Private Tales The Weight of the Past

[Lileas]

He often had a way of making her grin as though she had everything, as though there was no strife in the world around her. She had always felt so calm and comfortable in his presence and Gods she had missed him more terribly than he could ever know. Perhaps that was why her stomach fluttered each time he smiled at her, because it was a smile she'd pined for every day that he was gone, and one she would never take for granted ever again.

"Yes, well. My dancing is quite something to behold." she smirked.

Her throat cleared and she loosened her hold on him. "Lets have breakfast? Then I should get to work.." she sighed with a shrug.

 

[Aleric]

"Oh yes, it is definitely something worth watching." Aleric agreed, his grin more tongue in cheek than anything else.

Fingers finally fell free of her, and he tipped his head in a nod.

One thing he hadn't really sought out while out and about had been food. At the time it had been more important to gather information and see who was still around that he could trust. So he was glad that at least one of them had considered basic sustenance.

Together the two of them made their way back to the pile of things Lileas had brought. Taking the small meal she had provided and moving to one of the old pews.

For a moment Aleric remained quiet as they ate, and then he spoke quietly. "Do you know..."

He trailed off, not sure if he even really did want to know the answer.

"Do you know what happened to the others?" Aleric said quietly, referring to the three who had been a part of their gang. "Del, Iggy, and Bolin. I looked, but there wasn't any sign of them in any of the slums..."

Not the Gutters, Towers, Pit, or even the Lamp Lights.

 

[Lileas]

Lileas cast a glance up at him before her gaze fell and fixed on the small cob of bread she currently tore at. Her head shook slowly and she sighed. "No.. I don't. I.." she frowned, cutting herself off as she realised how selfish the thought was before she'd been about to speak it aloud for the first time. That she'd thought they might come back for her..

She swallowed her bread. "I haven't seen them in a long time." she gave a small, sad smile at him. "We all ran when the Robber smoked us out. Well, I tried." she laughed under her breath. She couldn't blame them for getting away and staying away..

"Sorry you don't have much to come back to.."

 

[Aleric]

A sad sort of expression flickered over Aleric's face, and for a moment he felt guilty for even asking the question. Some part of his heart wrenching as he saw the emotion churning through Lileas thought.

In his own little world, he had forgotten just how much the other three had meant to her as much as they had him. All of them had been a crew, a little family. The idea that they would all just...disappear seemed wrong, off. Yet he couldn't find a reason as to why.

Another thing to wonder about, another thing to find out.

"I have enough." Aleric said, his voice soft.

He reached out gently and placed a hand on Lileas knee, catching her eye. "We've never had a lot."

Aleric said quietly.

"Never had the opportunity for it." As much as they had scraped and stolen. "But we had one another."

He continued. "And now I have you again, that's enough."

It would have been nice to see the others, it would have been great to have them back, but all he had needed was her. The person that he had survived with, lived with. Run away with. The only person that he had ever truly trusted.

 

[Lileas]

Lileas warmed her smile in attempt to sooth the sadness in his expression. "I know.." she answered, settling her hand atop his and giving a gentle squeeze. "I just mean.. I guess, I'm sorry that so much has changed.. I wish we could go back to then.." she laughed under her breath.

"I always felt like I had everything." she shrugged, her gaze falling to their hands.

 

[Aleric]

His fingers squeezed hers.

"I used to think a lot about those times." Aleric admitted softly. Recalling those first few weeks in his cell. Tucked away in the darkest corner he could find, clinging to the scraps of rags that he'd called clothes. "It was the only way that I could get warm."

The thief continued quietly. "Remembering us all together. How it was."

For a few seconds he trailed off, going quiet as he took in a deep breath. Those memories flickering to the surface once more.

"But in Harrowgate..." He frowned, and she would notice tension draw through him. "I had to stop. I had to start looking toward the future."

Aleric took another slow breath. "Towards what I would have when I got out."

A hand gently came up, nudging her chin. "Towards what was still waiting for me."

That was what had kept him alive. Not the past, not the memories he still held on to, but the future. A time when he wouldn't be stuck in chains. When he wouldn't be surrounded by enemies. When he would be safe.

Like he was now.

 

[Lileas]

"I feel sick any time I think of you in that place.." she murmured, her eyes raising to meet his as he nudged at her chin. She smiled reluctantly.

