Private Tales The Starling and the Bear

[Isla]

Arguing with Bess was impossible, Isla realized too late for it to be of any use. So she conceded rather quickly and agreed to stick around. "Fine, fine." She snickered after Renly, enjoying the brief moment of solace before Bess also joined in the realization of their companion's true identity. Bess certainly handled it better than she. Bess almost seemed a little excited that she had a part in raising their beloved prince.

Why should that change anything? The boy has a heart of gold.

Isla hated that she was right.

"His heart is not the problem, Bess." Isla sighed, releasing her legs and leaning on her elbow as it rested on the arm of the chair. "I am. The fact that he let me into his heart is the problem. He is a prince, Bess. A prince. But I am like poison. And I am sure you assumed it the moment he brought me through the door, but I am not the type of woman that a prince associates himself with." Not publicly.

She frowned and looked back at her blank paper. "He and I knew each other as children. My parents were always attending events with the royals and other nobles. He and I would play in the garden with other children when the events were too boring for a child." The corners of her lips twitched. "But we lost everything. I know it wasn't Bea-Lynus' fault, but my mother always told me that his parents turned us away when she begged them for help.

"She made me work in a brothel since my eighteenth birthday because she couldn't work with two infants after my father died." She did not elaborate on any of the details of her employment. "I don't know why he came back for me. We never did anything...he never paid for my services. But he took me from that wretched place and he made me feel like a person again." She noticed Renly hovering in an archway.

"I thought...I felt..." She sighed again. "I felt like maybe he and I were two broken pieces that, by some twisted fate, had come together to be whole. I don't know what it was." She tapped her pen in a poor attempt at distracting herself. "But when the guards called him Prince, everything I'd kept bottled up for those years came out and I aimed it at him. And still, he says he misses me. He asks for my forgiveness for a lifetime of blame that was never his."

She groaned at the suggestion that she rest. "I've been in bed for two days. I think I may lose my mind if I spend any more time in one." She looked down at the sheet again, littered with tiny freckles from the pen as she tapped it against it. "Did the guard say when he would be back?"

 

[Lynus Anireth]

Bess listened with a soft, understanding smile and a brief flicker of sorrow in her eyes at the girl's story. "Poison?" she barked and threw her hands up with a cackle, shaking her head. "No, no dear. What I saw was that smile on my boy's face. This here, this was his safe place, where he felt comfortable. This was where he came to get away from whatever he needed to get away from. You're the first he's ever brought with him. So no, what I saw was far more honey than poison, dear girl." She tucked a gossamer strand behind Isla's ear.

The old woman sighed deeply, allowing another quiet chuckle to tumble from her lips. "I think I know exactly why he came back for you, lovely thing. But that's for you to work out on your own."

At Isla's question, Bess smiled and stood, shuffling over to look out of the window.

"Hmh... He never left, child. Still sitting across the street in the same tavern window he's been sitting in since you got here." She mused and sighed. "Cares for you, does our Prince."

 

[Isla]

Even as Isla spilled her endless tales of self-loathing, Bess refused to believe it. Refused to allow Isla any more time wallowing in it. That tiny, older woman was chipping through Isla. Even she could not deny that, and perhaps through the tiny crack in her spirit, Bess could see that somewhere deep down Isla still had some good in her.

"That is just the thing." She huffed, "I cannot find a reason for it." Her eyes followed Bess as she walked to the window and pointed out that same guard as he lurked across the street. So much for leaving Isla alone. She rolled her eyes, standing to join Bess. She wouldn't shout at him, though. No, of course not.

She grabbed the paper from the table and placed it against the wall, scribbling out a letter.

Bear,

Lynus, I suppose.

Please do not ask me to forgive you, for there is nothing to forgive. I blamed you for something you did not know of. You have been nothing but kind to me and I panicked. Your identity was quite a shock to me and I let it cloud my judgment.

I am the one who is asking for forgiveness, though I cannot see one reason I deserve it. I am sorry for blaming you, and so publicly at that. I am sorry I drew attention to the sort of people you were spending time with. It was not my intention to cause a scandal.

Most of all, I am sorry I left instead of talking to you. You have meant the world and more to me in the few days we spent together. For the first time in so long I find myself missing the companionship of another person. I find myself missing the other broken half. I miss you.

I am sending this with Arryn, who ignored my orders to stay away. If in two weeks time you still find yourself thinking of me, return to Bess'. You know where to find me.

-Your Starling

---

Isla folded the sheet up and pocketed it. "I'll be back Bess." She pulled the woman in for a quick hug before heading out the door and entering the tavern across the way.

"Hello Stranger," She joined Arryn while he stared out the window, sliding the note across the table. "For Lynus. Please get it to him quickly, alright?"

She sat across from him and a pale amber drink was brought to her. She slid it over to Arryn.

