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“Take a break, Little Moon.” Will’s voice is gentle and teasing, like the first warm breeze after winter.
Orym wipes the sweat from his brow and smiles up at him. “I need to get this maneuver right.”
“Sometimes you need to take a break before you try again. Come on, I’ll run you a bath.”
Orym can never resist that smile. He sheathes his sword and reaches for Will’s hand. He’ll come back out to the practice field tomorrow and get this right. But that’s the future. And also the past.
**
The crawler bumps over a dip and Orym jostles. He bites back a groan as pain radiates from his hip. He shifts to a more comfortable position and closes his eyes again, feeling Fearne gently touch his temple for a moment before her focus turns elsewhere.
He wonders what Will would think of everything they’ve learned about Ruidus. He’d probably make some comment about how one should never underestimate the small things.
Frowning, Orym remembers Yu’s taunt. Maybe they meant it as something else, but it had only added to Orym’s rage. Will was beautiful, true, but he was so much more.
He would have slain Yu if they’d harmed Fearne. Or any of the group, really. That was his job, after all. To stand guard, to draw attention, to take the hits.
Orym drifts off again, going over his training in his mind.
**
Will holds Orym against his chest. They had a late watch and now they’re sitting together under the stars, enjoying the quiet of the middle of the night, both too keyed up to sleep.
“I’m so glad you’re here.” Will murmurs quietly.
“I’ll always be here,” promises Orym.
They’re silent for a few long moments before Will speaks again. “If anything ever happens… I hope you know how much I love you.”
Orym turns in his arms and leans up to kiss him. “I love you, too. But we’re in Zephrah. Nothing is going to happen, but even if it did, let’s be honest, the Voice of the Tempest would destroy it in a heartbeat.”
Will chuckles. “You’re probably right.” He holds Orym loosely. “My beautiful Little Moon.”
Orym smiles. “Let’s go to bed, Big Moon.”
**
In the crawler Orym shifts again. He can hear his friends talking quietly amongst themselves but he is still exhausted and knows he’ll need his strength for whatever comes next. For facing the Nightmare King again. For keeping his family safe.
**
The Voice of the Tempest calls Orym to her not long after the attack. Orym is still raw. Everything reminds him of Will. Everything reminds him of his failure. He isn’t the only casualty, but he is the one that mattered most to Orym. His world has become wrapped in cotton. A cold breeze blows through his soul, one that tells him this is only the beginning of winter.
She knows grief. She knows the look in his eyes and the way he goes through the motions. The way he breathes as if he’s only doing so because his body demands it but would stop if he could. So she gives him a task, calls on that same loyalty because she knows that even now he will do as he’s asked. She sends him away.
Before he leaves Orym gets the tattoo. It’s a small thing, compared to what they had, but it’s something that cannot be taken away. He hopes one day he’ll be able to close his eyes and see Will as he was, not in his final moments. Not dead in his arms. He puts the memory on his skin, takes up Will’s shield and, for the first time in his life, leaves Zephra on his own. Alone.
He glances back only once and sees a raven watching him go.
**
The crawler bumps to a stop and Orym is instantly awake. He sits up, pushing a hand through his hair, feeling a little better, at least physically. Birdie is talking, and Orym silently takes his place by Fearne’s side. She gives him a smile and he can see the anxiety in the edges of her eyes. He nods to her and she relaxes, just a little.
Whatever happens next, Orym won’t fail again.