The Wildness Within

Contained 1

Unsurprisingly, Gwyn retreated to his room, closed the door behind him, and then didn't come out again for either exploration or any other reason. Hours later, Ash visited him for a few minutes, and then came out looking a little bereft, Augus marking the expression with some surprise.

'You're upset?' Augus said.

'He was just doing so well, I guess?' Ash said, shrugging, plopping himself down in an armchair and hooking his legs over the armrest. Augus had given up reprimanding him for that decades ago. He went back to his book. A dense tome on different types of waterweed. He had much of it memorised, the pages well-worn, multiple bookmarks resting in the pages, but it was just dry enough to keep his mind occupied when he didn't want to think about more complicated matters. After a few minutes, he closed it and sighed.

'He is making progress, Ash. It just won't be in a straight line. This sort of recovery is never linear. It's back and forth. That he's even had a recognisable 'forth' at this point is something to acknowledge, recognise.'

'I know that,' Ash said. 'I just...it's sad. It makes me fucking sad. He's in there hiding behind the bed, acting like I'm going to- I don't even know what. He won't even look at me now.'

'He just needs time,' Augus said. 'Give him some time to rest mentally, Ash. He's going to be going through a lot in two days, at any rate.'

'Does he have to?' Ash said, plaintive, and Augus squinted down at his book before crossing one leg over the other and folding his arms.

'Ash, he's not a stray dog you've picked up. He's a Court status fae, entangled in politics you and I know very little about. He may not even be permitted to stay with us.'

'This is the best place for him,' Ash said, incredulous, and Augus raised his eyebrows. It hurt him to say any of this, but perhaps it was a cold hard truth both of them needed to hear.

'We don't actually know that,' Augus said. 'We don't know anything about what might be best for him. And-'

'We care about him,' Ash said, and then his lips tightened. Augus recognised that mutinous expression well. 'We care about him more than as just some political bargaining chip or tool. If the Unseelie palace take him in, you know what'll happen? I do. I reckon I do, anyway. The Raven Prince doesn't care about anyone's boundaries if they're in the way of him getting what he wants. He made you Court and you've never wanted the Court status. He doesn't care about any of us, beyond power and ambition and all that other shit. Gwyn needs people who will care for him. Like, for his sake. I can do that. You can do that.'

'Can I?' Augus said. 'A week or two, perhaps. Two months, maybe. Do you really think I want to have some damaged creature roaming around my house, putting my clients in danger, for years? That's not an outcome-'

'You can try and hide it, Augus, but I know you care about him,' Ash said, smiling, the expression weary. 'Besides. He's here now, isn't he? Can't rewind time. Can't undo what's already been done. You took him home. You did that. You got the Mage. You paid for new wards. You went to the Raven Prince. You're doing an awful lot for someone who you don't want around for more than a few weeks.'

'Ah, yes, and what was I supposed to do? Keep a secret large enough that the Raven Prince could potentially kill me for it, were it to be discovered? Let alone Efnisien, or the other members of that deranged estate?'

'You could've left him there,' Ash said simply, spreading his fingers. 'Someone like me, sure, I wouldn't leave him there. But someone like you? Mister Unseelie waterhorse who lives up to that way more than I do? It wasn't any of your business. You could've just left him. Maybe think about that.'