having been given prior notice about their arrival. However, from there, they were left to their own devices to explore.
It was only an hour later that the captain finally appeared…and it was the man from the tavern. Stepping forward, Alexander held out a hand to shake with an amused, “hm, didn’t think you’d make it here. I’d like to say I’m proud, but that would be patronising.”
Now wearing a sailing coat, he reached inside to draw out a contract that he handed to Teddy.
“It’s so you don’t rat me out to the nearest authority or steal from me or my crew-think of it as insurance.
Also, I do signatures in blood, in case you void the agreement, and I consequently have to hand your blood to the fae to deal with you as they please.”
Teddy's eyes widened and a grin broke over his face. "Bella," he hissed. "I love this man."
Isabella's eyes narrowed. "Was the trickery necessary?" she asked.
"Bella," said Teddy. "We lied to him too. Remember?"
Isabella aimed a sharp kick into Teddy's ankle and snatched the contract from him. "He's illiterate," she murmured under her breath. "But I can write. Will you let me sign for us both?"
Alexander shook his head with a light, “he’s your husband, cut his finger and sign using it- don’t spouses do anything for each other?” before smiling to show that he was mostly joking.
Snatching the contract back from Isabella as soon as the couple signed their names, though hopefully not their lives, away, the captain tucked it into some unseen pocket.
“Now, it’s late, and I’m exhausted after dealing with a couple in a tavern-the overly cautious type. I can’t promise quarters fit for a king, but good enough for two stowaways.”
Motioning for a crew member, a fire-haired girl, to take them to their sparsely furnished room, he then walked off. The girl didn’t speak whatsoever, though she’d peer at Isabella every so often and then quickly look away.
Looking up, she smiled softly with a, “Beverly, and yours?” that seemed like she was interested rather than merely polite.
Alexander hadn’t lied with the room description, but he’d laid out some toiletries himself and drawn a crude map of where they could find him if they had concerns. There was also some sort of scrawl with the word ‘breakfast’ in their, but the rest was difficult to make out.
Meanwhile, in a nearby tavern, a tall man was hitching his horse to a post and stepping in. Holding up a poster with illustrations of Teddy and Isabella in one gloved hand, he silently offered money with the other.
As his piercing green eyes flicked from person to person, none were willing to break the code of a designated safe space, causing him to huff out a little breath as if frustrated and inquire about a room for the night.
There was no room at the inn that night. Not for Pierre, anyway. No, even if there had been a bed he would have been denied it after the inkeeper caught onto his profession. But he was not thrown out in the cold. Another patron held out a hand.
"I can help you, mon ami, if you can help me too."
This person was unkempt but not dirty, rough but not unpleasant, and he bore the grim stare of experience but not age. He was a hunter, he revealed, though he had okce been the son of a woodcutter. He too was looking for a quarry. There was a woman he knew once who had caused him strife. She had taken something from him. He had reason to suspect their interests were aligned because their quarries were traveling together.
"They boarded a ship together this evening. I'll give you a bed for the night," he said. "And at dawn we'll make our way to their destination by land."
Pierre turned slowly to the stranger, refusing to shake his hand. However, not unpolite, the taller man nodded and moved to provide more seating space.
Though he wasn’t sure of the other man’s profession, he could tell from the hungry look in his eyes that he was also a hunter, though Pierre couldn’t tell of what.
When he finally spoke, his voice was lighter than expected of an assassin, and a look at his moving hands revealed them to be well manicured.
“If they’re on a ship, no matter what distance we cover on land, they will always be ahead…what price would you request in return for assisting me?” 
"I require no money. I require no favours. I require no kindness. No, what I want is much simpler," said Dario. "I want the prince's traveling companion. I want her heart on a plate."
He did not speak with a particular hatred. His voice was balanced. The wound this woman had caused him was old and scabbed over.
Pierre didn’t raise a brow at that, used to grisly declarations and hatred toward others. However, what he did react to was the other man not wanting any payment.
“I don’t rip out hearts, I find it unclean. What were to happen if we find part of the pair, the woman, and not the other. Would you abandon me once your mission is complete?”
“I believe you know that your word, a deal, holds a great deal more weight than most think.”
He spoke quietly, tone fighting to outbalance Dario’s. However, there was a touch of sadness in there, as if he would rather be anywhere else but in this position.
Pierre didn’t ask further questions, instead deciding to take a risk and nod. Quietly, he paid for the other man’s drink before standing in front of him. Though Pierre towered over the hunter, he was all sharp angles and corners and therefore didn’t appear to pose a threat.
“Is this woman the only one you plan to kill, or have there been others? How should I trust your skill?”
"This woman is the only one left," said Dario. "Once, there were many. I'm a hunter. It's what I do. I can peel a rabbit out of its skin so cleanly you could sew it back on if you tried. I can butcher her no problem. Once she is mine I'll be finished hunting people. And you, vagabond? How many people have you hunted? Don't think just because you don't kill them yourself you're above me. If you drag a lamb to the slaughter you play your own role in the sacrifice, even if you aren't the one holding the knife."
Pierre was good at what he did, not because he didn’t have a heart but because it beat slowly enough to allow him to think about every single step that went into taking someone down without remorse.
He wouldn’t go as far to say that it was a calling-those claims were reserved for those who bragged about their successful takedowns. Instead, the assassin thought of it as a job, one that he simply was good at.
The one he received that morning, with an illustration of his target, didn’t seem out of the ordinary at first. The nearby kingdoms had been suffering from power disputes for months, and it was only time before one royal put out a hit on another.
As Pierre set out-no horse, they were too noisy and he liked to travel light anyways-on the path that would lead him to the prince, all he could think about was when he’d get to eat next rather than the cruel act he’d have to commit for payment.
Isabella was good at her job because she had always been something of a brick wall. Born early with a fragile heart and kept safe like a prisoner in her young years she had learned to make herself strong. Exceeding expectations was her area of expertise. That was how she found herself appointed to the crown prince as a bodyguard.
They did not remain at the castle long after her appointment. They left the very same night, Prince Teddy disguised as a peasant and Isabella disguised as his wife. Teddy was not taking to his role well. He was thick-headed and boisterous and he did not know how to keep his mouth shut.
Isabella was beginning to fear that if his assassin did not find them first, she might kill the prince herself.
Though Pierre still considered himself sharp even after a few days of not having found the prince, he had to admit that whomever was hired to travel with him was just as smart.
Eventually finding himself needing a horse, he lost a few hours of tracking trying to tame the unruly beast, which seemed more suited to jousting than slipping between trees. Nevertheless, he persisted, only speaking to ask tavern owners and gate guards about travellers.
Meanwhile, Alexander had received orders at some point from the king to be on the watch for the crown prince and a guard. Though he’d rather drown himself in the ocean than deal with royalty, money was money, and he was broke. However, that also meant that if the other side paid him more, he’d turn in the prince himself.
Bella and Teddy arrived at Alex's tavern late one night. The storm outside drove them into the warmth and Bella immediately started bargaining for a bed. She found Alex right away, pulling him to the side.
"Good man," she said, clapping him on the arm. "Forgive our disheveled appearances. We are traveling and we are far from our homeland. My husband and I need a bed for the night."
Teddy, meanwhile, was fascinated with the atmosphere of the pub. "Bella," he hissed over her shoulder while she tried to speak with Alex. "Let's have a beer first. I've never had a beer before."
"Absolutely not," Bella replied under her breath, waving him off.
"I will pay for your beer, Bella," Teddy hissed.
Bella rolled her eyes. "And some beer," she said pointedly. "And we know you are busy and we know it is late and we are more than willing to pay you extra for your trouble."
Alexander couldn’t help but smile slightly when he caught sight of Teddy. He immediately recognised him as some sort of royal based on the way he stood and insisted on trying beer. Around any port, beer was more popular than water, a way for sailors to drown their sorrows for cheap.
He also smiled at the assumption that he was the owner of the tavern, when in reality, it was an older woman who never took a liking to Alexander nor those in his company.
Dodging a puddle of what the man hoped to be alcohol, he responded with a light, “but of course, only the finest room for you weary travellers.” However, he immediately felt bad and soon added on a soft, “although, I would likely ask the woman who actually owns this tavern for lodging-the most I could do is buy your husband a beer in exchange for information.”
