A Secret Admirer

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Just him and the lady in waiting alone, Bastian had a moment of mixed deja vu. It wasn't quite the same moment, but he thoight maybe the woman reminded him of Leti, just for a second. All that talk about plants and sage and making him eat and drink...

Bastian didn't know how to relax and just breathe. The closest he had come to any of that had been when he was hurt five years ago, stranded in the moutains with a broken leg and a collapsed lung. He had done quite a lot of resting then, because he couldn't breath and he couldn't stand.

If he hadn't jumped into action, Rosemary would likely be the one slightly loopy and in bed right now. It was fitting, he supposed, that he and Cera were related. And just as fitting no one knew.

He didn't know how to interprete Rosemary's nerves but he could almost taste it when Baird left. Her slightly paler hue, the frantic looks, the glisten of sweat. At her words, he stopped moving and set his hands on the side of the bed, interpreting her meaning a bit differently. "I won't hurt you, Rosemary," he said quietly but intently. He'd picked up on that slight waver in her tone.

He had actually been planning to test the waters on her care for him, to see if threatening to stand up might be enough of a soft threat. But she made the suggestion for him. Whatever he asked. He would hold her to that. Only she said it so...fearfully, like he might do more than just talk to her. He felt a little awkward.

"Your...previous lover?" He asked, starting with his guess. Best to work out the who first.

[Rosemary McIntyre]

"I won't hurt you" he assured her. Her legs nearly went out from under her then and there as the weight of the evening slammed back down onto her shoulders. Is that how she sounded?

Rosemary's eyes widened, and her hand flew to her mouth. "No, I--" She cut off and shook her head rapidly. She didn't want him to get up because he was hurt, and it was entirely her fault. It should have been her. Maybe it would have been better if she hadn't stopped Magnus. What if the captain became a target, now that they'd been alone in her bedroom? What if he died because she hadn't? She shook off the thought. That wasn't right. That was Magnus talking.

"I know you wouldn't, I ..." She tried to smile, but it came out wrong. "It's not you I'm afraid of. Talking about this is..."

She didn't know how to explain that just thinking about her time with Magnus was like being back there. Talking to someone, sharing what had happened...would he be like her father who thought she was foolish? Would he want to know the whole story? Would he blame her?

His guess about her 'lover' brought a pained expression to her face, but she nodded. "Lover might be a bit generous. I don't think this can be considered love, whatever it is. But yes, my former fiance."

[Sebastian Arcturis]

She looked about to fall over and he was halfway to swinging his legs over the side of the bed and pushing himself up to support her when a few things happened to stop him. First was his arm. Putting weight on it to haul himself up hurt enough to make him regret the movement. Second, thankfully she didn't fall over. Third, even being half upright had him dizzy. Bastian winced as his arm buckled and he tried to lay back down. Give the tea another minute or two.

Sebastian didn't consider it her fault that a snake bit him. He could have killed it. Should have killed it. But he hadn't. Did that explain why she was so convinced of his chivalry and gallantry and whatever? Well, he supposed mostly it was him having been raised in the castle his entire life and never having done anything of the sort. Still, she seemed jumpy and he felt more bad that she was uncomfortable and a little bad it was his fault.

It was quite possible that the words lover and fiance meant the same thing to Bastian. He had never been in love. Nor did he expect to ever find himself engaged. 'Romance' was something he didn't have experience with. Even familial love and affection were lacking. So the two words were some amalgamation of sexual interest. Rosemary's preference of one term over the other implied 'lover' was more romantic. And while roses and gifts were classically romantic, dead flowers and snakes were not. It was...quite the education in that moment.

"Former fiance," he said, to correct himself. The captain was aware that her former fiance was not sane and was jealous. The entire scenario in the hall screamed as much. He wondered how long it had taken for that to come out; it could not have been a fun realization. Talking about it couldn't be either.

He could ask for the man's name from the staff later, knowing someone woukd remember where he did not. Her confirming the relationship was enough that making her say his name was unnecessary. Bastian nodded. "How long have the flowers and gifts been going on?" He chose the words deliberately, making it sound more pleasant than it was. "I'm concerned for your safety if it continues to escalate, milady." He wasn't worried about his own safety all that much but it went without saying.

