A Honeymoon, of Sorts [Aveline]

[Roland]

Roland feels his magic begin to deplete as the carpet he was using to bear Aveline and himself from the capital begins to slowly lose altitude. Roland turns to Aveline and says "hold on tight as he sets the carpet down by a small inn that had been set up near the hot spring due to its surprising popularity.

Before entering the inn or even getting up from the carpet the pale skinned mage looks at his newly wedded and puts an arm around her shoulder. What do I do in this situation? He wonders to himself as he gives her some time to and he looks up at the sky. One of you certainly has a sick sense of humor

Roland's mouth turns up at the corners though as he thinks about how much his life really had changed over the last two weeks and he found he still wanted tonight to be a happy night for Aveline, even with everything that had happened.

[Deleted]

As soon as the carpet touched ground Aveline yanked herself away from Roland, stumbling back several steps on violently shaking legs. She couldn’t touch him. How could she? She had been the cause of this. If she hadn’t been so stupid and reckless, he would still be in one piece and free. She had let her own ambitions of freedom cloud her judgement. There could have been other ways, but she had to chose the wrong one.

Now they were tied together and trapped in Nova. Forever.

“We-” Aveline’s voice shook, wracked by guilt and sobs and the cold that was biting her arms now that she was no longer held to his side. “We have to go back. We have to go back.” she shook her head, putting up her hands to stop him from coming closer, as she knew he would soon.

“We can’t- we can’t pretend that didn’t happen! We can’t push on with- with a night together like you aren’t- like I didn’t just sell you into slavery! We can’t touch each other now, I’ve ruined that for us! We have to go back. We- we have to go back.”

[Roland]

As they touch down Aveline breaks away before Roland can stop her. As she moves away and begins to speak Roland's eyes settle on her and he takes a step forward. Though as she finishes her speech his small smile relaxes into his usual impassive face.

“We are not going back yet.” He says calmly with a shake of his head. Aveline did not understand, he supposed that did not surprise him. He put his hands in the pockets of his coat to hide his white knuckles. He did not want it to go like this, he just...

“...Aveline...was the promise you made to me at the altar a lie?” He asks her, for the first time showing emotion in his voice as he sits down and runs his fingers through his curly mop of hair. The dam was open, he felt all of the events flooding in, he felt so...powerless.

When he gaze finally rose to meet hers she would be able to see red surrounding his shining silver eyes. He wanted to reach out to her, but the fear and distress in her expression stopped him. “Aveline, we promised to walk though life together, I don't blame you for being tricked, not anymore than I blame myself for not noticing the trap...”

He trailed off after these words and after a few very long moment he looked back up at her and says. “But Aveline...” He spoke her name as if it were a spell, he could feel the events of the last weeks closing in around him, she was supposed to be the one person he could open to, the one person he did not need to fear or distrust. “...Ave...I need a friend and a partner now.” He admits as he looks up at her with shining pain filled eyes.

[Deleted]

Alarm came over Aveline’s face suddenly as doubt clouded Roland’s expression. “No- no it wasn’t a lie!” her voice spilled out in a rush, “But I’ve cursed you, don’t you see that? We- we have to fix this. I have to fix this.” Aveline’s voice broke and she was unable to look at him anymore. As he spoke her name in broken tones she winced, body shuddering again. She couldn’t face him with this guilt, she had trapped him. Her foolishness had trapped him. How could he talk to her in that way now? How could he trust her? Her blindness and hope had cost them both so much.

After a moment of silence her shoulders slump forward, the guilt crushing her back. Regardless of her sins, she had to be his wife now. There was a duty to comfort, even if he was seeking it in the wrong place, with the wrong person.She took a step forward, back to him, and reached up to cup the back of his head in her palm. In a slow gesture she pulled him down, not quite able to meet his eyes, until his face was pressed to the crook of her neck.

This poor, doomed man. Her poor, damned husband. She had destroyed whatever chance they might have had, whatever future he might have had.

[Roland]

Roland watched as Aveline warred within herself and struggled with her guilt. He couldn't help but feel powerless, he was supposed to reassure her but he was the cause of her distress this time. The resolute law keeper felt something dark stirring inside of himself. Throughout his life he had often disliked and distrusted people, but as he watched Aveline's grief he felt true hatred, for her mother, and for whoever did this to him.

“No, you haven't cursed me, whoever casted that spell on the ring cursed me.” He says softly, the world had always been full of enemies, something like this would have happened one way or another. As he touches him he reaches up and touches her hand enjoying the warmth and before he realizes it he finds himself seated with his head leaning against her neck.

“Aveline, I'm sorry...I'm...I'm not sure what I can do,” he admits to her as he wraps his arms around her and pulls her in close, but the pained look in her eyes only gave him a sinking feeling. Roland groped within himself to try and give her words of comfort but found he had none.

