Recent content by Isla

  1. Isla

    Private Tales The Starling and the Bear

    Isla gasped softly as Lynus stopped her hands, his fingers warm and strong over hers, stilling her slow and teasing touch. She could feel the tension in him, the fire in his gaze, and it set her heart pounding hard in her chest. She protested, though, a low groan escaping her lips as she tried...
  2. Isla

    Private Tales The Starling and the Bear

    Isla flushed lightly at his words, her heart quickening in her chest. A promise to stay as long as she wanted made her feel something deep within, something she hadn't dared to let herself feel before Lynus came crashing into her life: the hope for a future, the hope for stability. She laughed...
  3. Isla

    Private Tales The Starling and the Bear

    "Well now, you're not planning on leaving me here alone, are you?" Isla teased, fingers tapping on the table. "I'm fairly certain it isn't an Anirian custom to leave one's wife alone on their honeymoon. Perhaps its a royal thing." She joked, but there was a softness beneath her words, a subtle...
  4. Isla

    Private Tales The Starling and the Bear

    This? This was a home. Isla thought to herself, dragging her fingers lightly over the polished wood of the nearby table, stepping further into the home beside Lynus. The warmth that greeted them felt like a balm to her soul, the flickering hearts and golden candlelight wrapping around her like a...
  5. Isla

    Private Tales The Starling and the Bear

    For quite a while, Isla let herself slip into that dream. A little village by the sea. A warm home with fires that never went out. A garden full of life instead of the cold, stone walls of the palace. She could picture it all too clearly- the salty air, the way Lynus would grumble about sand...
  6. Isla

    Private Tales The Starling and the Bear

    The rhythmic sway of the carriage and bounce as they hit patches of uneven terrain did little to soothe Isla’s nausea. If anything, it only made it worse. She took quiet, measured breaths, her hand lying overtop of Lynus’ own. Trees, hills, a glimpse of the open sky outside of Vel Anir should...
  7. Isla

    Open Chronicles Heart & Hearth Day - 2025

    My Love, I know you will likely receive this while sitting right beside me, but I couldn't help myself. I adore seeing you smile, and if this little note brings even the smallest one to your face, then it was worth writing. Truly, I do not think I will ever find the right words to tell you...
  8. Isla

    Private Tales Into the Fighting Pits

    She tried to snatch her hand away from the wild-eyed maniac who was now dragging her across the floor through the absolute fuck-fest this place had transitioned into. Had she punched him so hard that she'd given him some sort of brain injury? He was going to wish for a brain injury if Lynus...
  9. Isla

    Private Tales The Starling and the Bear

    "Exactly, just like that!" Isla ruffled his hair. "Good things can hurt a little and make us cry, but they make us stronger in the end." Tears filled her eyes again and she used the kerchief to dab them away. Gods, poor Lynus was in for a rough time with her if she couldn't even talk to Brett...
  10. Isla

    Private Tales The Starling and the Bear

    Isla stood there, leaning against the hardwood for a few minutes before releasing a long, drawn out sigh. She wasn't unhappy. Far from it, honestly. Everything was just...a lot. A lot that Isla did not know how to process. But she didn't have to process any of it on her own, which was even more...
  11. Isla

    Private Tales Into the Fighting Pits

    "I'll do a lot more than bite." Isla scowled at Hazen. Though blood dripped down his face, the punch seemed to have the opposite effect on him than she had hoped. Maybe something was wrong with her, for she recalled the Prince who had taken her in like a stray dog had been greeted similarly with...
  12. Isla

    Private Tales Into the Fighting Pits

    Isla couldn't bring herself to watch the fight beyond the glimpses she caught through the crowd. She knew how ruthless Nathaniel was. She'd been at the receiving end of it a lifetime ago. Grunting mixed with the unmistakable sounds of fists contacting with flesh. Isla cringed in her seat...
  13. Isla

    Private Tales The Starling and the Bear

    “You’re still blaming yourself. I want to hear every story of her, but I won’t tolerate you thinking anything is or was your fault, Bear.” Isla squeezed his hand gently, her heart breaking with every morsel of information Lynus offered on his late wife and child. A terrible pang of guilt wracked...
  14. Isla

    Private Tales The Starling and the Bear

    Isla was quiet for a while, only letting her uneven breaths fill the air. Laying out her fears made her feel so foolish. Perhaps they were far-fetched and dramatic possibilities, but they plagued her mind day and night for weeks now. “Somewhere warm, by the sea.” She sighed into his neck. “Just...
  15. Isla

    Private Tales The Starling and the Bear

    “Lynus…” Isla reached out to cup his jaw in her hands, guiding him up to look at her. “Don’t think such foolish things.” She tried to smile, but there was an uncertainty she could not shake from her facial expressions. She held his gaze for a few seconds longer before releasing his jaw and...