|| that dark abyss .

[ʞ ɔ ǝ ɹ ʍ d ı ʞ s]

supernatural beebs // saiorse, khodai, and aero // 2,187 words
I mean... Yeah this is pretty awkward.

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Frost bit at the air. A silver moon hung over the trees of a dense forest, casting shadows that hung precariously over their branches. Not even a breeze dared to stir the night’s silence, and all remained eerily still. In the dead of winter, wind should have been howling overhead; snow should have forced the trees to creak and groan under its burden. However, even the forest seemed to fear the figure lingering in its clutches.

She moved as fluidly as a river and quiet as a hawk, and he observed. Despite her heightened senses, the creature of the night was unaware of the pale eyes that had watched for so long. He didn’t know how long it had been since he’d taken his last breath and his lungs had long since begun to burn, but still he was too intimidated to face this creature. There was no doubt as to what she was- she moved as he did. Looked and acted as he did, that much he saw. Yet, he remained unsure. That is, until she picked up her pace and it was soon apparent that if she left his sights he may go another nine hundred years without this opportunity again.

Indeed, his presence had gone unnoticed by the female spectre. That is, until the snapping of a branch followed by crashing and a bout of hissed curses caught her attention. In an instant, Saiorse had cleared the distance between them and the stranger was pressed against a tree, forearm to his throat. “Who are you,” she demanded, the action of her words revealing the glint of fangs, and therefore conformation to his suspicions.

Despite her hostility, his anxiety melted like ice in a fire. Despite the pressure on his throat, Khodai began to giggle. This took the woman back, causing her composure to falter. Surely this was hysterics? No… Something was different. Something was wrong. So naturally, she reacted on impulse and swatted the side of his head with her free hand. “What is wrong with you? Speak.” Was it broken?

He stopped immediately. “Ow,” he whimpered, though a grin immediately returned when he met her eye once more. “There’s really no need for this,” he assured her, pushing her arm away with ease, to her surprise.

Saiorse took a hasty few steps back and eyed him warily. “Answer my question,” she demanded again, though she was suddenly feeling unsure.

He readily held his hand out, far too excited for her comfort. “Khodai Dimitru,” he introduced. He patiently waited, but she only stood motionless in response to his gesture. Awkward silence tainted the air between them for far too many moments before he cleared his throat and lowered his arm again. “Yes, well,” he muttered under his breath. “Not quite the way one should go about greeting their own species, now is it?” He retorted haughtily, eyes scanning the ground.

Saiorse scoffed, face twisting. “Do not mistake me as human, swine,” sne growled.

Khodai looked up at her in surprise then gestured to himself. “Human?” Oh no no no,” he insisted, shaking his head and causing his dark curls to bounce about his face. “I am vampire, like you,” he insisted.

She froze once more, her face contorted with curiosity and resentment. “You…?”

He merely nodded, smile widening. “I’ve been tracking you. I’m surprised you never noticed.” She remained still and rigid. “Oh!” He added. “I also got you… Something…” He was suddenly scanning the ground. “I must have…” He muttered, following by a low groan. “Oh!” He explained again, bouncing a few paces behind him and scraping something off the ground. He picked a few twigs off the now pitiful bouquet and reluctantly lumbered back towards her. “Well, it was nice-”

Saiorse immediately released a startling hiss and retreated backwards at an impossible pace, eyes dilating dangerously.

Khodai froze and looked at her in bewilderment. “Do you not like… Lilies?”

“The lavender,” she rasped, still staggering backwards before her eyes shot up to glare at him accusingly. “You cannot be what you say,” she snarled.

He looked at her blankly. “Why because I’m holding lavend-”

“Yes,” she confirmed bitterly.

Khodai looked innocently down at the flowers in his hand before pulling his arm back and chucking them through the forest. He then stood and rocked on his heels a moment. “Soo,” he began. “Are you allergic…?”

She merely watched him, unsure of how to feel. “You would be too if you were truly like me,” she said quietly. “So what are you?”

“I already told you,” he insisted. “I mean-” he cut himself off and opened his mouth as wide as it would go, curved fangs sliding into view. He merely shrugged and stood there.

Demeanor relaxing, Saiorse’s suspicion transformed into curiosity. With an air of hesitance, she drifted forward and peered at him carefully, examining his fangs and circling his figure. “Fascinating,” she whispered.

Khodai snapped his jaw shut. “So what’s the consensus, do I need a dentist?” He asked flatly.

She only paused and stared at him blankly before brushing off the question. “You’re not from here, are you?” She mused.

“No,” he answered coolly. “Could you not tell?” He asked, exaggerating his accent.

She disregarded the remark, her eyes continuing to trace over him. “You must be an older breed.”

He looked at her in instant puzzlement. “There are different kinds?” He asked, exasperated.

She looked at him as though he’d said something idiotic. “Of course,” she snapped. “We’re just like humans, our heritage has been molded by our surroundings.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Oh.”

She narrowed her eyes and searched his. “Do you not know?”

“No,” he sighed. “I have never met any others.”

She gave a humorless chuckle. “Other than your creator, you mean.” He only stared and her face fell. “Not even…?” He shook his head and she pinched her brows. “Strange.”

Khodai paused, then suddenly lit up. “Oh, I have an important question for you!” He stated with enthusiasm that made Saiorse jump with a startle. “You’ve known others? How are they created? How are we… Born?”

She paused, then sighed. “We are not born,” she stated firmly. “We are made by draining another of their venom.”

Had Khodai been able to grow paler than he was, he would have. “You mean… A human must-”

“Bite a vampire, drink their venom,” she concluded casually.

Dread filled him and an overwhelming sense of disappointment. Here he’d been searching for an answer for centuries and it was only useless. “So the vampire must die,” he mumbled.

She scoffed. “Of course not.” He perked up and bit as she continued. “If that were the case, there would be none of us. He must almost die.”

He mulled over this for a second before continuing. “How do you know that?” He asked hastily. Are there others? Do you know them? Are they close?”

Saiorse twisted her face in disgust. “I do not associate with the others freely.” She then crossed her arms and eyed him. “My turn to ask the questions. Count Dracula.” Khodai flinched in mild insult but did not speak. “Why do you want to know this so badly? How to change others?”

“There is someone I wish to change,” he said excitedly.

“Selfish,” Saiorse immediately spat.

“What?” Khodai asked in puzzlement.

She met his eye with burning fire. “Why would you ever want to subject someone to this?” She hissed accusingly. “This… Murderous… Lonely life,” she rasped.

Khodai’s face fell and his hand slapped against the back of his neck, eyes scanning the ground with a sigh. “What was your name?” He asked. She merely stared and he narrowed his eyes and continued. “Have you felt love?” She scoffed, taken aback by the question but did not even manage a stammer before he nodded. “So you have. Were they human?”

She snapped her mouth closed and hesitated before answering quietly. “He is.”

Khodai raised his brows. “Is? Let me ask you, have you watched him die?”

“No,” she answered flatly. “I won’t let that happen.”

“Sometimes you have no choice,” Khodai growled back. “He will grow old and he will die and you can do nothing about it but hope and pray you find him again. But he will forget. He will forget everything. But you won’t. You will live each day wishing he trusted you as he once did. Wait ageless as he grows old, knowing you will be lost to him and fearing each life will be the last.” Tears pricked behind his eyes with the painful sting of venom and he hissed and turned his head.

Though Saiorse remained still as stone, she felt dread and fear well in her chest. These were words she had not considered- or had she just chosen to ignore the inevitable? She would never survive changing Alexander on her own. Then again… Maybe she didn’t have to.

She swiftly approached the taller vampire and with a flick of her wrist, her nails scored a gash in his forearm. He winched and tried to pull away but she snagged his wrist and dragged him closer. Clear liquid oozed from his veins and she examined it carefully. “This is far more potent than mine,” she mused to herself. Letting go, she sliced her own wrist and held it out to show him the diluted red flow.

Khodai hastily retracted his arm and looked at her with wide eyes. “I don’t think that was necessary,” he stated. “I would have taken your word for it.”

“Help me,” she stated flatly, disregarding his comment. “I will help you, but you have to help me. I cannot change a grown man on my own.”

The sting of his wound suddenly gone, Khodai perked up. “You’ll help me?” He asked excitedly.

“If you help me,” she repeated firmly.

His smile only widened and he shot forward, tightly embracing her.

Saiorse froze, wide-eyed. “But not if you do this,” she hissed frantically.