Lileas had believed for a long time that he'd be back, she had even said as much out loud in spite of the Robber, and she'd lived to regret it. Since then she'd held her hope in silence, at least until the day her heart broke with the news of the execution. Even now as he sat here in front of her, it still ached.

Her eyes blurred with tears and her hand lifted to settle on his face as she leaned forward to press a soft kiss to his cheek.

 

[Aleric]

A part of him wished that he could tell Lileas that it hadn't been so bad.

That at least in Harrowgate he had a roof of over his head and three square meals a day, but the reality was it had been a horror. The prison had been a world all it's own. Sure the Guardsmen had fed them, they'd had what counted by some as beds, but it wasn't that which had made the place hell.

It was the other Prisoners.

The Guards had never much interrupted life in Harrowgate, always preferring to let the animals keep to themselves. Problem was, those animals were some of the worst people in all of Vel Anir.

For a brief moment Aleric stood there, simply sitting in Lileas embrace. He wanted to remain strong, he wanted to be a pillar, he wanted to be that strength for her. Yet in that moment, as she held him close and the softness of her lips pressed against his skin, Aleric couldn't help but crack.

The part of him that had kept him standing, kept him going, kept pushing him through all of the horrors of the last six years suddenly faltering.

Quiet tears streamed down Aleric's face, his features burying in Lileas hair as his arms pulled her tighter against himself.

 

[Lileas]

Her chest ached at the sight of his tears, and she wrapped her arms around him to hold onto him as tightly as he held her. Fingers curled into his hair and she breathed deeply, allowing him to stay like that for as long as he wanted to.

"It's alright.. I'm right here and so are you." she whispered softly by his ear.

 

[Aleric]

Aleric had no idea how long he stood there, how long the tears flowed.

Time seemed a small and unimportant thing now, ironic given just how precious it had been before. Eventually though he broke away from Lileas, taking half a step back and letting his arms slip away from her form. A hand came up, wiping at his face.

He pulled a slow and steady breath into his lungs. "Sorry."

Aleric said, softly, a crooked smile on his face.

"That place..." He shook his head slowly. "I'm just glad to be home."

He supposed that was how most people felt, but most people weren't coming home to the Gutters. Then again, for Aleric it wasn't the Gutters he was coming home to; It was Lileas.

 

[Lileas]

"Don't. You don't apologise to me. Not ever." she frowned. "Especially not for feeling something, no matter what it is. I've spilled my share of tears. I know how it feels to be broken and have to hide it from those around you - but you don't need to hide from me." she reassured him, reaching to squeeze his hand with a tilt of her head and a gentle smile.

"I'm glad you're home too." she laughed under her breath, not bothering to wipe her own tear as it splashed onto her cheek. She only prayed they'd stay safe here.

 

[Aleric]

Aleric smiled softly. "I'll keep that in mind."

The small jest to his words were reflected in his smile. Offering him a chance to never apologize was something she would never forget. He would be sure of that.

Still, despite the joke, It was good to be home. Good to be back, good to not have to worry so much.

There were still a thousand of them, of course. There would always be worries. How they would get money, how they would get food, where they would live, what would happen if the Robber found them? Aleric could list off a thousand things to worry about.

But none of them seemed as bad anymore. Not now.

After a moment more his fingers slowly slipped away from hers, he took a deep breath, and once more slowly began to sit himself down on the ground. Looking up at her he offered a simple smile. "So, what are you up to today?"

He asked.

"Any manors to break into? Spoons to steal?" Aleric wasn't being mean, spoons fetched a good price. More than forks.

 

[Lileas]

"Good." she answered firmly and squeezed at his hand before he let go of her. She didn't leave him sitting on the floor alone for long, and she gave a quiet laugh under her breath as she sat down beside him.

"I think I can get one more day out of this place I've been working.. I don't like to stick to the same place for too long, but it takes a few days to figure out routines. Taking small things, they rarely ever notice, but after anything of significance, we move on.. No spoons tonight." she nudged at him with a smirk.

 

[Aleric]

Aleric smiled.

"That's good." He said softly. A part of him had always been worried about what Lileas had been doing while he'd been gone. How she'd survived, or worse, if perhaps she had somehow been caught by the Guard as well.

He was glad to see her being safe, knowing her trade.

She always had. "I'm going to have to do the same."

