Private Tales Unrequited Reunion

[Briar White]

Briar sighed dramatically, before sitting up in her chair, leaning forward.

"I'm pregnant, Roland," she said, still smiling, but her smile was no longer a smirk and almost serious. "Just thought you should know, in case you got any ideas in your head that you could kill me. And you don't have to worry about being a father, because you'll only be one in name. You will likely never meet our daughter," she went on calmly, twisting a lock of brown hair around her finger.

"But I'll still keep an eye on you. This certainly won't be the last time I'll see you,"

She leaned back in her chair once more, her bright blue eyes fixed on Roland, waiting for a reaction.

Roland Grayson

 

[Roland Grayson]

Pregnant? Pregnant?!

The idea of it caused Roland's stomach to sink. Being born a bastard was the worst start to life you could do to a child. A curse that could never be lifted from their soul. Ridiculed. Diminished. Worked harder than a slave. A bastard could maybe be better than an animal, but only a useless animal. And on top of all of that for their mother to be a witch with some clear bitch tendencies as well?

Roland knew that Briar was lying and just trying to fuck with him. She had been doing that since they met. But to joke about something this serious just to get a reaction from him? It disgusted him. What was her ultimate goal? Surely it had to be something more than just screw with his head. An attempt for coin or get him to do something for her or maybe even trap him into a marriage if witches even believed in such things.

He didn't know.

The sellsword just sat there for a moment with a blank look upon his face as his eyes besieged her own. After a bit he finally seemed to have settled on something internally.

"Pregnant? What if I said I want to be involved with the raising of my child?"

He needed to bait more information out of her so he could figure out what her game was right now.

Briar White

 

[Briar White]

Briar raised an eyebrow at Roland's reaction. Her smirk never slipped off her face (though her cheeks were beginning to hurt).

"Surely you've heard of The Witches of the Moon, Roland? That's not how we do things," she rested a hand on her stomach. "If it's a girl, she's mine and you will never have to see her or take care of her. She will be raised to be a witch just like her mother and her mother before her," she went on, a bit of pride coloring her voice. "If it's a boy, though, then you get to be the father you've always dreamed of being. We have no use for boy children."

He seemed to be struggling with himself (and with her, which she enjoyed thoroughly). "You don't need to worry, though, the chances of it being a boy are little to none," she added casually. "You should be grateful, actually, most witches' men are none the wiser to their daughters."

Roland Grayson

 

[Roland Grayson]

Witches of the Moon? Sounded like local tales he had heard when doing jobs out here. Ones that were always inflated about what was going on. Same as everywhere really. Groups like her own often hide what they were really doing behind those tales to keep strangers away and remain in peace. That was all this sounded like to him.

But the more she spoke the less confident he felt that she was fucking with him about this pregnancy thing.

Roland frowned at Briar. He didn't like that idea. He didn't like the idea she was pregnant with his kid for a few reasons. There was how he felt about bastards, but also if she was pregnant then it meant that had been her goal when they were together. An outcome she had tricked him a bit into happening. Her being a witch who didn't believe in marriage only made it more plausible and more terrible a thought.

Once more he remained silent for a time then finally decided on something to say.

"I want to know my kids and them know me as their father Briar. Even if it would mean marrying someone I don't know or trust. Doubt you would agree to it.... But if you are pregnant is that something you would be willing to do?"

Roland already knew the answer. He knew but he had to ask. He still wasn't sure she was being honest with him and likely was just lying. But he was too uncertain. Too convinced she might be actually telling him the truth just to torment him all the more.

Briar White

 

[Briar White]

He didn't seem too pleased with the idea of not having to do anything. Briar wondered if there was anything wrong with him. Most men she knew would have been overjoyed at not having to worry about a kid. They shyed from responsibility. But she supposed Roland would not be one to do so.

"You want me to marry you? I could deny just because of the lack of romance in that proposal," Briar said, nearly laughing out loud. "Really, you don't need to feel obligated to marry me. I'm not asking you for anything. If you want to be a part of your kid's life, then you better start praying for a son," her last words held a little bit of bite to them.

She really ought to have kept her mouth shut about this whole thing, and he would have been none the wiser. Besides, this was what she wanted, not what Roland wanted. She wanted her child to be a girl more than anything and the mere thought that it could be a boy brought her blood pressure up.

