A Court of Flight and Valor

Aubrius sat on a stool beside her bed, elbows propped on her knees and her head in her hands. In her bed was Bridris, dressed in Aubrius’ nightclothes, sleeping off the magicked wine the faerie could still smell on her. Aubrius had found her human friend close to dawn, when she’d headed towards the cliffs for her wing exercises. Bridris had been in the woods, propped against a tree sound-asleep with her clothing a wreck and reeking of faerie wine, deep within fae territory, no sign of who had brought her there anywhere. Knowing Bridris was supposed to be leaving later in the day, Aubrius tried to carry her back to her village, only to find that her friend physically could not leave the court’s territory. Whoever had taken her, for whatever purpose, had spelled her against leaving somehow then left—likely to avoid Bridris’ anger—and now Aubrius waited for her to wake up so that she could break the news. It had occurred to her more than once that she could’ve been out trying to find who had taken Bridris and getting information on whatever spell kept her in the court’s territory, but she was paranoid that her friend might wake up at any moment, and she didn’t want to be gone when that happened, especially as Bridris might wrongly guess that she’d been responsible. Aubrius only had two close friends in the world, and while Bridris was one of them, she’d accepted that her friend had found happiness and had said her goodbyes the night before. Unfortunately, while most of the humans living in the nearby village chose not to associate with the fae, Bridris had charmed most of the small court. She’d made friends with most of them, and those who didn’t know her personally knew of her, which meant that there were a lot of faeries that could be responsible.

@ sun spirit

Brindis had an awful headache. A few of her Fae friends had invited her to the edge of the woods to say goodbye to her before she was to leave to go be with her fiance before they were to be married, and they'd offered her some wine to celebrate, although it hadn't been normal wine, but by the time she realized the mistake she'd made it had been too late, and she'd blacked out. With a groan she sat up slowly and rubbed at her eyes, squinting in the dim light. Once her eyes adjusted she spotted Aubrius, frowning a little as she initially thought that the Fae was in her home. But soon she realized that she wasn't in her own home, but somewhere unfamiliar, and clearly not human, and she felt herself begin to panic.

"Aubrius? Why.. Where am I? What happened? What time is it, I have to be leaving soon, the carriage won't wait forever.." She said as she sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed as she attempted to stand, although she wobbled on her feet a bit, grabbing onto the wall to steady herself. "Please, Aub, bring me home, I need to leave."

@ katahdin

Aubrius came to her feet as soon as she noticed that Bridis had woken up, quickly moving to her friend's side and taking her arm as she wobbled upon standing. Fuck, she suddenly wished Ramyth were here. He was better with words than her, at putting things in the ways they needed to be. "Bri, you need to sit down. You'll fall over at this rate." Attempting to be gentle, Aubrius pushed Bridris back towards the bed, leading her to sit down on the edge and sitting with her. The position ruffled her wings a bit, but she quickly adjusted. "You can't go home. And before you start yelling at me, I mean it literally. I found you near the cliffs this morning, and when I tried to take you back, I physically couldn't. You've been somehow spelled so that you can't leave the court's territory. I have no idea who did it, and I don't know how to undo it. I would've gone out for answers already, but I didn't want to leave you alone."

@ sun spirit

Bridis took the hand she was offered, grateful for Aubrius' assistance in keeping her on her feet and helping her back to sitting down. She paled as her friend told her what had happened, that she couldn't go home, biting her lip as she shook her head in disbelief. "No.. No, no, this can't be happening, Aub. I'm... I-I'm supposed to be on a carriage, going off to be with my fiance before we're to be married in a few days.. I.. I have to go. Aub, please, you have to help me get back, there still might be time. Please." Bridis turned to her friend and begged, squeezing her hands as she looked at her friend desperately, struggling to fight back tears. "Please, I have to go, Aub. I need you to help me." It was clear she was desperate, and terrified that she wouldn't be able to make the carriage to take her to her fiance. She also knew that her fiance wasn't very fond of the Fae, even though she considered them to be her friends, and she worried that this would only cause further rifts between the villagers who disliked the Fae and the Fae who weren't very fond of the humans on their borders.

