There was a storm raging inside of her that she did not know how to quell. Every pent up emotion bubbled to the surface and boiled over: everything she had worked so hard to snuff out was now running rampant through her veins. Between her jealousy of Ronin's beautiful friends, the feeling of always being inadequate, the whiplash of seeing Bhaskar again.. she didn't know what to do. There wasn't anything she could do, particularly not with her broken jaw throbbing in extreme pain. The Tollaire had stormed from the scene at the first opportunity, unable to face the emotions she had been dealt – let alone in a crowd. Her son had not come home and her fears were confirmed: Naga was dead. She needed to grieve for the death of her son alone before she tackled anything else, so the scarlet dragon made for the all too familiar caverns in order to hide. Nephthys didn't stop herself from wailing at the loss of her child, nor did she stop herself from smashing her claws against the stone in fury as she tried to deal with everything. She didn't even stop when one of her talons snapped in half and she began to paint the wall with blood; she felt nothing at everything all at once.

There was no quieting the storm of a woman mourning her child, nor was there a cure for the heartbreak of knowing she had fucked everything up.

Life could have been better.

4 years, no bonus.




The closer he got, the harder it was for his limbs to move. Weighed down as if leaden as he moved forward, following the scent he knew so well. Fortunately, no other scent mixed with it- a relief, because he wasn’t sure he could handle seeing them together. He would probably lose it. Even now as he walked, he did his best not to shake the herbs from his fresh wounds, but oh how he wanted to rid himself of those pesky thoughts and images of her and her husband intwined. That was his girl, as much as he was her man. A low rumbling growl would vibrate through him, shoving the hateful thoughts and painful images away yet again.

She’d made her way to the caverns, a place that would have been difficult for him to find her, but as he entered and pressed forward, he could both scent her and hear her clearly, her wailing cries bouncing off the cavern walls and straight to him, a lance to his heart. Despite the lead in his paws, he would move forward quicker, eager to get to her and make sure she was alright. Claws scraped against stone, leaving him anxious, what was she doing? As he approached, the scent of her blood would mingle in with her delicious scent and he would rush the rest of the way, worried that she had further hurt herself.

When he arrived, sliding to a stop in the cavern, sharp gaze finding her red form immediately. The warmonger would watch for a moment, before moving forward slowly. Neph? He would murmur softly, her pain seemed to go far deeper than her husband returning. He remembered her telling him that her husband had went after their son, but he had returned without him. Frowning, he would attempt to brush his nose against her shoulder in an attempt to redirect her attention from the stone- to him. He didn’t much care if he ended up getting hurt by her in the process.


@Nephthys

In all her years, Nephthys had never imagined her life to turn out the way it had. From the time she was a cub, she had known it was her duty to be betrothed to a well-to-do family and act as a bridge between alliances. She had been okay with that path in life and even excited for it, eager to see who she would end up paired up with and what greatness they could achieve together. It had been whispered to be a Dieudonne, but ultimately nothing had ever come of it regardless of how often she begged her parents. They hadn't understood her insistence, nor how a girl so young could already have such fear of heartbreak. And then she had met Bhaskar and the punk had made her fall head over heels, given her a family and then done the one thing she could not forgive. It didn't matter he had left for noble reasons to find their son when Nephthys had been convinced of his death. The man had still chosen the ghost of a boy over the safety of his wife and daughter, and that was something she could not excuse. Not after he'd spent so long worrying about keeping her safe.

Alaric had been her ticket to a cushiony life of being protected, fed and sated. Ronin had only been supposed to be a fling, Acheron a way to dull the pain..

But it was @Ronin who found her there, not anyone else. It was Ronin who pursued her even as beat up as he was (although she had never known him to be sensible with his wounds) and came to gently brush his muzzle against her shoulder. Nephthys heard and smelled his approach before ever feeling his touch, so by the time he arrived alongside of her she had reined in some of the theatrics. It was embarrassing. She remembered how uncomfortable it had been to watch Ronin mutilate the fawn, but at least he'd chosen a target with flesh that could tear. Neph had chosen a rock. She was not always the smart one in their relationship.

The scarlet Tollaire whirled on him, but not aggressively. She simply dove for him and tried to bury her face in his mane, melting against him and sobbing. Nephthys tried to place herself as close to him as possible, greedily trying to make herself feel better with his touch. I love you, she murmured softly. Please don't leave. Please don't leave because he was back. Please don't think he was what was best for her.

4 years, no bonus.




He wasn’t sure what he expected from Nephthys, she was a wildcard, unpredictable in so many ways. Despite the electricity that jolted through him as his nose brushed her shoulder, it was her reaction that would cause him to jump. She would whirl on him, cheeks stained from a tear trail. He expected her to lash out at him, to strike him for interrupting her grief, but that was not what she did. He would jump slightly as she dove for him, reigning in all of his instincts so that when she hurried her face into his chest and thick mane, it was softness that she slammed into, not tensed muscle.

