Evernight

[Elle Joyner]

As Thalion returned from his hunt, sinking down across from her to prepare the two Oilers, Minette looked up with casual acknowledgement, but as her gaze moved from hunter to hunted, a brow quirked and straightening up, she stared for a moment in silence. When she spoke, her voice was small, and carried with it a weight that could only be described as reverence, "You... you shot them both."

Thalion didn't waste. She knew this about him more than she knew anything. He abhorred the idea of it, in fact, because in Evernight, you never knew when you were going to need something, and need it most desperately. Yet there was no denying the marking on the flesh of the bird-like creature... it had been pierced by an arrow, as had it's mate. He hadn't allowed it to kill itself, but had shown it mercy, and the idea of that... fathoming it was awe inspiring. He was not a romantic person... not by any definition of the word, and she had never minded, because it was enough that she knew he cared for her. He had told her he loved her, shortly before Gregian had sought to end him, and she hadn't questioned it... didn't question it now.

But this seemed such a gesture, and it was impossible not to see affection behind it, even if it was more crude than eloquent poetry or flourishing words. Somehow, it meant so much more than those things might have. For him to try... for him to want to try. It almost made it equally as impossible to hold in her own emotional reply.

Tears pricked at her eyes and looking down at the small pile of sticks she had been splitting apart to add to the fire, she nodded, using the back of her hand to dry her cheeks. Absently, she pulled a few sticks free, setting them aside, "These should work for a spit. Here... give me one of those. You don't need to clean them both."
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Thalion didn't care for romantics. He didn't openly show much affection towards Minette, no matter how he felt about her. Most of his time was spent acting and being incredibly solemn, cold, indifferent. Whether Evernight made him that way or it just came naturally, it was hard to say. Many, had they actually had the opportunity to meet him, would have thought him emotionless or uncaring, but Thalion was neither. In fact, he cared a great deal, though his methods of expressing it were unorthodox at best.

The flank of one Oiler was section and quartered into lumps of meat that Thalion was piling on the ground. Blood oozed between his fingers and collected in to dark tarns on the soil, absorbing only slowly. "Yea," he answered Minette, even though it wasn't a question, and dug his knife blade first into the ground to peel back the Oiler's hide with both hands. It was tough skin and the black inky grease that coated the entire animal mingled with its blood. His hands were already coated in the mixture, making it difficult for him to piece through it but his expert hands knew every bone, ligament, and muscle. Before long, the one Oiler was beginning to look less like an Oiler and more like a broken down butchered animal of identifiable origins.

"You sure?" though by the time he asked for confirmation, he was already grabbing one of the winged mammal's carcasses and flopping it over to the dirt in front of her, where it twisted around unnaturally.

A groan rolled through the camp, but not from any animal Thalion had ever heard. His eyes shifted to Gregian, who had been propped up against a tree. The man's hands came to his head and then dropped down to his face, breathing deeply into his palms as he groaned out a second time, this time in more pain than confusion.

"You're awake," Thalion mentioned off-handedly, picking up his knife by the hilt, "Welcome back. Perhaps you'll be of more service during our trip tomorrow." Dragging the man behind them was getting old.

Gregian's hands pressed up his face until they reached the spot of the gash. Curiously, his fingers explored the wound and he couldn't help but whine in pain when he pressed against it. "Wh-what?" he blinked, his vision clearly blurry from the way he looked around and tried to tilt his head in all directions to get a clear picture. "Thalion? You're… you're alive?"

"You don't remember then?" Thalion asked, though after a blow like the one the man had taken to his head, he wasn't surprised.

"How did I—I?" he motioned to his head, "Was I attacked?"

"You were," Thalion snorted, "By a very vicious rock. It just jumped out at you right out of nowhere."

"A rock? This is a very strange land."

Thalion snorted, rising to his feet, "Sorry Duke, but we're gunna have to tie you up. Can't have you runnin' amuck."

"Tie me up?" Gregian snapped his hands back and went to scramble backwards on his hands and butt, "Absolutely not."

