Bring Him Home (Alex)

[Brynn Reade]

Brynn had never thought she would be one for romance. It just had never been her world until Alex stepped into her life. And now she was beginning to accept such things as given, not only as foreign myths of a world a servant could not have any access to. Tournaments, fighting in someone’s name, knightly courtship and other merrimaking and revelry… that was for the nobles, not the servants working for them. Brynn had grown up in a family with her father rarely present, not able to give his most of the time very exhausted wife much attention. But for her and Alex it had been different from the start. Perhaps because of their comparably “easy” work, they had always found time to sneak away for a romantic walking out through the meadows and woods, or they had been going dancing on so many occasions. So now, when he talked about winning a tournament – no matter of what kind – in her name, Brynn just accepted it. It was something that just seemed to be made for their carefree relationship.

“I would hope so”, she therefore replied loftily and lifted an eyebrow. “If there was any other I would have to use very dire means to get her off your mind. She could simply be lured into the geese stall and there my feathery lovelies would attack her…” she teased, of course not meaning it – or did she? Brynn had never thought to be possessive or brutal in any way, though the sheer thought of losing Alex to someone else made such dark vision suddenly very likeable.
His words stung, deep within. Probably Brynn had never felt so guilty in all her life. Why had she ever started on the subject of honesty, what demon had taken possession over her mind?! Hearing from Alex’ very lips that he would never hide anything from her in his entire life and knowing that he meant every word was almost too much to bear. In this very moment Brynn was tempted like never before to tell him the truth, tell him that there was one big secret she hid even from him. But she could not. It was not a matter of trust, she knew Alex would never betray her, no matter what he thought of her having some sort of magic. However, that point exactly was the main reason holding her back: what ever would Alex think of her? No… perhaps she would tell him one day, but now was clearly not the time.
Squeezing his hand and forcing herself to not avert her gaze, she replied: “I know and I am glad my love. Your honesty is one of the many reasons why I love you.”

Brynn did not like this turn of events at all. The sheer thought of her family staying behind while she ran away made her sick. She would not do that! Alex would be forced to pull her away or carry her! But Alex’ hand in hers made sure he was as determined as she herself. He would not let anything happen to her, even if he had to force her away against her own will. The goosemaiden openend her mouth again to protest, but suddenly shouts could be heard not far away, first distant, then closer. The room seemed to freeze. Where they coming already?
Then, without any warning, running footsteps were heard and the door to Brynn’s chamber burst open, a big man in arms taking up nearly all the space of the door frame. His face was not to be distinguished in the dim light. Both Brynn and her mother seemed frozen in shock, unable to move.


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[OOC: Sorry that took so long *sighs* But finally my muse is back!]

[Alexander]

Alex wondered briefly what he would look like all decked out in armour for a tournament like the knights competed in. Alex had a sudden vision of himself falling over in the heavy metal and resembling a heap of pots from the kitchen. He could almost see the cook then scolding him for not cleaning himself up on time. The overall image was an intersting one. If by interesting one meant absolutely ludacris. However, he would do it in a heartbeat for Brynn. It was nothing to him, and he could compare it to the flowers he brought her or to the valiant efforts he continuously made to get days off from work when he knew Brynn would be off. Doing these things came second nature to him now and if he could make Brynn happy by dragging on heavy plates of metal and then attempting to ward of knights with swords, then by all means point him toward the nearest blacksmith.

Somehow Alex couldn't see Brynn ever hurting anyone, but the thought was nice. If anything Alex knew how viscious the geesecould be to percieved threats to Brynn. He had more then enough ripped sleeves to proove that fact one hundred times over. Of course this also brought up thoughts of what would happen if Alex ever lost Brynn to another. Somehow Alex figured they would want to aquire a taste tester just in case. Alex could be quite clumsy and who knew what herbs might just slip into a dish leaving the kitchen. Then again, even if she left him, Alex could never do anything to hurt Brynn. Perhaps he would just let himself grieve in quiet. Or a vow of silence perhaps?
Every time he heard her repeat that she loved him, all his dark thoughts would vanish. He smiled at her and knew that he trusted her. He could not believe her capable of anything untoward and let his jealousy go without another hesitation.
"There could never be another. And words could not begin to cover everything I love about you. It would be a crime to even attempt to capture those feelings." He replied simply. He could not even be bothered to be embarrassed that her mother was present.

