Private Tales The Starling and the Bear

[Isla]

Isla did not pull away from his touch or kiss, though her body remained stiff while her mind raced on. She had always been disposable. Ten years in a brothel made sure of that if her mother's eagerness to trade her for coin wasn't clear enough. It was why she offered herself until she was no longer useful. A timer over her head until the day came and she would be sent away. No one had ever needed her. No one had ever wanted her. Not like Lynus had.

Still, a tiny part of her head told her it was conditional. It was temporary. Even if he said over and over the complete opposite.

"I trust you." She finally drew her eyes to his face after several minutes of quiet contemplation and her own stomach churning at what she might say. "I told you I'm not letting you end one future for another with me. I am not going anywhere and neither are you, okay?" She studied his face again.

With a quiet sigh, her body relaxed into his touch. A coy smile replaced her blank stare. "We could always make our own power play." She suggested, ignoring every part of her telling her it was a terrible idea. "I could talk to her. Woman to woman, you know? And maybe we can show the King that you no longer require his matchmaking services." It was a terrible, horrible, awful idea. "I'll tell him myself if he keeps up with this idiocy."

 

[Lynus Anireth]

The silence was deafening. The sound of his heart beating in his ears counted out every second she let the silence reign, and his hold tightened gently, fearing she might somehow slip free and run at any moment.

He let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding when Isla finally spoke. The tension that had weighed him down for what felt like hours lifted slightly at her words. His heart stumbled, and a quiet laugh escaped him, half-choked with relief.

"My father would have his work cut out for him, I’m sure of it," he said softly, his nose brushing against hers, trying to pull her closer. But the smile that tugged at his lips quickly faded as he thought about her suggestion. The idea of Isla near Bexley caused his stomach to churn with unease.

“She’s... she seemed vulnerable,” he began, hesitating as he searched for the right words. “But I find it hard to believe. She’s a Dreadlord, Isla.” His frown deepened, a shadow crossing his face. “I don’t want you anywhere near her.”

He leaned back just enough to meet her eyes fully, his thumb brushing gently along her cheek. "I know you want to help, but this isn't just court politics. Bexley is dangerous, no matter how sweet or vulnerable she may seem. And the last thing I want is for you to get caught in the middle of whatever game our fathers might be playing."

Lynus shifted, pulling her tighter against him, as if the simple act of holding her could shield her from the storm that had just begun to brew.

 

[Isla]

Isla huffed, rolling her eyes. "Are you afraid she is going to hurt me?" She asked him with a quiet laugh. "I'm sure they have some sort of code they must abide by, right? Hurting the…" She paused, searching for a word. "Lover of the Prince must go against some law, I would assume."

She laughed again, this time it was less genuine- a mask to cover that she didn't quite know what they were. Lovers seemed like a safe option and sounded better than calling herself a mistress.

"Politics or not, Dreadlord or not, she is still just a woman. She is a human like you and me. She has feelings and must be capable of understanding that my feelings for you are far from superficial. Send Arryn with me if you're afraid." She added, with a wink, "You seem to have survived meeting her. How scary could she be?"

Once again, she let herself melt into his arms as he pulled her tighter. "It will be brief, I promise. I, for one, think it will make things more awkward around the keep if you are to parade me around to all of our little spots without a word to her." She shrugged. "But I won't push it. If you would prefer I stay away, I will. What's another couple weeks cooped up in this room."

She let one arm wrap around him, the other trapped beneath her.

"All alone. . ." She trailed off with a quiet, dramatic sigh.

 

[Lynus Anireth]

Lynus couldn’t help but laugh softly at Isla’s mock dramatics, though the tension still lingered in his chest.
"You're my everything. Isla." He pulled back just enough to catch her eyes, his own filled with warmth and concern.

"I’m not afraid she’s going to hurt you," he said, though his voice dropped slightly, the weight of his worry betraying him. "But Dreadlords don’t play by the same rules the rest of us do. There’s no guarantee she’ll see things the way we do—feelings or not. She's been trained to do what’s necessary for her family, her house, and that can make her unpredictable. She may be human, but she's not like you and me. They are given a job to do and they stop at nothing to do it.. I'm just.. I hope she is as understanding as she seemed."

Lynus sighed, his thumb tracing idle patterns on her arm as she melted into his hold. "Arryn would keep you safe, no doubt about that, but it’s not just about safety. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. And I certainly don’t want you to feel like you have to prove anything to her—or anyone else. You don’t, ever."