Roland Grayson

 

[Roland Grayson]

The sellsword watched and was amazed. She was bothered by the idea of them getting married. For all the shit she had been giving him, she was the frustrated one there. It almost felt good to know she could be bothered. If only the topic wasn't so serious and grim.

A child with a witch. This was the biggest mistake he had ever made in his life. Not because of how it effected him, but how it would effect the kid. As she had already made clear, Roland could just walk away and treat it as he having lied to him. Nothing would change for him. But he couldn't do it to his kid. Son or daughter either one. That was unacceptable to him.

Roland leaned forward and made sure their eyes were locked on each other. "I don't feel obligated to marry you Briar. You don't have to ask me for anything. I will be a part of my kid's life, boy or girl, and that is that. I am asking you to be a part of it with me for their sake not ours."

He wasn't going to deprive his kid of their mother. As much of a bitch as she was. Putting up with her would be nothing if it meant he could be there for his kid. And if he was honest about things he did find her attractive even now. Frustrating. Impossible. Difficult. But also attractive. He knew he would make this same mistake again with her if given the chance. Something that made him angry with himself.

Briar White

 

[Briar White]

Briar sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes. "Of course I will be a part of my kid's life, that's what I've been telling you, you fool. It's just that I don't need your help. Unless its a boy, of course," She acted nonchalant about it but she could tell Roland could see through her act. It was frightening, that they had spent a few hours together and already he was beginning to know her better than some of her fellow witches.

"Like I've said, if it's a girl, she's mine, and you'll likely never meet her. If it's a boy, then you get to be the father you evidently want to be so badly. It's not that I wouldn't want to give him up, but he would have no place among witches. I couldn't keep him." She went on. Only once she had finished speaking did she realize perhaps she had shared too much. Why should Roland get to hear all of this? He was obviously mad at her.

Roland Grayson

 

[Roland Grayson]

Roland continued to frown as Briar spoke. She wasn't getting what he was saying still. It didn't matter to him if their kid was a boy or girl. He planned to be a part of their life regardless. It was more than just a sense of duty. He wanted to be better and give a new life he created a better one than what his own parents had given him. Less manipulation and more affection. Briar seemed like she was going to be no better than his own so at least having one parent not that way would be an improvement already.

"Briar. Boy or girl I will be in their life. No matter what it takes. You can work with me for the sake of our kid or you can be a bitch about it and miss out on being a family. The choice is your's if you want to be apart of things in a true way or not."

His eyes were locked on her own in seriousness. He was angry but it was barely even at her anymore. Nearly all of it directed at himself for allowing a potentially cruel situation to develop for them all.

Family. That was a weird word for him. Both comfortable yet not. Despite his grandfather and uncle keeping the secret of his birth from him they had done everything they could for him. They would have done more but his father and mother had stopped them. He knew that now after experiencing the world. There was no blame just loneliness with their absence. He didn't want his kid to feel abandoned in some way by him either.

Roland stood up. He walked over to Briar dragging his chair with him. He set the chair right next to her then sat down. He took her hands in his own while looking her in her eyes.

"Please Briar. For our kid. Please help me provide them a whole family not just a half. No secrets about who they are. I spent too much of my life only knowing half of who I was only for the whole disgusting me when I found out. I don't want that for our kid. Boy or girl, they have every right to know both you and me as their parents. No raising them with just one of us when they could and should have both. I will do anything to let them have that.... Anything...."

He knew what might happen. It didn't matter. He would pay whatever price became required. All of his feelings and reasons had been laid out. Not the details but the feelings. All he could hope was Briar felt the same or at least was greedy enough to pounce on his last words.

Briar White

 

[Briar White]

Briar was quiet as Roland spoke. What had gotten into him? Everything she knew about men told her that they shyed away from responsibility and commitment and only thought with their manhood.

She pulled her hands from Roland's after a moment that had likely been too long and rose from her chair. "I can't, Roland. I have to do it this way. You can't understand," Her voice was soft but firm.

He was doing a spectacular job at attempting to guilt her into giving up her entire way of life just for a making a stupid mistake. But she was stronger than that. Her face betrayed no emotions.

After another moment that was likely drug out too long, she walked out the front door of the tavern and disappeared into the woods. Roland would find that there was a pouch of coins in the seat of her chair, the rest of his "payment". It could have even been an apology.

Roland Grayson