The Princess and the Blade

[Soran Nightblade]

Despite Kosa's presence, Havi closed his eyes by instinct and leaned slightly into her touch. Pride swelled within him that she'd understood what to do.

Kosa's jaw nearly dropped to the cave floor. "W... well met," she murmured. Then she noticed Tenara's injured hand. "Oh! Princess, how did you become injured?!" She turned a sour look on her harem. Your Ivie seem the worse for wear also."

Havi made a warning sound low in his throat, and Kosa crossed her arms at him. "Well, as long as everyone can walk, I suppose."

"I will carry her," Havi said. His gold eyes flicked up at Tenara. "If you permit me."

[Emora Deen]

Tenara nodded to him before bending with a strained breath to grab the sword from the moss. She held it to her with her good arm, cradling her injured one close to her belly.

“We fell down a crevice,” Tenara said, offering what was probably a poor excuse for how they looked, but it was the only non-violent one she could think of.

“A crevice that leaves hickeys,” Laurius muttered, knowing the woman was unlikely to understand him.

[Soran Nightblade]

They walked nearly two hours through the larger tunnels before bluish lamps began lining the sides of the corridor. A few minutes later, they arrived at a huge entranceway built of fine stonework and painted with bright oranges and golds. The gate gave the impression of walking into a whorl of flames. At either end of the gate was a female guard, and one of them stopped the odd group.

"Kosa, have you moved up from delivering Mai parcels to delivering Ivie?" the woman teased.

"Even better," Kosa smirked. "I brought her brother."

The guard began to laugh, scanning the group. "Alright, alright. Who's really-..." Her words fell off as she studied them a second time. She hadn't paid any attention to the male carrying Tenara until now, but this time, it registered.

"M...Marquis!"

"Let us through please, Tassiva," Havi said, ignoring her facial contortions.

"Your sister already retired for the evening," she murmured, squeezing her head as she thought through the situation. "Should I wake her?"

"I would be grateful if you didn't."

The guard raised a brow at him. It was no mystery how cross Mai was going to be. Tassiva didn't particularly relish the task of heralding his return. "I suppose it can wait until the morning. Or at least until my shift is over," she sighed. She clapped, and a servant popped up from the room behind. "Pia, see my brother to his room, and also a room for?" She paused to get clarity on the rest of the group.

"My Yurivis will stay with me. Please treat the rest of her harem as guests."

Pia just stared at him as if he was speaking in tongues. Havi shook his head at the questions in both servants' expressions. "In the morning, please."

And so, they were reluctantly guided the group through a corridor lined with mosaics, over a stone bridge, past the closed doorway of the great hall, and into a hallway with smaller rooms adjoining it. If not for the smooth stone ceiling, one could almost forget the compound was underground.

Pia stopped beside the first door on the right. "Marquis, your room. Do you need anything for the night?" She looked at him uneasily, clearly hoping to be finished interacting with him.

"Wake the physician, please," he asked her. Just as before, his tone was polite, yet cool. It placed a metaphorical distance between them that stifled any possibility of further conversation.

"I will see if she can be roused," she agreed, opening the door for him and retreating immediately. "The others will be next door?"

"Please." Havi carried Tenara immediately inside.

Pia looked up at Ren and Laurius with a soft smile and nodded, her whole demeanor relaxing now that Havi had parted from them. "This way, Ivie," she said, guiding them next door. "Do you need anything before you retire?"

[Emora Deen]

Laurius noted the change in the woman’s posture after Havitharon closed the door. Judging by how people treated him, Ren wasn’t the only one wary of the Ivis. “Whiskey would be nice,” he said, but let himself into the room, not expecting that request to be met. He was actually looking forward to the solitude, of being alone with Ren. He could better talk to him…

——

Tenara took in Havitharon’s room with wonder. So this place was his? It felt strange to be here, in this foreign world, in a place he had only ever spoke of with disdain.

But she was thankful for the warmth, and even more thankful to be alone with him again.

“We are safe here?” She looked up at him, thankful to be in his arms but also knowing he’d been carrying her for hours and was likely so tired.

