Hey Stephen / Larys Strong (3)

17. Ugly and Priceless

They were all smiles until they saw the door ajar when they got home.

"Get Larys." Stephen instructed hiding behind his mother. 

"Hello?" Willa called out pushing open their door she saw the furniture turned and drawers torn open, their clothes and belongings scattered across the floors. 

"Mama get Larys he will know what to do." Stephen begged, Willa turned them around quickly as the sun descending onto the horizon. She knocked on Larys door but there was no answer. 

"Larys?" Willa called out. 

"You think he is still at the castle?" Stephen questioned hesitantly. 

"I dont know, we should get home, start cleaning up-"

"We can't sleep there. What if the monster is there." Stephen corrected. 

"Well we can't just stay outside larys door all night either." Willa countered. "He works late, he might not even be home until the early hours of the morning."

"But if he knew-"

"But he doesnt." Willa countered. "We will be fine, its okay, they wont come back."

"Willa! Stephen!" Larys declared, Stephen ran to him. "I was so worried when I saw the state of your home."

"We werent there when..." Willa whispered. 

"Break ins." Larys declared   "I heard they are hitting homes all over kings landing."

"I suppose thats better than being a single target." Willa offered. 

"I'm going to track them down. What did they take?" 

"I dont know larys." Willa countered. "I havent taken an inventory."

"When i find them I will get everything back." Larys assured. "They violated your personal space. They will pay the price for it." 

"I'm just glad Stephen wasnt home, if he stayed home alone... like he used to..." She shook her head at the thought. 

"But he wasnt. He was with me this morning." Larys corrected.  Willa moved about her room as Stephen slept fitfully on her bed. She noticied her little dresser was bare. She had three pieces of jewelry. Two of which she always wore, a simple necklace and a ring on her pointer finger that had an arrow engraved in the fine metal. The third was her mothers pendant, she didnt care to wear such a thing, it was bulky and all the wrong colors but it was the only thing she had of her mother. 

"What is it?" Larys questioned. 

"My mothers pendant. They took it."

"I will get it back." larys declared. "I promise." He helped her clean up and made her triple lock the door after her left, he promised to return with a pendant and reassurance that they were safe and sound. 

After the break in at willas home stephen was rattled. Rightfully so. Someone had come into their home and ransacked the place. Stephen refused to leave Willa's side and flinched at every shadow. Larys promised he would catch the men. 

Willa unlocked the door the next morning hoping to see larys walking up the path but instead larys tipped back with a thud before her. He fell and hit the floor at Willa's feet. Larys blinked up at her in a haze for a long moment trying to remember what he was doing. 

 "What the heck are you doing out here?" Pushing up on his hands back to sitting, Larys shook his head to clear the sleep from his eyes.  "I nearly ran you over." Scrubbing his palms over his eyes, he stared up into the face of the woman he knew he was going to spend the rest of his life with. He flopped back against the doorframe and stared at her for a minute. Really taking her in. She's fucking perfect. 

 "Why are you staring at me? Do I have something on my face?" Her arms cross over her body, and she popped a hip out.

 "Beauty." Larys answered. 

"Cheesy." Willa countered helping him to his feet.  "Did you sleep out here?" 

"Yes."

 "Why?"

 "Because I didn't like the idea of you being alone." he answered. 

 "Ugh." Her eyes shut and her head tips back. "That's really romantic." she agreed. "You could have come inside." 

"It was late when I got here and I didnt want to wake you." Larys countered. "I kept an eye out." 

"Until you fell asleep." Willa agreed. 

"I found them."

"You did?"

"I got this." He held out the pendant. 

"As ugly and priceless as I remember." Willa agreed. "Thank you Larys, thank you." She held him tight. "Stephen will be so happy to hear you got the bad guys."