For a few minutes she was quiet, contemplating if she should chew him out for ignoring her or inquire about...the captain.

"He died, didn't he?" The words left her mouth before she could think them through.

 

[Arryn Cross]

Arryn had been at the tavern across the street from the inn for nearly three days, stationed at the same window, ensuring Isla's safety. Lynus didn’t trust anyone else with the task, fearing that Isla’s pride might lead her to refuse help and return to the brothel, so Arryn stayed, determined to see her settled.

However, it seemed Isla had noticed his presence. As she crossed the street toward him, Arryn winced, attempting a look of nonchalance as she approached his table.

"Isla." he greeted in return, his gaze dropping to the letter she slid across the table before rising to meet her face. She looked better than she had the last time he saw her, and he offered a small smile at that.

"Straight in with the demands, huh?” His brow quirked as he reached for the letter. "If it’s more insults and demands that he leave you alone, then I can’t promise it’ll reach him.” He answered honestly, but made no move to open it. The Prince had enough to deal with as it was.

Arryn’s gaze followed the drink she pushed his way. A peace offering, perhaps? Or more likely that she couldn’t stomach the thought of alcohol after the amount she’d consumed when he found her last.

'He died, didn’t he?'

Arryn’s gaze dropped to the drink as he lifted it, taking a swig and swallowing hard. “Aye." he said quietly. “He died. But that’s not on you.” he said firmly, his gaze meeting hers.

 

[Isla]

"If you are so worried about it, read it yourself." Isla crossed her arms, still eyeing the letter rather than the man in front of her. "Or you can listen to me when I tell you it is an apology and just bring it to him." The sense of urgency in her tone could not go unnoticed. A finger tapped the letter, but he seemed more interested in the drink she'd sent his way than figuring out if she were being honest or not.

She cringed at his gulp of the drink and wondered if she should have summoned him to Bess'. When she looked up from the letter, she found him staring into her own tired eyes. "It is, though." Her brow furrowed, crinkling in the center.

"You should not have followed him." Her eyes watered, but she refused to let herself cry. "I would not have stopped him, you know."

Her voice lowered, but her eyes remained locked onto his. "I wish I could explain what was happening in my mind, but I fear I have no justification for anything I said or did that night." Even now, she could not find the words to explain the feelings she had. All at once, at the mention of the prince, every bad memory was dragged up and Isla chose to attack as she always did. It was her only option every other time the poor girl had been backed into a corner like a terrified animal. So why was then any different?

It should have been. After the alcohol left her system and she had far too much time to stew in her thoughts, Isla felt nothing but guilt.

"He died because of me. You did your job." But I made it infinitely more complicated with my selfishness.

She shifted her gaze to her fingernails, finding them suddenly much more interesting than this conversation. They both fell quiet for far too long, Arryn drinking and Isla looking for anything else, before she spoke again. "How is he? Lynus, I mean."

 

[Arryn Cross]

Arryn let out a short huff, his lips pressed into a thin line. "I've no interest in reading your personal letters. If you say it's not about to rip him apart more so than he already has been then I will take your word for it and deliver it." he stared at her. "He has had his shit to deal with, Isla, just like you. He's broken, and fragile, and I've spent too long watching the pain he's in. I should be with him, but I'm here, making sure you are settled, because he doesn't trust anyone else to make sure of that. He cares about you, and I just.. I can't watch him break again." he frowned, his gaze pleading.

As she took blame for Varys, his head shook. "I know. And I wonder how many women before you didn't stop him either. How many after you wouldn't have stopped him had I not. He got away with far too much because people feared him. Your life is far more important than his was. I don't regret killing him, Isla. He should have died a long time ago. I'll deal with whatever consequences I face, but what I did was justified." he answered firmly, his tone sharpening and the look on his face brooking no argument. "And it was not. Your. Fault."

Arryn finished the drink, and set the empty glass down.

"More water, ser?" the woman with the flirtatious smile said, eyeing Isla.. "Milady?" she added reluctantly. Arryn offered her a tight smile and shook his head, and she looked deflated as she left.

"I've been pissing like a horse for the last three days." he muttered and settled back into his chair. He opened his jacket, dressed in his more casual attire rather than draw any attention to himself in uniform. Lynus' encrusted dagger winked in the light as he tucked the letter in beside it.

The guard drew a breath and released a sigh at Isla's question. "When I left him he was dealing with his parents' wrath, but he had just as much. Whatever you said to him.." his head shook. "I've seen him angry with his father before but never at his mother. Never like this." he scratched at his stubbled jaw.

"If you can assure me that you're well settled at the Inn, I'll leave now and get this back to him."

 

[Isla]

Your life is far more important...

"I don't know about that..." Isla quietly interjected while he spoke.

She had given up arguing about who was at fault by the time a woman approached the two of them. "No thank you." She, too, offered a slight shake of the head and waited for her to leave.

