Soft Hold and Gentle Hands

They ended up in front of Rowan's fireplace, who took a moment to rouse the embers back into a crackling fire and Adelia sagged back into the cushy couch with a long exhale.

She felt a creeping exhaustion now, however, she had to admit, even though the day had only just begun. Confronting Emmertal and getting him to choose and drink the poison, hiding it from him, had taken more out of her than she had expected.

She had spent the past week sleeping as little as possible, using every moment she could experimenting and building and hoping it was enough. Secretly, deep down, she was nothing but glad that she hadn't been alone in that endeavor. That Lord Ivan and Sorceress Iva had been there with her, offering their priceless expertise and knowledge and ideas. They had made all this possible in the first place.

"Your heart has calmed," Rowan remarked with a warm little smile as he joined her on the couch, sitting turned towards her, his knee almost brushing hers. "I'm glad to hear it. I know the past week was incredibly stressful for you."

Adelia exhaled heavily and sank a bit more into the cushions, tipping her head to the side to look at him. At this powerful vampire with lake-dark eyes and a quiet but impossible to miss appreciation for her shimmering in his gaze.

She felt safe here, with him, as though no harm could befall her here. She felt at home and she wished he would be closer. She wished to sink into his embrace and all at once, her love for him, which had grown so quietly and steadily and so very solidly, rising within her. It filled her like yearning warmth.

She wanted to tell him, she realized. She wanted to hold her heart out to him, fully knowing and trusting that no matter his answer, it would be safe regardless. She would be treated with dignity and kindness and respect.

But if it got accepted, if he wanted her like she wanted him, oh what a beautiful thing that would be. She wanted that. She wanted to make that leap. She had already be daring once today, she could do it again and this time for a far more pleasant and lovely reason than desperate murder.

When she held out her hand, he took it readily, his bigger hand gently clasping hers, cool and unmistakably strong and unmistakably caring.

And despite the lingering exhaustion, despite the shakily victorious feeling that still quietly clung to her innards from this morning and the fading worry that had driven her to work until her body no longer let her, Adelia felt her heart swell further with warmth and affection. With a golden-shimmering sort of yearning for him.

"I adore you," she murmured quietly. "I need you to know that."

There was a brief, red glimmer in his eyes, a swiftly swallowed, decidedly inhuman desire for something she was willing to put a name to. A want for her. For her as a person, not as a trophy or a doll or something else pretty and shiny to display. For her and her clockwork mind and her hurts and kindnesses.

"No matter how our marital status changes going forward, I want to stay with you," she added quietly but no less certainly. Her heart beat a little faster, but in a strong, eager way. It felt more like it was made of unfolding wings rather than of a heavy weight reminding her of her mortality.

This time the quiet thrill that began to spread through her was born from hope and adoration, untainted and warm, rather than a grim determination to protect her friends and see a hated foe done for.

"I had hoped you would stay," he answered, giving her hand in his a gentle squeeze and Adelia realized that they had started to lean towards each other, their entwined hands coming to rest on his knee. "I have grown to adore you myself. Ever since we first met, back on your balcony, there was something about you that made it hard to look away."

It felt like a confession of something and it made the unfurled wings of her hopeful heart beat just a little stronger. Not faster or nervously, nor did she have butterflies in her belly. There was just that yearning, a want for him that she was so very certain she saw reflected in his eyes.

"I can hear your heart," he murmured softly. "It sounds like it is singing to me." He reached out with his free hand, cool fingertips brushing her cheeks. "Mine has stopped beating long ago and yet I can feel it respond." He wet his lips, hope and daring as bright in his gaze as it was in Adelia's heart. "It is yours, if you desire it."

All at once her hope seemed to explode into warm joy. "If you accept mine in return," she answered. "For I have fallen for you, Rowan. For your kindness and your caring, for your cunning and your trust in me. For the safety you have shown me, the home you have offered me and the patience you have shown me."

He smiled grew wide enough to show off his fangs, the corners of his eyes crinkling with the force of his grin, that same joyful gladness and relief that had filled her easy to see in his dark eyes. Her own smile stretched into a grin and she found herself a little giddy and very, warmly happy.

"I have been thinking for days now that I would very much like to kiss you," Adelia murmured and watched his dark eyes gleam bloody red. "Will you let me?"

He shifted, leaning closer and his fingertips brushed along her cheek so his palm could cradle it. He was close enough now that she could catch his scent, something faintly floral and something faintly otherworldly, reminding her of dark hallways and whispers on the wind. Of thick blood sliding down skin to drip onto cold stone.

His eyes still gleamed bloody red and his breath was cool as it brushed over her cheek when he leaned a little closer still.