@ katahdin

Aubrius winced as Bridris started begging her to help, seeing the tears she was fighting back, and squeezed her friend's arm gently. "I can take you to the edge of our territory so you can see for yourself, but I already tried to take you back, Bri. Honestly. The only other thing I can think of to do is take you to the court and try to get help there. There are a couple of people there good with spells that might be able to help. At the very least, someone needs to find the fae who did this and punish them. We might be a little mischievous sometimes, but we don't entrap humans. I have a friend, Ramyth, in the royal guard who should be able to help us get an audience." Reassuring Bridris that she had a plan--however small--on how to handle this seemed like the best comfort she could offer. Perhaps it wasn't help in the way that Bridris wanted, but it was the sort of help that Aubrius could offer right now, being physically unable to take her friend back home.

@ sun spirit

As Aubrius further stated that she couldn't bring Bridis back the poor girl began to weep, burying her face in her hands. This was supposed to be the happiest time of her life, she was supposed to be moving to her fiance's village, supposed to be marrying him in a few days, but it was all being taken from her. She looked up when Aubrius mentioned knowing a royal guard who could help them, nodding quickly as she wiped at her tears. "Please, Aub. I-I need to get home.. Take me to Ramyth, I need to speak with someone who can break whatever magic was placed on me." She insisted, standing again, and although she wobbled a little when she initially stood, she was much more stable this time. Upon seeing that she wasn't wearing the clothes she had been when she'd last been awake she frowned, looking at Aubrius. "Do you have something more suitable to change into? Going to see a Fae King in a nightgown doesn't seem proper."

@ katahdin

As Bridris began to cry, Aubrius awkwardly patted her back, trying to offer comfort despite how uncomfortable the tears made her. It wasn't that she didn't feel for her friend so much as she was bad with tears and emotional moments like this. "Of course," she agreed as Bridris asked her to take her to Ramyth, relieved that they would be doing something. She started to offer her home in case things took more than the day, but decided it would probably be best to save the offer until they knew for sure what was going to happen.

"Absolutely. Here, let me see what I can find," she said, offering Bridris a small, reassuring smile as she got up and headed to her dresser, where she pulled out a plain-spun tunic and pants. "Once you're changed, I can glamour the tunic so you can't see the holes in the back," she offered as she passed them over. All of her clothes were made to accommodate wings, and while she couldn't offer Bridris anything without holes, she could at least offer the illusion that the holes didn't exist.

@ sun spirit

Bridis simply nodded at Aubrius' offer, taking the tunic and pants and moving behind a nearby changing screen to get dressed. Once done she came out, finding the boots she'd worn to the woods by the door and thankfully intact, wiping the last of the tears from her eyes before she turned to Aubrius. "Alright, I think I'm ready.." She murmured. She didn't care much about the glamour either way, but if Aubrius insisted she'd wait for her to do it. Once that was taken care of the set out, Aubrius leading the human out of her home and toward the Fae palace. Bridis had never been so far into the Fae kingdom before, having only remained in the woods on the border near her own human village, which was where she'd befriended Aubrius and a few other Fae who frequented that part of the woods. Over the years she'd been introduced to more and more Fae as well, especially since a human who was kind to the Fae was somewhat of a rare thing these days, so she'd become quite well known in the small kingdom, even if she'd never been permitted to go past the forest at their borders.

@ katahdin

As Bridris got dressed, Aubrius sent a note ahead to Ramyth to give him some warning of their arrival to make things easier once they got there as she was already dressed for the day, with her long black hair braided behind her. When Bridris stepped out from behind the privacy screen and Aubrius glamoured her tunic, she almost offered to fly them both to the palace as it would be good strength-training for her wings, only barely holding her tongue as she reminded herself that she couldn't push them too far too fast. The wound from her childhood accident meant much work had to be done on her right wing, and only years of careful procedures and patience had led to her being able to fly again in short intervals. Her black feathers would never regrow where the procedures had mended her broken wing, but the thin, almost transparent material the healer had managed to meticulously shape and graft to her wing was strong enough for flight. The trouble, she was told, was the atrophy from her muscles going unused for so long and getting used to the way the foreign material felt mid-flight. She was warned against pushing too far too fast and reinjuring the wing. It was a minor miracle that she could fly again at all; if she reinjured her wing, there was no promise she'd reach this point again. And so she led Bridris to the path the grounded fae took when they sought audience at the palace, a set of bridges and stairs that led to the palace built into the side of the mountain.

