Reunion (Roland)

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Footsteps raced down the stone steps to the dungeon, light as they rushed, followed by the heavy brush of cloth. Aveline runs to the landing, body searing with pain at every step. Her child had survived, but she had been given the pain she had been seeking for months. A good pain, she told herself. A pain she deserved, for all the wrongs she had caused Roland. For betraying her mother. And for, she thought with a strange thrill of excitement that lit the burning wound at the side of her head aflame, what she had yet to do.

Was this what it was like being her mother? Really? After all these years? This desperation and secrecy, dealings and punishment, plotting and discovery? But her mother never had Roland. She had Father, but they had never loved each other. But despite what she had done, Roland still loved her.

Would he love her after this, though? She couldn’t say. Not yet.

Aveline turned in the dungeons, looking for Roland’s cell. The candles illuminated her like a specter in black down here- she was dressed in a high collared knit and fur black cloak and dress, gloves of fine leather covering her bruised and scraped hands. A black cloth around her head pushed her curly mass of hair to the back of her neck and hid the bandage underneath, but nothing could hide the bruising forming at the side of her head. A spill from fainting, she could say. And anyone would believe her. Not when they couldn’t see the rest. Aveline turned her head, desperation starting to fill her as she searched for her husband. She was in the right place, surely…

Then, she spotted him. Even in the faint light, she could recognize him well. Her heart caught with a sudden rush and soon she was running to him, hands catching the bars and sinking to her knees. “Roland-” her voice was hushed to not raise alarm, but desperate nonetheless. She could feel her eyes burn but fought back tears- they would be useless now. “Roland- Roland, it’s me. I’m here.” she reached through the bars for him, pain shooting through her arm as she stretched it towards him.

[Roland]

Roland was leaning back against the stone wall of his cell, how he hated this place. He could feel the mana, so close and yet infinitely beyond his reach. An old, familiar companion that had abandon him, or at the very least was being kept separated. As he continues his lament he hears footsteps coming down the hall. Following his other less pleasant visits he finds that he cannot bring himself to be interested or excited about the new visitor, at least not until he saw who it was.

"Aveline," He says softly as the words slip from his mouth. He did not realize how much he had missed her over these last several days. Roland had never really attached to people in such a way before Aveline entered his life so the concept of being upset by someone's absence had rarely occurred to him. However, after the fretting and worry of the last several days he found that seeing her again set his mind at ease. He was happy that Aveline had come.

As he reached in through the bars Roland crouched down across from her and took her hand gently. "I am here Aveline, thank you for coming, but are you okay to tra..." Roland's words trailed off and a steely gaze came over his face as he saw her swollen eye.

"Aveline, who hurt you?" He asks her, his voice still gentle and reassuring. In their time together he had come to realize that Aveline got worried when he became cold and grim, and either way he was not in a situation to act on whatever had happened. "Never mind, you can tell me about it once I am proven innocent." He says as he slowly descends to his knees and continues to hold her hand. It was comforting, someone who believed him, trusted him, he was only now realizing how much that meant to him.

"Are you okay?" He asks her, concerned.

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Aveline let out a breath at the sight of Roland’s face, eyes going wide. She reached for him, ignoring the pain in her hands as he squeezed them, reaching for his face. Her gloved fingers push back his greasy hair before resting on his cheek, chewing on her lip as he asks his questions.

“I-” her dark eyes dart across his features, how dark his eyes are now, how drained he looks without his magic. This was worse than she feared. She couldn’t make it worse for him. “I fainted.” she smiles a little, thinking back to a previous time she had fainted. “I hit my head. I’m fine now, though. I’ll heal, I’ll be all right.” she strokes his hair back again, her heart twisting in her chest.

“I had to see you.” she murmurs. “I know it- I’m working to help you. You’ll be all right, everything will be all right. Just trust me.” she pushes her hand back into his hair and pulls his head forward to the bars, pressing her lips to his forehead. Whether she deserved it or not, he was the only person who truly trusted her. She wouldn’t betray that now, no matter what it took.

“Have they hurt you? I’ve brought-” Aveline pats for her side, for a flask. “I’ve brought more water. I can at least look you over.”