"Gladly," he whispered and Adelia leaned forward to bridge the last whisper of a distance between them, pressing her lips against his, soft and chaste, a pleasant, eager little thrill going through her. Oh, that felt nice. He felt nice.

Nice and safe and wonderful and she wanted more of him. She had never wanted anyone the way she wanted him. She wished he would come closer still, would touch her more, would press her up against him until her body shivered in the best of ways.

"Again?" he asked when she pulled back and she grinned before she kissed him again, her hands moving and he let go readily so she could hold on to him, feeling his steady strength beneath his soft clothing.

His other hand settled against her side and she found herself shifting closer thoughtlessly, only for their knees to press together rather uncomfortably.

"Here," he murmured, pulling back for a moment to rearrange himself and Adelia intend to shift after him, getting up on the couch, her slippers left on the ground, only to realize that her dress was an unexpected hindrance. "Allow me."

His hands settled on her sides and she gasped softly, before she laughed as she was lifted up with incredible effortlessness. Oh, this was fun. Rowan smiled wide enough to crinkle the corners of his eyes again as he set her down right before him and her hands fell to his shoulders as she leaned forward to kiss him again.

Suddenly gripped by fierce adoration and love, she then kissed his cheeks and the tip of his nose and his forehead, his face turned up towards her like a flower to the sun, before she kissed his other cheek and at last she kissed the curve of his happy smile. It was playful, it was wonderful and she had loved every moment of it.

"My turn," he said and then Adelia found herself peppered with kisses that made her grin and she leaned into him and his butterfly-soft kisses brushed against her skin. She felt precious in his hold. Special.

"Might I court you?" he asked as he pulled back, his palms cupping her face and his thumbs tracing along her cheeks, claws never coming close to nicking her even on accident.

Tirn had done some courting gestures over the years, but neither of them had been in love with each other, so they had mostly performed them for the public rather than each other. It had been all empty gestures.

Rowan's offer made her giddiness rise anew. "If you let me court you in return?" she asked and he hummed a delighted noise that seemed to strangely vibrate in his chest.

He reached for one of her hands, bringing it up to kiss her palm. "I look forward to it," he murmured, gaze still bloody red and he looked nothing like a human man in this moment. Adelia only found she loved him more. His differences were part of his charm, after all.

He closed his eyes for a moment, tipping his head a little towards her palm, his nose brushing the sensitive inside of her wrist, causing her skin to tingle pleasantly.

"You smell divine," he whispered. "Your blood has sweetened."

She couldn't help but grin. "I suppose that's what love smells like."

He hummed a deep, vibrating noise, his expression one of silent rapture as closed his eyes and scented her wrist again. When he opened eyes again they downright glowed a dark, bloody red now.

"Does a bite hurt?" Adelia found herself asking and he blinked, focus returning to his expression and he eased back a bit, turning her hand, fingers sliding beneath hers to brush a faintly cool kiss across her knuckles.

"Not if done right," he answered. "It can be an ecstatic experience for humans, or so I've been told." He offered her a small, slightly wry smile. "I barely remember the bite that killed me and offered me undeath in return."

Adelia curled her fingers around his. "Would you like to bite me?"

That dark red glow of his eyes seemed to deepen, a brief flash of want that was nothing human, that spoke of hunger and desire and a yearning for something that had smelled so divinely to him.

"I would," he answered and his voice had deepened slightly. "But only ever if you are certain."

She was. She was safe with him and she trusted him. Rowan had never once mentioned worrying about his control or mentioning any dangers connected to the bite, so she wasn't worried.

Mostly she was curious, she had to admit, and she also wanted to give him a taste. She wanted to give him something no one else could.

Adelia gave his hand a squeeze and reached out with her free hand, brushing her fingertips along his jaw. She slid them down to press against his pulse point a moment later and he leaned a bit into the pressure, ensuring she felt nothing. No heartbeat, no rushing of blood. Just faintly cool skin.

"Now?" she asked after a moment. "I have been told I'll be here until the sun rises." Her voice was softly joking and he smiled, that yearning, dark hunger in his gaze again.

"Are you certain?" he asked, his gaze falling to her neck and she wondered just what sound her heartbeat created. If the rushing of blood formed a melody only he and other vampires could hear. "We can wait, I'll be happy to do this tomorrow or a month from now or even never."

He met her gaze, a downright serious earnestness settling over him as he added, "You never have to do anything with me."

She swore her heart turned into gooey softness, loving warmth unfolding within her and now she brought his hand up to her, pressing a kiss to his knuckles.

"I know," she answered, steady and certain, ensuring there was no question as to her conviction. "I'm always safe with you."

From the very first moment they had met, Rowan had only treated her with caring gentleness. Be it as a huge bat monster or a vampire in a human disguise, she had absolutely nothing to worry about.

