Wind

Sometimes she feels like a little girl, swept away by the ferocious winds of war.

NOTES: ...

River

Whenever she feels like she's about to drown in her life, he always comes around to pull her out of the treacherous waters.

NOTES: B'aww.

Mischief Managed

They're in the middle of a fairly frustrating fight. It's one of those days where he's not giving an inch, and she's in some weird mood that he can't decipher. So far, they've been at it for an hour, and neither one has gotten a hit.

Finally, he disengages for a second, pulling back so he can end this fight. She tenses up as he charges, and she...

... Lifts up her tunic, armor and all. As he stands there, amazed during this vastly educational moment, she scores a hit.

He barely even notices the fact that he's lost the match.

NOTES: Oh, Cressida. ;-)

Sensual

When she brushes past him in the hall on the morning after, she does so with undeniable coyness.

"Good morning, General," she says, in a voice that sounds like butter sliding over a knife.

He has to clear his throat before he answers. "Good morning, Princess." It comes out rough, like he's sand papered his throat.

"Having a problem with your throat, General?" she asks.

He can't wait to get her alone again.

NOTES: Shenanigans.

Heritage

He was told, growing up, that the world was his.

It showed in the way he walked.

NOTES: I bet that Scipio was always like, "You are better than anyone else, son!"

Slogan

Like every great family in the Empire, the Bellorums have their family words:

Give no quarter.

NOTES: Influenced by too much "Game of Thrones".

Danger Ahead

There's one night in particular that they don't tell each other.

It's the same as any other night, to start. It's been a long day, full of politics, protecting the Empire and its allies against the world and themselves, and all they want to do is rest. As always, though, their nightmares decide differently.

This time, he's already awake when she comes from her rooms, disturbed by dreams of the men she's killed. They've been doing this for a while now, so he knows to have tea waiting for her.

They sit in companionable silence until she breaks it. "Octavius, have you ever thought about what you'll do when this is over?"

"When what is over?"

"This. You know. Once we're done rebuilding your country."

"Oh. I do not know. I have not really thought about it."

She sighs. "I guess I'll return to the Icemark. Marry someone from a neighboring kingdom. Bear a few children. Rule for many years. Die valiantly on a battlefield."

"I suppose I'll retire and live in peace until the Empire needs me again. Why?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm feeling morbid right now."

She pauses. "Octavius?"

"Yes?"

"Do you... will you still visit me? When we're old and grey and no one needs us any more?"

"Of course."

They sit in companionable silence for a while longer, until they both excuse themselves for sleep they do not end up getting.

Neither knows what will happen tomorrow. If they did, they would have said something different.

NOTES: Connected to #19, "Pavour Nocturnus". So what happens tomorrow? Personally, I think that Octavius dies or something. Maybe it's a preview to the "DEATH TO ALL HAPPINESS" series?

Seeking Solace

She never tells her husband that she only kisses him because she sees someone else when she does.

NOTES: Part of the "DEATH TO ALL HAPPINESS" continuum. God, I love torturing these characters. In reality, Cressida would probably move on with her life. However, for the sake of drama, I've made it into a humorless parody of what it should be! Enjoy.

Insanity

There's a little bit of madness in all the Bellorums. It lurks, hidden, in their incredibly rational minds, waiting until the right moment to unleash itself.

And when it does, the rational man turns into a slavering beast.

NOTES: It really weirded me out that Hill said that Scipio could control his madness. Isn't the nature of madness that it is uncontrollable?

Smile

Octavius' smiles are rare, and never appear unless earned. That makes them all the sweeter, because when they appear it's like the sun has come out from the clouds, and she made it happen.

Cressida thinks that she would like to make his smile appear more often.

NOTES: SO CLICHÉ OMG.