Reunion [Closed RP]

Ashe had heard too many voices, and too many emotions to miss the one in Tekun's own. Her brows threatened to furrow, but she quickly hid it with another reassuring smile. "Just curiosity." It was strange. She honestly expected a light-hearted conversation. A short exchange between old acquaintances where they would relive the past and share a few laughs, before Ashe would return to her duties and to her King. Though she found she did not mind it so much, everything felt so odd.

Then she felt herself wonder at his offer. "I don't--" Ashe halted herself with a sharp intake of breath, the first sign of discomfort shown all day. She blinked, twice in quick succession before shaking her head. It had been so quick; as if someone had grabbed a hold of her tongue and stopped her throat. The words failed to tumble from her lips, and so she tried something different. This time, a little more slowly. "It is your choice. I am sure you have other business to attend to." It was not her place to say otherwise.

Her disposition seemed to brighten slightly, a mixture of curiosity and something unexplainable. "I am offering. Whether you take it is up to you." Ashe said, dragging her eyes back to Tekun's face. Frosty blue eyes held the unattainable, her smile betraying her inquiry. "Take it before the opportunity passes." Whilst her words were meant as playful ribbing, she wondered if her mind was trying to tell her something. Something she wished to deny, and once more her fingers began to rub her ring.

Ashe felt like she shouldn't have been so satisfied with his answer, but she was. It unnerved her, and she felt at least partially glad that it did. "Stumbled?" The question caught her off guard, and she found herself repeating Tekun's words, with her own lilt if inquiry in it. She paused, tapping her fingers against the wooden table, as if contemplating - honestly contemplating her answer. But as quick as honesty came, so it went with courage. Ashe nodded her head slowly, offering a smile as if it would throw him off her scent. "Not everything, but yes, many things are alright." She owed it to Tekun to at least be partially truthful.

Too late, she realized. She saw his gaze catch onto the glint of her ring, and she felt herself blanch. But it was not in her nature to cower away so physically. Ashe's eyes hardened, only briefly; like the flicker of a candle in a storm before it went out, her heavy sigh snuffed the flame. She had remembered that Tekun meant nothing from it, the cautious sentence echoing in her head like a broken record. Why?

"Like a warrior and his sword, it is to remind me of my path and my promises." Her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. Ashe did not hide her movements now, consciously rubbing her finger slowly around the smooth surface. It looked new, having never been worn for more than a week collectively. It was not the official symbol of their union, but more so a gift. One she disliked wearing because she felt... different. Bound. Her lips quirked upwards in a smile as soft as her tone. "Does it bother you?"

She tilted her head at his response. It was a line she was very familiar with, having said it so many times before. It was not her place, not her right, not her duty. Still, Tekun was not tied, or at least not that she was aware of. No doubt she would have been told of it, or at least would have heard it in passing. Still, some things do miss her ears (unfortunately enough), and Ashe felt as if she had made a mistake. Something she couldn't quite understand, but the feeling was there and it would not leave anytime soon.

Ashe pinched the bridge of her nose, looking at the shadows that threw themselves across the wall. Looking straight ahead, she could see the fire roaring, and the slightly disturbing stains smudged on the ground. She could hear bits of ice pelt against the window. The sounds and the sights were all familiar to her - she remembered being here, years and years ago. Just before her marriage, she had come here - ironically with the same companion - and they merely talked. That was it.

The Archer laughed. "But honesty is what makes us friends." She opened her eyes, carefully studying the male next to her. She wasn't hiding it this time, and every inch of her piercing blue orbs roamed his expressions and his actions. And for once, she let selfishness slip her tongue. "I think you owe it to me."

Like that, she felt the pressure against her head lift completely. Every blink, every twitch of the eye, every ripple of flesh she saw with keen observation. Even when the contact was broken, and Tekun turned his attention to the doors, still she watched. Her fingers had stilled when she almost saw the lump in his throat as he gulped breath past it. It was then she understood that he would tell her what she didn't want to hear, but what she needed to know. Ashe forced herself to listen, only moving to blink but otherwise remained impassive. She did not force Tekun to look her in the eye; it would take more than courage to say it.

When it was voiced, all she could feel was a slow sense of relief. Surprise, yes. A sense of saudade, but otherwise all that filled her now was a long sigh. As if she had been holding her breath for far too long. Ashe tilted her head towards Tekun, "Then I suppose it is as it is." She wondered now, the irony of it. Hiding for far too long behind words; the wrong ones. She wondered now, the humor of the situation. The bitter humor. She was not so old now, perhaps in her late twenties, and those feelings were always a mystery. Ashe never allowed herself to linger on it. She knew it was not her place.

Her response tumbled quickly, spilling in a messy rush as she closed her eyes with a tired chuckle. "Your loyalty to the country instilled a sense of... pride. That Freljord would be so honored to have a warrior so tireless and self-sacrificing. Though I did not know it at the time, I--" Ashe stopped herself. Again, caught in her throat. She couldn't say it. She had a duty to her country, and to her King. It was something she should have buried, and she did. So why was she so eager to lay it at her feet? A grimace. "-- I respect you, Tekun. For what you've done, and will do."

It was irony now that kept her secrets to herself. She shook her head, almost furiously. "I cannot." Ashe responded, feeling all the more miserable for it. But she had straightened her shoulders, her gaze once more burning fiercely. "I hope you understand," softer now as she reached out and placed a hand on Tekun's shoulder. Hypocrisy was a fickle fiend; she owed it to the male to be honest, but she wasn't allowed to. It was almost heresy, and if anyone were to hear, it would surely affect the work she and Tryndamere had created. Even for a friend, her loyalty foremost was to her country. "As you said, my path was laid before me. Only time can bury it."

Ashe took her hand back to herself, cradling it against her lap. The shadows were surely spies, not sent to harm her physically but to gather information. From whom, she did not know and the Archer would not take the risk. Freljord was her life and her home, and she would give anything - anything - to piece it back together as a nation. "I owe you honesty, but I cannot when it threatens what I love."

Ashe glanced at Tekun, ease etched all over her countenance as she offered the male a comforting look. He had read her, and words unspoken had been said after all. But the Archer found she did not mind it - in fact, she was gladdened that he had caught it straight from the frosty air. She watched as Tekun move his hand, and simply responded, "I wish a lot of things had been different." She did not regret her marriage to Tryndamere - of course not. Ashe liked the man well enough, and he had a good heart and he wanted what was best for Freljord. She could not afford regret in these times.

"Stay if you so desire," the Archer quirked her lips into a smile, "We have already established that it is not my place to tell you otherwise." She inclined her head once more, "If you choose to stay, you may take a room at the Palace. If not, then I wish you the best all the same." From her peripherals, she saw the figures shift, murmuring to one another. No doubt they had not seen what they wished, and were growing reckless. Even a few barbarians, most likely more than a little intoxicated, were eyeing them for a brawl.