[Roland]

Roland smiled softly as Aveline ran her hand through his hair, at this point it was a familiar gesture, and it brought him back to some of the happier parts of the last few months, things in his life certainly had taken a turn for the different. He watched her chew on his lip nervously, a habit she had when she was concerned on deep in thoughts. Though the words that followed cause him to close his eyes and his smile to strain slightly.

Roland was always a little hurt when Aveline lied to him like this, he understood why she did it, and he even believed that at times it was probably good since it helped to prevent his fuse from lighting. However now was not the time to have this talk, and there was nothing he could do to help at the moment. "We are quite a pair aren't we?" He asked, despite Breton's treatment Aveline had clearly gotten the worse of there relative injuries.

"Please, stay away from Severine at least until the trial." He requests, his expression beseeching. "I am glad to see you too, I...well I did not realize how much I would miss you after only a few days." he admits with a bemused expression. As she strokes his hair again nods to her words.

"There is little I can do, and besides, of course I trust you. I know I am in good hands." He says as he looks at the flask. "Nothing that will not heal, I think, though I am still trying to avoid most of the water I am given on the off chance that it has been tampered with."

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Aveline smiles a little again, fingers brushing back through his hair once more. She got what she wanted from her mother, but if she was dragged back to her there was no stopping it. “I will.” she murmurs, pulling her hands back to fish the flask from her cloak. She passes it over, the cool engraved silver filled with water.

She sits, leaning fully against the bars, threading her hands and arms back through to touch his arms and hair. “The trial shouldn’t be far off. You won’t have to stay here much longer. You have to hold on for a little while longer, then you can come home.”

Aveline falls silent for a moment, watching him. There’s so much she wants to say, on what she’s done to try and secure his freedom, on her guilt, but she can’t. The words won’t come out, and he’s suffered enough to not need to hear of her woes. Besides, she could take a little more of this burden. After a moment she reaches for one of his hands, pulling it through the bars to press against her unblemished cheek. She sighs, nuzzling her cheek against his palm. “I’ve missed you, Captain Roland.” her voice is quiet and she smiles a little back to him. “Have they let you sleep?”

[Roland]

Roland lets several moments pass in silence as he enjoys the feeling of Aveline's hand in his, it was the first human contact he'd really had since getting locked up in here. Once again he reflected on how he missed Aveline. "It really is good to see you my love." He whispers as he grips her hand slightly tighter, feeling her warmth.

He takes the flasks he hands him gratefully and takes a sip of the content, not rushing the process. "It's good the hear the trial will not be too far off. I have done nothing wrong, so all I can do is trust in the system." He affirms and then with a sparkle in his eye "And you as well."

He could see her conflicted expression, but he did not want to ruin the happy reunion by trying to force details or interrogate her. "We'll see if they let me keep that title when all of this is said and done, but either way, I think "Father" and "Husband" will be more than enough to keep me going, and I have managed to get some sleep, how about yourself?"

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You can trust the system all you like, my love. Aveline's brows pinch in concern as she watches him drink, I can't. I can only trust people. And I have seen good people go to their deaths before. She leans her head against the bars, cupping his hand still, managing a small smile. "I've been too busy to sleep much." she turns her head, pressing a kiss to his palm, "We'll talk more on what to call you once you're free. Just know that there are people behind you. Word is starting to spread that you'll be tried. It's bout to be a spectacle. You'll just have to continue being the upright knight we all know you are." 

The young woman chews on her lip again, thinking as her eyes search his face. "I should have brought you food but I couldn't think of something that wouldn't smell or leave a peel. I don't want... I've been told Lord Breton has been interrogating you." she reaches through the bars to brush back his hair again. "I know he's... just hold on for a little bit longer." she smiles again, but it doesn't reach her eyes. "I've also heard my mother's been to see you. I'm sorry she dug her way in before I could." 

[Roland]

Roland lifts Aveline's hands and rests his forehead on her palms. "As I said, I trust you, but please try to take care of yourself." He requests, after all she was the one who was sick. Roland closes his eyes lets several moments of silence pass just enjoying Aveline's presence. When he finally opens his eyes he says "Do not worry about how long I can hold on, I will hold on for as long as it takes." He assures her.

"Breton has just been doing his job, I have told him what happened, I suppose what's left is in the hands of fate." He admits as he lets go of her hand and reaches out to touch the uninjured part of her face to avoid hurting her.