[Rosemary McIntyre]

Rosemary almost moved to stop him from rising, but it looked like his injury had done the job for her. She cautiously moved to the end of the bed, not trusting her own legs , and shakily lowered herself to sit. At least then she wouldn't worry about him trying to scoop her up off the floor when she couldn't hold herself together any longer.

She folded her hands in her lap and looked down at them rather than the concern on his face. Somehow she didn't feel she deserved it. "A few months now. I didn't want to trouble anyone else with it. It seemed normal enough, at first. Kind little notes, hardly even romantic. But then they changed...became more intense. He said a few things, little things, that made me realize it was him and I started throwing them away. That was when it got worse." Worse was putting it mildly. He wanted to hurt her. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, realizing that Magnus had been in this very room while she was gone. He'd rifled through her things again. She hadn't kept a diary since he read the last one, almost a year ago. She took a deep breath and continued.

"I thought...I thought since I broke things off, I'd be safe again but..." She glanced over at him with a sorrowful smile. My safety hasn't really existed since the day I met him. He'll never willingly let go of something that belongs to him. It's really only a matter of time."

She knew it sounded crazy, somewhere in the back of her mind, but that was just the way things were with Magnus. If she so much as smiled at another man while they were together, he could turn it into an entire affair. He pulled her farther and farther from her siblings and cousins, managed her whole life. Everything had been Magnus, all the time. He was the world, and she belonged to him. She'd loved it at first, having someone think she was something special. But as he got darker, she was frightened. He'd soothed her, told her he loved her, that the reason he hurt her was because he loved her and she was his. And she would always be his.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Glad she seated herself, Sebastian watched her carefully as she spoke. Even in her stiff horror over the adder pinning her to the wall she hadn't seemed so fragile.

Months ago. Notes were one thing. Items strewn about her room another. Privacy wasn't something any of them living in the castle had exactly, but protection...and the reasonable certainty that their bedroom wouldn't become the playground of some mad, estranged lover...well, that seemed reasonable to him.

Something that belongs to him. The captain blinked. Well whether that meant exactly what he thought it meant or not wasn't his business. Sebastian understood wanting something. He also understood not being able to have something. But instead of acting on his jealously, he found something else to invest in. This man...had gone all in on the belief that one could own another person. He sounded like one of the scary stories about mystics told across the city.

The woods are dark and full of fears that will eat your hopes down to despair.
You'll wander home in the dead of night, entranced by a magical snare.
The shadows creep and stalk your dreams to lead you back to their lair.

He couldn't remember the rest. Something about insanity. It seemed very fitting. He wondered where some of these noble assholes came from sometimes. He didn't even bother to ask how crazy he was. He didn't have a reason not to trust. Amd that wasn't taking the snake into account.

"I apologize," he stated. "For the lack of security. Please trouble me with it in the future." It was his job. A job he could only do if he had information. But also one he liked to do well and felt responsible for failing even without any information. Bastian liked to do a job to it's entirety. Not quite a perfectionist, no, but anything that was worth doing was worth doing right and completely and he usually trusted his ability more than others. Sebastian was aware he wasn't the most comforting or personal or friendly sort. But he liked to think that made him better at his job.

"I take it an escort or blatant guard on your room would only incite more jealous recourse?" He wasn't sure how to handle this exactly, without putting Rosemary in further danger. The royal guards wouldn't be able to do anything to the man unless they caught him in the act (or one of his people but jealously at least made Sebastian confident the guy would do everything himself). He wouldn't mind more snakes, at least.

He thought for a moment. "You think he'll come after me? For...being here?" It was, hilariously, an question empty of the hope he wanted to instill in his voice.

[Rosemary McIntyre]

She shook her head but didn't look up as he apologized. "Not at all. You couldn't do anything about it because I didn't tell you. That was my choice."

It was polite of him, she supposed, but it really wasn't his responsibility. She'd kept it hidden on her own, after all, not wanting to deal with the scrutiny and questions. After before, she knew that her words wouldn't hold up to his in public; they never had. Not even her own father had believed her. One quiet woman, upset that things weren't going to her liking. He'd played it off that he'd gotten tired of her, and that she was jealous of him. Her father had believed it until he saw the marks Magnus had left. She bit her lip. There was no hiding what was happening now, that much was certain. The captain wouldn't forget this.

