Private Tales The Fool You Need

[Nadya]

Nadya let out a sigh as she dropped from the foreleg of Kalyss, bracing herself to land perfectly despite the drop much greater than the average dragon's leg. He had refused to make this easier for her, but Nadya was stubborn as well, and trained her feet and legs to make this drop until it stopped hurting. She gave a look over her shoulder to the Storm Dragon, who exhaled a great amount of steam that warmed her back as she made for the cavern in the rockface.

"Oi, Sullen Cullen ..." Her voice carried out, travelling inside the place her friend had made into a home. She found it isolating, too out of the way, but what was perhaps a nightmare to her, was paradise for him. She could not keep him safe on the Wall anymore, not since they stationed her quarters with the other Trainers for the new recruits. "Food delivery for you... and something else..."

Nadya walked in slowly, giving him enough time to make himself decent despite it being well into the afternoon. Even after he has insisted in the past he was always decent, Nadya did not want to take chances and glimpse something she could not unsee.

"You, good sir, are lucky that my sister Leida over did it with the muffins. I actually have a theory that she knew I was going to see you today and made extra." Where was he? Grey eyes scanned the main space of his home, the glow form the glow worms giving the place a cold touch by warmed perfectly by the springs out back. She placed the basket of muffins and other fruits and vegetables she had gotten from the Markets onto the flat stone that acted as his dining table. "And you got a delivery at the Wall. I had to peek, in case... you know, some fuck face was trying to end your life with poison or something..."

She waited for his response, but when none came, she rolled her eyes. "Alright, that was a bad joke. I get it, but Cull, did you made a friend? And why are they sending you a dagger and vials of Ransa tears?"

Nadya stared at the carefully wrapped blade and vials, having realised that perhaps it was not an attempt on his life, but perhaps someone trying to set him up for a crime...

"Oi!" She called out when no answer came again.

Kalyss grumbled and huffed through their bond, sharing the image of Meala landing and Cullen dismounting.

"Well thank the gods, Kalyss, he did not hear me speak such sense." Nadya rolled her eyes again as she exhaled, crossing her arms as she waited for her friend to appear.

 

[Cullen]

He looked as disheveled as ever, his dark hair tousled and his eyes slightly bleary, though he flashed a small smile when he saw Nadya. Meala, his honey hued Dragon, was visible just outside, her sleek form outlined against the afternoon sky as she preened in front of Kalyss.

"Nadya, you know you don't have to keep doing this," he said, his voice carrying a warm but teasing tone as he glanced over the basket of foods she'd brought him, spotting the baked goods. "But I'm grateful. Truly." he patted his stomach with a grin. "Leida's handywork, I assume? A gift from the damned Gods."

He pressed a kiss to his friend's cheek and walked over to inspect the basket, picking up a muffin and taking a bite. His eyes closed momentarily with a blissful groan before he turned his attention to the wrapped dagger and vials she carried, "Whafsat?" he asked passed the mouth full of muffin.

 

[Nadya]

Nadya regarded him suspiciously ever since he entered his home, kissed her cheek, and went for a muffin.

Even more so as he asked what the dagger and vials were, still wrapped in their velvet.

"I don't know, Morvane, it's covered in noble money velvet and addressed to you." From a pocket in her riding leathers, she held out the small parchment sealed with wax between two fingers. "Do you have an admirer now?" She tried not to sound strange when asking him of that.

It was years ago that she fancied him, and she had since had a string of boyfriends in that time, but her attention always seemed to shift when the idea of Cullen finding a lady came up.

"Leida would be most upset if you're favouring another noble girl's baking." She tried to tease, still feeling strange. The Caliars were minor nobles at this point, with Nadya poised to take the title once her parents die. She was no traditional Lady, however, but her bond with the only living Storm Dragon in Thanasis made her the boss of her own future. Nadya let out a sigh, "Shit, Cull. I just may have to kill you if you're gonna break little Leida's heart like that."

 

[Cullen]

Cullen huffed a casual laugh at her, though the grin he wore faltered slightly at the sight of the sealed parchment she offered to him. "Ah..." he said as he swallowed, quickly taking another bite of the soft muffin as he retrieved the parchment with a quick snatch and a quiet smirk. "Amshure Lei'll be jushfine," he mumbled as he chewed, pocketing the parchment and unpacking the velvet parcel with a light smile.