“You’re from the northern region, based on your accent, yes? I need to know something about it.”
Isabella cocked an eyebrow. "My husband is from the south," she said. "I am from the north. I can give you information but not much I'm afraid. I'm... not well read like my husband is."
Isabella spoke through gritted teeth and ignored the smirk Teddy flashed her. She did not like pretending to be less competant than the illiterate and pompous prince she had been tasked with protecting.
Alexander wasn’t observant in the slightest but caught the look between the two; ever the entangler, he piped up with a cool, “right, well, I don’t believe that. I think you may be the more competent between the two of you.”
Turning to Teddy, he smiled and added, “though, that doesn’t mean the beauty didn’t instead go to you.”
“Now…the information? What’s the army situation there, how locked is the region in terms of government regulations on trade and…those selling goods that aren’t in the king’s favour?”
“A good answer grants you both more than a simple beer, and I’m a man of my word.”
Bella's eyes narrowed. "Soldiers march in the streets every day. People are being incentivised to turn in their neighbors and friends selling goods gotten illegally from the hostile neighboring kingdoms. The place is a nightmare. Children don't play outside. Shopkeepers are raided weekly, sometimes daily."
Bella's eyes scanned over Alex quickly. She took in his posture, his smirk, his demeanour, the way he played with his hands, and the way he breathed. She made her decision.
"That's why we left," she whispered, leaning in close so only Alex could hear.
Teddy put a hand on her shoulder and leaned in too. "Is he talking about pipeweed?" he whispered tactlessly. ""Goods not in the king's favour" like pipeweed?"
Instead of responding, Alexander turned to the bar counter to signal for the barkeep to pour three glasses of moderately priced scotch, two of which he then slid over to the couple.
Peering at them over his glass, he finally responded with a, “I’m not in the business of revealing my trade market, because you both could be spies for the king, but it’s not…pipeweed. If you’re looking for that, you won’t find any in this tavern.”
That was a lie that rolled smoothly off of his tongue. The tavern was a safe zone for all rivalries, meaning nobody sold anybody out within the brick walls and warmly lit interior. However, Alexander also looked out for himself most of all, which is why he was soon offering his services.
“You both look like you’re running from something. I won’t ask what, because you’d tell me and then likely slit my throat out back. However, pay enough, and I can make sure whatever…or whoever you’re running from won’t find you.”
"Smoking is a nasty, dirty habit that will send you to an early grave," Isabella chastised toward Teddy. Her concern for his well-being seemed genuine but it was clearly not romantic.
"You smoke," Teddy protested.
"Clove," Bella hissed. "It's different." She clapped a hand over Teddy's mouth to silence him, turning her attention back to Alex. Her eyes narrowed. "You can name the price for your silence," Isabella said. "But my husband and I haven't much money." It was a lie, though a well-concealed one.
Alexander lit his own pipe as Isabella chastised Teddy, raising his brow with a soft, “have always wanted to die tragically young.”
Then smiling to show that he wasn’t offended, he removed the pipe from his lips to motion towards a quieter corner of the room. Once they were all seated, the man leaned forward and eyed the couple.
“Name a fair price or trade, and I can have you on a ship out of here within a few hours- comfy lodging too, no being stashed away in a cargo hold.”
“I’m benevolent, I won’t rob you blind for this either.”
Bella opened her mouth to begin to bargain but Teddy beat her to it. He hauled an exorbitant piece of jewelery out of his pockets and tossed it onto the table non-chalantly.
Isabella stared at it. Her gaze panned to Teddy slowly. Her voice dripped with venom when she said, "Where did you get that?"
"Found it," Teddy replied non-committally.
"You weren't supposed to bring anything like that," Bella hissed. "You were searched-"
"I know. I hid it in my mouth. Clever, huh? I figured we would need it."
Isabella slapped Teddy on the arm and snatched the pendant. The damage was done now. She needed to explain this.
She shoved it toward Alex under the table. "I thought we left everything of value back home," she said softly. "If the soldiers catch you travelling with anything worth money your papers are revoked so you cannot leave. My husband is thickheaded so I should have guessed he'd try anyway." She shot a pointed glare at Teddy. "It's the most valuable thing we own but you'll grant us safe passage then-"
"No it isn't," Teddy interupted. "I have more where that-"
Alexander’s eyes hadn’t left the jewellery from the moment it was tossed onto the table. It was hard to even not just glance at it, striking light set against a grimy tabletop.
When he finally did look up, it was with a distracted, “uh huh…I’d say welcome aboard from now, but how can I trust that you didn’t steal this, and its owner will be on my trail from now on.”
“If you lie to me, I’ll have to demonstrate the sway I hold in these parts…you understand, possibly coming from an upper class lineage, the power of well timed words and influence?”
He was entirely guessing the economic and social status of the couple but also knew that the jewellery on the table in front of him wasn’t the kind peddled by street vendors of passed down through generations.
Isabella pinched her temples. She looked close to hysterics. Clearly this was not the first time on their short journey that Teddy had pissed her off so badly.
"I didn't steal it," Teddy said indignantly. "It's mine. Bella, I'm just going to tell him. He's not a threat, look at him."
"Oh you moron," Isabella hissed. "I should just leave you to fend for yourself." In a hushed voice she hissed out, "We are not married. I would never marry someone as thick-headed as him. We are not upper class. He is. I am his servant. We are fleeing political unrest but he seems hell-bent on getting himself killed despite all of my efforts. All that education and they couldn't teach you to do the one thing that's supposed to be basic instinct; survive!"
Alexander shrugged, and a half smile spread across his face when Teddy deemed him not a threat.
Furthermore, when he witnessed the couple begin to bicker, his smile grew larger.
Entertainment was hard to come around in a port already devastated by trade loss and illness. However, not being from there, the man soon took pity on them both and interrupted.
“Upper class or servant, survivor or prey, my word stands…with an upped price, considering I now know one of you is able to pay more for safety.”
Leaning over to Teddy, Alexander added a soft whisper of, “Some advice, don’t play all your cards at once” to his offer.
“We leave tonight if so, you’ve already been seen by too many patrons for my liking. Also, you’re both carrying too fucking much, leave some things behind.”
Teddy grinned. "You're a gentleman and a scholar," he said, reaching out to shake Alex's hand.
"And you're neither," Isabella chastized. She grabbed Teddy's shoulder and hauled him to his feet. "We will meet you shortly," she said. "Name your price."
Alexander shook Teddy’s hand with an equal grin before sobering up when he turned to Isabella.
“The ship you’ll want to board is the blue one at the far left of the port; fair warning, the captain is a shithead and has been described by their crew as brash and risky; in terms of payment, we can discuss that later.”
With that, he nodded and walked out of the tavern, taking care to tip the barkeep extra for not ratting them out to whomever asked after the trio.
True to his word, there was a blue ship toward the end of the port; fully lit, it managed to look both threatening at welcoming.
Teddy and Isabella approached it. Isabella went before, trailing Teddy along after her. The prince thought this all to be some great adventure he was on. Isabella was more serious.
"Quiet," she scolded Teddy who had opened his mouth to speak yet again. "And help me to find the captain."
Although it was evening, there were still a few crew onboard like on the other ships ; in contrast to the other vessels in the harbour though, they were hauling in ropes and preparing to set off.
When one of them caught sight of Isabella and Teddy, they were waved onboard, clearly having been given prior notice about their arrival. However, from there, they were left to their own devices to explore.
It was only an hour later that the captain finally appeared…and it was the man from the tavern. Stepping forward, Alexander held out a hand to shake with an amused, “hm, didn’t think you’d make it here. I’d like to say I’m proud, but that would be patronising.”
Now wearing a sailing coat, he reached inside to draw out a contract that he handed to Teddy.
“It’s so you don’t rat me out to the nearest authority or steal from me or my crew-think of it as insurance.
Also, I do signatures in blood, in case you void the agreement, and I consequently have to hand your blood to the fae to deal with you as they please.”
Teddy's eyes widened and a grin broke over his face. "Bella," he hissed. "I love this man."
Isabella's eyes narrowed. "Was the trickery necessary?" she asked.
"Bella," said Teddy. "We lied to him too. Remember?"
