[ P ] i heard it through the grapevine

It was... time.

Days had passed, and much had happened in a short time. A promotion, possible betrothal, some new friends. Leoric decided that after all of that, it was time to close the final chapter of his life before now. He would then close it off forever, and start anew.

Like a desert phoenix, he will rise from the ashes and be reborn.

His paws tingled from the cold stone as he stepped down into the dungeons, the musty air familiar yet not something he had missed. Having spent most of his time with a gaggle of new recruits to train rather than waste away his talents by the cells, he had forgotten how cold, damp and dark the place was. His ears twitched as he walked by each cell, knowing that the one on the end was where he needed to go. Surprisingly to him, his name did not echo off of the walls. Had she finally ceased? He'd heard numerous reports from his brethren of a woman in the cells screaming for him. It had gotten so bad that some had considered restraining her.

Maybe a threat was given? He could only wonder.

As Cain stepped up to the cell and peered through the bars, he unconsciously held his breath. Dark eyes found her form, but it took a few moments before they rose to meet her face. She appeared... haggard, but alive. But of course she would be, it wasn't like the army was intending to kill any of the protestors, or starve them.

There was one rumour he was most concerned about, and his gaze dropped from her face to her stomach. Silence hung bitterly in the air, as thoughts swirled within the mans mind. He pursed his lips quietly.

So, it was true then. He could see the supple roundness of her abdomen even from his distance.

He said nothing, simply stared with a cold, unreadable expression at the woman he had once thought he loved.

She had long since given up trying to get the guards to bring Leo to her; she'd resigned herself to her fate and now all that was left to do was wait...

The days and nights all blended together down here in the dark dungeon but one thing was for certain: she was pregnant. As her belly rounded out and the realization settled in that this was for real, she began to panic. Was she going to give birth in a jail cell? What would happen after that? Nora paced her cell tirelessly, her mind stuck in a loop of unforgiving scenarios, none of which would prepare her for what truly might happen.

As she paused to draw a breath she heard the paw steps of someone approaching her cell. Nora lifted her head, not knowing who to expect but when he finally came into view she was shocked into silence. After all her screaming, her begging, her crying... he was finally here. "What took you so long?!" she breathed as she slammed her small body into the bars of the cage, her muzzle peeking out between the metal as her wide ocean eyes stared up at him.

There was hope in her own gaze but when she looked into his she saw a bitterness there she'd never expected to see.

"Leo... Leo I'm pregnant. You've got to get me out of here, I can't give birth to our children in this cell. Please..." she cried, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. They stung but she ignored them as best she could. There had to be a way he could get her out of here but it had taken him so long to come see her in the first place that she had begun to doubt she'd ever see him again after the protests. They had loved one another once and she still loved but that look in his eyes told her that maybe... maybe he no longer felt the same.

TW: insinuating rly mean things like domestic violence, keeping her alive just to give birth, etc

It was bizarre, seeing her nearly frenzied at the realization that yes, indeed he was there. He was no apparition, no ghost that haunted the jails - not anymore, at least. Nora quickly slammed her body into the bars, demanding the reasoning behind why he took so long. Instantly, fury boiled over and flooded his limbs at the sight of her abusing her body. His children were inside of her, right this moment.

"Watch yourself," he snarled under his breath; a warning to both the words and the actions she had given. In the corner of his vision, he saw a fellow guard glance their way, then quickly walk off. Fury burned behind his dark eyes as he stared at her, stared at this... stranger. All he cared about now was what was inside of her, all she was was an incubator until he no longer needed one. That was it, that was all.

"Leo... Leo I'm pregnant. You've got to get me out of here, I can't give birth to our children in this cell. Please..."

Every second spent here was devastating. Our children. His body screamed at him to leave, but he couldn't, not yet. Before he left, he would ensure she was adequately fed, to provide the proper nutrition that a pregnant sow would need to give a healthy birth. Our children. The man would prefer to rip them out of her himself right at this moment, to be done with the traitorous wench and throw her back in the cell to rot, but alas - it wasn't time yet. Our children. He was getting so sick of waiting.

"You can, and you will." his statement was blunt, swung like a hammer with intention to knock her down to the level she deserved. He waited for her reaction, to see the pain flash across her face. He would bathe in it; would bask in the knowledge that he was causing her mental anguish. There would be no help from him, no saving her from the mess she put herself into. Disgust made his lips twitch; his thick incisors bared towards her if she so dared to back talk him again.