---

Ramyth was standing his post outside the king's door, having relieved the guard on duty just a couple hours prior, when he received Aubrius' hastily written note. Bridris was taken and enchanted last night. I don't know who or how, and she can't leave our territory now. We're coming to the palace. No signature, no carefully worded request--he knew exactly who the note was from nevertheless and understood it to be more warning than anything else. With a beleaguered sigh, he tucked the note into a pocket and turned to knock on the king's door. While he wasn't close friends with King Ailuin, didn't move in the same social circles as the king, dealing with Aubrius had given the two something to bond over, to a degree. Aubrius was relentless in her pursuit of becoming one of the elite guard in fulfillment of her childhood dream, refusing to let her handicap stop her. She'd made petition after petition, before she'd regained any amount of flight and through every stage of her rehabilitation since then, made easier for her to do by the fact that she had to come to the palace to visit the healers for her wing. Ramyth was able to speak with the king candidly precisely because of Aubrius' stubbornness, and he'd been known to give Ailuin warning when he knew she would be coming to the palace. "Your Majesty?" he called as he knocked at the door. "I was just informed that Aubrius will be coming soon.... with a human who was kidnapped last night."

@ sun spirit

Ailuin was seated at his desk, preparing for a meeting that he was supposed to have in a few days with the king of one of the neighboring courts about some skirmishes that had been occurring along their borders, and although the two kings were on good terms, he wasn't going to let the older Fae walk all over him. He was the youngest king this court had ever had, and was the youngest Fae king in the region for centuries, and he wasn't about to let those who thought him young and inexperienced take advantage of him. He looked up when Ramyth knocked and entered, looking over at the guard as he stood in the door and informed him that Aubrius was coming, letting out a sigh. He didn't dislike Aubrius, in fact, he admired her dedication and commitment to relearning how to fly after her childhood injury, as well as her persistence in petitioning him about becoming a member of the royal guard. But laws were laws, and unless she could pass the required tests, he couldn't allow her to hold such a position. However, at the mention of a kidnapped human he looked up in surprise, his shock evident as he thought over the predicament. "I will see Aubrius and the human here, in my chambers. The less who know about the human being here, the better. Also, inform a few guards to be ready to go out and investigate the matter. I doubt Aubrius was crazy enough to kidnap the human herself, so we'll need to locate who was responsible for this." Ailuin explained as he stood, smoothing out his jacket and shirt. He was a king, after all, and wanted to be presentable, even if he preferred to dress more modestly than some of the other Fae nobility. "I'd like for you to be the one to meet Aubrius when they arrive, convince her to not draw too much attention to this until we understand what has happened." The last thing he needed were those in the palace that disliked humans to threaten or harm the girl, and he knew the humans likely wouldn't be pleased with this, and returning the girl injured wasn't something he wanted to do.

---

Bridris couldn't help but stare in awe at all of the buildings as they passed. Aubrius had told her about the Fae cities before, but her stories and descriptions couldn't do them justice. Especially not the palace, which looked to be built directly into the side of the mountain. She was pretty sure it was the same mountain that she could see from her village, although she'd never noticed a palace built into it before, and if the Fae could hide such a large and elegant structure with magic, what else could they do?

"Do you think that the King will see us?" Bridris asked as they neared the gates, noticing what she assumed was a guard standing at the entrance, seemingly waiting for them. "What if he says he won't see us? Or help? How will I get home?"

