Tatiana fumbled awkwardly with the clothes Bran had bought her. They'd spent the night in silence, with Bran sleeping on the floor. She'd had a restless night, almost missing waking up next to him and his warmth. And now she was trying to get changed into the dress he had bought her. It was a simple dress made of a durable fabric. It had long sleeves and laced up at the front. It even had a hood that she could pull up to hide her face. He'd also bought a sturdy leather belt to cinch it at her waist and a pair of boots. She'd abandoned her mortal clothes, figuring they were thoroughly ruined. She felt somewhat awkward wearing the dress without a bra on underneath, but her clothes had a stench that she didn't want to spend time trying to get rid of. She was glad he'd thought of getting her tights and underwear, even if he had forgotten to get her a bra.
"Tatiana," Bran called, knocking on the door.
"Come in," she said, her fingers still fumbling with the laces at her front.
The door opened, and she felt Bran's presence. She turned to face him, or at least, she hoped she was facing him.
"Do you want a hand with that?" he asked. She nodded, giving up on trying to get the lacing perfect. He took a step closer to her, and she could feel how warm he was. His deft hands undid the lace gently, exposing more of her chest than she felt was necessary. Her cheeks flushed as she stood there, while he re-did the lace at the front of her dress. She placed a hand on either side of him to steady herself.
His skin brushed against hers, and she wondered if he could tell how much she seemed to react to his touch. It wasn't the sudden electricity she had felt from Robin, but more of a gentle build up.
"There, much better," he said, as he finished fastening the laces. He didn't step away from her, and she swallowed nervously at how close he was.
"Thank you," she whispered. Her visions of him protecting her swam to the forefront of her mind, of him announcing he had claimed her, of him leaning down to kiss her.
She bit her lip. It would be so easy to reach forward and kiss him. But was she betraying Robin if she did? It's not like they'd committed themselves to each other.
Or at least, she thought they hadn't, but he'd gone ahead and claimed her and not told her. Indecision flickered across her face, but then Bran was stepping away from her and the moment was gone. She let out her breath and wondered how red her cheeks were.
"We should get going," he said, clearing his throat. "I couldn't get us a horse, but there's a road that leads from here to Cloud Lake, and from there we can get to Ice Crown quite easily."
"What's going to happen to me when we get to Ice Crown?" she asked anxiously.
"I'm not sure," Bran answered honestly. "But I'll make sure they don't harm you."
Tatiana's vision of Sidheag leaping at Bran floated to the surface of her mind. They lost all their bargaining power if they weren't willing to harm her. She felt Bran's hand take hers and guide it to his upper arm. His touch pushed the vision out of her mind, and she focused on him leading her out of the tavern.
She was glad to leave the river behind, leaving the thought of malicious undines behind. She wondered what lay ahead of them on the road though, the vision of the man still weighing on them heavily. They walked arm in arm, Bran gently guiding her. They weren't walking with the same sense of urgency that they had for the past few days, almost as if he too was reluctant to end up in Ice Crown. She didn't mind, she was content for them to take as long as they could to get there.
"So, Miss Tatiana," Bran said when they were well clear of the village. "How did you end up in the clutches of Robin?"
She smiled. Tatiana was grateful they weren't spending the day in silence again.
"Well, I had just broken up with my boyfriend," she answered. "And I thought a nice hike would be perfect for doing some introspection."
"Ah, the old 'lures you astray and then trick you' routine," Bran laughed.
Tatiana nodded. "I believe it's quite a common trick," she said. "Except, I didn't think fairies existed, obviously."
"It's very popular, or so I'm told," he replied.
"Have you ever been to the mortal realm?" she asked curiously.
"No, most of the gateways are guarded by the Seelie. It's partly why they're much stronger than the Unseelie Court. They get to visit the mortal realm and make deals with unsuspecting mortals such as yourself, whereas we're mostly cut off from it."
"I don't understand how mortals make you lot stronger."
"It's complicated," Bran said, pausing. "Have you heard of a Faustian bargain?"
Tatiana nodded. "A deal with a devil?"
"Yes, it's kind of like that. Your link to Robin, for example, if you owe him a favour, means that he can tap into your soul. You don't lose anything, but having that link amplifies his power somewhat. And each mortal that is devoted to him amplifies his power a bit more. And then, if you were to pray to him, you would also make him stronger. It's complicated."
Tatiana frowned. "Sounds like it." She wasn't sure she liked knowing that this sort of deal was made with her unknowingly. "So do all fey have magic powers?" she asked, changing the conversation.
"To varying degrees, yes," he answered. "Some of us are shape shifters like me and Sidheag, some of us have elemental based magic like Finnean and your Robin, some of us specialize in potions, so on and so on. And then some of us are just magic by virtue of being, but can only barely tap into it."
At mention of Sidheag, Tatiana shuddered. The vision of Bran running the wolf-woman through was still seared into her mind.
"Are you cold?" Bran asked, concern in his voice. "I tried to find you a warm dress, but we can find a coat for you in the next village."
Tatiana shook her head. "No, your Sidheag scares me, is all," she reassured Bran, giving his upper arm a squeeze.
Bran laughed. "She has that effect. I promise she's not all bad, she's fiercely loyal to her friends," he said. "She just doesn't stand for the Seelie or anyone sympathetic to them."
Tatiana smiled, but she could feel a pressure on her chest. She wondered if she should tell him of her vision. But if she told him, she'd have to tell him that he claims her, and she wasn't sure she wanted to accidentally propel him into that fate or not. Perhaps she'd tell him if he did claim her.
The day wore on as they walked. The afternoon came and went, and they let out a collective sigh of relief when they stopped to make camp in the twilight. The next village was still a day's walk, Bran surmised.
