So I don't usually talk about ships but I have to confess, I have one in my own fanfic. One that some might consider a crackship, but a ship that I've been working towards for a while now.
Want to know what it is?
Characters x Happiness. It exists somewhere, at some point, in a nebulous form that has yet to manifest. I can't wait for it to happen!
But this chapter sure as hell isn't it.
Cinder looked surprised by Ruby's appearance.
Not threatened if her growing smile was anything to go by. Or the easy, swaggering jaunt she made as she walked closer, right hand crackling with flames. Coiling embers that reached up to her forearm and cast the right side of her body in a soft glow while reducing her left to a shadowy silhouette. Boots clicking on the ground, Cinder drew closer, grinning as Ruby took a step back, then another. And though her partner never took her eyes off Cinder she made it clear she had no plans to fight.
Cinder knew it too as she lifted her hands, wriggling her fingers and allowing tendrils of fire to dance between them. "Are you going to fight me, little rose?"
Ruby's shoulders scrunched together. "Depends. Are you going to attack Weiss again?"
"Depends," Cinder echoed, lone eye flickering past Ruby. "On what Weiss herself decides to do next."
Fighting would be a mistake. Even if Greyson and Nike were the only two Hunters in all of Pradalia she had expended most of her magic. She could feel the nadir of her magic, her mind's fingers scraping against the hard, unyielding pit of her reserves. For all its usefulness her rapier had managed to dredge up and consume more of her magic, expel it more swiftly than she'd have otherwise liked.
A few runes at most. If she had time to conjure them. If Ruby and her Dust-assisted magic could hold Cinder back long enough.
At their backs she heard Nike drag herself forward again, ice encrusted limbs scraping against cobbles. "You will not harm her!"
And then there was that mess to contend with too. Whatever in the hell had brought that out Weiss didn't know. She had never been mistaken for a goddess, and no one had so fervently tried to defend her mere moments after trying to run her through.
Confounding and utterly absurd, but something to deal with later.
Provided she had a later.
"I only want to speak to her." Cinder's voice came out in a low, sensual purr. One with an edge to it, a blade hovering over their throats. "Step aside and let me do so. If you're so insistent on keeping her for yourself I'll let you have whatever is left when I'm done."
Ruby, gods bless her, lifted her scythe higher - Weiss had no clue where she'd gotten another one - and swept her right foot back, lowered herself and twisted her body, readying for an attack. "You won't get anywhere near her."
"Is that a challenge? I hate to harm children." The black and red sword that formed in Cinder's gloved hand said otherwise. "But I also hate being told no. Move along or there won't be enough of you to bury left."
"We've fought scarier people than you before."
Had they? Merlot had been monstrous both in his magic and his ambitions. Adam, cold, cruel and ruthless, had been dangerous yes but limited in his methods of attack. Watts and the Wardens too had been difficult but they had triumphed all the same.
None of them sported the raw power Cinder had shown. To carve a hulking beast like the Charybdis with a single spell bespoke of no small measure of strength, and at such a distance too. Accuracy at range, and deadly in close quarters if Weiss' assumptions were correct. And she's warped in the same way Yang is. Her eyes went to the gloved hand, no bare skin visible on her left arm whatsoever. Gods only know what abilities she has from that.
Sweat clung to her like another layer of clothing, soaking her and making the shallow cut along her throat sting. Her left hand, cold from holding her rapier, now became warm as feeling returned to her iced digits. As blood leaked between her fingers from her palm, skin blistered and torn.
They could fight. They could try and deny Cinder and defend Nike.
They could also fail, die, or be left in the plaza broken and bloodied. In her current state Weiss found herself leaning more towards that outcome than the first. It left her shivering even as the humid night air continued to saturate her.
Two flickering candles staring down the barrel of a cannon. Three, considering Nike now seemed intent on fighting for her for whatever reason.
"Ruby, stand down."
"What?" Ruby allowed herself to glance back for a mere moment, eyes widening in question before she whirled back.
"I said stand down."
"You don't give me orders, Weiss."