Isla eyed the dagger, the same one she'd seen hidden at the clothier a few days ago. The dagger she was sure Lynus had given as a form of payment. "Gods above," She sighed.

"His parent's wrath? Not too fond of seeing their prince with a whore? Or is it that they didn't like seeing him with the Montesseret girl?" She raised a brow in curiosity. "I suppose he can tell me himself if he chooses to ever speak to me again," She shrugged. "Unless you know what occurred."

The dagger glinted again in the light. "When you give him the letter, can you please tell him to stop trying to pay for my life? It is not his responsibility to take care of my mother and siblings. I'll find work and do it myself."

 

[Arryn Cross]

"Gods above." he muttered, echoing her own words. "I think their son, you know - being the next in line to the Anirian throne - going missing for a few days without a guard with him might have frightened them, particularly considering the state he's been in. Fear can sometimes manifest as anger, you realise. Obviously, finding out he'd been in a fucking brothel didn't go down well, Isla, stop making everything about you." his brow furrowed at her.

"He accused them of turning your family away in a time of need, he even tore his mother to pieces over it and is now sporting a shiny new bruise, courtesy of his father the King, for showing such disrespect." he eyed her. "Sadly, being the Prince's personal guard only goes so far."

"His mother insisted that whatever your allegations were, that it wasn't the truth of the matter, and insisted that you hear the truth from your mother as it wasn't her place to explain what really happened.. I don't know what happened, but whatever it was, Lynus had nothing to do with it."

Arryn's gaze narrowed on the woman at her complaint that the Prince was paying her way, his jaw tight for a moment. "So you rip him to shreds because his family refused to help yours, and then when he tries, that isn't good enough either? He doesn't want you to fall back into your old line of work. He just wants to feel something other than fucking misery, Isla, if he feels that he's doing some good in this forsaken city then for fuck's sake let him and stop being so damned proud about it. It doesn't make you weak, it makes you human, we all need a little help sometimes." he frowned. "I wouldn't be here at all if it weren't for him helping me."

Arryn stood. "If there's nothing else, My Lady..." he said with a huff.

 

[Isla]

Fire burned blue in Isla's eyes as Arryn spoke, reaching an arm out to clench his shirt. He was not leaving until she dismissed him. Lynus' orders could be damned, Isla had more to say.

Her knuckles were turning white as she tugged him back into his chair.

In a hushed voice, she chose each word carefully. "My mother stopped acknowledging my existence the day she sent me off to work in a brothel. Everything I know was exactly as she told me ten years ago. Exactly as I told Lynus and half of the fucking city." She released his shirt and fell backward in her chair.

"I understand it was not his fault and I will never be able to take back what I said. But it is not his place to take over what I owe to them. It is not his place to pave the way for me and give me things I did nothing to deserve. I do not need his help, it is too late for me. Tell him, when you deliver my letter, to help someone else because I do not want it. I do not want to be made to feel like I owe him, Arryn."

She glared at him, burning into his own gaze. "I owe far too many people already in my life. And you know what? It feels really shitty." She wished she had accepted the drink she'd been given the longer she spoke. "He brought me out of such a dark place and I thought...felt that maybe there was something more...But I want it to be genuine. I don't want to feel like I owe my affection to someone.

"I wouldn't have left the fucking brothel if that were the case."

 

[Arryn Cross]

Arryn's gaze dropped to the woman's small fist furled in his shirt, a muscle feathering in his jaw. He leaned forward, bracing both hands on the table as he stared back at her. "If she'd stopped acknowledging your existence, she wouldn't have accepted the coin you sent her. She was plenty happy to acknowledge your existence and where you existed, to benefit herself. She should have been responsible for her children, not the other way around. If she was so desperate, she should have been whoring herself and leaving you home to care for your siblings. Perhaps you need to start blaming your mother instead of everyone else, yourself included. I've known the Queen since I was a child, she's been like a mother to me, and I doubt she's told a single lie in her life. If she says your mother is lying, I've a mind to believe her."

"Regardless of all of your fucking drama and anger and self pity, Isla, I care about Lynus and nothing else. Whether you accept his help or not is your choice, but it seems to me that he gave you far more than his coin, and yet that is all you see. He doesn't care about wealth, he doesn't care about what you did before, he cares about you, now, though I can't fucking imagine why." his head shook. "Wake up, Isla. He's cared for nothing and nobody since the day his wife and son died, and for some reason he wants to care about you, his parents be damned. I'll tell him to stop paying for your room and your clothes if that's what you want, but don't accuse him of trying to buy your affection." he frowned and straightened his shirt as he stood once more.

"Are you going to sit here arguing with me all day, or can I leave now?"

 

[Isla]

He cares about you...

Though I can't fucking imagine why.

