If there was one good thing out of this journey, it was that Rose didn't seem to even acknowledge Gunnar touching her now. He walked up behind her, put his hands on her hips, and lifted her up onto the tree. She was a slight little thing, still too skinny, though he made sure she was regularly fed. Even with her pack on, he barely had to use his biceps to get her up onto the fallen trunk.
Planting his hand beside her, he leapt to the other side in one swift movement. And then he was there on the ground before her, lifting her down even as she continued to argue and ignore his existence.
"The elves weren't good," she insisted. "They were just... there. Powerful, yes, but that doesn't mean they were good or bad. Just that they had magic, and they were fiddling around with it and accidentally created all of you."
Magnus continued arguing with her, but Gunnar was more focused on the fact that she had ignored him. Completely. Maybe that should have stung a bit, but it was the first time since he'd gathered her up in his arms in the labyrinth that she hadn't flinched away or twitched when a person touched her. Even when Astrid grabbed onto her hand or arm, she always instinctively pulled back before she let it happen.
Rose just let him lift her up, move her around, and put her back on the ground without reacting at all. Like his touch no longer made her afraid.
He grinned, heading to the front of their group and looking for a campsite for their rest. When he found a clearing that was still covered by the treetops overhead, he announced they would stay here for the daylight hours.
Magnus was, as always, a pompous ass. He insisted he needed the tent because he was the prince. The last thing he should endure was sleeping out in the elements.
Gunnar couldn't care less. He enjoyed seeing Rose's features illuminated by the dappled sunlight. She was so invested in every experience they had out here, and it made his heart warm to see how much she loved the land around them. Almost as much as he did.
Magnus, predictably, headed into the tent instantly, and then it was just Gunnar and Rose. Staring at each other for a moment before her cheeks flamed a pretty red, and she stared into the flames of their campfire.
Sitting opposite her, he picked up a stick and poked at the burning branches for a little while. Letting her settle in. He knew it took some time for her to parse out her thoughts, and that conversations were still new.
"You've done well on this journey," he murmured.
She sucked in a breath. "You think? I feel like all I've done is slow you down."
"You've given me the opportunity to be more aware of our surroundings. We could have sprinted back to Trollveggen, but we might have run into a human patrol."
Rose looked at the fire pointedly. "If you're concerned about human patrols, you probably shouldn't have lit the fire."
He grinned. "You caught me."
"Well, regardless, I'm glad you let me be here." She'd sat down with her legs crossed, her fingers twisting in her lap. He'd noticed she had started picking at the skin around her nailswhen she was nervous, and she was doing that now. "I just... Well, thank you."
"You're welcome. You clearly needed to get out of Trollveggen for a while."
"I guess I did." Her words trailed off at the end, and she stared into the flames once more before heaving a sigh. "I'm just trying to get back to that other realm. I should probably tell you that. I... I told you that I was blocked, but only for a little while."
He hadn't expected a truth from her today. Looking across the fire at her, he stared at how the light traced around the pale length of her hair. "If you have to run again, I understand. But it's been nice being able to actually enjoy your company, Rose. Even if I only get a few days of it."
There was a long moment of silence after that. Just a quiet moment between the two of them while he continued to poke at the flames. Maybe he should start picking at his fingers too. He wasn't used to conversations having such long lulls in them. Gunnar could usually talk with the best of them, but he didn't want to push her. She didn't deserve that. She needed time to think through what she wanted to say, and that was exactly what she was doing.
Because then she whispered, "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you care? Why are you even trying after all this time? I've never given you any reason to continue keeping me safe." She held up her hand when he started to respond, silencing him. "I remember your vow, Gunnar. It's hard to forget. But that was just for stopping me on the cliff like you did before. You've also done more than that. You've always..."
She trailed off, but he knew what she meant. He'd always felt some kind of connection to her. And he couldn't explain why.
"I don't know," he replied. "I've seen your soul leave your body, fleeing this realm because you were scared or upset orsometimes even just lonely. I find things, Rose. I always find what people have lost."
"And you think I've lost myself?" she asked.
"Sometimes. Sometimes I think you remember who you used to be and then look at you now. You can't go back to that place in your head, but you're so vibrant. You're quick with the insults, and you know how to use a knife." He rolled his eyes when she snorted. "You know how to hold a knife, at the very least. All of these things I would never have guessed you could do only a few days ago."
"I'm only doing this as a means to an end. So I can leave my body again."
"I know," he murmured. "And I will still thank the gods for every second I got with you here."
"Even for me stabbing you?"