“I must,” Khodai insisted, tearing up again. “I wish I had flowers that wouldn’t send you into cardiac arrest,” he wailed.

“That’s quite alright,” Saiorse insisted stiffly before having enough and violently shoving him away. Still, the lopsided grin has not left his face. She cleared her throat and brushed off her sleeves. “Saiorse Addinell,” she said smoothly.

“Bless you,” Khodai sniffed.

She glared at him dangerously. “That is my name.” Perhaps the offer had been a mistake.

He looked up at her and bit back a smile. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” she snarled defensively, face growing hot with anger. “It’s surely no stranger than Khodai.”

He paused in thought then shrugged. “Fair.”

Her jaw tensed with irritation. “Take me to your human before I change my mind.”

One swift walk and a seemingly endless speech about how great and wonderful Khodai’s human is later.

Trudging through the snow, the pair, unphased by the weather, made their way to a quaint little house. Khodai stopped mid-sentence when he saw the fluffy gray cat sitting on the windowsill by the door. She seemed peaceful enough until she caught sight of his glare, at which point her jaw opened in a hiss that could not be heard through glass. Khodai instinctively hissed back and brought a hand to the window, causing her to jump down. “Dingy,” he grumbled.

Khodai then swung the door open with Saiorse in tow, the two of them drifting inside. “Aero!” He called.

“Yes, what do you want, I’m right here,” a distracted voice sounded. “Close the door, you’re letting the cold air in.” Aero hadn’t bothered to look up from where she sat cross-legged on the couch with a bowl of noodles in her lap. She offered a split second glance in their direction. “Whose your friend?” She asked curiously.

“This is Sersei-”

“Saiorse.”

“Saiorse,” Khodai announced proudly. “She’s a vampire too.”

This made Aero pause. She looked over and leaned forward, sliding her bowl onto the coffee table. “Oh, hello,” she greeted, noticing for the first time how ominous the newcomer’s figure truly was. “So he finally found more, eh?”

“Just me,” Saiorse corrected smoothly, folding her hands in front of her.

Aero laughed and offered a smile. “Still better than he’s done in the last few centuries.’ She slid from the couch and tiptoes over the wood floors with her bare feet, reaching out to shake her hand. “I’m Aero.”

Khodai quickly lowered her arm when Saiorse’s lip raised in the beginning of a snarl. “She… Doesn’t do that,” he warned in a low tone.

“Oh,” Aero said with a shrug. “Alright. So what’s the occasion? Storytelling and bloody marys?” She snickered.

Saiorse remained unamused. “I’ve come to help change you.”

Aero’s face fell and her eyes flickered to Khodai. “Oh.” There was a pause. “Would you mind… Coming back in ehh a yearish?” She asked casually, nervously twining her fingers.

Irritation crossed Saiorse’s face. “Why,” she demanded.

“Well,” Aero gestured at her pulled up hair. “I don’t really want to be a smurf forever, ya know?”

“Charming,” Saiorse muttered flatly.

Beside her, Khodai chuckled in admiration. “Isn’t she?”

[ʞ ɔ ǝ ɹ ʍ d ı ʞ s]

swindle gen. 2 // erren and rose // 2,695 words
Testing out their first meeting... Again?

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Sunlight drenched the vast Italian countryside in shades of gold. High in the sky, it danced off rooftops and hillsides alike. The chatter of merchants rumbled through the marketplace, content with the happenings of just another day. Yet, it was lacking. It was hard to believe the sun beating down on Tuscany was the same that graced the islands of the Caribbean. It seemed empty without the sound of waves to accompany it, the language strange and the people odd. To some, it should seem out of place. To one, it only fed an already blazing flame of fascination.

A certain figure flitted among the throng of people, having forgotten his given task entirely. Though he stood out, this did not ail the young man. His blonde curls and pale blue eyes alone earned him more than a stare or two, his clothes only doing more to stifle his ability to blend in. Though equally colorful as those surrounding him and perhaps elegant in another world, his half buttoned vest and billowing sleeves were far from the breeches and embroidered waistcoats that surrounded him. Still, a wide grin remained plastered to his face.

He continued to strut briskly through the marketplace, taking everything in but never stopping to oggle. That is, until something- or someone, rather- caught his eye and he backtracked a few steps.

A dainty and rather unimpressive figure stood before the merchant of a fruit stand, haggling over the price of a few red apples. The young woman’s uncharacteristically plain emerald dress had captured his attention. Though her hair was down, it was dark and beautiful, the idea of it being pinned up almost seeming like a cruel insult.

As she turned to walk away from the stand with a full basket, a smirk crossed his face and he slipped between two dark eyed women without a second glance. Passing the cart she’d just stood at, he snagged an apple off the edge and briskly continued her pursuit without drawing a shred of attention. That is, until he called out.

“Mi scusi!” He picked up the pace as he drew closer. “Signorina!”

It took a few called for the young woman to realize it was her being called to. Coming to a puzzled halt, she turned her head, the flash of her green eyes and freckled face catching him off guard. Indeed she may have been plain, but she was certainly not ordinary.

He slowed to a stop with a crooked smile and held the apple out to her. “Hai lasciato questo.”

“Oh,” she stammered, quickly tucking her hair behind her ear before tentatively taking it. “Grazie, signor.” She offered a small smile, avoiding eye contact and hastily turning away, though not before a rosy hue crept onto her cheeks.

The smile hadn’t left his face as he scurried after her. “Your Italian needs work,” he stated casually, keeping pace beside her.

He glanced over, surprised to see him beside her. Her face grew only redder. “You’re English?” She squeaked.

“Me? Nah,” he droned casually. “But you are.”

She offered a nervous laugh, wringing her hands together. “Is it that obvious?”

“I’m afraid so, my dear,” he teased, hurrying forward a few steps so he could turn to face her, recklessly walking backwards as he spoke. “What brings you to Italia then? Weather, food atmosphere? Surely it can’t be the people,” he muttered with a sneer.

She chuckled and parted her lips to answer before her eyes flickered behind him. “Watch out for-”

With her warning, the boy narrowly avoided crashing into an older man with a crate, though he slid around him gracefully and continued as he was.

The girl raised a brow. “Do you fail to watch where you’re going often?”

“Only when I have better things to look at,” he retorted, causing her to blush further. “So what’s your answer?”

She merely smirked and glanced behind him. “On your left.”

He jerked to the side to avoid bumping into a stand, stumbling a bit in the process. Releasing a deep breath, he ran a hand through his hair and looked up. “Thanks for the-” He stopped short when the girl was nowhere to be seen. “Warning,” he muttered, frustratedly blowing a curl out of his eyes. Still, it didn’t take long to find a green dress disappearing among the crowd in a different direction, and it took even less time for him to dart after her.

He twisted from side to side, sliding past the crowd with ease. At one point he snagged a bouquet from a busy stand and pushed onwards.

Keeping a sharp eye, he saw the young woman stop at another stand, casting a glance around her. Still, she did not see his cautious approach until he swung around the corner, hanging on one of the supports with a crooked smile. She did not even jump, merely offered him a curious glance. “It’s quite rude to walk away from a conversation,” he scolded lightheartedly.

“Would it not be equally so to continue one after someone has walked away?” She countered with the slightest hint of a teasing tone.

He merely pressed his lips together and drew a breath, impressed by her quick response. “Erren,” he said, letting go of the support and shifting on his feet.

“What?” She asked curiously.

“That’s my name,” he explained. “Since you insist so whole heartedly on knowing.”

She paused and eyed him with half a smile. “That’s nice,” she chirped after a moment, returning her attention to the items before her.

“Will you tell me yours?” He pressed.

She sighed in a content manner. “Perhaps not.”

“Might I inquire why?”

“You have not given me a reason to.”

“Have I given you a reason not to?”

She stopped and looked at him once more. “Does chasing girls around the marketplace usually work?” She asked innocently.

Erren shrugged. “I will ask you the same when you know the answer,” he chided, holding out the small bundle of white roses in his hand.

Her eyes briefly widened, impulsively accepting the offer though she didn’t know quite what to do with the flowers once she had them. That rosy hue returned rapidly. Heart pouncing, she quickly cleared her throat. “Thank you-”

“The pleasure is mine,” he interrupted quickly with a dip of his head, looking up at her with a devilish smirk.