Isabella aimed a sharp kick into Teddy's ankle and snatched the contract from him. "He's illiterate," she murmured under her breath. "But I can write. Will you let me sign for us both?"
Alexander shook his head with a light, “he’s your husband, cut his finger and sign using it- don’t spouses do anything for each other?” before smiling to show that he was mostly joking.
Snatching the contract back from Isabella as soon as the couple signed their names, though hopefully not their lives, away, the captain tucked it into some unseen pocket.
“Now, it’s late, and I’m exhausted after dealing with a couple in a tavern-the overly cautious type. I can’t promise quarters fit for a king, but good enough for two stowaways.”
Motioning for a crew member, a fire-haired girl, to take them to their sparsely furnished room, he then walked off. The girl didn’t speak whatsoever, though she’d peer at Isabella every so often and then quickly look away.
Looking up, she smiled softly with a, “Beverly, and yours?” that seemed like she was interested rather than merely polite.
Alexander hadn’t lied with the room description, but he’d laid out some toiletries himself and drawn a crude map of where they could find him if they had concerns. There was also some sort of scrawl with the word ‘breakfast’ in their, but the rest was difficult to make out.
Meanwhile, in a nearby tavern, a tall man was hitching his horse to a post and stepping in. Holding up a poster with illustrations of Teddy and Isabella in one gloved hand, he silently offered money with the other.
As his piercing green eyes flicked from person to person, none were willing to break the code of a designated safe space, causing him to huff out a little breath as if frustrated and inquire about a room for the night.
There was no room at the inn that night. Not for Pierre, anyway. No, even if there had been a bed he would have been denied it after the inkeeper caught onto his profession. But he was not thrown out in the cold. Another patron held out a hand.
"I can help you, mon ami, if you can help me too."
This person was unkempt but not dirty, rough but not unpleasant, and he bore the grim stare of experience but not age. He was a hunter, he revealed, though he had okce been the son of a woodcutter. He too was looking for a quarry. There was a woman he knew once who had caused him strife. She had taken something from him. He had reason to suspect their interests were aligned because their quarries were traveling together.
"They boarded a ship together this evening. I'll give you a bed for the night," he said. "And at dawn we'll make our way to their destination by land."
Pierre turned slowly to the stranger, refusing to shake his hand. However, not unpolite, the taller man nodded and moved to provide more seating space.
Though he wasn’t sure of the other man’s profession, he could tell from the hungry look in his eyes that he was also a hunter, though Pierre couldn’t tell of what.
When he finally spoke, his voice was lighter than expected of an assassin, and a look at his moving hands revealed them to be well manicured.
“If they’re on a ship, no matter what distance we cover on land, they will always be ahead…what price would you request in return for assisting me?” 
"I require no money. I require no favours. I require no kindness. No, what I want is much simpler," said Dario. "I want the prince's traveling companion. I want her heart on a plate."
He did not speak with a particular hatred. His voice was balanced. The wound this woman had caused him was old and scabbed over.
Pierre didn’t raise a brow at that, used to grisly declarations and hatred toward others. However, what he did react to was the other man not wanting any payment.
“I don’t rip out hearts, I find it unclean. What were to happen if we find part of the pair, the woman, and not the other. Would you abandon me once your mission is complete?”
“I believe you know that your word, a deal, holds a great deal more weight than most think.”
He spoke quietly, tone fighting to outbalance Dario’s. However, there was a touch of sadness in there, as if he would rather be anywhere else but in this position.
Pierre was good at what he did, not because he didn’t have a heart but because it beat slowly enough to allow him to think about every single step that went into taking someone down without remorse.
He wouldn’t go as far to say that it was a calling-those claims were reserved for those who bragged about their successful takedowns. Instead, the assassin thought of it as a job, one that he simply was good at.
The one he received that morning, with an illustration of his target, didn’t seem out of the ordinary at first. The nearby kingdoms had been suffering from power disputes for months, and it was only time before one royal put out a hit on another.
As Pierre set out-no horse, they were too noisy and he liked to travel light anyways-on the path that would lead him to the prince, all he could think about was when he’d get to eat next rather than the cruel act he’d have to commit for payment.
Isabella was good at her job because she had always been something of a brick wall. Born early with a fragile heart and kept safe like a prisoner in her young years she had learned to make herself strong. Exceeding expectations was her area of expertise. That was how she found herself appointed to the crown prince as a bodyguard.
They did not remain at the castle long after her appointment. They left the very same night, Prince Teddy disguised as a peasant and Isabella disguised as his wife. Teddy was not taking to his role well. He was thick-headed and boisterous and he did not know how to keep his mouth shut.
Isabella was beginning to fear that if his assassin did not find them first, she might kill the prince herself.
Though Pierre still considered himself sharp even after a few days of not having found the prince, he had to admit that whomever was hired to travel with him was just as smart.
Eventually finding himself needing a horse, he lost a few hours of tracking trying to tame the unruly beast, which seemed more suited to jousting than slipping between trees. Nevertheless, he persisted, only speaking to ask tavern owners and gate guards about travellers.
Meanwhile, Alexander had received orders at some point from the king to be on the watch for the crown prince and a guard. Though he’d rather drown himself in the ocean than deal with royalty, money was money, and he was broke. However, that also meant that if the other side paid him more, he’d turn in the prince himself.
Bella and Teddy arrived at Alex's tavern late one night. The storm outside drove them into the warmth and Bella immediately started bargaining for a bed. She found Alex right away, pulling him to the side.
"Good man," she said, clapping him on the arm. "Forgive our disheveled appearances. We are traveling and we are far from our homeland. My husband and I need a bed for the night."
Teddy, meanwhile, was fascinated with the atmosphere of the pub. "Bella," he hissed over her shoulder while she tried to speak with Alex. "Let's have a beer first. I've never had a beer before."
"Absolutely not," Bella replied under her breath, waving him off.
"I will pay for your beer, Bella," Teddy hissed.
Bella rolled her eyes. "And some beer," she said pointedly. "And we know you are busy and we know it is late and we are more than willing to pay you extra for your trouble."
Alexander couldn’t help but smile slightly when he caught sight of Teddy. He immediately recognised him as some sort of royal based on the way he stood and insisted on trying beer. Around any port, beer was more popular than water, a way for sailors to drown their sorrows for cheap.
He also smiled at the assumption that he was the owner of the tavern, when in reality, it was an older woman who never took a liking to Alexander nor those in his company.
Dodging a puddle of what the man hoped to be alcohol, he responded with a light, “but of course, only the finest room for you weary travellers.” However, he immediately felt bad and soon added on a soft, “although, I would likely ask the woman who actually owns this tavern for lodging-the most I could do is buy your husband a beer in exchange for information.”
“You’re from the northern region, based on your accent, yes? I need to know something about it.”
Isabella cocked an eyebrow. "My husband is from the south," she said. "I am from the north. I can give you information but not much I'm afraid. I'm... not well read like my husband is."
Isabella spoke through gritted teeth and ignored the smirk Teddy flashed her. She did not like pretending to be less competant than the illiterate and pompous prince she had been tasked with protecting.
Alexander wasn’t observant in the slightest but caught the look between the two; ever the entangler, he piped up with a cool, “right, well, I don’t believe that. I think you may be the more competent between the two of you.”
Turning to Teddy, he smiled and added, “though, that doesn’t mean the beauty didn’t instead go to you.”
“Now…the information? What’s the army situation there, how locked is the region in terms of government regulations on trade and…those selling goods that aren’t in the king’s favour?”
“A good answer grants you both more than a simple beer, and I’m a man of my word.”
Bella's eyes narrowed. "Soldiers march in the streets every day. People are being incentivised to turn in their neighbors and friends selling goods gotten illegally from the hostile neighboring kingdoms. The place is a nightmare. Children don't play outside. Shopkeepers are raided weekly, sometimes daily."
Bella's eyes scanned over Alex quickly. She took in his posture, his smirk, his demeanour, the way he played with his hands, and the way he breathed. She made her decision.
"That's why we left," she whispered, leaning in close so only Alex could hear.
Teddy put a hand on her shoulder and leaned in too. "Is he talking about pipeweed?" he whispered tactlessly. ""Goods not in the king's favour" like pipeweed?"
