Private Tales Amongst the Night Blooms

[Rafe]

The moment she yanked the bag from his hand and dragged it over her head, Rafe’s mouth twitched into a light smirk.

“There she is,” he muttered under his breath.

Her questions tumbled out, so sharp and meant to needle him, and he huffed a quiet breath through his nose, rolling his eyes.

“By the stars, Princess, stop being so dramatic, I'm taking you home, not to the gallows."

He stepped forward before she could protest further, hands settling firmly at her shoulders. He turned her so she stood in front of him, positioning her toward the narrow ledge that curved behind the waterfall.

"You're not my prisoner, and if you fall I'll be a good lad and drag you back to your feet.." he huffed, though he had no intention of letting her fall. If she wanted to think him a bastard then fine.

The water thundered beside them as he guided her forward. The ledge was slick in places, the cold spray dampening their clothes. He guided her forward, careful of the uneven stone beneath her boots.

“Slow,” he instructed when her foot hesitated. “There’s a dip.”

They curved around the sheet of falling water, mist clinging to htem, before finally emerging into the open forest beyond. The roar of the falls faded gradually behind them, replaced by the softer rustle of leaves and trill of birdsong.

The forest floor was thick with roots and scattered rocks, and so he maneuvered her carefully, guiding her around tree trunks, steadying her over protruding roots, adjusting her pace without complaint. When the incline steepened, she'd naturally lean back, and he pressed closer to push her uphill through the dense green.

They crested the rise and began descending into the valley beyond. Here the air felt warmer, sunlight filtering through the canopy. A breeze stirred, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth.

"Did you wrap that foot?.." he murmured.

 

[Olydia]

Keeping conversation was not at the forefront of her mind. Olydia could not protest by the time he took her shoulders and turned her round to start their trek, instructing her on where to move and how to approach any obstacles. She was tense beneath his hands, not from his presence, but from the unknown. To have sight taken away was only anxiety inducing, a fear that would come to ruin things if it were not for the distraction of Thorn guiding her and making sure she knew she was not alone as they made it out from the waterfall and far beyond it.

She was too focused on listening to his instruction, on placing her feet steadily, until he asked her a question.

Olydia stumbled briefly before righting herself, "I... uh... yes, I did. Thank you for the salve."

The salve was doing it's work, far beyond anything she thought was capable to ease the pain. Wrapping her foot after did not feel so sharp and painful, and the boots given to her were much more comfortable to move in.

The rest of her attire were things she never wore before. The trousers were the only thing she was unsure of. To feel no weight of a skirt was so odd for her to experience, and her hands often went to her sides to ensure she was... well, dressed. She felt incomplete not in her dresses.

"I no doubt will need to reapply it later..." Olydia felt another incline beneath her feet, feeling Thorn readjust his hands to support her moving forward. "I was not expecting any climbs. We are not near mountains, are we?" Should she expect more steep paths?

 

[Rafe]

His grip tightened instinctively as she stumbled, a hand dropping to her waist for a brief moment to steady her before she could fully lose her footing, adjusting her balance.

When she thanked him for the salve, he answered only with a rough, throaty sound in acknowledgement.

“Don’t worry, Princess,” he murmured after a moment. “We’ll stop and rest your pretty feet in a few hours.” he teased.

When she asked about mountains, however, he let out a short, incredulous laugh. “Good grief,” he muttered. “Complaining already. It’s only a hill.” he said, shaking his head.

“Not used to walking, are you?” he added, the observation obvious. “There are a few valleys between here and Ivertown, but no, we won't be climbing any mountains..” he rumbled with assurance.

“A few more blisters maybe, but you'll survive, i'm sure."

 

[Olydia]

"I am not complaining. Merely trying to gauge what terrain we are passing through. After all, I have a hessian bag over my head." They had barely gone for some time, she would not comment on the length of the walk, not when she knew it would be a week until they reach her home.

But rest, knowing it will come later, was something to look forward to.

She did her best not to complain, and if there was a conplaint, it would be over the uneven earth she was blind to seeing and avoiding obstacles.

Rafe had forgotten to warn her about a gnarled root jutting into her path, and her boot caught it. Falling forward happened too fast, her body launching and out from the grip of Rafe's late response. She fell on her side, a loud groan escaping her as she tried to regain her breath.

Up above, critters chittered and chattered, the bird song sounding so sharp, almost like laughter.

"Perfect. Your forest friends are laughing at me." Her hands braced against the ground and began to push herself up, first to sit up and take a moment to recover. "Can I just take it off, just for an hour, please?"

 

[Rafe]

"Well, just you never mind trying to gauge the terrain and just focus on walking. The bag is for good reason." he bit out.