She could not stop the tug at the corner of her mouth before leaning slightly forward herself and murmuring, “The answer you seek is right under my nose.” Mischief sparked in her green eyes as she touched the roses she held to the tip of her nose. With that, she turned to walk away.

Erren was left standing dumbfounded, watching her go as his mind whirred. Suddenly, realization lit up his face and he bolted after her. “Rose!” He called, causing her to stop and turn her head. He couldn’t help but grin in accomplishment. “Will I see you again?”

“I don’t know yet,” she called before turning to continue on her way. “But I’ll ask you the same when you know the answer.”

--

Rose returned home with an unusual glow about her. The roses rested in her basket as gently as a smile rested on her face. Once she entered the halls of the villa, the clicking of her shoes echoed off the marble floor.

As she crossed the foyer, it didn’t take long for the pitterpatter of smaller feet to quickly approach. “Rose!” A high pitched voice called as a younger girl stopped at her side, hair in a thick and frizzing braid and dark eyes curious. “What did you get?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary, Cricket,” Rose answered, turning into the kitchen. Her sister hurriedly followed.

“What about these?” She asked, snatching the roses.

“Lily,” Rose snapped before composing herself once more, taking the flowers back with care. “I just… Thought they would brighten the place up,” she tried to explain.

“So who are they from?”

A third voice made Rose jump, looking over to see her mother in the doorway. “No one,” she answered hastily, though her complexion said otherwise. “I got them myself.”

Beth raised a brow and sauntered towards her girls, arms crossed. “You didn’t have enough for all this.”

“I… Brought a little extra of my own,” Rose explained, setting the basket on the counter and hastily occupying herself with putting the apples away.

Beth wandered up beside her and a smile crept to her lips before she bumped her eldest with a hip. “Don’t lie to me, Rosemary,” she teased. “I recognize the look on your face all too well.”

Rose glanced over as Lily snatched an apple and took off, but paid no heed. Her eye briefly caught the white roses and a twitching smile forced its way onto her lips.

“So what’d he look like?” Beth asked again, leaning on the counter so she could face her daughter, taking a bite out of an apple herself. “Tall, dark, and handsome?”

Rose laughed nervously, still avoiding eye contact. “No,” she answered with a small shake of her head. “Shorter than you, mamma, and more… Cute.”

Beth groaned and leaned heavily on the counter. “You disappoint me,” she muttered.

Rose sighed and smiled, her hands falling onto the table for a moment. “You would think differently if you saw him, mamma,” she insisted softly. “I don’t think he’s from around here, with those blonde curls and blue eyes as pale as they were. And he spoke English,” she added excitedly.

Beth pinched her brows together and pushed herself up, though still leaned on the countertop. “Did you catch a name?” She asked innocently.

Rose nodded. “It was Erren-”

Dread had hardly an ample amount of time to well in Beth’s chest as a voice in the foyer caused them both to turn their heads.

“Fia!”

Beth haphazardly tossed her gnawed on apple back into the pile and shoved off the counter, heart pounding in her chest. She rounded the corner in time to see Fia racing down the stairs faster than she’d ever seen the lean woman move. At the bottom she nearly knocked over the newcomer with the force of her embrace.

“Vin,” Fia breathed, blinking away the tears in her eyes as she stepped back to meet her brother’s own smile. “I am happy to see you here, brother.”

“We are happy to be here,” Vin responded happily. “Though it should not have been under these circumstances.”

“I am just glad that you made it,” Fia responded in a near whisper, a smile plastered to her face as she looked him over. She then glanced towards a sharp, scolding voice behind him and her grin widened. “Mia sorella,” she nearly giggled, turning to greet Scarlet and her trailing children.

“Hello Fi- eh-” Scarlet gasped as the taller woman hugged her tightly. Fia felt her stiffen and knew better than to make it last any longer, though she still backed away with a smile and her hands clasping Scarlet’s.

“It is good to see you,” Fia said quietly.

“Is it?” Scarlet asked in mild surprise before Fia turned her attention to Erren.

“Nipote,” she greeted, her hands on his shoulders. “Oh, you have grown so much.”

Erren readily returned her smile. “It’s good to be here again, aunt Fia,” he responded, causing her smile to grow wider.

“Oh, Marcello will be thrilled when he returns home.” Fia’s attention was directed to the smaller girl standing a safe distance behind her brother. “Ciao, signorina,” Fia voiced, walking forward to kneel before her. “I do not believe we have met. What is your name?”

“Isavel,” the girl answered flatly.

“What a beautiful name. Mine is Fia,” her aunt responded, taking the girl’s hand and kissing the back. “It is lovely to meet you, Isavel.”

The girl offered a small smile. She liked this one.

Meanwhile, Vin’s attention wandered around the familiar villa with an air of nostalgia. That is when his eye caught another familiar figure leaning on a nearby wall. “Beth,” he called, a wide smile spreading across his face.

Beth’s own lips formed a smile as she pushed off the wall and sauntered forward until she was close enough to be swept into her arms, which made her cringe. “Gently,” she squeaked.

“Sorry,” Vin muttered, moving to let go, but she only held on with a lighter grip. He sighed as she leaned against his chest. “How are you feeling?”

“Dreadful,” Beth whispered, tears stinging her eyes. She pulled back and placed her hands on either side of his face with a wide smile. “It’s good to see you.”

Vin forced a smile as he looked at her, withering where she stood.

“I do hope we don’t have to have this conversation again,” Scarlet called over with a sharp glare at Beth.

“Of course not,” Beth chirped with a sarcastic smile, shoving him away before muttering in his ear, “I see you’re still with the cagna.”

“Be nice,” Vin warned in a low tone.

Beth’s hands flew up as fast as her eyebrows and she casually wandered away, glancing around with her good eye. Her direction began to steer towards Erren when she caught sight of him, a pang of loss fluttering in her chest. “Oh, look at you,” she hummed. “You’ve gotten so big.”

Erren only offered a hesitant smile. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure.”

“Of course you have, but I don’t expect you to remember,” Beth stated with a dismissive wave of her hand. She could already see his inherited charm- the boy was lucky he didn’t take after his mother in the area. “You were so small last time I saw you.” She held her hand out and he returned the gesture with a shake. “Elizabeth Conway,” she said with a smirk before pulling him closer with a jerk. “And I should insist that you keep your hands off my daughter. I’d hate to damage that pretty little neck.”

Erren leaned back and glanced at her curiously. “I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

She dropped his hand as well as her smile and took a few steps back. “Rosemary!” She called over her shoulder. “Lily!” She paused in thought for a moment for a moment before turning once more. “William!”

Footsteps sounded as Rose scurried into the foyer, eyes trained on smoothing her dress before she looked up and stopped dead, face growing redder than it had been all day. Meanwhile, Erren had to do a double take and grew rigid upon seeing her. Oh. That’s what she meant.

Their eye contact was broken when Beth wrapped her arm around Rose’s shoulders, dragging her closer. “Come Rose, don’t be shy,” she said in a forced cheery tone. “Not that I expect you to be,” she murmured in a near whisper.

“Mamma,” Rose squeaked in mortification.

The sound of Lily rushing it at full speed followed, slowing with heavy breath beside her mother as she scanned the visitors.

“Where did they come from?” Scarlet muttered.

Beth glared at her. “Me,” she snapped. “These are my daughters, Rosemary and Lily.”

“Hi!” Lily chirped immediately while Rose gave a mere dip of her head.

“Hello,” Vin greeted in return with a smile. “They are lovely, Beth.”

“Of course they are,” she retorted. “They’re mine.” Scarlet rolled her eyes. Beth then turned to her youngest. “Where is your father?”

“Hiding in the sitting room,” she answered immediately. “But he told me not to tell.”

Beth’s smile seemed to twitch before her arms dropped to her sides. “We shouldn’t be standing here anyway. Shall we migrate?” She turned sharply and began making her way towards the sitting room.

The rest followed, though Rose lingered hesitantly near the back. Erren shooed Isavel ahead of him and fell into place beside the girl he’d met at the marketplace.

“So what do you say?” Rosemary whispered, her voice no more than a breath. “Will I see you again?”

“Absolutely,” he answered immediately, keeping his eyes straight ahead.

“Tonight, then,” she continued before nodding towards the door. “Out there, as soon as you can get away.”

[ʞ ɔ ǝ ɹ ʍ d ı ʞ s]

swindle gen. 2 // erren and rose // 2,034 words
a continuation of the last scene

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Erren did as he was told. Only minutes after the house fell silent he was up and tiptoeing down the cold steps. The day had been exhausting to say the least, but the way his heart pounded in his chest renewed his energy.