Isla wished he put that pretty dagger through her heart instead.

Her seething rage was surely palpable as she stared him down, a million thoughts and awful retorts racing through her mind to overpower whatever rational part of her was left after being built up and broken down for so long. Ruminating on the harm was consuming her life, sending her spiraling towards nothing but bitterness and hatred. Isla had spent far too long drinking poison and expecting those she hated to die.

Her chest ached. Her eyes felt hot.

She did not realize how heavily she was breathing until he stood again. Slowly, her eyes trailed up to his face. "You're free to go." She waved him off. There was nothing left to say to him. He would never understand what she failed to put into words. How he knew nothing of her life, not enough to judge her when he'd been a part of her destruction.

She didn't care to see if he was leaving as she flagged down the woman from before, signaling that she would have one drink. One drink and then she'd return to Bess and sleep until the day Lynus made a decision.

 

[Lynus Anireth]

Arryn stood, a flicker of guilt crossing his face as she failed to throw some barbed retort his way. He turned on his heel and left quickly, eager to escape before the situation escalated further. Once outside and out of earshot, he swore softly to himself. The woman was infuriating, and her capacity to hurt Lynus worried him deeply. But no matter how difficult it was, Arryn knew he could never hurt his brother, and so he would do whatever was necessary to support him.

Back at the palace, Lynus took the letter with hesitant hands, and read it, once, twice and a third time as he paced behind his desk. His mother had set the chamber maids on him this morning. He'd been freshly bathed, his hair and beard neatly trimmed and his shirt no longer smelled like Isla, much to his dismay.

She missed him. His gaze lingered on the line that brought him both relief and agony. He rubbed at his jaw, his eyes burning.

Arryn watched his brother pace, explaining Isla's insistence that Lynus stop paying for her room. "I wasn’t paying for her services, I just..." Lynus trailed off, struggling to find the words.

"I know." Arryn responded, trying to reassure him. "I tried to convince her otherwise, but she wouldn’t have it."

Lynus sighed deeply, nodding. "I understand. I’m sure Bess will offer her work to keep her room," he reasoned. "She’s been interested in cooking, and Bess won’t take no for an answer."

"The letter says two weeks. How am I supposed to wait two weeks? I want to see her now." Lynus' frustration was palpable.

"They’ve doubled the house guard, Lynus. They’re not about to let you wander off downtown for a rendezvous. If you want my advice, keep your head down for a few days. Behave the way they want you to behave, and they’ll back off a little."

Lynus swore under his breath, dragging his hand down his face. Then he paused, a quick smirk crossing his lips as he looked at Arryn. "Then do one last thing for me."

The next morning, Bess knocked gently on Isla's door. "Isla, my dear. Something arrived for you this morning.." Bess called with a warm chuckle.. When she opened the door, Bess would hand her a small, hand written note. "Downstairs.." the woman grinned.

Spoiler: 'Sing, my Starling.'

 

[Isla]

One drink quickly turned into two, three, four. . .

She'd lost count after four.

Lost control of herself shortly after.

It was not like days prior. The drink did not push her to the edge and tell her to jump. When Arryn left with the letter, her burden felt lighter. He carried her darkness, her pleas and the offer for Lynus.

Two weeks.

Two weeks was nothing after ten years in hell.

---

She woke up to the concerned face of Renly, hovering at her door with a tray of food and water during the ungodly morning hours. Her head was pounding, stomach twisting.

"You alright, Isla?" He stepped through the door, placing the tray on a nearby table. It was a blessing that Isla had no memory after that fourth drink and the many more that followed. No memory of how friendly she seemed after Arryn left her alone. How free she acted when she was finally alone in a room of strangers.

She had no memory of the music and dancing or how Renly yanked her off the bar she danced on and hauled her back into the inn before she could make a bigger fool out of herself. And now, while the sun was barely rising, Renly held her hair back as she vomited her guts out. She would thank him later for cleaning her up and putting her back in bed where she slept like a rock until the late morning when Bess' knocking woke her again.

"Isla, my dear. Something arrived for you this morning."

"Huh?" She grumbled, still barely half awake as she stood and accepted the note. Sing, my starling. "He...Lynus...was here?" She asked, rubbing at her eyes before Bess informed her that there was something downstairs waiting for her.

Bess chuckled again, shaking her head. "No, the guard stopped by again this morning." She beamed as she smiled. There was no need to elaborate, Isla knew the gift had been from Lynus. Bess knew too, and bless her for she seemed even more excited that Isla did as she trailed down the stairs and froze the moment she saw the ebony wood piano beside the window.

"H-how?" Isla didn't quite know what she was saying as Bess nudged her forward, encouraging her to test it out.

This certainly was one way to get Isla's attention, though she was not sure if he was accepting her apology.