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi's quarters felt more like a library or den than a bedroom. Shelves lined with what looked like very old books covered most of the walls, and there was a sturdy desk in the corner. There was a small bed in the corner, closer to what one might find in a soldier's barracks than a Marquis's bedroom. "Please forgive the shoddy mattress," he said gently as he eased her down onto the blankets. There was a small stove in the corner, similar to the ones they'd had in Kishva's estate. He went to it and added some powder from a glass vial next to it, and it flickered to life, casting additional heat into the space. When the hearth was blazing, he looked around at the space. "It feels like I've been gone decades, not a few months."

____

"Water, and something simple to eat, please," Ren said to Pia, bowing his head amicably.

"We have some extras in the kitchen. I'll be back soon," she smiled.

When the door was closed behind them, Ren sagged backward against it. "We're safe, for now," he murmured.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara touched his blankets, running her hands over the strange texture to the fabric. It was only slightly different than what she was used to. “It’s perfect,” she said, and it was. It could have been a rough cloth sack, a bed of nails, anything was better than where she’d been, and it was infinitely better with him. “Will your sister be angry at you for being gone? Or me for…” She glanced at his horns. She meant his injury but she could have just as easily been speaking about the gold rings that hadn’t been there before.

—

Laurius looked around the room, wondering if this was a guest quarters or a place to house males. From what he had gathered from all the discussion of their customs—minimal that it was—being male in this place was unpleasant. But, Tenara had claimed them as hers and he suspected that offered them some protections, though he couldn’t be sure how much. And, if it came to her somehow proving her ownership…

Laurius pinched the bridge of his nose for a second as he tried to process what had happened in the last two days. When he opened them, he spotted Ren leaning against the door. He reached out and cupped the man’s cheek. “We’ll be alright.” He didn’t know why he was saying it. Ren had just said they were safe, but for some reason he looked like he needed reassurance of some sort. “How long before she comes back?”

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi's gaze followed hers to the pendant around her neck. "She will be livid, but she will not find fault with your actions. A Yurivis from another Web would not be familiar with my sister's rules. No matter how primitive the Web's culture, any Yurivis would seek to tame a healthy, unescorted male who went into flame in her territory. Her anger will be with me, for not holding to our agreement and for leaving without explanation." He sat on the sheets beside her and gently tamed her hair with his fingertips. Leaning against his chest while they walked for hours had mussed the silver strands into a wild nest.

"It is surreal, being here with you," he said quietly. His fingertips strayed from her hair, ghosting over a red mark at the nape of her neck. Worry flooded up in him, but he repressed his questions. She could talk with him about it when she was ready. Not to assuage his guilty curiosity. Instead, he leaned over slowly and kissed her just above her ear, watching her reactions like a hawk. There was no guarantee she would want intimacy after everything that had happened.

____________

Ren's shock-green eyes met Laurius's as he touched his cheek. He misinterpreted his master's question, since it sounded too close to his own anxious thought process. "It won't take her long. I wouldn't be surprised if she arrived in person within the next few days. If Korvis survives his wounds, there may still be something the Princess can do. Though she'll have her own share of problems." He shook his head. "I never meant it to be this messy."

[Emora Deen]

Tenara closed her eyes at the gentle feel of his fingers in her hair, even if they snagged on some knots.

She was less skiddish with his touch now because she knew it was him. When he'd touched her earlier, it had been from behind or out of the blue, and she was still new to his presence again. But he was here, and he was the only one here, and so, when he kissed her head, she leaned into the feel of it. Relief flooded her, only for it to be stolen by the nagging worry that she smelled like someone else—like she was no longer his.

"Is there a bath?" she asked softly, drawing her head away from his touch.

----

He's still thinking of her... Laurius realized. The strange coil of irritation in his chest felt less like jealousy and more anger that the woman could inspire such fear in Ren. He had nothing to be frightened of. Laurius wouldn’t let her claws back into him. But, the merchant did nothing to steer Ren back to the true meaning of his question. He let the being's anxieties lead them where he seemed to need to go.

