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1 - nightmares
Nightmares were, unfortunately, a common occurrence for Imogen. The nightmares also tended to follow the same sequence of events each time they occurred. A red storm, her mother telling her to run from the storm, running. Lots and lots of running. They always ended with her waking up in a cold sweat in the dead of night.
It was a particularly terrifying nightmare that left Imogen panting and with hot tears streaming down her face. Despite her best efforts to remain quiet in the silent night, her gasping had awoken Laudna who slept beside her.
“Imogen? Is everything alright?” Laudna’s gentle voice cut through the silence of the night and though she felt bad for waking Laudna up at this hour, it was admittedly a relief to hear someone so friendly and safe.
“I… it was… nightmare,” was all that Imogen could force out between gasps and sobs.
“Is it alright if I touch you?” Laudna asked, speaking as slowly and calmly as she could manage, despite being terrified for Imogen at this moment.
“Yeah, yeah that’s okay,” Imogen’s voice was shaky, and she still couldn’t look Laudna in the eyes, but she was able to manage a few words which was a significant process considering her state only moments ago.
A heavy, reassuring hand rested itself on Imogen’s upper back, right between her shoulder blades, and Imogen gasped sharply before remembering that it was only Laudna with her in this moment.
“You’re alright, I’m here, you’re not having a nightmare anymore. It’s safe here.” Laudna rubbed slow circles between Imogen’s shoulders, helping her focus her breathing. It took some time, but Imogen was able to soon slow her breathing down enough that Laudna wasn’t worried that Imogen would hyperventilate at any moment.
“Do you want some water? Some tea, maybe?” There was a pause, a worrying pause, and Laudna wasn’t entirely sure that Imogen had heard her. Before she could ask the question again, Imogen spoke up softly.
“Some water, please.” Imogen starred not at Laudna, but at her hands and her forearms. Her eyes were tracing the purple veins that seemed to grow ever so slightly up her forearms.
“I’ll be right back.” Squeezing Imogen’s shoulder reassuringly, Laudna left the room to find some water for Imogen.
It was hard to not worry about Imogen when she was in this state, but Laudna knew Imogen didn’t like for her to worry too much. That didn’t make not worrying any easier, unfortunately. There had hardly been any progress made on figuring out why Imogen was having such vivid nightmares that left her in such a distraught state. It was beginning to get frustrating for both Imogen and Laudna, the lack of answers or any type of lead. This was a terrifying situation, that much was obvious. Laudna simply wanted to do as much as she could to help Imogen get through this hard time. If all she could do to help in times like these was make tea and be a reassuring presence, then that’s exactly what she would do.
With a glass of water in hand, Laudna returned to the bedroom where Imogen was still staring at her arms, eyes full of terror.
“I’ve got your water,” Laudna said as she stepped in, keeping her voice low and her steps light in an attempt to try to not startle Imogen.
Imogen looked up, and her eyes were red-rimmed and glossy with tears.
“Laudna, I’m scared,” she whispered, eyes wide and her whole body shaking.
The glass of water was abandoned on a table beside the bed, Laudna immediately rushing to Imogen’s side.
“Shh, it’s okay, I’ve got you, you’re going to be okay. We’re going to figure this out, you’re going to be okay.” Imogen cried. Imogen cried for a long while that night. Laudna stayed awake the whole time. When Imogen finally spoke again, the first thing she said was an apology.
“I’m sorry, Laudna. I know it’s late, I didn’t mean to keep you awake this long.” The weak raspiness of Imogen’s voice made Laudna’s heart hurt.
“It’s quite alright, Imogen. I’ll stay awake with you for as long as you need.” She handed Imogen the glass of water that had long since gone warm, and Imogen took it with shaking hands. After she had taken enough sips to satisfy Laudna, the glass returned to its spot on the table.
“I… I should try and sleep again, I’m really sorry for waking you.” Imogen hadn’t looked Laudna in the eyes all night.