Aleric said quietly.

"Start small, take things without anyone noticing." Without the Robber noticing. Rumors would filter down the chain, they always did, but as long as he was careful he would avoid the eyes that he needed to. Aleric was sure of that.

 

[Lileas]

Lil flashed him a wary glance and her smile tightened, but she gave a light nod. She couldn't expect him to stay here. They weren't the type to take to being cooped up, but he had suffered a cage for so long now, she couldn't ask him to make the old chapel another prison.

"I'll look into where everyone else is working.. Maybe I can work out a schedule to make sure you're not likely to run into anyone that might know your face." she cleared her throat. "Just.. Don't go looking for any trouble, please?.." she asked quietly.

 

[Aleric]

"I never go looking for trouble." Aleric said with a smile she would recognize from years ago. An expression that he had worn for years and years. One that had preceded nearly every job they had ever done together.

Filled with confidence and no sense of smugness, as if he truly believed what he was saying.

For a brief moment he let silence hang in the air between them, and then he took in a breath. The smile fading as he took on a more serious look.

A hand reached up, softly cupping her chin. His fingers gently tracing on her cheek in a soft touch. As if he still couldn't quite believe she was actually there. "I promise."

He told her softly.

"I'll be careful." If only because he couldn't leave her again.

 

[Lileas]

She could only sigh fondly at that smile he still wore, the one she thought she'd never see again. Her chest squeezed, and she had just dropped her gaze when his hand so gently cupped her chin and brought it back to his.

"Thank you...Me too." she assured with a soft smirk as she leaned into his touch. The urge to kiss him took her by surprise, and such a thought caused her cheeks to warm under his hand. They'd been children together and they'd always been close, she had always loved him, but it had never been like that. She felt ridiculous and cleared her throat to disturb the awkward silence.

"I should get to work.." she huffed.

 

[Aleric]

Aleric cleared his throat, fingers slowly falling away from her cheek. "Right."

He said softly, a hint of regret playing within his voice. Wiped away as he continued to speak.

"Don't want anyone wondering whether or not you found religion." The Hanged Man said with a slight chuckle. Glancing around the old Chapel for a second. The gods had never quite made it to Vel Anir, at least not to his memory, and they had most certainly never stepped foot in the Gutters. That was the one thing they could all agree on. "Be safe."

Aleric told her. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Which, in all fairness, was a very short list.

 

[Lileas]

Lileas allowed a few days to pass before she'd planned on visiting Aleric again. A few comments had been made about her 'sneaking off' somewhere, and she could tell suspicions were raised. He'd have her followed, if she wasn't careful. And so she stuck to her schedule - working as a maid in the rich folks' houses in the days, and collecting Gutters' debts after supper. She was as sweet as honey, giving the Robber no excuses to deprive her of the medicine she needed, lest she grow weaker by the day.. Until the fifth night.

The Robber's eyes were as ever wherever they wanted to be, most often in her cleavage, but this time she noticed his expression shift from across the table they supped from. "What's that then?"

Lil's brow quirked in question as she swallowed her bread, and his hand stretched out, fingers sliding over her skin until they hooked the string of a small coin purse and plucked it free. She felt the colour drain from her face and her heart sank, though she laughed under her breath, trying her best to shake it off.

"Oh. Forgot about that one. A little extra for you. Some sleaze tried it on with me down at the bridge. You're welcome." she flashed a smile, but she could tell that he was unconvinced.

"That so?.. Ain't the first time you've squirrelled things away." he narrowed his gaze, a sharp blade lifted from the table to trail threateningly over her chest, the lace of her corset cut free. Lileas stilled, trying her best to remain calm as she reached for his arm with a delicate touch.

"I hide nothing from you, Rob." she smiled softly. "You know you can trust me."

The little bottle that contained her tonic was 'accidentally' crushed under his boot that night, and her supper was cut short. He didn't believe her, his paranoia wouldn't let him. The small room that she called her own was torn apart, wood torn from the walls and floor, searching for whatever else she might be hiding. But Lileas wasn't stupid enough to hide anything here...

The days moved slowly whilst the poison spread back through her veins, and even slower without Aleric, now that over a week had passed..

 

[Aleric]

On the fifth day, Aleric didn't break his promise.

