Recent content by Marek

Marek’s wide, triumphant grin slipped the instant Sam announced Anja would be staying put. Then he saw his horse. His mood flipped instantly. “Is that a real smile I see, Lieutenant?" He quipped to Sam. He snatched the reins from her before she could decide whether to keep smiling or glare at...

Marek scrunched up his face the moment the name left her mouth. “Ser Orfen… Gaines?” He drew the words out, rolling them around like they might ring a bell if handled just right. He snapped his fingers once. “Oh! That man. Right. The-” he winced, searching, then brightened. “The singing knight...

Marek opened his mouth, fully prepared to fire back something sharp. But he paused. Because she wasn’t being clever. Or smug. Or even mildly annoying about it. She was just… genuinely surprised. Then she mentioned the books. His face lit up. “No way,” he blurted, disbelief punching straight...

Marek opened his mouth. Closed it again. Do not comment on her face changing colors. Do not comment on her face changing colors. You will die. He scowled up at her, brows knitting, deeply offended by the very premise of the privileged question. “No,” he blurted out. “Absolutely not. Most...

Marek watched Anja balloon up like a startled pigeon mid-coo. He held it together for a solid three seconds. Then he turned his head sharply to the side and lost it. A snort escaped first. Then a bark of laughter. Then full-on cackling, shoulders shaking, one hand clapped over his mouth as if...

Marek finished his little song just as the mare completed most of the loop, blissfully unaware of the mortal crisis occurring behind him. He was entertained by the horse, giving her a pet whenever she nudged him. He finally glanced back over his shoulder, “So, what do you think-” and stopped...

Marek stared. Just… stared. The cloak grab. The flailing. The full-body surrender into the dirt. He watched the entire sisterly exchange with rapt attention, so absorbed he forgot to laugh at any of it. It was like witnessing a strange regional dance. When both sisters’ gazes snapped his way...

Marek nodded like he understood exactly what she meant. (He did not) “Yeah. Canter. Balance. Got it.” He nudged the mare forward, confidence blooming fast, too fast, as she picked up speed. He laughed under his breath, sitting taller, clearly convinced this was going very well. “See?” he...

Marek’s ears burned the moment Sam said the mare was for Anja. “Oh-” He glanced down at the horse, then back at Sam, then over at Anja, who couldn't look more disinterested in the whole affair. “Right. Of course. Lady’s horse.” He let out a slow breath when Sam didn’t seem to object, tension...

Marek stared after Anja for a moment, genuinely puzzled. She grated on him in a way he couldn’t quite name, like an oxymoron in shoes. Too aloof to bother with his jabs, too uninterested to escalate them. It was irritating. And, annoyingly, kind of refreshing. He found himself briefly...

Marek's gaze lingered on the nun for a few more seconds than was comfortable, eyes flicking between her and the horses, which still refused to calm in her presence. Something about it gnawed at him. Her behavior, maybe. Or her silence. Or the way her ears twitched like they were listening to...

He froze. Two sisters. Horse merchant. Entire conversation mid-flow. He had absolutely just announced his presence like a runaway cart with bells. Storms take you, Marek. He tried to look casual. Failed. Horribly. For a brief, blissful second, he thought he might’ve slipped in unnoticed...

Marek stared at the coins like they might vanish if he blinked too hard. Coins. Actual weight in his palm. More than he’d ever seen in one place that wasn’t guarded by men with better weapons and worse tempers. He closed his fingers around them, knuckles whitening. “…thank you,” he muttered...

Marek fired back at Anja without missing a beat.“Yeah, well, if I need lessons on how to actually be a square, I’ll ask you, m’lady.” The words were out before his brain caught up. It was only after she went back to her book, blunt as ever, that it clicked what she’d said about herself. And he...

Marek blinked when Anja answered instead of Sam. “…wow,” he said, pointing at her with his glass. “I’m honestly impressed you knew I wasn’t actually talking about a friend.” He shook his head, grinning. He turned back to Sam then, trying to keep his hands from trembling. “Yeah-why not?” he...