Roses etc

[Lovely]

June 25, 2006
Dusk
The Montgomery Inn


Annia just kissed his cheek as she passed him in the hall..

well ... this just got messy and totally different... he's waaaay confused...

Annia stopped humming and turned, smiling softly. "You're family now Mitch.. relax."

"Re... relax? You could... how did you ... you knew what I was thinking just now?"

She sighed, chuckling softly but smiling with a new warmth for him. "Yes.. it's a skill you may someday share with us. You have much to learn, my dear."

He didn't doubt that for a moment. His skin seemed to crawl with an awareness of the whispers in the air, of every little thing that breathed and shifted it around him. "Us...," he repeated, feeling cold and uncertain and a little lost. Memories tugged at him just out of reach, making this seem awkward and more unnatural than the state he'd fallen into. "H-have a nice day, Miss Montgomery. I-i-i..I... I think I need to g-g-get some fresh air."'

She reached to touch his cheek, her hand was cool but his skin was chilled as well. "It will be alright.. believe in those who care for you.. " She whispered softly, seeking to calm and soothe him just a bit. "She nodded and let him go so he could go outside.

Mitch pulled away slowly, fearing a hand on his throat if he moved too quickly or showed signs of his own will. He was given no orders, but given ... encouragement? Compassion? Everyone had been acting so strangely since Bronwyn had kept him. Now he didn't know where she was. Annia let him move unhindered and his step away was long and quick, wanting to find himself outside as soon as possible as the nausea was creeping over him again. Why did he feel so cold? Finding comfort in the gardens he tended, he moved out along the darkened paths, making note of bulbs that needed to be replaced and roots that needed pulling as he tripped over the ones he couldn't see. Shadows and more shadows, they all seemed to move strangely though the light stayed still. One shadow in particular caught his attention as he stopped short at the roses, wondering if this was a bad idea. He cleared his throat softly for the figure to hear him, hoping he didn't find him disturbed this evening.

His head tipped to take in the soft scent of the roses he'd always loved, another scent drifted to him and mingled with the flower. His mouth turned in a disarming grin as he shifted up and spoke in a quiet but deep tone. "Evening Mitch." He greeted the man with a small pleasantry, though he never turned to see him there.

"M-master Jorden," he acknowledged, holding still and awaiting the man's request. He'd never paid much attention before to how he just knew when Mitch was there and how to find him. He knew well enough to feel a similar chill when he knew Jorden was looking for him. That was a short lesson to learn and a painful one. "You are well this evening?" Best to ask the man's health.

"Still healing.. but renewed and yes.. well." He smiled more broadly thinking of many things in this moment that gave him cause to be happy. "And you.. how are you this evening?"

"W-well... and c-co-confused.. heheh," he admitted, finding himself smiling as if he was expected to at some amusement he couldn't yet see, but he was always one to be honest and said so. "Y-you're... you're smiling. Not that y-you shouldn't. But... your sister.. sh-she... she wished me well." His head tilted in a soft twitch that partly a shake of the cold, but also of the uncertainty.

[Lovely]

Jorden chuckled. "I am.. " He turned slightly and motioned Mitch to come up beside him. "Walk with me?" He let his hand drift to indicate a stroll along the garden path. "My sister is quite the sweetheart when you are allowed past her guarded surface. Very warm and kind. "

He'd learned to be quick when told and was at Jorden's side like the well trained retriever he'd become. "I-i ... I'm allowed, then? Yes, very kind. Th-thank you. Is there s-something wrong? A problem... in the garden that y-you're showing me?"

His hand lifted in a quick motion and rested on Mitch's shoulder, in a nearly warm way. "Allowed? Yes.. I'd be quite pleased if you'd join me for a stroll." His eyes were sharp as they ever were, but there was a bit of a difference in the pull that tugged Mitch. It was less severe and more of a nudge to encourage than a slap and sting to do as told or suffer. "I have no troubles this evening.. but I believe you have some to share?"

"Sh-share? M-me? W-wh-what troubles would I have to burden you with? N-no... I'm... I-i-i..I'm fine," he said, watching the path and the swirling shadows at his feet, feeling oddly drugged and ill.

"Suit yourself.. but know I can't help you unless you wish me to." He spoke softly, keeping a slow relaxed pace as they walked. He looked skyward as the dusk faded into an amazing darker blue of night.