Highlighting that fact was only important because doing what he was doing was incredibly stupid, because it was exactly what Lileas wouldn't have wanted him to do, and because it was objectively one of the most dangerous things for him to do.

The only reason the promise wasn't broken was because Aleric simply wasn't looking for trouble.

He knew it would be there when he arrived.

He knew it because after five days of not seeing a wink of Lileas, even after spending a whole afternoon in the merchant's pit, he had not seen a single sight of her. Something had happened, and worry overcame the weight of other troubles.

Aleric was sneaking into the Tombs.

The once place in the world, in Vel Anir specifically, that he knew he would find trouble. It was a risk, the biggest one he'd taken since coming back, but Lileas was worth it. He had to make sure that she was alright, that she was still alive.

So, quickly, he rushed through the ancient and forgotten ruins of the Tombs. Old undercrofts and carved out crypts that had served as ways for him, Lileas, and the others as secret tunnels. Ways that the Robber didn't even know about.

It took time, almost four hours in fact, to climb through the mire but eventually Aleric made it through. Creeping through the empty shadows and hiding himself away from older boys and girls who hadn't been made to go out onto the streets. Aleric moved with expert stealth, until finally he popped out of the darkness and into Lileas' room.

 

[Lileas]

She was drifting off when something shifted in the shadows and she sat up a little, a flicker of fear on her clammy face. The moment she saw who it was however, there was no fear. There was joy and relief, then there was shame, quickly followed by confusion and finally, anger and concern.

"What are you doing here?! Have you gone completely fruity!?" she whispered with as much exclamation as she could. Hair stuck to her face and her blanket was soaked in sweat. Now, her heart was racing and the pain she felt kicked up a notch..

"Please go. If you're caught here.." her head shook, and she felt suddenly nauseous. If they even knew that he was alive, she'd never be allowed out of this room -now more a pile of firewood than any sort of room, really-again..

 

[Aleric]

Aleric almost immediately snapped a finger to his lips. "Shh, not so loud."

He jested with a grin, showing that he was taking none of this too seriously.

Lileas was right, obviously. This was about the last place in the Gutters, hell the whole world, that he should have found himself in. That didn't matter though. He had come here not to be a fool, but to make sure that she was okay.

She didn't look okay.

Slowly Aleric crept forward, glancing over his shoulder for a brief second before darting through a sliver of light into a line of darkness.

"I was worried." He said, now mere inches from Lileas. "It's been five days, and even last time you didn't look so good. I didn't know if he'd..."

Aleric trailed off, a small bit of his earlier panic flickering through his voice

 

[Lileas]

Lileas sighed at that grin and shook her head.. "I know.. I'm sorry.." she whispered and reached for his hand now that he was close to her. "I'm alright... Well, I will be.." she frowned, knowing that she likely looked as terrible as she felt.

"I didn't have any way to contact you, he's got a close eye on me right now.." she told him with a weak smile.

"Do you remember the old drop, under east bridge? I've left some things there for you. You know, spoons and such.." she grinned, but the amusement didn't last.

"But you really have to go."

 

[Aleric]

"It's alright, Lil." His fingers wrapped around her palm, gently squeezing. "I was just worried."

It wasn't her fault, Aleric knew, but he had to see her. Had to make sure the Robber hadn't...lips thinned for a brief moment as he pressed the thought down. A smile instead presenting itself to her, though through it she would be able to see the concern in his eyes.

She really did not look well. Leaving felt as though he would be serving her a death sentence, and the thought alone made a tightness grow in his chest. A small, slow breath filled his lungs, eyes darting over towards a sound in the distance before slowly he returned his attention to Lileas. "I know."

He told her.

"I-" Aleric cut himself off as a voice echoed out.

"Where are you, you little cretin?"​

The tune sung just down the hall, but it wasn't the Robbers voice. Although Aleric recognized it all the same. Donnie, one of the Robber's boys. One of his favorites.

"Got a little something for ya!"​

He called with a chuckle.

 

[Lileas]

Gods, she could hardly remember what it felt like to have anyone worry about her. She couldn't do anything about the smile that curled at her lips, though it was contorted by a look of horror as she heard Donnie's voice. Her heart stopped dead in her chest, her fear far more for Aleric than for herself.

Lileas let go of his hand and pushed at him with urgency. "Go, now!" she whispered. "I'm alright, just please go." she pled as the boots thumped along the hallway toward her locked door.