Private Tales A Walk in Shadow

[Tadgh Fahalla]

Tadgh cleared his throat as he noticed Harper was still close to him, more or less holding on to him. He wondered silently if she'd been there the whole time he was unconscious, perhaps even helping him heal in some way. It seemed she was concerned for him, at the very least, but then, they'd spent 3 days together out here, alone, helping the other heal. It went beyond words, he thought.

"I'll be fine," he said, softly. He slowly stood back up, taking Harper with him as he did so. He walked over to the hot spring, cleaning his hands, washing them free of the stain before he told her of their next move.

"We need to go back to Winter. There's something I need to look up, and I think it might be relevant to these insurgents. After that, we need to go to... well, there's a ruined bastion that stands alone in the tundra south of Winter itself, probably halfway to the border between Winter and Summer. There... we will summon old allies to fulfill duties promised ages ago. This is a privilege; consider the attack at Konwa your first test, and now, you are officially under the employ of Winter. Your prior explanation has not gone unnoticed... and though my heart still aches for you to have heard of your loss, in time I will give you access to the information you seek for your vengeance."

First, he looked back to the forest path towards Winter. Then, he turned and look back at Harper, with a longing look, despite her not being more than a few feet away. He was reminded of her seemingly happy acrobatics in the water, leaping in and out of it, one with the water itself, which now seemed melancholy, the dance of the last nymph of her tribe, stranded and lost in a strange land with a stranger.

Killing a water nymph wasn't easy, but Tadgh knew that the most common way was usually to poison the water itself. The worst he'd ever heard of was someone dropping silver powder into a stream, which flowed upward and wiped out a tribe similar to Harper's. She at once seemed so fragile to him, despite otherwise seeming so full of life, and his mind began to wander not to her strength, but to her fragility, despite his own weakness in the dangerous shifting he'd just done.

His eyes met hers, his gaze certain and knowing. He'd never known such loss; rather, he'd never had anything to lose in the first place. In fact, he was usually the one on the other end of loss. Despite all the numbness he'd built up to excuse killing in the name of his new homeland, a sorrow was building in him for Harper that could only be borne of the intimate experience the both of them had just gone through. He could easily have extended his arm, reached her, and pulled her close, to protect her and shield her from everything around. But he couldn't bear the thought of her losing someone again when they'd both come so close back at the Lake.

After a moment, he finally broke eye contact with her to speak again. "I... am almost mournful to leave behind my... our... nest. But, if you're ready, we should get moving. The faster we move, the less time the insurgents have to recover. Time is everything."

He had to admit, there was an appeal to abandoning everything and staying here with her. She could forget her past, and he his. He wondered if such a life would be so terrible, cut off from civilization and all of its troubles.

With that, he turned and started walking towards Winter. The road would be long, he knew. As Harper caught up with him, he looked to her and asked: "By the way... when I was unconscious, how long was I out? And... were you holding me so the entire time?"

 

[Harper Kai]

A spark of hope flamed in her chest as he promised to give her information that would help her perhaps find her brother. Get revenge on summer. But she kept her features smoothed, giving nothing away on her expression. A patient stare back at him, wondering what thoughts hid behind those eyes of his.

And as he stepped toward the path, she fell in line with him, easily keeping up.

A slight stumble in her step as he asked his next questions. Blue eyes flickered to his own. Fingers coming to tuck her green strands of hair beneath one of her pointed ears.

"A few hours, I think," she said quietly. A gentle clear of her throat. "I wasn't...holding you. I just wanted to make sure you were still breathing. That you were okay," eyes tore away from his face and back to the path they were walking. "My advice to you would be to never shift in water again. You could've drowned if I wasn't there."

He'd scared her.

And she wasn't ready to admit that yet.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

Though he easily could have teased her, he chose not to. "Wow, I was really out that long? Geez, I really did overdo it this time."

They began making their way into the forest again, stepping through gaps between trees and navigating brush. He thought about her advice, then retorted, "Well, you see, you left magical energy in that pool, and I thought I could use it to shift back sooner. I didn't think it would take so much out of me. Normally when I shift to my draconic form, I'm only the size of a horse, or smaller, not a house!"

He was thankful she couldn't see his face as he admitted it, for she would have caught a glimpse of the worry that had crept into his features. He'd take a moment to smooth that out before turning to her with a sheepish smile instead. "I guess I must have really been worried about you to have transformed like that, huh?"

