Private Tales Have you heard there's a rumour in Alliria?

[Althea]

That settles it then?..

Nothing seemed very settled at all. All she felt was more confused and yet all she could do was smile at him as she watched him stand, a chuckle tumbling free.

"Alright." she agreed with a nod. "Just.. let me change at least. I no doubt smell like the infirmary.." she gave an awkward smile and cleared her throat. Sleep could wait, but a quick wash and some new clothes couldn't.

She hurried, stumbling around her room and stubbing her toe not once but twice, the sound followed by cursing and muttering. By the time she returned to him she had on a fresh, white shirt that hung low on her shoulders, cinched by a dove-grey corset to match the boots that tied above the knee of her leggings. She ruffled her fingers through her snowy waves and gave him a wince of apology..

"Would you mind?.." she asked, wringing her fingers as she turned her back to him, the laces of her corset untied.. Her shirt covered the thick scars from where her wings had once been, but there were a few new ones from her incident in the woods, and some old ones from her time on the streets. Her new inked wings were visible, though, and they shifted as she drew in a deep breath and let it back out in a sharp huff.

This was trust. Ribbons and sleeves always covered her arms, she was self conscious about so much, but her wingless back was her greatest shame..

 

[Gawyn]

While Thea changed and freshened up Gawyn found himself unable to sit and relax once more so he paced around the small sitting room and took in what she had done with the place which was... nothing. The cat seemed the only real personalisation she had made aside from the blanket on the sofa. Of course it had only been a few days and from what she'd said she had spent very little time here but still...

He was fiddling with a tea cup which he almost dropped when Thea asked for help. How had he not heard her re-enter the room? For the third time and definitely not the last for the day he angrily told himself to get a grip.

"Sure," he said far more smoothly than how he felt and stepped up behind her to examine the ties. His fingers were light and gentle as he began to lace them. "Tell me when," he murmured, his breath brushing the curve of her neck as his head bowed over his work.

 

[Althea]

She bit down so hard on her lip she felt the slightest coppery tang of blood on her tongue. There was no doubting that he could hear her heart rattling like a caged bird in her chest, and she cleared her throat in attempt to mask it even a little as she held the corset against her, eyes closed and her frail body rigid with the effort it took to suppress a shudder at the sensation of his breath on her skin..

"Haaaa.. Too tight." she wheezed, having entirely forgotten about saying 'when'.. She laughed under her breath and wriggled a little.

"That's about right." she murmured sheepishly and glanced back at him with a shy smile, her gaze lingering a little longer than intended.. "Thank you."

 

[Gawyn]

Gawyn's heart thundered in his chest. Every brush of his fingers against her skin sent tiny little bolts of excitement through him - what was wrong with him? This woman had asked for his protection, the safety of this city, not for him to think such lecherous things like whether her skin was as soft on the inside of her thighs. He gave a quiet huffing laugh then stepped away to give her room once he finished lacing.

"Very impractical garments, I never understood why women liked them so much," his lips twisted into a lopsided grin. He certainly knew why men liked them though, his own eyes wandering over the curves of her hips.

"Right, puppies," he cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair before heading for the door and holding it open for her. "Maybe... leave the cat."

 

[Althea]

His hands were in exactly the same place in her mind as they were in his, and she had the strongest of urges to reach up and close the gap between his mouth and her neck, the warm breath she felt there far too-tempting a thing to pretend that it hadn't caused her blood to heat.

And then he stepped away and the patch of skin on her neck was immediately chilled, sending a shudder across her back. She echoed the quiet laugh he gave and turned to smirk at him, catching his wandering gaze.. Her doubts had her considering whether she was imagining it or not, but it certainly seemed that she wasn't the only one getting herself in a fluster.

"Right.." she agreed, tucking that unruly strand of hair back behind her ear again.. The cat happily curled up on the couch and she smiled and gave a small curtsy as the door was held open for her.

Yes. Excellent, Thea. You bloody idiot. She thought and shook her head, rolling her eyes at herself as soon as she'd passed him.