Laudna gave Imogen a sad, reassuring smile. “It’s really okay, I’ll be here all night if you need me.” She kissed Imogen on the forehead as she helped her get comfortable in bed again. “Sweet dreams, Imogen.”
“Goodnight, Laudna.”
Laudna didn’t sleep for the rest of the night.
2 - sunrise
For the first time in what felt like ages, Imogen woke up after a night of restful sleep. Her dreams were not necessarily remarkable by any means, but it was better than a night full of terrors. When Imogen woke up, she felt genuinely happy. Laudna’s arms were wrapped around her waist, and her head was pressed against Imogen’s chest as if listening to her heartbeat.
The sun had hardly begun to rise, weak rays just barely coming through the window in the early morning. Gently, as to not scare Laudna, Imogen nudged Laudna’s shoulder in an attempt to wake her up.
“Laudna? Laudna!” The woman beside her groaned in exhaustion, eyes barely opening to see Imogen.
“Imogen? Is everything alright, dear?”
“I’m sorry, I know it’s still early, but I was thinking that we should go see the sunrise!”
There was a lull in the conversation as Laudna’s eyes opened more, and she sat up in their shared bed.
“See the sunrise? But you never want to see the sunrise, you’re always too tired,” Laudna sounded confused, a very fair response considering Imogen had never made this request before, but she wasn’t upset by the idea in the slightest.
“Laudna, I didn’t have any nightmares last night! I feel great!” The excitement in Imogen’s voice was bright and clear, and Laudna’s face lit up just as brightly at this news.
“Oh, Imogen, that’s amazing! We have to go watch the sunrise, it’ll be lovely!”
Laudna had never seen Imogen get dressed so quickly in the mornings. On an average day, she was slow to get out of bed and slow to get cleaned up for the day. Today there seemed to be a skip in her step, a new kind of life and joy that Laudna hadn’t seen in all too long. It was wonderful to see Imogen so happy and excited for the day to come, and she only hoped that this would last.
The morning was crisp and cool, but not overly so in a way that chilled them to the bones and made the couple want to go back inside. It was crisp in a refreshing way that just made them feel more awake. Imogen chattered away happily, and Laudna just smiled as she listened. The city was quiet on this morning, no one was around to invade Imogen’s mind with their thoughts, and even Laudna was able to find peace and comfort in the quiet morning of the city.
“It’s right up here!” Imogen cried out suddenly, grasping Laudna’s hand just a little bit tighter and pulling her along a path that led to a shaded spot. Laudna laughed as Imogen pulled her along, her laugh not unfamiliar to the sound of brightly ringing bells.
The area that Imogen brought the pair to was just off the beaten path; it wasn’t terribly far from the city but it was just private enough that Imogen was confident no one would bother them here. The sun’s rays were just beginning to peak over top of the city, and the temperature had risen ever so slightly.
“This is lovely, Imogen,” Laudna said quietly, and Imogen smiled with pride.
“Every time we go to the shops, this little corner catches my eye. We’ve passed by it enough that I soon figured out that we’d get a perfect view of the sunrise here. It’s just been too hard for me to wake up early enough to catch the sunrise, but I’m glad that we finally get to see it. Together.”
“I’m so glad I get to share this with you,” Laudna mused, partially to herself, her eyes flickering between the sun and Imogen. In this moment, Laudna couldn’t honestly tell what was brighter- the sun, or Imogen’s smile.
Imogen, who was carrying a blanket that she brought along on their walk, laid the blanket out on the ground and sat down. She patted the ground next to her, waiting for Laudna to also join her on the blanket.
It was the most peaceful moment that the two women had shared in a long time. There was no need for either of them to force a conversation, they were both more than content to bask in the silence and the warm rays of the sun. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, giving them both a perfectly clear view of the sky changing colours as the time continued to pass. Birds began chirping in the distance, and the sound of conversation picked up slowly as people began making their way into the city to begin their own day. Without so much as a sound, Imogen leant back into Laudna, resting her head on the other woman’s shoulder, and closed her eyes.