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[Elle Joyner]

Minette smiled faintly at his question, as he tossed the other oiler in her direction. A few weeks ago, she might have reconsidered, but she had grown so accustomed to it... to all of it, and truth be told, some bits she even enjoyed. It was a bit of a thrill, learning to take care of herself, to provide for herself, to build a fire and hunt and gather. She didn't care much for the gorey details, and breaking down dead creatures was hardly ritualistic in her mind, but it was all part of the changes that she had undergone, and she would take the bad if it meant the good came with it.

As she set to work, quietly sectioning the creature the way that Thalion had taught her, she glanced up at the groan, frowning heavily at the sight of the duke, rousing from unconsciousness. He spoke and the voice that carried in their direction sounded free of the toxins, but the shock behind it was a little unexpected. Then she recalled that he hadn't actually seen Thalion rise. For a moment, she considered that it might have been a mistake, taking him along with them. If he hadn't know... he would have nothing to tell Thalia.

But whatever monstrosity he had briefly become back at the bonfire, he seemed to have tempered, and the words that came from his lips sounded almost normal. A brow quirked as he scrambled away from Thalion and setting the Oiler meat aside, Minette rose, wiping her hands off before approached the duke.

"You're lucky you've been brought along at all. For what you did and for what you tried to do, it's nothing you deserve, trust me. Now cooperate, or we can tie you to a tree, instead, and leave you behind once and for all."
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"But I'm a Duke!" It was his go-to argument. Thalion wondered how many times he had heard those exact words… at least a hundred since they first encountered one another, and it was a stale excuse.

"Perhaps, but in Evernight… you are but a meal to a much larger animal," Thalion remainded him carelessly. As he approached, the Duke scattered back more violently than before, turning to try and scramble up to his feet and run but he was too slow. There was no denying the predator that lurked beneath Thalion's skin and he sprung with cat-like precision, tackling Gregian and throwing him to the ground. His hand quickly bolted for the Duke's throat, pinning him under his mass and the weight of his knee with a half smirk. He was almost amused by the Duke's halfhearted attempt to escape.

Gregian, once caught, stopped attempting to struggle and relaxed, letting himself be hauled to his feet. Thalion fetched a rope from his satchel and promptly restrained Gregian to the tree. He didn't say anything, letting himself be tied up in a defeated manner. He knew better than to try and run a second time, knowing Thalion's capturing of him would not be nearly as friendly the next time around.

"We'll feed you," Thalion explained, going back to his previous task of breaking down his Oiler, though it was mostly done. Once he had finished, doing as much as he could with a small knife that was dull, at best. Using Minette's sticks, he began to pyke the meat and roast it over the flames. Within minutes, the warming smell of meat began to waft through the air, and Thalion coaxed the fire to be big and bright, to deter predators from following their noses to the meal. His nose started to get the better of him though because as the meat began to roast, his stomach crinkled with discomfort and hunger almost immediately.

"I'm pretty hungry," he mentioned off-handedly to Minette, "You want a few pieces?"

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[Elle Joyner]

It was a little embarrassing, really, to witness how quickly Gregian was taken down. But this was the life of nobility... This was how people like her and Gregian were raised. He would never survive in Evernight on his own... and despite her threat, she knew that she wouldn't be able to leave him behind. Even if a part of her wanted to, just for the sheer justification of it, the idea would torment her... and it wasn't worth it to feel that way about him.

Thalion secured Gregian to the tree and as he did, Minette returned to breaking down the Oiler. When Thalion joined her and placed the birds on the spit, she wiped her hands on her cloak. They never seemed to stay clean anymore... but she supposed that came with life in Evernight as well.

Sinking down, she pulled her bag to her next, taking inventory of the supplies she had left within it. She had stocked up as well, before leaving the Antropoe village. It had been difficult, taking things from people who had so willingly sacrificed their lives for her and Thalion, but in the end she knew that Fal would think she was being stupid if she hadn't taken them...

Fal... Funny to think that he was somehow a part of Thalion. That they all were, to some degree. Each facet of his personality. In a way, they lived through him, even if he didn't show it, even if he didn't even know it.