"Do not worry about your mother's visit, Severine and I have clashed for as long as we've known each other, her presence and displeasure are simply an indication that I am home." He says attempting to make a joke out of it. In truth the encounter with Severine had not had nearly the impact that the encounter with Mysteria had on him.

"I will tell you all about what happened after the trial." He assures her.

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Aveline relaxes her cool gloved hands against Roland’s forehead, the small and gentle smile still on her lips. “I can take care of myself out here. Let me worry about you.” she brushes her thumbs back and forth against his hairline, tilting her head against the bars a little. “I know you’ll hold on.”

A frown touches Aveline’s lips at Roland’s elaboration on Breton, her gaze dropping to his chest. She knew her mother’s capacity to hurt, as well as Breton’s. Her hand dipped to his chest, pressing her palm gently over his heart. There were wounds he was hiding from her as well, she suspected. It would be in both their characters. She laughs at Roland’s joke about her mother, shaking her head. “I know. I remember, even since I was small.” she looks back up to him, thinking back and smiling. “I remember when we first met you, how my mother went on a tear after her first meeting with you. You were so serious, even then.”

Aveline takes his hand from her cheek and moves it to her stomach, letting out a breath. “She loathed you. There was no use for you, you were too stuck in place. You were too rule-following and… righteous.” she smiles broader, looking back to him with bright eyes. “I was scared of you, you know. But I was scared of everyone. You were too tall and too serious looking. But you probably don’t remember that, I was so young then. But I remember you! You didn’t look like any guard I had seen before.”

[Roland]

Roland couldn't help but let out a small smile as Aveline told him to let her worry about him. "It's nice, to have someone...someone who cares." He whispers softly, a tinge red appearing on his ashen features.

As Aveline begins to recount his and Severine's interactions he chuckled a bit. "That was soon after I was assigned as Jeon's guard if I recall correctly. I had actually been in the castle for a few years at that point, but your mother had no use for me until I attained a position with a degree of status." He recounts thinking about Severine during their first interaction, it had been a little over a decade since their quiet war of distrust had started.

"I was younger, awkward and very proud, seeing her so dismissive of me up until that point had gotten my back up. Though I suppose in some ways I have not really changed that much." As Roland's hand rested on Aveline's stomach he tried to quest for their child with his magical senses, but he found that even that had been robbed of him in this place, he hated it. However, Aveline bring him out of his spiral by mentioning when they first met, how she had been scared of him.

"Well I am sure the glowing eyes did not help." He acknowledged, though now that the dull light was gone he found himself missing it. "I remember the young girl who used to hang around Jeon, you were always very timid, but you still had some of the energy that came with being so young." He remembered the first time she had come to play with Jeon and nearly fainted when he opened the door. The memory caused him to chuckle a bit.

"That's right, you almost fainted when we first met." He points out with a soft laugh, a genuine smile crossing his face. "If I told the me at that time what you would have eventually grown up to mean to me he'd have laughed in my face."

"I will say, your first introduction to court was an experience though. I had not been Captain of the Guard for long at that point, but Severine purposefully went around and introduced you to everyone but me." He smiled at the memory. "But that all fell apart when she came to introduce you to Marquis Winthrope and found me arresting him. That may well me the most flustered I have ever seen the two of you."

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“You didn’t seem awkward to me. Just scary.” Aveline laughs, lighter than before, sounding more like herself by the minute. “But I remember you, around Jeon. We would try to hide from you, sometimes. But-” she goes red, bumping her shoulder against the bars. “Oh gods, I forgot about that. You were scary! With your serious face and I had never seen anyone with eyes like yours.”

Aveline tilts her head to look at him, her smile going gentler. “Well, you weren’t exactly my prince charming at the time. I ah- I’m glad now, that I had to be shuffled in with the ladies after a while. I don’t know if… that time we didn’t see so much of each other, it helped us. This. I think. You might have seen me as a child forever and I would have seen you as…” she laughs a little. “The scary guard.”

She pauses, trailing her gloved fingertips against his knuckles. “Well, maybe I thought you were a bit awkward. But you’re much kinder now, I’ve seen it.” she smiles back up to him. “Our son will not be like how I was and think you are frightening. In fact, I hope and pray that he has your eyes.”