"Don't be daft! Lower your weapon and -"
"I'm not letting her hurt you." Ruby's fingers tightened around the scythe's haft, wood creaking. The curved blade gleaned with moonlight while tracking Cinder's casual gait, the woman circling them as she toyed with flames in her hand. "And I'm not letting her anywhere near your friend either."
Friend? Weiss could have laughed if she hadn't caught Ruby's sidelong glance. Noticed the subtle shake of her head before she went back to facing off against Cinder. She knew, as anyone with half a brain would, that she and Nike were anything but friends. But for all intents and purposes, delusions or no, they were on the same side for the moment. United by the smoldering, smirking witch stalking them like a lion.
Flames wreathed Cinder's entire right arm. Covered in a living gauntlet that radiated heat so intense Weiss felt fresh beads of sweat pooling on her skin, watched Ruby take a tentative step back, then another.
"Well," Cinder drawled, twirling the sword in her hand with a flick of the wrist. "Don't let it be said I didn't try to be nice."
She took two steps towards them before freezing in place. Cinder's eye widened, the air around them turning sickly sweet. Honey and lavender so cloying that Weiss could have sworn they had just walked into a bakery. Savory scents wafted around them, coiling and caressing, and despite the flaming sword still poised to cut them down Weiss felt the fight slowly drain from her, twinkling out like a star upon the sun's approach.
Knowing who was responsible even before she saw him she ground her teeth, choking back the insults rising in her throat and forced a smile.
"Rhodes," she said curtly, appraising the man like a heap of garbage on the roadside. "You left your ship."
Rhodes took one look at Weiss, at her current state and that of Nike, his brows raising a hair before his eyes darted back to Cinder. That deceptive calming aura around them grew thicker, magic taking the form of a thin curtain that blocked them off from the rest of the city. Runes slithered along the wall unbidden, moving without any gesture from Rhodes, no motions to conjure or carve. Weiss had managed such a feat only with the sword in her hand or a spellbook like Merlot's; how Rhodes managed it without either was beyond her.
"Rhodes! Good, maybe you can talk sense into these whelps." Cinder smiled as she turned to speak. "We can question this Hunter and find where -"
"Stop."
Not a request but a command. One firm enough that Cinder's eye widened and the flames dancing upon her sword began to retreat. As if the flames themselves became uneasy under the elder Magi's stare.
Cinder stepped closer, a smile turning uncertain as she held her now empty hands up. "Rhodes, let me speak to her. If she knows anything I'll get it. We can find Maria. I can get -"
"You will not lay a finger on her, Cinder. And you will not attack Weiss nor any of her friends."
"But…" Cinder cringed under Rhode's glare and clamped her teeth down on her lip. Trembling with what Weiss could only guess was anger she dipped her chin, hands balled into tight fists at her sides. "Understood."
A woman that had wielded enough power to obliterate a leviathan-sized Grimm in one spell, who commanded a fleet, cowed by so few words. Weiss watched Rhodes carefully as he came closer, moved her rapier to her off-hand when she found the fingers on her left refused to curl around its grip again. Ruby shifted and kept herself between him and her, scythe raised in warning.
Cinder was a known quantity, her magic explosive. Rhodes hadn't shown much in the way of combat ability but the potential threat remained. Enough that Ruby didn't try to attack as he walked past them towards the fallen Nike. Potentially dangerous enough that Weiss made no move to stop him either.
Alone. No crew with him, no bodyguards. Not even a visible weapon on his person to defend himself with.
Blinking past the sweat still on her brow she watched Nike bare her teeth and try to pick herself up, wings and leg still encrusted in heavy ice. Recognition flashed across her face, anger, and wind swirled at her back, crashed against a barrier and dissipated with a faint whisper of power.
One flick of his wrist and Rhodes melted away the ice. Then, before Nike could rise or strike, chains erupted from the ground and bound her wrists and legs. Pulled her to her knees and held her firm. Bindings of purest silver that seemed to glow like the moon itself, snaking themselves up Nike's limbs with an alien intelligence until her thrashing stopped, bound too strongly to even fidget. Even her wings had been bound and snapped uselessly against her back, magic rising and falling with faint breezes.