 

[Gawyn]

Gawyn blinked at the curtsey which momentarily set him off kilter. Was she mocking him? Of course she thinks you're a fool, ordering her off her own couch to go shopping with you, he nervously rubbed a hand through his shaggy locks then stepped out of the apartment after her. He wouldn't take all of her time, he told himself, she needed to rest. No doubt the matron had sent her packing to do just that and now here he was..

"Oh just stop it," he mouthed to himself and then, giving himself a good shake out of the downward spiral, set off towards the market once more.

Rather than the large stalls Gawyn set their course for one of the small side streets that ran off the square. Whilst they were less populated with people the noise was no less, for the shop they were aiming for had a large cage of colourful birds outside who were making a tremendous racket of squawking and screeching. Gawyn held the door open then followed her inside where more animals were kept either in large pens or cages. Cats, dogs, snakes, and the more exotic all clamoured for their attention.

 

[Althea]

The birds were the first thing she noticed, and her heart squeezed. Dozens of beautiful sets of wings that would likely never know what it was like to use them. She remembered people who kept them as pets in Alliria, the Bordello she'd lived in had several large cages of canaries, and she never could fathom the cruelty of keeping such a thing from experiencing what it was born to do... Here, though, she'd have thought they'd be even more conscious of such a crime. The birds fluttered further from her fingers as they trailed across the bars as she passed, her eyes gazing sorrowfully at each chirping little creature before she wandered inside.

Her lips curled at the adorable sounds of yips and mews of pups and kittens, and she knelt down in front of the dog pen, each one of them fighting to lick at the hand she pushed through the cage bars. Thea laughed quietly and glanced up at Gawyn..

"Perhaps, bringing me here wasn't the best idea... I think, Ilyena would like all of these.. You have room for a dozen, right?" she smirked.

 

[Gawyn]

"That is exactly why Ilyena isn't here," he said in an exasperated tone before crouching down beside her to critically eye up the puppies, his two sets of midnight blue wings sweeping out to either side to balance him. "We might have room for them all but you would never see me again if I had to spend all my time looking after 12 of them. One is going to be bad enough," he grimaced. Like any parent he knew full well that despite whatever pleas and promises the young girl would make about caring for them themselves, he would be the one stood out in the rain cleaning shit off the lawn.

With a sigh he put his own hand through one of the bars and scratched a black pups ear.

"What one would she like the best?"

 

[Althea]

Balance was a thing she'd had to relearn entirely after her wings had been taken. She watched the way his spread out, and recalled the amount of times she'd fallen forward without their counter weight. Fuck, she was still terribly clumsy and unsure of herself, and she wondered if she'd ever truly get used to being without them. The sorrowful thought didn't linger for long as she drew her gaze back to the numerous pups yipping and pawing for attention.

"I... She would like all of them best.." she answered as though that were quite obvious. But she could only pick one, and she wasn't quite sure how to do such a thing when they all looked up at her the same way. She studied their colours, their markings, their personalities. Some nipped and gnawed at others in the battle for dominance, and so that ruled a few of them out. Gawin and Aodhan had enough on their plates without unruly pets, and so her gaze was drawn to the one sat away from all of the fuss, its pointed ears too large and too heavy to yet hold up and so flopped forward into its face. Its tail thump thump thumped at the sawdust floor, and she could have sworn it looked like it was smiling straight at her.

"That one." she pointed to the pup, its puffed, golden-brown fur giving it the look of a baby bear. It's head tilted one way, and then the other and Thea grinned. "Definitely that one." The only one that the shop owner would conveniently forget to mention, was a dire wolf pup.

 

[Gawyn]

"An excellent choice!" beamed the shopkeeper.

"I don't know... how big is it going to grow?" Gawyn frowned dubiously at the puppy. It looked small and manageable now but puppies could be deceiving. He held out a hand towards the timid pup who slowly crept forward to lick delicately at his fingers. At least it seemed sweet natured.