[Roland]

"Well it's not really my fault my eyes can light dark rooms, I was born that way." He replies, in a more light hearted nature."Though I imagine I probably was fairly scary, it made me a perfect guard, only Jeon and Mysteria were willing to spend much time in my presence at the time." As he spoke Roland reached his other arm through the bars and embraced Aveline as best he could. "Though you stuck with it, you were a good friend to Jeon, and I am glad for that...even if a little jealous now." He chuckled, and smiled at her.

He wished he could hold her to him right now, but that would mean she would be in here with him and he was very glad that was not the case. "Aveline, even now I do not think I am much of a prince charming, but as with so many things, I think you are right, the time apart is probably the reason we are together now."

As he closes his eyes and rests his head against the bars he asks, "I am still not sure what caused you to take up with such a "scary guard" as I, not that I am complaining mind you." His voice was wry, but carried a hint of sorrow in it.

"And Aveline, you are certainly no child, you are one of the most capable women I know, and I love you for being the woman you are." He whispers softly in her ear as if scared to shatter their moment. "And with that in mind I hope our child has your eyes, not much good has come from mine, and either way I am sure they will be a mage of no small amount of talent and power."

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Aveline curled against the bars in his arms, slipping her narrow shoulder between the bars to rest against his chest. She closes her eyes, a small smile growing on her face. “Don’t be jealous, dearest. He was only ever a friend.” she laughs, tilting her head against the bars again. “You’re my Prince Charming now and don’t you dare object to it. My kind, stoic, loyal, handsome prince.”

She turns a little in his arms, reaching through the bars to cup his face in her hands. “Don’t give yourself room for doubt while you’re here. Not here. You can’t let that pollute your mind. I love you, Roland. I love you and you are going to be free when you meet your son. There’s no magic in my family but I think your lineage is more than enough to make up for that.” she pushes herself up a little to press her lips to his forehead through the bars before leaning her head against his.

“I’m going to get you out of here. Soon. The trial will be in your favor, I promise. I won’t let them hurt you any more.” Aveline could take more punishment for him. She always could. “Think about what you’re going to do when you’re free. You have to teach me how best to take care of your home. You’ll have to teach your son to walk and speak and cast the gift he… he surely has. You think about what’s next and I’ll be waiting for you to join us.”

[Roland]

Roland leans down and places his forehead against the part of Aveline that was squeezed between the bars, it felt good to have her here. "Well allow me my small jealousies, I do miss Jeon though, I hope he is doing well." Roland says softly.

"I do not know how I ended up your prince, but I will do my best to live up to your expectations. Though charming might be a bit beyond my repertoire," he acknowledges, smiling softly as he kisses his forehead. Do not doubt huh? To him the words seemed strange, he had never expected to hear them from someone else. He was always the resolute one, always the stoic, always the driven one, but somehow he found the words comforting. This was a request he could fulfill.

"I promise, I will not doubt your love, or my worth." He promises her, his eyes briefly flashing silver as he makes the promise. When he comes back to assuring him that she is going to get him our Roland finds himself unable to stop his curiosity, but he thinks better of asking. He would trust her, as she had him so many times.

"I will consider those matters carefully, though when I am proven innocent, why don't I take you on a date around town again? Like during the festival, except this time with no divine intervention." He suggests.

[Deleted]

“That sounds nice.” Aveline smiles gently at the thought of another night out on the town again. “Another show, more greasy street food, and now you can help me change without me getting into trouble.” She pauses, watching the shift in his eyes. Her expression softens as she leans a little against the bars again, wondering.

“Your eyes were gray again, just now. Maybe you have a little magic in you still.” She pulls her hands from his, reaching into the cell and retrieving the flask. She tucks it back into her cloak, knowing she had to take her leave soon but not wanting to.

“...I don’t want to leave you alone down here.” Aveline’s voice broke, feeling her eyes burn. She didn’t want to cry now, but the realization that she would have to turn around soon and leave him in this dark pit again shattered her. She squeezes her eyes shut, shaking her head, trying to stop the tears from flowing. “Maybe there’s- maybe there’s something I can leave with you. So you won’t be lonely here. You’re with me all the time and you- I can’t leave you down here.”