But Isla found herself drawn to the familiar ivory keys (part in thanks to Bess literally forcing her to sit down on the bench). Her fingers hovered above the keys, trembling slightly. It felt foreign to her, a lifetime had passed since she had last played. Ten years since her life shattered.

She took a deep breath and pressed down on a key, letting it resonate with the pedals she pressed with her right foot. The note was pure, clear, a stark contrast to the darkness that had engulfed her. She moved tentatively, hesitating as she chose which note to play next, but gradually her muscle memory took over and the music flowed naturally.

---

For days or maybe weeks, she played and memories flooded back- her father's proud smile, her tiny brothers, her mother. The melody shifted when she thought of the woman, from the bright tune to something more complex and nuanced. Something darker, letting the music carry her pain, regrets, and trauma.

If Isla had been honest, she was quite unaware of the crowd that had gathered both outside the inn's front window and those that seemed to spend more time in the great room to listen to her. She had always been too engrossed in her own world of music to notice as they left coins for her or slide them to Bess who'd been putting them away for the rent Isla refused to allow Lynus to pay for.

When the final note of the melancholic tune faded to silence, Isla sat back, breathless as she wiped tears from her eyes. The room seemed brighter. The air, lighter. For the first time in far too long, Isla felt at ease. Though she'd completely lost track of time, she still prayed Lynus would come so that she could thank him for finding a piece of her she thought had been lost forever.

"Shit," She muttered, looking down at her aching hand. It had become routine- Isla forgetting of the stitches in her palm, lost in the world of music for too long. Until now, Bess had been on standby with two white towels- one to clean her bloody keys, and the other for Isla to clutch until the bleeding stopped. She noticed Bess was nowhere near and stood, turning and making an attempt to scurry off to the kitchen to steal a towel. An attempt that was cut short as she slammed into the chest of a man.

"Shit, sorry. Pardon me!"

 

[Lynus Anireth]

The familiar scent of lavender and vanilla ensnared him as Isla strode straight into his chest, punching the air from his lungs. His heart pounded as he steadied Isla, looking down at her with a quiet, husky laugh. "That's quite alright.." he said, his voice thick with emotion. His hands fell quickly back to his sides despite the overwhelming urge to pull her into his arms.

Lynus cleared his throat, trying to compose himself. She had asked for two weeks before seeing him again, and he had barely managed to last three days, and would have been here sooner had he been able to escape the keep any sooner. Seeing her now, hearing her play, had caused his own eyes to burn and his chest to ache. He hadn't known a moment's peace since the incident in the street, constantly worrying that she might, given time, change her mind about wanting to see him at all. But here he was, with six of the King's guard stationed outside the Inn, and people gawking and murmuring.

He spared a glance around before looking down at her. It was ridiculous how nervous he felt, and it showed, as though he were an awkward teenager, unsure of how to talk to the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.
"It's... far busier in here than I have ever seen it," he commented with a light smile, his eyes never leaving hers. "I suppose Bess has you to thank for that, Starling. Your music is quite beautiful."

His smile faltered as his gaze dropped to her hand, noticing the blood seeping through her fingers. Concern immediately clouded his features. "You're bleeding.." he said softly, reaching to gently take her wrist.

 

[Isla]

Large hands held onto her, steadying the blonde woman as she looked up. His arms released her too quickly and she fought the urge to let go of her bleeding hand and pull him back. She looked dazed, like she had been lost in the music for a long time and struggled to return to reality.

Had it already been two weeks? Isla was truly unsure.

Not that she cared. She thought two weeks was adequate enough for him to figure out what he wanted and what he needed from her or anyone else. But he was here, in front of her and looking down with an emotion on his face that she did not quite grasp.

Faint pink stained the tops of her burning cheeks as he attempted conversation. "Thank you," It was genuine, unlike the half-hearted thanks she gave to every man or woman to stop for a moment and listen. "They were just some pieces my mother used to play," She looked aside for a moment at the mention of her mother, Arryn's words echoing in her head.

"But it would still be silent if you hadn't sent the piano. We all have you to thank for the gift."

She noticed his concern and allowed him to take her wrist to inspect her hand. "It's nothing, Bear. Lynus. Had a bit of a run in with a piece of glass the other day." She laughed, grateful her dress covered her scabbed knees and the sleeves were just barely long enough to conceal the bruises on her wrists from where Varys held her pinned against the wall. She had no idea just how much Arryn had reported of her night to Lynus, if he knew how badly she spiraled when she was overwhelmed.

But she did not want to share the details herself.

"How have you been? You look well." She offered a smile, looking him over. He cleaned up well when he had people to do it for him. Arryn had been right about the bruises his father gave him, but she did not linger too long on them. He still looked like he suffered sleepless nights, but at least he was clean.

