In Which Florian Is Home

November 19, 1159

What an odd evening it had been, Florian mused as he stepped into the bedroom, treading lightly as to avoid waking Thetis. Never in a hundred years would he have imagined himself in such a position; had someone told him that he would one day find himself in the middle of that sort of situation, he might have thought that they ought to be locked up themselves.

"You're back."

Damn, she was still awake! To think, he could have been as loud and clunky as he pleased--instead, he had been pointlessly silent. Go figure.

"Someone's up past her bedtime," he teased her as he made his way to the dresser and pulled off his tunic.

"Someone was out past his curfew," she retaliated promptly.

Shoving the tunic into the drawer and slamming it shut, Florian shook his head. "I had to help the baron with something. He called for me just as I was about to leave, and unfortunately, the task took considerable effort, and then we both required a drink at the end of it."

Thetis raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do you mind telling me about it?"

"Do I get a choice?"

"No."

Florian sighed. "All right... the baroness has finally cracked."

"Only just now?" Thetis inquired as Florian lowered himself onto the bed. "You told me months ago that she was mad."

He shrugged. "She was mad--now, she's too mad to function, apparently."

He chanced a quick glance toward his young wife; she frowned. "Could you... elaborate? Please?"

"Well, by the time I got to the nursery, she'd knocked out the baron and was attempting to smother their three-year-old daughter with a pillow."

Silence. Then--

"...I see. What did you do about it?"

"The baron came to after I'd pulled the baroness away from Jeda, and we locked her in the dungeon," he explained, "and by 'we', obviously I mean the two of us and about six guards. That woman is stronger than I ever would have thought--too bad she's fucking psychotic.

"I kind of wish she'd just die. I know it's a cruel thought, but... she's made that man miserable long enough. As long as she's alive, he's stuck with her; I think he deserves to find someone better."

Thetis said nothing, but she nodded for him to continue.

"And the saddest part is... I think he has found someone better, but that bitch is still standing in the way, dungeon or not. Really, someone should put that woman out of her misery--therefore freeing him from his."

He heard a small, feminine sigh from beside him. "Florian..."

"Yes, Thetis?" he asked, shifting his gaze to those flawless eyes.

"No one was hurt, were they?" she whispered softly. "You, the baron, his little girl... all of you are fine?"

Why hadn't he mentioned that before? Naturally, that would have been her concern... not that he would have expected her to be able to tell that at the very least, he was all right, considering the sight of him and everything.

"No, we're all fine," he assured her, taking her in his arms and gently planting a kiss on her cheek. "I mean, the baron and his kids are rather shook up, but no one was seriously injured or anything, unless she's managed to claw her way out of the dungeon or whatever... but he's got her guarded, so it should be fine."

"And you?" pressed Thetis.

Laughing softly, he lowered her to the mattress and kissed her. "I'm home, aren't I?"

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