She couldn't decide if knowing she wasn't alone in this was reassuring or terrifying.

"I take it an escort or blatant guard on your room would only incite more jealous recourse?" She nodded rapidly. Yes, it would get worse. Someone would get hurt, or he'd go after her when she was home--or worse, with Princess Cera! Or he'd find some way to lure her... His madness was met with equal parts of genius.

"You think he'll come after me? For...being here?" Well. That got her to look up.

Her head whipped towards him, horror plain on her face for a moment before she caught herself and looked back down at her lap. The thought had occurred to her, but she'd hoped she was being paranoid. But if he thought so too, and he hardly even knew Magnus... "I hope he'd know it's because of the snake. He had to have expected someone would hear me scream, or at least help me after I'd been bitten. It obviously hasn't gone according to plan but..." She realized what she was saying was useless let that thread go.

In the past, it's always been me he punished," she said more confidently. Her hand strayed to her thigh, absently running her fingers over one of the scars she knew was hidden under her dark dress. "I would hope he'll only...'escalate' his attention on me. But you should be careful. He...he's not just anyone." She looked back up at him and her green eyes searched his face for a moment. "Please, tell me you'll be careful? You should never have gotten hurt in this whole mess. It was only ever supposed to be me. This is my problem."

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Sebastian was thoroughly distracted by the last line in that set of the rhyme. Something about the night? The subconscious, abandoning senses... Maybe a wendigo or something silly. Or more human. Humans were always the scariest. Children feared monsters and men but men...men always feared each other.

It wasn't polite. It was his job. That she still felt so opposed to his help only reinforced that this was a mess. Unlike Rosemary's father, however, he didn't have a family stake. That didn't mean he was any less personally involved. It was his job. "It's my job," he insisted evenly. She needed to understand that. He wasn't about to forget or not do his job. But he did understand discretion. Perhaps too much.

Except with his speech apparently. Incite. Recourse. Sebastian needed to take it back a step. Still...Rosemary would be of a lot more interest to the rest of the guard after this evening. Well, not her directly, but surveillance of her person and her quarters. He'd involve himself personally. It would make him an easier and more obvious target if it came to that. And Baird too he supposed. Everyone else would be ordered to be more alert but stay hands off. It was the being in her room that presented the biggest problem he wished solved. He could alter all the patrol routes again, happen on heavier overlap in this area and on the grounds. "Don't go anywhere alone," was his best verbal explaination. He assumed she would tell him not to bother if he explained anything else.

Sebastian actually smiled at the horror on her face for a split second. Not at her fear. But at the fact the man incited so much fear in her made his hopeful guess a possibility. He dropped the smile when she looked away. "Reasonable. When everything else about his profile suggests to the contrary. Don't make excuses for him. You're-" Sebastian cut himself off, about to say something insensitive about Rosemary still acting like she belonged to him. "You don't need to worry about me. I hope he does escalate things. I'll be watching. I'm not just anyone either," he asserted.

She had a point about the guy going after her. Hence why he might stalk her too. "And your problem is my problem. Lwt me help." Not that he neded her permission to do his job. He barely recognized the note about him getting hurt. It didn't really matter.

[Rosemary McIntyre]

"I'm not just anyone either," he pressed.

"I know you aren't but..." Distressed, Rosemary pressed one hand over her eyes as she tried to figure out how to respond to his eagerness to get involved. It just...It wasn't safe. She wanted to tell him why, make him understand, but to do that she'd have to--her stomach flipped at the memory. She'd have to find some way to tell him without saying that. Magnus had crossed too many lines.

She opened her mouth, closed it, licked her lips, then sighed. She just...she didn't know how to do this. She turned her whole body more towards him and lowered her hand from her face. "This isn't...unusual. Not for Magnus. Once he...Once he was sure of me, when we were engaged, he started to..." She faltered again, shame closing her throat. "He hid it from everyone. He knew how to make sure no one else would notice." She looked at the ceiling and swallowed hard. "He enjoys tormenting me. Hurting me, humiliating me, it's a game to him. But if it's only me..."