Cinder let out a gasp and Weiss turned to watch the fire in the woman's eye fade until even embers vanished, left only by a cold, biting look of dread.
Familiarity too. She recognized that magic, those chains, and whatever memory it drudged up had Cinder take a half step back, shaking her head and wrapping her arms around herself.
"If she knows anything then she'll tell us," Rhodes explained. With easy movements he began to weave runes around himself and Weiss recognized them instantly.
"You're to enter her mind?"
"Why waste our time with questions when I can go directly to the source?" Because it was wrong! Because invading someone's very thoughts encroached on levels of improper that Weiss couldn't even begin to quantify. When she said as much Rhodes merely smiled at her, a hollow, tired expression accompanied by a slight shrug.
"I've plenty of sins staining my soul already. What's one more?"
Nike tugged against her restraints to the point veins in her neck threatened to burst. Magic tried and failed to heed her summons, wind rustling her clothing and failing to do more than that. As Rhodes lowered his hand towards the Faunus' head Weiss knew too the sensations she'd begin to feel; the pinprick of power at her scalp, moving inside of it and prying into her brain. Bypassing walls that no one should have any right to see behind. Nike stilled and her eyes went wide, mouth opening, words stifled behind quivering lips. Orbs holding pure terror darted to Weiss and Nike, beginning to go slack in the bindings, managed a faint whimper.
"Help me."
Ruby's scythe flared and she closed the short gap between her and Rhodes in half a blink, cleaving into his defenses. The weapon rebounded off a barrier and Weiss lunged for it a second afterwards, gritting her teeth as reverberations danced up her arm, the rapier skirting along and off the shield.
"Rhodes, don't!" Weiss shouted. Pleaded, looking at the now deathly still Nike, face gone slack and eyes vacant.
Rhodes smiled apologetically and reinforced the barrier at his back. "This will only take a moment, then you'll have your information. I promise."
Weiss struck the barrier again, then again, and neither she or Ruby could break it. She tried to dredge up enough magic to shatter it but her skull pounded in reply; pressing her luck would end poorly.
Unable to do anything, Weiss pressed her hands against the barrier, rapier falling to her feet. "I'm sorry," she said, voice breaking. As she felt her own mind recoil in terror at what she knew Rhodes would be doing now. It had been unpleasant in a controlled environment, with assurances he'd be gentle about it. Now?
Rhodes mouthed a silent prayer and closed his eyes, his hand clasping Nike's forehead.
Screams shattered the night.
/+/+/+/+/+/
Cold metal bit into her skin.
Tighter. Straining her arms, locking them above her head until her shoulders ached. Dragging down her legs until she couldn't move. Couldn't so much as flinch. They hadn't even begun and already her breathing had become erratic.
Chains rattled as she trembled. Breaths left in frightened, fitful gasps.
"Please…"
The cold slab beneath her refused to yield. Equally unpleasant air bit at her, the rags she'd been dressed in offering little protection against the cold. Shuddering breaths left her, plumes forming above her face. Vanishing into the din room illuminated only by a handful of candles burning so low that the faces of those around her were invisible.
"Please," she begged again, hoarse. Water. She needed water, food. Anything. The paltry scraps provided were never enough, as if they purposefully tried to keep her on the verge of starvation. Too weak to fight back. Too drained to summon her magic.
Those chains tightened further still. Silvery links that gleamed with moonlight. A cruel mockery and reminder of something she had not seen in days. Or had it been weeks?
Time meant nothing here. She didn't know what day it was, what hour it was. How long until she no longer knew her own name?
Something rattled to her right and she turned her head enough to spot a small cage nearby, tossing and rumbling against its own restraints. Two red eyes settled on her and the creature inside stilled, sniffing at the air before letting out a low guttural snarl. Although she couldn't see it she felt it smile at her. As if it enjoyed her suffering, her plight.
Hushed murmurs and the shifting of something metallic. The slight glint of candlelight off a slender, sharp object. She knew what it was and already felt its phantom sting without the blade against her skin.