“Thank you for being here, Laudna,” she whispered. It was faint enough that for a moment Laudna wasn’t sure if she was just hearing things. Laudna knew Imogen though, and she knew that she wasn’t just hearing things.
“Of course, I’ll always be here with you.”
3 - first watch
“Imogen and I can take the first watch tonight if nobody else wants it,” Laudna volunteered, and the rest of the party was perfectly fine with that. The rest of the day went on without issue, nothing truly worthy of note happened as the day came to a close and everyone preferred it that way. It had been a while since their last truly peaceful day.
The time for sleep came quickly and as everyone said goodnight to one another, Imogen and Laudna prepared for their watch. There were a couple of strategically placed logs around the perimeter of their camp that they could use to sit on, but they were far enough away from the fire that they knew they would get cold as soon as the sun was fully gone.
“It’s freezing tonight,” Imogen muttered, with her arms wrapped tightly around herself. “I don’t know how some of y’all can so much as tolerate it, let alone go a whole watch without freezing to death.”
“I suppose it’s easier to not feel the cold so much when you’re already dead,” Laudna joked. When her joke landed flat with Imogen, Laudna sighed apologetically. “I’m sorry Imogen, I should have assumed that it would get colder at night this late into the year. I don’t think we’ll stay here another night, but if we do then I’ll ask Ashton if they can pull the logs closer to the fire so that we don’t have to freeze.”
“That would be great, thanks Laudna.”
A comfortable silence fell, neither one of them feeling the urge to fill the silence with any kind of speech. There was just the sounds of crickets and other bugs and animals that awoke during the night filling the silence.
When it had gotten particularly late and particularly cold, that was when Imogen broke the silence.
“Hey Laudna?” She tried to keep her voice at the perfect volume, loud enough that Laudna would hear her but quiet enough that it wouldn’t wake the rest of her friends.
“Yes, Imogen? Are you alright?”
There was a drawn out pause as Imogen thought about her question. She sucked in a sharp breath before speaking again.
“Would it be alright if I came over closer to where you are? Y’know, for warmth?” Laudna smiled fondly at Imogen’s question and shifted on her log to make room for Imogen.
“Of course, there’s plenty of room here for you,” she said, and watched Imogen as she made her way over to the other log, careful as to not step on any twigs that would snap and echo in the woods.
“Thank you.” Imogen sat down next to Laudna and rested her head on her shoulder. Despite having very little body head of her own, being close to Laudna like this always made Imogen feel warm and comfortable. She felt safe in this quite honestly terrifying forest, so long as she was next to Laudna.
Laudna wrapped an arm around Imogen and rested her head on top of Imogen’s head. “Are you comfortable?” Laudna checked to make sure everything was alright with Imogen, who just laughed warmly and nodded.
“Everything’s great, Laudna, thank you.” And she meant every word. Sitting here with Laudna in the peaceful night, knowing their friends were safely sleeping around them, it was the most at peace Imogen had felt in a while.
“How well do you know the constellations?” Laudna asked after knowing that Imogen was comfortable.
“I hardly know the first thing about them, why? Do you know the constellations at all?” Imogen adjusted her head to look up at Laudna, expecting Laudna to be looking at her. Instead, Laudna just stared straight up at the expansive night sky.
“Oh I don’t know any of them either,” she explained. “But it’s fun to look up at the stars sometimes and make up your own constellations. It passes the time, at least.” When Imogen said nothing in response, Laudna continued. “If you look over by that tree with the bird’s nest, there’s a grouping of stars that looks like a horse if you squint.”
At this, Imogen adjusted her neck to see where Laudna was pointing. She squinted, just as instructed, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t see a horse.
“Laudna, I can’t see it,” she laughed, and Laudna continued to gesture at the stars as though that would help anything. Looking to the left of where Laudna wanted to look and squinting significantly less, Imogen got Laudna’s attention. “If you look over there, you can kind of see a snake!”