"I'm sure Korvis will be fine. I think there was at least one of those abomination pills left for him to scarf down..." He edged further into the room, admiring it. "What could the Princess do, though? She and I know nothing of your customs. We'll need to know the legalities in order to keep everyone safe. Might need to break out the gold paint on those horns of yours and claim you went into rut again and she sealed the deal..." He rubbed his temples again. Was he tired? Hungry? Both.

[Soran Nightblade]

Havitharon nodded, his lips brushing her hair as he did. "Hot pools are rare here, but my sister likes to bathe and spares no expense. I can take you to the baths... though you may meet others. I can also wash you with hot towels, if you prefer to stay here." He hoped she would not forbid him from washing her. The instinct to attend to her in her injured state was becoming like a physical need.

___________

Ren felt his lips twitch up in a grin, despite everything else. "As if any paint could match my horns," he gloated. Spouting off nonsense felt better than letting himself think about rutting, or about the prospect of accepting the princess as his Yurivis. He shook off the topic and waved Laurius to follow him into the spacious guest room. He touched the back of a cushioned chair and looked at him pointedly. "Sit. You look terrible," he said. He tried to study him through his clothes, looking for injuries. Knowing Thvoros, there was no telling what condition Laurius had been forced to travel though on that maniac's quest to reclaim his Yurivis. He tsked as he assessed the man's sunken cheeks and burnt hair. "Did that nut job even stop to feed you?" he growled.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara thought through her options, feeling a tight swell of panic at both choices. Were the pools a public bath? Would she have an audience? But all of that paled in comparison to the worry over Havitharon helping her. She had hoped he had a bathroom where she could hide, but this wasn't her world. Things would work differently here. She struggled to come up with a way for Havitharon to help but not... see.

Though, Tenara could only hide for so long. The physician would comes soon, and their examination would show what it would show, and there was no hiding that. She could at least be—feel—clean.

Tenara looked at Havi. "Hot towels sound nice," she said. "But..." She looked his face over, and saw in his eyes how earnestly he wanted to help her. She cupped his cheek gently before sliding her hand up and over his eyes. She pressed her forehead to his, pinching her hand between them. Her mouth worked on the words, fighting over how to say yes, while she wanted to say no. "I don't want you to see..." she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

----

Laurius sat reluctantly at first, but immediately became thankful for the relief the chair provided his weary bones. "Well, it's not his fault. Most of our food was burned to cinders. I found what I could in the groundskeeper's cottage, but his stores had been raided by Arken... It's fine. I feel fine. The Toothsbane did its job, and I'll plump back up in no time, I'm sure..." He looked up at Ren. "You should sit too," he said, and motioned to the chair nearby. His gaze returned to Ren and locked on the bruised kisses trailing his neck.

Laurius had no desire to sit then. He wanted to kiss those marks, as if each one could be wiped clean with his touch. But that woman might return at any moment. He tapped his foot impatiently against the cold stone.

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi blinked into the darkness of her hand, his eyelashes brushing her skin. The pain in her voice sent a matching ache through his soul. "I will be less than a minute," he told her, and stepped quickly back from her. He turned to some pipe-like structures at the back of the room and began mixing the same blue powder he'd used in the fireplace with a sweet-smelling herb. He did something with a metal grate beside the pipe, and there was the sound of water running onto rocks. He set about preparing a small stack of towels on the floor next to him.
His actions felt slow and purposeful, almost like a ritual.

When he was satisfied with the temperature of the water filling the small basin beside the pipes, he closed off the flow. Then he went into a drawer for something - a long stripe of black fabric, presumably some kind of sash. He returned to his seat beside the basin and turned to Tenara. "Please come," he invited her gently. He tied the sash over his eyes like a blindfold. "I will only wash you. I will not see."

_________________

Ren looked at the chair like it might try to bite him, but approached it anyway. He started to sit, but found himself pacing around it like an eggshell in a bowl.