He saw her figure as he walked through the doorway, leaning against a pillar and her hair and nightdress gently shuddering in the breeze. He slowed and a crooked smile crossed his lips. “The daughter of Elizabeth Conway,” he voiced. “I never would have guessed.”

Rose jumped and looked at him over her shoulder before a soft smile briefly touched her face. “That’s not who I am out here,” she insisted, gazing out at the hills and the stars blazing over them. She raised a brow at him as he stood beside her. “The son of Scarlet Waters?”

He shrugged and waved his hand. “I don’t think about it all that much.”

“Uh huh,” she teased before pushing off the pillar. “Come with me,” she said, holding a hand out. “There’s somewhere I want you to see.”

A mischievous grin crossed Erren’s lips as he took her hand and she lead him down the steps and into the grass. Rose pulled him in silence across the field towards a few nearby hills. Eventually, she stopped at the base of one and walked along the edge until she found makeshift steps made of steep stones, where she finally let go.

“Come on,” she urged in a whisper, lifting the front of her skirt to scale the steps with a practiced gait.

Erren raised an amused brow before following her at a slower pace. “Why are you still whispering?” He called curiously.

Rose paused and glanced back at him. “I don’t like to disturb the night.”

Erren snapped his mouth shut and continued to follow until they reached the top of the hill. He sauntered over to Rose, whose attention was focused on the night sky, and followed her gaze. “So did you make those?” He asked curiously.

“No,” she answered. “I found them.”

“How long have you been here?” He mused.

“Near half a year,” she sighed.

He gave a soft chuckle. “So you must know my family better than I do. How do they seem to you?”

She smiled. “Fia is wonderful. She teaches Lily and I to play piano when mamma can’t.” She paused a moment before continuing. “Marcello is very quiet, but lovely when you can get any words out of him. Though he spends most of the time at the theatre nearby.”

He looked at her curiously by the tone in her voice. “Is he not your type?” He teased.

She looked at him in surprise before returning her attention to the horizon and shook her head. “Oh, no,” she stammered. “He’s-”

“Not me?” Erren sneered, causing her to fidget nervously.

“I guess not,” she breathed drawing her lip between her teeth.

There was a pause before she glanced over and caught his eye just long enough for sputtering giggles to escape her. Then she sighed heavily and looked up once again.

“So what did you want me to see?” Erren asked finally, searching the darkness for something that was not there.

Rose shrugged. “I just like it here,” she answered quietly. “I could never see the stars in England.”

“These stars are very different than the ones where I come from,” Erren murmured.

“And where might that be?”

“I don’t think it has a name,” Erren sighed. “Just an island with too much sand and too much water.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Rose admitted longingly.

“What about you?”

“Me?” Rose repeated in surprise. “Oh, I don’t know… The middle of nowhere,” she said with a shrug. “In a thick forest with one tiny house. Mamma hardly ever allows me to leave.”

Erren scoffed. “Allows you to leave? Why do you need permission?”

“Oh, uh…” Rose shrugged. “Because she’s my mother?” She offered feebly. “I never considered… Disobeying,” she admitted.

He looked at her with narrowed eyes. “So you’ve never been anywhere but that old house and here?”

She looked over at him with wide eyes and shook her head. “Why do you think I come here when no one knows?”

“Well this isn’t nearly far enough,” Erren stated in distaste. “Perhaps we should go a little further.”

“What?” Rose gasped. “Oh no, I can’t go any further.”

“Sure you can,” he insisted, holding his hand out to her with a hint of trouble in his eyes. “Come with me.”

She hesitated. “Where?”

“I have no idea,” he laughed.

Rose continued to stare at him for a moment before a smile snuck onto her face and she tentatively took his hand. She burst into laughter as he pulled her forward at a much faster pace than she had brought them there. However, her outburst was quickly lowered into a soft chuckle.

He slowed for a moment, still grasping her hand as he turned to face her while walking backwards. “You don’t have to be quiet out here,” he assured her with a smile. “They can’t hear you.”
She pressed her lips together and raised a brow. “Do you usually fail to watch where you’re going?”

He shrugged. “Does chasing girls through the marketplace usually work?” His smile widened when she only laughed and he returned to pulling her along. “Come on, then,” he urged.

Together they ran down the side of the hill, their laughter as well as their breath lost to the gentle breeze, collapsing only halfway up the next hillside. Breathless giggles continued to escape them as they laid in the grass side by side and hand in hand.

“Have you been here before?” Erren asked.

“Well,” Rose mused hesitantly. “I’ve seen it from the other hill-”

“Then we’re not far enough,” he interrupted, leaping to his feet and pulling her to hers before breaking into a run once more.

They made it over two more hilltops before Rose finally let go of his hand. “I couldn’t possibly go any further,” she panted dramatically.

“Is that so?” Erren asked breathlessly, turning to face her. “Where’s your sense of adventure?” He teased.

“I think I dropped it two hills back,” she admitted, struggling to catch her breath.

He sighed heavily then looked towards the sky. He narrowed his eyes and peered carefully. “I know that one.”

Rose looked at him with a puzzled expression. “Know what?”

“That constellation,” he explained, pointing at the stars.

“That what?” She asked, only confused further.

He looked at her in surprise. “Don’t you know your constellations?” She shook her head helplessly. “Well no wonder you don’t go far,” he grumbled, walking over to her. He lowered his head down to her level and she stiffened as he pointed to a specific part of the sky. “There,” he murmured. “That’s Leo. Do you see it?”

She drew a breath then answered flatly. “No.”

He sighed and shifted. “See those three big stars?” She paused before nodding. “And the three behind it?” His finger shifted slightly to the left. “That’s Leo.”

Rose pinched her brows in confusion. “Why is it called Leo?”

Erren’s arm went slack and his head turned to face her. “Because it’s shaped like a lion,” he explained, slightly disappointed that she didn’t know.

Rose nodded slowly but simply could not contain the burst of laughter that escaped her.

Erren frowned. “What?”

“That looks nothing like a lion,” she giggled, her unbearable amusement betraying her.

“That’s not the point,” he said stiffly, straightening up.

“Then what is?” She countered, looking at him with a challenge in her eyes. “Do enlighten me.”

“It’s symbolism,” he explained, gesturing with his hands.

“And what does it symbolize?”

“The zodiac Leo.” She only stared and he sighed. “It symbolizes everyone who was born while that was the most prominent constellation.”

“Ahh,” she mused in mock understanding. “I see.”

He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. “When were you born?”

She eyed him carefully before answering. “March second.”

“Alright, now that one would be way over there,” he explained, pointing to the horizon.

“And what is that one, pray tell?”

“A fish.”

“A fish?” She scoffed, her voice growing high with the effort of holding back more laughter. “That’s complete bollocks! I am no fish!”

“Oh, but you are,” he sneered, sliding closer and examining her figure as he circled. “Pisces symbolizes a dreamer- a kind hearted soul with an inclination of rebellion.” By the time he made it back around and faced her with a smug expression, she was silent with thought.

“You made that up,” she concluded.

“Did I?” He challenged.

“Alright, fine. What’s yours then?” She asked.

“Aquarius,” he answered immediately, crossing his arms over his chest. “Honest, adventurous, affectionate, unpredictable-”

“Hot headed, smug, reckless,” Rose interrupted.

“Precisely,” he confirmed with a wide grin. “Everything you need.”

“For what?” She asked curiously.

“Fun,” he answered immediately, then shrugged when she only stared. “Am I wrong?”

“Mmm, not yet,” she admitted hesitantly, then proceeded to shiver as the wind passed.

Erren frowned. “Are you cold? Should we head back-”

“No,” she answered too quickly, merely crossing her arms and looking up at the sky. “Tell me what else you see.”

He hesitated, but wandered closer all the same. Looking up for a moment, he pointed again. “See those three bright ones there?”

Rose’s eyes flickered over to him before looking back to the sky. She saw them perfectly well- in fact, they were hard to miss. She’d noticed their brilliance before he’d even said a word. “No.”

Erren sighed in mock irritation and lumbered closer until his side was practically pressed against hers, head lowered to her height. “There,” he instructed, pointing again.

“Ohh,” she mused quietly. “I see it now.”

“Orion’s belt,” he stated, then waved his hand around. “The rest of him is… Around there somewhere.”