"Oh not much bigger than it is already Sir, she's designed to be a lap dog for a lady. Very sweet, will be no bother at all for someone such as yourself," he smiled again. The puppy had rolled onto its back to expose a white smudge on its belly in the meantime, as if she were in on the sale too. Gawyn's brow furrowed as he considered it then with a slow nod he stood and offered a hand to the owner.

"We'll take her."

 

[Althea]

Exchanges made, the merchant handed over some rope to use as a leash until the pup was trained, and it happily trotted at Thea's feet as they made their way back outside.

"She's beautiful, Gawyn. Ilyena's going to be so happy." she beamed in excitement, and stopped to crouch down and stroke her fingers through the pup's fur as it attempted to lick at her face. A soft laugh tumbled from her lips as she stood again, looking up at Gawyn with a glint of mischief but also, the faintest hint of an apology as she handed the rope to him. The General.

"Also I should probably rush off.." she smiled sweetly, and with a quiet clink, the lock on the birdcage slipped open and a flurry of birds burst free in a riot of noise and colour, and Thea was off and running.

 

[Gawyn]

It was not as easy for Gawyn to make a run for it. As the birds shot into the sky the puppy by his ankles began to leap and bark and try and clamp its little jaws around one of them. The Captain swore, trying to cover his face with one arm from the flurry of wings and talons, and with his other hand trying to keep the new puppy from taking a chuck out of the animals or his own wings. By the time the chaos died the shop keep was standing by the door, hands on his hips and foot tapping.

Gawyn sighed and reached for his purse.

 

[Althea]

Thea didn't stop running until she had rounded the corner, and there she turned, her gaze heaven bound with a beaming smile as she watched the cloud of coloured birds flutter off, chirping jubilantly in their freedom. She looked behind her, expecting Gawyn to be there, but when she saw no-one her smile fell and she peeked back around the corner to see him hand payment over to the shopkeeper.

Her teeth clenched and she hissed through them with a wince... "Nicely done, Thea.." she growled at herself. He'd be pissed, and she felt terrible, but at least the birds, the dog and the shop owner were happy. Soon Ilyena would be too, so the scales were still tipped to positive, right?

Thea headed for home rather than face Gawyn right now. It was the second time today she'd caused him trouble. She made it home; and by the time she'd slept, bathed, ate and dressed, she'd finally worked up at least a little of the courage she'd needed to go and apologise.

After stopping by the market, Thea made her way to Gawyn and Aodhan's home, avoiding those she seen on the way and practising her apologies under her breath. The air was warm, and she'd opted for an emerald green summer dress, the fabric the light sort that fluttered in the breeze. She stopped several times, convincing herself she'd over dressed, and that she should've left her hair down. Thea stopped again at the gate to their home, and a couple cleared their throats to move passed her, a male's wings brushing against her elbow. They gave her a wary look and continued on to knock at the door and she watched enviously for a moment before turning on her heels, toward home.

 

[Gawyn]

"THEA!" A young voice called from the doorway with genuine warmth and excitement. The couple who had knocked found themselves pushed apart and stared in startlement as the young birthday girl barrelled down the pathway to throw herself at the older woman. She was dressed in what could only be described as a dress fit for a princess from the fairytales. Pink and puffy, propped up by petticoats that helped the dress sparkle when she moved. Her blonde curls were arranged neatly around a shimmering crown.

"You made it!" Ilyena said, breathless from her run. Chocolate crumbs already decorated her mouth which was turned upwards into a beaming grin. "I told Papa we couldn't start without you."

 

[Althea]

The genuine excitement hit her before she had even heard the child bellow her name. The emotion caused something in her chest to tighten, and she dipped to catch the girl in her open arms with a chuckle.

"Ohhh Ilyena! Just look at how beautiful you are!" Thea gasped, setting the child down to look over her with a beaming smile. "Of course I made it, but I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting. I had to get you a gift!" she said, lifting the wooden box. The intricate carvings on the lid depicted the night sky, with arethil's moons and stars painted silver atop a deep blue, and on the sides were mountains and forests and lakes, also beautifully painted.