Looking up as he spoke again, she smiled, nodding faintly, "A few, sure..."
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The meat browned and the smell continued to entice his gut. His stomach growled and he squirmed in his seat to try and silence the rumbling. The meat was barely cooked enough to be considered not still alive before Thalion ripped it off the flames and pulled a chunk away from one of the steaks. The stringy meat pulled apart with ease and Thalion quickly popped it into his mouth, feeling a painful crinkle roll through his gut. The taste was terrible; Oiler always was. That didn't stop him from eating another piece with haste.

"Here," Thalion pulled another section off the spike and extended it out to Minette, before returning the spike back to over the flame so it continued to cook. "We'll have to cook up the ones we're takin' with us really good," he mentioned, though more to himself than to Minette.

"Don't forget about me," Gregian said, his voice cutting through Thalion's skin like a chunk of broken glass. Dark eyes darted up, rolling like an ominious stretch of clouds on a horizon threatening a thunderstorm.
"You'll eat when I'm ready to let you eat," Thalion growled, having no patience for the little man. It was more than enough that Minette had kept him alive, knowing Thalion would have let him behind long ago. It was of no concern to him what happened to Gregian truly, but Thalion tolerated him because Minette wished to keep him alive for her own conscious. That, Thalion could deal with. Gregian, Thalion could not. Turning back to what he was doing, he continued to roast meat.

"Do you have room in your pack?" he asked, nudging his own with the tip of his foot. "Mine is pretty full." Food was important. They could follow a stream or a river for fresh water, but he didn't know how much hunting and gathering would be available the further West they trolled. As he had mentioned before, he had been to the West on a few occasions but only for brief interludes… he never stayed long enough to need to search for food or water sources.

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[Elle Joyner]

He was pushing his luck, Gregian. Every minute he was awake and opened his mouth to speak, she regretted more and more bringing him with them. Thalion's patience, however thin, was standing, but her own was beginning to wear down, considerably. He acted like a spoiled child, one with very little idea of how the world around him worked, and that he would dare to speak to Thalion with such little regard was enough to infuriate the generally mild mannered princess.

But a lecture wasn't worth it. Not really. Not when it would do absolutely nothing to change him. She had discovered that when she had bought him along to the Antropoe camp and he had exhibited such detestable behavior. In so many ways, he seemed incapable of change, and the thought frustrated her to no end.

Picking at her meal, her appetite having faded since Gregian awoke, she watched the duke with a small frown, shaking her head as he fell silent again, following Thalion's chastening.

Thalion then turned to her and nodded, Minette pulled her bag closer, "I have room... I'll need to see if I can replace some of the herbs we've used, too. There's no telling what's out west, and I want to be prepared for anything..."
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"Mmm," he gave a nod, "From what I remember and have told you, it's just a grassland, nothing too exciting. There were grazing mammals I remember. Fast little devils. I named them once, but I forgot what I had named 'em." Most of the creature names Thalion had told Minette were of his own creation. After living so long in Evernighth among only creatures, he learned and saw most of them and gave them species names to remember them by. Though many creatures of Evernight were left without a title, Thalion seemed keen on naming every new creature he happened upon.

His wicked memory remembered near every single one, too.

He continued to nibble at their meal in silence, listening to the universe around them. He heard every crackle of the underbrush and every breeze in the canopy. The sound of wings beating against the headwind were enough to cause him to stir and look skyward. The wings cut through the air with swift majesty, unlike the soft whistling of an Oiler's wing. It also didn't hum like a dragon's wing would have. Whatever the animal was, the sound of its beating wingspan made it out to be incredibly large. "Hear that?" he asked, arching up to his feet as he continued to look up to the sky.

The large bird dominated the sky as was his birthright, spreading wings that were as broad as they were black. He was easily the size of a dragon, but his body was covered in a thick pelt of inky black feathers that gleamed in the low light of the moon—making him more of a moving shadow than an actual object. The caw bellowed from its beak was with enough tenor that it caused Thalion's chest to rumble.
As quickly as the bird appeared, it vanished. It shrunk into the darkness of the night sky until it was consumed by it—heading Westward.

