Private Tales Brothels and Broken Things

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi nodded in agreement to his words; this was a holiday. She had trouble letting go enough as it was and if she went down that road it would ruin the whole week ahead of them. Of course, if he changed his mind, she would do it. She would always make the sacrifice for one of her men let alone Cassian who now held her heart. A soft sigh of contentment was her only response to that decision and she nuzzled closer into the crook of his neck. She pressed a silent thank you in the form of a kiss there.

For a while they sat like that in silence then she felt him stir to look down at her. Lexi raised her eyes then blinked in shock at his words.

"I just took a chance," it had been a chance. Kain had been furious with her decision though she could hardly have blamed him the state they had found Cassian in. Not to mention the way he had acted towards her. "The rest has all been you Cass, don't diminish your efforts. Even a week ago you wouldn't have walked away from that fight," she thought about Kain's broken jaw and laughed softly under her breath. He was probably thinking himself lucky it hadn't been Lexi who had found him first.

"I'm so proud of you," she placed a kiss to his lips.

 

[Cassian]

That nuzzle into his neck.. It was like her kiss injected some soothing sedative into his veins and he felt it run through his entire, tired body.

His arm around her tightened it's grip and his lips curled at her words. He sighed a whisky scented breath against her lips. Pride. Nobody had ever felt proud of him, at least they'd never said it if they had. It wasn't the sort of thing that'd been said where he came from, and he'd never realised how encouraging it'd be to hear it, especially coming from her.. He cupped her face and stroked a firm thumb against her cheek, breathing her in as he kissed her with all the gratitude he could muster.

"I'm glad you took that chance.." he growled a whisper against her lips, dimples reappearing as he grinned uncontrollably. The thought of how happy he felt right now crossed his mind, but he didn't dare voice it, he didn't want to jinx it by speaking the words aloud, he just hoped she knew..

He settled and pressed a kiss to her head, muffling a rumbled "I love you.." into her hair and wrapping both arms around her and letting his eyes close with a sigh.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi's lips lifted in a tired smile and she set her whisky down to the side before getting comfortable against his side. She was exhausted; they had ridden all day and had drunk plenty with Damien, then there had been all of the ... excitement with meeting Cassian's own family. And, of course, the Story of Her Ripped Dress that she was pretty sure would make her a pretty penny if she wrote it up one day.

"I love you too," she sighed back and let her own eyes drift shut. She had not felt this content for a long time if at all ever. Even with Rose, there had been other things on her mind, dreams she had been chasing. Now she had it all. With that happy thought she soon drifted off to sleep.

 

[Cassian]

Cassian slept peacefully despite the turmoil of the day. It’d been well and truly put to rest by no small effort of the woman curled against him, and he smiled as he woke early to find her still sound asleep with one arm possessively draped over his chest. It took all he had not to kiss her, not to let his hands sail over her soft skin and venture further below the fine silk sheet.

He let her sleep, and slipped out of bed as carefully as he could, replacing himself with his pillow under her arm. He watched her for a moment, a crooked, dimpled grin on his face as his mind cast him back to the days following their first meeting and how much he’d openly wanted the woman to warm his bed for only the wrong reasons. Now there she was, for entirely all of the right reasons and yet again he couldn’t quite believe she was his.

Cassian pulled on his breeches and white shirt without bothering to fasten it nor properly lace his boots. He didn’t plan on being gone long, but the aroma of sweet breads and coffee from the stall on the corner of the street beckoned him and since he was trying this whole new romantic thing he planned on surprising her with breakfast in bed.

The thing with plans was that they either worked out, or they didn’t. He didn’t feel the six sets of eyes on him as he stepped out onto the street, flipping his coin in his hand. He hadn’t even noticed the men leave their stations and approach him from all angles until Dedrick stepped directly into his path.

Cassian frowned, his jaw clenching before he opened his mouth to speak. The words never made it passed his lips. Something hard struck him on the side of the head and instant darkness took hold of him. They’d asked questions, Lexi had given her name, and they’d been waiting for them to leave..

