(I may go back an edit this at some point but my head is blocked. So until I get everything back flowing, I'm going to continue. It's not great but enjoy. Featuring Heath Ledger in A Knight's Tale as Fenrys x)
-e
Fenrys
It had been a few days- barely that- since arriving home and the city had begun to stir from its slumber. It was a surprise it had taken so long, if surprising at all that the court had demanded some kind of welcome home party or whatever this was.
Flags and banners waved in the calling wind, people from all around the continent had erected stalls of all sizes and colours- though notably mostly the forest green of Terrasen. There were bands of accordion players, violinists, banjo players and sweet symphonies of flutes. Even the odd few fiddle players stirring up a melody that the children had already begun to dance and run around to. Drumming had started a moment later, made from banging of pots and pans, clapping and foot stomping.
And among the prongs of laughing and singing people, danced the wildest heart of them all. Long white hair flowing freely along with the light dress she wore. Her face had dropped slightly from its mirthful glee when spotting me, only for a large, challenging smile to grow in its place.
"Princess." I greeted, pulling her arm to extract her from whatever dance she was indulging in with the locals. Too close. I had pulled her so close that her forehead was a breath away from my lips.
She sighed slightly, like she was completely high from her enjoyment and freedom and shook her head, the light in her eyes blinding. "Not here."
"What?"
"I'm not a princess here." It sounded more like a wish than it did a statement. As much as she loved her people, a crown and a throne would probably seem more like shackles even when she did want to strive towards the better future her mum and dad had always talked about. "I'm not a Galathynius or a Whitethron. I'm not Luna. Just Stardust. Here, I'm just another lost soul that loves to dance among the stars." Her small hands tugged me into the crowd and pulled me into swift movements and steps of an unfamiliar dance.
"Very poetic of you." Her fingers kept a soft yet firm grasp around mine as she twirled and skipped, her sky blue dress flying helplessly behind her.
"Ah, poetry never was my strong suit. Gods it'd make Sam laugh like a madman when I tried to recite them like a bard. Always sends Adelaide ballistic."
"I didn't realise the old crow was still alive, let alone still tutoring you. Gods, she must be ancient. Awful woman." Truthfully, I'd only ever seen her in passing from time to time, but the thought that she'd spat at Luna, calling her disgrace at five years old had my blood boiling in my skin. "How was she was ever allowed to go anywhere near you will be completely beyond me."
"You know mum, she thinks finding a way to drive poor Addie crazy is character building. Some days I feel sorry for her, having to put up with me and Sam. It's even worse when Peter and Henric visit. And Felix... hell she hates him the most." Letting out an airy laugh as I dipped her close to the floor. "There was this one time, I think I must've been... sixteen? Anyway, Felix and Asterin had come to visit-" She was trying to get out over choking down her laughter. "-He set his Wyvern on her! Oh it was awful. Fun... but awful. It didn't go down very well."
"Your parents were mad?"
"Oh god no, they were ecstatic, especially Manon. Elide though..." A ghost like shiver passed through her body and her eyes rolled back slightly, remembering no doubt the day like it was yesterday. "Yeah hers is a bad side I never intend on being on again."
I let myself think back to the countless times I've had the witch scream murder at me. It was haunting, more so when I would try to hold back a laughter from Lorcan standing behind her like she was his best line of defence. She'd given me a good slap for snorting at her mid rant. Well deserved, I'll give her that... but it would not be wise to land on that side of her often. It was no wonder that Marion had turned into such a polite woman and overall rather delightful to be around. "No that is- that is very wise."
The tuning of the instruments strummed slowly to a stop, Luna practically sagging into the nearest bench, leaving me standing in front of her, delicate hands still in mine. "So... you and Felix?"
Typical Luna, eyes locked onto the steaming pastries that were being baked in a stall just behind my shoulders if her lost gaze was anything to go by, side by side with her jaw that was dropped and almost flowing with drool. "Hmm? Oh! No. No way. Felix has been my best friend since I can remember."
I felt the coldness of her absence as soon as I withdrew my hands, turning and walking a few paces over and digging into my pocket for one of the coins tucked deeply into the material. The baker and his toddler apprentice- no doubt his grand daughter- seemed ecstatic to have business so early in the day, usually the buyers weren't lining up until at least the early evening, it seemed selling two pastries not five minutes after opening showed signs of a good selling day. Food, it seemed, would be the only way to get Luna to keep at least half of her attention on me.