 

[Lynus Anireth]

Lynus’ blue eyes softened as she mentioned the piano. Well, she hadn't pushed him away or lashed out. She looked confused, and he winced slightly. "I'm sorry... I know you asked for two weeks. I won't stay if you need more time. I just had to see you." he admitted.

His brow quirked as she called him Bear, warmth spreading through him at the name, and a dimple appeared in his cheek as he smiled at her. All Arryn had told him was that she was safe, though there was concern evident in his eyes, his smile faltering as she mentioned the cause of the injury. He knew about Varys, he knew he'd been intent on taking whatever he wanted from her, and his jaw tightened at the thought.

"I shouldn't have sent Varys after you. I wasn't thinking straight, it's why I sent Arryn straight after. I'm so sorry if he hurt you, if he frightened you." He swallowed.

Her question caused a mirthless laugh to tumble free of his chest, and his head shook. "Miserable... Though your letter brought me some solace. I've been lost without you, Starling... I--"

"Oh--OH my boy!!" Bess tore a path through the loitering customers, fresh cloth in her hands. The woman pulled the Prince, a man near twice her height into a tight hug before looking up at him, her hands on his face as she shook her head and tsked at his bruises. "Look at you. You had me worried sick." She chastised with a pat on his cheek before turning to Isla, reaching to take her hand from Lynus and wrap the damp cloth around her wounded hand.

"Here we are, my dear girl," she sighed. "You-need-to-let-this-heal." she said for what seemed like the hundredth time.

 

[Isla]

"The time was for you, not me. I made my decision before I sent the letter." She patted her arm with the hand that was not bleeding. "And I'm fine. Believe me, I'm fine." But the guilt over Arryn taking the blame still ate away at her. "He...Arryn...He saved me from whatever may have happened had he not been close behind." Bile still threatened to burn the back of her throat whenever she revisited the memory of sticky blood on her feet and the gurgling noise the guard made while slumping onto the floor of her childhood room.

Thought it nauseated her, she forced herself to add on to the thought. "The wound was my own fault." Varys had been the one to force her to drop the glass before he had her against the wall. Before Arryn shoved the blade into his side.

"He told me your family was not too fond of your endeavors." She forced a sad chuckle and was immensely relieved when Bess finally showed up to distract them both. The look she gave Lynus was apologetic, as though her own mother was embarrassing her, doting on the handsome prince beside her. She winced at the stinging of the cloth wrapping around the wound and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah." She pulled her hand away, applying pressure to her palm. "Blame him, he's the one who sent the piano."

Of course Bess already knew that. Still, she seemed to beam with joy as her inn was full and Isla's unconventionally bloody performance had drawn in more money than before. Her attention was forced back onto the crowd that seemed to be watching Lynus as he spoke to Isla and Bess. Her voice lowered, "Can we talk upstairs?"

 

[Lynus Anireth]

"I'm fine, Bess. I'm sorry for the trouble, and for--"

"No." she cut him off, a finger pointed at him, silencing him immediately. "I will not hear it. You have nothing to apologise to me for, my boy. You are both safe and well, Gods be good." she smiled warmly at him, and looked between the pair with no small amount of fondness. With a bubbly laugh, she turned away and left them, shaking her head.

'The time was for you...'

Lynus turned his attention back to Isla. "Oh..." He frowned and shook his head. "I didn't need any time." Then again, seeing her immediately would have been difficult. He'd only just managed to detour the guards accompanying him to a name day celebration for some noble brat that he had no intention on attending.

As she spoke of Arryn, guilt twisted in the pit of his stomach once again, and he sighed, looking down to gently wrap the cloth around her hand. "I know. The fault was mine. You shouldn't have been in that situation, you shouldn't have had to see that." His head shook, his gaze rising to meet hers, searching her eyes. "My family knew nothing of my 'endeavors'. Varys was a sack of shit." His jaw tightened.

The tension in his shoulders seemed to visibly ease as she invited him to talk in private, away from listening ears and prying eyes. "Yes. Please." he answered her, and let her lead the way, caring little for the quiet murmuring of gossip that bloomed in their wake.

 

[Isla]

Yes. Please.

Isla thanked the gods, the stars, anyone who would listen as he agreed to exit from the crowd of onlookers and led him up the narrow staircase and to that room, hidden in the back of the inn where no one ever seemed to bother them. Wood groaned underneath them as Isla turned the key in the lock and entered, Lynus trailing behind.

Time seemed to have moved far too quickly. Isla was mending her soul with music and lost track of the days. She had not prepared an apology for him. Honestly, she had not even fully expected him to come back to her. So she stood there, facing Lynus while he shut the door, in a contemplative silence for far too long.

Her body moved before her mind, the blonde woman backing him against the door while her arms shot around his torso. Blood seeped from the cloth onto the back of his top, some dripping onto the floor. She tensed from the pain shooting through her hand, but relaxed into him moments later.