Instead of responding, Alexander turned to the bar counter to signal for the barkeep to pour three glasses of moderately priced scotch, two of which he then slid over to the couple.
Peering at them over his glass, he finally responded with a, “I’m not in the business of revealing my trade market, because you both could be spies for the king, but it’s not…pipeweed. If you’re looking for that, you won’t find any in this tavern.”
That was a lie that rolled smoothly off of his tongue. The tavern was a safe zone for all rivalries, meaning nobody sold anybody out within the brick walls and warmly lit interior. However, Alexander also looked out for himself most of all, which is why he was soon offering his services.
“You both look like you’re running from something. I won’t ask what, because you’d tell me and then likely slit my throat out back. However, pay enough, and I can make sure whatever…or whoever you’re running from won’t find you.”
"Smoking is a nasty, dirty habit that will send you to an early grave," Isabella chastised toward Teddy. Her concern for his well-being seemed genuine but it was clearly not romantic.
"You smoke," Teddy protested.
"Clove," Bella hissed. "It's different." She clapped a hand over Teddy's mouth to silence him, turning her attention back to Alex. Her eyes narrowed. "You can name the price for your silence," Isabella said. "But my husband and I haven't much money." It was a lie, though a well-concealed one.
Alexander lit his own pipe as Isabella chastised Teddy, raising his brow with a soft, “have always wanted to die tragically young.”
Then smiling to show that he wasn’t offended, he removed the pipe from his lips to motion towards a quieter corner of the room. Once they were all seated, the man leaned forward and eyed the couple.
“Name a fair price or trade, and I can have you on a ship out of here within a few hours- comfy lodging too, no being stashed away in a cargo hold.”
“I’m benevolent, I won’t rob you blind for this either.”
Bella opened her mouth to begin to bargain but Teddy beat her to it. He hauled an exorbitant piece of jewelery out of his pockets and tossed it onto the table non-chalantly.
Isabella stared at it. Her gaze panned to Teddy slowly. Her voice dripped with venom when she said, "Where did you get that?"
"Found it," Teddy replied non-committally.
"You weren't supposed to bring anything like that," Bella hissed. "You were searched-"
"I know. I hid it in my mouth. Clever, huh? I figured we would need it."
Isabella slapped Teddy on the arm and snatched the pendant. The damage was done now. She needed to explain this.
She shoved it toward Alex under the table. "I thought we left everything of value back home," she said softly. "If the soldiers catch you travelling with anything worth money your papers are revoked so you cannot leave. My husband is thickheaded so I should have guessed he'd try anyway." She shot a pointed glare at Teddy. "It's the most valuable thing we own but you'll grant us safe passage then-"
"No it isn't," Teddy interupted. "I have more where that-"
Alexander’s eyes hadn’t left the jewellery from the moment it was tossed onto the table. It was hard to even not just glance at it, striking light set against a grimy tabletop.
When he finally did look up, it was with a distracted, “uh huh…I’d say welcome aboard from now, but how can I trust that you didn’t steal this, and its owner will be on my trail from now on.”
“If you lie to me, I’ll have to demonstrate the sway I hold in these parts…you understand, possibly coming from an upper class lineage, the power of well timed words and influence?”
He was entirely guessing the economic and social status of the couple but also knew that the jewellery on the table in front of him wasn’t the kind peddled by street vendors of passed down through generations.
Isabella pinched her temples. She looked close to hysterics. Clearly this was not the first time on their short journey that Teddy had pissed her off so badly.
"I didn't steal it," Teddy said indignantly. "It's mine. Bella, I'm just going to tell him. He's not a threat, look at him."
"Oh you moron," Isabella hissed. "I should just leave you to fend for yourself." In a hushed voice she hissed out, "We are not married. I would never marry someone as thick-headed as him. We are not upper class. He is. I am his servant. We are fleeing political unrest but he seems hell-bent on getting himself killed despite all of my efforts. All that education and they couldn't teach you to do the one thing that's supposed to be basic instinct; survive!"
Alexander shrugged, and a half smile spread across his face when Teddy deemed him not a threat.
Furthermore, when he witnessed the couple begin to bicker, his smile grew larger.
Entertainment was hard to come around in a port already devastated by trade loss and illness. However, not being from there, the man soon took pity on them both and interrupted.
“Upper class or servant, survivor or prey, my word stands…with an upped price, considering I now know one of you is able to pay more for safety.”
Leaning over to Teddy, Alexander added a soft whisper of, “Some advice, don’t play all your cards at once” to his offer.
“We leave tonight if so, you’ve already been seen by too many patrons for my liking. Also, you’re both carrying too fucking much, leave some things behind.”
Teddy grinned. "You're a gentleman and a scholar," he said, reaching out to shake Alex's hand.
"And you're neither," Isabella chastized. She grabbed Teddy's shoulder and hauled him to his feet. "We will meet you shortly," she said. "Name your price."
Alexander shook Teddy’s hand with an equal grin before sobering up when he turned to Isabella.
“The ship you’ll want to board is the blue one at the far left of the port; fair warning, the captain is a shithead and has been described by their crew as brash and risky; in terms of payment, we can discuss that later.”
With that, he nodded and walked out of the tavern, taking care to tip the barkeep extra for not ratting them out to whomever asked after the trio.
True to his word, there was a blue ship toward the end of the port; fully lit, it managed to look both threatening at welcoming.
Teddy and Isabella approached it. Isabella went before, trailing Teddy along after her. The prince thought this all to be some great adventure he was on. Isabella was more serious.
"Quiet," she scolded Teddy who had opened his mouth to speak yet again. "And help me to find the captain."
Although it was evening, there were still a few crew onboard like on the other ships ; in contrast to the other vessels in the harbour though, they were hauling in ropes and preparing to set off.
When one of them caught sight of Isabella and Teddy, they were waved onboard, clearly having been given prior notice about their arrival. However, from there, they were left to their own devices to explore.
It was only an hour later that the captain finally appeared…and it was the man from the tavern. Stepping forward, Alexander held out a hand to shake with an amused, “hm, didn’t think you’d make it here. I’d like to say I’m proud, but that would be patronising.”
Now wearing a sailing coat, he reached inside to draw out a contract that he handed to Teddy.
“It’s so you don’t rat me out to the nearest authority or steal from me or my crew-think of it as insurance.
Also, I do signatures in blood, in case you void the agreement, and I consequently have to hand your blood to the fae to deal with you as they please.”
Teddy's eyes widened and a grin broke over his face. "Bella," he hissed. "I love this man."
Isabella's eyes narrowed. "Was the trickery necessary?" she asked.
"Bella," said Teddy. "We lied to him too. Remember?"
Isabella aimed a sharp kick into Teddy's ankle and snatched the contract from him. "He's illiterate," she murmured under her breath. "But I can write. Will you let me sign for us both?"
Alexander shook his head with a light, “he’s your husband, cut his finger and sign using it- don’t spouses do anything for each other?” before smiling to show that he was mostly joking.
Snatching the contract back from Isabella as soon as the couple signed their names, though hopefully not their lives, away, the captain tucked it into some unseen pocket.
“Now, it’s late, and I’m exhausted after dealing with a couple in a tavern-the overly cautious type. I can’t promise quarters fit for a king, but good enough for two stowaways.”
Motioning for a crew member, a fire-haired girl, to take them to their sparsely furnished room, he then walked off. The girl didn’t speak whatsoever, though she’d peer at Isabella every so often and then quickly look away.
Looking up, she smiled softly with a, “Beverly, and yours?” that seemed like she was interested rather than merely polite.
Alexander hadn’t lied with the room description, but he’d laid out some toiletries himself and drawn a crude map of where they could find him if they had concerns. There was also some sort of scrawl with the word ‘breakfast’ in their, but the rest was difficult to make out.
Meanwhile, in a nearby tavern, a tall man was hitching his horse to a post and stepping in. Holding up a poster with illustrations of Teddy and Isabella in one gloved hand, he silently offered money with the other.
As his piercing green eyes flicked from person to person, none were willing to break the code of a designated safe space, causing him to huff out a little breath as if frustrated and inquire about a room for the night.