Okay, maybe a little bit of teasing. But not that she was around him, and in his lap for a moment when he woke up. There was something else there that he was taking perhaps a bit too seriously, and he needed time to think. Unfortunately, time wasn't something that they would really ever have.

Of course, it would take at least a day by walking to reach Winter again, and they would most likely arrive at nightfall. Which would be right on schedule for Tadgh to go and seek the information he sought...

 

[Harper Kai]

“That or a sore loser?” She huffed and the back of her hand would move swiftly to give him a light smack against his upper arm. Mischief briefly flickered in her blue eyes as she referred to their water ‘fight.’

At least he’d transformed with clothes on.

A nude Yujin would’ve been…challenging.

She found herself walking in easy silence with him as they made their way back to the city. And though they’d just spent a few days together, she felt like she’d known him a lot longer than that. It’s how she felt about some of the other Summer prisoners in the mines. Sitting on the bench of fellow sufferers always seemed to knit strangers together like family.

As the sun sunk lower in the sky, she paused at the palace garden entrance. The small path leading to the group groundskeeper home. Her home.

“Until tomorrow?” She asked and looked up at the spymaster in the twinkling clear stars of a winter night.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

"Oh yes, definitely," Tadgh said. "I hate losing. Can't stand it, actually." He gave her a big grin, maybe the most he'd smiled since the two of them had met, and maybe the most he'd smiled in centuries. He supposed it made sense, but it seemed Harper was always happier in the water. He'd keep that in mind.

When he would finally get some sleep later that night, he would think most of the time they'd spent together. It was a memory he would cherish most dearly. Memories like that were very few in his life, and he'd already made one like that with Harper. He wondered, quietly, what other memories the two of them might make. These thoughts filled his mind as the two of them marched in pleasant silence back to the Winter Court.

It seemed Tadgh was walking Harper home, and he memorized the location immediately, musing how it had been before his very eyes for so long. Of course, she hadn't lived in Winter for too long, right?

He offered her another smile. "Yes. Until tomorrow. We'll meet at the soup shop." He waved to her, then slowly turned as a mournful frown crept onto his features. He hoped she hadn't seen it.

Still, there was work to be done. Tadgh made his way to the intelligence office, a hub for scouts and spies to give their reports. None as high level as him, of course. None of them even knew who he was, except that he was important. Once inside, he greeted some of the members before making his way to an archive of reports. Thankfully filed by court and by species of Fae, he was able to rifle through the filings until he found something that matched the time frame of when Harper would have arrived at Winter.

It was only a single line. A mere footnote. It read: "18 Water Nymphs moved from lake to mines. Owner Lord Taelyn Everburn."

His eyes widened and his mouth dropped slightly. If he were reading correctly, that meant Harper's family would have been forced to work in a labor camp... and likely away from water. He felt sick, quickly depositing the folder again and leaving the office without so much as a word. He hurried to the now-shut down coffee shop where he and Harper had first met, on the terrace, and looked out to the lake and city below.

He'd gotten attached. He knew the dangers of doing so, yet he'd done it anyway. Even offering Harper the files about who was responsible, normally a simple payment for services rendered, was undeniably an act of compassion he felt for the nymph because she too...

A single tear welled in his eye. He didn't fight it as it slowly slid down his face.

...because she too was alone. And even with all his expertise, his many assassinations, his mastery of stealth and knowledge of more than any fae in Winter might know... loneliness was the one foe he could not kill. And to see it haunt her so, in her dance at the lake and in the way she'd held him as he was unconscious--it made him furious. He balled his shaking fist, looking to the moon above. A whole Fae lifetime he'd spent alone and even now, he was a slave to the mission and was not the master of his own desires.

He felt the fool. And like the fool he was, even still, he stood alone on the terrace, watching the night sky as it passed, his only thoughts now of the nymph at the lake and the lies he had, and was going to tell her, even down to his very name.

 

[Harper Kai]

When she got back, she quickly went through her groundskeeper duties. No matter how tired she was. Plants were watered and tended to. Fountains easily cleaned. A few hours later, she finally made it back to her little sanctuary in the middle of it all, stepping over the small moat that encircled her humble abode.