Our children. Her voice repeated in his mind; he wanted to scream, to rip his fur out, to make her hurt the way she had hurt him.

By the end of this, she would quickly come to understand that they weren't ours. They were simply his, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. That love was long dead.

He stared at her again, in silence, saying nothing but so many words were written plainly on his face. It was as if he was daring her to challenge him.

"Watch yourself," he commanded, without even so much as a 'hello' or 'how have you been'. Nora's heart began to sink as she continued watched his face, taking in the disgusted and hateful look that now replaced the love she'd once seen there. How... how had this even happened? It was just a protest, it wasn't the end of the world and their differences-- they seemed so miniscule in the grand scheme of things. Nora just wanted to figure out a way to move past them but Leoric? Well, if his behavior and lack of coming to see her were any indication of how things were to be from now on there was nothing to move past any longer...

His cold words fell down upon her and she felt tears begin to sting her eyes as she clung to the bars of her cage. "Leo..." she said, aghast by the idea that he would even consider her giving birth behind bars to their children.

"Please, talk to me... tell me what's wrong? It was... it was just a protest. What happened to us? We're stronger than this." she pleaded with him, her heart aching in her chest as she gazed up at him with wide ocean blue eyes. There had to be something she could do or say to snap him out of this. They were meant for one another, they loved one another... this was just a blip in their story, that was all. She had to get him to see that. "I need you... we need you, Leo..." she sobbed, the gut-wrenching feeling in the pit of her stomach would not leave her as she felt like her cries were falling on deaf ears.

Her reactions made him realize that she had genuinely thought that their relationship would be okay. As if her protesting against the Crown and King Adamh was something he could look passed. Maybe there were some men out there who did not take politics and vows as seriously as him, but she ought to know him enough that his family bloodlines ran deep in the soil of the Crownland.

No love, no woman would ever be enough to sway him on his loyalty to the King. He could look passed her being a Highlander... but not supporting a traitor. And quite frankly, her antics have ruined the chances of any other Highlander being anything more than an enemy to him - they were all traitors and would answer for their crimes.

"Please, talk to me... tell me what's wrong? It was... it was just a protest. What happened to us? We're stronger than this."

His dark eyes darted to her face, his heart empty and cold against her sniffling whine. Nothing stirred where he had once felt love; it was all a black, dead mess.

"I have nothing to say to a traitor, and that is all you are." Just a protest? Was she not aware of the violence they had caused, of the death they had forced? Of the treason that had occurred within the Armys own ranks? Disbelief shimmered within his eyes for a brief second before being replaced once more by disgust and anger. Lips peeling over his teeth again, he nearly spat. "A lie by omission is still a lie - you knew I was a cadet when we were younger. You knew. All you need is a hole in the ground." he snorted, twisting his body as if he were about the punch the stone wall. Anger began to well within his blood once again; his self control depleting by the second.

He looked at her then, watching as she sniveled and sobbed, wishing for everything to go back to how they were. In truth, he wished that as well... but she had made her bed, it was time to lie in it. His muscles were rigid with stress.

"I will ensure you are fed well, and left alone. When you birth my children, I will be back." the giant man grumbled, giving her one last, long look before turning and disappearing back down the corridor, not giving a care should she call after him again.

-- exit leo via being a big meanie --

"I have nothing to say to a traitor, and that is all you are." His words cut her like a knife and she just simply stared at him, jaw agape as he called her a simple traitor as if nothing had ever transpired between them before all this had happened... as if she weren't carrying his children right now. "A lie by omission is still a lie - you knew I was a cadet when we were younger. You knew. All you need is a hole in the ground." Again, she was struck speechless and she had no words for the amount of cruelty she was enduring. In her chest her heart sank deeper and deeper, retreating to the furthest reaches to try and lick its wounds...

Tears filled her eyes as he told her he would be back only when the children were born and she fully grasped what he intended to do. Why else would he return but to take them from her when she could not fight for the right to have them here?

"Leo, I never lied to you about loving you!" she called out after him as he began to walk away. Whether he heard her or not, she wasn't sure... but she had nothing else to say and nothing else to give. Broken, she crumbled to the floor and began to sob until even the tears wouldn't come.

[ exit nora ]