"Open the latch.." Thea offered, and if she did, they would hear the soft musical notes of a very old Avariel song. The lyrics had been something to do with an avariel who fell in love with the sky. Thea couldn't remember the words, but the music was pretty. The inside of the box was painted with sky and clouds, and a tiny avariel stood upon a puffy cloud in the centre of the box, spinning slowly as though dancing along.

 

[Gawyn]

Ilyena stood in awe as she tried to take it all in and for the first time in her short life she was actually quiet for longer than a few seconds. Once the song finished its first run through the young girl carefully closed the lid and then flung her arms around Thea's neck.

"I love it!" she exclaimed then slowly pulled back with a light blush, clearly remembering a long impressed upon lesson she finished it up with a timid. "Thank you..."

Whilst the small exchange had been going on Gawyn had come to the door to greet the other guests and stood to watch as his young charge admired her new gift and the way Thea was with her. It stirred something off inside his chest and he found himself smiling like a stupid idiot at the whole thing. Everyone loved Ilyena of course - Avariel children were so rare - but it mattered more to him Thea loved her.

"Are you coming in? It's cake time," he called once they had had their moment. Ilyena's head whipped round at the mention of cake and she took a hold of Thea's hand with quite a firm grip.

"Do you like cake?" the little girl asked excitedly.

 

[Althea]

Thea let out a breath at the child's reaction, returning a gentle hug with a quiet chuckle over the excitement that she could feel tingling over her skin. "I'm glad." she nodded, reaching to brush a knuckle against the girl's blushing cheek.

She hadn't been around children often, but it occurred to her how suddenly the child had taken a grip on her heart, and how nice it felt to have been accepted by her. She saw her as Thea. Not as a criminal, nor a weakling or something to be shamed, because she was too young and innocent to know such things. Thea had never once considered having a child in her life, but now she wanted so badly to watch Ilyena grow.

Gawyn's voice startled her. Not because it was loud or abrasive, but because of the thoughts she'd been so lost in. And, possibly the worry of facing his anger. Her cheeks warmed and she stood, dropping her gaze to Ilyena again as the child gripped her hand. It'd hadn't been her intention to stay for too long.. She wasn't even sure if she was welcome, but she gave Gawyn an awkward wince of a smile in apology and nodded.

"Who doesn't love cake?" she shrugged, and allowed the girl to pull her inside.

 

[Gawyn]

"Or causing trouble?" Gawyn countered as the two girls passed. Ilyena shot her father an innocent grin then let go of Thea's hand and proceeded to run down the hallway calling for Aodhan to see her new present. The general didn't watch her go but instead focused his gaze on the white-haired ghost who haunted his dreams almost every night now.

"Would you like to see my new aviary? I seem to have suddenly come into the possession of twenty Green Jays. It should have been thirty, but ten of them never came back after someone let them out..."

 

[Althea]

Thea paused and winced, watching Ilyena run off down the hallway and dearly wishing that she hadn't let go of Thea's hand. She bit down on her lip as she turned to Gawyn with a look of apology, and she'd been about to speak when he went on and she stopped..

"Well, that was sort of the point.." she grimaced. She should just say her apologies and offer to right her wrongdoing in some way, but.. "They shouldn't be caged in the first place.. I'm sorry, and I'll pay you back. I just..." she paused, drawing a deep breath and shrugging her shoulders with a shake of her head. She knew what it was to have her wings taken from her, and caged birds just broke her heart a little.

"I'm sorry." she said again as she awkwardly twisted her fingers together.

 

[Gawyn]

Gawyn watched her grow awkward and fought hard not to smile at the blush creeping up her neck.

"Come," he said and inclined his head in the opposite direction to where Ilyena had run and the sounds of distant chatter. No doubt Aodhan would be waiting for him to light the candles but he wouldn't mind waiting a little longer whilst Gawyn showed Thea this bit. He said nothing else as their footsteps echoed down the hall until two turns later he paused to open a door.

Inside was a large, circular room with light flooding in through a domed glass ceiling. Large trees, shrubs and colourful flowers had been brought inside along with benches and a swing. Swarming up ahead or nesting were brightly coloured birds chirping and calling to one another or wheeling overhead in some lovers dance. Gawyn shut the door quickly behind them but none of the birds seemed that fussed about making a break for it.