There was no room at the inn that night. Not for Pierre, anyway. No, even if there had been a bed he would have been denied it after the inkeeper caught onto his profession. But he was not thrown out in the cold. Another patron held out a hand.
"I can help you, mon ami, if you can help me too."
This person was unkempt but not dirty, rough but not unpleasant, and he bore the grim stare of experience but not age. He was a hunter, he revealed, though he had okce been the son of a woodcutter. He too was looking for a quarry. There was a woman he knew once who had caused him strife. She had taken something from him. He had reason to suspect their interests were aligned because their quarries were traveling together.
"They boarded a ship together this evening. I'll give you a bed for the night," he said. "And at dawn we'll make our way to their destination by land."
Pierre turned slowly to the stranger, refusing to shake his hand. However, not unpolite, the taller man nodded and moved to provide more seating space.
Though he wasn’t sure of the other man’s profession, he could tell from the hungry look in his eyes that he was also a hunter, though Pierre couldn’t tell of what.
When he finally spoke, his voice was lighter than expected of an assassin, and a look at his moving hands revealed them to be well manicured.
“If they’re on a ship, no matter what distance we cover on land, they will always be ahead…what price would you request in return for assisting me?” 
"I require no money. I require no favours. I require no kindness. No, what I want is much simpler," said Dario. "I want the prince's traveling companion. I want her heart on a plate."
He did not speak with a particular hatred. His voice was balanced. The wound this woman had caused him was old and scabbed over.
Pierre was good at what he did, not because he didn’t have a heart but because it beat slowly enough to allow him to think about every single step that went into taking someone down without remorse.
He wouldn’t go as far to say that it was a calling-those claims were reserved for those who bragged about their successful takedowns. Instead, the assassin thought of it as a job, one that he simply was good at.
The one he received that morning, with an illustration of his target, didn’t seem out of the ordinary at first. The nearby kingdoms had been suffering from power disputes for months, and it was only time before one royal put out a hit on another.
As Pierre set out-no horse, they were too noisy and he liked to travel light anyways-on the path that would lead him to the prince, all he could think about was when he’d get to eat next rather than the cruel act he’d have to commit for payment.
Isabella was good at her job because she had always been something of a brick wall. Born early with a fragile heart and kept safe like a prisoner in her young years she had learned to make herself strong. Exceeding expectations was her area of expertise. That was how she found herself appointed to the crown prince as a bodyguard.
They did not remain at the castle long after her appointment. They left the very same night, Prince Teddy disguised as a peasant and Isabella disguised as his wife. Teddy was not taking to his role well. He was thick-headed and boisterous and he did not know how to keep his mouth shut.
Isabella was beginning to fear that if his assassin did not find them first, she might kill the prince herself.
Though Pierre still considered himself sharp even after a few days of not having found the prince, he had to admit that whomever was hired to travel with him was just as smart.
Eventually finding himself needing a horse, he lost a few hours of tracking trying to tame the unruly beast, which seemed more suited to jousting than slipping between trees. Nevertheless, he persisted, only speaking to ask tavern owners and gate guards about travellers.
Meanwhile, Alexander had received orders at some point from the king to be on the watch for the crown prince and a guard. Though he’d rather drown himself in the ocean than deal with royalty, money was money, and he was broke. However, that also meant that if the other side paid him more, he’d turn in the prince himself.
Bella and Teddy arrived at Alex's tavern late one night. The storm outside drove them into the warmth and Bella immediately started bargaining for a bed. She found Alex right away, pulling him to the side.
"Good man," she said, clapping him on the arm. "Forgive our disheveled appearances. We are traveling and we are far from our homeland. My husband and I need a bed for the night."
Teddy, meanwhile, was fascinated with the atmosphere of the pub. "Bella," he hissed over her shoulder while she tried to speak with Alex. "Let's have a beer first. I've never had a beer before."
"Absolutely not," Bella replied under her breath, waving him off.
"I will pay for your beer, Bella," Teddy hissed.
Bella rolled her eyes. "And some beer," she said pointedly. "And we know you are busy and we know it is late and we are more than willing to pay you extra for your trouble."
Alexander couldn’t help but smile slightly when he caught sight of Teddy. He immediately recognised him as some sort of royal based on the way he stood and insisted on trying beer. Around any port, beer was more popular than water, a way for sailors to drown their sorrows for cheap.
He also smiled at the assumption that he was the owner of the tavern, when in reality, it was an older woman who never took a liking to Alexander nor those in his company.
Dodging a puddle of what the man hoped to be alcohol, he responded with a light, “but of course, only the finest room for you weary travellers.” However, he immediately felt bad and soon added on a soft, “although, I would likely ask the woman who actually owns this tavern for lodging-the most I could do is buy your husband a beer in exchange for information.”
“You’re from the northern region, based on your accent, yes? I need to know something about it.”
Isabella cocked an eyebrow. "My husband is from the south," she said. "I am from the north. I can give you information but not much I'm afraid. I'm... not well read like my husband is."
Isabella spoke through gritted teeth and ignored the smirk Teddy flashed her. She did not like pretending to be less competant than the illiterate and pompous prince she had been tasked with protecting.
Alexander wasn’t observant in the slightest but caught the look between the two; ever the entangler, he piped up with a cool, “right, well, I don’t believe that. I think you may be the more competent between the two of you.”
Turning to Teddy, he smiled and added, “though, that doesn’t mean the beauty didn’t instead go to you.”
“Now…the information? What’s the army situation there, how locked is the region in terms of government regulations on trade and…those selling goods that aren’t in the king’s favour?”
“A good answer grants you both more than a simple beer, and I’m a man of my word.”
Bella's eyes narrowed. "Soldiers march in the streets every day. People are being incentivised to turn in their neighbors and friends selling goods gotten illegally from the hostile neighboring kingdoms. The place is a nightmare. Children don't play outside. Shopkeepers are raided weekly, sometimes daily."
Bella's eyes scanned over Alex quickly. She took in his posture, his smirk, his demeanour, the way he played with his hands, and the way he breathed. She made her decision.
"That's why we left," she whispered, leaning in close so only Alex could hear.
Teddy put a hand on her shoulder and leaned in too. "Is he talking about pipeweed?" he whispered tactlessly. ""Goods not in the king's favour" like pipeweed?"
Instead of responding, Alexander turned to the bar counter to signal for the barkeep to pour three glasses of moderately priced scotch, two of which he then slid over to the couple.
Peering at them over his glass, he finally responded with a, “I’m not in the business of revealing my trade market, because you both could be spies for the king, but it’s not…pipeweed. If you’re looking for that, you won’t find any in this tavern.”
That was a lie that rolled smoothly off of his tongue. The tavern was a safe zone for all rivalries, meaning nobody sold anybody out within the brick walls and warmly lit interior. However, Alexander also looked out for himself most of all, which is why he was soon offering his services.
“You both look like you’re running from something. I won’t ask what, because you’d tell me and then likely slit my throat out back. However, pay enough, and I can make sure whatever…or whoever you’re running from won’t find you.”
"Smoking is a nasty, dirty habit that will send you to an early grave," Isabella chastised toward Teddy. Her concern for his well-being seemed genuine but it was clearly not romantic.
"You smoke," Teddy protested.
"Clove," Bella hissed. "It's different." She clapped a hand over Teddy's mouth to silence him, turning her attention back to Alex. Her eyes narrowed. "You can name the price for your silence," Isabella said. "But my husband and I haven't much money." It was a lie, though a well-concealed one.
Alexander lit his own pipe as Isabella chastised Teddy, raising his brow with a soft, “have always wanted to die tragically young.”
Then smiling to show that he wasn’t offended, he removed the pipe from his lips to motion towards a quieter corner of the room. Once they were all seated, the man leaned forward and eyed the couple.
“Name a fair price or trade, and I can have you on a ship out of here within a few hours- comfy lodging too, no being stashed away in a cargo hold.”
“I’m benevolent, I won’t rob you blind for this either.”
Bella opened her mouth to begin to bargain but Teddy beat her to it. He hauled an exorbitant piece of jewelery out of his pockets and tossed it onto the table non-chalantly.
Isabella stared at it. Her gaze panned to Teddy slowly. Her voice dripped with venom when she said, "Where did you get that?"