Rose smirked. “You don’t know where he is do you?”

“What?” He scoffed. “Of course I do.”

She laughed and turned to face him. “You’re a liar.” Her words trailed off and she froze, only then realizing how close he really was. Indeed, she could feel his breath stirr a stray hair beside her face and suddenly her heart was in her throat.

Erren stood his ground and only offered a small smile, gently slipping his hands into hers. “If I’m a liar then I’ve never seen an uglier face in my life,” he stated with exaggerated emphasis.

Rose’s breath hitched, his touch far warmer than her own despite the surrounding cold. “I bet next you’ll say you’re an awful kisser,” she breathed.

He pinched his brows together in thought then nodded in agreement. “Oh, absolutely dreadful.”

“I don’t believe you.”

He laughed and gave his head a slight shake. “You shouldn’t.” No sooner had the words left his mouth than he was silenced by the gentle touch of her lips on his.

Rose lingered a moment before pulling away and searching his eyes. “You know,” she breathed, “my mother warned me about you.”

“Did she?” He stated with an air of smug accomplishment, shifting on his feet with a haughty smirk. “You probably should have listened.”

Dropping her hand, Erren’s arm snaked around Rose’s waist and pulled her against his chest, his lips meeting hers in a far more scandalous manner.

Rose was taken off guard, but did not fight it. She’d never stood this close to… Anyone, let alone been kissed in such a way by a practical stranger. Yet, she could not bring herself to oppose. Her hand lightly touched his chest, the rest of her immediately warmed by the sudden wave of adrenaline.

Rose opened her eyes for a split second, but immediately pulled away with a gasp.

“What-” Erren asked, twisting around to look behind him in either direction. “What is it?”

Rose only giggled. “I saw a shooting star,” she explained.

He stopped and looked at her with a curious smile. “A shooting star?”

She nodded and closed her eyes.

Erren watched a moment before asking, “What did you wish for?”

Rose opened her eyes and her smile widened. “I’ll ask you the same when you know the answer.”

[ʞ ɔ ǝ ɹ ʍ d ı ʞ s]

swindle gen. 1 // vin and scarlet // 1,973 words
I regret nothing

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This was meant to be easy. A quick in and out and back to the ship with the loot. Instead, the crew of the Obsidian seemed to have gotten itself into quite the hiccup.

Flames engulfed the perimeter of the building. Smoke billowed into the night sky in a torrent, poisoning the stars. The blaze grew quickly outward, but lingered along the edges, no doubt due to the previously undetected kerosene coating the outer walls. The captain had lead her men straight into a trap where she was doomed to watch them burn.

Raging firelight flickered off the marble floors, white becoming an angry red. The panic had, for the most part, settled into gut-wrenching dread. There was still one, however, who simply would not give in.

Shallow, burning breaths made Scarlet’s pounding chest flutter. Though her eyes stung from the smoke, they were wide and desperate as she turned where she stood, stumbling to try to find an exit. There had to be something. If this many men were lost, it would be her fault. My fault. Her honor would be tarnished. How far in history would a captain fall for allowing her crew to die helpless, over unnecessary carelessness?

She jumped with a startle when glass shattered from the heat on the far wall. Glancing off to the side, it she could practically see the hope oozing from her men. They were searching, praying, waiting for inevitable doom. Scarlet’s eyes flickered back to the window. She saw no other option. Eyes trained intently on the rigid glass, she bolted towards the wall in a fervent attempt to beat the torrent of fire to it.

Eyes narrowed and blurred against the smoke, Scarlet thought she heard a shout behind her but paid no heed. If she could get through the window, she could get them out. If she couldn’t, she’d die trying.

“Scarlet!”

The voice was closer now, and suddenly she jerked to a halt as arms wrapped around hers. Scarlet cried out in protest, but her feet left the floor as she was swung back around. Deafening crashing followed and sparks showered Vin’s form holding fast and curled protectively over her, for he had seen something she had not.

As time passed, the flames licking the walls had crawled to the ceiling. It had eaten its way through a beam overhead, which grew weak in response and promptly fell to it’s death.

Back pressed against Vin’s chest and arms pinned to her sides, Scarlet stared helplessly at the floor. She wanted to argue, she wanted to shove away and defend her actions, but she knew there was no point. Her breath was labored and more than smoke brought tears to her eyes.

“Captain!”

The call was barely audible, but it was enough for her to snap her head up. Dread filled her as she realized the space they’d had was cut in half by the fallen beam and she was barely able to see the faces of her men over the blazing inferno that separated them.

With a limp jerk, she was suddenly facing him, but her gaze was still distant. “Scarlet,” Vin tried again, hands clasping her shoulders and brows pinched in concern, which only masked the panic behind his eyes. “Tesoro.”

Scarlet’s head slowly turned to face him and as her hands were lifted to his chest, life began to return to her eyes. “We’ll die here,” she rasped, the fire’s glow reflecting off the sweat and soot that clung to her face. “It’s my fault.”

“No,” he said firmly, though his voice trembled. His hands left her shoulders and so freed him to draw her close. “It is not your fault.” He pressed his face to her singed hair and squeezed his eyes shut as she fell limply against him.

Scarlet’s lips brushed his neck and left a crimson streak as her head fell upon his shoulder, eyes wide and distant. Then, her brows pinched as if in confusion. “You trusted me,” she said, voice rising.

“I still do,” he insisted, pulling away to force her to meet his eye. “Scarlet, look at me,” he insisted, loose strands of hair clinging to his sweat-slicked face. Once she obeyed, the scolding ready to roll from his tongue was lost and his face fell. “I love you,” he blurted, desperation lingering behind his tone. “You know that.”

Scarlet’s face contorted, her breath caught in her throat as she nodded wordlessly, her shaking hands touching the sides of his face. “I know it,” she sobbed, a sharp breath sending her into a flurry of coughs.

“Marry me.”

Scarlet’s coughing halted immediately and she looked at him with wide eyes. “Now?!” She screeched in disbelief.

“When else?” He insisted, pressing a hand to the side of her face. “If not now, then never. If I am to die, then it should be as who I wish to be-”

His words were cut off as a crackle overpowered them. He dragged Scarlet to the side as sparks flew from a crumpling log. This time, when he continued, his words escaped at a far more urgent pace.

“Your husband,” he wheezed, chest heaving with lost breath.

Scarlet’s eyes searched his for a precious second, her fingers digging into his upper arms as if he’d be gone if she let go. She sucked in a breath and turned her head towards the other side of the building. “Tajo!”

“Aye! The reply came, followed by distant coughing.

Her grip on his arms tightened, though she continued to search in the general direction of her first mate. “Marry us,” she called out, hoping he’d hear her wayward plea.

There was a painfully lengthy pause before a conflicted response reached them. “Impeccable timing, cap’n.”

A thought suddenly reached Scarlet’s mind and she let go of Vin to hastily tear the ragged stretch of black fabric from her hair. Fingers shaking, she hurriedly untied the knot and grabbed one end, handing him the other and wrapping it around her hand. He did the same. “Get on with it, then,” she barked, though a slightly hysterical laugh bubbled from her lips as she looked back up at Vin. “Might as well do this properly.”

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered today, here in the flaming torrent of hell to join these raging bastards- ow!”

The voice that reached them was not Tajo’s, but instead that of Scarlet’s brother. He did not sound happy in the slightest. This made Scarlet’s grin widen. Suddenly, her eyes did the same and she leapt back, yanking Vin with her as wood splintered from the ceiling.

Vin stumbled after her, his free hand fumbling for her arm as he briefly looked over his shoulder at the damage residing where he’d been standing moments ago.

“Look at me.”

His attention swiveled back to Scarlet, her eyes intent on meeting his. “Don’t look away,” she demanded breathlessly, giving her head a small shake. “Don’t look away.”

“Vincenzo Nicchi-” Luckily, Tajo’s voice easily boomed over the roaring flames. “- do ya take this… Woman to be your wife?”

“Sì,” he sputtered hastily, his hand pressing to the side of her face. “I do, always.”

“And Scarlet Waters, do-”

“Elmwood!” Scarlet managed to growl over the din before the harsh expression melted from her face. “That’s not my name,” she rasped. “It’s Scarlet Elmwood.”

There was a pause before the voice on the other side continued. “Scarlet Elmwood, do ya take this man to be your husband.”

Scarlet’s eyes wandered over Vin’s face for a moment before she let out a breath. “Absolutely,” she answered, shooting to her toes and impatiently pulling his face to hers.

