The Princess and the Blade

[Emora Deen]

Tenara was relieved that he wouldn’t go—that she wouldn’t be entirely alone in this. But he would suffer, and that hurt her heart, so she tried to be understanding of his odd treatment of her tears.

“I think those witches have a key,” she said. The collar around her neck looked very much like something carved or cast—a snake eating its own tail. “Or maybe a word to unlock it, if it’s spelled. I can’t use my magic with it…”

She gathered some of her skirt and lifted it up to her face. “You should set it before he comes back or changes his mind. I’ll bite this.” She showed him the wad of deep teal fabric.

[Soran Nightblade]

Ren frowned and touched her wrist. His slender fingers felt gingerly along the joint, pressing in to sense where the bone was sitting beneath her flesh. "I was sure when I watched that he'd done a single clean break, but it's compounded now. They must have abused you afterward," he said, his voice aching. "I'm sorry. Even with this, I don't know how well it will heal." He squeezed both sides of the larger bone, pressing hard to feel their exact juncture, and twisted it back into alignment.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara huffed air through her nose as he felt along the bones, and when he pressed to snap it in, she screamed into the cloth she’d wedge into her mouth. She wanted to be sick, felt it bubble up. She swallowed it down, and cried quietly.

Eventually she spit out the cloth and wiped her hands across her face. “I don’t mind the pain,” she said, feeling dizzy. “It’s all I have left of him…” Her sad eyes looked at him, knowing he understood. She was pale, sweating, unfocused. “He’s gone and the last thing he had in his mind was that he hurt me…”

[Soran Nightblade]

Ren held her set hand carefully and did his best not to let his trembling jostle the injury further. "I'm sorry," he rasped. He couldn't disagree with her words, but the pain in her eyes was scraping holes in his sanity. What could he possibly do for her?

"Before I met you, I only knew him as a sociopath." His green eyes caught on the pendant around her neck. "I didn't imagine he felt any instinct at all as an Ivis, until I saw him with you. If that part of him existed and was denied all that time, then you can't imagine how blessed he was to meet you."

[Emora Deen]

Tenara knew he was trying to comfort her, but her heart only seemed to break more. She pressed her hand into the bedding and struggled to stay upright. She cried softly and tried to be still for him so he could wrap the arm. “I am glad I met him. He made me happy. He made me feel safe.”

Her gentle trembles worsened and she felt cold. Her teeth chattered. “I am sorry about Laurius…”

She thought she heard Elias coming back, and shook her head to focus. “Don’t eat or drink what he brings.” She wanted to warn him what might happen soon, but the words locked in her throat. “Thank you for staying.”

[Soran Nightblade]

"Of course," he murmured. His head had gone blank as she mentioned Laurius, and his blood screamed in his ears. No. If he thought about it... No. He wrapped her arm carefully as he listened to the heartbreaking sound of her tears. "Be right back," he murmured. He looked around the dirt floor of the tent and found a sapling sticking up in the corner. He measured and broke it carefully into pieces, then knelt beside her again and wrapped the splint between the layers of bandaging on her hand. When he finally tied it off, he looked up at her, and his heart sank. He didn't like her color. "You're going into shock," he said. He unbuttoned his shirt and put it around her like a blanket. He wasn't sure how much contact she would tolerate from someone she hadn't bonded. "May I... warm you?"

[Emora Deen]

Tenara hesitated, but only because he was all bruised and battered from being touched already. But the feel of his warm shirt on her shoulders was nice, and she wanted to be held by someone safe. She nodded and leaned towards him, and allowed him to pull her into his arms.

Artisuren was safe. He would never hurt her. She knew this truth, like she knew she loved Havi. Like she knew the sun would rise tomorrow, and the next day.

She closed her weary eyes and pressed her shaking form into the warmth, and allowed herself, foolishly, to feel safe.

Then, the tent flap moved and Elias ducked back in, followed by a young boy carrying a basket of food. He left it on the floor, and scurried out.