Once inside the door, a courtyard with a long, deep pool was built in the middle with rooms around the open-aired space. Sometimes she slept in an actual bed in a room. But tonight? Tonight she felt like dwelling in the small pool. Perhaps missing her time already with Yujin in their small sanctuary. Perhaps needing a little more time to heal.

For something that went beyond physical.

The next morning, she awoke feeling more refreshed than she had in a long time. Having donned more winter appropriate clothing and boots, she stepped over the small moat and left her home. With hands jammed inside her winter coat pockets, she remained alert as she walked the bustling streets of Winter. Even this early, the citizens of the Capital were up and about, going about their day and duties. Her green hair was pulled back into a loose braid. Encountering no incidents along the way, she pushed open the door to the soup shop where she'd met Yujin the last time.

Before they'd both ended up in bad shape and alone on that mountain ridge.

Blue-eyes swept the room for her friend.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

Tadgh had spent so long awake that he thought going to sleep now would be folly. The sun finally peeked over the horizon to bring the dawn, his eyes unflinching as he watched the early light sweep over the city. He had sat down since his late night epiphany, plucked a piece of a nearby pine tree, and had started carving it with one the knives he kept on his person. He'd made a little progress towards his goal by sunrise, but he thought it would likely be a long time before it was a finished project. With a little nod, he tucked the wood away in a pouch, and concealed his knife again. Then, he made for the soup shop.

He waited perhaps only twenty minutes or so before Harper had arrived. As she walked in, his eyes lit up a little, though he took care not to perk his head up too quickly, instead eyeing her passively until she located him again. Once she finally found him, he greeted her softly.

"Hello again," he said. "We can take time to have tea and soup, if you like. Although, I must confess I've already finished my miso." He gave her a soft smile. "Once you're finished... we head for the bastion."

He paused to let the name sink in. "I'd tell you about it, but I think it's better if you see it for yourself. There... let's say we're going to call upon some allies, or at the very least, mutually interested parties."

His mouth turned to a slight frown. That damn cat would be there. He supposed it was the most obvious sign of his desperation. And, of course, there was that cwn from Summer...

Oh.

Getting Harper to comply was going to be difficult. But whether or not she liked it, she was involved now. Running wasn't an option. At least, not really. And he had a plan. All he had to do now was execute it. And thanks to the nature of the bastion, they at least wouldn't have to see each other.

It would have to be enough.

 

[Harper Kai]

A small smile for him. Keen-blue eyes looked the spy master over as she slid into a chair opposite him. When a half-fawn waitress stopped by, Harper ordered an iced-chai tea and a parfait. Luckily, the little soup shop had a variety of breakfast items. Perhaps she'd try the seaweed and ginger oatmeal next time.

"Bastion?" A green-tinted brow lofted. She just hoped it wouldn't be like where they'd went a few days ago. Where they'd been ambushed.

"Yujin," she drew. She noticed details. The little things. Like the dark circles under his eyes. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

"Yes, an abandoned fortress, once a major fighting ground for Summer and Winter, in days long past... now since forgotten," he said. "After those ancient wars, where it was partially destroyed, others found use for its ruins. That would be us."

He took a sip of his tea-- a green tea with honey, like always. Her question took him by surprise.

"No. I'm afraid my business took longer than I anticipated. But we will have time for rest at the bastion. Harper... I must confess you are in for something more dangerous than you may have ever been in before. I could not stop you, should you wish to walk away, but know that you are now involved in something that, should you abandon Winter, that you still may not find peace. I do not know what was imparted to you before you signed up for this, but..."

He paused, his eyes narrowing as he thought of how to phrase what he wanted to say next.

"We will know soon what must be done. Once the work is finished, then I will reveal to you that which you seek. After that, you may leave, if that is your wish. Do you accept these terms? Do I have your trust?"

The second question was said with a slight hesitation, as Tadgh unintentionally asked something else entirely, though he hoped Harper would only focus on the nature of their agreement. His sudden attachment to her was making the cloak-and-dagger nature of his work more difficult. And it was an attachment, however faint or inconvenient. One simply didn't almost die, and then spend three days recovering with someone, and walk away without some sort of connection after the fact. His tears the night before only solidified that he needed to let go somehow. Harper's contractual employment was a convenient means to that end. She would help him, then he'd help her, and she would be gone again, and things would go back to the way they were.

The thought terrified him.