"A Roc," Thalion murmured in disbelief, still standing and squinting into the darkness for a lingering moment before he finally resigned himself to taking a seat again. "Never thought I'd see one again," he admitted, "Only ever seen one. Damn thing near ripped my arm off. Gave me a bad scar." He turned back to the meat and pulled it off the fire, stretching the strip out over a rock to cool before being packaged and stored.

"Can't same I'm a big fan of 'em, those Rocs. All about nobility and honour, the lot."

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[Elle Joyner]

Grassland. For a moment, only a moment, Mine tte dared to think that they might be able to pass through with little trouble - that maybe they might get lucky for once. But this was Evernight and nothing was ever that easy. Even when Thalia wasn't directly responsible for their troubles, there was always -something- out there to be worried about. It might even have been an amusing thought, except that it generally mean running for their lives.

"I guess we'll find out. Hopefully nothing too horrible..." Gesturing to his bow, she smiled faintly, "We never did get around to you teaching me how to shoot one of those--" The smile faded as she picked up on the sound over head and following Thalion's gaze she shifted, almost instinctively, moving closer to him as she tipped her head back. Catching his arm, she gasped. It was enormous. Enormous, and quite frankly, terrifying...

But it didn't dive as she expected it to. It was there, hovering, and then it was gone again, passing over them as if it had never been there at all. Breathing out, she released Thalion and as he spoke again, she blinked, "I'm quite alright if that's as close as we ever get, quite frankly. Honor and nobility aside, that thing was far too big for my liking."

Looking to Thalion again, she blinked, studying him for a moment, "...The one on your shoulder?"
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Thalion watched the giant bird until it became one with the sky, quickly vanishing into the clouds. It seemed to be heading the same direction they were, though he hoped by the time they reached the Cliffs, the Roc would be long gone. The thought caused him to wonder if perhaps Rocs nested in the cliffs at the metaphorical edge of the map. Past the grasslands were the giant cliff rock faces that he had spoken about a few times, and he wondered if they nested there. It would make sense, he thought, but he couldn't be sure. He hadn't interacted with them much… and with good reason.

"Mm," Thalion nodded to her question, "Yea, that one."

It was a nasty scar and hard to miss. Though most of his little scars and marks all blended together until it was hard to tell where one began and another ended, the one given to him by the Roc was deep and pronounced. The scar tissue had puckered in long stripes, a set of four, where the talons had connected and nearly ripped all the flesh straight from his bone. The wound had nearly killed him from bleeding out alone, and the recovery time nearly left him starved as he had a hard time hunting and caring for himself. The sight of the Roc caused a familiar twang of the discomfort to ripple up from his shoulder. It was all in his head, but the pain felt real.

"I wouldn't mind never seeing that damn thing again, either," he admitted. He had a dislike for dragons, always had, but Roc he hated. They believed in nobility and good intentions, but they were violent and lashed out against things that failed to meet their expectations. The last thing Thalion wanted to do was get tangled in another one's claws… or worse, have Minette meet the wrong end of one. "I'd take any dragon over that thing. Any day."

His eyes turned to her, softening a ways before giving her a gentle nudge with his shoulder. "Well, whatdya say? Should we feed our dear Duke and go to bed? You should rest. I can take the first watch shift."

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[Elle Joyner]

The scar had frightened her, the first time she had seen it... so deep and grisly. She had wondered what happened, but had never asked. Really, she hadn't asked much about any of his scars. He was a map of them, and curiosity was nearly impossible to ignore, but bringing up past harms had never seemed appropriate, and it wasn't in her to drag him back to any place he wasn't willing to go on his own. To hear him share about the Roc, even vaguely, was enough for this time being...

Smiling dryly, she shook her head as he went on, pulling her eyes away from the skies to meet his gaze, "I think I'd rather do without either of them, to be perfectly honest. Evernight needs more little creatures... Little and manageable. Preferably with blunt teeth and soft feathers. Then again, even the plants here try to kill you, so I don't suppose that matters much."