A knock at the door nearly made him shout. He glared at it, but quickly softened his expression when the servant from earlier eased it open. "Food for you both," she said warmly.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara's heart warmed at how kind and welcoming he was of her request. She went to him, began to attempt to take her stolen dress off, but the buttons proved difficult with one good hand. She worked at them, moving slowly. "I'm sorry... The clasps are troublesome," she whispered. Tenara had not put the dress on. Someone had put it on for her. She had simply emerged from her drugged, syrupy state to find herself in it. After a few agonizing minutes, she managed to get the thing loosened enough to pry it off her and kick it across the room.

Tenara hesitated before casting her gaze down at herself. She hadn't bothered to look at the damage in Elias's tent. She had felt the bruising in her bones enough to know how bad it was, but finally seeing it tore a soft, shocked sound from her. Tears pricked her eyes but she had promised herself she was done with crying. She reached out for Havitharon's hand and the hot cloth tucked in his palm, and guided it to her shoulder.

----

Laurius sighed. "Thank you," he said, forgetting the woman wouldn't understand him. He rose from his chair and crossed the room, and stood next to the door. He held it open for her and then swept his arm towards the hall, a makeshift bow but also an invitation for her to give them some privacy. "I think that's all we need."

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi spread the cloth with his fingers, lightly following the curve of her shoulder to her collarbone. As if sensing that might be a delicate area, he changed course and slid slowly down her arm. Steam wofted up between them, obscuring her view of him slightly.

He had no words that felt good enough to help her, so he didn't speak. He cleaned her as if she was the most precious treasure in the universe. For a blind man, he was extremely thorough. He worked very slowly over each part of her body, correcting course whenever he heard her breath catch in pain.

______________________

Pia looked at Laurius curiously when she couldn't understand his words. His gesture got through to her, and also helped reassure her he wasn't mentally compromised. She nodded to them, and Ren showed her a gracious bow as she left. When the door closed again, Ren moved quickly to lock it. He took a deep breath and surveyed the cart she'd left, the moved it next to Laurius's chair. He poured water into a painted ceramic cup and turned to present it to him. "This really is House Ruthe," he muttered at the expensive assortment of truffles and dried meats. "She called this "leftovers"?"

[Emora Deen]

The near-scalding cloth felt so good against her skin, even if it ached in most places it touched. It soothed her nerves as much as it wiped away whatever her mind had decided lingered on her skin. There was something therapeutic about it, both in the calm, heat of the touch but also in the act. If it weren't for the terrible shape she was in, she could start tomorrow pretending as if nothing had happened. She could do like she'd done with the ship, and push it all down into a little box inside her mind—one that only occasionally broke itself open.

Tenara lifted her gaze to Havi, watching how dutiful he worked. If this were different, if she were whole, perhaps this would be fun—him with his eyes covered as they were.

She sucked in a sharp breath when the rag grazed a particularly tender bruise near her hip bone. She grabbed his hand a second, mostly to steady herself as she came down from the sudden rigged shock of pain. It was her own fault. If she hadn't made Vardner so angry... If she'd just been good...

"Do you have Toothsbane?" Tenara asked, releasing Havitharon's hand. She had two reasons for the question. One, she would heal and could begin her blissful slide into compartmentalizing and... Ren had said it made females infertile. If Laurius couldn't help her, then she would help herself.

-----

Laurius didn't look at the food. He took the cup from Ren, tossed the water in his mouth and set it on the tray. "I told you to sit," he said, a strange mix of authority and tender warmth in his voice. He pressed on Ren's shoulders and forced him down into the chair Laurius had occupied earlier. He curled his hand in the man's horn and gently forced his head back to look up at him. "The only thing I'm tasting right now is you. Do you understand?"

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi went still, focusing on her words and her sudden grip on his hand. Toothsbane? He must have been too rough with her, after all. Or maybe she didn't know what she was requesting? It was considered taboo for Yurivie to use it, but for a maverick like him, rules weren't necessarily enough to stop him. "I do have Toothsbane... but it has very strong side effects," he spoke carefully.

___________

Ren sprawled into the cushion like it had tugged him down. He stared up at Laurius's commanding expression, and muscles low in his body lurched to attention. Oh, shit.

"...understand," he choked out.