Not again. She couldn't do this again. She begged, pleaded, called for parents who had long since neglected her and left her to waste away. No one came. No one ever came. No matter if she cried herself hoarse no one took pity on her.
She was a nobody. A footnote in the world that would die without a single soul so much as blinking in notice.
The knife came closer and she did the only thing she could; withdraw into herself and wait. Try and escape the confines of her mortal form and hope to whatever gods still listened that it would be quick. Or that perhaps she would lose consciousness and be spared the pain that was soon to come. She trembled against the chains, coiling into herself and shying away as the blade hovered near her abdomen, her dirty grey garment peeled back to expose goose prickled skin.
The creature inside the cage hissed in pleasure and slammed against the bars. Cheering on her tormentors. Eager to see blood. To savor her suffering.
Down. She needed to go deeper. Into the darkest, most distant reaches of her mind where pain and misery had no place. Where nothing existed beyond simple existence itself.
She dug, and dug, and dug…
/+/+/+/+/+/
Nike's screams cut off as abruptly as they had begun. From throat-rending, shrill howls to utter silence Ruby watched as the Faunus went rigid in Rhodes' grip, eyes staring vacantly up at him, face gone slack. Beyond the occasional twitch and the slow rise and fall of her chest she might have assumed Nike had died in that instant. Maybe death would have been preferable to whatever was happening to her now.
Her scythe rebounded off the barrier again. She cleaved higher and gritted her teeth as sparks flew, metal deforming at the impact, arms clenching along with her teeth. Ruby swung until her body cried for her to stop and still the barrier held, unyielding against her assault. Weiss' too; neither of them had so much as dented the wall between them and Rhodes.
Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Ruby had seen Yang tortured. Heard it. She had watched Adam Taurus attack her friends. Neither of those held a candle to the inherent violation of basic decency that was Rhodes' magic. On level with Weiss' own brand, that kind of manipulation. Tearing into someone's very being and manipulating them.
The sour taste of bile in her mouth didn't disappear no matter how many times she swallowed it back. Fingers ached from swinging her weapon, back and shoulders too.
If only she had something more than speed to use. If the Dust currently fuelling the sliver of magic she possessed could do more.
Weiss couldn't break through either and Cinder… She didn't know the woman well enough but she felt certain the vacant expression on Cinder's spoke of some horror she had seen. How detached and deathly still she appeared as Rhodes worked.
It might have been a small mercy to watch the chains vanish from Nike, letting her drop to the ground with a dull thud. Ruby winced, glad the woman's head didn't bounce off the hard stone, then turned her eyes back to Rhodes. Searched the man's face for an ounce of compassion or regret for what he'd just done and found none. That more than anything turned her blood to ice, made her step back as he slowly turned to look at them. And smiled.
"The capital. Maria Calavera should be in the capital."
None of them spoke. Ruby couldn't find her voice as Rhodes stepped over Nike, dusting his hands off and shaking out his shoulders. When she and Weiss backed away he raised an eyebrow at them.
"What?"
"You're a monster," Weiss hissed. "I had thought you better than that, even after what you did to me."
"As did I." Rhodes shrugged, casting a glance down at Nike. The woman did not move beyond the faint rise and fall of her chest, eyes glazed and unfocused. "My magic has always been suited for this kind of work, like it or not. I had been a fool to think I'd be any different simply by leaving the Church."
He could have been though. No one had made Rhodes do that to Nike, or to Weiss. As much as Ruby could offer people a second chance she found no such hopes for the man before her. Whatever pleasantries he had offered them before had been a facade. A lure to pull them in.
"What did you do to her?" Weiss asked.
"I looked for the answers you sought. Although I shouldn't have had to intervene to begin with, considering you never should have attacked her or her companion." At Weiss' befuddled expression Rhodes sighed. "Looking for Hunters, I assume? She and her partner had been about to turn in when you and Branwen showed up, you know. Poor girl was just doing her job and you had to complicate things."
"Poor girl? You just tortured that 'poor girl'!" Ruby spat. She took all of one step forwards and a rune appeared at her foot.