The blatant glee plastered across her face was enough to almost make me walk back and buy another handful just to see it again, instead perching beside her on the small bench. So small I could feel the material of her dress catching against my jacket with every breath she took. Waiting until one of the glazed donuts were offered to her before gently prying it from my hands.
"Thank you."
I let her dig into the treat before starting again. "He was in the clearing with you that day."
Apparently the conversation hadn't been lost, most likely just avoided. Her light hair bobbing with her head as she nodded, licking some of the sweet glaze off her thumb. "We'd just smuggled Asterin out of her tutoring to go for a ride. Besides, I think he's far more interested in Marion to even think about another girl-"
"You told them to leave you." I'd been meaning to bring it up for days, but she had been avoiding me just as intently as I had been her. Things had been... tense. If that's what you could call it. Like the air was always charged full of electricity whenever we had been within several meters of each other. It hadn't been easy. This talk though, it needed to happen. Call it selfish if it had me sleeping better and not constantly tossing and turning to thoughts of her all night. So yeah, the last few days had been tense.
The bite she'd just taken, choked back up, a crumb landing in my lap. I would've laughed had it not been for how completely reckless she'd been. Well, perhaps not reckless, more selfless and brave but the idea of her not coming home... The thought alone was excruciating. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I overheard Asterin and Felix talking about it in very hushed tones outside your quarters in Adarlan. I'd bet a lot on you being the one to make them keep their mouths sealed."
Her hand reached up to poke a dainty finger towards my nose. "Nosey."
I grabbed her wrist when it was an inch away from my face, the glint of her necklace almost blinding, a small area of pink skin poking out from under the high neck of her dress. She adjusted it almost instantly ."I like to think of it as protective."
"Of course you do. And anyway, you'd be losing your money if that's what you'd bet on. It was more of an unspoken agreement really."
If she could even look me in the eye, she'd see the stone set adamance that she would listen. For once. "I'm serious."
"Oh please."
"I'm serious, Luna." I pulled at her wrist to make her look at me with those hypnotic eyes that did... something to me. "Don't... don't do that again."
"Don't do what?"
"Stop trying to be difficult, Luna."
"You mean don't try and save my friends?"
"You three together would have had a better chance."
"Fenrys, you've seen me fight. I don't know why you're making this into such a big deal. I can look after myself."
"And what? I couldn't? Luna, look, I can winnow. I have trained almost every day for the entirety of my existence and look at what happened to me."
That small simmer of flame flickered across her eyes. "Better for just me than Asterin and Felix too. Terrasen has another heir. Sam is just as capable of being King as I am Queen, if not a wiser choice. If I had let them stay, Adarlan would've lost their future. And I would've stood by as I watched my friends suffer the same fate as my own. The fact that you're actually arguing this is baffling."
"I don't care if you'd risk everything if it meant you coming home." That statement seemed to have her more shaken than anything I'd seen her react to before. Besides that day sparring, but the shock had been more hidden behind her blatant annoyance at Lorcan. Now, her eyes were blown wide and she didn't even attempt to take another bite of the donut, long forgotten and rolled off her lap onto the floor for whatever rodent or pup passed.
"You don't mean that."
I certainly hadn't meant to say it out loud, but I don't think I'd ever spoken anything more truthful. "I meant every word. You saved my miserable life." I looked back at my lap to where her wrist had stopped struggling against the hold of my hand. "...And made it not so miserable. Do not do that again. Please." Her silence told me enough. "You'd still do it wouldn't you?"
"In a heartbeat."
"Luna-"
"Ah there you both are. The festivities are about to start. Luna! You're not even dressed! Come on, you're going to make my mum throw a fit!" Marion was running for them, pulling up her skirts slightly so the deep plum gown didn't drape across the dirt and dust that was painted across the floor. "Sorry Fenrys, I'm going to have to steal her. See you in a while."
That conversation wasn't over. And another that it seemed both of us had decided not to bring up. Some things are best left unspoken but this... whatever it is, the incessant pull that always had me drawn to her...
She had to know.