The Princess and the Blade

[Soran Nightblade]

Ren looked back to the tray, taking the choice of Laurius's second bite very seriously. He was concerned about his health, but unwilling to argue at the moment. He chose a chewy cube with a light pink color from the corner of the tray. It was not the most flavorful item, but it would offer the most nutrients. "We tell time by the moss," he said, gesturing to the faintly blue-glowing moss that had been planted along the ceiling. "It glows much dimmer when it is nighttime above. During the day, it is brighter. You will see in the morning. Moon mosses are all interconnected, even when it forms vast colonies. Parts of the colonies still survive at the surface, and can absorb sunlight. The lower parts we nurture with moisture to help them grow as we please. They must be carefully tended to form a robust system like this room." He bit off the rest of the explanation before he could bore the tired man to death.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius was far more interested in the explanation of the moss than the food. He chewed the next selection just a few times before deciding he'd rather just swallow it before he gagged. He fell back into the sheets and stared up at the moon moss, admiring its dim blue color and looking forward to how bright it would be come morning.

"Fascinating," he sighed, his eyes growing heavy. "I look forward to our moss rise." He snorted at his dumb joke, and the snort turned into a laugh. Perhaps he was just tired, but that seemed like the funniest thing he'd ever said. "Ahh, I need sleep."

[Soran Nightblade]

Ren looked down at the rest of the tray pensively, but didn't push his luck or his master's mood. He was setting the food aside when Laurius's laughter turned his insides to butter. He'd never expected to hear that laugh again.

The Ivis turned and slid back under the covers, blanketing his master's side before his daring mood had time to vanish. He held absolutely still, pressing his face low against Laurius's ribs to avoid eye contact. In his experience, there was a better chance of being permitted to remain in contact with one's master if one pretended to be asleep.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius turned his gaze down at Ren, and curled his arm over the man once again. He was weary, but the warmth against his side reminded him of earlier. Laurius had been possessed by a need to mark Ren as his, to erase the presence or touch of those who had claimed him temporarily. It was unlike him to get territorial or jealous, and he had been. He had not been gentle, and Ren had not minded. He swallowed hard, and closed his eyes, afraid to ask himself what any of that meant. It didn't take long for the merchant to fall deeply asleep, deep enough for an uncharacteristic snore to fill the space his silence left behind.

---

Tenara came awake with a shuttering breath just before the moon moss began to brighten, her eyes opening to a dark, cold, unfamiliar space. The events of the day before were blurry in the back of her mind, more dreamlike than memory, and at the forefront of her thoughts was that she was naked and in a bed and that her last memories were a tangled web of drugs, pleasure, and pain.

Tenara dragged a breath into her lungs and sat up, cramming herself deep into the corner of the small bed. Her gaze darted around the room, searching for Elias.

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi started awake, springing up from the chair in the corner, but Anya was faster. The doctor was already sitting beside Tenara's bed, and she held both hands out to show the woman she was harmless. "You are safe, ma'am," she said, though she cast a damning look at the Ivis across the room who had brought her here in such a state. "I have been with you all night."

[Emora Deen]

Tenara's gaze swept between Anya and Havitharon, bewildered and confused and wondering if she was dreaming. But, then the fog of sleep began to ebb, and she remembered fuzzy bits of traveling, of glowing mushrooms and dark caves, and women taller than she and horns like Havitharon.

Havitharon.

And then the rest came back. She glanced down at her broken wrist, now mended. The bruises on her body were gone, the ache in her bones no more, and time would tell whether or not Toothsbane made a woman infertile.

She blinked relieved tears from her eyes. "Thank you," she said to Anya, trying to be polite when all she really wanted to do was shove the woman aside and fling herself into Havitharon's arms. "It is kind of you to watch over me..."

[Soran Nightblade]

Anya nodded softly. "Of course, ma'am. I would be no physician if I did not. The Marquis informed me that you were badly hurt. And... that he administered Toothsbane." She looked at her sorrowfully, like she was informing her of an amputated limb. "I am very sorry, but he did not wait to discuss this with me until it had already been done."

Havi took a few steps forward, looking intensely at Tenara. Anya's glare warned him not to step any closer.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara's gaze lingered on Havitharon. He seemed heavily focused on her, an angle to his eyes she couldn't read. "Its fine," Tenara assured the woman, but also for Havitharon's sake. "I'm fine now... I was very badly hurt. I... fell, and had broken bones. I asked for medicine." The words came out of her stilted, a lie that sounded rehearsed. She had hesitated only because she forgot what she had told the female who had guided them to this place. She shivered against the chill in the room, pulling the covers up over her shoulders.