He swallowed the mouthful, clearing his throat as he shot Nadya a look filled with sarcasm. "I've always got so many admirers, didn't you know that?" he asked, his tone self-deprecating. "Thanks for this," he added with a sharp nod.

"I've some stew left over if you're hungry," he offered. "You should at the very least help me eat those," he gestured to the basket of cakes with a smirk, trying to keep the atmosphere light.

"I know it's not easy for you to keep an eye on me from the Wall, especially with the new recruits to train. I should've visited sooner, sorry." he rubbed at the back of his neck.

 

[Nadya]

Nadya had just come from her family home, well fed, but Leida was always better when it came to baking. Nadya and Stasya were gods awful, to the point anything came out plain or burnt. Ever the sweet tooth, Nadya helped herself to one of the muffins and found a seat so crumbs could collect on her lap.

"No bother, Cull... they're actually going to move me from the Wall to be stationed in Ōmeyōcān." This news would be normal, unimportant, if it were not something Nadya had been hoping for in the past few years. It meant those higher up were seeing her potential, and Nadya wanted to badly be a High Ascendant one day.

"So you'll have to visit me there than the dreary Wall. I don't need to wake up at the arse crack of dawn in order to fly there and conduct training for new recruits." Gods knew growing up with three younger sisters taught her patience to teach a new batch of recruits each year. "And I know that I will not be bombarded with questions about Kalyss since we have spent so much time there already."

 

[Cullen]

Cullen stopped chewing as Nadya's news sank in, his surprise and genuine happiness evident on his face. "Fuck. That's great, Nad..." he grinned, setting the muffin down as he moved towards her. In one swift motion, he pulled her to her feet and swept her into a bear hug, a kiss pressed down atop her head.

"Suppose I'll have to watch my own back now, though," he smirked, his eyes sparkling with pride and affection.

He pulled back slightly, still holding her shoulders, and looked into her eyes. "I'm proud of you, Nadya. Really. You deserve this. Ōmeyōcān is lucky to have you." His voice was warm and sincere "You've worked so hard for this. And I know you'll be High Ascendant in no time. Just don't forget about me when you're busy being all important and impressive."

 

[Nadya]

No matter how annoyed she was that he picked her up, and easily too, all grievances vanished as he pressed a kiss to her head. She had grown used to their affections, friendly as they are, but still there was a moment where her heart leapt and pulsed louder than she thought. At least it was easy to forget... sort of.

"As if I would ever forget you." She grinned, lifting a fist to softly punch his stomach, an excuse for her to take half a step back. Her family had been close with his, and even if the whispers and judgement weighed on her parents, that did not dissuade Nadya in finding Cullen and making sure he knew he was not truly alone in this world. "Besides that one time I did forget you, and only because I didn't think you actually came out for drinks until I realised I had taken your flight jacket."

She had been a little cooked that night, all of them were, but she vaguely remembered cheering once Cullen showed at the pub.

 

[Cullen]

Cullen laughed, a rare, genuine sound that echoed through the cavern. "Oh, that night that you accidentally took my flight jacket, right.. The same night I had to carry you home.." he grinned.

He rubbed his stomach where she had playfully punched him, a smirk playing on his lips. His eyes softened as he looked at her, the playful banter giving way to a more serious tone. "But seriously, Nadya, thank you. For everything. You've always been there for me, even when things were..." dark.

"I wouldn't be here without you."

As genuinely happy for her as he was, there was an ache settling in his chest to know that he'd be seeing a little less of her. Perhaps a lot less. Ōmeyōcān was a sacred place, and people like him weren't welcome in sacred places. Still, this wasn't about him, and he felt no need to mention such details to her now.

He moved unfasten his shirt, lifting it over his head without much care that Nadya would see his scarred flesh. She had seen it before, had watched it happen, and there was nothing he'd hide from her. His fingers worked free the knot in the bandage covering a wound on his bicep, reached for a vial of ransa tears from the velvet parcel he'd been sent un-stoppered it, lifting his arm to allow a drop or two to fall onto the wound.

 

[Nadya]

Nadya stared at him before shaking her head. "Here. Let me." She stopped asking about the wounds he got over the years, but there were still some occasions that she still felt the need to have some words with certain dragon shit idiots for what they say about her friend. One of those words had Nadya break a hand, but she'd do it again.

"Well, was this an accident or do I need to go knock some heads at the Wall?" She couldn't really do that, not when the rank of Wing Leader was so fresh. Her grey eyes watched the Tears begin to heal his wound, adding a few more drops to the spots that needed some more help. Looking around, she found a clean cloth and dipped it into the bucket of fresh water by the campfire, returning back to Cullen and tending to his healing wound.