Rhodes clicked his tongue. "Maria Calavera is in the capital, or as far as Nike is aware. I'd suggest steering well clear of that, but it's become clear that everyone I give directions to chooses to ignore them." He let out a low, humorless chuckle. "I took the liberty of making your journey there a little easier as well. A parting gift as it were, to hopefully smooth over any ill feelings between us."
Ruby had a feeling she didn't want to know what that 'gift' was, and Weiss' gradually paling face told her the same thing. Still, her partner managed to rasp out her question, "Gift?"
"Mistral is rather large, its roads twisting and directions spotty. I figured you could use a guide for the trip there." Rhodes stepped aside and gestured to the still prone Nike behind him. "Seems she had a momentary lapse in your fight and thought you to be her goddess. I simply… Played to that belief, enhanced it a little." A bitter smile. "She'll be more than happy to assist you however she can now, Weiss. You're welcome."
"Oh, and as a further gift, before you decide to decry my morality, I've altered the girl's memories of your little incident together." Rhodes squatted down beside Nike and tilted his head, running a finger along a dirtied feather. "As far as she is now concerned I was the one who attacked her and her partner. She'll be going with you, naturally," he explained, looking up towards them. "But once I finish with her partner he will report that I was responsible for all of this. That window should provide you ample time to reach the capital."
"Why?" Weiss rasped. Hindering them one moment and helping them the next. She couldn't figure Rhodes out at all. She had an easier time reading two-faced nobles and parsing their honeyed words than deciphering this blasted man's motives.
The smile Rhodes offered fell short of the dead gleam in his eyes. "Because the one thing I've always been good at is tampering. The gift the gods bestowed upon me," he sighed and shuddered. "Someone had once mentioned that I could help people with my magic. Empty words, ultimately. Platitudes dashed on the wind" His eyes flickered to Cinder who still hadn't spoken since his arrival.
"Gifts are what you make of them," Ruby said. "What you said is just an excuse so you don't have to take responsibility."
Rhodes' eyes slowly traveled back to them, his wane smile fading. "I've accepted that my soul will be dragged to the deepest hells, and Kalom himself will likely torment me. As I said, it's already tainted." Shrugging with irreverence he turned, glancing down at Nike again before shaking his head. "I wish you girls the best of luck in your endeavors. And please… Take care of Cinder for me?"
Weiss should have attacked him, or come up with some witty thing to make Rhodes hang his head in shame. Ruby felt her eyes prickling as she watched the man march away from them with his head high and shoulders straight. As if he hadn't just done something terrible, brushed them off, and went on like nothing had happened. Her fingers had gone numb without her realizing and she eased her grip from the scythe, exhaling a trembling breath and closing her eyes. Not how her reunion with Weiss was supposed to go. Not even close.
Before she could even speak to Weiss her friend darted past her, dropping her rapier and kneeling beside Nike. Alive, Ruby reminded herself, watching the Faunus' chest rise and fall. Even if she continued to stare unblinking into nothingness, remaining as impassive as a statue, she was alive.
A small mercy even if she'd just endured something horrific.
A small, broken whine befitting a kicked mutt sounded behind her and she turned to find Cinder moving towards her. No, not her, she realized, stomach twisting, but towards Rhodes. Her gloved hand reached towards the man and her lips worked to sound a cry but only another pitiful, dry whine came. Ruby caught the woman's wrist and gave a slight shake of her head.
Cinder could have blown her away with ease. One spell and all of them would have been ash on the wind. Instead of doing that however Cinder looked at her once, seeing her without seeing her, then dropped her arm. Her head followed suit and a broken, rattling sob shook from her as her chin hit her chest.
"I knew…" she croaked, slowly lifting her arms and hugging herself. "I think I knew…"
About what she didn't say. Cinder didn't elaborate. Ruby didn't ask. Not as Cinder's petrified expression at seeing those chains played back in her mind, the unnatural stillness that had come over the woman.
She'd seen it before. Freezing up like that when faced with pure, undiluted terror. Some people fought against it. Most locked up and couldn't react.