"Y-you're asking m-me to ... to speak freely," he stated, not feeling right to question the man. He looked up to the man's face as he turned it skyward. "Are... are you looking for something?" He meant in the sky, but looked away. He was looking for something else, something from him. Had he done something that Jorden was simply waiting for him to admit? "I ...I-i-i... I'm looking for something."

His eyes remained on the sky, though he walked effortlessly without tripping on roots or stumbling over randoms rocks in the path. "I believe I have found what I am looking for... " His head nodded slightly and he slowly brought his gaze to the man next to him. "What are you looking for Mitch? Maybe I can help you find it.."

It wasn't a 'thing' and that was the problem. The woman had done some amazing things to his mind, his soul, but she'd left and maybe didn't want to be found. How could he put it into words that that was what he wanted and what he was looking for? He'd seen how he reacted when Bronwyn asked to let him stay. Now she wasn't here. What would he do to him himself? "It..it's.. it's a girl, actually."

"A girl.. isn't it always.." He chuckled, sounding different than his usual malicious taunting glee. "Will any girl do.. or are you looking for a certain one? Hmm perhaps one with long firey red hair.. amazing green eyes.. about this high.." He motioned to the level Bron stood and his eyes sparkled lightly. "Fiesty girl.. clever, strong, .. a little crazy?"

Daring to contradict the man, Mitch put his own cool hand to Jorden's, adjusting the height and looked in his eyes. "She's not crazy," he defended with unusual clarity with a protective flare shining in his own crazed eyes. "But, yes, s-strong... and amazing."

Instead of being slammed down for daring, Jorden's lips curled into an amused grin. "Yes.." He nodded, his hand shifting to the hem of his shirt. "I know the girl.. Bronwyn.." His hand shifted the shirt up high to reveal the mark that was still healing. "She nealy cut me in half.." and probably would have, he thought with amusement. "She won.. I am not your master any longer." He told the man in a softer more compassionate voice. The wound would heal completely in time but even for a vampire such a serious wound was not instantly gone.

[Lovely]

Mitch didn't know what to do, what to say. Was this a game? If he offered to help with the wound.. he knew some common ointments, salves, his studies weren't completely forgotten.. he could help, but would the man then blame him for the injury? A doctor.. I was a doctor, he reminded himself, shaking his head softly as he looked at the wound, then to Jorden's eyes. "I...I-i... don't understand."

He nodded and motioned to the bench just ahead, offering Mitch a seat if he wanted to take it. "She challenged me... for you.. for your freedom from my bond.. and she won. It was one hell of a fight, but she was the better in the end and I am lucky to remain in one piece as you can see." His hand shifted his shirt back into place as he explained. "She found you worthy.. even moreso than I did.. she wished for you to be hers.. and challenged me for that right.. to give you freedom and the choice to remain with her or.." Jorden shrugged as if to say the other side of it was open to what he wished for.

"But she's not here," he murmured, watching and ever curious. "Why would sh-she f-fight you... f-for me... and leave?"

"Because she didn't leave.. not by choice.. she was taken." He replied simply, glancing down as he spoke.. a naughty child who'd beed scolded and smacked down himself by Gabriel.

"By whom?" The tone was raw, chilling and curt. His eyes were a-fire with a sudden eager desire to damage in kind anyone who'd hurt her. There was no stammer or hesitation in his voice and he found his fist clenching, looking down, startled as if it were not his own. Some part of her wine burned yet in his veins and the memory of it heated him now, but not enough to ward off the violent chill that continued to shake him. "Who and where's she been t-taken?"

"Gabriel." He said as if the name itself should explain all, his eyes drifted over the man and he nodded. "Her father.. my sire.. Not far from here, he has his own keep.. a bit deeper into the mountains."

The bench was no longer a choice as Mitch's knees seemed to soften and drop him onto it. He clenched the rough timber under pale knuckles, angry, hurt, worried. He'd lost one love when he came to this place. To possibly lose another so soon, his mind was reeling and tilting with the path that swayed and pitched. His eyes closed tightly as he swallowed to hold his insides down. "S-sire?" The word made sense and no sense as he squinted at the man. "What is going on here?"

"Mitch.. I know this has not been easy for you.. anything that has happened.. You've been tested and have overcome." Jorden sighed and sank to a crouch before the bench. "You know.. somewhere inside you know and you remember.. and she shared with you more than I did in my haste and selfish indulgence." His hands slid over one another as he spoke. "Gabriel is the one who made me what I am.. he took my life as a mortal man and gave me a new one."

