Nor traitorous plots yet untold,
Fair slayer of beasts, before her fall,
The Bloody Bride of Northall!”
“They can’t be serious,” Keira gaped beside him.
“Congratulations,” Florian offered with a smirk.
“How come she gets a song?” Lilith protested. “There’d better be a verse in there about how we saved her ass!”
Keira’s brow furrowed. “How did they even know about the snake?”
That was a fair point, Florian considered, looking to Lilith. It seemed everyone else’s suspicions had landed on her as well.
“I may have told the story a time or two last night,” she admitted. “I didn’t know that lightweight was a bard though- you know what, I’m going to go have a discussion with him about creative differences.” Lilith stood from the bench, and no one made any move to stop her.
Keira only sighed as Caspian looked after her, clearly wondering if someone ought to intervene as she marched toward the singer.
With her gone, the breakfast table fell into a companionable conversation. Rhea and Keira discussed the Blades’s plans for returning to Grimlocke, when she expected to be able to visit or to pick up some of her things.
“Look who I found,” Lilith announced as she returned with Yvette following closely behind her.
Her brown eyes flashed to him and then quickly away as Lilith steered her onto the bench beside her.
“So sorry I slept in,” Yvette offered quietly.
“It was a late night,” Florian excused.
Her small mouth parted in surprise, and Florian kicked himself. It hadn’t been a late night, at least not for them. She probably thought he was making some kind of comment about her leaving early or worse, suggesting that he had indeed spent the small hours in another’s company.
“I mean-” Florian tried to recover, but faltered entirely. “You know, I think I might go lie down, actually.”
He tried to shake off the uncomfortable sensation of their eyes watching him as he left. However, it lingered until he had made it all the way up the grand staircase and out of sight. He sighed out a breath as he entered his room.
That was a disaster. For a moment he thought if he had only been able to talk to her alone then maybe… But then Lilith’s voice sounded in his ear. He hated to admit it, but she was right, at least in part. Florian needed to be patient, which was hardly a strength of his. But understanding was falling on him as he opened the door to his empty room. If he didn’t wait for her to heal, to be truly ready for something new, he could lose her entirely.
Fully dressed, he fell into bed. In the quiet, resolve grew within him. He would do what was best for her, even if it meant keeping a distance. Yet, with it fear settled in too. What if he did wait, until she healed. Once she was confident and whole again… What if she didn’t need him anymore?
Florian was in a shallow state of sleep when the door of his room opened. His eyes flashed open and alert only to relax again as he saw Knox’s shape filling the doorway.
“Sorry,” he mumbled.
“Don’t be,” Florian insisted, sitting up on the bed. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
Knox nodded and shut the door behind him.
“You disappeared last night,” Florian said.
“I just needed to get out. I didn’t think I’d be missed.”
His voice was casual, but still guilt twisted in Florian’s gut. “Are you happy?” he asked.
Knox turned from whatever trinket he’d been studying and looked at him with an odd expression. “Why would you ask me that?”
Florian sighed, standing up to close the distance between them. “Your sister expressed some concerns… That you weren’t happy with our arrangement.”
His brow arched. “Have I ever complained?”