 

[Harper Kai]

"Please do not assume to know what sort of dangers I have been involved before," she said quietly and took her tea and parfait as they arrived. A quiet sip of her chai. But all the same, she appreciated the warning. He was being sincere.

She thought, perhaps, he was trying to look out for her.

And the conversation she'd had with @Queen Mab when she'd arrived in Winter would remain private. Even if she didn't doubt the Queen probably shared it with the Spymaster before her. It was hard to read that ruler sometimes. Or, all the time really.

Leaning forward, she offered her hand. "I accept," she shake would seal the deal. A mildly offended look at his last question. "Do I have your trust?" She countered, holding his gaze.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

Ah, right, he thought, remembering that she had been functionally a slave for a good portion of her life. He wanted to somehow convey that, "There will now be highly skilled and organized assassins looking to kill you in almost every corner of this city and otherwise, and no matter how far you run or hide, if they want to find you, they will, and you will never truly be safe until this is done and overwith."

He settled on returning the sternness of her gaze instead, letting her know he was deadly serious. And when she reached forward, he took her hand and shook it without hesitation. His answer was chilling.

"You could have killed me many times over by now if you had so desired, or at least tried. Yet I know as long as I hold the information you seek, that you will be no threat to me," he said, releasing her hand. Her touch was strangely familiar, now. "What remains to be seen is what will happen once I cut you free. I needn't fear you, for the time being. And you needn't fear me, because I yet require you for my purposes. The trust which is most dependable is always based on needs."

It was the exterior of the assassin returning. In his heart of hearts, however, he knew his trust of her went beyond their mutual obligation to each other.

"When you are ready, I will shift to a horse such that I may bear you more swiftly to the bastion. It is some distance from here, I would say by horseback at least a few days. I would fly there, but the exertion of having a rider in flight is not something I can do for an extended period. In fact, flight is quite exhausting if I'm honest."

He cracked a smile at her. He didn't know how genuine it was. And before long, they would be traveling again.

 

[Harper Kai]

She didn't know why but she felt a small, sharp pang in her chest as he spoke so logically, so clinically of why they could trust each other. And she disagreed that the trust most dependable was based on needs. It was based on so much more. Bonds that formed that weren't logical. Bonds of friendship, family, or something more. In her book, that was the trust that was most dependable. And a part of her was hurt that, perhaps, he didn't see her that way.

After all they'd gone through the last few days.

She was just a means to an end. Just an employee. A small sigh as she finished her tea, as she concealed any hurt she might feel. Then began digging into her parfait. Licking the spoon clean, she pointed at Yujin across the table.

"Do you think shifting so soon is wise? Would you rather we both take horses from the stables?"

Even though he'd made their connection more than perfectly clear of being nothing but professional, she was still worried about him.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

Tadgh lazily watched his tea as Harper finished eating. His disassociated affect was part of his persistent ruse, which belied that he was, in fact, quite troubled by their current situation. Though he suspected he was wishing something, perhaps simply more time with Harper, paradoxically it was their lack of time which had brought the two of them together. In another life, another time, he perhaps would have taken more time to simply learn about Harper, and find excuses to spend time with her. Much as anyone did, he supposed. As with anything in his work, though, time was everything, and he had precious little of it. He wondered, briefly, if this was always his fate--to meet a potential partner, soulmate even, as Fae did, but to be too distracted, too caught up in his work that he didn't take the time to take care of his own needs: the very needs he swore he didn't have in the first place.

Maybe I'm being too cold, he thought. Maybe, just maybe, Harper was different.

"A shape like a horse's is no trouble," he answered. "I will be fine, and to ride afterwards. This way, there is no trace that we left for our destination. Such things can matter in times like these. As you leave no trace in the water, so too must we conceal our approach, for who knows whose eyes may be watching us now."

He took one last sip of his tea, shutting his eyes as he did so. He placed the cup down with some gravity, then opened them again, his eyes meeting Harper's.

"Are you ready? If so, then follow me."

He'd then stand up and head out the door of the soup shop, where he would then lead Harper to the edge of the city. As they left through the gates some distance, he put his hands together. He whispered unintelligible words as the transformation process began, and before long he had changed shape to that of brown and white speckled courser. He turned his new head towards Harper, nickering as his eye met hers again. In truth, they could have just as easily ridden horses, it was true. Or Tadgh could have transformed into a mouse to conserve his strength, and travel in Harper's pocket or bag. But as a horse, they could perhaps feel that certain closeness again, although it wasn't Tadgh's intention, not until the moment Harper would climb on his back and hang on to him as he began to trot into the forest ahead.