Hardly waiting for permission, the concluding words were lost the moment their lips met. Scarlet gripped the bond between their hands until her own turned white, the fingers of her free hand curved into his hair. “I love you,” she voiced against his lips. Her eyes squeezed shut against the threatening tears, causing her throat to burn further. “I love you, I do. So much.”

Her voice was as broken as Vin feared his might be had he dared to speak. He held her close by the waist and pressed his forehead to hers,the heat bearing into his back.

Scarlet paused and just stared for a moment. “What’s it like?” She whispered. He merely responded with a helpless expression that made her heart quicken. Scarlet allowed their bond to unravel and drop to the floor and she pulled his head to her shoulder. “You’re with me this time,” she assured him as his arms wrapped tightly around her waist and tears spilled over her cheeks. Her nails pressed into his shoulders with the force of her embrace. “I’m here; it will be alright.”

They stood in silence for a long while until another despicably loud crack caused them both to flinch and curl in on each other.

Then, Scarlet felt an impossible thing. A rush of cool air hit her scorched face, and she straightened up as quickly as Vin, grasping each other’s forearms as they looked in the direction of the noise.

Half the building had collapsed, revealing a night sky and torrential downpour far from the blaze surrounding them. Despite the quenching rains, the fire rapidly attempted to reclaim the rubble.

“Go! Get out!” Scarlet shouted loud enough for the others to hear, following the billowing smoke with Vin in tow.

Splintering wood creaked under their feet as they teetered across the rubble as fast as possible, though it didn’t take long to realize why the building had collapsed.

It took one wrong step for the plank underfoot to slide and send Scarlet crashing to the earth, unintentionally dragging Vin with her with a surprised outcry. He immediately secured an arm around her waist as they both began to slide with the rain soaked earth down a steep hill. Scarlet gladly clung to him in return, eyes wide as the mudslide dragged them further, hearts racing as they gained speed.

Despite the surprise and immediate sense of danger, they soon came to a jarring halt that send them both rolling along the flat ground. Dazed, Scarlet pushed her chest off the ground with a series of coughs and spits meant to rid the grit from her mouth. Arms shaking, she rolled and collapsed onto her back, draping at arms over her chest and staring at the sky.

Meanwhile, Vin was plastered to his back a short distance away, a groan of pain and flat out disgust escaping him. Opening his eyes, he limply turned his head towards Scarlet before pushing himself up and crawling over. “Scarlet,” he muttered, pulling her into a sitting position by the shoulder. She lazily shooed him away and leaned back on her arms, leaving him to plot beside her.

Side by side and caked with mud, they looked up the hill at the flames licking the sky hungrily, relieved to see the silhouettes of other figures walking along the top.

Silence stretched between them as they caught their breath.

“So,” Scarlet managed to say flatly. “Did we just-”

“Mmhm.” Vin’s head fell loosely to the side to look at her, an exhausted sneer tugging at his lips. “Is that a problem?”

Scarlet sighed innocently, continuing to stare at the hill. “The idea was more appealing when I thought we’d be dead for most of it.”

Before he could respond, a shout came from near the burning house.

“Ay, lovebirds!” Tajo called down to them. “We should be gettin’ back!”

Scarlet shifted so she sat higher and drew a breath to respond. “They best not be hearin’ a word of this, Denton!” She shouted, though the harshness that usually plagued her commands was absent.

“Aye, cap’n!” He responded with a smirk she did not see. “Not a word!”

[ʞ ɔ ǝ ɹ ʍ d ı ʞ s]

swindle gen. 2 // erren and rose // 991 words
more rorren ono

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It was dark. The sun had been swallowed by the horizon hours before and the villa, as well as the land surrounding it, had fallen into a deep hush. That is, save for one figure cautiously tiptoeing through the barren halls.

Silence had been achieved until a particular door creaked open. The young man cringed and paused before hastily slipping into the room and closing the door behind him.

“Who’s there?” A groggy voice muttered as Rose began to shift in her bed, though was promptly halted.

“It’s just me,” the intruder assured her, quietly rushing over to the bedside and kneeling.

Rose turned her head towards him, frowned, and blinked, using the moonlight to focus on his face. “Erren? What are you do-”

“I have to tell you something,” he whispered, causing her brows to pinch in concern.

“What is it?” Rose asked. “Could it not wait until morning?”

Erren shook his head and reached up to place a gentle hand on her face, his eyes flitting over every detail of it. He had her attention. “Rose,” he breathed, the sound of her name drifting down her spine. He gave his head the slightest shake. “I am so in love with you.”

Rose paused, at a loss. That was something she’d been driven to believe he’d never say, let alone in the dead of night and in such a way. She parted her lips to speak, but he continued in a hushed tone.

“I just need you to know…” How could he say it? There were so many things whirring through his mind, and yet no words could be found. He brushed his thumb along her face and lifted his other hand to meet the other side of it. Her own fluttered to touch his arm, expectant curiosity in her green eyes.

“I need you to know that I want to be with you always,” he continued quietly. “And that whenever I’m not, I can’t think of anything else.” A small, breathy laugh escaped the soft smile that crossed his face. “I fear I love you more than I could ever express.”

Rose smiled and ran her fingers along his arm until they twined with his. “Well, this is a good start,” she laughed quietly, casual though her heart was in her throat.

Erren’s hand tightened around hers and he shifted on his feet. “Tell me you feel the same,” he pleaded, heart pounding in his chest.

Rose hesitated as if something caught in her throat. She did, oh of course she did. But how was she meant to say it out loud?

“I love you,” she admitted, though bit her lower lip when she couldn’t decide what words to use to continue. Instead, she reached up and impulsively ran a hand through his hair. “Stay with me.”

A soft smile reached Erren’s face and he kissed the hand of hers that he held, his lips warm against her skin. “Always.” She didn’t need to speak. He could see everything he needed to know in the way she met his eye.

Straightening up only to bend over, Erren pressed a kiss to Rose’s forehead as he crawled over her and rolled onto the bed beside her. Rose’s head turned the other way so she’d face him once more, his fingertips lingering on her neck.

Rose shifted onto her side so she faced him and eyed him innocently. “You must be cold on top of the blankets.”

A smirk slowly stretched across Erren’s lips and he shuffled under the blankets. “Is that warm enough for you?” He inquired.

“Mmm,”Rose mused, touching a hand to his neck. “What if I said no?”

Erren raised a brow and inched closer, a hand running along her leg and pulling it up to his waist, forcing her nightgown to gather around her hips. “How about now?”

A small laugh bubbled from Rose’s lips and she ran her fingers through his hair, toying with the curls. “This could work,” she snickered, her breath tickling his face.

Erren shifted with a drawn-out sigh, delicately dragging the back of his fingertips up and down her thigh and allowing his nose to brush hers. “I could not ask for more than this,” he murmured to her before placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

Rose caught her breath, worried that the slightest stir would break the embrace and her heart began to pound once more. He broke away all too soon, though remained close. She looked at him and her eyes wandered over his features. “You know you can’t stay all night,” she breathed, her words hardly audible with the hopes he might not hear.

Erren’s face fell and he sighed, sliding his hand up her side to brush dark strands from her face. “I would stay forever if I could.”

“I know,” she said quietly. “As would I.”

“Someday I will,” he promised, his voice a mere rumble in what would otherwise be silence. “Someday you won’t have to spend a night anywhere but in my arms.”

Suddenly, Rose’s chest tightened with an unbearable longing, just out of reach. “Swear to me,” she whispered, wanting nothing more than for his words to be true.

“Rose, I swear to you,” he murmured firmly, drawing a thumb gently over her lip, “that these days of hiding will not last. Your mother believes I will only lead you to heartache, but she is wrong,” he stated firmly, steadily meeting her gaze. “I would never dare.”

“I know,” Rose hastily assured him. “I believe you.” She proceeded to cut off any words he might have said by a brush of the lips quickly escalating into a deep kiss.

Both of them knew that before dawn broke they would be alone once again. As pink light streamed through Rose’s window, however, she knew her lonely mornings were limited. Erren had a promise to keep, and she trusted him to do just that.

[ʞ ɔ ǝ ɹ ʍ d ı ʞ s]

swindle gen. 1 // scarlet's pov // 3,742 words
I did it again and I regret nothing

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I have always been opposed to the use of brute strength in battle. Despite the fact that, compared to most enemies I come across I have virtually none, I have been helpless to it too many times to count. There is no glory, no honor, and no skill in overpowering an opponent smaller than you. It is a way that belongs only to the coward.