Elias came toward them, taking in the cuddling with amusement. “I brought you something for the pain,” he said, tipping a vial into one of the drinks he’d poured earlier. He held it out for one of them to take.

[Soran Nightblade]

Ren's arms tightened around Tenara as he glowered at Elias and his offering. He had not spent his life in battle like Thvoros, but the man had no backup in the tent. Maybe he could succeed if he attacked right now. He slid back from Tenara and reached out for the vial slowly. He waited for the man to lean slightly forward, off his center of balance to hand it to him. Then, he clamped a clawed hand around his wrist and yanked the man forward. His other hand shot for Laurius's throat as he stumbled.

[Emora Deen]

Elias’s eyes flared wide and his hand shot to his hip, fumbling for the dagger.

Tenara saw what he was doing and dove for it, but she was slow and clumsy thanks to the shock rattling through her. His palm caught her in the face and he shoved her away, going for the dagger again. His hand had barely curled over it before he wheezed out, “Let. Go.”

[Soran Nightblade]

Ren hiccuped with the shock of the command and pulled his hands back, dragging thin necklaces of blood across the man's neck and wrist as he did. He scrambled to his feet and tried to kick Elias's legs out from under him.

[Emora Deen]

Elias landed on his back with a hard thud, air rushing out of his lungs. Tenara scrambled dizzily toward him and tried to wrestle the dagger from him but she had only the one hand. “Sit down!” Elias shouted to Ren, and caught Tenara by the throat, pressing the blade near her eye. Then, he turned on the Ivis to see if he had any intentions of acting out again.

[Soran Nightblade]

Ren dropped to the floor, glaring at Elias with wild eyes. Not her. Don't hurt her. He tried to think of anything that could make him release Tenara. If this man truly needed him for some kind of spell, then... He held out his left arm palm-up and drove his nails deep into its flesh with the other hand, threatening to drag them along the vein. "Let her go."

[Emora Deen]

Elias snarled. “Stop!!” he commanded, clenching his hand tighter over the dagger, as if it were Ren’s arm. He heaved, angry and torn between the two of them. “You’re both more trouble together than I thought. Vardner!” Elias roared. A moment later, the scarred, broad man ducked in, moving with a lazy sort of gate that Elias’s frantic voice didn’t match.

“Take her,” the prince seethed. “I changed my mind. Bring her back when you’re done.”

Vardner arched a brow and smiled. “Alright, Sleeping Beauty. Come along.”

Tenara shook her head, releasing the weak hold she had on Elias. He loosened his grip on her throat and she stumbled up off his lap. Vardner reached for her and she danced out of his grasp, but he sidestepped and caught her as she tried to bolt for the door. “No!” She thrashed and scratched and kicked as he tugged her away. “No!” Tenara reached for Ren, fingers curling but he was so, so far away. Then, she was gone.

Elias deflated against the ground, exhaling his irritation out. Then he crawled to sit next to Ren. “Give me your arm,” he said, and held out his hand for Ren to rest it against his palm.

[Soran Nightblade]

Ren took deep, fuming breaths as he stared at the door where the princess had been taken. "How dare you," he seethed, setting his bleeding arm in the man's hand without a thought.

[Emora Deen]

“Dare?” Elias asked, admiring the wound. “Punishment is punishment. If you don’t want to receive it, you should behave.” Elias took the dagger and pointed it down towards’s Ren’s skin. “My mother taught me that. When I was really bad, she would take something I loved and destroy it and leave it broken. I wasn’t allowed to fix it or clean it up, and she carved on my arm the words ‘my fault’, so that, when I looked at the mess or my arm, I knew who to blame. Don’t move. I’ll be quick.” Elias began to cut letters in Ren’s skin. Not deep. Just enough to let blood pool to the surface. After a minute, the words ‘my fault” were black lines on his skin. “There.”

A scream echoed faintly outside the tent.

Elias sighed and stood. “Come. I’ll return you to Milandra for the night. Maybe tomorrow night the two of you will be thankful for the comforts I offered tonight.”