However, she had to admit that it felt like a little... much, after the morning she had had. "At a later date?" she asked and he nodded readily, his smile sweet and she wanted to kiss him again. "But the same goes for you, Rowan. If we are moving too fast, I will absolutely take a step back and slow down."

His expression softened, his smile looking sweeter still. "I know. And I trust you, too, you know? I can speak freely with you and there is no need to hide myself. I'm glad to have found a fine person such as yourself."

Adelia felt herself smile widely at that and she had to lean in and kiss him again. He readily and eagerly returned the kiss, before he pulled back with a little grin.

"That reminds me, I want to show you something." With those words he got up and Adelia sat up a little straighter as he fetched his violin. "I've been practicing and I was hoping to surprise you with this."

He began playing the last piece she had shown him, only to smoothly transition to a piece she had only once heard during a ball two years ago. It was considered a melody for the romantics and people who wanted to profess their love to someone. It was usually performed in private, too, a show of dedication for it was not an easy piece to master.

It was meant as a gesture to show one's desire to let no hardship stand between oneself and the person they were courting.

Adelia had never thought she would get to hear it played for her, had only ever quietly considered it a sweet gesture that she hoped her friends would get to experience.

She wondered what melody her heartbeat created now, because there was a swell of touched affection within her and she listened, enraptured and awed. Rowan then winked at her and smiled, before he picked up the pace, transforming the sweet melody into a cheerful one that lost one of the loving tone.

Adelia found she had no desire to sit still any longer. To be a listener without participating and while she could not play with Rowan, she could do something else. She got to her feet and curtsied the way people back home did right before a dance, flaring out her skirts and she watched her beloved's eyes flare a red that many could consider ominous but she only saw his passion for her in this moment.

His eagerness to have her become a part of his play.

She began to dance and he followed, turning with her as she circled him, skirts swishing and flaring as she twirled and raised her arms, each step light and delicate and well placed, just like she had been taught. And yet dancing had never been so fun or so meaningful.

It was just them and yet the melody and the movement wove into each other to create a moment that seemed to reach down to her very soul, her entire body coming alive and she just knew her blood was singing in her veins.

They danced around each other, Rowan's melody never faltering as she matched him beat for beat and he matched her step for step, a harmony unfolding forming that made Adelia feel as though she was about to gain wings and fly. As though anything and everything was possible.

She found herself laughing and Rowan grinned wide enough to show his fangs and they circled each other, backs briefly pressing together and round and round they went, separating and finding back together and Adelia wished this moment would never end.

But eventually she found she was running out of energy and when she slowed, so too did the melody, drifting back into that romantic sweetness and Rowan let the song fade out elegantly. Adelia clapped and he bowed with artful grace.

"That was wonderful," she said. "How did you know about this song?"

"Your friend Izabel told me," Rowan said. "She sent me a copy and I've been bothering a local musician to come here in the morning the past week to teach me."

He had learned the musical piece for her and all at once Adelia was hit by just how much faith he had in her. He had learned how to play this song with the believe that she would succeed in her task. That she would be here afterwards to hear him play it for her.

Not for a second had he ever doubted her.

Adelia suddenly felt taller and brighter and stronger and she found herself stepping closer, reaching out to give his shirt a tug and he gladly swooped down to kiss her. It was a far more passionate kiss than the soft ones they had traded before, a downright electric quality to it that made her shift close enough that their bodies brushed against each other.

"You are a marvel," she whispered when they parted. "Thank you Rowan, for everything."

He pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. "I wish you could see yourself the way I see you," he murmured. "Then you would know why there is no need for thanks."

She reached up to cup his cheek and whispered back, "And if you knew how I saw you, you would understand why there is."

He chuckled, a low and delighted noise. "I love your fierceness and how unbent you are. Walk tall forever, my lady, and if you'll have me I will be with you every step of the way." His warm smile widened a little. "And I think I know how to get started on showing you how I see you."

He leaned back slightly to glance towards his art corner. "May I paint you?"

Adelia still remembered the painting of herself she had seen before, her bloody nightgown, how brave and determined she had looked. She would like to see, she thought, just how she would look in his eyes.

"Yes," she answered. "And I will make you something in return."

She would figure out how to make a song for him in return, something she could invent that played so they could dance together.

Rowan stepped back to set the violin aside and a few moments later he had his sketchbook in his lap and they were talking as he sketched. Adelia had no idea what he managed to capture for she found herself moving rather quite a bit, gesturing as she described something and laughing at his comments.

Right up until his pencil paused and he glanced towards the window. "The sun is rising," he murmured, a note of quiet regret laced through his words. "I fear I must take my leave."

"Can I see?" Adelia found herself asking. "Where you rest during the day? Unless that is too forward of me."