“That’s not how this game is played,” Laudna cried between laughs, “any cluster of stars can be a snake if you really want it to be!”
The night carried on with much of the same pattern that Imogen and Laudna had created. They would stare into the stars and pretend to see different shapes and creatures, laughing when one had no idea what the other was talking about, and holding each other close under the guise of keeping warm but truly because they couldn’t stand to be far apart from each other for too long.
When it came time to wake Fearne and Fresh Cut Grass for their watch, the two women were exhausted and yet somehow still felt as though they could stay up the rest of the night with each other.
“We need to do that more often,” Imogen whispered before falling asleep, not entirely sure Laudna would hear her. Much to her surprise, she did.
“We really, really do,” Laudna agreed.
“Sleep well, Laudna,” Imogen finally whispered, letting her eyes close after fighting the weight of sleep for the last few minutes.
Laudna pressed a gentle kiss to Imogen’s forehead. “Sleep well, Imogen.”
4 - woodworking
“Chet, you know plenty about trinkets and gifts and things of that sort, right?”
It wasn’t often that Laudna went to Chetney for help, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
“Are you asking me if I know about trinkets and gifts? I make art! What’s this even about, anyway?” Sounding nothing short of affronted at the idea of his art being compared to trinkets, his face softened when he realized that there had to have been a reason for Laudna coming to him with this sort of question.
“I need you to help me make something for Imogen, I don’t need you to make it but I would greatly appreciate your guidance.” Laudna’s fingers wrapped around the ribbons along her skirt, twirling them between her fingers nervously.
“This is for Imogen, isn’t it?” If there was any part of Chetney that was still offended at Laudna’s initial question, it didn’t show in the slightest. Laudna smiled to herself at the name of her girlfriend, her best friend.
“It is, I saw the box that you made for Orym and I wanted to make something similar. Maybe something that also has moon imagery, or maybe sun and moon imagery? I also want to try and put flowers on it, I talked to Fearne about what flowers she thinks Imogen would like, and-“
“Laudna, slow down! This is doable, I’ll help you, but you’ve gotta slow down.” Chetney smiled fondly at her, recognizing the excitement of young love gleaming in her eyes.
Laudna sighed with relief, her hands dropping the ribbon from her skirt. “Thank you, Chet. I really appreciate this, and I know Imogen will too.”
“Of course. You two are the sweetest girls I know, and you deserve to be able to do something nice for her.”
It wasn’t until the next day that Laudna brought Chetney to a room in an inn that she was renting as a place to work. The room was impressively stocked, considering that no one had seen Laudna purchase any of these materials or bring them in. There was a plethora of wood, all different types and all different sizes; there were many different tools for carving and sanding and cutting, half of which Laudna only had a semblance of an idea of how to use. Chetney tried his best to be patient with Laudna as he explained how each tool worked and the differences between the kinds of wood that she had brought in, but Chetney was never known to be a patient man.
The time it took to learn how to work with wood and to create a gift was well worth it in the end, Chetney was convinced that Laudna was half a second away from tears when she saw the finished project. The cherry wood felt light in her hands, somehow looking delicate and fragile but actually feeling quite sturdy, the light in the room making the wood appear even more red. She ran her hands delicately over the intricate carvings on the lid, her fingers tracing the flowers and sun carvings. Chetney watched Laudna look over her hard work in awe. While the gnome has been there to supervise Laudna, to ensure that she didn’t hurt herself with the tools or make a mistake on a step of the project, this box was entirely her own to give to Imogen.
“Chetney, this is beautiful. Thank you so much!” Laudna’s smile lit up the room, and Chetney couldn’t deny that it was great to know his friend was so happy and that he had helped with that.
“You did this yourself, Laudna. I was just here to help,” Chetney explained. It was important to him that Laudna knew she did all of this. “Imogen is absolutely going to love this.”
“I really do hope so.”
