Her head tilts, and she locks onto my profile, “she’s going to be different.” She repeats.
“I know–”
“She’s going to be different,” Millie says a third time, her voice becoming more insistent.
I meet her gaze and see that both of her cheeks are wet and her eyes puffy. “Mill…” A choked sob comes out, and she buries her face into her knees, muffling the sound. I rest my hand on the back of her head, pulling her shaking body into me.
A few beats later, her head lifts back up, and she roughly wipes the tears away with the back of her hand. “You know, I can’t get his face out of my head.”
“Who’s?” I ask, tearing off a piece of my shirt for her to blow her nose in. She takes it gingerly, offering me a small smile.
“Orem’s.” She says horsely. My stomach dips at the mention of Eveera’s fallen man. Poor kid was only twenty years old, and now he’s just another one of the many dead at the hands of my father and Baelor. “He practically tossed himself onto that sword. Huh… Max’s face when he realized… I threw up the deflection as quickly as I could, but I was so tired…”
“Millie. It’s not your fault.”
She bobs her head up and down violently, her lip catching between her teeth as she swallows down another sob. “I know that. But still, I can’t stop seeing his face. Especially after…” her voice dies down, and her lips clamp shut.After Eveera brought him back.I finish for her inside my mind. She takes a deepbreath, before turning her face to me again, “so that’s why I say – she’s going to be different.”
The words sting even worse the fourth time she says them. “How is Maxwell?” I ask, carefully trying to divert the conversation away from Eveera.
“As good as he can be.” The answer is simple and curt, her face growing pensive.
“What does that mean, exactly?”
Millie leans back onto her hands, resting her head on my shoulder, “when we find her, give her one day at a time. It’s all they can manage.”
One day at a time.
After Millie and my conversation on the roof, I felt more awake than ever. Once her soft snores started, I scooped her up and carried her back inside, where Max was up and waiting for her. He took her off my hands when I walked in the room, giving me a quiet thanks.
On my way out, I catch myself on the doorjamb and turn around to see him brushing a strand of hair off her face.
“Max?” He hums in response, not turning away from Millicent. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
Max’s hand freezes at the question, and he blows out a long breath, “yeah. You and your men can quit bitching at each other, all the damn time.”
“Noted.” I slap my palm against the frame and pull the door closed.
I’m halfway down the hall when I hear it creak open again, Max calling out, “Hey, princeling?” My eyes roll back at the term; it’s less endearing coming from someone else’s mouth.“You treat Eveera as fragile as you have me? Don’t expect to wake up the next morning.”
“Noted,” I repeat, leaving him behind in the hall.
I didn’t know exactly where it was I planned on going, I just knew I needed out. Out of those rooms, out of that in. If only I could get out of my own head and into someone else’s.
My walk landed me in front of a tavern we’d already searched, but I’m not here to look for her or question anyone. I’m here to drink.
The place is bare, all except for the barkeep who glances up when the bell above the door chimes. I take a spot at the end of the bar, and without saying a word, he slides an ale mug my direction. The bitter drink burns down my throat with each gulp that I take.
It’s not long before he’s refilling my cup; once, twice, and so on until the morning light starts to streak in from outside. When the rustlings of a new day start sounding outside, I toss a sack full of coins on the bartop, the two of us sharing a final nod as I stumble my way out of his business.
A wave of nausea hits me when I reach the street, and I fall into the building. Two hands grab hold of my shoulders, keeping me from keeling over, and I lift my head to see who it is.
Unfortunately, the person scowling back at me is Will. Well, Will and Max.
“Rorin?!” He hisses, throwing my arm around his neck.
“I’m f-f-fine.” I sputter as I fail to shake out of his hold.
He lets out an aggravated sigh and beckons for Max to walk on the other side of me. “You never cease to amaze me.” He grunts.