He truly hadn't noticed the root, hadn't intended on letting her fall, but she was torn out of his grip by it so unexpectedly that his hands grasped nothing but air.

"Shit." he cursed under his breath..

Forest friends?.. His lips quirked at that, and he cast a glance up at the scattering birds before he crouched down in front of her. He reached for her hands first, taking each one and dusting off moss and dirt from her palms, ensuring there were no cuts or sprains. Then he reached for her feet, rolling her ankles gently to make sure none had been twisted..

At least she could not see the guilt on his face as she pleaded with him, how tense his jaw was.. He huffed as he reached up and pulled the thing from her head, brows rising as he fixed her with a stare. "Since you cannot be trusted not to throw yourself to the ground." he said...

"I am trusting you, Lady Duskwood. We are not very far from Thornhold." he said, holding her stare for a moment longer before dropping it in another check.. "If you are not hurt, then we keep moving." he said, standing and offering a hand to help her up.

 

[Olydia]

She could feel her hair stand up, roughed by the bag being pulled off her head and leaving her dark hair in such a state. Bits of fiber clung to her ebony locks, but she did not immediately go to fix the state of her hair.

She stared at him, surprised his first thought was to check her for any cuts or scrapes. There were none, other than the dirt that Olydia collected from her fall. She had expected him to have laughed before helping her up, but he did not ask her to get up as soon as he saw she was not injured too much.

"Thank you." For tending to her and releasing her from the bag. Her expression sobered, staring at Thorn closely. He had not been this close since he had taken her from her carriage. "I think all I will suffer is a bruised side and arm, but... I should be right to continue now."

With help, she got back to her feet and readjusted the satchel.

"I... I have never seen a map before. I would not be able to pin point where we are, or even tell you what direction the sea is in. It was not necessary education, my father deemed."

 

[Rafe]

He didn’t let go of her hand immediately once she was upright. His fingers lingered a second longer than necessary, ensuring she was steady before he finally released her.

When she thanked him again, he gave her a long look, one dark brow arching slowly.

“Careful Princess," he said dryly. “If you keep thanking me, I might start thinking you enjoy my company.” The corner of his mouth twitched before it faded again.

At her admission about maps, something in him shifted. The teasing drained, replaced by something more assessing. More serious.

“That,” he said quietly, his eyes holding hers, “is exactly how it needs to remain.”

“If anyone ever asks you where Thornhold is… you don’t know. If they ask how long you walked, you don’t know. If they ask what direction we travelled..” he shook his head. “You. Don’t. Know.”

“You were blindfolded. You were disoriented. You were frightened.. Got it?.."

He moved to walk beside her this time instead of directly behind, no longer touching, but near enough to catch her if she stumbled again.

"Now be careful.... There are roots on the ground." he said, mockingly, and carried on.

 

[Olydia]

Never had she met someone that knew how to annoy her so easily. Perhaps it was the constant switches from serious to sarcastic, for Olydia could not feel as if she would ever understand him.

She scowled just for him, moving to follow him after a moment.

"I cannot begin to understand how your mind works, Thorn." She grumped, taking extra care in where she stepped. With her sight returned, Olydia's pace was much faster and stronger, allowing them both to set an ideal rhythm. "Hard to tell if you want to be liked or not."

Just how well did Felix get to know him? After all that insistence on Thorn treating her well, she wondered if it was natural to leave how much of an irritant he truly was.

Her focus was not on her surroundings. Her blue eyes stayed to their path, only glancing ahead when needed to, but Olydia did not bother taking in the entire surroundings out of fear of giving up too much information at a later date.

 

[Rafe]

Her scowl only widened his grin, dimples carved into his cheeks as he looked over at her, clearly pleased with himself.

“Don’t feel bad, love. Sometimes I can’t understand it myself.” He adjusted the strap of his pack with a shrug, quite clearly unbothered.

“Why d’you think my name is Thorn?” he mused, casting her a sidelong glances.

A branch brushed his shoulder as they passed, and he nudged it aside for her without thinking, letting it swing back once she was clear.

“I don’t need you to like me, Princess. I’m not Felix.” he commented lightly. “I need to take care of the people I need to take care of. And they seem to like me well enough.”

He stepped over a fallen log and waited moment to be sure she managed it before continuing.

“Liking me would be inconvenient for you anyway,” he added. "You'd only miss me terribly. It's only fair that I spare you the heartache." he sighed.

 

[Olydia]

"And yet for some reason..." Olydia navigated her way over the log with much less grace than him, "... Felix wishes me to trust you and find a way to like you." She finished as she gently lowered herself onto the other side of the log. It was easier to be honest when not surrounded by others. Olydia could become more relaxed with herself, and this certainly felt like an easier conversation than the last few times they both had spoken.