"I have missed you every day." She whispered into his chest, "I am eternally sorry, Lynus. I fear there are no words that can truly express how I feel. How horrible I feel for everything I have put you through. Arryn was right when he came to me. I was selfish. I forced you to take the blame for everything that I had kept bottled up for years, to carry a burden that never belonged to you.

"I don't expect you to be able to forgive me. Not fully. Not after I drew light to the sort you associate with. Not after I watched as I broke your heart and left you to run from my feelings. My fears. Certainly not after my own stupidity and selfishness led to the death of one of your family's guards."

She sigh, flinching as she squeezed him tighter and looked up to his perfectly groomed face. "Lynus, I am not stupid. I know there is no future for us." She looked back down. "Even if a part of me wants it so badly."

Finally, she released his waist and her arms moved upward, holding either side of his jaw. "I panicked when my nobody became somebody. Somebody important. Because I am less than a nobody to half the city and I will never be good enough for someone as good as you." Her navy eyes locked onto his own. "And I am sorry for that. Maybe I am feeling sorry for myself, though, because you very well might be the only good thing left in this city and it must be a cruel twist of fate for someone so..." She struggled for a word. "For someone like me to find myself falling blindly for someone who could never bring me home."

She had more to say, more words to tumble aimlessly from her mouth to distract him from the way she looked. But she shut her mouth, forced them to halt as she pulled his face down towards hers and kissed him.

 

[Lynus Anireth]

Lynus felt his breath catch as the door clicked shut, a heavy silence settling over them. He stared back at her, the tension palpable, a pregnant pause hanging between them as he feared that now, in private, she might be honest with him and tell him to leave. His heart pounded in his chest, the anticipation gnawing at him.

But then, she moved. Her arms wrapped around him, pulling him close. His own arms immediately encircled her, holding her tightly against him. His hand cradled her head against his chest, his lips pressing into her sweet vanilla-scented hair, soothing his worry immediately.

"Stop apologising," he murmured into her hair. "I thought you'd never want to speak to me again. I'm grateful that you do. You've nothing to be sorry for, Isla. I should've been honest with you from the beginning. The fault is mine. And don't shed another moment's guilt on Varys. Arryn was right to do as he did."

As she looked up at him, telling him she knew there was no future for them, using words like 'falling' and telling him that she would never be good enough. His heart broke to think that she truly believed any of that. Words failed him, and his brows furrowed as he gazed at her with incredulity. "Isla—"

She silenced him with a kiss, her lips soft and urgent against his. He felt the weight of her words, the depth of her pain and longing, and he kissed her back with all the tenderness and passion he had been holding back. His hands moved to cradle her face, his thumbs caressing her soft skin.

Words could wait, and there was no doubting how he felt about her with the way he kissed her now. It wasn't the sort of kiss shared by two strangers in a brothel, it was a kiss that held the promise of so much more, a kiss that said so much more than his words could.

He turned them, pressing her to the door and letting his hand slide down the slope of her neck and carry on down until it rested on her waist, pulling her body flush against his. More. He wanted more. But more had to be said first, and her hand was still bleeding. He kissed her more gently, his lips travelling to the corner of her lips, her jaw, her neck.. More. By the Gods he needed more.

His breath was unsteady as he drew his lips away, his nose grazing hers before his eyes opened and he looked over her face.

"If you listen to nothing else I say to you, I need you to listen to this. I need you to believe what I tell you, and swear to me that you will always believe it." his brow knit. "You are not less than a nobody. You are everything to me. I don't care what the city thinks. I don't care what my family thinks. You are the only thing that matters to me. I don't want anyone else, fuck, I have been introduced to more women than I can count these past few months alone, and until I met you, I had loathed every second. If you want a future with me, I will make it work. No matter what, I will take you home."

 

[Isla]

There was a pause in her mind as her lips pressed into his, a wonder if she was making a mistake in her apology. If he'd think less of her, think the only way she knew how to communicate was through her body. But his hands left his sides, trailed down her neck, down her back as he pushed her against the door and the worry that threatened to drown her vanished into nothingness.

She had not wanted another man's hands on her since Nathaniel.

There were no other options when her family depended so heavily on her. So she accepted her fate. She completed her job and let herself turn hollow to block out the feeling of flesh on hers.

The thought of opening her heart again terrified her so badly that she did not know what she was feeling. She had spent those days, unable to rest while Lynus tossed and turned with her wrapped in his arms, panicking over the possibility that it was happening all over. Afraid he would be like Nathaniel and that Isla was just another transaction.

She should have known. She listened to every word he said to her. She knew that he wasn't paying for her services, but still that fear gnawed at her until he returned the kiss tenfold, hands roaming down her as he drew kisses down her jaw and lingered at her neck. Even she could not help the breathy moan into his ear.