Turning her eyes to Gregian, she nodded slowly. They couldn't starve the man, but she wasn't about to give any more than was absolutely necessary... regarding food or their time and energy, "He can feed himself, though. Just give him an arm to work with. I'm finished letting him behave like a spoiled, rotten princess."

Shifting, she met his gaze again, "As for rest, I'm alright if... if you need to sleep. I don't think I'll be able to, really." Frowning softly, she wrapped her arms around herself, "Every time I close my eyes, I see something I don't want to. I just keep seeing it, over and over... and I don't fancy going through that, right now."
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"Oh, Evernight has little creatures," he confirmed, "Like Lilegifs. I don't think you've ever met one… sly and crafty lil' buggers. Mostly harmless, though. They have soft feathers, for what it's worth."

Scratching a hand through his hair and pushing the inky black tresses away from his tanned face, Thalion gave a sigh and kept looking skyward, as if expecting to see the Roc again. The bird never remerged, but he kept a wary eye towards the night sky, even as he moved towards Gregian and freed one of his arms. He gave the Duke an Oiler shoulder to eat for supper. The man must have gotten the hint because he ate voraciously, but quietly and without complaint. Once he had finished, he didn't even complain when Thalion kicked away the rest of the carcass and tied his arm back where it was, mumbling something about taking him out to relieve himself come morning.

"Well," Thalion moved towards the fire with a swiftness in his step. He burned what leftovers of the Oilers remained—the bones and cartilage—and added a bit more kindling to the fire to coax it to life for at least the start of the night. "You need rest, like it or not. Else you're just gunna fall over in exhaustion." Carrying Gregian had not be any small feat and Thalion knew that she must have been physically exhausted because he was, and while he couldn't claim he was in much better shape than she was anymore, he knew they were at least on par with endurance. So, if he was tired, he could guess she probably was, too. The forest was dark and foreboding, but there was peace in its sullen ambiance and Thalion found it almost relaxing. He settled on to the forest floor, flush with a previous autumn's leaves, and nuzzled his back against the trunk of a tree.

He pressed his hands into the ground and breathed in deep. When he exhaled, he forced the stress of the day out with it. His senses were always alert, there was no denying that his ears were listening intently, but he seemed to unwind some. "Come here," Thalion spoke again after a moment, opening his arm for her in a rare demonstration of affection. Even with Minette, who he had made it quite clear he was fond of and attached to, he didn't often display affection. Whether it was a natural aloofness or simply because he didn't really know how, Thalion was always a little stand-offish. But seeing her wrapping her arms around herself, likely exhausted, and frustrated with Gregian was just enough for him to try and lure her to rest.

"Come try and rest, even if you can't sleep."

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[Elle Joyner]

She watched with mild interest as Thalion moved to feed Gregian, surprised, really, that the duke gave little to no protest at his treatment. She wasn't foolish or arrogant enough to assume anything she'd said or done had challenged his perspective of the world, but all she really cared about was that he was silent, for now, and she needed that... abjectly. She didn't necessarily regret her decision to take him with them - in her heart she knew that it was the right thing to do - but at the end of a long, tiring day, when she had carted his ungrateful backside for miles and miles, she was glad at least that he had enough common sense to keep him mouth shut.

Thalion returned and as he sat down and opened his arms to her, there was barely a hint of hesitation before Minette went to him. Any odd displays of affection were appreciated, but few more than when she most desperately needed him. In those moments, Evernight, Thalia, Gregian, Doyle... none of it mattered. There was only her and Thalion and the world that they would carve out, together. Sinking down against his chest, she curled her knees up and laid her head against his shoulder, her ear settled comfortingly against the steady rhythm of his heart.