"Found it," Teddy replied non-committally.
"You weren't supposed to bring anything like that," Bella hissed. "You were searched-"
"I know. I hid it in my mouth. Clever, huh? I figured we would need it."
Isabella slapped Teddy on the arm and snatched the pendant. The damage was done now. She needed to explain this.
She shoved it toward Alex under the table. "I thought we left everything of value back home," she said softly. "If the soldiers catch you travelling with anything worth money your papers are revoked so you cannot leave. My husband is thickheaded so I should have guessed he'd try anyway." She shot a pointed glare at Teddy. "It's the most valuable thing we own but you'll grant us safe passage then-"
"No it isn't," Teddy interupted. "I have more where that-"
Alexander’s eyes hadn’t left the jewellery from the moment it was tossed onto the table. It was hard to even not just glance at it, striking light set against a grimy tabletop.
When he finally did look up, it was with a distracted, “uh huh…I’d say welcome aboard from now, but how can I trust that you didn’t steal this, and its owner will be on my trail from now on.”
“If you lie to me, I’ll have to demonstrate the sway I hold in these parts…you understand, possibly coming from an upper class lineage, the power of well timed words and influence?”
He was entirely guessing the economic and social status of the couple but also knew that the jewellery on the table in front of him wasn’t the kind peddled by street vendors of passed down through generations.
Isabella pinched her temples. She looked close to hysterics. Clearly this was not the first time on their short journey that Teddy had pissed her off so badly.
"I didn't steal it," Teddy said indignantly. "It's mine. Bella, I'm just going to tell him. He's not a threat, look at him."
"Oh you moron," Isabella hissed. "I should just leave you to fend for yourself." In a hushed voice she hissed out, "We are not married. I would never marry someone as thick-headed as him. We are not upper class. He is. I am his servant. We are fleeing political unrest but he seems hell-bent on getting himself killed despite all of my efforts. All that education and they couldn't teach you to do the one thing that's supposed to be basic instinct; survive!"
Alexander shrugged, and a half smile spread across his face when Teddy deemed him not a threat.
Furthermore, when he witnessed the couple begin to bicker, his smile grew larger.
Entertainment was hard to come around in a port already devastated by trade loss and illness. However, not being from there, the man soon took pity on them both and interrupted.
“Upper class or servant, survivor or prey, my word stands…with an upped price, considering I now know one of you is able to pay more for safety.”
Leaning over to Teddy, Alexander added a soft whisper of, “Some advice, don’t play all your cards at once” to his offer.
“We leave tonight if so, you’ve already been seen by too many patrons for my liking. Also, you’re both carrying too fucking much, leave some things behind.”
Teddy grinned. "You're a gentleman and a scholar," he said, reaching out to shake Alex's hand.
"And you're neither," Isabella chastized. She grabbed Teddy's shoulder and hauled him to his feet. "We will meet you shortly," she said. "Name your price."
Alexander shook Teddy’s hand with an equal grin before sobering up when he turned to Isabella.
“The ship you’ll want to board is the blue one at the far left of the port; fair warning, the captain is a shithead and has been described by their crew as brash and risky; in terms of payment, we can discuss that later.”
With that, he nodded and walked out of the tavern, taking care to tip the barkeep extra for not ratting them out to whomever asked after the trio.
True to his word, there was a blue ship toward the end of the port; fully lit, it managed to look both threatening at welcoming.
Teddy and Isabella approached it. Isabella went before, trailing Teddy along after her. The prince thought this all to be some great adventure he was on. Isabella was more serious.
"Quiet," she scolded Teddy who had opened his mouth to speak yet again. "And help me to find the captain."
Although it was evening, there were still a few crew onboard like on the other ships ; in contrast to the other vessels in the harbour though, they were hauling in ropes and preparing to set off.
When one of them caught sight of Isabella and Teddy, they were waved onboard, clearly having been given prior notice about their arrival. However, from there, they were left to their own devices to explore.
It was only an hour later that the captain finally appeared…and it was the man from the tavern. Stepping forward, Alexander held out a hand to shake with an amused, “hm, didn’t think you’d make it here. I’d like to say I’m proud, but that would be patronising.”
Now wearing a sailing coat, he reached inside to draw out a contract that he handed to Teddy.
“It’s so you don’t rat me out to the nearest authority or steal from me or my crew-think of it as insurance.
Also, I do signatures in blood, in case you void the agreement, and I consequently have to hand your blood to the fae to deal with you as they please.”
Teddy's eyes widened and a grin broke over his face. "Bella," he hissed. "I love this man."
Isabella's eyes narrowed. "Was the trickery necessary?" she asked.
"Bella," said Teddy. "We lied to him too. Remember?"
Isabella aimed a sharp kick into Teddy's ankle and snatched the contract from him. "He's illiterate," she murmured under her breath. "But I can write. Will you let me sign for us both?"
Alexander shook his head with a light, “he’s your husband, cut his finger and sign using it- don’t spouses do anything for each other?” before smiling to show that he was mostly joking.
Snatching the contract back from Isabella as soon as the couple signed their names, though hopefully not their lives, away, the captain tucked it into some unseen pocket.
“Now, it’s late, and I’m exhausted after dealing with a couple in a tavern-the overly cautious type. I can’t promise quarters fit for a king, but good enough for two stowaways.”
Motioning for a crew member, a fire-haired girl, to take them to their sparsely furnished room, he then walked off. The girl didn’t speak whatsoever, though she’d peer at Isabella every so often and then quickly look away.
Looking up, she smiled softly with a, “Beverly, and yours?” that seemed like she was interested rather than merely polite.
Alexander hadn’t lied with the room description, but he’d laid out some toiletries himself and drawn a crude map of where they could find him if they had concerns. There was also some sort of scrawl with the word ‘breakfast’ in their, but the rest was difficult to make out.
Meanwhile, in a nearby tavern, a tall man was hitching his horse to a post and stepping in. Holding up a poster with illustrations of Teddy and Isabella in one gloved hand, he silently offered money with the other.
As his piercing green eyes flicked from person to person, none were willing to break the code of a designated safe space, causing him to huff out a little breath as if frustrated and inquire about a room for the night.
There was no room at the inn that night. Not for Pierre, anyway. No, even if there had been a bed he would have been denied it after the inkeeper caught onto his profession. But he was not thrown out in the cold. Another patron held out a hand.
"I can help you, mon ami, if you can help me too."
This person was unkempt but not dirty, rough but not unpleasant, and he bore the grim stare of experience but not age. He was a hunter, he revealed, though he had okce been the son of a woodcutter. He too was looking for a quarry. There was a woman he knew once who had caused him strife. She had taken something from him. He had reason to suspect their interests were aligned because their quarries were traveling together.
"They boarded a ship together this evening. I'll give you a bed for the night," he said. "And at dawn we'll make our way to their destination by land."
Bella grabbed an especially heavy box out of Beverly's trunk, assuring her for the millionth time that day that she could handle it. She tried again and again to explain her vampiric strength to her girlfriend and even though Beverly still protested Bella knew she understood better than most.
Bella carried the box in through the entryway, up the stairs, and down the hall to where the bedrooms were in the house. She had explained to Beverly the layout already but that didn’t make it any less confusing to actually be inside. The house was old and it was strangely built and organized but Bella's bedroom was homey.
It wasn't very cluttered, although that could change very soon. The only part of it that was full was the closet. Bella had moved all her own clothes to one side and had already finished unpacking Beverly's into the other. Now all that was left was to unpack the rest of her belongings and introduce her to the others.
"Remember," said Bella as she set down her box and took a step back, gingerly dodging Beverly's cat. "If you decide I snore too loud or squirm too much in my sleep you can always ask for your own room."
Beverly, shaking her head as she removed one of the numerous boxes from Isabella’s arms, didn’t have it in her to reassure her girlfriend with words again.
Knowing the six times she did so before didn’t stick, Beverly instead leaned over to kiss her girlfriend on the cheek with a warm, “I love you” and smile. Then, understanding that Isabella liked arranging things herself, she excused herself and Blossom from the room. Wandering back over to her car to shut the trunk, she leaned against the flood and looked up at the crumbling facade.