He drifted in and out of consciousness, aware he was being dragged somewhere, aware that there were far more of them than there was of him. Aware that he probably wasn’t going to see out the rest of the day... Aware that he might never see her again.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi woke as a small smile crept across her face. The sun that filtered through the curtain warmed her skin and slowly coaxed her awake like soft kisses. Her arm tightened around him as she wok-- Her eyes slowly opened as she looked at the pillow that was propping her arm up and began to frown. She raised her head and looked around the room, her dark hair falling over her shoulders as the silken strands slid off the pillow.

"Cassian?" her voice was still muffled with sleep as she sat up and looked around the room. The balcony door was open a jar and a slight breeze wafted into the rooms. When she got no answer she reluctantly pulled herself out of bed and got herself dressed into her breeches and a white blouse, then stepped out into the street.

Lexi was beginning to get worried. It wasn't like him to go wandering off. He didn't know the city and they had been planning to go and watch the training today anyway.

"Excuse me," she wandered over to one of the stall owners that worked almost opposite her home. "Did you see a guy leaving my place earlier, d'ya see what direction he went in?"

 

[Cassian]

The old street merchant sprung to life as Lexi approached, holding up various beads and bangles and jangling them in the air "Yes lady! Some pretty trinkets for a pretty wo-- oh.." he frowned, with a disappointed sigh. He glanced up and down the street and leaned across his stall to lower his voice. "I don't usually get myself involved in the business of others, lady. But since you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen I will make an exception.. I saw your man, spring in his step he had. Just didn't seem fair. Six men to get their hands on one?!" the merchant shook his head. "Barbaric. But that's the way those Anirian's are. Reckon he's long gone now lady. Hit him pretty hard and dragged him off down that there alley." he nodded and pointed to the lane across the street with another shake of his head. "You didn't hear it from me, lady. I don't want them coming back here looking for old Rani!"

Cassian had managed to slip off both boots, one in the alleyway he'd been dragged through, and another near the docks in the empty boat house he was currently held in.

He woke to a large bucket of stale water being poured over his face and he gasped and choked on it. He was grabbed and dragged up onto his feet by two of the larger men and held to face the disgusted look of his father. "Why can't you be trusted not to make trouble, Cassian? Did you think that you could humiliate me the way you did and get away with it? I have a fucking reputation to uphold, son." the older version of himself shook his head and looked to Dedrick with a nod. The soldier responded with a hard punch to Cassian's jaw, his head reeled with a grunt and he swore..

"Fuck. Keep goin' Dedrick you're turnin' me on." he growled and spit blood before Dedrick happily obliged, once, twice, three times. Cassian's head lolled forward and his legs buckled underneath him but he laughed.. "Good lad.. Doin' the old bastard's bidding.. Let him do it him-fucking-self." he grumbled and lifted his eyes to see his father watching. "Too scared to fight me, has six of his fuckin' minions do it for him.." The old man laughed..

"Come now son we know how that went last time, I've no intention of fighting you, I've no need to... You didn't get the punishment you deserved, but we're not in Vel Anir now, here I can do whatever the fuck I like." he grinned, and nodded to Dedrick and another of the soldiers to share the load.

"At least let me fight back you fuckin' pr-- " another punch to the face.. and the pair would beat until told to stop, if that moment even came.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

"Thanks," Lexi flicked a gold coin towards the merchant almost absentmindedly as she turned towards the alleyway he had indicated. She was trying not to let her anger get the better of her but it was like trying to hold a lion on a fraying rope. For the first time in years she actually felt the goddess stirring in her mind. The anger and hate was calling to her, whispering and coaxing her towards that edge. She tried to ignore it but Lexi wanted to give in. If any of them had hurt him...

The Commander found one boot and then the other after some hunting and quite a few wrong turns - there were plenty of ways the men could have gone from the alleyway. Oban was not a small place and as the seconds ticked by her worry, her anger it grew. Lexi dug her blood fingernails into the last shred of control she had and held firm as she slowly slid along the wall of the building and peaked in through one of the windows. She was in time to see another punch driven into Cassian's stomach.

Snap all of their necks.

Lexi was in firm agreement. She made her way back around to the doors and simply ripped them off their hinges, letting them crumple to the floor.

"You know...." her fingers played about the hilt of her blade. "You are really putting a dampener on our holiday."