So naturally, when a brute of a man twice my height connected his fist to my jaw, I readily punched him back. Unsurprisingly I lasted two or three hits before hitting the ground, and with a torch in my hand that had been my dire mistake. The second Vin pulled me to my feet was the second we were gone.

I blamed myself, as it was entirely my fault. Would I have done it again? Absolutely. That raunchy bastard deserved every bruise he got, from me or otherwise.

In the meantime, the most I could do was grit my teeth as we ran, smoke stinging my eyes and throat. Heart pounding, I was surrounded by the ungodly mouth breathing of those surrounding me, as well as the distant roar and crackle of flame.

I felt my skull crack against brick as I slammed my back to an alleyway wall, growling under my breath as the pain shot through my head. “Where are the horses?” I barked at no one in particular, desperate enough to escape the black fumes to readily mount one of those horrific beasts Elizabeth called friends.

And by that, I mean the horses.

“The opposite direction, Tesoro.” The voice caught my attention, but the tone did not fool me. Vin had gone full circle, from calm to panic to calm again. His voice was deceiving, but one must only look at him to see his figure rigid and ruggedly handsome as it was- no. Now was not the time. Though… In my defense, last time we were caught by flames I did walk out married.

“We can not make it through the smoke.” Damn right. At least my husband wasn’t the one sniveling in the corner. “Going back through would choke her.” Aaand it’s gone. “Not to mention we only have our swords.”

I couldn’t help but scowl at bi- excuse me, Beth. It may very well have seemed that my nose wrinkled against the smoke, but indeed it was her pathetic state and I crossed my arms. Big bad Beth, hacking and wheezing her lungs out mere feet from where I stood, slowing us down as per usual. If she were as sensitive to smell as she’d claimed, she wouldn’t spend as much time with William as she did.

“Just go,” she rasped in the voice of a fifty year old man.

She sounded absolutely miserable.

It was fantastic.

“We will find anoth-ther way.”

What more did we need? I mean, if the lady insists-

My gaze made the mistake of drifting back to Vin. What I was sure must have been a content expression was viciously pulled from my face with a simple shake of his head. I would never understand how a man could be so alluring and infuriating at the same time- or perhaps infuriating was alluring? What a preposterous idea… Still, something to consider. At a… Later date.

I jumped with a start as the sound of approaching footsteps echoed down the corridor, impulsively drawing the sword from my belt with that oh so satisfying sound. The bastards escaped! Unfair.

“Drag her through it.” This witch’s respiratory state was the least of my concerns when men were braving flames just to point sharp objects in my direction. “If she can’t defend herself then it is not our job to keep her on her feet.”

I merely raised an eyebrow when she scowled and threw one of those… Weird… Bony fingers in my direction. Ugh, honestly, so little meat clinging to your frame must be uncomfortable.

“I am not a helpless welp.”

Oh love, tell that to the lung you just hacked up.

Vin attempted to console her, but only got violently denied as she drew that pathetic little splinter she called a weapon and charged into the blackness. I snorted and lazily turned my head to Vin with a sneer. “Obviously she doesn’t mind choking.”

I could only cackle at the expression on his face, though it quickly dimmed as William ran after Beth. The stupidity had suddenly plunged from amusing to sad. Nevertheless, I rolled my eyes and swung my blade in my hand and sacrificed a glance at Vin poised beside me. damn. So infuriating.

Once the first man flung around the corner I was ready and he hit the floor in mere seconds. The clang of metal surrounded me as both Vin and I were faced with opponents, though many of them continued in the direction Beth and Will had fled to. I guess we’d see who was helpless soon enough.

One last, brave man charged me as I heard a body thud to the ground on my right. I swung my sword into his with a force that sent him reeling enough for me to kick him to the side with a sharp heel, which caused a satisfying outcry before he was silenced by Vin’s steel plunging through his back.

Breathing heavily, I straightened up and smirked at the rigid man beside me. We made a better team when there was no need to speak.

Suddenly, I bristled at the sound of my name careening from the smoke. The pitch of it sent a chill down my spine, eyes wide. Sure, I had my doubts about Elizabeth holding her own, but I never expected that.

I was bolting forward before I was even aware I’d commanded my feet to do such a thing, flying blindly through the thick smoke until I emerged in a haze on the other side.

I cut down the first opponent in my line of view with ease, as I’m sure few men calculate the possibility of a woman with a sword emerging from the smoke in their strategy plan. I twisted among them until my back slammed against Beth’s, sword readied to strike. Normally I would not bother, but the desperation in her cry and the way she stumbled when we’d made contact hit an unfamiliar nerve. She was truly helpless, and leaving her to be overpowered was no better than doing it myself.

The faint echo of a voice made me turn my head to see Vin hoisting Will from the ground with an understandable air of irritation that ricocheted onto me. If you’re going to follow someone into the thick of battle, at least have the decency to defend yourself.

Distracted by the scene, I cringed when Beth cried out behind me, sword clattering to the ground. Before I could turn to investigate, she crashed into me with a force that knocked my breath clear from my lungs and the rest of me into the hands of the enemy. Before I could fully register what just happened, a hand was locked around my throat and my heels lifted from the ground.

I gasped, but to no avail, clawing at the arm that held me there with no more success. I hadn’t the leverage to kick and my blade lay helplessly on the cobblestones. All I could do was swallow the panic and glare at my dishonorable attacker. That is, until my vision began to grow fuzzy.

The commotion erupting around me was lost to the haze as black began to cloud the edges of my vision. What fight I could muster was spent digging my nails into this man’s arm, but it was no use. No, this isn’t it. This is not how I would die. It could not be.

All of a sudden, a welcome rush of air flooded my lungs as his grasp was released and I fell to my hands and knees, daring to cough only a few moments before I was on my feet again, scraping my cutlass back into my grasp. Teetering where I stood, I attempted to register my surroundings as my vision cleared. I blinked and narrowed my eyes at- was that William? Fighting?

The split second of pride I may have felt was immediately demolished.

I watched with growing horror as William slid from the man’s blade and crumpled like a ragdoll, only to be immediately caught by Beth before hitting the ground. My eyes flickered to the offender, rage welling in my chest when I caught the smirk on his disgusting face. It took only a few steps to close the distance between us and drive a sword through his back.

We were alone.

I thought the howl for my name would be the worst thing to escape Elizabeth’s throat, but I was so very wrong. The screech that followed was far worse, threatening the fire with its icy tendrils creeping along the walls.

I could only stare, dumbfounded as Will’s head lay in Beth’s lap, his eyes already glossy and her hands hovering; shaking. “William!” She screamed in a way that damn near made me sick. Vin’s hand touched her shoulder but she tore away.

“No! No,” Beth cried, her back arching dangerously as she gripped his head, her hair falling around them and sobs plaguing her already trembling body.

“William,” she wailed, tears falling freely from her eyes. “Stay with me,” she begged. “Don’t do this to me,” she cried with a shake of her head. “Don’t you do this to me, William Conway don’t le- don’t leave me!” Her pleas grew in desperation as the light only continued to fade from his eyes.

“Elizabeth!” Vin’s voice had grown dangerous in an effort to reach her. “We must leave! We will find help for him elsewhere!”

He was right. If she kept him here, he would surely die. Despite the pool of blood that soaked her lap and the cobblestones beneath, William still had a chance, but only if we left now.

I had no choice. I rushed over and grabbed one of her arms, helping Vin pry a thrashing and screaming Beth from the ground.

“No!” She cried repeatedly in a tone I would never unhear, her words echoing off the walls.

“Elizabeth!” I snarled, digging my fingers into her upper arms to keep her still, though her head still craned dangerously to the side and shook with her sobbing. “If we don’t leave, we all die,” I reminded her. Hopefully she grasped that the situation was very time sensitive.

My eyes flickered to Vin and he met mine briefly, chest heaving. I could not drag William through the streets faster than the fire would consume them, but if he could carry him Beth would surely follow.

---

Awkward did not begin to describe the long ride that followed once we’d found the horses. Beth had shut down and was in no state to hold control over a damn thing. So, white knuckles wrapped tightly around the reins of the beast bobbing carelessly between my legs, she hung limply on my back, though I was sure she was not asleep.