Cleaning the blood on his arm, Nadya pursed her lips. A telltale sign she was keeping something quiet.

 

[Cullen]

He generally hated having wounds tended to. He'd picked up many over the years, and plenty since making it through the rising, but he was never as comfortable to let anyone as close to him as he was with Nadya. Perhaps it was his distrust of most other people, or perhaps it was that her hands were always warm and soft. She was never as gentle as she was when she was patching him up, and there was a comfort in her care, a familiarity that had always been a constant in his life.

Cullen met her vague question with a quiet huff and a reassuring smile. "You should see the other guy," he murmured. "Nothin' to worry yourself over."

He tilted his head as he noticed the look on her face. Lips pursed, her brows furrowed just slightly, her eyes focused but shadowed with something unspoken. His brow quirked in curiosity. "What?" he asked, his voice gentle but probing.

"You've got that look, like you're biting your tongue. Out with it."

 

[Nadya]

There was no wasting time with Cullen. They grew up being honest with one another, especially after Cullen suffered the fall of his family and being branded for crimes his parents were made guilty of. It was important to her that she did not lose her friend, and even if he changed, he still was their Cullen. She knew the Araelor twins appreciated his friendship still, but Nadya was lucky still call him friend.

"It's stupid. The prejudice they all feel spitting on your name." Or even insinuating that Nadya would follow the same fate as the Morvanes for merely getting involved. Kalyss' rage became her own, and Nadya was not one to act on her emotions. "Still, I guess it would have been worth to see the other guy's face when he realised that Cullen Morvane knows how to fight." She smiled, finishing up with his wound.

Nadya then flicked her gaze to meet his, feeling herself tense under his watchful gaze. "You should stop looking at me like that." She scoffed, forcing herself to move away from him and take a muffin that Leida had baked with Cullen in mind and not her older sister. Nadya had warned her sister she would simply steal from Cull.

 

[Cullen]

Cullen huffed, the corners of his eyes creasing with amusement as he watched Nadya. "I appreciate you sticking up for me, but don’t get yourself all grumpy about it. I’m used to it," he smirked, giving her a playful nudge.

"For once, this fight wasn’t actually about me," he continued with a husky chuckle. "I got myself involved in someone else’s mess. As though I need any more of those." His laughter was light, but his smile lingered, genuine and warm.

"And of course, I know how to fight. Spent my whole fucking life fighting." He took another bite of his muffin, savoring the taste as he watched her with a mix of fondness and curiosity.

"Looking at you like what?" he asked, his brow quirked in mock confusion. "You’re making me out to be some kind of brooding drama king. Just trying to figure out what’s going on in that head of yours."

 

[Nadya]

"Well, of course you are a brooding drama king. Everyone thinks you are Sullen Cullen but I know the real you." A smirk came to life on her face, moving to his makeshift bed and grabbing a couple of cushions that were on the ground for them each to sit on. "I just... wanted to say that I hate that even now, they still give you a hard time."

On one of the first nights Cullen made this his home, Nadya had brought the Araelor twins and plenty of alcohol to celebrate Cullen's start to privacy, of course of which none his friends gave him that first night. But after Danika and Jensen had fallen asleep as the sun began to rise, painting the sky in the brightest pinks and softest lilacs. Nadya never felt anything sobering her as she rested her head on Cullen's shoulder then, and promised him she would marry him just to give him a respectable name that no one could ridicule, but even drunk and slowly falling asleep, she apologised and said she'd be his Morvane wife.

She had thought it a dream, but she never remembered a dream so vivid before.

"I know you've been fighting all your life, you drama king." Her boot knocked against his in a light kick. "I'm just saying..." And her face dropped to look at the muffin she was making a mess of in her lap. Brushing the crumbs from her leg to the floor, thinking she would try to remember to clean it later, Nadya shrugged. "Hold on..."

Her head snapped back up and her grey eyes narrowed in scrutiny, curiosity. "Did you just say you got involved in someone else's mess? Since when did the lone wolf learn to make friends?" She snorted.

 

[Cullen]

Cullen chuckled at Nadya’s playful jab, shaking his head with a smile as he settled onto the cushions beside her, his expression softening as he listened to her frustration. "I know you do, but I'm used to it, and I can handle it." he assured her gently.