 

[Cassian]

Cassian had laughed the men off for as long as he could, he'd driven up their frustrations and they'd taken them out on him tenfold. His jaw had been fractured in several places, his nose broken, there wasn't a single rib that wasn't cracked or broken. He couldn't laugh anymore. Exhaustion and kicked in, and as punch after punch rained down on him all he could think about was her and tears finally fell from his eyes as death crept closer.

His head lolled forward, and Dedrick had gripped hold of his hair, yanking his head back up, ready to land another strike to his face as Lexi tore off the doors. Cassian could barely open his eyes, he could hear only a feminine muffle in his ears, but he knew it was her.

"Good morning, Miss Quinzell.. Delighted you could join us." Jon stood from his seat on a barrel in the corner and smiled almost warmly at the woman. "It's clear what my son sees in you. You can do so much better my girl." he folded his arms and his head shook as his eyes slowly wandered over her, clearly impressed by the physical strength in the woman.

"Leave him. He's done.. Perhaps we can persuade Miss Quinzell to see sense." he frowned, and the two men who'd been holding Cassian let him go and approached her instead, reaching to grab hold of her simultaneously.

Cass fell and rolled to his side, drifting in and out of consciousness as the pain drew him back insistently toward darkness.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

"It's Commander Quinzell, actually," Lexi didn't even so much as give the man a look, her eyes were on Cassian and trying to assess from a distance just how bad his wounds were. There was a panic in her. He clearly needed medical assistance and if she hadn't arrived when she had it looked as though she would have been having to take home a corpse not her partner. The anger rose higher until it was a roar and all she could hear as the Goddess inside of her whispering, coaxing her to that edge.

Faint lines began to appear on her face as she tried to hold the magic in.

"I really, wouldn't, touch me," her voice was soft but the warning was clear as the two men approached her. They lunged at the same time regardless, hoping to grab her arms when she snapped. Her previously white eye suddenly shifted to a haunting yellow, the pupil narrowing into a slit. The man who her gaze landed on first suddenly froze and then turned to stone in the perfect image of a man realising what horrific fate was about to overcome him. The second she hadn't looked at, but as he grabbed her arm she twisted her body and threw him into the stone statue that had once been his friend, smashing it to pieces.

"I'll give you one more warning. Leave. Now."

 

[Cassian]

Dedrick froze as he watched his comrade frozen solid and shattered before his eyes and he stared at the woman, as did the others, fear dominating their rage. The man she'd thrown groaned as he pulled himself to his feet, breathing hard as he stared between the woman and the rubble on the ground in utter bewilderment.

"Fuck this!" he trembled and bolted out of the door.

Jon Hart growled after him. "Fucking coward!!" he spat and drew his blade. "Get a hold of this witch, now." he barked at the others who looked uncertainly at one another.

Cassian groaned as he rolled onto his back, coughing and spluttering blood from his lungs.. "Lads... just fuckin' go.." he slurred dizzily. He knew Lexi would kill them, but he knew they were doing what they were told, and yet again his father was taking no regard for the lives of his men. He was helpless, and despite knowing her strength, fear still gripped him. "Dedrick.. It ent worth it." he rasped up at the man. "He don' care.." he grimaced.

"I'm fucking warning the lot of you, one more man disobeys me and you'll be wishing you were him." he pointed to the pile of stone. "Do as I FUCKING SAY!"

Two men drew their blades and charged at Lexi. Cassian tried to yell but blood caught in his throat and he coughed and rolled to his side to spit up another mouthful of blood.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Agony tore through her as she fought with the creature within. This was her chance to break free, to wreck havoc once again on the world instead of in this fleshy prison.

Her own blade sung as she drew it though her arms trembled as she fought an entirely different battle on a whole other plain of existence. Despite that she met the swipe with a skill that the man opposite her respected for a split second before she smashed the pommel of the blade into the side of his head. Cassian was pleading with them which meant... he ... cared...

But we don't, the voice hissed. Lexi went to her knee with the force of it and barely managed to register the swing for her neck. Her sword came up and sparks flew as the two blades met in a nasty gnashing of steel.