His paw would wrap around her, attempting to gently tug her closer to him as she pressed against him. He couldn’t feel the tears dampen his mane, but he imagined they were there, his skull arching so that he could rasp his tongue over her flesh in a loving and reassuring way. He was there, in whatever fashion she needed him as. She would murmur words and his heart would flop and flutter, relieved by them as much as it instantly squeezed with a wariness. She was still in shock, she could change her mind. For now, Ronin would ignore that part of his mind, she was here, telling him she loved him. I love you too.

Ears would prick forward as she spoke, his paw tightening slightly. Never, love. He whispered quietly to her ear, I’ll always be here for you. He wouldn’t dare leave her, not now in her grief, or even when they were burning mad at each other. Ronin was there, when it mattered, he was rough when it came to silly things- sure, but when it counted the warmonger would be no where else but at her side. If she needed a chest to cry on, a body to beat up, or even just a listening ear, he could take it.


@Nephthys

If she had been a bit more aware of herself in that moment, she may not have thrown herself into him as carelessly as she had. It didn't really occur to her that he was injured, nor that he'd just won himself a damn crown and that they should have been celebrating. Later she would be heavy with guilt over it, but for now she was simply heavy with grief.

The simple action of pulling her close made the tears begin to subside. She still cried softly against him, but her body was no longer being wracked with heavy sobs. Hearing him return her feelings and promise to be there fell on deaf ears for the time being; Neph was so consumed with the loss of her child and painful return of Bhaskar that she wasn't fully aware of what was happening around her. With how swollen and brutalized her face was, it was a miracle she was even conscious. It wasn't like she'd taken her own advice and been easy with herself since the battle with Gauthier.

He promised to always be there and she pulled away to look at him, her eyes tired. Neph was exhausted and probably looked like absolute shit, but she knew what she wanted. If you intend to keep that promise, she said with a flick of her tail, then marry me, Ronin. Because she wanted the world to know they belonged to each other. She wanted him to know there was no going back for her, that Baskhar's return (although painful) did not dull the feelings she had for him. The past is the past, but you are my future. If only he would allow her to be the same for him.

4 years, no bonus.




Tired eyes would look up to him as her sobbing subsided into a quieter, more at ease, cry. Her expression seemed tired, painful, exhausted. Ronin understood her grief, he’d felt it himself when Mirari had passed, but he had at least gotten to stay by her side- Nephthys did not have that closure. The new King would wait patiently, when she spoke, jaw still swollen as hell, he would nod. It wasn’t often he ever broke his promises, but when she spoke again, he would cock his head curiously at her. Of course, Nephthys. He would answer, a smile pulling at his lips. Though he wasn’t exactly sure what that entailed.

Gently, he would press his lips to hers, nearly kissing her snout so that he didn’t hurt her jaw. What about your husband? He asked, a flicker of worry and doubt entering his gaze. He didn’t want to be a hypocrite, the irony of the situation was not lost on him. He had somehow stepped into Alaric’s paw prints, was he supposed to just step aside to let her go back to her husband? Even if she didn’t seem all that interested in that option at the time?

When she spoke again, he would nod, unable to deny the swell in his chest and the flutter in his gut at those words. And you are mine. He would answer, hoping that this trust didn’t come back to bite him as it had with his ex-wife.

@Nephthys

It shouldn't have surprised her that his acceptance hadn't immediately solved anything. If nothing else, she suddenly felt a wave of guilt like she had given away something that didn't actually belong to her. She didn't know why she thought it had been a good idea to propose in such a sorry state, but that didn't stop her from meaning it. Now, more than ever, Nephthys wanted to be securely off limits to Bhaskar. If she had her blinders on, she wouldn't have to deal with temptation. It was the wrong reason to want Ronin by her side, but it wasn't the only one, she supposed. At the end of the day, she felt like she was just.. not compatible with Bhaskar anymore. She didn't think she would ever be able to trust that he wouldn't leave again, but hadn't Ronin done the same thing to Sláine? Left on the quest for a child?

That hadn't really occurred to her until that moment, nor how similar Ronin was to Bhas in the fuse department. Both occasionally made her feel unheard, both had short tempers, both seemed to think they always had the best plans for the future and the best plans to get there as well. A spike of fear flashed through her: what if Ronin ended up leaving her, too?

She swallowed anxiously. You only get one chance with me, she replied slowly, referring to Bhaskar but ultimately warning Ronin as well. He left and broke my trust. That's not something he's going to get back. And the more she thought about him, the more anxious she grew. My father never liked him. Hated him, actually. Neph wasn't sure how Drakon would have reacted to Ronin, but she would never know now. Her answer was a non-answer, she knew that.

Nephthys pulled back, somewhat spooked by the sudden thoughts in her head. Before he showed back up, Artemisia came up to me and pretended she didn’t know who you were. Was there anything there with you two before? Anything? With anyone? Because now was his chance to tell her.

4 years, no bonus.