He paused, the corners of his lips quirking up slightly as she sighed dramatically in his arms. "You don't need to be alone. There's Arryn, and Brett. You have Sarah, and plenty others, and don't forget Duke." He teased, his voice softening. "You have your books and your piano, you can invite Jiya, she seems kind. My sister has gone back to the front lines, but you can always spend time with my brother or my parents." he teased.

"But seriously," he continued after a moment, his fingers brushing through her hair. "If you feel like this is something you need to do, I won’t stop you. Just… be careful. It’s only a couple of weeks, and then she’ll be gone, I promise. Until then, I don't intend on spending much time with her."

He tilted her chin up gently to meet his gaze. "Whatever happens, we’re in this together. And I won’t let anything—politics or Dreadlords—come between us. Got it?"

 

[Isla]

“Fine, I got it.” Isla surrendered to his pleas. He had a point- a rather good point- that she hated to admit. Bexley was the unknown to her. At the bare minimum, she must have been strong if she managed to survive the Academy that churned out Dreadlords. Dreadlords were an unpleasant group. They had always been the worst of her customers. Deprived, bitter animals that seemed to think the few rules the Lady enforced did not apply to them. She supposed they didn’t considering how many times the “banned” ones returned without a word from security. “I won’t get involved, I promise.”

She rolled onto her back, letting him run his fingers through her hair as he spoke. “I guess there are worse options than I have…” She stared up at the ceiling. “I would love to spend more time with Jiya, honestly. I must hear the Cindrillion, was that what she called it? Whatever. I must hear it in person once!”

Jiya was also one of the few pleasant parts of the night she met both of his siblings. It had gone about as good or as bad as she expected it to go.

“And maybe Arryn could spare an hour or so to teach me some defense.”She twisted her face to look up at him. “Will that help put your mind at ease?” It would certainly make her feel a little less nervous about living under the same roof as Bexley, even if only for a short amount of time.

 

[Lynus Anireth]

Lynus exhaled softly, a small wave of relief washing over him as Isla surrendered to his reasoning. "Thank you," he murmured, his fingers gently tracing through her hair as she settled beside him. "I know it's not easy, but I think it's for the best—for now, at least."

He chuckled when she mentioned spending more time with Jiya. "I’m sure that could be arranged, though you might have to fight for her company.. " His smile widened, thinking about his brother’s doe eyes for the Lady Luana. "Either way. I’m sure It'll be a welcome distraction from all this."

When Isla mentioned learning some defense, Lynus paused for a second, his brow quirking as he looked down at her. "You want to learn self-defense?" His lips tugged into a light smile, though there was genuine consideration behind his amusement. The thought of her wanting to defend herself struck a chord with him, and memories of the night she’d come back shaken flashed through his mind. She hadn’t mentioned it much since, but he hadn’t forgotten. The idea that she could protect herself, if needed, was something that would ease his own lingering worries.

He brushed his thumb across her cheek, his expression softening. "You know we have an entire King’s guard. And you have me," he said, his voice warm with affection, but he could see her resolve and knew better than to dismiss it lightly. "But if you want to learn how to protect yourself, then I’m certainly not against it. I just.. Hope you’ll never need the knowledge at all.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, his lips lingering for a moment. "I’ll talk to Arryn. I’m sure he’d be more than happy to teach you. You could even make a sport of it, take out some of that frustration in a more… productive way." His smile broadened as he glanced down at her, teasing but with an undercurrent of sincerity. "If nothing else, it’d give me one more thing to admire about you."

 

[Isla]

"I don't think I'll have to fight her for company at all," She smiled, speaking as though she were gossiping with Sarah. "Arryn could barely speak around her. Do not tell me they have managed to interact in private! I refuse to believe it."

Her laughter was short lived when he questioned her with a genuine interest in her motives. "I know, I know." She rolled her eyes. "But there may come a time where I don't have an entire King's guard near. Or a day you are unable to accompany me. I would like to at least be able to buy myself some time with a punch to the throat or something." She shrugged.

"I would hope to not have to do such a thing, but it happens..." She savored the moment he lingered with his kiss, wishing he wouldn't have pulled away so soon.

"Thank you," She leaned her head up, refusing to let him off easy without a kiss of her own. "Really. I know you worry, Lynus, so I hope this can help us both." She grinned, a devilish little smile. "And if I don't need to defend myself against Bexley or...anyone else, at least I'll be able to handle Wil next time he decides to be so petty."