"You need to go," her voice was hoarse as she pushed up. Blue lines were forming over the skin on one half of her face. Wrestling with herself she managed to throw a punch into the mans stomach. It sent him flying into a wall where he cracked his head and slumped. Not fatal.

The voice screamed in her head and Lexi dropped her blade, sinking to her knees with her head in her hands. The ground began to tremble.

"Everyone... needs....to.... leave."

 

[Cassian]

"Dedrick! Kill him!"

Jon Hart was pointing to his own son as he issued the demand. Dedrick froze, staring at the man in disbelief. He'd assumed the man wanted his payback for his humiliation, that he'd have him roughed up and left to lick his wounds, a lesson hard learned. But as the man issued the demand to kill his own flesh and blood Dedrick looked down at Cassian and frowned as he fought with himself.

As the ground trembled the remaining three men paled and took off. Dedrick rushed to the comrade who'd been thrown into the wall and he looked at Lexi, heeding her warning and grabbing the man up from the ground, shaking his head in mute refusal before rushing to get out before things got any worse.

Jon gripped Cassian by the shoulder and dragged from the ground to sit him up, his blade pressed against his son's throat.. "STOP THIS!! I'LL CUT HIS FUCKING THROAT RIGHT NOW!" the man roared in fury and terror.

Cassian's eyes blinked heavily at the woman, his brow furrowed with more concern for her than he had for himself in that moment. The blade sliced at his skin and he winced.. "Whether...you do it..or don't... She'll kill you.." Cassian managed a grin and he choked on the blood that continued to fill in his mouth, his breathing shallow. "But I'd.. prefer to watch."

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

"I SAID LEAVE."
​

It wasn't Lexi's voice, not really, that spoke. The ground split, cracked, tore itself apart and the sigil on her arm burned. The skin on her arm was beginning to blister from just how hot it was. Her hands ran up into her hair was struggled to hold on but she was fighting a creature that was as old as the earth they walked on.

When she looked up directly at the man behind him her eyes were not her own.

Turning to stone started at the feet, stopping the victim from running. Then it travelled up slowly. Some people had described it as pins and needles or the worst feeling of cramp, others had claimed it was like freezing to death. As it got to the lungs the man gave one final panicked word or cry, she couldn't hear what he said if anything, and then he was gone.

Lexi slammed her eyes shut and gave a sharp cry as the feeling grew to its pitch in her mind.

 

[Cassian]

Had it not been for the man's shock, Cassian knew he'd been about to carry out his word. He'd felt the man's grip tighten in his hair as his knuckles paled around the hilt of his blade, ready to force it quickly across his throat. Cassian's body had braced, unable to fight back, his eyes closed and he held the breath he'd thought to be his last.

Instead, it was Jon Hart who pulled in a ragged gasp and let a sound of terror and agony tear from his lungs as he looked down at his stoney feet. He tried to move, though he could only lose his grip of his blade and Cassian's hair to reach for his legs in panic.. "S-STOP!! PLEASE!!" The man wailed, and Cassian watched as he promised.

He'd never seen anything more terrifying in his life, and although the terror on his father's face was one that he relished, the sight of him slowly turning to stone was one that sent a shudder racing across his aching back.

Screams and words slowly turned to desperate gasps and throaty gurgles, and finally, nothing. His still open eyes were frozen in disbelief, his mouth opened by the horrors of his last moments, and Cassian heard the last, strangled breath leave the man's solidifying lungs..

Cassian stared up from the ground for a moment, a long moment. Sleep, or death threatened to take him, he wasn't sure which it was, but he turned his attention back to Lexi..if it was Lexi, and he reached out a tremulous hand toward her..

"Lass.." he breathed.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Her skin would have burnt like fire when he touched it.

Lexi barely heard or felt him though. The being inside of her was wrestling for control and it was taking all of her focus to push her back down.

We could still catch them... think how good it would feel. To see them all die.

"No," she gritted out the word and the voice laughed maniacally.

One day, Little Raven, one day...

She wasn't entirely sure how long it took before the ground beneath them finally stopped trembling and she managed to take the hands away from her head and look up at him with her own two eyes. She set her hands on the ground in front of her and focused on taking deep breaths.

