Page 37 of The Ballad of a Bard

W hen West entered his chambers in the castle to finish grabbing the proper supplies for their trip, he paused outside the doors as he heard the soft giggle of a young boy. Then followed a feminine laugh, light and gentle. His mouth slank upwards as he entered, glancing up as a black head of hair slapped two cards down.

“I win! Again! That means I get double the tarts I had last round.” Cobalt chuckled and held his hand out expectantly towards his sister who feigned shock as she clapped her hands on either side of her face and gasped loudly, dramatically.

“You’re just far too good at this game. I can’t even catch up.” She shook her head and reached behind her, plucking two lemon candies from the jar she had partially hidden and handing them over to her sibling. “I think we need to change the rules or something, otherwise you’ll never eat anything else again.”

“There’s something wrong with that?” He scratched the top of his head as she swiped the cards up from the bed, which appeared to have been jumped on relentlessly by the messy sheets and scrunched covers .

“You need more than just sweets, Blue.” Crimson tsked and began to shuffle the cards, folding one into the other effortlessly and dropping them from one palm to the other without a single one falling out of place. “Like carrots.”

Cobalt made a face.

West mimicked it as he came over. “I hate carrots too.” He whispered as he dropped his bag by the foot of the bed and sat down next to the young boy. “They taste like bland water.”

“How can water be bland? It’s water.” She said exasperatedly. “And don’t encourage him to skip out on his vegetables. Leysa said they’ve been helping him regain his strength and energy. So much so,” She poked him in his side and Cobalt grimaced. He rolled into West, ducking behind him as a shield.

“That he’s able to spend the night in here, if he wishes.” Crimson finished and set the cards back down onto the sheets, all tucked away in a nice and tidy pile.

“I am?” He perked up, peeking out from West’s back. “I don’t have to spend the night in that sad room?”

“Nope. You’re all mine tonight.” Crimson yanked on his little arm and tucked her into him, tickling at his sides as he gasped for air. Gales of laughter came from him as he squeezed his eyes shut. “Unless of course you eat anymore of that candy, and then I might have to kick you out since you won’t be sleeping. The last thing I need is a bouncing rabbit in my bed.”

“I promise…” He gasped, “I won’t…” Another inhale, “Eat anymore! Red, stop !” He tried to wriggle out of her fingers and she placed a kiss atop his forehead before letting him shrug out of her grasp. “But only if West stays with us tonight, too.”

Crimson went as rigid as a flagpole, her lips popping apart in sudden surprise. She did her best to hide it from her brother, but West could see it in the gold flecks in her eyes. The way her cheeks went gaunt and how she inhaled sharply. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Blue.”

He frowned up at her. “Why not? West is my friend, and I like spending time with my friends.” He let out a tiny sound and crawled up on his knees, placing his hand up as a shield and whispered, “Are you not friends with him? Cause if so, then I’m not friends with him either.”

She smiled, trying to hide it. “No, Cobalt. He’s… he’s my friend.” Her gaze flicked to his for a single second, only to pull away and find an interest point on the floor. “You don’t need to pretend to hate him for my sake.”

Cobalt sighed in relief, “Good because I don’t know how long I would have been able to pretend that I didn’t like him. He’s far too nice to me for that.”

“Well, I’m glad you think so.” West grinned and began to kick off his boots. “And I’ll stay with you, if your sister is fine with it.”

She nodded once, all the agreement that she was going to give. But she still didn’t look at him, and it killed some essential part of him. As if something lurked below her skin, something that she wanted to hide and avoid, something that he wanted to ease her burden with.

“Go get ready for bed, Cobalt.” Crimson urged him off the sheets and pushed him towards the bathing room as she began to clean up the mess in the center of the covers. He hopped off and scurried into the room, the door closing with a loud bang the next moment.

She pushed all of the candy towards the jar and let it fall in, piece by piece. The lid soon followed and she set it on the nearest shelf as West tossed his boots towards his dresser. He studied her carefully as she continued to move around the bed, readying it for the three of them. There was enough room, more than it .

“Are you alright?” He asked, unbuckling his belt and hanging his sword on his chair. “You seem… out of it tonight.”

She hesitated, and he wasn’t sure if she’d share anything with him or not. If she chose not to, he would simply understand and leave it be. But then Crimson reached into her pocket and pulled out a necklace.

One he immediately knew.

“Is that…” He trailed off as she spun the heart around.

“My father’s relic.” She confirmed. “I went hunting for it today and found it. I didn’t know it was his, or else I wouldn’t have sold it when we were younger. Thank the Saints that the merchant still had it.”

West asked for it without a word and she gave it to him. The chain was still warm from the heat of her flesh, and he might have enjoyed it too much. He gently flipped the item around, taking in every detail and line, noticing every dent and crack. Within the small pendant, he could feel the pulse of a thousand hearts and the thud of blood flowing through the carved veins.

“That’s it alright.” He muttered and handed it back to her before the eerie feeling of a real heart could wash over him. “I’m assuming you tried to call him?”

“Considering that no one knows how to use it, yes. I tried what felt right. But I think we should still head to Valkrigge in the morning. I haven’t succeeded in anything, just confirmed our chances have increased.”

“I agree. Until we have all our ducks in a row, it’s best to explore all of the options.” He pointed towards the chain as she set it on the dresser counter. “Keep trying with it. I’m not even sure what the correct way to summon the damned Saint is, but if anyone would know then it would be you.”

“Because I’m his daughter?” Sour, cold and harsh. She sounded as if she hated that fact, hated that the same blood of Heartache ran through her.