@ katahdin

Having been given his orders, Ramyth left King Ailuin to do as he was asked, making sure another member of the guard replaced him at his post before he tracked down a few who currently had no assignments and informed them of what little he knew as well as warning them to be ready to investigate once word came from the king, then finally made his way to the palace entrance closest to Aubrius' home, where he waited for her and the human. As it turned out, he didn't have to wait long, and as they approached, he stepped up to greet them, apparently just in time to hear the infamous Bridris voice her concerns. "That would be my cue to step in," he said, offering the woman a smile. "Aubrius sent a note to me, and I've already talked to the king. He's agreed to see you, and I'm here to escort you to his chambers. We should move quickly though. People gossip, and your presence is bound to draw attention."

Aubrius blinked in surprise as Ramyth announced that they already had an audience--a private one no less. She knew the king's patience had to be wearing thin with her, and she could only suppose that Ramyth had conveyed news of Bridris' kidnapping rather than simply mention her name. It was against the law after all, and if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that their king was a stickler for following the law. "He'll help, Bri," she said, falling in step with her friend as they followed Ramyth, who led them down unfamiliar, little trafficked hallways. "The fact that he's seeing you so quickly is already a great sign. Tell her, Ram."

Ramyth glanced back at the women. "Aubrie's right. We already have guards prepared to investigate once we have the full story of what happened. Kidnapping humans is against our laws, and the king takes law-breaking very seriously," he promised. He'd taken them a little out of the way to keep them as out-of-sight as possible, but soon enough, they'd arrived at the king's chambers again, and Ramyth signaled for his charges to pause as he knocked on the door once more. "Your Highness, I brought Aubrius and the human as requested."

@ sun spirit

Bridris looked away from her friend as the guard spoke up and stepped toward him, looking at him suspiciously as he spoke. It wasn't that she didn't trust the Fae, she liked them more than most humans did, but given the circumstances, she'd decided it was likely better to be a little extra cautious. She assumed the guard was Ramyth, who Aubrius had mentioned earlier and a few times in the past when they'd seen one another, so she knew that he was at least decent based on the little she knew from Aubrius.

She nodded as they assured her the king would listen to her, and as they entered the king's chambers she clenched her fists anxiously. Neither Aubrius or Ramyth bowed to the man who was standing by his desk examining what looked to be a map, although he looked up when the trio entered. "Ah, Ramyth, thank you for bringing them. I'm assuming you took the care to make sure you weren't seen?" Ailuin asked before turning to Bridris and Aubrius. "My sincerest apologies for what has happened, I can assure you that I will do everything to return you to your home as soon as possible. I am King Ailuin. What is your name? Ramyth didn't mention it, nor the details of the kidnapping."

Bridris eyed the king as he turned to them and spoke, silent for a minute as he dark, calculating eyes took him in, before crossing her arms over her chest. "You don't seem like a king." She stated simply, glancing at Aubrius when her friend nudged her before turning her attention back to the king, who was grinning. "Some Fae invited me to the forest to wish me well before I was supposed to leave my village today to join my fiance in his village before we're to be married in a few days. They gave me wine, but it must have been poisoned or something, because I woke in Aubrius' house and can't remember any of the details before then."

Ailuin grinned as the human first spoke, quickly realizing who she was based on that alone. "You must be Bridris." He'd never met the human that had charmed so many of his subjects, but had heard of her and her kindness, so it was quite unfortunate that they were meeting under these circumstances. He frowned though as he listened to her explained what she knew, looking between Ramyth and Aubrius in concern. "They must have given her Fae wine. But that alone doesn't explain why she can't leave the court."

@ katahdin

"I kept to the lesser-used passages, but they walked through town and up to the palace in the open, so they were probably seen before they got here," Ramyth explained. Thankfully, Bridris was wearing faerie-made clothes, and from a distance, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume that she was fae. Up close, however, no one would confuse her for anything other than human. Her movements were too uncoordinated, her ears too round, her build just a little too awkward, with nothing wild or magic about her. It was still early enough that not too many people were out, but if he had to put money on it, he'd say that she'd been recognized as human by at least a few fae. Whether she was recognized by any of them would all depend on who had seen her though.