He chuckled, the noise one of warm fondness. "Not at all. Come, let me show you my undead sanctum."

He closed the sketchbook and set it aside, elegantly rising to his feet. "Oh, just a moment, I'll get dressed for my rest."

He vanished into his bedroom, allowing Adelia a glimpse of the decadent four poster bed before the door closed. He reappeared a moment later, barefooted and in soft, simple black cotton pants and a white, loose shirt that gaped open at the throat.

Adelia found she would like to kiss his neck, to brush her fingertips along the gap in the front of the shirt. To feel him, undead and yet alive beneath her touch.

"This book opens the secret door," Rowan said as he pointed out a book on the nearby bookcase. "Just give it a firm tug..."

He did so and stepped back, allowing the bookcase to open, revealing a room beyond that Adelia hadn't gotten a glimpse of back when she had found out his true nature.

It was a room that held no furniture but for the large coffin that sat on a raised dais in the middle of the room. The coffin was made of black wood and inlaid with gold that formed shimmering lines and swirls and on the lid itself the gold formed a circle around a bat made of rubies, its wings spread.

There were tapestries on the walls, displaying various monsters and a single, tall candelabra right behind the head of the coffin, though the candles were unlit.

There was just enough light falling in from the open doorway that Adelia could see the room and she watched as Rowan opened the coffin, letting the lid slide off and he set it down on the side. The inside of the coffin was covered in dark red silk and it appeared to be rather nicely cushioned.

He climbed in with practiced motions and Adelia stepped forward as he laid down. The coffin was big enough that she thought she might be able to squeeze in with him, and he gave her a warm smile as she sat down on the dais steps, leaning her arm onto the top of the open coffin.

"I can fight the pull of the sun, though it's not comfortable, " he said. "But once I sleep only a threat to my life can awaken me before the sun sets again. It's one of the reasons why I traveled north when I split from my sire years ago. The winters are delightfully long in this place."

He blinked and for the first time he looked... sleepy. Not tired, but more like his body was settling down to sink into stillness until the deadly threat of the sun was gone again.

Adelia reached out, gently letting her palm rest over his heart. "Rest, my dear Rowan. I will guard you and this keep during your sleep," she said softly. "It's only for a few hours anyway."

Around five hours of daytime. Then they could see each other again.

He smiled back at her and his eyes fell closed. Adelia could spot the moment he sank into that vampiric slumber, for his body fell entirely still in a way that was ever so faintly unsettling. His hands were folded on his belly and he looked... dead.

Even though Adelia knew that this was a protective tactic of his kind to survive if they were ever found asleep during the day, she still felt as though she was gazing upon a corpse. She reached up to cup his cheek, his skin cool and for a brief moment she had to remind herself that he would rise again in a few hours.

This would not last.

"Rest well," she whispered. "Come find me once you're awake again."

She got up after a moment and left the room, ensuring the bookcase slid closed again. Her gaze fell upon the sketchbook, but she left it untouched. He seemed to have wanted to keep his drawings of her a secret for now.

Stepping out of his rooms, she found that she felt quite centered now. The morning's stress seemed almost far away, though, now that she was by herself she still felt a lingering tiredness that reached beyond her physical body. As though her very soul was tired after everything she had to face.

But she also had to tell Katrina the good news and let Izabel know, as well. She sought out Sorceress Iva, who had just woken up herself and was willing to take her to Lady Iris's home.

"Alb can send you back," Sorceress Iva said. "I'll go and get something to eat." She cast a side-glance at Adelia, then smiled. "I take it you succeeded?"

"Quite," Adelia answered and the older woman grinned, fierce and proud and sharp.

"Well done," she said. "But be sure to take care of your heart, even if creatures like this lord should be erased, it still takes a toll to execute his deserved judgement. You know where to find me if you find you want to talk."

"Thank you," Adelia said, heartfelt and earnest and Sorceress Iva teleported them, dropping her off in front of the familiar wolf gate that lead into Lady Iris's home.

Adelia was swiftly welcomed when she knocked and just as swiftly brought to Lady Iris's rooms, where the warlord and her friend awaited her. Katrina looked healthy and quite well taken care of, Lady Iris and she standing close enough that their bodies slightly brushed when they turned towards Adelia upon her entry.

"It's done," she said. "He'll soon be no more."

Katrina teared up and the next moment she threw herself at Adelia, wrapping her up in a fierce hug as she whispered a tear-stained, "Thank you, oh, thank you."

Adelia hugged one of her best friends back just as fiercely and whispered, "Just like you were willing to do anything you could for me, I am willing to do everything I can for you. You're safe."

Katrina's tears spilled down her cheeks as they clung to each other, and Adelia felt her own eyes burn with tears. She could not regret what she had done, not when it had saved her friend, not when Katrina shook with the relief of the noose she had escaped.

