(DISCONTINUED) Defying death - A villainesses redemption

Side story - The boy and the beast

(A/N: This side story plays in Quinn's and Antoinette's childhood! You can skip it and still get the full picture of the story, but reading it is recommended)

He had not liked Antoinette at first.

She always glared at him like he was the dirt under her shoes.

But, despite her glares, she held her tongue and greeted him politely each time they ran into each other.

It puzzled Quinn. He knew that high society operated differently than the lower class, but he didn't know how all these mind games worked.

And frankly, he quite disliked them.

But, Antoinette didn't seem dishonest. Sure, she was only being nice to him because she had to, but he could still tell that she didn't like him (she wasn't the best at hiding her contempt).

And he didn't know why, but he appreciated the inherent honesty in her behavior.

It was the third exam year, and Quinn had just been kicked out of the room for cheating off of his neighbors test.

He had been out in the hallway, laying on the floor and staring at the impossibly tall ceilings.

He liked ceilings; looking at the sky for too long made him anxious. It reminded him of having to sleep in the streets, and laying in the groves on the battlefield, when that silk-gloved hand had reached out to him and changed his life.

He didn't know if it was for the better.

But his train of thought was interrupted by the tap of small footsteps approaching before Antoinette showed up in front of him.

"Why are you on the floor?" Quinn couldn't see her, but he just knew that one of her brows was raised in a quizzical expression.

"They kicked me out 'cause I cheated." Quinn yawned, not bothering to cover his mouth.

"That doesn't answer- you know what, never mind. Why'd you cheat?" She kneeled down, finally appearing in his field of vision.

Her raven hair had grown to her chest in those past two years, her body slowly beginning to show that she was becoming a woman.

She was quite pretty. Quinn would have probably taken note of that if he cared much for girls.

He however did not, and so he just shrugged.
"I'm afraid I haven't found a tutor willing to teach peasant scum yet." He yawned. "And as such, I fear I am still very much illiterate."

Antoinette looked down at him, a worried frown on her face. "They're making you take the exam even though you're illiterate?"

Quinn just nodded, yawning as he finally sat up. "What did you expect?"

Antoinette's lips pressed into a tight line, the wrinkle between her brows growing deeper.
"I see. I suppose I must take matters into my own hands."

Quinn raised a brow at her. "What do you mean?"

"I shall be your tutor, Sir Farraday. An uneducated knight is unheard of." She smiled a smile that made Quinn feel uneasy.

He was used to nobles hiding their contempt for him behind forced smiles. But, her smile seemed genuine at that moment.

Quinn blinked. ".... You sure? I'm not exactly the smartest fellow."

Antoinette rolled her eyes. "Don't say that. We're all smart in our own ways."

"That's easy for someone who knows math to say." He pointed an accusatory finger at her.

"Touché." She shrugged, an ironic smile on her face. "But you're still a better swordfighter than me.

Quinn rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

"I'll teach you how to read yet, Sir Farraday." She smiled.

"Good luck with that one."

Quinn Farraday mastered the art of reading and writing three months later.

Antoinette Crawford had attempted to learn sword fighting, got tired of it, and instead picked up knitting, which Quinn gladly joined her in.

And to this day, they hadn't stopped meeting up to knit together.

(Quinn still wears the scarves that Antoinette makes him, treating them as his most prized possessions.)