Laudna, for as much as she enjoyed sharing important things with her friends, tended to be a private person from time to time. It wasn’t until everyone else had gone to bed and Imogen and Laudna were left alone in their shared room that Laudna felt ready to show Imogen her gift. She sat on the edge of their bed as Imogen went about her evening routine, trying to build up the courage to give her the jewellery box.
“Imogen, could you come here for a moment please?”
Imogen, who was on the other side of their room and dressing into something more comfortable for the evening, perked up with curiosity.
“Everything alright, Laudna?” Imogen sat next to Laudna on the bed, eyes washing over her girlfriend to make sure that nothing was wrong. Though the room was dimly lit, Imogen could still see the bed sheets wrapped around Laudna’s nervous hands.
“Oh yes, everything’s alright!” With a deep, shaky breath, Laudna pulled out the wooden box from just behind her back. “I made this for you, not for any special occasion but just because I feel as though you deserve something nice.”
Imogen gasped as Laudna placed the box in her hands, and Imogen ran her hands over the carvings just as gently as Laudna had when she first saw the completed project.
“The flowers are violets, I believe they mean faithfulness and love. The sun imagery is because I wanted to add the moons, but that felt too on the nose for you. It’s also because you’re as bright as the sun, if not brighter,” laughing awkwardly through her explanations of the carvings, Laudna didn’t look Imogen in the eyes and only focused on her hands as they traced each flower.
“Oh Laudna, this is wonderful,” Imogen’s voice was no louder than a whisper. Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes, and she wiped them away before they could fall. “You said you made this? This is incredible, I love it, thank you.”
The weight of nerves and anxiety that had plagued Laudna for days since she had the idea for this gift seemed to all fade away within an instant. The box wasn’t perfect, there were corners that were a little too sharp or spots not sanded down perfectly, but Imogen loved it and that was all that Laudna cared about in this moment.
“I’m so glad you like it.” Laudna could feel her own tears begin to form, but she didn’t wipe them away as Imogen had.
“I never said I liked it, I said I loved it. You’re really the best, Laudna.” Pressing a kiss to the top of Laudna’s forehead, Imogen went back to tracing the elegant designs on the box silently.
All at once, all of the hard work that Laudna had done in order to make this project happen felt more than worth it. If she could make Imogen smile the way that she had upon receiving the gift, it would always be more than worth it.
5 - flowers
“Orym, I need your help.”
Orym looked up from his sword that he was polishing to see a particularly nervous looking Imogen.
“Yeah of course, what’s up? Are you alright?”
Imogen’s next words were not spoken aloud, but said into Orym’s mind.
“You know a lot about flowers, right? I want to get some for Laudna but I want to make sure I get the right ones.” There was a pause as Imogen watched Orym think carefully. He placed his sword on his lap and stared at his reflection in the blade as he thought.
“Is this for a birthday or anniversary, something like that?” He cocked his head slightly as he looked up at Imogen. “ You don’t have to tell me, it would just help if I knew it was for a specific occasion.”
Imogen chuckled softly, and Orym was quick to notice a dusting of pink spreading across her cheeks.
“No, nothing quite like that,” she said, once again in Orym’s mind. “I just wanted to do something nice for her, she deserves something nice.”
Orym nodded slowly, and Imogen could tell from the expression on his face that he was lost deep in his thoughts. She did her best to be patient and not poke into his mind as he thought.
“Well almost anything yellow is great for friendship, particularly yellow roses or sunflowers. Unless that’s not what you’re going for?” Orym didn’t need to wait for Imogen to say anything to know that she was likely going for something else, but out of decency he waited for a response.
“Not exactly that, no,” she admitted, and she looked more bashful than Orym had ever seen her.
“Got it. So you probably want something more like tulips or roses, which seem like the obvious choice but they get the message across. I have a personal preference for forget-me-nots-“
“I know,” Imogen interrupted playfully, meeting Orym’s gaze with a slightly mischievous look but with no malice behind it.