When Nadya’s attention shifted to his recent involvement in someone else’s fight, Cullen’s demeanor shifted subtly. He hesitated, his eyes flicking towards the velvet-wrapped package on the table before meeting her inquisitive gaze.

"Yeah, well..." he started, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I did get involved in someone else’s mess. But, you know, it’s not exactly something I’m eager to broadcast. I’ve been trying to keep things low-key."
He paused, clearly weighing whether to share more. "Let’s just say it’s... complicated."

He gave a half-hearted laugh, attempting to shift the focus away from the topic. "In the meantime, let’s enjoy these muffins and not dwell too much on my mysterious messes."

 

[Nadya]

Nadya studied her friend closely.

She did not often see him look as he did speaking and thinking of this mystery person, but an all too knowing thought popped into her mind. A girl. It made her purse her lips and chew at her bottom lip once released, hesitating to say something.

But he moved his attention to the muffins, smiling briefly as he grabbed another to begin feasting on.

There was no need for her to be upset at the idea of Cullen liking another girl, or even holding an interest for them. He was her friend, her best friend, and he had just been supportive and happy for her if she found a distraction in the form of a boy. Cullen had given her his shoulder plenty of times when stupid boys had made her cry, and even now, he was there to offer her many hugs when another romance never panned out.

"But muffins pair nicely with mysterious messes." She countered, eyes taking on an innocence that made her look younger and up to no good. "And since when did we keep secrets from each other? You know me, Cull." But Nadya braced herself for the worst.

 

[Cullen]

"Yes, I know you..."

A nervous tension settled in the air as Cullen avoided her gaze, focusing on the muffin in his hand. He took a deep breath, steeling himself before he continued. "Which is precisely why I’m... hesitant to tell you." he laughed under his breath, rubbing at the back of his neck.

He finally looked up, his dark eyes meeting her grey ones, and she would see the conflict there, the vulnerability he rarely allowed to show. "It’s... Eira," he said, his voice quieter now, almost as if saying her name out loud would make it more real. "Malennis."

He cleared his throat, the words feeling heavy on his tongue. "I know what you’re thinking, and trust me, I’ve thought all the same things. But it’s... complicated." His gaze flickered away again, unable to bear the weight of her reaction just yet.

"I didn’t expect it, and I know you won’t approve. But it happened, and now... well, I don't know what now.." He shrugged, the gesture more resigned than casual, as if bracing himself for the backlash he was certain would come.

 

[Nadya]

There was a reason she did not like using knives as a weapon.
The small blades were capable of doing real damage when in the right hands, and Nadya felt every stab of every syllable he spoke when he uttered the name.
But Nadya was a soldier. She learned to smile through pain, to never let anyone understand how much she could feel when the pain should debilitate her. And that was what she did before Cullen's very eyes.
She smiled.
"I am inclined to believe you are making a joke, but Eira Malennis is not a woman you would joke about..." At least her face can drop that smile, take on a more neutral face in favour of her hurt she wanted to feel and express. "You know I have to worry despite it all. A Malennis, Cull? You know how cutt throat they are to their own blood. Even those that have a moon dragon are ferocious..."
And spite wanted her to say "Maybe that's what you enjoy." She could not bring herself to say it, now looking to the muffin he held in his hand and reached over to steal a piece of the muffin top. "Look... I..." Nadya grimaced now, wincing and sighing. "I'm guessing this is kept under wraps? Otherwise, I would be hearing it all over the Wall and Ōmeyōcān."

And it went without saying. Nadya, despite the bleeding wounds of this truth unraveled before her, would take this to her grave.

"Not even I have ever fooled around with a Malennis." She shrugged. Nadya, pretty and of an ancient bloodline of Thanasis, never had trouble finding a boy to fool around with. Unlike Cullen, she was comfortable with flaunting the attention she would get. Anything to make her appear a normal soldier than the eldest daughter of a matriarchal family line with ties to the ancient history of Thanasis.

 

[Cullen]

Cullen watched Nadya closely, his stomach knotting as he saw her reaction unfold. That smile she gave him, the one that didn’t quite reach her eyes—it was like a blade twisted between his ribs. He knew Nadya too well to be fooled by it, but the fact that she tried to mask her hurt only made it worse.

He stayed silent as she spoke, letting her words wash over him. She was right, of course. The Malennis family wasn’t one to take lightly, and Cullen understood that better than most. Eira was nothing like what people imagined—at least, not to him—but that didn’t erase the reputation she carried with her. And now, it was something he was tangled up in too.