Studying the bandaged arm she couldn't glean anything useful from the limb, so thoroughly bound as it was.
Ruby decided it was a blessing and turned back to watch Weiss try and help Nike to her feet, setting her scythe aside to assist.
And to hopefully make sense of whatever in the hells had just happened.
/+/+/+/+/+/
They reunited with the others not long thereafter.
Judging by the state of Yang and Blake, Weiss figured her friends had an easier evening of things than she did. And going by Emerald and Mercury, well, she figured they had bitten off more than they could chew.
Yang's eyebrows raised slightly from where she sat in the cave, the ghost of a smile on her lips. What? Did you think I'd lose to them?
Despite the discomfort that had been clinging to her this past hour Weiss managed to return the expression. You, lose? Perish the thought.
The unspoken reply made Yang snort, her smile widening. And when Weiss nodded her head towards Blake at her side, closer than she'd ever seen the pair, Yang's eyes twinkled and she winked.
At least something went well tonight.
As they were now, gathered in a cavern beneath Pradalia in near total darkness, Weiss found it difficult to appreciate the one positive of the evening. Stiff and still weak from her fight with Nike she leaned into the rickety wooden chair someone had provided upon her arrival, closed her eyes and let herself sink down into herself. To try and ignore Cinder sat far across the room, huddled against the wall with a battered Emerald and Mercury watching over her. To the still near-catatonic Nike sat by the waterfall, barely interacting with anyone beyond blinking and vague gestures.
They had gotten what they wanted. She had gotten what she'd wanted. And all it cost was one woman's mind and another's sense of security.
Not worth it. If she had the chance to choose differently, given a hundred times over, she would have walked away. Waited for Cinder to find information or look for another means of learning what they needed.
Her fingers dug into the arms of the chair, nails biting into soft, aged wood. She had no idea how Greyson had fared either, and any questions to Qrow on the matter had been met with a subtle shake of the head. Cracking her eyes open she found the man still standing by the entrance of the cave, haggard and hunched over, speaking in a low voice to Sun. A member of the White Fang, to Weiss' unrelenting surprise, as were the other armed Faunus in the room. Although perhaps that was just another one of her mistakes; assuming all White Fang were irredeemable monsters. Blake had become one of her friends despite their tumultuous meeting so clearly not all of them were bad.
Another mistake. One that had left her looking down shamefully as a young boy with silvery hair tended to her wounds with a smile, oblivious to her bigoted, unfair thoughts.
A destination. A means to find Maria and help her friends. To finally remove Yang's burden and her mark and, if the gods were feeling generous, perhaps answers towards finding Summer Rose.
Despite that Weiss wanted nothing more than to remain in her chair and sink into anonymity. To withdraw into herself and let time pass, and she hoped, to let time whittle away at the guilt wrapped around her heart and strangling it.
She reached to her left and hissed as her bandaged hand throbbed at the motion. Grasped at emptiness and smiled bitterly. Let her gaze drift back to Qrow to where Ruby stood at his side, keeping her distance ever since they had arrived here in this dank, stony haven. Unable to face Weiss after what had happened. Unwilling to, perhaps. It pained Weiss to acknowledge that and the proverbial knife twisted when she accepted it, understanding that it was wholly deserved.
Her mark had remained dormant throughout her entire battle but that didn't mean Salem couldn't use her again. That sobering thought left her clutching her chest and laying her head back again, squeezing her eyes shut and refusing to let tears show.
They would find Maria. They would save Yang if nothing else.
And she would gladly keep her distance if it meant keeping her friends safe.
/+/+/+/+/+/
Service to His Majesty had thoroughly spoiled her.
Travel had been done in covered carriages. Nights were spent in cushy inn rooms, the best that the crown's coin could buy. She had worn tailor-made outfits that suited her tastes, eaten hot meals in the comfort of her room or the dining hall, and wanted for nothing.
Nothing save for her brother. For a chance to see her only living relative even once and spend an afternoon together.