“Hey now,” he warned, equally playful, “but I do think that the best flowers for you to give her would be red roses, violets, tulips, lilacs, and either blue forget-me-nots or white baby’s breath to break up all of the red and purple.”
Imogen sighed with relief, and smiled gratefully at Orym.
“You’re amazing, Orym. I really do appreciate your help.” She spoke aloud once again, and Orym looked almost startled to not hear her directly in his mind after having grown so used to it.
“It’s no problem, I’ve been in the same position before so I’m glad I could help.” His voice was nothing short of genuine, and Imogen was more than grateful for it.
“Of course, and tell Dorian I said hi when he gets back later.” Imogen winked, and a warm blush, not unlike the one Imogen wore earlier in their conversation, dusted Orym’s cheeks and went up to the tips of his ears. He smiled down at the sword still resting in his lap.
“I will. Let me know if you need any more help with getting the flowers or anything like that.”
“I will, thanks Orym.”
It was four days after her conversation with Orym that Imogen was able to give the flowers to Laudna. As soon as the party had made it to a town with a market that sold flowers, Imogen set out in the early hours of the morning to make sure she could find everything that Orym had mentioned. By the time she had a proper bouquet made, composed of red roses, red tulips, lilacs, violets, and forget-me-nots, she knew Laudna would be awake soon and quickly found her way back to the tavern before the market became too crowded.
Laudna was still asleep when Imogen made it back into their room. She looked peaceful and happy, and Imogen was grateful that she got to see moments such as these when it was rare for Laudna to ever be completely still and soft like this. Grabbing a jar of water that she drank from last night, and filling it ever so slightly with more water from her flask, Imogen put the bouquet in a jar next to Laudna and stepped out of the room again to see if any of her friends were awake yet.
At one of the tables in the tavern sat Ashton and Fresh Cut Grass, and Imogen headed straight for them. Though neither of them said anything, it was more than likely that they both noticed Imogen’s shaking hands and her lightly flushed face. Only half an hour had passed before Laudna came to the table where Imogen, F.C.G, and Ashton were having a conversation. She held the jar of flowers close to her chest and sat down at the table with everyone else, in a chair to the right of Imogen.
“Good morning, everyone!” Though Laudna was always joyful and happy to see her friends, it wasn’t hard for anyone to notice how much brighter her tone was on this morning in particular. Ashton groaned at her chipperness.
“Smiley day, Laudna! Those are nice flowers there, who are they for?”
Before Laudna could answer F.C.G’s question, Ashton caught Imogen’s eye and raised their eyebrows at her curiously. Imogen gave them a subtle shrug and she turned her focus back to Laudna.
“Well F.C.G, unless I’m mistaken I think these might be for me! Imogen, dear, did you happen to leave some flowers in our room by mistake?”
Everyone’s gaze turned to Imogen, and she felt the back of her neck grow warm from all of the sudden attention.
“I did leave them in there, yes, but it wasn’t by mistake. I got those for you, Laudna!”
“What’s the occasion?” Ashton asked, leaning back in his chair and eyeing the flowers curiously.
“There doesn’t need to be an occasion, Ashton,” Imogen explained while keeping her eyes on Laudna. “It’s just a nice gesture, just ‘cause I wanted to.” When Imogen said this, Laudna looked as though she was going to burst into tears at any moment, and for a moment Imogen was filled with fear. She was filled with an almost overwhelming anxiety that maybe Laudna didn’t like the flowers in the slightest, maybe she thought the flowers were too much of a grand gesture in front of their friends.
“Imogen, this is so sweet! Thank you so much, I really do love these.” Laudna’s smile was huge, and for as much as Imogen was worried about Laudna possibly not liking these flowers, her smile made it all worth it.
“Of course, Laudna, anything for you.”
+1
It wasn’t supposed to go this way. That’s what everyone said whenever it went exactly this way, however.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as Imogen watched Laudna crumple to the ground. She knew the fight was still ongoing around her, but nothing else in this moment mattered aside from getting to Laudna as quickly as possible. Weaving between and around her party members, Imogen ran. Her focus narrowed in on Laudna. She was completely unaware of everything around her and could only think of Laudna.