Meanwhile, William slumped against Vin’s chest, who remained tense and still despite the fact that I knew better than to believe his panic had fled. We’d hastily bound his wound and he was breathing- barely. This did not change the fact that each of us were smeared with William Conway’s blood.

Eventually, we came across a lone stable. Whether it was abandoned or it’s inhabitants were currently wandering the vast field was unclear and we could not stay long. Despite my coaxing and much to my frustration, Beth would not move once we’d stopped. Releasing a groan, I slid to the ground and pulled her off after me, which caused her to stumble. Good. She hadn’t gone completely brain dead after all.

“Scarlet.”

I turned my head towards Vin as he called my name- oh, no matter the seriousness of the situation I would never fail to find amusement in the way he struggled to say it.

I left Beth teetering to approach him. “What is it?” I asked, startled myself by how exhausted my own voice sounded.

“Help me get him down,” he voice in an equally tired tone, grasping Will by the shoulders.

Oh lord, alright. I reached up to clutch whatever I could as he limp form slid slowly from the saddle. I cringed when his boots hit the ground, but luckily my arms under his offered enough leverage to keep the rest of us from doing the same.

Vin dismounted in a second and offered to trade me William for Kaida. In all honestly, I’d prefer to drag his arse to the stables myself, though I didn’t seem to have a choice. Vin hardly had a quarrel with carrying William himself and I looked over my shoulder as he walked away.

“Best not let him know how easily you can carry him,” I called with a smirk, then paused. “If he wakes, that is.”

“He will wake.” The stern voice of Beth caught me by surprise and I turned to look at her with a puzzling expression. Oh, now she chooses to speak? “He must.” I swear I heard a crack in her voice before she turned to hastily follow them to the stables.

And so I was left alone with two horses, reins of one in my hand. Hesitantly, I looked up at the white mare and immediately glared. “I hate you,” I grumbled, but she only looked at me with the vague illusion of innocence. I scoffed. She was fooling nobody.

Blowing stray hair from my face, I hauled her after the others and luckily the black one followed without my having to touch it.

Once inside, Will’s wounds were rebound- properly this time. The bleeding had stopped but no doubt that would not last long if the blundering fool woke in a panic. The cool air of dawn gradually melted into the heat of mid-day and still that damned rooster would not shut its trap.

I sat on a bench that was pressed against the wall, Beth on my left having stared at nothing for the better part of however many hours we’d been there, though every now and then we’d get into a hushed argument over fault. Meanwhile, Vin slumped unconscious against my right side, the exhaustion finally getting to him.

Between the two of them, I did not dare move.

“I should have seen it.”

Oh gods above and below, here we go again.

“I should have-”

“We have been over this more than once,” I rasped, lacking the energy to make my response as snappy as I wanted it to be, though my following words were rather clipped. “He stormed over to protect you- and he did. It is not your fault. He will rest. He will be fine.”

“Romily wasn’t,” Beth whimpered, catching me off guard. After hours of repeating herself like a damned parrot, finally, something new. Desperate as I was for slight change, curiosity overcame me.

I turned my head and opened my mouth ready to inquire, but was only met by the image of Beth’s head in her hands and silent sobs shaking her. I instinctively recoiled, and I would have more had Vin’s dead weight not been keeping me from doing so. Then with a heavy sigh I thought, screw it. Straightening out again, my arm pressed against Beth’s and suddenly my claustrophobia fluttered out the door with the last care I had.

“Who is Romily?” I asked quietly, though more than anything it was to silence that god awful mewling of hers. I was expecting the answer to be along the lines of another horse or some random woodland creature, but it quickly became apparent that I was very wrong.

“She… Was a beautiful little girl.”

Oh. Oh, god. Suddenly I felt rather sick.

“She was with me for years,” Beth confessed, obviously uncomfortable about sharing this with me. Little did she know I understood more than she knew. “She followed me around until I just couldn’t bare to see her leave. I never knew the trouble we’d face.” She looked at me and the numbness on her face washed away as swiftly as irt in the rain. “This is exactly what happened to Romily. I let my guard down for a split second. She was stabbed. She never woke back up.”

Dread twisted like a dagger in my stomach and I could feel my muscles go slack. I had not even realized that Vin had woken until Beth’s gaze diverted over my shoulder. In that moment she shattered, turning her head away as if that would hide her obvious despair.

“Now I’ve lost them both,” she said in a pitifully small voice.

“William will be ok,” Vin offered quietly, slowly straightening beside me. At least someone filled the silence. “The wound was deep, but it will he-”

“And how long will you wait here for us?” Beth interrupted, whipping around as a different person than she was only seconds before. Her expression, though tear-streaked and red-eyed, was cold as stone, her voice closer to a growl. “If he does not wake today, or tomorrow, or the next - how long will you stay? How long will it be until you leave us to carry on?”

She shoved herself to her feet with more haste than she’d displayed all day, running her hands through her hair before facing us again.

“Just go,” she snarled in a way that made my own expression pinch with anger. “Just get it over with and go. You have bigger things to accomplish than watch him waste.”

“Elizabeth.” Vin spoke beside me, sleepiness still clear in his voice as he stood. Had it not for us, she would have allowed William and herself to perish, and now she was treating us no better than rats. “We will not leave you.” Excuse me?

I looked away in rage, only to meet the glint of a gaze that had questionably seen it’s last. “There will be no need,” I barked, shutting them both up as I shot to my feet and swung a finger in Will’s direction. “The bastard’s awake.”

Beth’s demeanor changed immediately and she flung to William’s side, fussing over him with tears brimming in her eyes. Suddenly I remembered why I put up with this at all. “I had no idea,” I whispered hoarsely, unaware that I’d said anything out loud until Vin’s hand was pressed to the side of my face and I looked up at him with lingering sorrow.

“Neither did I,” he murmured back. Suddenly, I realized why exactly he gave her so much slack. After what she did to him I never understood, but at that moment I think I did. She had her secrets. She had many of them. She’d been through more than most and he simply did not want to add to the heartache. It was ridiculous sentiment, but hearing her withering cries in the corner, I understood.

Will’s voice then caught my attention. “I got stabbed.”

The sentiment was gone. Lips pressed together, I whipped my head around to scold his idiocy, but stopped short. A heavy sigh escaped me, smiled on both of their faces despite the circumstances. Fine. Let them have their moment. It wouldn’t last long, as we had to be gone by nightfall.

Eventually, things were steady enough for Beth to feel comfortable leaving in search of water with Vin, as we very well could not eat musty hay and drink from a dried troph. I sat on the bench, angrily whittling away at a crooked stick and listening for the sound of pounding hooves to fade.

“You are stupid,” I spat, unable to keep my tongue behind my teeth any longer.

“You’re welcome,” he replied all too cheerily, and once my eyes flickered up I caught a stupid grin spread across his face. This enraged me.

I flung the stick against the wall and shot to my feet, marching to his side and looming over him in, what I could gather from his sudden change in expression, a very intimidating manner. I added to the effect by using my blade to gesture at him rather than a finger.

“She screamed all night,” I hissed. “I had to drag her for miles because she would not stop thrashing,” I continued with a brief flail of my arms, “and Vin carried you to this place. I helped him close that wound. If you ever so much as cause that amount of trouble ever again, I will just let you bleed to death right in front of Elizabeth. I had it under control.”

“Not from where I stood,” he snapped back with a surprising amount of ease. I wasn’t particularly sure what had gotten into him, but I was violently conflicted over whether or not it was a good thing. “Just say ‘thanks, Will’ and we can move on.”

My face fell to glare dangerously nonetheless. “Do not jump in my way again.” You can only cheat death so many times. “I can very well take care of myself.”

“Everyone needs help sometimes, Scarlet,” he breathed, his energy levels taking their toll.

“Not me,” I answered hastily. Not after what I just watched Beth go through. Parting this life was no qualm- it was inevitable- but being quick to leave behind those who cared was a different matter entirely. “Do it again and I will slit your throat myself.”

His replies ceased and I straightened up, swiftly exiting the stables before I went mad. I slowed once I walked through the door, standing in the grass in the sun and looking over the rare view of land. I sighed with the breeze that tickled my skin, though a solemn expression crept its way onto my face.

I couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened had he not found his bravery in those final moments. What would have happened, I wondered, if I had been the one to be dragged from the flames and lain upon a bed of hay. Would Beth scream for me? Would Vin shed a tear? I do not know the answers, and as I stood alone on the hillside with bruises creeping up my neck I supposed I never would.