Biting her lip in the same way another member of the house did, Beverly then ran her fingers through her unruly hair before climbing the stairs again into the house and back to her new room.
“…this house looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in years, Bella! Come on, tell me you at least have some cleaning supplies laying around somewhere….do your roommates not clean?”
She didn’t even wait for an answer as she began working alongside Isabella,suddenly too nervous to remember how the other woman liked…no needed, to organise alone.
"Bev," she said softly. "We'll take care of that later, alright? We do clean. We've been busy lately so I will conceed the house is a mess right now but let's not worry about that right now."
Isabella moved her hand up and down Beverly's arm. "You're safe here, okay? Is that what this is? Are you shaken up from what happened before? I promise, Bev, as long as you're living here no one will come to harm you. You're under Teddy's protection now. More importantly, you're under mine."
Beverly leaned into the touch before letting out an embarrassed laugh and a, “you’re right, this is silly. I’m being silly. We’ve talked about movin’ in together for months, and this place is…perfect in its own way.”
Then rising to her feet and grabbing her bandana from her overalls, she tied her hair back before continuing to unpack her things. However, knowing Isabella likely still didn’t believe she was alright, she confirmed it a few minutes later with a warm, “I know you won’t eat my food, but I will. I’m not going to feel better until I see what sort of kitchen is in this labyrinth!”
“Also, for a house with more people than I can count on one hand, it’s too quiet. You need life in here, Isabella, that’s what this house needs more than a deep cleanin’”
Bella chuckled softly. "I wouldn't be surprised if no one is home now," she said. "You'll have time to meet people when they arrive. For now, I'll take you to the kitchen."
Bella extended an arm to Beverly and began leading her down the hall.
Beverly lagged behind ever so slightly, partly because of her height and partly because she couldn’t stop thinking about how to tidy up the estate.
Wanting to comment on how lonely the house felt with nobody home, she instead directed her attention into running her hands over the cool marble countertops in the kitchen. Turning to comment to Bella on how they didn’t fit within the old light fixtures, she instead caught the eye of somebody else in the kitchen.
While she wanted to leave, suddenly not ready to meet new people, she forced herself to take a deep breath and step forward with a warm, “oh, hello there! It’s so nice to see somebody else in here.”
Dario stepped into the kitchen, a small smile playing at his lips. "You must be Beverly," he said. "My name is Dario. Bella told me you were beautiful but even she could not do you justice."
He walked until he was next to her, smiling down at her with a tilted head. He pulled open the fridge with one hand. "I'm just getting a drink," he said. "Can I get you anything?"
A drink. Bella had been completely and totally honest with Beverly before she had come to the house. She had told her what Bella and her famiglia were. Still, a drink could mean anything. Anything.
Although Dario was offputting in some odd way he was warm and inviting. Bella had mentioned him more than once and had credited him with saving her life more than a few times.
Beverly wasn’t even thinking about what the word ‘drink’ could’ve signified. Rather, she was trying to determine whether she should be put off by the way Dario smiled at her nor the compliment.
However walking into that conversation, like most, with an open mind, she smiled. After lowering her head ever so slightly to show that she accepted the compliment but was suddenly to shy to give one back, she replied.
“Oh! You’re that Dario. Gosh, I should be thanking you for making sure Bella still walks this earth, right?”
She still didn’t necessarily take a liking to Dario when she doled on praise. However, Beverly was above all friendly and didn’t mind pretending for her girlfriend who was nervous in her own sort of way.
Dario chuckled warmly. "Bella has saved my neck too many times," he said with a grin. "Make no mistake, we look out for one another. And I will look out for you, Beverly."
Dario withdrew a bottle of brandy from the fridge. "I like it cold but not with ice," he explained. "Waters it down." He poured himself a glass and got down a second, holding it toward Beverly in offering.
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Bella grabbed an especially heavy box out of Beverly's trunk, assuring her for the millionth time that day that she could handle it. She tried again and again to explain her vampiric strength to her girlfriend and even though Beverly still protested Bella knew she understood better than most.
Bella carried the box in through the entryway, up the stairs, and down the hall to where the bedrooms were in the house. She had explained to Beverly the layout already but that didn’t make it any less confusing to actually be inside. The house was old and it was strangely built and organized but Bella's bedroom was homey.
It wasn't very cluttered, although that could change very soon. The only part of it that was full was the closet. Bella had moved all her own clothes to one side and had already finished unpacking Beverly's into the other. Now all that was left was to unpack the rest of her belongings and introduce her to the others.
"Remember," said Bella as she set down her box and took a step back, gingerly dodging Beverly's cat. "If you decide I snore too loud or squirm too much in my sleep you can always ask for your own room."
Beverly, shaking her head as she removed one of the numerous boxes from Isabella’s arms, didn’t have it in her to reassure her girlfriend with words again.
Knowing the six times she did so before didn’t stick, Beverly instead leaned over to kiss her girlfriend on the cheek with a warm, “I love you” and smile. Then, understanding that Isabella liked arranging things herself, she excused herself and Blossom from the room. Wandering back over to her car to shut the trunk, she leaned against the flood and looked up at the crumbling facade.
Biting her lip in the same way another member of the house did, Beverly then ran her fingers through her unruly hair before climbing the stairs again into the house and back to her new room.
“…this house looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in years, Bella! Come on, tell me you at least have some cleaning supplies laying around somewhere….do your roommates not clean?”
She didn’t even wait for an answer as she began working alongside Isabella,suddenly too nervous to remember how the other woman liked…no needed, to organise alone.
"Bev," she said softly. "We'll take care of that later, alright? We do clean. We've been busy lately so I will conceed the house is a mess right now but let's not worry about that right now."
Isabella moved her hand up and down Beverly's arm. "You're safe here, okay? Is that what this is? Are you shaken up from what happened before? I promise, Bev, as long as you're living here no one will come to harm you. You're under Teddy's protection now. More importantly, you're under mine."
Beverly leaned into the touch before letting out an embarrassed laugh and a, “you’re right, this is silly. I’m being silly. We’ve talked about movin’ in together for months, and this place is…perfect in its own way.”
Then rising to her feet and grabbing her bandana from her overalls, she tied her hair back before continuing to unpack her things. However, knowing Isabella likely still didn’t believe she was alright, she confirmed it a few minutes later with a warm, “I know you won’t eat my food, but I will. I’m not going to feel better until I see what sort of kitchen is in this labyrinth!”
“Also, for a house with more people than I can count on one hand, it’s too quiet. You need life in here, Isabella, that’s what this house needs more than a deep cleanin’”
Bella chuckled softly. "I wouldn't be surprised if no one is home now," she said. "You'll have time to meet people when they arrive. For now, I'll take you to the kitchen."
Bella extended an arm to Beverly and began leading her down the hall.
Beverly lagged behind ever so slightly, partly because of her height and partly because she couldn’t stop thinking about how to tidy up the estate.
Wanting to comment on how lonely the house felt with nobody home, she instead directed her attention into running her hands over the cool marble countertops in the kitchen. Turning to comment to Bella on how they didn’t fit within the old light fixtures, she instead caught the eye of somebody else in the kitchen.
While she wanted to leave, suddenly not ready to meet new people, she forced herself to take a deep breath and step forward with a warm, “oh, hello there! It’s so nice to see somebody else in here.”
Dario stepped into the kitchen, a small smile playing at his lips. "You must be Beverly," he said. "My name is Dario. Bella told me you were beautiful but even she could not do you justice."
He walked until he was next to her, smiling down at her with a tilted head. He pulled open the fridge with one hand. "I'm just getting a drink," he said. "Can I get you anything?"
A drink. Bella had been completely and totally honest with Beverly before she had come to the house. She had told her what Bella and her famiglia were. Still, a drink could mean anything. Anything.
Although Dario was offputting in some odd way he was warm and inviting. Bella had mentioned him more than once and had credited him with saving her life more than a few times.
Dario had a romantic partner centuries ago and although he is aromantic and was mainly going through the motions of a romantic relationship he considered him a great friend and misses him every day.
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Dario's father was a woodcutter and as a young child Dario was very eager to prove he was as strong as he was. He would take every opportunity to carry loads of wood, much larger than he should have been carrying, he help his father.
