The Way We Fall

Chapter 131 (Tigris)

Tigris dangled upside down off the edge of her bed, flipping a dagger in front of her face in boredom. Roche huffed at her loudly, throwing a fresh set of linens into a chest at the foot of the bed.

"You're going to stab yourself in the eye!" she said snappishly. Tigris rolled her eyes.

"Have you forgotten that I'm a trained warrior?"

"I bet I look like a trained warrior when I'm upside down as well!" Roche countered. Tigris flipped over with a wave of amusement bringing a smirk to her face.

"No, you still look like a twig upside down."

Roche scowled. From the doorway, a low chuckle sounded. Aodh leaned against the doorframe, watching the scene with a small smile.

"Roche looks like a twig from every perspective," he added, much to Tigris' amusement. She realised, with no small amount of relief, that Aodh looked a bit better than he had in the morning. He'd avoided her and Finn all day, opting to do patrols in the upper town instead like he couldn't bear to be around the castle.

The last wisps of smoke had finally dissipated from the halls. The moment that the fire had ended, the knights were instructed to open every window in the castle to help air away the smokey, charred scent that had clung to every surface. The castle's patrons had walked around coughing for a few hours, but now, only the library was still thick with fog.

Roche stuck her tongue out at Aodh. "At least I don't look like... like..."

Aodh's smirk widened. "Go on," he goaded. Roche's jaw clenched in frustration and Tigris couldn't help but laugh.

"Give her a second, she'll get there."

Roche's scowl deepened. She huffed in exasperation and stormed towards the doorway.

"I'm going to get a bedroll. When I get back, you both are getting the insult of a lifetime!" she shouted over her shoulder. Aodh jostled her as she passed.

"I'll be waiting," he teased. Roche growled as she stormed away, the frayed ends of her hair swaying behind her. The two royals watched her go, their mirth fading with the maid's departure.

Aodh cleared his throat, the silence suddenly stifling. "It's nice that you're allowing her into your chambers for the night," he admitted quietly.

"Well, I couldn't let her sleep in that smoke-filled closet. Even Verita isn't sleeping there." she mumbled rubbing her neck.

"Still," Aodh replied with a shrug, "It was nice. I was thinking we could have a sleepover with Finn again, like we used to. Just to help him out tonight."

Tigris frowned. "Have you seen him at all today? He seems like he wants to be alone."

Aodh crossed his arms. "He's been holed up in his room all day. Kai said that he's been resting."

"Then we probably shouldn't bother him."

"Too late."

Tigris and Aodh spun around to the doorway, finding Finn leaning against the doorframe. He still looked terrible, but not as bad as he had in the morning. The ring of raw skin around his wrists and neck had been neatly bandaged, and Kai must have forced him to sleep because the shadows under his eyes looked less heavy. His hair was still limp against his head, and the whites of his eyes were still blood red, but all things considered, Finn actually looked alright.

"What are you doing here? You should be resting!" Tigris snapped as Aodh leapt up to guide Finn to a chair. Finn waved him off, his lips twitching like they wanted to smile.

"Leinos said it's better if I walk around and get my blood flowing," he replied smoothly. It wasn't lost on Tigris that his hand gravitated to his bandaged wrists.