Rain assaulted the canvas canopy overhead, a steady stream trickling off the corner and building into a muddy puddle at her feet. The cold stew at her side remained uneaten, probably solid as stone now. And despite the cloak she had been loaned once the rain began her clothes remained saturated, her green gown sticking even as a small fire did its damnedest to dry her off.
She had none of that now. No covered transports or warm meals. Not her brother, a comfortable bed to sleep in, or even a sense of direction.
Listless as the water falling around her, Gretchen pursed her cold lips, eyes rimmed red and throat aching. Another miserable night after a day of hard, unforgiving travel. More Grimm than she had ever seen in a lifetime had harried them today. Had been dealt with swiftly thanks to her riding companions and she hadn't been harmed but the experience had still jarred her. Left her jumping at the slight shadows whenever lightning illuminated the forest around them. If sleep did come it would be restless and shallow, she knew.
"We can raise the cot more if you'd like." Mordred kept her back to Gretchen as she spoke, standing tall despite the rain pelting her. Rivulets ran along her platemail and her hair, vibrant and shining upon their first meeting, turned to muddy streaks clinging to her scalp and neck. "Not much I can do about the rain though, I'm afraid."
Gretchen shook her head and her silence was enough that not seeing the gesture told Morded everything. The armored woman rolled her shoulders and shivered, the only signs of her discomfort.
"We should reach the fort by midday tomorrow. We'll meet with my father there and conduct our search. You should rest before then."
Swallowing and wincing, Gretchen shook her head. "You should sleep. I haven't done anything to warrant it."
Mordred's molten gold eyes slid to her. "You don't need to earn sleep, Gretchen. I'm fine, I promise."
Sighing, she pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them, ignoring the wet fabric squelching against her. "Do you suppose Hazel camped like this often?"
Her guard didn't answer for a long while. Gretchen contented herself by watching swaying boughs above her, listening to the downpour as it struck leaves and slid off, saturating an already damp forest. By morning it would be a swamp, she knew, dreading the insects that it would bring. With any luck the fire by her would keep any biting irritants at bay. Although she shouldn't be complaining, not when Mordred stood without complaint in the rain, hands rested on her greatsword. Not when Lucan and Tor, two of their companions, continued to patrol the area despite the storm, or when Esclabor, Morholt, and Yvain continued to hunt for food.
For all their preparations they had begun to run low on supplies. First medical supplies thanks to the constant Grimm attacks, then food as they were forced to leave some behind. Their fresh water had begun to dwindle too and soon, Gretchen suspected, they would be seeking out streams for a source.
"The Lord Commander would often make the rest of us sleep while he would take watch. An insufferable habit of his, one that left him nigh useless the following morning. But he would always insist upon it." Gretchen's lip quivered, the hole in her chest growing. "Hazel had an awful habit of that, always putting someone else before himself. Unselfish to a fault, but in the most wonderful kind of way." Mordred might have smiled. Not that Gretchen could see much of the woman's face in the din. "Although… I suppose I don't have to tell you that."
Her hair tickled the nape of her neck as she shook her head. "He was a good man…"
"The best." Mordred nodded to herself and cleared her throat. Her shoulders shuddered again and Gretchen wondered if the cold even bothered her under all that armor and clothing. "Which is why I happily take it upon myself to help you, milady."
"I'm not a lady. I'm just an aide to the king." And not even that anymore, not since Uldor Caines bid her to leave the capital and seek out answers.
"Would you prefer I call you my lord then?" Humor sparked Mordred's voice and Gretchen found her lips twitching. "I've an open mind, but you don't look like a lord to me, Gretchen."
"Hush you."
"Is that an order, milady?"
A short, raspy laugh rattled free and Gretchen loosened her grip on herself. "It's an order from a friend. Don't be a pest."
Mordred barked a laugh. "My, I was unaware we were friends." Gretchen swallowed hard and began tracing slow circles on the platform beneath her. A few inches of raised wood was all that separated her from the sodden, rain-laden earth. "We are friends," her guard added after a moment, the soft words sounding even through the howling winds.
"Good."