It had been just over two decades since the ragtag group of teenagers in a hick town in the middle of Maine had defeated a creature so horrifying it had no real name. Since then, they had moved on. They went their separate ways. They had built lives far away from their nowhere hometown. All of the sudden, they were being called back to defeat the creature again.
Alberto was a husband and a father of two by that time. He couldn't fathom abandoning that to go fight demons in the sewers. But he has made a promise just over two decades ago, and so had his husband.
Growing up, Alexander had rightfully earned the name of Trashmouth, and he couldn’t even argue with it. Always impossibly skinny even though he could eat everyone out of house and home, he was characterised by his crooked teeth, constantly taped glasses, and of course….the type of diction that caused his mother to threaten to wash his mouth out with soap.
However, he was loyal if not anything else, and when he made that promise all those decades ago with a group of people and the annoying kid that would become his husband, he meant it. When he got the message itself, he was being called to stage and almost fumbled through his set before catching himself at the last moment.
Rushing back to his hotel room for his nightly FaceTime call with his husband, a tradition when he was away from home, he launched right into it without even saying hello.
“Jesus Christ, fuck me in the ass, this is not happening….you saw the text from Matteo, right? Didn’t even know the guy had your number let alone mine.”
Thankfully, Alexander had grown into his looks over those decades with the help of contacts and Invisalign. Furthermore, he’d since put more weight on his bones, and when he laughed, it was with the voice of a man and not some boy who sounded like he was on the verge of an asthma attack.
"I did, oh my gosh!! What do we do?! What do we tell the kids?!"
Alberto sorely wished Alex was there in that moment. He was clutching a couch pillow and biting his knuckles and he cradled the phone between his head and his shoulder.
He had grown into his looks but had never gotten over his way of spiraling every time something went wrong.
Alexander knew Alberto was spiralling by the way the clean freak of his husband was biting his knuckles and willingly letting the phone touch any part of his face. Immediately switching into a soothing, “hey love, easy does it….it’s alright, you’re alright. We’ll figure this out together, I’m finding a direct flight home as we speak, and my assistant is postponing the rest of my shows until further notice.”
“The kids don’t need to know anything, far as they know, we just are stressed about taxes; besides, they could care less right now about their dad’s, we’re not cool enough for them anymore.”
“I’m sure someone else will text us about this or we can call Matteo tomorrow, alright?…I don’t have anyone else’s number, but that’s fine because they can find us.”
“Listen, I’ve got to go because my assistant is calling, but I’ll be walking through the front door tomorrow, okay?”
Alexander was not just loyal but true to his word, walking through the front door the next evening with his leather brown bags in hand and unruly hair tied back in a characteristic man bun. Immediately setting the bags down in the mud room, he walked to the fridge to make himself a sandwich worthy of a man who would eat anything before finding Alberto upstairs in their room.
Mumbling a, “let me finish this bite” around the sandwich in his mouth, he then let out a satisfactory groan before setting it down. Sitting down on the bed with a, “fuck, missed you more than this sandwich” he then grinned in that Alexander sort of way, eyes twinkling.
"Thank you for coming back so soon," he mumbled into his shoulder as he pressed his face into his husband's leather jacket. He stayed that way for a few minutes and when he spoke again it was to ask, "Is it bad that the thing I'm most worried about is explaining our relationship to everyone else? I mean, we are going back, right? We made a promise. A stupid, stupid promise."
Alexander kissed the top of his head with a thoughtful hum before shrugging with a, “if anyone looked you or especially me up online, they probably already know. Also, I feel as if Matteo never looked at the internet in his life and still lives on some sort of farm…he won’t know, but he also wouldn’t care.”
Then placing his hands on Alberto’s shoulders, he whispered back, “it’s not bad, you’re rationalising something fucking freakish….that’s something that takes people years of therapy to master…you’re like a….therapy ninja now.” before flashing a goofy smile of his and rising from the bed.
Chattering on as he walked around the room, changing into his pyjamas whilst unpacking, he fell silent when he returned. Gathering Alberto into his arms with a promise that he was, “fully sanitised, I promise. No dirt on me or my clothing.”, he kissed him for the third time that night. He only spoke again when the lights were turned off, mumbling a, “thought it was dead….god….this is impossible to explain to the kids too…”
As if trying to lighten the mood, he cleared his throat with a sudden loud, announcer style, “ladies and gentlemen, gaze upon these freaks who both made a promise they thought they wouldn’t have to keep! They’re obviously not the smartest in the barrel, but whatever!”
Alexander flashed him a thumbs up with an equally loud, “done and done!” before realising how late it was and quickly quieting down. Kissing Alberto one last time before turning on his side and falling asleep, it wasn’t surprising that Alexander was loud even in his sleep. However, Alberto handled his snoring because Alexander handled his husband talking in his sleep.
When Alexander woke up, it was off to the races, talking on the phone until he found a relative the kids could stay with, begrudgingly offering his brother a favour in return for taking both of them for “just a few days, I swear. Alberto and I have business to take care of….no, not that kind, what the fuck.”
Alexander only talked to Alberto hours later when they were on the plane back to their hometown. In truth, the second he graduated, Alexander left and never came back. He didn’t even have shows near the area, nervous that it would still be too much. When they did arrive, Alexander needed a moment to just stand and stare at the expanse around him before a fan calling his name shocked him back into reality. Quickly taking a photo with her before excusing himself, he found Alberto and him a rental car.
Turning to him once they were in it on the way to the restaurant where they were all supposed to meet, he mumbled a , “we could just tell this car to turn around, go back home and pretend we never got the phone call….this could not happen, we could live in bliss.” that he knew wasn’t likely at all.
Even though Alexander was easily found on Google, it would be a shock for anyone who knew him as a child to see him now. The once stick thin boy had turned into a man that if he didn’t slouch so much, could tower over most people. Furthermore, he was much more respectful now, finally finding some sense of style. Of course, Alberto had changed as well, but there was a chance he was still recognisable to others.
Alexander wasn’t even in his right mind to answer that, already dragging Alberto along with an excited, “holy shite, still looks the same as before….hot fucking damn, same hole in the wall from me falling into it decades ago.” before stopping. Although he knew everyone had changed, he wasn’t expecting everyone to be such an…adult.
As always, Alexander was the last to arrive to things which meant the usually early Alberto had also adopted that habit. Staring around the room, he found himself stepping back, speechless for a few moments. When he did speak, it was to grin with a casual, “oh fuck, didn’t know we were all attending this pity party. Sorry for being late, I was really busy psyching myself up to witness the spectacle that is you all.”
Beverly had arrived just before them, apologising breathlessly for her late entrance as she tied her hair back and slid into the booth with everyone. If Alexander had changed, she’d become an entirely different person. Gone was the shy look on her face and soft demeanour, instead replaced by the structure of someone who worked as some sort of construction worker or architect. She looked more sure of herself, and the dirt that littered her clothing looked intentional, as if she just stepped off the set of a home renovation show. When Alexander and Alberto arrived, she tilted her head at them with a, “huh..”
"Bev, good to see you!" said Alberto, insecurity plaguing his voice. "We uh, we're sorry we're late. Traffic. Problems. You know. How uh, how are you all?"
"We're not great," said Isabella. "Apparently there's a demon trying to kill us." Isabella had changed too, externally. Gone was the little girl with the heart condition who was treated as more fragile than she ever could have been. One heart transplant and 20 some years later she was the wildfire of a woman her friends knew her to be.
Marco and Angelo had always been joined at the hip and they still were. They had been catching up, ignoring their impending doom and looked just as incredulously happy as they had as kids.
Dario was clearly quite tired. He had gotten here first and Matteo had traumatized him all over again by giving him a rundown while they waited for the others. He was taller and more muscular but ultimately looked quite similar to his childhood self.
Teddy was no longer a scrawny little boy. He was a fairly attractive man who would still be considered too short for a lot of women. Some visible tattoos including a Mars symbol indicated that perhaps he had become far less religious as time went on. He waved, flashing a familiar grin.
Matteo had on his characteristic shades which he had stolen from his father the summer he had met the group. He had no longer a too-tall child. He had grown into his looks and he still towered over the rest but didn't look like he had been stretched. He didn't say much. All he said was, "Are we getting to work or what?"