She looked at him with pleading in her eyes, wishing she could just get the whole disgusting mess off her chest and be done with it, but there were too many things tied up in it. She'd already been broken and used, a plaything for a madman. Magnus was dangerous in more ways than one. She couldn't reveal Magnus's abilities without revealing herself as well. And if she did that, even to someone who was trying to help, she was as good as dead. The fear on Aoife's face when she had seen...that had been enough to remind her that she needed to be more cautious.

Even so, she'd rather that fate than anyone else be subject to Magnus's temper. At least she was just one girl, one who'd already lost herself to him. An acceptable loss.

"I just...If something happened to you, or to one of the other guards, because of me...I'd never be able to forgive myself. I'm not worth it."

[Sebastian Arcturis]

She couldn't know. Not really. But as far as dealing with extreme people...he did that a lot. He let her figure that out in silence, finally feeling able enough to sit up again. It was difficult to be confident and intimidating laying in a stranger's bed that smelled of dead rose petals.

Safe didn't matter so much to him.

Rosemary said the name and he kept his amusement to himself, not wanting to draw her attention to it. It fit once she said it. As for the rest...Sebastian didn't understand any of it. Started to abuse her? Mentally like this, or physically like the snake? Her body language, tight as it was, suggested physical. "Well...now they noticed. Seems lover boy fucked up," he said a bit sarcastically. He didn't apologize for his language. Sebastian was less worried about himself and more about her.

Her look made him uncomfortable but he wasn't sure why. "You don't need to explain, milady," he said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He was taking it easy, really, waiting a in between movements. "You're under the Royal Guard and my protection now. Don't degrade yourself. He did that enough."

[Rosemary McIntyre]

The swear hardly registered with her, actually. Maybe it should have, but it was the meaning that actually caught her attention most: Magnus had made a mistake. That was something she'd never considered before. He always seemed to be one step ahead of her, inescapable, infallible. But he'd 'fucked up.'

She frowned at the captain as he moved to get up, distress falling away for a moment as she considered arguing with him. But he was still seated, at least. She'd watch and wait for now.

What he said was oddly comforting, despite how much she'd argued. She hadn't wanted to let him put himself in harm's way unnecessarily, or anyone else, for that matter, but...she couldn't deny that it was a relief to be trusted. To have help. She'd been carrying this alone for a long time now. Perhaps he was right to be so confident. Perhaps it really would be alright.

There was just one thing she didn't quite follow: "Don't degrade yourself. He did that enough." She stared at him for a moment in absolute confusion, mentally reviewing what she'd said, before understanding dawned behind her eyes. Oh. She hadn't even heard herself when she'd said it. It was all habit, now. Slowly but surely, she smiled at him, almost becoming another person as she left behind her memories of the past. "Thank you...I'll try to be more positive. I'm not used to having allies, I suppose." She laughed softly.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Sebastian could see she understood the implication. Could see the shock of it slowly giving rise to a small amount of hope.

The problem? If the guy was as smart as Rosemary seemed to think, he would have to know he messed up. If he didn't yet, he would soon. "Does he have any eyes inside the castle?" If he didn't, then they could continue to play his game and catch hin next time he stopped in to throw away live snakes and dead flowers.

The other exciting problem? If he knew he messed up, Bastian was a loose end. The potential targeting made even more sense. He was actually tempted to lie back down and claim he needed to sleep here tonight just for insurance. "What makes him mad? I mean, enraged." Since 'mad' seemed to fit all the time, according to Rosemary.

He noticed when he moved her concern shifted from herself to him. He paused to consider his arm again. It hurt less. He wasn't so dizzy. The nausea was gone. He could very likely walk to his quarters with Baird. Which, knowing Baird, would actually be the infirmary. "How long will this bother me?" Nasty, nearly fatal, he'd already fainted, and that tea had helped but he wasn't sure what else he needed. If she or Baird or anyone else suggested he sleep he might hit something. Obviously he would sleep eventually. He wasn't that crazy.

The captain felt a little reassured by her smile. She seemed to understand, at least. To want to be better. He wasn't a therapist, by any means. He didn't understand a lot of things. What he did understand was how he felt about himself. Other people...not so much. But he had a lot of self confidence and self respect and self appreciation. Rosemary certainly could use more of it.