She had that at least. Even if Mordred remained the only knight she could truly call a friend, the others had been kind enough to her. Understanding. United in their grief over the loss of their commander. Even the small, withering heart inside her chest could appreciate that much, the lengths they went for her. Even if this journey wasn't to provide her with answers - they wanted to know what had happened too - she still appreciated that they were there with her.
Which was perhaps why His Majesty had sent her away to begin with. Knowing that her duties wouldn't be distraction enough, that he couldn't take himself away from his daily meetings to comfort her in whatever way he could, Uldor had sent her off with some of Hazel's most trusted allies to find solace.
Gretchen would have to thank the man whenever they finally returned. With answers and a hug, if the latter wasn't too much. She hoped not.
"You know," Mordred began again, no doubt taking her extended silence for brooding. Not that she'd have been entirely wrong. "I still remember the first evening I spent with Hazel."
"Wow, Mordred. I knew you fancied my brother -"
"Not like that. Now who's being a pest?"
A crooked smile slashed Gretchen's face, then faded as she began playing with one of her sleeves. "What was it like? Serving with him?"
Mordred took her turn at silence and stared out into the storm. A horn sounded somewhere in the darkness - not one of warning, Gretchen had come to learn. One solid beat for an attack, two for locating each other, and three… The others would be back soon with food. A triumphant hunt, Gretchen hoped.
"Well, as I started to say, my first evening with him was memorable, and for all the wrong reasons." Mordred chuckled. "Are you aware of how swiftly a fire can spread in a forest?" She gestured vaguely with one hand. "When it's not drenched like it is now."
"I imagine quite swiftly," Gretchen said.
"An understatement. I learned rather quickly to never leave a fire untended, especially not when in the midst of a mid-summer drought."
"Oh?" Gretchen's brows rose and she saddled forward a bit. "There's a story here and I have to know it."
"Well, luckily for you I've got nothing but time, and plenty of stories besides this one to share." Mordred looked back again and this time Gretchen caught the smile. Warm despite the cold rain hitting her, even if it seemed a little forced. Gretchen returned it and nodded encouragingly.
"I should like to hear them. As many as you're willing to share."
Mordred seemed more than happy to regale her with tales of Hazel. Of moments of triumph, sheer humiliation, close calls and of times where they simply were, enjoying themselves and savoring life. The more the woman spoke the heavier the blanket of calm became, the more at ease Gretchen began to feel. Even as the pit in her chest persisted she swore it filled in a little with every tale as images of her brother filled it in.
She didn't know when the others returned from their duties, soaked to the bone and weary. Safe though, she noted with no small degree of relief. Gretchen didn't know either when the others began to share their tales as well, huddling around a fire beneath the sweeping limbs of a willow tree.
Lucan and Tor spoke of a time they had convinced the Lord Commander to drink with them, ending up wrestling a sow in a local barn while the villagers made bets on who would win. Yvain regaled them with an obviously embellished tale of Hazel single-handedly felling a Goliath with nothing but his fists. Ludicrous even for a sister who had thought the world of her sibling, still did, but she enjoyed it nonetheless. Morholt followed with a tale of her own, one of a near fatal encounter with a pack of Alpha Arachne that left her with a long scar along her neck that she showed off proudly. And Escablor, stoic and silent during most of their travels, shared a story of Hazel rallying him not once, not twice, but three times in the face of insurmountable odds. Every time they triumphed, they realized that they could overcome almost anything as a group.
Gretchen didn't know how long they went on sharing stories, or when Mordred had finally moved off to join them at the fire. Nor did she know when she laid back, still wet but drying, and her eyes drifted closed. The fire continued to sap away her chill, dry her clothes and provide a sliver of comfort in the creaking, soaked forest.
With her last flickering threads of consciousness she could have sworn someone stroked her hair, whispering goodnight as sleep finally claimed her.
It must have been the wind.
So hey, if you've made it to the end card then I have news! On the 23rd I start a new job. Same field, just new location. If the next entry happens to take a little more time, 2-3 weeks as opposed to the usual 1-2, you know why. I'll do my best to write during that time but I plan to wholly invest in getting used to the new site. Just a heads up so no one thinks I dropped off the face of the Earth!