[Soran Nightblade]

Anya touched Tenara's shoulder gently. "Do not blame yourself. A patient in pain cannot be expected to think clearly. It should never have been done, no matter the request." She gave Havi another side-eye, but the man was occupied with adding powder to the furnace. Only when she looked back to Tenara did she notice her shivering. The Marquis had recognized her need immediately.

Anya sighed, shaking her head and looking honestly troubled. Had she really bonded him, that he attended to her so? All these years, and suddenly he was acting like an Ivis? The house would be in an uproar, and that rarely bore out well for the servants. "Are you in any pain now, Ma'am?"

[Emora Deen]

Tenara shook her head. "No. I feel fine," she said, wanting the woman to depart before she said the wrong thing. The way she was acting, it was as if she'd delivered Tenara news of a terminal illness, and Tenara was certain she wasn't acting the part properly. She racked her brain to remember what Ren had told Elias about Toothsbane. Was she not sufficiently concerned? Should she act more upset? "I am sorry to have occupied your night," she add hurriedly. "Please, I am fine. If you have other patients to attend to, Havitharon will take good care of me."

[Soran Nightblade]

The doctor looked very uncomfortable with the idea of leaving a Yurivis in the Marquis' care, despite Tenara's assurance. "Your health appears to be stable. If you wish to have privacy, I will leave you," she murmured.

"Your care is appreciated, doctor," Havitharon said with a regal dip of his horns, not quite a bow.

"Then... I leave her to your care..." she said, barely believing her own words as she collected her bag and showed herself out.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara watched the woman leave, waiting until the door was closed before she scooted to the edge of the bed and slid out to stand. The bed was higher than what she was used to, and she felt a little like a child climbing out of Havi’s.

She landed on her bare feet, the stone feeling like ice against her skin, but she was thankful there was no longer an ache in her bones. She tested a step, relieved to find no pain as she walked.

Tenara tugged Havi’s blanket around her like a robe and took several steps closer to him and the furnace. Her gaze swept to her discarded borrowed clothing near where Havi had bathed her that night. “I don’t want to put that dress back on… could I borrow your clothes? I know they will be big on me, but I don’t mind.” She actually liked the idea of being wrapped in his things, secure and comfortable.

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi lightly touched her shoulders, as if he could convey more warmth through his hands on the blanket. "Of course. You may wear whatever makes you comfortable. We can hardly stick out any more than we already do," he said. He turned to open an armoire at the edge of the bedchamber. It was full of books and garments, and it appeared the books were winning the battle for space. He shoved some things aside and pulled loose two sets of clothing.

"I apologize that it is mostly black. I chose to avoid color as a subtle defiance of my sister's desire to make me a specimen at court." He helped her into a long tunic that would normally come down to his knees and be worn with pants. On her, it was a gown that hung to her ankles. He tied it at her waist with a sash, then helped her roll up the legs of the matching pants so that she could walk without tripping on them. He stepped back when she was dressed, and a ghost of a smile crossed his face. She looked adorable in those huge clothes. It was almost enough to make him forget about where they were. Almost.

A knock at the door took his focus back to the present. When he answered, Pia stood on the other side, somehow looking both chipper and nervous at the same time. "Good morning, Marquis. Your sister has requested that... your Yurivis and her harem come to breakfast in the formal dining room. She awaits you."

"Thank you. We will go there shortly."

The girl looked past him to Tenara and struggled not to stare at her garments. "Shall I go and wake the rest of your harem, er... Princess?"

[Emora Deen]

Tenara smoothed her hands over the clothes Havitharon had given her, feeling comfortable and pleased to be in his clothes. It was like being wrapped in a perpetual hug.

At the mention of her “harem” Tenara got this confused look on her face. The day before was still a blur in her mind, and for a moment she forgot that she’d claimed Ren and Laurius as her Ivie.

“We will wake them on our way,” she said to the woman, feeling this nervousness flutter through her at the idea of meeting Havitharon’s family.

It was probably a good idea to have the briefest of conversations before they all piled around this infamous woman’s table.

[Soran Nightblade]

"As you please, ma'am," Pia said with a bow. "I will inform the Marquess that she will see you shortly."

Again, there was a vague trepidation beneath the chipper tone, but she just nodded again politely and excused herself back up the hallway.

Havi closed the door with a sigh and finished changing his own clothing. "I would keep you from meeting, if it were within my power," he said with a frown.