And then he pulled away and her navy eyes locked onto his, worry overshadowing her infatuation.

I will make it work.

Isla had heard many declarations of love in her life, but gods be damned if that wasn't the most beautiful sentence she'd ever heard.

"I don't think I could stay away from you." She admitted. That was why she told him to come if he still harbored feelings and if he could accept her apology. "But I don't know what to do, Lynus. I need you."

 

[Lynus Anireth]

Lynus' face broke into a genuine grin, that met his eyes. Like crystal in a stone she'd chipped away until it glistened and shone, a pure, unadulterated happiness that seemed to transform him completely. The lines of worry and fatigue softened, and the weight he had been carrying seemed to lift. His eyes sparkled with a joy that she hadn't seen before, that he would barely recognise in himself, and it was as if a light had been rekindled within him.

Without a word, he bent down and effortlessly lifted her off her feet. "And I, you," he said softly, beaming up at her. "So say you'll come home with me."

He held her as if she were the most precious thing in the world, his gaze never wavering from hers. The sincerity in his eyes was undeniable. His heart pounded in his chest, and he could feel the anticipation and hope swelling within him. He held his breath, waiting for her response, knowing that this moment could change everything for both of them.

 

[Isla]

So say you'll come home with me.

Isla stared at him, arms wrapped around his neck as he somehow chose words more beautiful than his last. Her lip quivered and she fought the urge to bury her face in his neck so that he wouldn't see the tears welling up. "Lynus," she ran the uninjured hand through his hair.

"Yes," She pulled herself closer, her breath on his neck as she accepted the offer. "Yes, I will come home with you."

She knew it would be hard- existing alongside whatever family he lived with. She expected snide comments, whispers of disapproval, stares that told her the thoughts they had too much pride to say aloud. But she could try to ignore it all for Lynus. Her Bear.

She recalled the guards outside. She hadn't counted the number, but she saw their uniforms as they stood near the door. She refused to believe he hadn't had any plans after their rendezvous. "How soon?"

 

[Lynus Anireth]

Lynus stared at her in disbelief as her lips formed the word "yes." He could hardly contain his elation, a broad smile spreading across his face. He tightened his arms around her and spun her in a slow, joyous circle, looking up at her with a deep sigh.

"As soon as you like.." he laughed quietly, the sound filled with pure delight. Slowly, he lowered her back to her feet, drawing her into another slow, charged kiss that left him breathless. "I could get used to that, but I doubt I ever will.." he smiled, his fingers threading through her gossamer hair as he rested his forehead against hers.

He glanced down at her injured hand, his expression softening with concern. "Let me see to that wound," he murmured, stealing another quick kiss before he turned and rushed back downstairs. Moments later, he returned with a wash bowl, strips of fresh cloth, and a needle and thread.

"Sit," he urged her gently, setting the basin down atop the table. The warm water was scented with antiseptic herbs, citrus, and he was so used to the smell of alcohol to know Bess had added a splash of that too.

He knelt beside her, carefully unwrapping the cloth around her hand. His touch was tender, almost reverent, as he dipped a cloth into the basin and wrung it out. "This might sting a little," he warned, his tone apologetic.

 

[Isla]

"Have you somewhere to be, Bear?" She asked him as he set her back on her own feet, sensing urgency in the way he moved. "Can you dismiss the guards? Just for a little while. Stay here, just one last night and then I will go wherever you want me to." She did not want the kiss to end so quickly, but he was already gone before she could pull him back.

Isla let him leave, listening to his boots on the old, creaking floors as he darted down the staircase. She sat on the edge of one of the beds- the one she'd been sleeping in while the other remained made without so much as a crease in the quilt.

She clutched her wrist while she waited, adrenaline from their kiss fading and leaving behind a throbbing agony, a searing reminder that she had agreed. A reminder that she was allowing herself to feel things she had been so fearful of. That she could not take back the precious words exchanged, nor had she wanted to.

She barely noticed when he returned, her vision blurring from pain and something that warmed her soul. Not until he had placed his instruments on the table and ordered her to join him. Cradling her hand, she followed his voice and fell into the chair beside him.

Fear flashed across her face as he unwrapped the cloth around her hand. The stitches placed by the physician for the most part had remained. A few had been ripped out, likely scattered somewhere nearby the piano. It was nothing short of a miracle that it did not look infected.

"Wait," She ordered him, taking deep breaths to calm herself as he held the damp cloth over her hand. After three breaths, she nodded and let him put it to the wound. "Fuck." Her uninjured hand clamed down on the chair's arm, knuckles turning white as her nails dug in.

Stinging was an understatement, she realized, the longer the liquid seeped into the deep laceration and though the thought of alcohol had still made her queasy, she was grateful that she had been on the verge of blacking out when the physician had treated her. "Please. Tell me its over." Her words were scattered through several heavy breaths. "Please."