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

[Gawyn]

Soldiers had a skewered view of the world; they had to, or they wouldn't be able to do their jobs. They forgave things others would bulk, did things most could not, and above all - perhaps the most important too - they reacted with tenderness when people least expected it. Carefully, Gawyn eased himself further into the narrow bed so he sat up against the pillows next to her and gently folded her against his chest. His large blue and purple shaded wings enveloped them both in a soft cocoon of midnight.

"Don't apologise for mourning, if you don't mourn you won't heal," he murmured against her hair as he rested his chin atop her head. The General closed his eyes and thought about his own grief, briefly.

"I'm sorry this happened to you Thea."

 

[Althea]

Thea looked up at him as he squeezed in next to her, the gentle arm around her something so foreign that she looked momentarily abashed. Her eyes seemed to glow a little brighter as the soothing darkness of his wings encased them, her gaze wandering over the soft feathers. She expected an ache to form, and yet she felt the one that was already there loosen slightly as he spoke.

Heal?.. She wondered if it were possible, but she hadn't had the chance to mourn, she hadn't the chance to try.

Her eyes closed as she felt the sonorous sound of his voice rumbling against her hair. Nobody had ever said that to her. She hadn't deserved apologies after taking justice into her own hands and disgracing her people. And the hands she'd fallen into since were not exactly sympathetic.

She grimaced as she shifted slightly to nestle herself in against him, her arm curling around his waist and indulging in the comfort and warmth. She let the slow rise and fall of his chest and the pacifying pulse of his heart lull her to sleep and the tears that soaked into his shirt slowly rolled to a stop.

 

[Gawyn]

Thea falling asleep in his arms had been the last thing Gawyn had expected. He looked down at the top of her snowy-white head with a look of surprise and alarm when he heard her breathing change to the deep, slow rhythm of sleep. He glanced around the room then back down to her awkwardly, wondering what it was he should do. Move? It couldn't be comfortable for her in her half sat up position and the last thing he wanted was her waking stiff. But the idea of moving seemed a larger crime when she had finally found sleep.

With care he slowly slid himself further down on the bed until he too was laying, taking care not to jostle the soundly sleeping woman nestled against her side. When he was horizontal he carefully folded the blankets around them both and closed his own eyes. A few winks of sleep when he could couldn't do much harm...

 

[Althea]

She might have been in pain, but when was the last time she'd felt truly safe? When had she ever allowed herself to cry and talk about her past? When had she ever been comforted about it? For a long time, there had been a heavy weight upon Thea's shoulders, and suddenly it felt a little lighter. Her mind needed the rest as much as her body, and if this was her chance she'd take it.

Thea didn't move an inch other than to nuzzle in against his chest, soaking in the warmth to stop her from shivering. She fell into such a deep sleep that there was no light left for dream, but for that she was grateful.

The sound of birdsong outside the window roused her with a small smirk on her lips, though her disorientation only lasted a short moment before she realised where she was and that she could still hear his pulse under her ear and his soft feathers tickling at her skin. Her eyes snapped open and looked up at him, clearing her throat sheepishly.

 

[Gawyn]

Black lashes slowly parted to reveal slits of piercing blue. He seemed not to comprehend the reason for her throat clearing first of all and watched her the way a wolf might the dinner it had forgotten. Eventually though, a crooked half smile twisted his lips and he shut his eyes again with an air of smug confidence. Clearly he thought her sheepish look an amusing thing.

"You're the one who fell asleep first," he murmured, his voice turned rough from the sleep that still clogged it. Gawyn did not move much more than to shift himself into a slightly comfier position. The arm not wrapped around her waist he moved to behind his head and with a small yawn he stretched his wings out as much as was possible with her laying on two of them.

 

[Althea]

Thea's lips twisted and she chewed idly on the inside of her cheek as he opened his eyes to stare at her that way, though the smug smirk that tugged at his lips eased her tension. She barked a breath of a laugh at his murmuring and she tried to stretch out too, her brow furrowing at the aches and pains of her healing wounds as she did so.

"I am a patient of this infirmary and I was instructed to rest.." she said, the strain of her painful stretch but also clear amusement in her tone.

Besides.. It was nice. She thought to herself with another smirk. She felt cold at the very thought of him getting up, and so she brazenly wrapped her arm around him and nestled in again. His yawn was contagious and she stifled hers against his chest, then looked up at him, her eyes blinking drowsily.

"Thank you for staying.." she smiled, tight lipped and brief.