When Nadya reached over to steal a piece of his muffin, the small gesture tugged at his heart. She was trying so hard to act like this was just another casual conversation between them.

"Yeah," Cullen muttered, his voice a little rougher than he intended. "It’s under wraps. You’re... the first to know, actually." He rubbed the back of his neck, the tension there refusing to ease. He didn't have to mention that her family would likely have him murdered in his sleep if they knew he'd been with her.

Cullen took a breath, searching for the right words. "I didn’t mean for it to happen. It just… did." He hesitated, unsure how to explain. "Eira’s not like the rest of them, Nad. Not with me, anyway. I know what people say about the Malennis family—and they’re not wrong—but this thing with her, it’s different."

He could sense her unease, even through the casualness she tried to maintain. "You have every right to worry. Hell, I’ve worried plenty. But... it’s not just some reckless fling, either."

Cullen’s gaze softened as he looked at her again, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "And you can still give me shit for it, if you want. I probably deserve it."

 

[Nadya]

Her eyes watched him rub at his neck, something he did every now and then. Dusting her hands on her shirt, she moved to kneel behind him, placing the cushion she sat on to rest her knees as she swatted his hand and began to slowly work the tension out from his neck and back. She learned how to massage properly, after her own muscles ached after putting too much strain on herself during training. Then she started doing it for Danika, to help her remaining arm soothe after picking up the slack once she started to learn to operate with the one hand. Most of her friends ended up buying her a round of drinks in payment, but Nadya never expected Cullen to repay her for helping him with his pain.

"It's probably selfish of me to say, but I guess I always thought you would..." Nadya trailed off, pressing her thumbs into the muscle above his shoulder blade and working it. "You would ask me, you know? I used to fancy you, years ago." She lied. It was on and off for him, and perhaps nowadays it has always been on, but Nadya always found another man to distract herself with until she had the guts to tell him the truth. "But I guess that is natural when we have grown up together."

Nadya went quiet a second, thinking, before huffing her laugh.

"I am picturing the height difference right now. Didn't think I would ever see you with a little doll in my life." She chuckled. Things felt better now knowing the truth, but Nadya could not help that spite in her to take Cullen away from the noble woman she had never crossed paths with.

 

[Cullen]

Cullen froze for a moment when Nadya’s hands pressed into his neck, her familiar touch working at the tension that had knotted up in his muscles. He had always appreciated this about her—how she always knew when something was off, and how she seemed to fix it without a word. But when she started speaking, her words knocked the breath out of him.

He blinked, staring ahead with a frown, unsure if he had heard her right. Used to fancy him? His mind scrambled to make sense of what she had just said, the steady pressure of her thumbs on his muscles both grounding him and making it harder to think straight.

"You... Did?" He echoed quietly, his voice tinged with surprise, though his shoulders remained still beneath her touch. Cullen let out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding, the truth settling awkwardly in his chest. She had liked him, once?

Her laugh, light and familiar, broke the tension in the air, but he could still feel a thread of something heavier lingering between them. "I don’t know if I should be flattered or embarrassed," he chuckled, but the laughter faded as quickly as it came. The idea of her once having feelings for him stirred something deep in his chest —something he hadn’t let himself think about for years.

He tilted his head slightly, glancing over his shoulder to catch her gaze, though it was hard to read what she was thinking. "I didn’t know," he murmured, his voice a little softer. "I mean... I guess I never thought you would... you know, with me." The words felt clumsy on his tongue, his usual confidence slipping in the face of this sudden confession.

Her comment about the height difference between him and Eira made him smirk awkwardly, a low laugh escaping him. "A little doll, huh? I’ll have you know she could probably kill me with a look if she wanted to." He tried to make light of it, but his mind kept circling back to what she had just admitted...

Clearing his throat, Cullen shifted, though he didn’t move away from her hands. "Nad, if I’d known..." He started, then hesitated. What was he even trying to say? That he would have done something different? That maybe he could have seen her in that way? The thought unsettled him—mostly because it wasn’t as foreign as he might’ve hoped.

He sighed, dropping his head slightly. "I don’t know what to say. You’ve always been... everything to me. More than just a friend." He paused, unsure if he was going too far, or maybe not far enough. "But I never wanted to risk losing that, you know? Losing us."

His voice dropped, quieter now. "Maybe I’m the one who’s selfish."