"The family bonds run deep in Thornhold. It is warming to see and experience the community there." Olydia set off walking again, her voice turning softer and quieter as she spoke the truth. It was the way Ivertown was when she was a child. Remembering how things used to be, how she loved visiting the bakery with her mother and being given a coin purse to purchase anything she liked that week.

She longed for that sort of community again, to revert back to a time life seemed easier and simpler.

But it was a dream. Her future now was to be a Princess, to aide a kingdom... but Olydia could not help but feel slightly out of depth. No doubt nothing would be expected of her other than the duties of a wife.

 

[Rafe]

“Does he now?”

Rafe rumbled with apparent indifference. He kept his gaze forward, jaw tightening just slightly. The lad had called him a prick one too many times of late, ironic that he’d now be encouraging the girl to like him. He huffed at the thought, but let it pass without further comment.

They walked a few paces in silence before her mention of Thornhold’s familial bonds, and at that, something in him eased.

His throat cleared.“Aye… it does.” He said, genuine for once.

The forest had begun to thin, the valley opening gently around them, and his eyes drifted across the landscape they were descending into.

“He begged you to stay, I take it?” he asked, without looking up. “He gets.. attached.. Figured that’s why he took you to the pools..”

 

[Olydia]

"I asked for somewhere quiet. I do not like too much noise or being surrounded by many people." Olydia gave a breathy laugh, wincing slightly. "Too many distractions flusters me. I cannot think, and therefore I begin to withdraw from conversation and sort of just... endure it."

She had asked Felix to show her anywhere for quiet, and although he delivered, Olydia did not wish to linger too long in someone else's space.

"You hear that and must wonder about the shock it will be once I am a Princess." The grimace was genuine as it settled on her expression. "But I get a wing of the castle all to myself... so says the King."

The King had clasped his hands around both of her own and made the promise. She remembered the smile, almost saccharine enough to make her doubt just how true to his word he would be.

"I asked if there was a library or a music room... and when neither truly existed, only then did Felix show me the pools."

Last night, conversation flowed between them easily. It had been a long time since she could talk so freely and meander in conversation with someone, and that Felix was attentive as she was to each of their stories. Perhaps... she was attached too.

"And he did not beg... much. Truth be told, if I stayed another day, I am sure I would have talked myself out of it and stayed." But there was so much left in her life she could not be without. Her dog, most of all. The past two mornings without the heavy weight lumped over her legs in bed had been quite lonely, and Olydia had missed the large and shaggy dog she called Badger.

 

[Rafe]

Rafe had been half listening at first, his attention split between the path and the cadence of her voice, though he glanced up at the soft laugh, the sound new to him. Surprising.

He listened until she said the word Princess.

He stopped walking as she went on, and stood there staring at her as though she had just spoken in a foreign tongue.

“Princess?” he called finally, incredulous.

He began moving toward her again, slowly, as though he might spook a wild animal he intended on catching.

“What do you mean ‘once I am Princess?’”

There was no teasing now. No dimples or crooked grin. His green eyes burned with anger and disbelief entwined.

“I’m taking you home,” he went on, brows pulling tight, “not to Ivereth, not to your Prince and your cosy castle wing. Home.”

His jaw tensed. “You mean to tell me you agreed to let me spend a fortnight on foot taking you home for you to turn back the moment I leave?” His voice rose despite the clear effort to restrain it. “Walk all that way just to climb into your pretty carriage and ride back?!”

The anger in his words was wounded. Frustrated.

“You think this is some scenic detour?” he pressed, stopping just short of her. “That Thornhold is a pleasant little holiday before you go and play bride?” His eyes searched her face.

“Tell me I’m not hauling you across half the country so you can hand yourself back to them the moment my back’s turned.”

 

[Olydia]

Olydia stepped back as he advanced, her breath catching sharply as his anger hit her.

It was almost the same argument Felix tried to reason with her, but Thorn's anger did not frighten her. It ignited something inside her, something ugly that was not natural to her. "Are you that simple of mind?" She near hissed back at him.

Her blue eyes turned cold, staring at him steadily as seething left her lips. "You think taking me home would stop the King from marrying me off to his son, the Prince? They want my magic, I know that, but I am not something soft they can take advantage of and weaponise. I have a soul, I have a heart."

Even if he was taller than her, towering above and spitting anger at her feet, Olydia did not flinch. She did not waver, nor did she tear her gaze away from him.

"The people in this kingdom and country suffer at their hands and once I am Princess of Ivereth, I will make sure to see to changes." Olydia shook her head at him, searing him with her gaze. "Go on then, tell me I am naive. What did you think was going to happen once I returned home? That I would live my life quietly again?"