Allies was an interesting way to put it, but he approved. Bastian nodded in recognition of her thanks. What he was about to say likely wasn't going to help but he did really appreciate her sentiment. "It might be best to keep pretending you don't. He might not come after you so hard. And it might lull his behavior into something more expected. Easier to catch now that we know who and what to look for." Bastian pushed himself to his feet with his right arm but didn't entirely ease off the bed. He took a slow breath.

[Rosemary McIntyre]

The captain peppered her with more questions. She did say she'd answer all of them...


"Does he have any eyes inside the castle?"
Well, that was a frightening concept. She'd just assumed it was only Magnus--he had always been hands-on before, in more ways than one. At any kind of public gathering, she had learned to expect his eyes on her. But to think that there might be someone else watching as well... "I honestly don't know. I hadn't thought." She grimaced. "I suppose he might. I had been more worried about seeing him around every corner. I didn't think to look for anyone else."

"What makes him mad? I mean, enraged."
"Enraged" was different. A step up from the usual, but honestly the way Magnus flickered from kisses to bruises she'd never been sure what would set him off. He kept her off-balance and unsure, always looking to him for approval before she so much as picked out a dress for the day. Still, there were some things that were guaranteed to cause a problem... And it ought to be simple enough. She couldn't say she was happy about it, though, despite thinking it would probably draw another one of those very concerning smiles from the captain.

"Jealousy. If he feels like someone else is encroaching on what belongs to him..." she winced, remembering his grip on her arm. "I don't think I ever gave him a genuine reason to worry, but even the hint of interest from anyone was enough to cause an argument."

"How long will this bother me?"
"Oh. Well, you'll probably be dizzy and off-balance for the next twenty-four hours, if I recall..." she answered slowly, already aware he was probably going to ignore what came next. "You should try to stay off your feet as much as you can while your body gets rid of the venom. The tea will help, but it's not a miracle cure."

As for what he had to say about pretending she didn't have allies...well, that ought to be simple enough. Old habits died hard, after all, and she'd been well trained in believing herself helpless and worthless even before she met Magnus. It didn't bother her the way he worried it might. She just nodded. She was finally starting to trust his expertise in all this, even if she couldn't help being nervous.

He soon shifted his weight and began to stand up, causing her to leap up to stand in front of him. She almost moved to push his shoulders back down so that he would just sit still, but that was a bit too much. He didn't take his weight all the way off the bed, thankfully, but she still didn't appreciate how fast he was taking things. "You shouldn't be up so soon." She told him, trying to be firmer about it so that he might actually listen. She even crossed her arms. "If you don't take good care of yourself now, you'll only draw this out longer. And what good will it do if you pass out again because you pushed yourself too hard?"

[Sebastian Arcturis]

He wasn't too worried about her first answer. Magnus would find out one way or another and Bastian wasn't about to interrogate and harass the staff. Sebastian had his own trusted people he could talk to. From the sound of it, the guy was a classic predator, hunting alone, fixated, territorial... The snake made a little more sense. That, and the captain got the feeling when Rosemary said she didn't like them, she meant she was terrified. For good reason, seeing as she had fallen into yet another snake's trap. Bastian employed quite a few of his own vipers, after all.

Sebastian nodded and smiled faintly. Jealousy. Good. Mastermind or not, Rosemary 'belonged' to Magnus. Imagine what he might do if another man started to touch what he considered his stuff. Rosemary was attractive in a sort of cute mousey kind of way. Pretending to be more familiar with her in public would likely draw attention to the girl. That could be played a few ways. Use her as bait. Or have her make it obvious she didn't want it and see if it drew out something more...protective. Then Basstian could use himself as bait. But that was a gamble.

"So...do you want to cause an argument?" The smile reached his eyes now. "Word will get around. He'll already be upset with my being here. Either we play like we're a thing and we know he will go after you. Or we play like I made it a thing and see if he comes after me. I prefer the later but it's a gamble you know best whether to make."