The sounds reached Alex like an ill-timed arrow. He could not feel anythingother then shear panic the first moment and afterward it was replaced by a desperate need to protect Brynn and her mother. Leaping to his feet Alex grabbed the nearest thing that could be construed as a weapon. Sudden thoughts of the similarity between now and the incident with the moving skeleton were flickering past in his mind as he held the candlestick in front of him and stepped between the intruder who entered and Brynn and her mother. His mouth straightened to a line and he narrowed his eyes as he tensed for some kind of attack.

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[OOC: No prob! Good to have you back.]

[Brynn Reade]

Of course there would be no other. Again that was a thing Brynn simply accepted as true. She knew how fortunate she was, how blessed to have someone like Alex at her side, who was so straightforward and true he would never ever stoop to any kind of secret deception. This wonderful man was the true gift of her life, and if she didn’t make any grand mistake to push him from her side – which she never would do willingly – she couldn’t imagine him and her ever seperated. There were many girls her age she knew who were either already given to a marriage without love or had no one they could lean on quite as much as she could lean on Alex to be there. It had been him daring to speak his mind first which had eventually lead to them getting together. He was always so sure of everything, even though some people might call his behaviour lofty and volatile, and si he was a great source of comfort for Brynn, especially in such daring times.

In this moment, when Alex once again confessed his love and also said that no words could possibly describe the intensity and depth of these feelings – quite an achievement from a wordsmith such as him – there was nothing else and no one else for Brynn than him. Once again the world ceased to exist or simply stopped turning, granting her a moment of sheer bliss within all the chaos and fear.
“That, I think, is the most any girl could ever ask for”, she whispered, moving closer until their foreheads almost touched, but she didn’t move in for a kiss, but stayed in this far more intimate position for a while.
Brynn just looked into his eyes and was content to stay like this, sending all her love without any word – until she heard someone shift behind her and realised with a very embarrassed feeling they were not alone in the room.

Meghan was smiling to herself, gladly not giving any comment on the young love she was witnessing. Brynn could only guess what her mother must be feeling right now, seeing her daughter so happy in times of danger, and herself … waiting and fearing for her husband, but trying to stay strong, not showing how she felt inside.
Instantly, Brynn felt guilty and she inched a bit away, smiling uneasily and sighing.
It all happened so quickly, Brynn didn’t even have time for proper thoughts. In a rush, she saw Alex move to his feet, grabbing a candlestick and posing it at the intruder, determined to shield her. Once again the world seemed to stop turning but this time not from bliss but from gut-wrenching panic.
Brynn could hear her mother gasp, unable to move, and so it finally was the man itself that broke the spell.

“Woah… Alexander Michaelis, easy there!” came the muffled, gaspy voice from under the helmet and the man slowly, carefully liften his left, shaking hand and pulled off his helmet. A double cry from surprise by both females in the room pierced the tense silence as the man revealed his face: John Reade, bloody, injured, exhausted and ragged – but alive.

[Alexander]

Alex knew that he was good looking as far as others his age were concerned. He also knew that women looked at him. He was modest not blind. However, until Brynn he had never felt that anyone truly saw him. They saw his charm, his good humour, but they never bothered to find out who he was underneath that. The fact that Brynn could read him so well and seemed to care about his whole being was enough to leave Alex content for the rest of his days. There was no other for him and he could not even spare a glance for a pretty face anymore. All lowered eyelashes of girl's flirting were just reminders of how Brynn's own eyes lowered slightly when she was embarrassed. All fancy hats paled in comparrison to wreaths of flowers loosely based on a head of gold.

Alex listened to her words and did not move his eyes from her. He was settled and didn't feel the need to move away. He did have some concious part of him reminding him that they were not alone, but he was past caring at this point. He did find it adorable that Brynn seemed a bit embarrassed however. He even chuckled slightly and pulled away to give her mother his own sheepish grin. Parents seemed to have the unique ability to make you feel like a guilty child at any given moment. It was a skill that must come with the job description.

At the sound of his name from the intruder, Alex lowered his makeshift weapon slightly. He was almost glad he would not need it. Now that he assessed the situation he felt a bit silly holding a candlestick to challenge a man in full armour. He was pretty sure his limited expierience holding cutlery and household items wouldn't stand against a trained soldier with an extremely sharp sword.

Alex didn't speak but let out an audible sigh when he saw the face of the newcomer. He could recognize Brynn's father even under the dirt and armour. He smiled and let the candlestick drop to the side before stepping out of the way. As much as he was glad to see him, he knew two women who were even happier. He was content to let the family enjoy the reunion and was glad that they could stop worrying. Nothing made Alex happier then knowing that Brynn was happy and much safer.