 

[Gawyn]

"How could I escape with that iron grip?" His chest rumbled with his deep chuckle but he made no move to pry her away. Instead his fingers lazily trailed up and down her spine as he closed his eyes again. In truth, he hadn't slept that well in a Groundling bed in years. Usually they felt too confining and the itch to get back home was too strong to sleep soundly. Maybe it was just the fact Thea was one of his own kind.

Or maybe it was just that he really liked the smell of her soap.

"Did you sleep well? How do you feel?"

 

[Althea]

Thea's lips curled and she huffed out a deep sigh. Thea had anything but an iron grip. She was as feeble as a bird.. "Suppose I don't know my own strength.." she muttered in amusement.

She felt calm and comfortable, unusually so, but he'd allowed her to and regardless of how bold it may have been, she cared little. He'd have to leave her soon and so she'd savour the feeling of familiarity for as long as she could. Plus, he smelled of cool fresh air and leather and woodsmoke.

"Everything hurts.. But I slept comfortably." she huffed a laugh. "I feel warmer...and hungry." she smirked. Her mind felt less clouded too, that constant ache in her chest a little less, as though she'd chased the storm clouds that had been drenching her in misery since she'd been cast out of her home.

"Thank you, for staying." she murmured.

 

[Gawyn]

Gawyn opened his eyes again to peer down at her. They seemed to weigh her up; her words, her soul. Truthfully they were only weighing up her words and trying to decide if her tone meant anything more than just the words she said.

"You asked," he said softly and curled the end of a lock of her hair around his finger. All she had ever had to do was ask. He would have taken her away from that place the moment he had met her if only she had asked. Though from what he had come to learn in their short amount of time together was that pride was a hot iron rod she wielded as ferociously as any soldier would a sword.

"Let's get you some food, I'll go flag down a nurse," he tugged the strand of hair gently then moved to get to his feet.

 

[Althea]

Her eyes seemed to droop drowsily as he toyed with her hair and she gave a lazy smirk. "I'll deny it." she muttered. She had always been stubborn as a mule, but that trait had only grown over the past few years, with everything she'd faced, she'd convinced herself that she needed no-one. She could survive on her own. She didn't need anyone to care, because when she realised that nobody really did, it wouldn't hurt quite so much as it had done when her own parents had looked at her with such contempt.

Yes, she'd asked. She'd felt frightened, vulnerable, and more alone than she'd felt in a long time. He knew her, he knew her brother, he knew what she was and what she'd done and he'd been willing to stay for her sake all the same. She wondered if she'd ever let go, and her reluctance to do so was evident as he shifted and her grip tightened momentarily.

With a quiet groan, she relented, feeling almost instantly colder as he got to his feet and so she shuddered and pulled the blankets tightly around her to ward it off. Her skin was still ashen, her eyes still dark and her lips pale, but there was the faintest flush of colour on her cheeks as she looked up at him with a quiet 'Thank you'.

 

[Gawyn]

Gawyn tried to keep his face impassive even though worry churned his stomach into a stormy sea. She's safe, she's somewhere she can get care, he reminded himself sternly and if that meant the only thing he could do now was provide warmth and fetch her food, then so be it. He bent and pulled another blanket up from the bottom of the bed, tucking her in with tender care, before he finally turned and left the room in search of food.

Poking his head into the nurses tea room caused quite the commotion, especially amongst those who had not yet seen the near-mythical Avariel. It had felt like it had been too late to hide his wings when he had landed in the square in full daylight, but he regretted it when it in instances like this. The nurse who had tended to Thea the day before was the first to recover and quickly got the rest moving. Two were dispatched to fetch food whilst she and another went back to the room with Gawyn trailing behind them.

"Good morning Miss," the woman smiled pleasantly and sailed over to where she lay, gently rolling back the blankets. "I just need to check you over. How did you sleep?"

 

[Althea]

Thea's lips twisted in fond amusement as Gawyn left and she looked down at her blankets tucked around her. She hadn't been tucked in to her bed since she was a child, and the comforting gesture made her melt a little.

There was still a slight flush to her cheeks as the woman and Gawyn returned.. "Oh.." Thea's gaze shifted apprehensively. "I..think I'm alright..At least, I don't feel as..." cold, alone, guilty..she answered quietly. "Awful.." she added finally and cleared her throat. "I slept through the night.."

It was with reluctance that she allowed the woman to pull back the blankets and she avoided the woman's gaze, and Gawyn's, self conscious of her scrawniness and scars, most especially those she'd inflicted herself. Asking where her ribbons were would only draw more attention to it and so she kept her arms crossed awkwardly.