The memories were just dreams and nightmares, dark images that couldn't possibly be real, horror movies he'd seen when he was drunk at parties, but nothing he should or wanted to remember. "Indulgence... mor-.. what?" Mitch's head was swimming and screaming as he pulled his hands to hold the top of his skull on. The feeling of everything around him buzzing and chortling like sick, curdling laughter was tearing at his ears and his skin, breaking him into a cold, dripping sweat. He could hear things, the sounds of the branches creaking in growth and their roots burrowing for water. Nonsense. I'm the one going crazy, he thought, shaking his head as he curled into himself.

"Mitch!" His voice snapped, commanding in tone and still not overly loud in volume. "Listen to me and stop fighting this.. you will lose her if you let yourself drown in madness. Everything she fought for will be lost.. even now locked away.. she fights for you... fight for her." He nearly growled the words at the man.

[Lovely]

It was all too much. Breath wasn't coming to him and his attempts to grab after it were too short to settle him. Peeling off the bench, he poured out everything he'd had in him, gasping loudly around the expelled fluid and trying to talk. "H-how... I-i-i... I c-can't... d-don't know h-how..."

Jorden lunged at him and pulled him roughly to his feet. "Then die you worthless pile.. and let the woman who saved you, who freed you.. who fought and bled for you be tortured for a hundred years for daring to find you worthy!" The words may have seemed shouted at him, though Jorden's voice barely raised. "Do you want to be a dog or do you want to be a man?"

"I-i'm sick... p-please," he said, feeling the wave hitting him again and trying to stay clear of the man, though it passed quickly as he was challenged further and his mind was taken away from the grotesque images in his memory. "A man," he sneered, wiping his mouth and pulling out of Jorden's grasp. "Y-you have the answers. T-tell me. What do I d-do."

His lip curled into a slight bit of a smile and he sighed. "Finally.. " He pulled a hankerchief free from his inner pocket and held it out to Mitch. "You go get her.. I know where she is.. and you'll need this.." He moved as if to hand Mitch something and then pulled him in close. His hands gripped him and held him fast as sharp teeth tore into his neck. It was fast and not at all gentle. Jorden drank hard and didn't stop until he'd drained Mitch to the point of death. It was then that he dropped down to the ground and tore his arm open to pour his crimson down Mitch's throat.

He'd merely reached for the cloth, intending to wipe himself off and be presentable. This time it was more... worse than the games, worse than the tight grip of the man's fingers on his throat in warning for disobeying. What had he done? He'd answered the man's questions, but now the only sound, the only thought was the searing pain as he was laid waste to the night air. No breath pulled in and no sound escaped. His vocal chords were sheared and his head felt twenty pounds too heavy on muscles that ripped and frayed under the immense power of the bite that tore into them. What was happening? He wasn't crazy, he wasn't.. they were, they all were, he wanted to scream out as the tears stung his eyes followed by the stray blood that dribbled from them as he choked and spluttered, violently trying to pull away from the pain and the man delivering it. The struggle was short. He was so weak already and so cold, empty, void and dark from having not eaten and having lost whatever drink he'd kept down until now. The images remained, taunting him still, thoughts that reeled and spun, eventually falling silent, but remaining clear. Where was he now? Was he standing? Laying? Dead? Pain was all there was, then there was nothing. Then, there was heat. Flowing, drowning him in heat, the fluid poured in his mouth pooled at first, then with a sudden arching gasp, Mitch convulsed, half swallowing and half-spraying the offering as he felt he needed to grasp for air. Moreso he grasped at the flow he tasted. Taste, smell, sound returned in a cacauphony of information at once as he swallowed a large mouthful... then screamed.

He listened to the scream ring out and pushed his arm towards Mitch again. "Drink.. you'll need the strength." He didn't quibble with more explainations or comforting him, there was not alot of time and if they were going to get Bron the best chance was to do it while Gabe was away.

Damn it, it was real. It was all real. More real than he even remembered. He wasn't clouded with hate and menace, but he remembered... damn he remembered it all. The tears flowed as he sobbed between eager, yet reluctant swallows, fully overwhelmed. He drank, he continued to drink until he was again still, warm, remembering the feeling of 'enough' and the strength it would bring him. Mitch sealed the wound, making it neat and faint, taking the kerchief to clean off the skin and return it to the man before he curled to his side. He needed a moment... god... give him a moment first.