At Bridris' comment, Aubrius bit back a smile but nudged her friend nonetheless. While King Ailuin didn't often demand the sort of shows of fealty that other kings might, there was still a certain level of respect he should be shown. Even if she liked her friend's disregard for fae hierarchy. She stayed silent for the moment though, letting Bridris explain what she remembered, only stepping in as Ailuin responded. "It was definitely faerie wine; I could still smell it when I found her. Whoever's responsible left her in the forest near the cliffs. Since I knew she was supposed to leave today, I tried to take her home, but I physically couldn't carry her over the barrier," she explained. "I think the wine may have been enchanted or that a spell was put on her after she was drunk. Whatever it is, we need to figure out how to break the enchantment so she can leave, and I can take the guards Ramyth mentioned to where I found her so we can try to figure out who did this."

@ sun spirit

Ailuin frowned as he listened to Bridris' explanation and then Aubrius's suggestion, running a hand over his face as he sighed. He had to act carefully, the last thing he needed were riots or war because a human was kidnapped. "Yes... Ramyth, have the guards you spoke to earlier go with Aubrius to where Bridris was found. But I want you to not interfere with the investigation, Aubrius, let the guards handle this, since it's a sensitive matter."

Bridris frowned, looking between the different Fae before her eyes settled on the king. "What about me? I need to get home. My family and fiance must be worried about me, if I don't get back to them soon they'll worry." She stated, hoping that they'd find a way to break whatever spell was on her before the end of the day, so she could get home as soon as possible.

The king nodded, looking over at the human in front of him. "Yes, Ramyth will accompany you to one of the palace's mages to see if we can come up with a solution to get you home as soon as possible. But I'm afraid that this problem may not be solved today, so I'll have a room prepared for you in the palace, and Ramyth will be your guard, and will make sure that you are comfortable and safe while you're here."

Bridris' eyes widened as the king said that she'd have to stay in the palace, shaking her head as she felt herself growing angry. "No, you don't understand. I have to go home today, I'm getting married in a few days, if I don't get home I... I don't even know, but I know that I have to return home. Today." She insisted, although Ailuin only looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry, Bridris, I know this is hard, but I promise that we'll do all that we can to get you home safely as soon as possible."

The poor human felt her eyes well with tears, and she turned and stormed out of the room, taking off down the hall. The king sighed and looked to Ramyth, a silent plea to go after her and make sure she stayed safe, before turning to Aubrius. "Come on, let's go speak with the guards who you'll show to where the human was found."

@ katahdin

For the most part, Ramyth listened to the conversation quietly, shocked when Ailuin said that he would be guarding Bridris. They were trying to keep the subject of her kidnapping private though, and the only others who would know any details were those who he'd spoken to about the investigation, so he supposed it made sense. She'd need someone looking out for her as a human amongst fae, especially if whoever took her came back. He should feel honored that Ailuin trusted him. When Bridris stormed away, Ramyth had already started towards the door before Ailuin signaled for him to follow, stepping in front of Aubrius, who'd likewise started towards the door. "I've got it. You need to lead the investigation team in the right direction," he said softly.

After Aubrius hesitantly nodded her assent, Ramyth quickly exited the room. Bridris was no longer in sight, but his nose quickly told him which direction she'd gone in, and he quickly caught up to her, gently pulling her into an alcove before she accidentally stumbled into a busier section of the palace. "I'm sorry about this. I have to make sure you aren't seen by too many fae," he explained quickly. "Our law against taking humans is still relatively new in this kingdom, and if the wrong people find out what's happened, they might try to return to the old ways, and then there are those who don't look too kindly upon humans and might try to cause you harm. I'm sure your protection is primarily why the king wants me to guard you and you to stay at the palace if you cannot leave today."

Ramyth hesitated before adding, "I'm sorry to hear this happened to you before you were to be married. It isn't the king's intention to keep you here, and I swear to you that we will do all we can to get you home as soon as possible. The faerie wine has probably affected your memories of last night, but if something ever comes back to you, please don't hesitate to tell me or ask to see the king and tell him. Any detail might help us find whoever did this, and if we can't find a solution for you when we talk to the mage, catching whoever did this to you will be our best chance of undoing the spell. And ensuring they are punished to dissuade others from doing anything of the sort again in the future." He was being both earnest and sympathetic, hoping it would help her understand that they wanted to help and were taking the situation seriously.