"Thank you, for healing me." she said with a small smile. She missed helping people, she missed being that sort of person.

 

[Gawyn]

Gawyn hovered in the background until he realised he must look like a flittering mother hen and retreated to the back wall to lean against it and give the nurse her space.

"Your friend here was quite insistent on it," the nurse smiled causing her warm brown eyes to crease and dance with her amusement. She had pitched her voice just loud enough so that the Avariel might hear it but hadn't given him so much as a look. It was only Thea who would see Gawyn stiffen and his cheeks turn a slight reddish hue. She continued her inspection, redoing some bandages and using a bit of magic here and there to speed up some injuries on their way to recovery, before tucking the girl back in.

"A few more days of bed rest and then we can begin getting you up and about. You will still have to take it easy though," as she spoke two other young elves entered with two trays; one with plates of food whilst the other contained a fresh jug of water and a small vase of flowers. "See how you go with the porridge this morning, and we'll bring you your lunch in a few hours. The key is small meals often," she explained and once the trays were sorted the three gave a small bow and left.

 

[Althea]

Thea returned the woman's smile and gave a winced laugh under her breath, glancing to Gawyn who looked a little abashed. The nurse managed to put her at ease and so she allowed her to check on her wounds without any fuss or further tension.

A few more days?.. Thea sighed at that, and yet.. When was the last time she'd been allowed to rest that long? Perhaps she should just take advantage of it. Perhaps the longer she had to stay in the infirmary, the longer Gawyn would stay.

"Thank you.." she nodded, smiling softly at the woman as she bowed and left. Her eyes shifted back to Gawyn with a small smirk, her shoulders shrugging carefully. "Doctor's orders." she sighed, reaching for the porridge.

"Hungry?.."

 

[Gawyn]

"Starving," he admitted with a rueful grin, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he wandered back over to the bed. Nurses always made him nervous. It wasn't very often he found himself in a hospital and wasn't the patient there so he never knew how to act other than to listen to the doctors orders or risk being scolded. Avariel healers were not nice when ignored. He had no proof but he was certain they deliberately made the healing more painful.

Gawyn perched on the edge of the bed with care not to disturb his tray, one wing sliding across the width of the bed.

"But they said I could go and grab something from their communal kitchens when I wanted. You should eat as much as you can of this. You need it," he frowned.

 

[Althea]

Her gaze lowered as he frowned at her. "Hm.." she nodded.. "I guess I do.." she answered grimly, knowing full well how little care of herself she'd taken. She spooned out a little of the porridge and took a mouthful. It was pleasantly sweet with honey and she sighed, her stomach seeming to jolt at the prospect of a meal.

"But.." she swallowed and lifted the cup of tea to take a sip. "I promise that I won't try to run away from you if you go get some food.." she shrugged with a guilty smile, her eyes running along the length of his wing. "You don't have to watch me forever. I'm not going anywhere."

 

[Gawyn]

His eyes widened a fraction in surprise when she hit her mark first time. Was he that transparent? Gawyn hoped her injuries of all things would keep her there but there was a niggling doubt in the back of his mind that she might still run. He had offered to go and she had asked him to stay, had slept in his arms and shown something other than fear. If she ran now...

He swallowed and forced a small smile.

"If you want to get up call for a nurse, you... you lost a lot of blood," he squeezed her leg through the blankets then stood. Even still he hesitated before turning for the door, his stomach winning out against his fear. "I'll be back in a bit," he promised then ducked out the door.

 

[Althea]

She wondered if he knew how readable he was. Perhaps it was her gifts with empathy, but she could see his doubts written on his face. Her gaze flitted to the hand that squeezed her leg, and then back to his face as he stood..

"I know...I don't need to get up.." she assured, her lips twitching with the urge to smirk but she refrained until he had left the room. She couldn't deny that she was enjoying being taken care of.. being worried over. Having someone care about what happened to her.

She settled back against the pillows with a small smile still playing on her lips as she ate her porridge. Over the years, Thea's appetite had diminished until the point where she'd barely eaten at all. She'd once made herself so ill that she'd been locked in a room until she'd consumed all of the food that'd been left on a large table in the centre of it. It'd taken her two weeks.

This morning, she appreciated the sweet porridge and devoured the bowl in moments. She ate the oatcakes and cheese, the apple slices and she drank down the tea and she'd eaten so much so fast that she felt drowsy and comfortably full.

 

[Gawyn]

It took two misses before he found the dining hall the doctors, nurses and scattering of visitors. Awkwardly he hovered in the door before joining the slow and steady line of people who were collecting their food. There were a few sideways glances and whispers but nobody bothered him as he collected more food than he needed and headed back to the room at double step.