"The Green Jay is bred to be a pet, if we let them go they could cause destruction or die when they can't fend for themselves. But in here... I have tried to give them a taste of the wild."

 

[Althea]

A summons. Her stomach knotted, and she glanced back at the exit in consideration before turning to follow him with a sigh, half mesmerised by his wings dragging down the hallways until he stopped at a door and she walked into him. Her arms brushed soft feathers and she stepped back, clutching her arms to her chest as though to trap the sensation.

Her cheeks warmed once again, and she was glad of the distraction of light that flooded from the room as he opened the door. She squinted against it at first, but as she realised what she was seeing, all gloom and embarrassment faded, and all that was left on her face was awe.

Her fingers trailed over leaves and petals as she wandered into the centre of the room to look up at the window, at the birds that occupied the tops of the trees and that flew over head. She watched them as she listened to him speak, her stomach knotting up once more as he mentioned the fate of such a bird in the wild. Gods she was such an idiot.

Thea's silvery eyes were glistening when she looked back at him, her chest swelling with gratitude and so much more. She should have been the bane of his existence with everything he'd had to do to keep her out of trouble, and yet here he was doing something like this.. He could have left them there, after they returned, but he hadn't. He'd made them a fucking aviary.

She said nothing as she walked to him. A few quick steps before she was on her tiptoes with her arms thrown around his neck.

 

[Gawyn]

Gawyn was prepared for some sort of witty remark or joke, maybe more apologising when she realised what exactly she had done when she had let the birds go free. What he had not even thought to expect was a hug like this. Warm and so, so tight that he felt as though she were using him as a lifeline in some storm that raged inside her mind. As an empath that could be entirely possible. After a pause of stunned silence he returned the embrace and curled his arms around her petite waist, pulling her a little closer.

There was no misinterpreting this. Gratitude. Love for what he had done. It made him feel full in a way that made him realise he had been empty for a while.

 

[Althea]

There was a brief moment of regret as she felt his arms curl around her and she realised how good it felt to be wrapped in them. It brought back memory of being cradled in his arms when he brought her here, and back at the infirmary when he'd settled in beside her. It was a predicament indeed that she didn't want to let go, and yet if she didn't he'd somehow be able to sense what she felt.

What did he feel? He was hugging her back. He had done yet another kind thing for her despite how much trouble she'd caused him once again, but it was difficult to think it any more than friendship when she recalled the worry that he'd felt the last time she'd intruded on his emotions.

Don't do it, Thea...

Let go, Thea...

She cleared her throat and reluctantly let go of him with a quiet laugh under her breath, her gaze downcast as she quickly brushed a tear or two away with the ribbon on her wrists. "Sorry.. I just. Thank you.." she nodded firmly and stepped back to look up at the birds that watched from above.

 

[Gawyn]

"Why are you crying, then?" Gawyn asked, his voice echoed the expression of concern on his face. It had been hard not to miss the tears she'd brushed aside. For a moment there he had thought she had wanted to be in his arms as much as he had wanted her. But then something had changed, she'd grown stiff and cold and pulled away.

"Thea, I didn't mean to upset you. I'm not really mad. Truly," he reached out to gently cup her cheek and turn her face back towards his. "And you can visit the birds any time you like. Ilyena would be glad of the company and so... so would I."

 

[Althea]

"I.. it's just.. " she started some awkward explanation when his hand settled on her cheek and she had no choice but to fall at the mercy of his gaze. She swallowed, audibly. And she listened to his invitation and his hesitation..

Her brow creased briefly, her silvery eyes still glassy as they stared at him as though searching for something. "Y-you would?..." she asked with a twist of confusion. "I thought you.. Well I didn't think..." she bit down on her tongue. Best not to ruin the entire thing by telling him she'd been in his head when she wanted so badly to be in his heart.

He was in hers. He consumed it, and every moment of her thoughts. She only wished she wasn't such a wreck around him.

"I.. They're very pretty birds."

Case and point, Thea.