[Lovely]

Jorden took the cloth and watched with narrowed eyes as Mitch rolled to his side. His hand reached to pat his shoulder lightly and he rose quietly, stepping over Mitch to give him a moment to gather himself. Jorden stared out to the distance in the direction of Gabe's keep, he closed his eyes and gently sought the pressence of his sire. He nodded to himself pulling back before Gabe felt him -he hoped. Gabe was moving away from the keep, his force was small enough that Jorden and Mitch could go in and get Bron while he was away.. as long as everything went well. "There's not much time.."

He gathered himself enough to stand and find Jorden with his eyes closed. He waited for them to open before sending the swing to the man's jaw. He expected Jorden would dodge it, but damn it would help him feel better if he didn't. "You sonuva b*tch, why didn't you tell me? All along... you knew. You knew... and you didn't tell me a thing."

His head was pushed to the side with the force behind the punch and he stumbled a step, he'd not expected that but smiled as his face turned back. He rubbed his jaw, admiring the new strength in Mitch and chuckling a little. "Well.. I'm a little evil.. not totally evil.. but you know.. bad.. " He shrugged and motioned as if to say 'what did you expect?'

"Well... thank you," he said in a soft aside, flexing his hand that should have felt the sting but instead felt electrified for more. He smiled slowly and felt the chuckle slowly build. It was all the same as he remembered. He turned his hand outward for Jorden's and smirked with the sharp red fire burning brighter in his gaze with the passion that made him who he was. "I'm baaaack," he laughed.

Jorden shook his head and reached to take Mitch's hand. "Good.. cause you were starting to get boring.. and I really liked you before."

"Only cuz I'm not your type. Now about this lady... ?"

"Over the hill and through the woods.." He pointed, pausing for moment to make sure Gabe was still moving away. "So.. you like her.. huh?"

He shook his head. "No... no I don't like her. I'd kill for her... heh... -die- for her...," he chuckled, looking up the ridge that faded into woodlands where he pointed. "Crazy for her, but... no... no liking involved." The intensity as he looked around the area would tell Jorden that it went well beyond that and he was going to do whatever he could to help her.

"Good.. cause we are going to bust her out of a very crazy guy's dungeon while he's out for the night.. you up to it?.. might not be very pretty.. he's a bit of a control freak."

"I know," he whispered. He paused a moment before looking Jorden in the eye. Maybe he didn't understand. Maybe Jorden didn't remember things the way he did. How could that be? They were both there, fang and claw against one another. How could he not remember that? And now it was changed, the poisoning different than Gabe's. A different fire burned in this man's blood. "I mean, I know it might not be pretty, but we have to go." He looked for any sense of recognition of the past. Maybe he really was crazy or that was all a dream after all.

"Mitch.." He didn't finish the thought and instead kicked a bit of gravel under his shoe, things were different and sometimes he didn't know what was a real memory and what he imagined. Strange dreams haunted him and were startlingly intense and 'real'. "Lets go."

"Wait," he grabbed at Jorden's arm. He probably knew the way better than anyone and sighed. "Get the shovel and bring an axe. We're going to need at least the axe. Trust me or don't, but hurry."

Without questioning him, Jorden ran to fetch the axe and shovel, meeting Mitch a moment later with both. He leaned them against his leg and pulled a dagger from inside the folds of his jacket. "An old friend gave me this.. about a hundred years ago.." He gently handed the blade and sheath over to Mitch. "Please.. I'd like you to have it."

[Lovely]

"I need to earn it first. Please understand," he said, asking that Jorden hold onto it. If this was to be a test, he needed to pass it and he wouldn't know if he could until he got all three of them back out of the keep safely first. He feared the draw would be too strong. "Use it on me if you have to. Let's go."

His eyes narrowed a little and he nodded, slipping the knife away again, without offence. He almost chuckled at how Mitch slid easily to take charge of their 'quest', but also admired the strength he was showing.

A short time later they came upon Gabriel's keep. The place smelled of decay that wasn't sweet nor inviting, but all in all still well remembered. The grounds were unkempt as he expected and the few guards that stood to stop them were easily deposited. The shovel was made quick use of to deter wolves and scavengers that might reveal their path as they made their way to a back entrance.