As she collapsed, so too did the guard she had upheld throughout the day, her energy and countenance depleting ever so slightly as a tear rolled along her cheek. Reaching up, she brushed it away hastily, "I dreamed about her..." She whispered, sniffling softly, "Your mother. I... I dreamed that she had one of those orbs for me. And she asked me if I thought it was worth it... to give up my soul for yours. I know it wasn't real. But... but it felt real. It felt so real... and I can't get her out of my head. The thing is... I know the answer. But it scares me, that I might not be strong enough to give it, should come to it. I see him... what he's done. How quickly he changed, out of fear... out of jealousy... and I'm afraid that I... that I could be just as weak."
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The warmth of Minette's body pooled against his chest as she, without hesitation, sunk into his chest. Immediately, his arms closed around her tiny shoulders and he brushed his thumb soothingly back and forth. It was as if everything just melted away from her in that moment because he could see her guards and walls begin to chip away until she had to shakily swipe a tear away from her face with a sniff. He was never very good at these types of situations—what to do, what to say—but she had always assured him that, sometimes, just listening was enough. So, he listened. His eyes were closed and his head was tilted back against the bark of the tree, but he was listening.

It was impossible not to know he was listening to her.

When she concluded, his eyes cracked open a little. Just enough that he could make out a hazy image of her from underneath beams of dark eyelashes. It was dark out, but he could see the halo of her imprint from where the stars illuminated certain parts of her. "Well," he began slowly, "A few months ago, I would have told you weakness was the worst thing to have in Evernight and I probably did a few times." He was almost certain he had. After all, he had always believed weakness meant death and in some instances it nearly had. "But, maybe it's not always bad, y'know? You woulda been dead had it not been for my own weaknesses." He pointed out. After all, he had been sent to kill her and hadn't been able to. For a long time, he had cursed that weakness in himself, but he knew he would never go back to change it.

"You n' Gregian were actually a bit alike when you first came here," he chuckled softly, glancing over Minette's shoulder to the Duke. "You woulda done anything to get home, n' I can't blame you for that but… you got over it where he didn't. You're plenty strong, Minette. You're not gunna become Gregian. As for my mother…" his head rolled to the side, looking across and sighing, "Nothing I can do about that. She's in every part of this place because she made it. You can't escape her. We'll just have to let come what comes, I guess."

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[Elle Joyner]

"Ha!" Giving him a gentle swat on the arm, Minette straightened up, "I was not as bad as Gregian..." But she had been, she knew it. She had been spoiled and selfish, and she had behaved... well, she had behaved like a princess. How Thalion hadn't just left her in the middle of the desert, or dropped her into a river somewhere, she would never know. It didn't seem like weakness on his part, however. It seemed quite the opposite. He could've given his mother what she wanted, and maybe she would've delivered on her end of the deal or maybe not, but the fact that he didn't even try spoke wonders to his character.

In a lot of ways, it was part of what had broken down Minette's own walls... and it was certainly a contributing factor to how deeply she'd come to care for him. He was right - they weren't going to escape his mother - Even if they somehow managed to get out of Evernight, even if they managed to defeat her back in Doyle, she was always going to haunt their thoughts. She would be a part of their lives whether or not they survived this ordeal.

But that didn't mean that she had to dwell. It had been a terrible dream, absolutely, but it was over, now. And all she could do was move past it... move past it or find a way to grow from it. And wasn't that what Evernight had been for her? The chance to grow, to become something more than a coddled princess. She had done things, seen things, that she never thought were possible and while it hadn't all been easy, it had driven her... He had driven her.

Smiling faintly, she reached out and tenderly, cupped her fingers along his jaw, shaking her head, "A lot of that strength I can attribute to you, you know? I would never have made it if it weren't for you. It's not just surviving out here... it's who I am as a person. If we make it back, I feel like I could be proud of myself, now. Like I've got worth to me... that I never had before you came along. Maybe Evernight is her domain... but there are parts of it that she can't touch. This? You and me... that's one."
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There was almost a little smirk on his face. It would have been easy to miss, but there was a simple way just the corners of his lips turned that made him look a little deviant and playful. It was an expression that very rarely graced Thalion's face, but when it did, it lit up his eyes with a little twinkle. "You were just as bad as Gregian," he clarified, "I know, I was there and had to deal with you." She hadn't been, of course. She had been a pain to deal with (and still was, sometimes), but she had gotten better quickly. It hadn't taken her long to realize what Evernight was all about, and her spoiled princess routine just wouldn't work in his universe.