---

Though Aubrius wanted to chase after Bridris, she reluctantly let Ramyth go in her stead for multiple reasons, not the least of which was because she trusted him and believed that if anyone could calm Bridris and reassure her, it would be him. He was simply good at comfort and convincing people to believe in him, unlike her. As the king spoke, however, she refocused her mind. "I want to help with the investigation," she said in lieu of agreeing to let him take her to the guards. "I know it's a sensitive matter, but I can be sensitive. Besides, I'm already involved because I found Bridris and she's my friend. And it'll be good practice for when I'm finally allowed to join the royal guard." She'd already planned on looking into the matter on her own, but she chose not to mention that just in case she couldn't convince him to let her help on an official basis.

@ sun spirit

Bridris tensed as she felt someone grab her, already beginning to attempt to squirm out of their grasp and ready to yell for help, but when she realized it was only Ramyth she calmed down a bit, although she was still clearly quite distraught. She understood why they were trying to hide her, since the human realm had just as many laws regarding the Fae as the Fae probably had regarding humans, but she'd felt trapped, and had had to get away.

"I-I know all of that, I just.. I want to go home, Ramyth. I want my family, my fiance to know that I'm safe. Oh gods, what if they think I've been killed, or they try to come looking for me.." her eyes welled with fresh tears at the thought of her family and loved ones being in danger, covering her mouth with her hand to muffled her sobs, knowing that Ramyth didn't want any attention drawn to them.

---

Not this again. Ailuin sighed, closing his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment before lifting his head to look at her again. "Aubrius, you know that I want you to succeed, that I'm on your side. But I cannot have a civilian assisting with an active investigation, especially when you could be a suspect." He held his hands up in defense as he saw her anger, giving her a little look to tell her to wait while he explained. "I'm not saying that you've done this, I actually don't think you'd ever do something like this, but others might not share my opinion, and it would look bad to have you helping to investigate this girl's kidnapping when you're the one who found her, and considering your friendship with her. Besides, you can hardly fly a mile, and you know as well as I do that detective skills alone won't help you pass the royal guard's exam." He said, moving over to her to rest a hand on her shoulder as he looked at her sympathetically. "I want you to succeed. I really, really do, Aub. But I cannot make exceptions for dreamers, especially when it could put people in danger."

@ katahdin

Ramyth's heart went out to Bridris as she talked about what her family and fiancé might think about her disappearance, especially as she covered her mouth as she started crying anew. Automatically, he started glancing around, trying to think of somewhere else they could go, then realized moving to an empty room wouldn't make her feel any better. He squeezed her shoulder gently instead. "I'm sorry," he said softly, pausing before he continued. "Take however much time you need to cry now, and once you feel like you're okay, we'll go talk to the mage, okay? If he can't help you immediately and get you home today, we'll go talk to the king again. Maybe you can write a note, and someone can take it to your house. Given the situation and how your family or fiancé might react, I don't know if Ailuin would want you telling them that you're here, but you could reassure them that you're fine and will be home as soon as possible. Maybe you could ask them to leave a response in a certain area, where someone can pick it up, and you could exchange letters, that way they know you aren't dead and doing well at least. They might still look for you, but we have protections at our border that prevent most humans from entering our territory, so it's very unlikely that they'd come here and end up in trouble." It was small comfort, but he hoped it might ease some of her concerns.

---

Aubrius knew what the answer would be the moment she saw his reaction. She'd been turned down enough times that rejection didn't sting anymore, but she wasn't prepared to be called a potential suspect. She felt her hackles raise immediately but managed to hold her tongue as he continued, only relaxing as he said that he didn't believe she'd do such a thing. She was surprised by the hurt that flashed through her as he called her a dreamer though, stepping back out of his reach before she could contemplate the action. "I'm not dreaming. I can beat almost all of your men in combat, and I excel in every other area except flying. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: those are the skills that should be looked at the hardest. Not every faerie in this kingdom has wings, and any one of them could have potential as a knight but don't get to find out because of the laws. Putting that aside, I'm improving every day. I'm going to be able to fly as well as anyone else soon, so I don't want to hear that I'm dreaming."