"I snuck you some pudding out," he commented as he backed into the room, using his right elbow to open the latch and his shoulder to shunt the door open. Once inside the room he took his tray back over to the seat beside her bed and set it down on the little side table. He carefully passed here a cup with what appeared to be chocolate mousse inside before picking up his own bowl of porridge which he promptly began spooning into his mouth.

He'd got a pudding cup for himself too, of course.

 

[Althea]

Thea’s lips twisted in amusement at him, as though the pair were mischievous children sneaking treats between meals.

“Thank you..” she laughed under her breath and took the little cup with a glimmer of excitement in her eyes that only grew wider as she licked curiously at it.

She murmured a quiet ‘oooOooh’ without meaning to and dug in with her spoon. Maybe if she’d had more food like this she wouldn’t be so thin.. No.. She’d likely be the exact opposite. Apparently, Thea had a sweet tooth, and she didn’t put the cup down until she’d finished scraping every last bit from its edges and licking the spoon clean, pausing mid-lick to look at Gawyn with a look of shame.

Her throat cleared as she set the empty cup aside and settled down into her pillows with a slight wince, but she was quickly comfortable again. “You know.. if you hadn’t been General, you’d have made a lovely nurse…” she smirked.

 

[Gawyn]

Gawyn ate his food with a vigour and gusto befitting a young man, but his attention wasn't really on what he was putting into his mouth. Instead he watched her. Did she realise she wriggled slightly when she was excitement? Or the way her eyes closed briefly when she enjoyed a mouthful? How slow she pulled the spoon out of her mouth as if reluctant for that second of pleasure to end even though there was more pudding in her cup? His lips twitched as he fought a smile and refrained from saying anything once he'd finished. The look of utter guilt broke his resolve however and he laughed despite himself.

"My friend Aodhin would most certainly disagree with you," he chuckled some more before reaching for his own pudding cup and cracking the lid. Chocolate was something he had most certainly missed in Oriasa. "He says I have the bedside manner of a rabid badger," he grimaced at the memory, of his friends wounds and his ire at being left with no healers and no contact with Thyasari. He had thought he would lose his friend but it didn't excuse his manners.

 

[Althea]

She felt her cheeks heat at his laughter but laughed along with him despite herself, and grinned at Aodhin’s description of his bedside manner, though it slowly subsided as she thought of how he’d reacted to her running away, despite the state he’d found her in..

“Only when you’re afraid..” she commented, dropping her gaze to her hands as she wrung her fingers together. She wasn’t sure why he’d cared so much, but she’d recognised his anger and though he’d both frightened and hurt her.. she understood.

“I’ll try not to frighten you again…”

 

[Gawyn]

Gawyn quickly sobered when her tone changed and winced at the tone of her voice and the unconscious nervous wringing of her hands.

"I appreciate that, Thea, I do but that is no excuse for how I was with you. I should have realised you were hurt not..." he sighed and looked down at the half eaten pudding cup. He'd just pushed the rest of the mousse around rather than eaten it and he wasn't sure he wanted it really. He offered it to her instead with a painfully vulnerable boyish grin that wiped several years off his face.

"How about this, you promise not to frighten me and I'll promise to be less of a rabid badger?"

 

[Althea]

She chewed on her lip gently, not wishing to make him feel guilty over it. "It's alright, I was just..." she swallowed and sighed a little awkwardly. They had both taken responsibility for their errors and that was that. She'd been about to speak again when he offered the cup to her, but her eyes were on his face and she melted just a little.

Her skin flushed when she realised she'd been staring at him and she cleared her throat as she accepted the gesture with a shy and flustered smirk.

"That sounds like a fair deal.." she smiled softly and looked down at the pudding cup to scoop a spoonful. She frowned though, staring down at the spoon in her hand.

"Gawyn?... What is that?.." she asked curiously, staring at something on her spoon.

 

[Gawyn]

Gawyn was on his feet in a heartbeat and across the narrow divide that had existed between them. He hadn't noticed anything in the cup but what if someone had slipped something into his food without him knowing? Had he given Thea something rancid, something vile? Perhaps it was blood from his own mouth. He hadn't been hurt anywhere in the extremes she had but a bash to the ribs could cause internal bleeding he might not have been aware of. Or it could be...

That was how his mind raced as he sat back down on the edge of the bed with a deep set frown. His eyes ran over the spoon once then again and the concern faded to confusion.

"I can't see anything..."