Skyrun

Chapter 40; Faded love.

Liam did not remember how he ended up in bed the following morning, his head fuzzy from telling stories the night before, his wounds aching blandly as he shifted on the straw mattress.

For a brief moment, he wondered if he had simply fallen asleep outside and Margaery had carried him in-- after all, it seemed like something she would do-- yet after some pondering he realized that he very well didn't much care how he had gotten to his room. The real point was the fact that he had spoken with a pretty girl for the majority of the night.

My, wouldn't his brother have been proud.

Rising from his bed, he found that he was dressed-- another remnant from the night before-- and after washing his face, he pulled on his boots and exited his room in search of the captain.

In truth, while he was hesitant to leave the inn, he could already feel himself longing for the skies once more in search of whatever treasure lay hidden at the end of the map he had found not so long ago. 

It was in his blood, he supposed-- the desire for adventure. The yearning for the worlds beyond worlds. The thrill of it all, and the sense that he would surely die of boredom should he stay in one place for too long, pretty girl or not.

Nevertheless, he decided to ask Valentine how long they planned to stay so as to make the most of whatever time he had left with Margaery. 

Thus, passing down several doorways from his own, he eventually came to Valentine's own room and, not bothering to knock, burst into the room.

He regretted it a moment later when the captain's voice roared, "Blimey, Liam! Get out!" but not before his eyes caught sight of a flash of bare, pale shoulders, loose auburn curls in a wild mess, and the shirtless form of Coin sprawled out on Valentine's bed.

By the gods, he should have knocked.

Slamming the door behind him, Liam felt his face flush a deep red and he resisted the urge to bang his head against a nearby wall. For though the entire ordeal had embarrassed him, he felt something far worse writh deep inside him; jealousy, perhaps. But of what? Of Coin?

Gods, he hoped not. That would be the final straw.

Thus, he shoved such an emotion aside and attempting to ignore the slight sting it brought to his heart, choosing to remain standing in the hall before he could do the sensible thing of, say, throwing himself out the nearest window in shame and embarrassment, the captain's door swung open and Valentine herself stepped out, her fingers buttoning what looked to be Coin's shirt, her brows cocked in a sort of amused look.

"Enjoy the show, did you?"

Avoiding her gaze, Liam felt the sting worsen to a steady, painful throb deep inside his heart and he muttered, "Don't."

"Oh, come now. I was only joking--"

"No!"

His outburst surprised them both and it was a moment before the captain responded, her voice low and serious in a way he did not hear from her often. "Blimey, Li, what on earth is the matter with you?"

It was perhaps this phrase that triggered his next outburst, his tone harder than he would have liked, though he dared not yell. Not at her.

"It's just that..." he began, his fist clenching at his sides, "Coin? Really?"

"Why not? He's rather handsome when he's all bloodied up after a fight." a bit of her jovial humor came back then-- vanishing just as quickly when Liam scowled at her. Then, sighing, she leaned back against the door, continuing on. "Look here, I understand why you might not like this. But in truth, Liam, you've got no right to tell me how to live. By the gods, many have tried; just look at my twit of an uncle-- he lost a hand for it."

"But Coin, he's--"

"What? A thief? A liar? An awful person who deserves to rot in a dungeon?" her lips quirked into a grin, "Well so am I. He's a terrible bloke, but then again we all are, really. Trust me when I say he's not taking away any of my innocence."

His face still burning with shame, Liam kept his gaze fixated firmly to the floor, his chest burning with emotions he couldn't describe, emotions he did not wish to feel.

Perhaps then, in spite of meeting Margaery, he still had feelings for Valentine-- and why shouldn't he? After all, they had been through more together, they had risked their lives together. She had given him his first scar.

She was, in essence, the first girl he had ever truly loved and while Margaery was sweet, he did not even know her. Not like he knew Valentine.

Yet in his heart he knew she was right, and as his mind flashed back to the night she had rejected him, he reminded himself that he could not change the way she felt about him, that she did not search for the same affection he did. It was not right of him to persist, yet it did not make him not want her any less.

Eventually, however, he muttered almost half-heartedly, "Coin wouldn't have treated you right."

Valentine laughed, "And you would have, is that it?"

"Better than he would!"

"I don't doubt that, and yet you would have let it go on-- and that's exactly why I told you no." she gave him a tiny smile then, her slender shoulders shrugging ever so slightly, "I'm simply not searching for something such as that. Something that lasts for years. But another girl might be, and one day you'll give it to her, Li. I'm certain of it."

Pausing, Liam shifted his gaze to meet her own and, before he could stop himself, asked softly, "Then what are you searching for, captain?"

For a moment, neither of them spoke and it seemed to him that Valentine's smile grew all the wider, a subtle glint coming to her eyes as her lips curled upward in a grin. Finally, however, she shrugged and turned back to her door, twisting the knob and walking inside, calling over her shoulder, "Adventure, Liam. I think that's all I've ever wanted, truly."

Then she shut the door behind her and he was left alone once more.

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