Her knees scuffed against the ground as she dropped beside Laudna. Imogen grabbed her wrists, holding Laudna’s hands close to her chest. Laudna’s skin was cold, but in an unfamiliar way that terrified Imogen.
“No, no, no, Laudna you have to wake up! Please, I need you to wake up, I need you!” Her voice shook as she pleaded, the intensity of her pleas only getting stronger. Her sight became blurred with tears. Imogen had been scared before, she was only human, but she had never been scared like this. This was someone she loved, someone who she cared about more than anything, this was Laudna. She refused to lose her, she wouldn’t lose her like this.
“F.C.G! Fearne! We need help!” Fearne was the first to arrive and there was a look of concern on the faun’s face like Imogen had never seen before.
“She’ll be okay, I’ve got her,” Fearne reassured gently, a reassuring hand pressed against Imogen’s back, and it was only now that Imogen realized that she was fully in tears. The fighting around them had stopped and everyone had fallen silent, gathering around the three women to see what was happening, but Imogen had paid little mind to her surroundings as she watched intently as Fearne cast a spell on Laudna.
There were a couple seconds where nothing was happening, and to Imogen those couple of seconds had felt like hours. She held her breath in anticipation and fear, she held Laudna’s hands as though letting go would be the death of them both. Someone placed a hand on Imogen’s shoulder. She didn’t care who it was. She prayed to every god that she didn’t believe in. She would do anything if it meant that Laudna would be okay.
Then there was a breath. Then there was a cough.
“Imogen? What’s going on?”
Imogen sobbed with relief, helping Laudna to sit up and pulling her close to her chest.
“Oh gods, Laudna, I was so scared,” Imogen managed through sobs.
“I’m right here Imogen, I’m okay, what happened?” Laudna still sounded weak, shakier than normal, but she was awake and breathing and that was enough for Imogen in this moment.
“You went down, there was a blast of something and it hit your heart, Fearne got you back up. Oh gods, I was so scared Laudna.”
The silence amongst the party was heavy as Imogen and Laudna held each other, the only sound that anyone heard was the soft sobs from Imogen.
“Never scare me like that again,” Imogen whispered. Her voice was hoarse from her sobbing, and she felt exhausted.
“Of course not, I never wanted to scare you. I love you, Imogen, I would never leave you.”
There wasn’t a single second of hesitation before Imogen whispered again to Laudna. “I love you, too.”
From somewhere behind Laudna and Imogen, they could hear Ashton mutter a soft “gross”, but everyone knew that there was no malice behind it.
“I think it’s sweet,” someone else, Orym, piped up.
“Of fucking course you do,” Ashton said while quietly laughing at Orym’s response.
Ignoring her friends behind her, Imogen continued to hold Laudna tightly. She held tightly no longer out of the fear of losing Laudna, but because being this close to Laudna was comfortable and safe. To Imogen, Laudna felt like home.
“We’ve gotta get out of here,” Chetney said to the group after a long moment of silence. “We got everyone that was initially here, but I don’t want anyone else to show up.”
Finally able to pull herself away from Laudna, Imogen stood up. She held Laudna’s hand, helping her up as well, seeing that she was still weak.
“Chet’s right, I think the sooner we get out of here the better,” Imogen agreed, looking closely at the faces of her friends. Everyone seemed tired and battle-worn, but also relieved knowing that today wouldn’t be the day they would lose one of their own.
“We’ll find an inn for tonight,” Orym decided. “Maybe stay there tomorrow too, depending on how we’re all feeling. Either way, let’s get out of here.”
As everyone began to turn and make their way to a safer location, Imogen and Laudna stalled behind for a moment.
“Are you alright, Imogen?” Laudna sounded nothing short of concerned as she held Imogen’s hand tighter than she had ever held it.
