A House Filled With Night

A strange feeling came over her as she stood before the gate of the House. For so long, she wondered when she would ever see the outside world again. Now, she was just moments away from finally stepping out beyond that wall.

“I forgot to mention this earlier, but…”

Runa turned to see Sylvain approaching her, a handkerchief in his hands.

“There’s one last condition: we can’t let you see where the House is when we leave. You’ll need to wear this, at least until we get to Eidar.”

“How will she ride like that?” asked Casimir. He was leading a pair of horses toward them. The others were close at his heels, already mounted on their own steeds.

“How she would have ridden in any case: with one of us. She’ll be fine with someone else riding for her, and she’s small, so it shouldn’t be too much trouble.”

Fiske bounced up and down in his saddle. “Oh, oh, oh! Runa can ride with me! It’ll be so much fun—”

“No!”

Torin, who had just trotted forward on his horse, immediately slapped a hand over his mouth, almost as surprised as the rest of them at the force of his outburst. He recovered, hurrying to explain, “Fiske isn’t a careful rider, he gets distracted easily, he jokes around, he—”

“Hey, that’s not true!”

“Yes, it is,” said Casimir.

“Who do you suggest she rides with, then?” asked Sylvain.

“She can…ride with me?”

Torin glanced at Runa uncertainly.

“What do you say to that?” Sylvain asked.

If she were perfectly honest, Runa had mixed feelings about it. It was finally a chance to talk to Torin again, after all the silence and discomfort between them. At the same time, it was sure to be an awkward experience. But all she said was: “Yes.”

Sylvain approached Torin and reached up to pass him the handkerchief.

“Cover her eyes with this.”

“What?”

“I thought you were listening. This is my last condition. She can’t see where the House is.”

“What?”

“She can ride with me, if you prefer.”

“No!”

Sylvain raised an eyebrow. Torin’s horse flicked its ears irritably.

“N-no, it’s…it’s okay, I’ll do it.”

With that, he snatched up the cloth and led his mount away to find Runa. She was chatting with Fiske about what they could do at the party that evening. Her eyes were smiling, so he could tell she was genuinely happy. Torin sighed, smiling a little in turn. Even with the stringent guidelines Sylvain had set in place, she seemed excited for this small bit of freedom.

“Are you ready?” asked Torin, holding his hand out to Runa.

She nodded, grabbing onto it and promptly failing to pull herself up into the saddle. She landed on her rump with a small oof.

“Sorry! I’ll get down to help you—”

Before Torin could move, Niko (who had been quietly watching from the sidelines), hopped off his horse, wrapped his hands around Runa’s waist, and hefted her up into the saddle with his brother.

“Oh! Thank you, Niko.”

He just mumbled something inaudible and hopped back onto his horse.

“He really doesn’t like me, does he?” Runa whispered, leaning back against Torin.

He chuckled. She flinched. She could practically feel it reverberate through her back.

“No, he likes you. He just doesn’t realize it yet.”

“It’s hard for me to tell.”

There was a weighty pause before he spoke again.

“Runa, they told me I need to cover your eyes with this.”

He held up the cloth.

“I know. Go ahead.”

“I’m sorry about this.”

“Don’t be. It doesn’t bother me.”

“Alright, I’ll…go ahead, then.”

He started to hold up the cloth against her eyes. He hesitated, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. It was an unnecessary action, but he had done it before he could think about it. Gently, the knot tightened at the back of her head; secure, but not too tight.

“Is that fine? Does it feel—”

“Hey! Are you two ready yet?”

“We’re ready!” called Runa. She nodded and said more quietly, “It feels fine.”

There was a snap and a loud creaking sound. A rush of wind hit her face.

“They’re opening the gates,” Torin explained.

Runa’s hands felt warm. Torin was wrapping her fingers around the saddle horn. “Hold on. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure you don’t fall.”

His arms came up around her as he picked up the reins, completely enclosing her. She heard Sylvain give the signal. They began to move, the sudden motion forcing her to fall back against him.

“Oh, sorry—” She began to pull away.

He grasped her shoulder and pulled her back in. “Don’t be. It doesn’t bother me.”

The smile in his voice was almost audible. She relaxed against him.

As the horses reached a steady pace, Runa settled into the rhythm of their movement, the warmth of Torin, and the coolness of the breeze against her skin. Every once in a while, her ears caught the sound of an owl’s hoot, a tree’s rustle, or a cicada’s buzz. Fiske chattered in the background, and Casimir whistled a nostalgic tune. In the moment, she was seized by the temptation to turn her ear against Torin’s chest and listen to the tempo of his heart. For the first time in many days, she felt as if everything would be okay.

“Torin,” she said, almost without thinking. “Have you been angry with me?”

“Angry?”

“Today is the first day in ages that you’ve spoken to me this much.”

Not seeing his face must have made her bolder.

“I…I’m not…angry, exactly.”

His sigh brushed the little hairs along her neck, tickling the ear.

“It’s hard to explain exactly how I feel. I still think you should have taken the chance to escape when I gave it to you. You’ll only become more tangled up in this mess the longer you remain. I’m afraid that, eventually, you won’t have the choice to leave anymore.”

Runa frowned, her grasp tightening around the saddle. “I know I must seem desperate to you, to remain at the House after all this. But I don’t think you understand what my life was like before this. No matter where I go, I’m never free. At least in the House I have food.”

“There are worse things than hunger.”

“What do you—”

“I’ll give you a second chance. Tonight, at the ball, we’ll slip out together, but I won’t return with you. We’re in your city, so you’ll have any number of places to hide.”

She said nothing in response. She did not know what to answer.

“Runa?”

“Yes?”

Warmth enveloped her hand again as he covered it with his.

“Are you afraid of getting caught? I’ll help you. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“I’m not afraid.”

Not afraid of getting caught, anyway.

He dropped the subject. “We’re getting close. I don’t think Sylvain will complain if I take it off now. We don’t have to tell him, anyway, do we?”

She felt one of his hands slowly working the knot of the blindfold loose. With a light rustle and tug, her eyes could open wide to take in the sweeping field before them. She gasped. Tucked into its fold was the sprawling city of Eidar: twinkling with the firelight of beautiful manors, swimming in shadow through miles of dark alleyway. She had never seen the city from this distance. It was both beautiful and frightening.

“What do you think? Did you miss it?”

“Barely. I…I hardly know if I recognize it anymore.”

Once they reached the edge of the city, Sylvain hid them in a thick cloud of fog. Runa watched, amazed, as they slipped past the guards and through the streets of Eidar without a single glance. Even the sounds they produced had been obscured by his muddling shroud.

The palace-like house they arrived at was familiar to Runa. She had once delivered fruit there for a tea party. She smiled. What a new and unusual reason to return.

Sylvain steered his horse to the right. “This way.”

They slipped through to the side of the manor, where it was darker. Fiske brought his horse alongside Torin and Runa. “We like to go through backways,” he explained. “Makes for a more dramatic entrance.”

They finally stopped and dismounted by a back doorway. Their horses safely tied to a nearby post, they crept up to the doors together. Sylvain paused for a moment.

“Is everyone ready?”

Fiske chuckled evilly. “It’s show time.”

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~ A/N ~

Oh em gee. Was it just me, or were things getting a little cozy back there?

Thanks to @jillhope2 and @Boikanyo for all the lovely comments! And a special thanks to @Boikanyo for the review!!

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