Adelia took in just how alive her friend felt in her arms. How alive she would remain. There would not be a future where her friend would be a pale body lying in a temple for her last rites, pale and made beautiful, like an asleep doll.

"Stay here as long as you like," Adelia whispered when the tears subsided. "My home is your home for as long as you need it to be."

"As is mine," Lady Iris chimed in and Adelia looked up to spot a soft look on the warlord's face. Something warm and quietly adoring. A look of budding and growing... something beyond fondness. Something bigger than interest.

Lady Iris met her gaze and Adelia found herself smiling. If Katrina's heart chose Lady Iris the same way Lady Iris seemed to be choosing her, she was nothing but glad for her friend. What a fine woman she had found to fall for.

Lady Iris's gaze flickered with understanding and then she grinned, wide and glad and toothy and Adelia gave Katrina a gentle squeeze.

"Would you like to stay here?" she asked as she pulled back, Katrina reaching up to wipe tears from her cheeks. She glanced up at Lady Iris, adding, "If you don't mind?"

"Not at all," Lady Iris was quick to answer. "And Alb can always teleport either of you so you can visit each other." Her face lit up as she smiled. "There were plenty of places I want to show Katrina."

"Oh?" Adelia asked and for the first time, she watched her friend blush just a little bit, a warm fondness to her that made her smile look sweet and charmed.

"Lady Iris was going to show me the theaters around here, we were going to go dancing on the winter festival and she wanted to teach me how to ice skate." She glanced at Adelia, a careful caution to her that made Adelia's heart ache slightly. Her friend appeared... worried about her reaction.

"What a fine selection of outings," she answered, giving her friend her warmest and most encouraging smile. "I'm glad to know you in such safe hands." She reached up to give her friend's shoulder a light tap. "I shall make you a primrose, perhaps, or a red peony. Or both?"

It was as close as Adelia could come to outright stating her happiness for her friend, for the budding, growing love she seemed to have found. For this new beginning and her support for those feelings.

Katrina's eyes widened slightly, before they filled with tears again and she pulled Adelia into another hug that she happily returned.

"I love you," Katrina whispered. "Thank you."

"I love you, too," Adelia answered quietly. "Thank you, too, for being the wonderful friend and person that you are." She gave Katrina a squeeze. "I'll write Izabel about our success with Emmertal, do you want me to send her a letter, as well?"

"Oh, yes, absolutely," Katrina answered and pulled back, hastily wiping at her eyes as she glanced at Lady Iris. "Might I get something to write with?"

Lady Iris led Katrina over to her study and stepped away to let her write the letter in peace. Adelia was briefly surprised when the warlord stepped up to her to pull her into a hug as well, but she gladly returned it.

"Thank you," Lady Iris murmured. "I know this wasn't easy."

Adelia closed her eyes and allowed herself to lean against her new friend, who only tightened her arms around her slightly. It was comforting and safe.

"I don't regret it," she whispered, then bit her lower lip before she admitted, "And yet I find myself hating the fact that killing a man was necessary at all."

She shouldn't have had to dirty her hands, if her home had been just and fair, if the king gave a damn, others would have locked up Emmertal long ago. If they hadn't willingly looked away from a human monster in their midst then Adelia could have build beautiful things instead of deadly things.

She didn't regret it. But for all that she had risen to the occasion with single-minded focus, a part of her hated it. Not her creation nor those who had helped, she would never do that, but she still hated that she had to do it at all. That such an invention had to be forced into existence instead of being a product of her curiosity.

"Thank you for caring for Katrina," Adelia said before Lady Iris could respond and she pulled back to add with a little smile, "I've never seen her sweet on someone before."

Lady Iris bit her lower lip, glancing past her to where Katrina sat at her desk and Adelia watched the warmth bloom across the warlord's face. She watched Lady Iris's expression soften and her smile was small and sweet.

"She is so easy to fall for," Lady Iris murmured after a moment, before her expression grew more solemn. "I know she will return home eventually, but until then I hope to show her all the wonders I can."

Adelia glanced back at her friend as well and she made a soft, thoughtful hum. "Let me speak with her before her departure," Adelia offered. "Whether or not she stays will be up to her."

Lady Iris glanced at her, surprised and then quietly hopeful, before determination settled in and she straightened. "Then I better make sure she'll have an easy time choosing what her heart desires."

And for all that Lady Iris was sweet on her friend Adelia could tell that it was a selfless offer. That it was an earnest one, offered with kindness and care and she gave Lady Iris's – no, just Iris, there was no need for such politeness among true friends – arm a gentle squeeze.

"I don't doubt that for a second," she answered and lowered her voice to add, "Let me know if you'd like to know how people back home court each other."