Her fingers coiled around his jaw and cheek, pressing into the skin that was painted burnt sienna. The weight of his head dipped against her touch a little, his head angling downwards and causing him to look up to her. "I know you never would have made it if it weren't for me," he mentioned off-handedly, "That sea beast would have gotten you had I not been there, hmm?" The day they had met. They had both done a lot of growing since that day. Minette might have become stronger, but Thalion became a warmer, gentler version of himself. He had been more tolerant of Gregian than he ever would have been in the past—he knew there was no denying the fact he would have left the Duke behind if they had met only a few months earlier.

Thalion would always be Thalion—a bit aloof, cold, and stern, but he had shifted a great deal. He had matured and grown, he had shown there was more soul to him than anyone would have believed, even himself. His actions surprised him daily. The words coming out of his mouth surprised him—hell, loving Minette astonished him. He didn't even know he could love, but perhaps that was the defining difference between himself and his mother, he knew how to love where she did not. She had never shown love to any person, not even her own son.

"See? You just talked yourself into getting rest," he pointed out, "Close your eyes n' try and sleep a bit. If you have a nightmare, just… be all… spiritual n' hopeful again." He let his head fall back against the tree again, curling his arms a bit tighter around her. "I'll be awake. You can babble at me more if ya want."

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[Elle Joyner]

Someday she would tell him, though whether or not it would matter she didn't know, how much that little smirk meant to her - how much it all meant to her. It was subtle, but it was there, how he had changed... and whether or not he ever became that shimmering, sterling knight didn't matter. He loved her, and that was enough. It would always be enough for her. And she loved him, more and more with each passing day. More now, that she had discovered the pain of losing him, than she could ever imagine.

"Maybe I was..." She murmured quietly, as he teased her about her resemblance in behavior to Gregian. It was true, she had been... still sometimes was difficult. But both of them had grown, and still had room to grow. That, she supposed, was what made what they had work. They were both somewhat broken, somewhat fragile... incomplete and unsure. But they had learned from each other, and they would continue to do so... as long as they could. Forever, if Thalion would allow it.

Smiling gently, she brushed her thumb across his jaw before letting her fingers fall, her hand dropping to her lap as she curved into his embrace. A soft yawn punctuated his comments, and while she was still frightened, still wary of the dreams that might come, she knew that he was right. She was exhausted, and she couldn't avoid sleep forever, or it wouldn't matter what Thalia threw at them, she would never make it.

Tipping her head back, she relaxed against his hold, looked up at him, eyes wide and bright, smile soft, "I love you, Thalion. Every piece of you... no matter how broken or marred."
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The silver moons were high in the sky giving off the only light, apart from the fire in the pit, whose kindling light died only inches from its flames. The two moons in Ever ight never followed any sort of pattern that Thalion could ever make sense of. They'd go from new and crescent one night to full the night to a waning half the third. It was nice having the moons be full that night though, because he appreciated how the landscape was silvered and transformed by their light, which, at full, hung like great luminous pearls. The light did something startlingly beautiful for Minette, too. Her skin resembled marble dusted with light specs of gold, eyes the shadow of a winter sky fading into spring greens in the desaturating light, and hair that was luminescent.

There was a lovely way her long lashes framed the gleam in her eyes when her full lips would curl into a mischievous grin. The same mischevious grin that fell away into a loving smile as she brushed her thumb across his jaw and let her hand settle in her lap. He knew what he meant to her, even if she never told him. Truthfully, he wouldn't want her to tell him all that often as it wasn't necessary and Thalion didn't like things that were unnecessary.

"I love you too, Minette," he responded with honesty, feeling comfortable in letting those words fall from his chest. He had a soul, as it were, but he was learning he had never needed one to love her in the first place. Love, he was learning, didn't come from a soul… or a heart… or a brain or a body. It came from all of them. It came from every piece of himself until it saturated every fiber of his being. He hadn't a soul, but he had loved her.