For days.. perhaps longer -she'd lost track of the time that passed- She and and Gabriel had been enbroiled in a battle of wills and strength. Being in chains certainly gave her father a definate advantage but her will was great and her heart strong, she simply would not give in and give up. Though this pleased Gabe in many ways, their contest was violent and harsh. Bron was left torn and weak when Gabe finally relented enough to go amuse himself with others for awhile. The room.. cell was trashed, furniture broken, blood splattered on the walls and floor, and writing across one wall in her own blood -a cruel tactic Gabriel had attempted -Mitch is dead -written over and over - opposite where she hung for her to see everytime she opened her eyes.

He tried not to look at the hallways. He didn't want to remember. Not this, not now. The dank air weighed as heavy as the earth that they'd cleared away to dispose of the last of the guards before entering... those that hadn't instantly turned to ash and powder from age and their decades of servitude to the man. He did remember, the dungeons and the screams and now it made him ill all over again with the same sour inner twisting from the evil that brought it all down here. He could almost close his eyes and find her without the scent but as they moved through the hall, he couldn't help but smell it... smell her... and he was sure Jorden could as well. He paused. "I have to do this.. you understand right? Watch me and stop me without a second thought if I do anything ... wrong."

Jorden nodded and stayed back in the hall, standing watch to both those who might come in and Mitch as he went on ahead.

The memories tore at him as he came closer to the heavy door, not sure what to expect. The woman he remembered would never give in to the man and would sooner take her own life than allow Gabriel that pleasure. Gabe's pleasures and the thought of those made him ill as well and he pushed the handle as the swell of nausea trickled back down his throat. It helped little that the stench of fresher blood coated the air when the door opened, stoking the sharpness of his senses like a smelling salt, nearly burning his eyes and making his throat dry and longing to be quenched. He pushed the door open further, wary of who or what might be beyond the door.

She didn't move as the door creaked quietly, she assumed it was Gabriel or one of his come to do some bidding of his, she was weakened but not beat. There would be no giving in -no matter how much torture he visited upon her or how great the pain. She'd gotten her stubborn streak from him, afterall. Her wrists were raw from straining and fighting against the shackles that held her in an unmerciful grip. Her head was tilted down, her cheek half resting on her arm, her red hair hanging down her back, pulled free of all pins and clips she might have worn, some strands hiding her face a little. Her dress was as torn as she was and barely recognizable as the garment it once was.

The dress he knew as well as the color of her hair and the sweetness of the scent of her skin, even before he'd been completely changed into what he was now. Mitch checked to both sides of the door, finding nothing but the poisoning words lining her cell. "Hm... thought he'd be thorough enough to check first. I may not be breathing, but I'm not dead."

She heard his voice and thought she was dreaming, he couldn't really be there. Her voice was a little hoarse though still very much her soft smooth tone. "He would have it this was about you.. but this is just my torment.. naughty girl that I have been."

"Dear lady it is about me. Seems when he took you away without letting me know... you took my heart with you. I mean... I don't want it back really, not unless you're coming with it," he said, approaching slowly, letting the memories wash over him now as he reached to the shackles and the marks on her arms, touching ever so lightly. "Only thing I don't remember is where he kept the f*cking keys."

[Lovely]

She flinched at the touch, the pain bringing her more sharply alert and aware that he was real. Her head lifted slowly and she smiled as her eyes took him in. "I'm not dreaming you? Over there.. that used to be a table.. keys were there, I think somewhere around that." There was a slight tilt of her head in the direction of the splintered 'pile' of wood.

"I suppose you could be," he grinned, though his eyes reflected the pain and anger he felt on her behalf. Was she always meant to suffer at that man's hand? He looked at the remnants of the furnishings and sighed as he moved to dig around in search of the keys. "Doesn't it ever get old, Gabriel? I don't care if I have to chew through the iron, we're getting you out of here. If you don't mind."

"I'd rather you not try to chew through this, I don't remember him picking the keys back up and the door was unlocked.." She tugged against the again, making the chains clank and rattle softly, her toes barely brushed to cold floor and her shoes where no where to be seen. She didn't often wear shoes, prefering to be without, but had been wearing them when she went to challenge Jorden.

"Although I do have to admit, that's pretty music, but not like this," he grinned, holding up the keys he finally found buried in the debris and painted lightly with the splatter of one or the both of them. He made quick work of the chains on her arms first, reaching to hold her in a brief and tender embrace.