Iris perked up at once. "Write me a detailed list," she requested right away. "I want to do this right."

Adelia was nothing but glad to hear that. She gave Iris a nod and they settled back to wait until Katrina was done. Adelia's friend soon handed her a carefully folded letter and they hugged again, promising to spend more time together soon, to have a proper afternoon to talk without having to worry about anything.

"I'll make sure Izabel will be there, too," Adelia promised before Alb brought her back home again.

She penned a letter to Izabel herself, not outright mentioning anything about Emmertal, but she made sure to spill poison down the sides of the letter in artfully drawn flowers, in nightshades and nettles and monkshood and larkspurs. She also let Izabel know that she intended to invite her over for an afternoon of tea, followed by a nice dinner and she asked to be informed if any days worked best for her.

She soon sent the letters and sat back, satisfied and quietly calm. She took a moment to just breathe, her body still rather tired and there was a quiet bit of tension stuck between her shoulder blades now that she noticed it.

Still, it was time to return to her usual work. Steward Lambrecht and Rowan had kindly taken over any of her tasks that she couldn't attend to during the past week and she intended to return to her post as lady of the keep again.

She sought out Steward Lambrecht and in the gray glow of sunshine that fell through the steady cloud cover, she collected her mail and headed to her office. Snow started to fall, a gentle drift of flakes so thick they looked like white feathers. It was rather peaceful.

An hour into her work, however, a servant came to knock on her door and when she bid him entry, he poked his head in, his expression pensive.

"A man claiming to be your father just arrived," he said, Adelia stilling where she had been penning an answering letter to the mayor of one of the other cities of their lands. "Should I send him on his way?"

Her father? Here? Now? What could he possibly want? Adelia hated the way there was a lurch of something cold, something fearful, that gripped her guts for a moment, before anger settled in instead.

Her father had no right to her anymore, nor would he have a right to her ever again. There was nothing he could do to hurt her or those she cared about, either. He had taken enough and would have taken more still if given half a chance.

"Bring him to the waiting room beside the entrance hall and conveniently forget to light a fire. Oh, don't offer him any refreshments, either," she requested, the servant stilling, before something steely entered his gaze and he gave her a firm nod. "I'll see him at my earliest convenience. If he gets difficult tell him he can be on his way to return another day."

"Yes, m'lady," the servant said with a bow. "I'll be sure to let the others know as well."

"My thanks," Adelia answered and the servant left, closing the door quietly behind him.

She took a deep breath and it only shook a little bit in her chest. Today was... a lot and it seemed to intend on piling yet more excitement to her plate. She reached for her pen again with another deep breath.

Her father, however, would just have to wait. He was a guest and she was the lady of the keep and answering the request for aid in catching a pig thief was more important than him.

It made her smile, just a little bit, grim and with a spark of dark satisfaction, but it was there nonetheless.

Adelia made sure to take her time, wrapping up her work and handing it over to another servant, before she took a moment to refresh herself. Only then did she head down to the waiting room, her pace unhurried. She didn't like the way her heart beat a little faster, but she had slain one monster already today, what was another?

When she opened the door, her father was pacing in front of the cold fireplace and he whirled around towards her, an expression on his face that she had last seen when he had caught her with a raised hammer, the blacksmith instructing her.

There was a bolt of instinctive fear, of remembered terror and the grief of loss that had never grown softer, only more familiar. It nearly made her falter, it nearly made her shoulders round and it nearly made her fold into the small, soft and agreeable shape he had wanted her to be all these years. His ever obedient, perfect little doll masquerading as a living girl. All he had to do was pluck her strings to make her dance.

"Adelia," he said, voice cold and with a hard, warning edge. His rage had always burned cold rather than hot, freezing her in place and leaving her helplessly lost in the blizzard of his fury.

Heart downright pounding in her chest, she politely folded her hands in front of herself. "Father," she returned, voice going a bit softer despite her best attempts to sound unaffected.

His gaze narrowed. "I sent for you three hours ago," he snapped. "Where have you been? This is not how a proper daughter of my house behaves."

She lightly tipped her head to the side. "I am no longer of your house," she answered. "You married me off."

He made an impatient, disregarding gesture. "The divorce documents were shown to me and I have come here to fetch you. You are to return home until this entire dreadful mess can be put behind us and you can marry a proper lord of good standing."

All the nervousness and squirming fear inside her went cold all at once. It was an ice that reached deeper than his blizzard ever could, hardening her against his howling and his threats of ruin and emotional harm.

"The divorce is already done and dealt with?" she asked and then made a point to glance at the empty room. "I don't see the priest that will examine me and my maidenhead."

