The sky had just started to darken by the time Nora had left the bookshop. She’d lost track of time as she perused the stories she could disappear into. Overhead, dusk bled into evening as soft oranges faded into deeper purples and bruised blues. Lanterns began to flicker to life as she walked, her books clutched to her chest. Nox asked if he could go check something out and she nodded in quiet agreement.
Not too far.
He nodded silently before slipping away from her.
The covers of her books were fairly obvious; romantic, foolish stories of knights and devotion, gentle hands pulling frightened girls out of the dark. She’d almost put them back, almost. But, then the shopkeeper had smiled at her and, for a brief moment, she had let herself believe in endings that didn’t hurt.
Her steps quickened, hastening to get back before it truly got dark. She didn’t like being without Nox by her side and she wanted to get back so she could set up and watch the stars for a bit outside where it was safe. The streets narrowed slightly as she moved past the end of the merchant’s district towards the stables where she would get back on the horse she had brought with her from home.
She was turning the corner when she heard it.
Footsteps.
Not behind her at first. To the side and too slow to be accidental.
Nora felt her stomach twist into knots. Nox had been exploring a bit on his own nearby and she could feel him. She implored internally for him to return. She could tell he had heard her, but the footsteps were already much closer than they were a moment ago. Her fingers tightened painfully around her books. Maybe she was just being paranoid, maybe they would walk right past her.
”Evenin’ miss.” a voice called out, slick like oil.
She flinched, her nerves on fire. Nope. Not walking past her.
A man stepped into the lanternlight just ahead of her, his smile crooked and wrong somehow. It set the hairs on the back of her neck on edge. Another followed after him, his smile missing a few of its teeth. Then, a third approached, close enough that she could smell the stale putrid ale on his breath.
Nora froze, paralyzed, as fear gripped her heart. Definitely not walking past her.
”Such a pretty little thing,” One of them smirked. She shot her head down, staring at the ground now. She tried to become as small as she could, as if doing so would make them stop. ”Walking all alone with those books, dressed like that. You must come from a pretty noble house, huh?” He continued.
”No, I-” Nora swallowed, her throat tight and suddenly dry, ”I don’t have anything.”
It sounded like a lie even to her own ears. She knew she wasn’t getting out of this. She could feel Nox getting closer and closer, so at the very least she knew she didn’t need to worry about that. But if he didn’t get to her in time-
Her thought was interrupted as one of the men walked over, his finger brushing over the edge of one of her books.
”Please,” she protested, her voice small, ”I’ll give you money.” They laughed in response, a sound that sent a wave of hot, nauseating fear over her.
Memories pressed in as her vision blurred. White walls, locked doors, hands that never asked permission. For a moment, she was somewhere else entirely.
Another hand reached out to close around her wrist. She let out a sharp gasp, her books tumbling to the ground, forgotten.
”Please-!” she cried out, panic clawing its way up her throat. ”Let go,” she pleaded, then louder, ”Let. Go.” Tears stung the back of her eyes as they threatened to spill. Nox was still too far away but she could feel his anger.
The man’s grip tightened as she struggled and Nora felt another wave of unwelcomed memories wash over her in a sickening cloud. She felt her stomach churn and her body felt uncomfortably warm. Bile threatened to climb up her throat.
Another night, another walk—anything to clear his head and focus his mind. There were many problems and too many things to do. So much so that the cries for help almost missed him. Almost.
His path shifted on a dime. Careless steps transitioned to seamless, quiet movement until he was right on top of them.
“I don’t think she likes being touched,” he said.
The voice would have sounded like an angel regardless of who spoke it. The words alone gave her some small, painful hope that everything would be okay.
One turned to speak, but Roman didn’t let him get a word in. He kicked the man’s knee into an unnatural bend. The attacker's screams were cut short by a swift knee to the face, liberating what remained of his teeth from his jaw.
Nora jumped at the sound of the impact and the scream that followed. It sent her nerves on end and she balled herself up, hugging her knees as she knelt. Nox, please.. She pleaded without words.
The other two moved to attack, only for Roman to land a foot square in the chest of the closest man, sending him flying back into the wall before he crumpled into a heap.
The last man drew a knife and lunged—sloppy, slow, desperate. Roman grabbed the man’s wrist and snapped his arm at the elbow. He pulled the man forward and down. One last strike to the face left him unconscious on the floor with his friends.
He took a moment to examine the blade. Just as he guessed, it was one of the ones they had given away a few weeks ago.
She was trying her best to keep her breathing even. Every fiber of her body screamed, tensed and burning. She could feel the world beginning to spin around her and she fought the urge to vomit once more. Her body shook with the force of her anxiety.
He turned his gaze to the girl. “Are you okay, miss?”
He looked her over, but he didn’t know her. Black no, very dark brown hair, brown eyes, fair skin. She was cute, but he definitely didn’t recognize her.
The voice from before spoke and, with some effort, she managed to lift her head to look in it’s direction. She gasped, stumbling back on her rump. He looked just as scary! She scrambled backwards, fear apparent in her brown eyes.
”Please-” She started, tears threatening to spill, ”I don’t have anything!” She could feel Nox getting closer.
Oh, it looked like he was scaring her. Not an unusual reaction to a late-night stranger, he supposed. It wasn't like he could just walk away and leave her like this. “My apologies, miss. I didn't mean to frighten you. These men just caught me on a bad day.”