As she realized who she'd almost begun to yell at, Aubrius blushed and took another step back. Until now, her petitions had always been made in public, with others sighing or snickering behind their hands and King Ailuin patiently reminding her that the law was the law and he couldn't make an exception for her. "I'm sorry," she said tightly, her voice pitched low as she aimed her gaze at his feet. "I shouldn't have said any of that. I'll show the investigation team where I found Bridris. And I won't attempt to join them--I swear it on my name. I'll take them to the place, answer any questions they might have for me, and leave." At that moment, she was grateful to have Ramyth as a friend. Because of him, she knew where the barracks were and wouldn't have to wait around for directions and risk finding out whether Ailuin would react to her anger or be merciful and pretend it hadn't happened. With a quick, shallow bow, Aubrius pushed the door behind her open and escaped into the hall, cheeks still stinging with anger and embarrassment.

@ sun spirit

"How can I be ok if I'm trapped here?" Bridris snapped through her sobs, shaking her head as she began to wipe uselessly at her tears, struggling a bit to calm down and get herself under control. She frowned as he suggested writing a letter that could tell them she was safe but not include where she was or who she was with. "I.. I don't know how to write or read.. No one in my family can.. I think my fiancé can, though.. M-Maybe I could figure out how to write to him.." she sniffled, wiping the last of the tears from her eyes before looking up at him. "A-Alright, let's go see the mage.." she sighed, shying away from his grip when she realized he was holding onto her shoulder. It wasn't that she didn't trust Ramyth, she didn't really have much of an opinion of him yet, but she wasn't very fond of letting people touch her.

---

"Aubrius, the laws were made for a reason. King's guard have to be able to fight on the ground and in the air, and that's impossible to do without wings." Ailuin explained, a frown on his lips. He hadn't meant to hurt her, and the look of hurt that had flashed across her face hurt him more than he wanted to admit. "Most other kings would have stopped granting you audiences by now, I'm on your side, Aubrius. I want you to succeed, but making an exception and handing you the position when you haven't earned it isn't right."

His frown only deepened as he watched her step back and apologize, starting to shake his head, but she cut him off and hurried out of the room before he could say anything. With a frustrated sigh he ran his fingers through his hair before following her, wanting to catch up with her and apologize, but also wanting to make sure that the guards investigating the kidnapping understood that this was a sensitive matter, and that they were not to tell a soul.

@ katahdin

When she shied away from him, Ramyth quickly stepped back to give her space, not wanting to crowd her if it made her uncomfortable. "I could write the letter for you, or teach you to do it yourself if you'd prefer, or both. We might be spending quite a bit of time together, after all," he offered, trying to be as helpful as he could. He couldn't imagine being in her situation and knew he'd want as much help and as many allies as he could get. He nodded though as she said she wanted to see the mage; though her eyes and face were still red, there were no more tears, and it looked as if she'd calmed down a little. "This way," he said, stepping back out into the hall and gesturing her to follow. As they walked, he kept them to quieter hallways so they'd encounter as few fae as possible, up two flights of stairs that only existed to be used by servants and anyone else without wings, then, because it was unavoidable, quickly navigated her down a busy hallway to reach the mage's chambers, only giving a couple of knocks as warning before he opened the door and motioned her inside.

---

Aubrius was already turning the corner when she heard a door behind her open and close and just knew he was following her; despite her assurances to behave, he probably wanted to make sure with his own eyes that she kept her promise. She quickened her pace a little, not wanting him to catch up until she reached the barracks, at which point there would be plenty of others around to prevent the continuation of their conversation--and maybe she'd have gotten her emotions under control again. She had no idea where her outburst had come from, why the insinuation that, as much as he claimed to want her to succeed, he didn't actually believe she would, hurt the way it had. She'd stopped picking fights on those grounds years ago when she'd realized she was spending too much time fighting and being punished for it and wasn't training enough. It shouldn't matter if he didn't believe she could do it or that she was trying to acquire a position without earning. No, not shouldn't--didn't. His opinion didn't matter to her.