He already felt dizzy again. And he kept thinking back to Leti. He had put himself and that man through hell. But he didn't like to sit still. He didn't have whatever inhibiting aspect that others did. That level of simple self-preservation that urged people to rest when they felt bad. He'd had that burned out of him. If he was awake, he needed to be doing.

Rosemary planting herself in front of him got more attention than her words about resting had. He wasn't entirely conflict driven, but he was more wired toward physicality. Invading personal space, standing when he was sitting(almost sitting), using body language and tone to demand his attention and order him to obey was more animalistic. And exactly how he was taught to behave when faced with authority. As a lady in waiting to him being a guard(captain or not), Rosemary was authority in most things except her own safety.

Her slightly less confident sentence structure and words of him caring for himself went largely unnoticed in the face of her body language. Bastian sat back down. Unlike Leti, he doubted Rosemary could carry him if he passed out. He gave her an expectant look, one that included a small amount of challenge. What now? was the implied question.

[Rosemary McIntyre]

Oh. That worked. She was much more used to everyone treating her like she was a child despite the fact that she was a grown woman; having him actually listen and sit back down came as a bit of a shock. She actually brightened up for a moment, until he gave her a look that seemed like he was almost daring her to take the lead. Oh, dear.

"Um."

Telling him to lay back down was probably not that simple, was it? And this was her room. She'd been on her way back after dinner to read for a while and go to bed herself before everything went insane. If he was in the bed, what was she going to do with herself? She doubted he'd agree to let her sleep in the little armchair where she usually read in the evenings. She glanced toward her case, wondering if she might be able to convince him to drink some more tea...was that cheating if she sedated him? It would only be a mild sleep aid, of course, but in his current state that would likely be more than enough.

Did she want to cause an argument? No, not particularly, but apparently he did. He had a nice smile, she thought, and she might have enjoyed it a bit more if she didn't also want to scream, just a tiny bit. Not in fear, or in anger, exactly, just to vent some of the anxious energy buzzing through her system. She wound up with a nervous laugh instead.

Goodness, this was too many things to think about at once. Drawing Magnus out on purpose was exactly the opposite of what she usually tried to do, and just thinking about it made her feel sick to her stomach. But still, if it meant putting a stop to this once and for all so that she could live her life...maybe it was worth it. Not only that but if she played her cards right, she might be able to actually get the captain to rest. She frowned at him for a moment as she considered her options. If she let him go now, he was just going to go out there and ignore everything she and Baird had said about him needing to rest.

"Alright...let's...let's say that I'm a willing participant," she began, sounding more confident as she continued.  "Because I'm not exactly a difficult target for, er, 'romance,' as evidenced by me thinking those notes were genuine in the beginning. I think that would qualify more as theft, to him. If I were unwilling, he might actually be pleased about it and try to use it to draw me back to him. Make himself out to be the savior."  

[Sebastian Arcturis]

He didn't get up again but he didn't lay down either. As long as they were still talking out a plan he would sit since she asked him to.

He could tell she was still more than anxious. He was almost done with the questions. Then she could have her room back. Sebastian didn't personally plan on sleeping in the room unless Rosemary thought it was a good idea. For the plan. Nothing else.

"You want him to leave you alone, we make him comfortable. But on our terms. Whatever you think makes him more comfortable." He agreed with both of her scenarios and was certain either could work on their end. Whether it would work for Magnus though...there would always be some questions. He decided to borrow some of her words. "And what makes the most sense. You are not a difficult target for romance, no."

Sebastian was aware he was having a chat about lying to a woman about his affections for her. That was weird. It was even more weird becaise that specific woman had already gotten herself tangled up in some other sick romance. He was intending to do the same thing to get her out of it.

Honestly, he would rather just find the guy and beat him to a pulp and call it collateral damage in a bar fight. So much less complicated. But he wasn't that brute forced minded even if he responded to such things. He wasn't in charge of a secret war because he blatantly crushed all opposition. He could be more discrete. Even if that wasn't expected. It would take more than a crazed love story to force his hand.

He shifted on the bed, anxious to get up but he didn't. "Whichever you pick, I'll keep an eye on you. Rather you know." She had enough crazy stalkers and enough lies he didn't want to give her more. Maybe it would make her feel better. Maybe it wouldn't.