It would be days before they would arrive. Tadgh hoped the journey would go smoothly.

 

[Harper Kai]

The last time he’d carried her, she’d had a mangled leg and was losing a lot of blood. She sighed and gave one last look around them. They’d been careful as they’d left the city. Been sure to double back and make their path extremely hard to follow.

“Please don’t throw me,” she whispered to Yujin as she came along his side. Her hand running down his neck with a pat. She didn’t think he would. She was more worried about falling off on her own. She’d be riding bareback and she hadn’t done that in quite some time.

Pulling herself upward, her leg swung around to straddle the horse. Her fingers curled around the hair of his mane. A few minor adjustments and she was ready.

“Okay,” she breathed and they were off. They wove through a snow covered wood, into a few rolling fields and then back into thicker trees. By the time they were ready to stop for the night, Harper was sore and stiff all over.

Thankfully, there was a small river to their right that was still flowing and it looked like that’s where they would stop for the night. As Yujin slowed to let her off, Harper dismounted and promptly fell on her stiff ass with a disgruntled groan.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

Though he was tired, the first stretch of their journey went as well as could be expected. Now that it was night, they needed to find a place, and Harper seemed to indicate that the small river they had reached would be a good place to stop. Memories of the lake came back to his mind, still so fresh since it had only been a few days, but then Harper fell trying to get off him--straight to her butt, it would seem--which Tadgh couldn't help but give the horse equivalent of a laugh to. Even so, he leaned his head down for her to latch onto in order to help her get back up again, though he suspected she may not be interested in doing so.

In truth, he'd been awake for so long now though that he would shortly go and lie down again, remaining in his new form as he found a patch of grass by the riverside. His eyes would follow Harper for a little while, as she perhaps would go into the water again, then in time would shut them, passing into a deep slumber given that he had been awake for such a long time now. And since he was with Harper, it felt all the safer to finally fall into that sleep, not sure when he would awaken again, but thankful all the same for the dreams...

 

[Harper Kai]

Surprisingly, she did loop her arms around his neck when he leaned it down. Grumbling the entire time as she allowed his neck to pull her to her feet. Legs as stiff as dried, unwatered grasses.

"You better not hold this over me forever," she chided into his horse ears as she finally released her hold around him. And managed to step back. Turning, her hands dropped to her lower back, massaging the stiffness from her muscles.

"You sure this place isn't off some river?" Then she'd be able to travel more comfortably in her water form. A shame things never seemed to be that easy. Not expecting to hear an answer or moreso one she wanted to hear, she picked her way down the river bank, stepping carefully in the snow drifts.

One thing she missed about summer was how much easier it was to walk places. Not needing to worry about slipping in this snow. Even though a part of her appreciated the extra, convenient water source. Easing behind a berry bush for privacy, she stripped off her boots and winter clothes before letting herself slide into her water form, then she disappeared into the cold waters of the river.

Her aching muscles quickly began to feel better. She'd find a tree next to horse-Yunin and prop herself up. Quietly keeping watch while he slept. Blue eyes getting more used to the darkness as the light of the moon peeked out.

Not wanting to leave Yujin in the open alone, she didn't linger in the water this time. Her water-form waded out and back behind the bush. Solidified, then began tugging back on her clothing.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

Cold. That was the overriding sensation Tadgh felt when he awoke again. He blinked his horse eyes furiously as he felt the sudden assault of snow against his body, his face, his eyes, everything. They needed to get to their destination quickly, yet it seemed they'd somehow ended up in the middle of a blizzard. Having lived in the Winter Court long enough, Tadgh understood well the dangers of such a blizzard, at least to himself, and quickly began to shift again, adopting the form of a large badger. His new fur coat helped to immediately alleviate some of the worst of the cold, yet he knew this situation wasn't tenable for long even such. He quickly scanned around for Harper, but couldn't see her due to the blinding white that flurried all around in his senses.