West stepped closer. As close as he dared without blurring the lines between them. He wasn’t entirely sure what they were anymore, since he’d kissed her until neither one of them could breathe. Since he wanted nothing more than to do it again. “Because clearly he trusted you with it, which means that he knew you’d be able to call him home if you required it.”

She didn’t back away.

He took that as a good sign.

Crimson looked up at him through her black lashes. “I don’t know if I truly want to see him again.”

“I know.” He murmured and without thinking, caressed her arm. “I can only imagine what this entire thing is going to be like for you. I won’t lie and tell you that it will be easy, because it won’t and I don’t ever want to lie to you, Crimson.” His fingers brushed along her wrist and he could feel the faint thrum of excitement there. “But you’re doing what you have to do. You’re doing what you’ve always done, and I know it won’t mean much but I’m proud of you.”

She let out a soft, staggering breath.

“I promise that I’ll be by your side for the entirety of it, and I won’t leave you with him if you don’t want me to.” West ran his thumb along her forearm, trailing upwards towards her elbow. She almost leaned into the comforting touches. “But I’ll also vanish if you ask it of me.”

“Why?” She swallowed dryly, looking elsewhere. “Why are you doing all of this, being so nice and generous to Cobalt and I?”

“Because a Saint put you in this predicament and now a Saint is going to help you out of it. Because you are my friends and I care about you. Because I couldn’t help anyone in this damned world and finally, I saw something I could change.” He listed them off, one by one.

Crimson’s eyes misted. “I see.”

“Is that a prob-”

“No one’s ever wanted to take care of us before.” She said before he could finish. “Not when my mother died, and certainly not after. We were the poor orphans that everyone looked down on, but could never spare a coin or a loaf of bread, anything. They all gave us sad looks and pitiful apologies, but apologies didn’t fill empty stomachs and bleeding coffers.”

His heart hurt, ached, cried for her.

“I have done everything for him. ” Her voice was quiet as Cobalt turned on the tap in the bathroom. “I have given up so much in order to take care of him and for once…” Her chest heaved. “It feels so damned nice to have someone take care of me .”

It was his turn to feel the tears in his waterline. He hated hearing that from her, hated the isolation and depression so calmly linked with her sentences. West grabbed her chin and forced her to look up at him. Forced her to show him the tears that now slid down her cheeks.

“From now on,” He said, “ I’m taking care of you. Of both of you. Do you understand?”

She let out a whimper and tucked her lips together as she bobbed her head. “Thank you, West.” He wiped her tears away with flicks of his thumb, dragging them down to her jaw. “You’ve done so much for me, for us.”

Saints be damned.

He was going to kiss her again.

Fucking hell.

“Of course, Heartstrings.” West didn’t try to stop himself as he angled his head down, titling until he could feel the heat from her exhale as she reached up to meet him. She lifted herself on her toes, pressing her mouth against his.

Crimson melted into his arms, allowing him to take her even further into his grasp. He was gentle this time, no explorative licks of his tongue against her teeth, or the scrape of his teeth against her inner lip. This wasn’t a kiss for sex, or any lustful reason. No, this was a kiss for comfort, to let her know that he meant everything he said, and wouldn’t break that promise.

Even if that kiss awoke a terrible beast inside of him that demanded more. She pulled away to breathe and he admired the way her cheeks blushed, her mouth shined and her eyes seemed to sparkle.

West leaned down to kiss her again, fingers tightening on her arm. Fuck his rules. He was already way in over his head with her, falling closer and closer to that mistake of letting himself be hers in another way completely. He was a hair’s width away, he was so close, he-

Cobalt flung open the door and they jumped apart as he raced for the bed. “I’m ready for bed!” He jumped towards it, almost missing it by an inch as he rolled across the top. “Let’s get all cozy.”

“Then get under the covers, and we’ll join you.” Crimson backed away first, her beautiful gaze leaving him as she pulled away from his mouth.

Relief and disappointment crashed into him like the foamy surf on splintering rocks. Relief, because she stopped him from making a terrible mistake. Disappointment because he desperately wanted to taste her tongue again, to feel her mouth move against his in that stirring way that made him crave her even more.

Cobalt held the covers up and she slid into them, letting them drop over her. But West halted as he realised that the boy had taken up the furthest place on the bed, Crimson wrapped around him with her arm dragged over his shoulder. Which left only one possible place to go.

Behind her.

Quickly, his mind ran through every possible scenario and excuse he could think of to not cuddle into her, trying to figure out a reasonable way to deny the small child his one ask. But there was no answer that wouldn’t be deemed cruel, so he tossed them all aside.

West angled himself towards the bed, shifting beneath the sheets as he came behind her, avoiding any sharp inhale of air as their bodies pressed together. She must have made a low sound from the back of her throat, because her spine locked when she felt his leg against hers. All of a sudden, her breathing became too focused, too counted as he laid his head down on the pillow beside her.

Crimson was as taut as a fresh bowstring and so was he.

Cobalt blew out the candle and darkness settled over them like a comfortable friend. He wriggled even deeper, which caused Crimson to shove back in order to make room for him. West swallowed his vulgar curse as her backside rubbed against him, right where he was trying to avoid meshing together. His fingers curled into a fist as he tried to control the rush of blood that was currently travelling south, before she could feel it and he heard those damning words from her again. The ones that made him question his morals and everything. The ones that gave him a sense of mortality, because they would be laced with her life.

But he hesitantly lowered his arm over hers, tucked his chin into the crook of her neck and let himself enjoy this life for the night. Because come morning, come everything after, nothing would be the same again.

This was what he wanted.

West held her for the entire night as she held her brother, and for once in his life, he felt normal.