"I'm okay..." her fingers brushed against his cheek and she murmured a spell under her breath to ease some of his wounds. She was too weak to do them all but the worst was fixed. "We need to leave," she shakily pushed herself to her feet.

 

[Cassian]

Cassian recoiled a scalded hand, the unexpected gasp he pulled in causing a spluttered cough of blood from his pierced lung. He had to force his eyes to stay open as he watched her, struggling to breathe but managing to say her name, as though trying to bring her back to him. She wasn't herself, she'd heard that other voice and it unnerved him.

He couldn't help but flinch as she reached her hand to his face, expecting the touch to burn, but when it didn't he reached a tremulous hand to grip at her wrist, a tired smile curling at the corner of his bloody lips. "Lex.." he rumbled. He felt the spell. It knit the internal bleeds and he coughed up the last of the blood before managing to pull in a painful, but deep breath in relief. His body was broken, his face a mess, and he looked up at her with exhaustion and apology as he made a futile attempt at pushing himself up before he slumped again..

"Just go, lass.." he murmured. She'd caused a commotion, the ground had literally trembled, men had fled and screams torn from the building. They wouldn't be alone for long, and he didn't want her having to deal with any more trouble.. "I'm alrigh'..." he frowned.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

"No," Lexi winced at the own harshness in her voice. The Goddess was still riding her hard and though she had managed to push her back down enough for it not to be a threat yet. But that would change quickly if she didn't get them both out of here. There was no question about her leaving him here to be thrown in a jail it would just push her over the edge again.

Crouching down she closed her eyes, counted under her breath then slung him across her shoulders and stood in one quick movement.

"Come on Princess," she laughed under her breath and then slid out of the hole in the back wall she had made during the attack.

 

[Cassian]

Cassian mirrored her wince. He couldn't take her being angry with him, not right now. He looked up at the horrorstricken expression on his father's stone face and for a moment he couldn't take his eyes from it.. There were waves of emotions, and although there was no love lost, it was strange to see the man who raised him now a statue of terror. His jaw clenched and he reached for the man's arm and put every last ounce of strength that he had left pulling at it, unwilling to see his father become a fucking effigy, he didn't deserve to be remembered.

The statue fell and shattered like it's comrade. He stared at it, shaking, and turned his attention back to Lexi as she crouched, his brow lifting and his head slowly shaking at her..

"Lex, no don-" he growled out in agony as she lifted him. He was a dead weight, limp and broken, and every step she took was excruciating.. "If I...had the strength...to slap your arse...right now....I'd fuckin' do it.." he growled at her through grit teeth.. "Princess.."

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

There was no doubt they got a few weird looks as Lexi strode back through the streets but there was no further comment when they saw the state he was in. The walk also helped to sooth her mind and wrestle the creature that lived inside of her further down. By the time they had returned to the house she felt more like herself and less like a child hanging on to a spooked horse as it dove through the undergrowth.

"Here," Lexi eased him slowly down onto the bed and then brushed the hair back from his face. Her eyes were full of concern as she looked him over. "Let me get some water and energy bars I'll see if I can heal you some more," she pressed a kiss to his forehead and then disappeared from the room. It didn't take her long to return with a bowl of warm water, some food, and some drink. She sat on the edge of the bed and began to clean the blood from his face.

"Are you ok?" She had just killed his father.

 

[Cassian]

Cassian grimaced and groaned as she settled him onto the bed, but the moment she did he felt sleep try to claim him but he was determined to stay awake. His lungs were no longer filling with blood, his vision was returning, and so he knew she'd healed what she had to heal to keep him alive. The rest was broken bones, swelling and bruising, the rest he could deal with.

As she returned and started cleaning the blood from his face he frowned at her question and reached for her, ignoring what pain he felt to pull her against him and wrap his arms around her. Cassian wasn't the sort of man that had ever been used to expressing his emotions, emotions were weaknesses, but as he conjured that fear of never seeing her again back into his mind he breathed her in and let tears fall silently from his eyes. His body shook, and his voice crack as he spoke quietly by her ear..