Letting his instincts take hold, Tadgh began to quickly dig into the dirt at his feet. His large paws and claws made it easy to displace a great deal of the dirt beneath him, allowing him within minutes to dig a hole big enough for him to slip into and escape the snow. He peeked his head up now that his body was safe from the worst of it, scanning for Harper again. He knew she was a water nymph, and snow was technically water, but could she escape the flurries? Did the cold affect her the way it did him? He found himself nervous that somehow he might lose her in this storm, either lost in a directional sense, or lost otherwise. Yet the storm was too powerful, so he continued to only peek his head up every so often, searching for some sign of the nymph; occasionally he would dig just a little bit further, in his mind creating enough space that she could also escape into the dirt below, if she could just find him...

 

[Harper Kai]

Cold didn't bother her if she was in the water. Out of it...it wasn't the best feeling. Though perhaps better than the blistering summer mines. Eyes snapped open as she realized she'd fallen asleep leaning against that tree next to Yujin.

With a start, she realized he wasn't there.

At least not with what she could see. Shooting to her feet, her arms wrapped around herself. In a few minutes she'd have to give up and just go for the river. Staying in this form wouldn't work for her. But she had to find the spy master. She took a step forward and called into the windy-goom. Barely hearing her own voice.

"YUJIN!"

Another step and she found herself tripping over something squat and furry and a hole.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

While he couldn't see her until it was too late, he could at least hear Harper, right until she tripped over his badger snout and fell into the burrow he'd quickly made to shelter them from the sudden storm. Not wanting to frighten her too much, as she fell he quickly shifted back into his 'normal' form... as she landed in his arms, face to face with Tadgh. He unintentionally locked eyes with her, oblivious to the snow whistling above them.

"There you are," he said, with a smile. "I thought I'd lost you in the storm."

It was the closest they'd been yet. He still wasn't quite sure what had happened to the lake when he'd passed out, but he did know he'd woken up to her around him, and her head had fallen into his lap as he'd woken up again. But there was no veil of secrecy now; his arms were around her, clutching her as one should when falling. His cheeks tinged a very soft red, though he wasn't ashamed, or embarrassed. Still holding her, he asked a simple question.

"Why aren't you in the water?"

 

[Harper Kai]

She didn't quite know what happened. One moment she was falling and the next she was in Yujin's fae-arms in a warmer, quieter, and intimate space. But she wasn't so concerned with that. Once she re-oriented herself, she found mostly relief that he was okay.

Call it instinct. Or maybe the bond that had already started to form between them, she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders and drew him in as she hugged him tightly. Even as he held her.

"Don't scare me like that," she'd breath against him.

She pulled back slightly at his question, looking up at him. "Someone had to guard you. Though I close my eyes for one second and open them to a veritable whiteout and this...hole. I thought all winter boys didn't mind the cold?" A raise of green-brows along her fair skin, giving the spymaster a pointed look. Before realizing he was holding her. She was still in his arms.

"I...you can put me down now."

It was her turn to feel a little bit of heat.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

Tadgh found himself returning Harper's embrace as she wrapped her arms around him without hesitation. Though he was lean in appearance, he was actually quite strong, and holding Harper as she was presented no difficulty to him, allowing him to lean into her touch. It seemed to him that though he might try to deny it, there was something more at work than simply being happy at having escaped the blizzard above.

Don't scare me like that.

"I won't," he breathed back, though he felt a strange disbelief as he said it.

He listened to her explanation with a concerned expression, somewhat ashamed that she felt he needed protection again. Of course, that was one of the advantages of traveling in a pair, right? Still, he couldn't help but chuckle as she mused about his status as a Winter Court resident.

"Normally I can hide in a soup shop when the weather's like this," he said, laughing with mirth. "I suppose I can't complain too much, though. Having you watch my back was... really nice."

He realized it about the same time she did, his mouth slightly agape as she pointed out that she wanted to be put down.

"Right," he said, gently lowering her so that she could stand again, giving her one last longing look before he broke away from her completely. He backed into the wall of the burrow, snapping his fingers to light a small set of dancing lights to illuminate the earthen inside. Then, he sat down, crossing his legs and looking up at Harper. The burrow was thankfully large enough to accommodate the both of them for the time being, including being able to stand and move without being too cramped. Still, without Harper he felt much colder than he had just moments ago.

"I'm afraid there is little we can do for now, until the storm passes. Perhaps we can pass the time with a story," he said, inviting her to sit near him on the burrow floor. "Are there any good memories you have that you would like to share? I think good memories would help keep us warm against the bitter cold above."