“In all the excitement I forgot to give you this.” Roland realizes as he reaches into his pocket and fishes out the pair of memory rings. He takes her hand and slide her ring on, smiling slightly as he does so. When she puts the ring on memories and feelings of Roland's commitment to her, and his desire to still find a way to make this work flood into her. The emotions are still distinct from her own, but a warm soft white light begins to emanate from the ring.

“This does not change than I love you Ave, and I promise we will find a way to be happy together.” And with that his eyes once again change colors and he squeezes her hand and some color returns to his face as he smiles nervously.

[Deleted]

He shouldn’t be comforting her.

Aveline’s fingers curled a little at the back of his neck, battling frustration. Where was his rage? At her, at this? This had broken him into despair. He was so understanding, too understanding towards her. Couldn’t he see that she was to blame for this? Anger she could handle, she could stand there as the siphon for his rage. She was an outlet and he was a man, a figure of authority, and that’s what her duty was as a woman and wife.

Right?

Right?

He pawed for her hand and her fingers automatically curled tight. It took her a moment for her shaking hands to unfurl and for him to slide the new ring onto her finger. Any happiness she might have had was completely drained from her body now, it felt like such a foreign emotion now. She was to blame. She had put that ring on his finger. She had dealt the final blow. He couldn’t love her now. He shouldn’t love her now.

After his empty, pretty words left his lips Aveline slipped back a little, her hand still catching on his. She still could not look at him. “We should find a place for you to rest, if you will not go back.”

[Roland]

Roland leans back and on the carpet and looks up at the stars. “I know that look of your by now Aveline. Do you really see me as such a monster that I would be angry at you for making a mistake that you had no reason to know about?” His voice was level, but there was a hint of something in there, his silver eyes slowly changed back to their amethyst hue and he pulls her down beside him.

However as he rests her head on his chest his next words were harder. “But I will not overlook what has happened tonight, when I find out who was behind that ring...there will be consequences,” his words trailed off as he began to play with her hair.

Roland was surprised by how calm he was, but as he continued to play with Ave's hair he realized it was probably because he was not alone. He did not want to lash out at her, she had suffered enough and lashing out would not help his situation.

“Come on, there's an inn over there where I had planned on us staying.” He suggests as he gets up trying to lead her along.

[Deleted]

Aveline clamped down hard on her lower lip at his words, still averting his gaze. It wasn't him, no. It was all men. It was what all men did to their wives when they betrayed them, enrage them. Roland didn't feel it now, perhaps, but he would later. When she expected it least, probably. When she slept by his side in the night, or if she carried his child. She would spend the rest of her miserable existence trying to make this up to him.

She would fix this.

Aveline remained silent as Roland played with her hair, fingers trying to pick their way through the tight spirals of curls. She knew who was to blame for this- herself, her mother, Mysteria. But- this thought gave her pause- perhaps there was something she could do. She was married now. The King could hold nothing over her now- that great unknown fear was gone now. Now she could plead her case for her husband without her mother or the threat of marriage to the king hanging over her head like a sword on spider’s silk.

She would fix this.

Aveline nods, finally getting to her feet and smiling a little at her newfound realization of power. What could his majesty do? Discipline her husband? He was already a slave. Kill her? It would be a fate well-deserved for her crime. There was no reason not to pursue it. She looked up to Roland, nodding again. With a quiet gesture she lifted her hand to his cheek and pulled him to her, pressing her lips to his.

“...let me comfort you tonight.” Aveline murmurs, her delicate fingers combing through his thick and dark hair. “As a wife should. My love.” A smile comes back over her face, looking back up to him full of her secret hope. “I'm going to make you forget everything but me.”

[Roland]

Roland's worry only increased as he saw Aveline become more and more guilty and distressed as they entered into the building. As he leads her to the room he had rented for their honeymoon he notices her expression start to change, as if she was coming to a decision. He wanted to comfort her but he found himself unsure of how to.

When everything seems lost or hectic what people need most is something to cling to until the flood subsides. Says a voice in Roland's mind, he realizes those were the words of his old sergeant all those years ago. Lost in thought he closes the door and sits down as Aveline make her resolution. The next moment Roland feels something warm and realizes that she is kissing him.

He responds, doing his best to be gentle, he closes his eyes and for just a moment he finds he can forget everything that had happened, and return to the joy of the last week, sneaking kisses in empty rooms, her visiting him in the infirmary...that night they spent together. Even with the chill of the collar around his neck Roland felt for the first time that there was a person who cared about him as more than a leader or a friend, and for the first time the law bound hound realized something.

“You know Aveline...” As he started to speak she combed her fingers through his hair sending a shiver up his spine. He pulled her closer and when she smiled up at him he finally felt the walls inside begin to crack. “Thank you Aveline, thank you for loving someone like me. Thank you for caring.” He whispers as he rocks her slightly back and forth.

He smiles in response to her final whisper and leans in to kiss her again. “My love, tonight, I could ask for nothing more.” He leans back as they kiss, and after several long seconds realizes, too late that there was nothing else to lean back on and falls backwards into the spring.