Her father shot her a look as though he considered her daft. "You don't expect me to leave you here, in the clutches of this beast, only to have you returned to me ruined and without any ties to the Wilds? I will not be cheated out of what is mine."

Adelia's anger, much to her chagrin, had always burned like her father's. Only, where he was always in control of what happened within his castle and therefore never hesitated to act upon his wrath, Adelia's anger had gotten honed into a fine, careful thing beneath her mother's watch. A scalpel rather than a beheading sword.

It was time to show him just how precisely she could cut things.

"A husband's right stands above a father's," she answered, her shoulders squaring and losing that faintly rounded smallness they had subconsciously started to display. "I will stay until my divorce is finalized."

For a beat her father grew dangerously still. It was an unspoken warning, giving her a breath to allow her to come to her senses. The quiet before the storm. But it was a storm that couldn't reach her, nor could it harm her. Her father had already taken that which she had loved most and then had ripped someone else she cared for away from her.

"You will return home," he said, each word sharp and clearly pronounced and for all that Adelia's heart was still pounding, there was a vicious sort of dark pride unfolding within her when she realized just how helpless he was to do anything right now.

He had no right to demand her back as long as she was still married. He had no right to her anymore, such were the laws of their home.

"Will that be all?" she asked, ignoring his demand, his order. "I'm rather busy."

It was almost funny, if there wasn't that core of fear still within her, to watch her father gape at her, speechless with rage for a moment.

Before he could find his voice again, she offered him her best court smile, all empty sweetness and disarming softness. "Good day, father. If you have not arrived by carriage, you will be escorted down to Ravenburg where you are free to rent one."

She would not waste anything on this man. She turned to leave, when she heard two quick steps and a hard, big hand closed around her arm, yanking her around. A gasp escaped her and she came face to face with her father and just like that all her careful bravado crumbled like punched glass, shattering down around her.

His grip was painfully, overwhelmingly tight and all at once she felt like a little girl, getting taught her place anew through pain and misery. She could taste the grief of her beloved horse, of the agony of loss he had forced upon her, her heart beating painfully fast.

She tried to yank free, only for his hold to tighten further, making her wince and she only realized that she had folded in on herself, going small and soft, when he leaned over her and whispered, all cold rage, "You will pack your bags and you will return home, if you know what's good for you."

Swallowing, her mouth painfully dry and her hands shaking, she whispered, "No." And then she raised her voice, shouting, "Guards!"

There was a brief look of surprise on his face and when the door was thrown open a moment later, he jerked upright, his hand still on her arm. Lord Ivan came sauntering in, followed by Ada, who glared at Adelia's father with such anger that she looked like she was about to growl.

Lord Ivan's smile was completely devoid of humor and it looked like a threat more than anything else.

"Do let go of my dear friend," he said and his voice rang out strangely, as though a golden melody had woven into it and her father blinked, appearing dazed, as his hand fell away. Lord Ivan stepped closer, tattoos glimmering like sunlight had gotten mixed into the black ink. "Good boy, now, I believe the lady of the keep told you to skedaddle. Why don't you do that?"

Without another word and still looking dazed, her father walked forward, Lord Ivan staring after him and Ada actually growling quietly at him.

As soon as he was gone, Adelia found herself exhaling heavily and Lord Ivan turned towards her, expression softening and full of gentle understanding. As though he, too, knew what it meant to have a cruel parent.

"Thank you for your aid," Adelia said and Ada gave her a nod.

"Started listening in as soon as I was told who had shown up," the head chef said. "We got you, my lady, don't you worry about that. I would love to stay, but some of the kitchen staff has been calling for me for some time, do you need anything?"

Adelia shook her head, softly thanking the head chef again before the werewolf gave her a reassuring smile and left again. Adelia folded her hands in front of her to hide the way they shook slightly, her arm throbbing a little.

"Did he hurt you?" Lord Ivan asked and she hesitated slightly before she shook her head. His expression was still one of gentle understanding and it... hurt to look at, she had to admit. "He's a right cunt, isn't he?"

She couldn't help the surprised laugh that escaped her, nor could she stop the way she immediately teared up afterwards. She had no idea if the tears were born from fear, anger or something else altogether. Perhaps a mix of the three. Lord Ivan was quiet for a long moment, his silence one of kind patience and she felt herself crack.

"I thought I was stronger than this," she found herself whispering, and she hated the faint roughness that gripped her voice. "I was so determined to not let him win."

"He didn't win," Lord Ivan said, so casually certain it gave her pause. "You sent him on his way and called the guards." His smile was still sharp, but no longer threatening as he gestured towards the door. "Did he get what he came here for?"

"No," she murmured, the ugly cocktail of emotions within her clearing a little. "I see what you mean." Her father hadn't gotten what he wanted, but... neither had she.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed that aside for the moment. This wasn't Lord Ivan's problem, he had already done more than enough by coming to her aid. "Can I help you with anything?"