There were similarities, the irony was not lost, but Ronin was not the same lion he had been when he had left Slaine, Iona and Caillen, the journey had not been a mirror to that of the journey Bhaskar had made. Ronin had went to retrieve his family before a war had started, to strengthen the Mire. He would have been back far sooner had Mirari not fallen ill. Now, he wished he had either never gone at all or at least had forced his daughter to stay with her mother. It’d seemed safe at the time.

There was a nervousness in the air as she swallowed and regarded him, her words were slow, but he could tell they were serious. He only got one chance with her. He would nod slowly, he didn’t intend to hurt her- ever. When she continued, speaking of her husband he would listen, taking it as a warning, but he could not hide the slight smirk as she mentioned her father had hated him. I’m not Bhaksar, Nephthys. I won’t leave you. He answered, ears falling back.

The woman would pull back further and his brow would furrow as she regarded him with a new look in her eyes. When she spoke, he would listen, sighing at the name she spoke. Again, the jealousy would come out of the woman- his soon to be wife. It was difficult to curb his anger, to not snap at her, instead he would regard her for a long minute, calming himself before he finally spoke. We slept together once, before I’d met you and after the stuff with Slaine. He answered, pausing briefly before continuing. Afterwards, we agreed that it was better to just be friends. There was no…spark, like there is with you. Nothing to draw me in to her. He explained, but he felt he was doing a terrible job. Honestly, the idea now…it would be like fucking my own sister. He wrinkled his nose at the idea, Ronin did not see Artemisia as a lover, to no fault of her own. There were only two women that he loved, Nephthys and his ex wife. The red temptress in front of him was the only one of the two that he trusted.

And you? Have there been any others besides me? He asked, though mostly only because he felt he needed to ask her something just as personal.


@Nephthys

More than anything, Nephthys wanted to believe him. She wanted to nod enthusiastically and mean it, but there was always going to be fear. The amount of trust she was placing in him was monumental for a woman that had felt so badly burned before, and she hoped he understood the gravity of her words when she spoke them. She hoped he understood that although her love was guaranteed forever, it did not mean she would always be by his side. Nephthys did not give second chances to anyone, shallow and pathetic of a woman as that may have made her. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

She was never going to be fooled twice. Ever.

Her ears flattened against her head as she studied him, heart thudding against her chest. The one thing she could not handle in that moment was anger – and realistically, she could never handle it. She flew off the handle in order to beat others to the punch, to utilize a strong offense as her best defense. Nephthys was a sensitive, emotional woman that paraded around as confident and bold and sassy; and she knew Ronin knew that, too. She could only hope he would be patient with her and it seemed he was willing to try – for now. His calmness was met with an understanding nod, though she couldn’t help but feel beaten down. Although she wanted to throw back I don’t sleep with just anyone, meaning Artemesia had to have been someone, she didn’t. This was her bed now and she just.. needed to lay in it, she supposed. If the time came she ever found he was being unfaithful, it would be the end of it. Marriages didn’t have to be forever if one was unfaithful, right?

Thank you for being honest, she murmured quietly, dropping her eyes to her paws. He returned the question and Nephthys felt put on edge, wondering if he actually wanted to know or just.. wanted her to feel the same stab of guilt he did. No one you don’t know about. Alaric and Acheron. And at least she hadn’t tried to maul his other partner, thank you.

She felt cold. Tired. Drained, like someone had cut her open and let her bleed out for days. Her son was dead, her ex-husband was back in town, and she was discussing marriage while her paw bled, her jaw was broken, her skin was torn and she was seconds away from starting to bawl all over again. Nephthys wiped her eyes with the back of a paw and moved back to the stone, settling down with her back against it and letting the cool surface comfort her aching body. It was dissociation time, folks, and Neph was first in line.

4 years, no bonus.




No, he didn’t sleep with just anyone. Those words, honest as they were, were going to be the death of him one day. He just knew it. Artemisia was a friend, perhaps at one point he thought they could be more, but after having slept with her…it just…there wasn’t a spark, there was no passion there, not like with what he had with Nephthys. Even as she nodded with an expression understanding, he wondered if she truly believed him. He gave her no deception, answering her as honestly as he could, but he did not know how to make her believe him.

When she spoke, he would reach with his muzzle, gently nudging the top her brow. I love you, I don’t wan’t anyone else, Love. He would say, vocals low and soft, tender. Far softer than he ever spoke to really anyone- even his own children. The warmonger would wait for her to answer his question and e would nod, alright.He answered, unsure what to say. Really, he didn’t know why he wanted to know? To test her? To throw the question back in her face?

She would return to the stone and for a moment Ronin thought she would continue her assault on it, but no, she didn’t. Instead she lay down, wiping her face with the back of her paw. Quietly, Ronin would follow her, settling down next to her so that he could lick gently over her cheek, to wipe away the tears. He would settle into silence, unsure what she wanted from him, other than his presence. After her cheek he would move to her torn flesh, patiently cleaning her wounds.

@Nephthys