As if to confirm this, the wind suddenly howled, as a bit of snow trickled down the burrow's path..

 

[Harper Kai]

She lingered in his arms even as her boots touched the ground. A light brush of her nose against his cheek as he stepped back. It was hard to say if it was just the way he'd stepped back or if she'd wanted to catch his scent. Rest a fraction of a second longer in his warmth.

She looked down as he left her completely, hands coming up to curl green strands of hair behind her pointed ears. Blue eyes glanced around, taking in this small artfully crafted spot against the storm. Really seeing it since falling into his arms.

"A Spy Master and cave maker. I didn't realize I was in the presence of someone with so many talents," a light teasing as she sat next him, the space not providing much room between them. Legs crossed, the edge of her knee brushing against him. A frown at his ending suggestion.

It was quite some time since she'd had a happy memory. And even the happy ones now had a layer of sadness to them. Of what she'd lost.

"Why don't you go first?" A quiet suggestion.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

Tadgh laughed at her supposition of his 'talents.' "Well, with snow, you can't go up, or forward... only place left to go is down," he said. "Besides, who would mess with a badger in a hole?"

There was at least one answer to that question--the insurgents they'd found at Lake Konwa. Most he'd encountered wouldn't, though. Especially not one the size of a war hound.

"Sure, I've got one," he said, after some silence after Harper had suggested he tell the first story. "Many years ago now, during the warmer months, there were two swans that would always show up around the same time every year at the pond in the middle of Winter--the same one where I dropped that clue for you. And, I knew it was the same two because one of them had a chip in their beak. It was just another reason I loved that spot on the terrace," he said. "I eventually outlived them, of course. But I'll always remember the way they'd croon and wrap their necks together. Maybe it's simple, but it's one of nature's beauties, and not one common to the Winter Court, I don't think. But there were at least 20 years I could watch two beings free of any evil walk in the Winter Court, that I could watch safely without worry that there might be something nefarious beneath the surface. A respite for my pervasive paranoia," he added, at last.

"What about you, Harper?" he asked, the cold slowly creeping into the burrow, as he folded his arms. He could change into something, but he wanted to talk to Harper for just a little bit longer. "What's something you don't regret the memory of?"

 

[Harper Kai]

She listened quietly. It was clear he'd been solely dedicated to his work with the Winter Court. For his queen. Did he regret it? She may have caught a little of that in his tone but she wasn't quite so sure. Her gloved hands ran together. Trying to keep her fingers warm as she sat there.

Warmer than outside in the snow and window.

But.

Still cold. If it got much colder, she'd need to transform. For the moment, she was okay. She did find herself drawing closer to the Spy Master. Her side nearly leaning up against his own as if her body knew where to find the warmth it needed.

"Every year before the summer solstice my family and I would host a water festival in the river. We would make fountains and watershapes and end with a giant game of watertag. Mostly the other lesser fae loved to participate. Especially the younglings." She smiled briefly in memory. "A good day," she finished quietly, thinking about her brothers and how they'd soaked those poor fauns.

But there had always been so much laughter. So much joy. A brief reprieve from the Summer Court tensions.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

Yeah, a good day, Tadgh thought, as the images flashed through his head. The mental image was followed by those of Summer Court slavers, dragging the nymphs away from the water and into the mines, away from even a drop of the life-sustaining liquid. Harper being dragged away from her friends and family. A tragedy of the highest order, and the survivor who was now slowly scooting herself by his side.

"I would have loved to see it. You're most beautiful when you're in the water," he said, perhaps stating the obvious, but perhaps also saying something more. It was a subtle feeling he'd had since their time at the little pond a few days prior, that had held some purchase in his heart even as he tried to kill it. "Maybe, someday, you'll see it again."

With that, he dismissed the pretense, slowly curling his nearest arm around Harper's waist, attempting to pull her closer so that she was leaning against his chest. If she accepted, he would feel that she was cold, and he likely would have been too if moments before he hadn't been a huge badger. He would rest his head atop hers, rubbing her back slowly in gentle reassurance, suspecting that behind what she'd said was a world of pain she had no desire to revisit.

"Well, you're positively freezing," he teased, wanting to break up some of the inevitable tension of the two of them being huddled in the cold, dim light of the burrow, as the lights from Tadgh's magic danced in front of them lazily. "Need me to keep you warm?"