Lord Ivan gave her a thoughtful look, before he gestured towards the door. "Did you kill the cheese guy?"

She couldn't help but smile a little and his shoulders relaxed, something languid filling his stance. "He drank his poison like a good boy," Adelia said and Lord Ivan threw his head back with a bark of delighted laughter.

"Brilliant, I wish I could have been there to see it," he downright sighed wistfully. "You're quite the dangerous woman, Adelia, and I couldn't be happier about it. Now, since you seem to want a distraction I was looking for you for another reason as well."

At her curious look he reached into his pocket to produce a familiar, cloth-wrapped stone. "Want to join me in my temple when I commune with my beloved goddess to figure out what this might be?"

Her work was done for now and there was a bit of time left before Rowan would rise again. "Gladly," Adelia answered and Lord Ivan's smile was easy and eager and he offered her his arm.

"Wonderful, well then, shall we?"

Adelia accepted and between one moment and the next the world became a swirling whirlwind of glimmering, glittering, sparks made of dark and bright gold, shimmering like a wave of weightless sand all around her.

The next moment Adelia stood in a temple so grand and beautiful it took her breath away. She stared around unashamed at the golden decor everywhere, the painted artworks that spread all along the domed ceiling and the stained glass windows that depicted the birth of the sun goddess and her battle against the forces of evil and how she, at last, short an arm and blind on one eye, remained on the mortal world to watch over all those seeking the light.

There were a few visitors, who only bothered to look up from their prayers long enough to nod at Lord Ivan, before they returned to what they were doing.

Lord Ivan led her out of the main hall of the temple and they passed by some clerics that sat in the sunlight illuminated halls to study scrolls. Past the windows, this ones normal, Adelia saw a courtyard full of blooming sunflowers, the falling snow evaporating before it even came close to touching them.

"This is my personal altar," Lord Ivan said as he opened a door at the end of the hallway and beyond laid a beautiful space.

There was far less gold than in the main hall, instead there were stained glass windows all around and glass decorations hung from the ceiling to cast rainbow light across the stone walls.A thick rug covered the floor, made of dark blue and a golden sun was woven into it, surrounded by the ever circling phases of the moon.

There was a smaller altar than the main one right by the windows, a large golden and rather flat bowl sat in the middle, with a golden codex to the left and a sunflower made of gems and glass to the left, the end of the green-glass stem sharp enough to pierce skin.

Lord Ivan took a deep breath as soon as they closed the door and a shimmer of gold seemed to travel through his skin.

"Ah, her voice is so sweet," he whispered, all soft, warm delight and adoring awe. "I wish you could hear her the way I do." He opened his eyes and smiled at her. "Come, let's see if we can find some answers."

He stepped up to the altar and he pulled out the stone, unwrapping it and it seemed to glow brighter in this space. All at once the glass decorations swayed slightly, the rainbow light dancing and Adelia swore the goddess depicted on the stained glass windows moved the faintest bit, her head tilting down towards them.

Lord Ivan set the stone down in the middle of the flat bowl before he picked up the glass sunflower and pricked his fingertip on the end of the stem. Adelia watched as he drew along the rim of the bowl, leaving familiar shapes behind. The incantation of clerics.

He spoke in a language she had never heard before, his voice reverberating with a strange quality that she felt down to the marrow of her bones. Like a powerful rumble.

The next moment the stone glowed and then, all at once, it turned into a burst of beautiful, glittering sunlight sparks that vanished, leaving nothing behind. All at once the light within the room dimmed sharply, as though a sudden, dark cloud had covered the sun, a chill flowing through the room like a quick burst of wind.

Adelia swore she heard the mournful, melodic voice of something godly and inhuman for just a moment, a sound of grief and pain and edged in rage. Lord Ivan's expression was one of surprise, and then of devastation.

"How... no, that can't be. How his this possible," he whispered and all at once he didn't look like a powerful warlord, a chosen of the sun goddess, but more like... a man, confronted with the awfulness the mortal world was capable of. An awfulness he could do nothing against.

"What is it?" Adelia asked softly, taking a hesitant step forward.

He looked up at her, those too-blue eyes of his darkened by sorrow and slowly but steadily rising anger.

"I'm sorry, I can't give you the stone back," he whispered and straightened from where he had leaned over the bowl. His finger had long since stopped bleeding, not a single drop fallen unnecessarily. "Though it was never a real crystal in the first place."

"What was it, then?" Adelia asked and Lord Ivan took a deep breath.

"It was filled to the brim with the pure faith and belief in my goddess," he answered softly, grimness and heartbreak visible on his face. "And it was made out of the gutted innards of a soul."