The first metal cuff undone and her arm came around his shoulder, the second was released and he held her, she wrapped as tightly around him as she could. Bron kissed his cheek, her fingers curling into his shirt, her relief and joy at him being there, poured off her. His change was nearly instantly noticed, with him held close. "Mitch.." She whispered, bringing her face in front of his to gaze at him in wonder for a moment. She didn't care as much that he'd been changed, as she was slightly sad that she'd not been the one, but her happiness at having him with her, over powered all else and she reached for his kiss.

He was hungry for the kiss as he was for other things, pulling in the raw scent of her blood from her marks and finding the desire hard to fight off. He was new to the feeling but not new to it, his body and instincts not yet fully controlled, but in a way he didn't want them to be. First the kiss came to her lips, long and sensual, relieved and full of deeper desire. Then the kiss to the wrist he pulled to taste and to ease. One memory he longed for and it unfolded slowly as her essence touched his tongue. "You are a naughty girl," he smiled, his eyes filled with unsaited desire.

She watched him in wonder and love, her eyes taking in each contour of his face, each subtle shift in his eyes and expression. "What shall you do with such a naughty girl?" She asked him in a soft whisper as her fingers traced gently over his cheek.

"Hm... get you the hell out of here before Daddy comes home and then... get you patched up if you don't mind the doctor taking a look," he winked. "Thank Jorden. We came to an understanding... that we both love you a great deal and that we needed to do something about that. Can you walk, do you think? I don't see shoes anywhere."

"I can walk, I believe.. though I don't know how far." Seeing him was what had given her the strength she now had, but how long she could mantain on happiness was questionable. She'd been hanging limp and weak when he'd arrived, she needed rest, tending, and to feed.

He left the embrace only long enough to release her ankles and pull the chains away. "I'll carry you if I need to, but we'll move faster if I don't. We dropped some slag outside that's still warm. We can pull one or two with us if we need to get your strength back now."

[Lovely]

Her chin tipped in a way he might 'remember' as her eyes closed for a moment as she gathered her resolve. "It will slow us down to stop or to drag anything along. I will make it without."

"Only if you're sure. Deep breath," he said, then chuckled at the thought. "Let's go. It's too quiet out there, which means it must be close to time. They're probably gathering for their master's return." His arm was held out to help her lean and move quickly.

As she stepped away from the metal that had kept her from him for the days since she'd been taken by Gabe, she turned in his arm and kissed him solidly. "You came for me.." She whispered softly, her adoration for him clear. Though she wished to linger in a tender moment with him, she knew the importance of getting away from the keep as quickly as they could and nodded to him that she was ready to go.

"And I'd do it again in a h... um.. well you know what I mean," he grinned as he released the kiss and helped her out the door. "Jorden..," he called softly for the man's attention and to start for the door.

Mitch checked and checked again every few steps to be sure she was managing okay. The marks on her arms and ankles smelled as raw as they looked. As if her presence alone wasn't enough, the scent that pervaded the air was filling him with desire that was beginning to cloud his judgement. Memories flooded his senses as much as the surroundings and every off sound pulled his attention to it. "Lady, look, you know about how this story is supposed to go right? I'm getting lost here. What page are we on?" He finally had to stop as if to catch his breath, as if he seemed to need it to settle the thoughts in his mind. The heels of his palms pressed to his eyes a moment as he tried to settle the thoughts more by a strong shake of his head. "This isn't working," he muttered quietly, looking to her to find direction and safety back at the inn.

Though supernaturally stong, she was weak and weary, tortured and torn. "We need to keep moving, lest you want to be a meal for something in the night, love." She murmured, reaching to reassure him by wrapping her arms around him and pulling his hands away so she could settle a firm kiss to his lips. "We're starting a new chapter.. one for you and me."

He had to chuckle softly. "Let me know when that kiss turns me into a prince, would ya? I can hope it turns out better than the last time. There are some things I remember...," he paused, shaking his head again to try and knock the thoughts out. "New... remember that. This is new and that's the past. New... just keep thinking 'new' and we'll be fine." He pulled her back for a light kiss. "Thank you." He looked around to get his bearings then back the way they'd come, looking for Jorden. "Right, well, I guess new chapters get new footsteps. This way... I think," he said, turning back to their path to lead on.

She turned with him, her hand sliding down to search for his to clasp into again, Bron leaned to his shoulder a moment. "We're nearly there.." She needed to be safely back at the inn where she could rest and feed. But most of all she just needed to be with him.