His words relaxed her mind, but her body was still fighting the adrenaline and wouldn’t calm down. She felt her tears, hot in the back of her eyes, stinging as they began to fall.
His gaze shifted to the ground, and he saw the books. As he picked them up, a few of the titles caught his eye. He flipped towards the end of one volume and began to read aloud.
“He wiped the black blood of the beast from his blade and knelt, his voice rough with the smoke of the battle: 'I told you I would tear the world apart just to find you.'”
So, romance and knightly honor then.
“My name is Roman, Roman Ravenwood. What would yours be?” He knelt across from her; the threat the men posed was all but gone now. Still, he couldn’t just carry her away when she was like this, else others might think he was trying to take her. He couldn't have any more of that.
The words from her book tug at her, her gaze shooting up at him. She felt embarrassment spread across her face, a contrast to the tears that were now streaming down her face. Her breathing was still stuttered, her chest shaking as it rose and fell in too quick a succession. Nox was close. Wait.. She commanded, trying to get a hold on herself.
Nora took a moment, her eyes closed as she focused on her breathing. Magnus appeared in her mind, counting with her. She whispered the numbers quietly, and a few moments later, she felt calm enough to lift her head at him. She stared for a moment, as if trying to take the measure of him. Her knees still felt too weak to stand, but she had to try.
Weakly, Nora pushed at the ground with her palms, trying to rise. She knew he’d asked her a question, but she still didn’t quite trust him yet. Roman… was that a name she knew? She couldn’t remember. She didn’t think so. A moment later, her legs gave way and she slumped back down to the ground. She let out a frustrated huff of air.
His eyes and his smile were soft and patient. She didn’t say anything, but at least she was calming down. “Adrenaline is a hard thing to come down from. Take deep, slow breaths.” His voice had changed to a lighter tone—the one he used with his younger siblings whenever they were frightened or needed comforting.
When she tried to stand, he smiled again. But when she slid back down, he tilted his head to the side for a moment, then moved to be right beside her. “This might freak you out a little bit, and I apologize. But I'm going to pick you up and carry you out to the street before some of their friends come along. Okay?”
Her head bolted up at his words, eyes wide as she watched him. He wasn’t exactly wrong and she wasn’t in any kind of position to get herself to safety right now, clearly.
It wasn’t much of a question, really, but he needed to get them out of this alley. “Here, hold these,” he said, placing her books on her lap. With little effort, he scooped her carefully into his arms. “If you want me to put you down, I will when we get back to the street. Otherwise, just tell me where to go.” He knew this was a bit awkward, but hell, he was awkward already. He might as well commit to it.
She blinked as the books were placed on her lap. With shaky hands, she reached down to secure them. She clamped her eyes shut as he reached for her. She felt strong arms reach under her and the ground disappeared below her. He smelled… like something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It wasn’t unfamiliar…
Perhaps there was a small part of her that took solace in knowing that if she didn’t want him to pick her up, Nox was now close enough to do something about it. She just didn’t want to play that card unless she had to.
”Thank you.” She whispered after a moment, her eyes slowly opening to look up at him.
He had taken only a few steps down the alley when he heard the whisper. He didn’t reply to her, just smiled and kept walking. That was until he started to feel it—or rather, the lack of it. It felt like a weight had left his shoulders; carrying her actually made him feel lighter. The sensation made him stop entirely, just a few steps away from the street.
His mind was silent. None of the voices or problems were there—just peace. Everything was clear and direct. He basked in it for a moment longer, taking a deep breath and savoring the feeling.
The pause had her confused, his steps slowing to a halt for a moment. Was something wrong? She didn’t hear anything and hadn’t heard anything from Nox either. Before she could say anything, he was moving again.
After a few moments, he stepped out into the street, looking down at her with renewed interest and curiosity. “I… I don’t know what you did, or if you're even aware of it, but… thank you.” He needed to figure out who this girl was. She could help free him.
“Where… uh, where to next?”
She looked back at him, her brows furrowed at the expression on his face. It was the face you made when you’d found something interesting, like a good book to read. It confused her. She couldn’t even fathom to think why he would suddenly show such a face. And then he spoke, an odd look of relief on his face. Or at least, she thought it was relief.
”You’re welcome…?” she replied, utterly lost. She lifted her hand, which had by now stopped shaking quite as much and pointed in the direction of where she was staying. ”I’m… staying at the Noble’s Housing…”
He couldn’t help but give a soft chuckle at her reaction. It was a telling reaction, especially for someone trying to hide something. Regardless, it put him in a very good mood. When she pointed towards the nobles' housing, he had to wonder who he was actually carrying in his arms.
“Oh, I know where that is. I suppose I have a room there somewhere, too. Where are you from?” He didn’t want to push her into giving her name if she wasn’t comfortable with it, but at least she wasn’t shaking anymore.
His tone was friendly and had a calming effect on her. Maybe it was the way he looked happier, but maybe it bled a little into her. Her nerves were still fried and she could feel how stiff and tense her body still felt, but she was starting to come down from it. The memories once again felt distant.
”...Varian.” she replied quietly, wide eyes still watching him with a mixture of confusion and wonder. Who was he? Why did he have a room there too? Was he someone she should know… Her mind raced with names of her family’s friends.