Pressing a warm kiss to her temple, Thalion tucked her into his chest. "Now sleep," he said, returning back to his usual and uncharismatic self. The longer they kept dilly-dallying with all these silly emotions, the lest rest she would be getting. "We will rise at first light and continued West… we'll see what we find out there." He didn't know what they would find in the West. Maybe everything, maybe nothing. The uncertainty was wiggling its way beneath his skin, making him tense and uncomfortable.

Alas, there was nowhere else for them to go.

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[Elle Joyner]

He'd said it once before... and she had been sure that there would never be a better moment in her life. Then Gregian, in the span of a few seconds, had almost ruined it. He had broken the orb and she'd been certain she lost him. Lost Thalion forever, and lost those three beautiful words. But here they were, out beneath the stars and those two beautiful moons and he spoke them again, setting her heart loose in her chest.

Tears bristled, and she said nothing as she curled closer to him. She didn't need to. He knew everything there was to know - and if a hundred years passed right then and there and she never said another word, he would still know. And that made her so much more determined than she had been before. They were going to make it. They were not only going to survive, but they were going to get out... free themselves of Thalia's clutches, find the tear and get home.

They were going to find her, rise up against her and take her down and then... then they would figure out what was next, then they would figure out what to make of their lives - together. She didn't care anymore what purpose she had, so long as he was a part of it. And he would be. If it meant renouncing all she owned, her title, her land, her name... she would. And she would never look back. Not even once. Because it had meant so little to her before, but it meant nothing, now.

With a soft sigh, she laid her head down on his chest and as her eyes fell closed, she allowed herself to drift... There were no dreams that night. No thoughts of Thalia. Maybe the woman had forgotten her. Maybe she simply didn't care, now that she was so sure she had won... but Minette thought, and liked to think, that Thalia simply couldn't find a way in.

Maybe in a way, they were already winning the war against his mother. Maybe they already had...
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[Nav]

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Thalion drifted in and out during the night. He never slept long or hard enough to be completely ignorant of what was happening around him, but he let his mind rest periodically. The longer he rested, the more the ache in his muscles rose. There was a dull, pulsing pain of soreness throughout his entire body, likely from having to carry half of Gregian's weight for such a long way. He could only hope the man would be more conscious the next day to walk a bit more on his own two feet. The Duke hadn't made even a squeak since he had eaten that evening, and for that, Thalion was appreciative. The silence was welcome.

The coming morning was just as assured as the tides and just as unstoppable. The morning wasn't grey, but soothing lavender and brilliant amber. The colors merged into neon pink and peach. He awakened early each morning to the lines of sunlight flares that shot for his eyelids. The air was incredibly clear, dewy in his lungs, and the long shadows distinct as they stretched out behind the trees. Yawning, he rolled his shoulders back a ways and stretched out. With a soft nudge, he managed to get Minette out from on top of him, resting her down on the damp soil as he rose to his feet. The muscles all along his back and legs continued to bark with pain, but continued to relax as he stretched and articulated them.

Gregian was already awake, looking desperate and uncomfortable. "Please," he breathed out, "Please, I must relieve myself… please let me."

Thalion arched his eyebrows unsympathetically at the Duke, considering just letting him sit with his discomfort (or eventually in his own filth). A few months ago, Thalion would have done just that, but knowing Minette would have been disappointed in those actions, Thalion sighed and went to tug loose the man's ropes. "Fine," he stated, "Go. But you try and run? You try and run and I will catch you and I will skin you alive and let you bleed out and allow the animals to feast on you."

The Duke didn't need to be told twice. He moved immediately off a shortways to where he was hidden behind the brush. He didn't run, Thalion noted, as he could still hear the man as he took care of business. As promised, he returned a short while later: Thalion's thread seeming to be enough to keep the Duke behaving.

He was learning. Slowly but surely, he was learning when to keep his mouth shut and when not to mess with status quo. Not a single complaint had come out of his mouth—not about the meal or about being tied up. Not about being threatened or having to ask to use the loo. Whether it was earnest or just a show, Thalion couldn't decide.

"You well enough to walk on your own today?" Thalion asked, "I'm real sick of carryin' you."
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