#mathis 004

[lucreziasredwyne]

who: @ofgoldengrove​ where: minutes after the cedric tyrell’s 3am council meeting came to a close

There continued a strange swirl within her, teetering between what had now begun to develop as nerves within the very pit of her stomach, fully contemplating the scale of the operation they were to undergo; she would not take any sleep in this night, though would ensure, force herself to get some sleep tomorrow night. They still had another day, and needed to give the Westerland forces enough of a heads start to reach Seagard; there was no use in them leaving too quickly and their forces not aligning. It needed to be together.

And there he was as she slipped from the council room; walking along that narrowly lit corridor with flickering torches, the sun soon upon the horizon. The birds would soon be singing, and yet, their last interaction at the ball, sat on the ground in smoke and haze had ended...well, she didn't know how to describe it. Only that something lingered in the air between them, as though she wanted to say something, as though he wanted to say something; it was clear they needed to speak on something. And now? It was only amplified; with the news that it would be them launching an attack within the Kraken's seas. Some may say they were infected by madness, or ambition, or greed.

It would be her only shot, and she needed a clear head; clear enough to ensure she was not wondering what it was someone may have wished to say to her, what she wished to say to another, lest something happen to her. Even in triumph, she prayed they would find no regrets. "Is this what we are to get used to then?" She called to the figure walking ahead of her, watching him slowly come to a pause; three steps it took. Three steps for him to pause. "Whatever this, is?" Her hands raised between the space between them.

What was she saying? She knew what she was saying.

"Are we to go to war feeling some sort of, discontentment with one another?"

[visxionaries]

who: @ofgoldengrove​ where: the night before the departure, the reach lodgings

The wine coloured skirts of the Mistress of Ships swished around the exit of the door, footsteps echoing; as much as he would struggle to admit it, there was no way the King of Thorns and Roses would ever be able to speak on goodbyes to them both at the same time. Though towards the end of the Dance the second son of Goldengrove had found himself wrapped into the lines beneath a flag of Black, they had mostly survived the majority of the war untouched by the clashing of steel; only to find themselves here. 

Perhaps what seemed to cause a sense of growing numbness to grow within Cedric, spreading to every inch of him from what felt like his very gut, was the fact that not within a single goodbye had he hesitated; had he wondered whether he had made the right choice.

And it was in that moment he realised the crown and he had become one; mere shadows of one another, commanding each and every decision that was once his very worst nightmare, the very thing he discarded to the wind by the side of mathis rowan himself. it was he that had followed him from the sept the day of the funeral all those years ago, two shrouds of black embodied with golden thread and golden roses; silently slipped onto a horse beside him and said nothing until they had long since crossed into the land of rivers.

When the figure of the Hand of the King emerged in the door, before casually swinging it shut behind him with what felt like a sense of finality as the door shut, it felt like something in the air was strangely off. He felt as though he could feel the sands of time slipping through his fingers, and the very thought of it made a part of him want to die inside. No King should be so attached to his subjects, and perhaps this would eventually prove to be the end of him; perhaps. 

“How do you want to do this then?” He asked, his voice low as he looked up at the man from where he stood against the table, fire crackling beside him. 

[lucreziasredwyne]

I CAN SEE US LOST IN THE MEMORY, AUGUST SLIPPED AWAY IN A MOMENT OF TIME ; YOU WEREN’T MINE TO LOSE. (MATHIS&LU)

what: continuation of this thread, the night before the reach were due to sail to the iron islands / @ofgoldengrove 

mathis; his hands move from being upon her shoulders to holding her hands in his own. he listens intently to her words, not quite understanding, and yet fully able to do so all at once. mathis; "if that is what you rather, i will not press." mathis; and despite his desire to, to take her in his arms, never let go, never leave for war, or let her go, he knew they each had their own duties to attend to. perhaps one day they would be able to follow a duty to themselves, even if it was separately mathis; "but if there is even a little chance...someday...well, i won't exactly let that part of us go." mathis; "i care for you, i love you, as a friend, as more, but i would never press you, lucrezia. you are one of the most important things in my life. and if this is how we must be for us to be in each other's lives at our happiest, then i can live with that." mathis; "so that is it then, we treasure this, this friendship, what we have?" there's an emotion to his dark orbs, his hands squeezing hers gently. he doesn't know if he expects a new answer, but he needs to hear the words uttered from her again, with finality.

lucrezia: and perhaps his touch should have caused her heart to race, slipping from her shoulders to take her hands within his own, and she couldn't help but look upon them. look upon them laced together, how easy it was. how easy it would be. but it only ground her - the feeling of there being no game, no words unsaid, no secrets. what lingered between them was truth itself lucrezia: and she only nods when he speaks of someday, if there was ever a window in the future. she knew not of the future, but she understood what he meant entirely, her thumb tracing the outline of his palm quietly. lucrezia: "i know. i know you wouldn't. which is why you've always been the one." the one for what? she didn't entirely know. only knew that he was the one that always seemed to find his way back. lucrezia: and she looks at him as he tells her he loves her; as lucrezia, as lu, even lulu, as whoever it was she had been since she were twelve. lucrezia: "i love you too." lucrezia: too? how had they got here. she always thought she would be the one to confess she loved him, but she never thought she would be adding too at the end. lucrezia: he needed her to say it again. with finality. and she needed to say it again, with finality. for their sakes. lucrezia: and she nods again, leaning forwards slightly so her forehead rested against his own. "just this. how it's always been." lucrezia: "you're family to me, regardless of names, of law and the gods and a sacrament. there's no difference, isn't there?"

mathis; he nods in return, it seemed they understood each other's meaning so very well, as they had often done for so long as they knew one another. there was a clear, pained look within dark hues, but strangely enough there was a faint smile upon his lips. perhaps he knew no matter what, they would be okay. mathis; "the one..." he murmurs, an airy laugh escaping his lips. he did not know her meaning, and yet she was the same for him. wasn't she? there was truly no explanation. the gods themselves may find a loss for words as to what they were. mathis; "i understand." mathis; and he did, he truly did. his tone was light, gentle. that didn't mean he wouldn't lie awake wondering- what if? mathis; "none at all, lu. we are family. always will be. i promise." mathis; his words rang with a firm finality to them. it was the truth. family not in a way he may have hoped for, but family all the same. she meant too much to him to ever press further otherwise, unless the stars aligned for them yet again- and perhaps they might one day find their truth north. mathis; he savored the closeness, the feeling of her forehead against his own, the comfortable silence. he leaned his head back mere inches, orbs flickering down to her now, the temptation to seal such a moment with a kiss, a fleeting thought. he instead pressed his lips to her forehead mathis; "rest well, lady redwyne. my commander must be sharp as ever come time to set sail." his tone was light, in jest, as he always managed to conjure. he lifted a hand of hers to his lips once more before offering a nod and turning on his heel, the sound of his footsteps echoing the hallway until the imagine of mathis rowan disappeared around the dark corner.