“I’m alright, I promise. Just… shaken up, is all. Are you alright? I mean, you nearly died there!”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Laudna pointed out lightly. From anyone else, this kind of humour would be disturbing. From Laudna, it was endearing and helped Imogen recognize that everything was okay. The danger had passed, everyone had made it out alive, everyone was safe, and she and Laudna were okay.
“You’re right, you’re right,” Imogen laughed, wiping her eyes dry with her free hand. “We should probably catch up with the others.”
The two trailed behind their party, not at such a distance that anyone would need to worry for them, but just far enough that the couple felt as though they had a modicum of privacy. They didn’t need to talk as they walked, they were comfortable enough in the silence that there was no pressure to fill the silence with forced conversation. It was one of the perks of having travelled together and spent plenty of time alone together for so long, not having to worry about awkward silences. The chatter and laughter from the group ahead of them was more than enough to fill any silence, and it was a sound that the two had grown to find comfort in. It wasn’t until they were a few blocks away from their inn that Laudna had broken the comfortable silence.
“Imogen? Darling?” Laudna sounded tired from the day’s events, but other than that she sounded more than alright.
“Yeah, Lauda?” Similar to Laudna, Imogen sounded exhausted, her voice hoarser than usual, but quite alright nonetheless.
“I know the day we just had was… eventful, to say the least. I just wanted to make sure that you are alright and weren’t just saying that so that we wouldn’t worry about you.”
Imogen laughed softly, so softly that Laudna was almost uncertain as to whether or not she actually had heard something, and shook her head. Her arms were wrapped around her stomach, and she kept her eyes downcast as she walked.
“It’s funny that you’re the one asking me if I’m alright, when you’re the one that nearly died today.”
“I didn’t die though, did I? I’m still here, Imogen. I’m just as alive as you are. Perhaps a little bruised and sore now but I am alive.” Laudna stopped walking as she spoke, causing Imogen to stop in place with her. She took Imogen’s hands in her own, and clasped them as tightly as she could manage with her little strength. “We are still here, nothing is going to separate us. Not even death,” Laudna’s intense certainty evoked a laugh from Imogen, who finally looked her in the eyes for the first time since the fight had ended.
“I hope you didn’t just make an enemy of the Raven Queen by sayin’ that,'' Imogen joked weakly. Laudna could only smile fondly at her girlfriend’s terrible joke, holding her hands even tighter. “I’m alright, Laudna, I promise. As long as you’re alright, I’m alright.” This seemed to be more than enough to satisfy Laudna for the time being.
“Good, and as long as you’re alright then I’m also alright.”
“That works for me.” There was a pause as the two began walking again. “Laudna?”
“Yes dear?” There was a light casualness to Laudna’s voice that made Imogen nervous about saying what was on her mind, worrying that it was too much for her to bring up after they had just dealt with so much.
“I love you. I feel I don’t say it enough, but I really do love you,” there was an intensity to Imogen’s voice that Laudna was unfamiliar with as she spoke. When Laudna looked over at the woman walking beside her, her eyes were filled with intensity as well as sincerity.
“Imogen, please never worry about if you say it enough or not. I know it will always be true, even if it goes unspoken. I love you, too, though I think that much is obvious.”
“It is obvious, it’s obvious in everything you do.” Imogen thought back fondly on everything that Laudna had done for her. She thought back on the many nights where Laudna would stay awake with her when she had nightmares, the few times they would walk together to see the sunrise in different cities or towns, the times where Laudna would try her best to keep Imogen warm during the cold nights when they would be on watch. Everything that Laudna did for Imogen was an unspoken “I love you”, and she didn’t need to hear it to know that it was true. Content with the knowledge that both she and Laudna were both okay and that nothing would come between them, not even death itself, Imogen smiled to herself. “We should go catch up with the others now, we said we would and yet here we are.” Still holding Laudna’s hand, she pulled her in the direction of their friends, the sound of Laudna’s light laugh never far from her ears.