"I din't think I'd see you again.." his jaw clenched, and the pain turned to rage but he pushed it down and gripped her tighter.. "Thank you for havin' my back.. I'll get a healer, lass, don't use your energy, you've done enough..."

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi went when he pulled her close with no objection. The fear of losing him still rode her and she wasn't entirely sure whether or not she would be able to keep the deity bound to her soul pinned down if she didn't feel his arms about her. She crawled on top of him and buried her face in his neck then breathed him in. Sweat, blood, tears. None of them bothered her as she lay in his arms.

"I will always have your back Cassian," her arms slid around his waist and she held him close. "I'll get you a healer, I'm sorry, trying to keep her from getting out took more energy than I thought," really every time she came in contact with the Goddess she was surprised she somehow walked away from it still herself.

"I didn't... I didn't mean to kill him. I'm sorry," this time her voice broke and cracked. He might have been a monster but he had been Cassian's father. She had robbed him of one of the few members of family he had left.

 

[Cassian]

He grimaced but tried not to groan as she crawled on top of him. Everything hurt. He felt like he'd been trampled by a team of horses.. But he was alive, thanks to her. "Don't you fuckin' dare apologise to me for anythin'. You're the only reason I'm here, Lex." his bloody fingers ran into her hair and he pressed a painful kiss to her forehead.

"I'd have done it myself if I could've. I don't feel anythin' lass, he was dead to me a long time ago." he assured her in a quiet rumble as he breathed her in. "I'm sorry you had to do that.." he sighed.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

"Okay," Lexi let out a breath she hadn't known she had been holding in a rush and then sat up and pressed her lips to his in a feverish kiss. "I thought I had lost you," there was genuine pain in her voice as her hands cupped his cheeks. She rested her forehead against his for just a brief moment before very slowly crawled off of him. There was reluctance in every movement but his need for a healer had her moving. She simply didn't have the strength. Her body felt worse than when she had healed Alec.

"I'm going to find someone for you, no moving," she said the words half in jest but she meant them. He wasn't leaving the bed without her again. At least not for the next few days.

Lexi wasn't gone for too long before she was back with a disgruntled looking tall man at the turn of his twilight years. Grey seeped into his darker hair and his face was pinched but he looked kind enough. He straightened his dark green robes before setting about examining Cassian, asking a few questions, and then murmuring a few spells.

 

[Cassian]

Cassian returned her kiss and managed a grin at her words "You ent gettin' rid of me that easy, lass.." he laughed under his breath but flinched at the pain it caused. He was trying to lighten the mood, ease her worries, but the truth of it was that no pain had ever been worse than the thought of never seeing her again.

He smirked at her words and sighed in acceptance. He thought of telling her to be careful, but he was certain the soldiers would be well on their way back to Vel Anir by now, and he was more certain that they'd be the ones who should be careful if they crossed her path.

Sleep claimed him almost immediately after she had left, but he woke, startled and breathless as he opened his eyes to see someone other than Lexi. It took him a moment to realise, and he soon settled and allowed the man to examine him. His bleeding organs had already been healed, and so the damage now consisted of breakages, heavy bruising and a few wounds. Most of his ribs were broken, as well as his jaw and cheekbone, and they hurt just as much to heal as they had when the damage had been done but he tried not to protest or let out any sound at all, but his body tensed to shaking.

By the time the man was done, Cassian's eyes were heavy and his skin sinewy and glistening with sweat.

"Have we missed your brother's trainin'?" he asked in an exhausted rumble.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

"He needs lots of rest Miss, he went through worse than I've seen some soldiers come back from war with."

"I know, I'll keep him in bed," Lexi wrung her hands. She was worried about him even though she had followed the man's spells intently and had found herself pleased with them. Only a White Raven would have been able to do better. The man tipped his hat and then left.

She slid into the bed beside him though remained sitting so she could pull his head into her lap and stroke through his hair in soft, soothing strokes.

"Yes, love," Lexi pressed a kiss to his forehead. "But I don't mind. Damien won't either. He'll know something came up," he would probably drop by later just to ensure they were both fine because her little brother had a heart that had been too big for fighting monsters. "You're on strict bed rest for the next few days, until you feel better," there was no argument to be broached with her tone of voice.