The Fire We Started (Mordred)

[Aiden Mumble]

Aiden hadn't really talked to Mordred much since they'd slept together. On top of all the other fires she'd started, she didn't really want to deal with hers and Mordred's. Pretending like nothing had happened didn't appear to be working out very well. Not to mention, the heavy snowfall was starting to make her feel isolated and anxious rather than the comforting effect it had been having before. Hinrik had written her another letter in response to her asking about the weather where he was. Suddenly the snow seemed less magical and more annoying. Sharing the love of it with Hinrik made it harder enjoy without her scarred heart burning and tearing.

She'd never say it out loud, but she missed the strange comfort of her and Mordred's mutual dysfunction. It wasn't like she didn't still put up walls when she talked to him, but there were certainly less than usual. There was little point in hiding some things from him when it was clear that he already knew about many of the dark parts of herself she worked hard to hide. Now he knew too much. They'd crossed a line and Aiden wasn't sure they'd ever find their way back. But she was slowly withering away in the mitts of her depression and alcoholism and she wondered if he was too. She cared. She worried. She missed her friend. She'd already spent too long not doing anything about it. If they kept going like this, they might never be close again. Aiden couldn't lose him. That much was very clear.

It was mid afternoon when Aiden finally crawled out of bed and peered out the window. The snow was falling more aggressively that usual. The wind picking up and reminding her how harsh winter could be. She sigh and exited her room. She hesitated at Mordred's door then made for the kitchen instead, still unsure how she should approach him. She made a pot of coffee, poured herself some and then dumped a bit of cream liquor in it. She moved to the sitting are where there was a wood burning fireplace. She stared at it for a second, thinking about how nice a fire would be.

"Mordred!" She called, without looking away from the fireplace. "Come use your wizard powers to make a fire."

[Mordred Le Fey]

Things might actually be looking up, for the first time in Mordred's recent memory. If felt to him like they'd been pulled over to... wherever they were now at just the right time. Things had been getting bad again back in Trenale, between the baby scare, his drunken night with Aiden, and the awkwardness and difficulty that still lingered between him and Meredith, Mordred had felt himself beginning to spiral once again. Sure things with Tristian were good, but the girls in his life - the two girls who had somehow become two of the most important people in his life - things with them were a mess. And back in Trenale he had completely run out of ideas on how to clean up that mess.

But then they'd been transported here, and somehow the different location, the romance of the snow and the village and that carousel - they'd given him ideas, at least on how to make a start fixing things with Meredith. And their date had gone well; there was no denying that. He had hope, for the first time since he had woken up beside her and felt that crippling fear take hold of his chest, he had hope that maybe things weren't completely lost.

Now it was time to fix things with Aiden. He doubted either of them would admit it, but they had clearly been avoiding each other since they'd slept together. Sure, he'd dragged her to that karaoke bar, but barely spoken to her once they were there, so it hardly counted. And he may have been listening at his door each morning before leaving, to try and avoid any awkward encounters in the house. But they couldn't carry on like that. He missed her. He needed her. And he was pretty sure she needed him too. He just had no idea how to start bridging the void they'd created between them.

He was sitting in his room, thinking back on the evening at the carousel, his mind occasionally drifting to that wishing well he'd found. He almost laughed when he thought about that - sure, he'd made a wish, a ridiculous, stupid wish that he knew wouldn't come true. Those things were tourist traps, nothing more. He'd never had wished something so vague and reckless if he had any belief that those things were real. And he didn't need that wish, anyway. He just had to swallow his pride and fix things himself. He'd reached that decision when he heard his name called from the living room, and looked towards the door in surprise. Was that Aiden? She was calling him? Feeling a swell of relief mingled with a spark of happiness in his chest, he got up and headed for the living room. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to fix things between them after all - maybe she wanted to fix things just as much as she did.

Reaching the room he smirked as he saw her standing by the empty fireplace, suddenly feeling that things might be alright after all. Moving towards her, his eyes glowed gold as he muttered some words under his breath, and bright, warm flames erupted in the fireplace, dancing merrily and instantly making the room cosier. "You know it would only have taken you about 30 seconds longer to use matches." He commented as he reached her, an eyebrow raised and the smirk playing about his lips as he looked at her. She didn't look great, and he couldn't stop his thoughts drifting back to their night together - there were issues there that, now he was away from the heat of the moment, worried him - but he couldn't help but be pleased to be back in the same room as her, talking to her - he needed his friend back.

[Aiden Mumble]

Aiden didn't turn to look at him. She kept her arms folded with a serious look on her face. Making up with people wasn't really Aiden's style, but a deep, desperate desire forced her to at least try with Mordred. Whether or not she actually leaned on him for help, like she really needed too, it was enough to at least know she still had him on her side. She was at war with herself, she couldn't keep crippling loneliness on her list of problems for much longer and keep functioning. Right now, it seemed like the easiest thing to strike of the list. Hopefully Mordred was on the same page. He often was.

She felt him enter the room then watched the flames dance to life before her eyes. She felt warmer and her grip on her arms loosened slightly. Fire was nice. It was beautiful and warm and delightful and delightfully dangerous. What was she so scared of anyhow? She was glad someone lit it. Wait did she light the fire? She was at her cottage alone. Who lit this fire?

"Holy shit!" Aiden gasped, raising a hand to her heart and starting as Mordred spoke beside her. She looked at him with a frown on her face then looked around the room. This was her house right? The cottages probably all looked the same. Shit, what did she do last night? She didn't wake up next to him, that seemed odd. Did he just appear here? Also, if she hadn't used matches to light the fire what had she used?

After a long pause Aiden finally concluded she'd better just ask. She'd probably slept with this guy, he looked like the type of person she'd sleep with. He obviously remembered her, but whatever.

"Who the fuck are you?" She said, though it wasn't entirely hostile. It was simply clear and direct. She wasn't too sure she'd mind him staying after a few drinks, but first she should probably find out why he was in her cabin and also maybe his name? Well maybe that wasn't all that important.

[Mordred Le Fey]

He wondered how hungover she was to be jumping at the sound of his voice like that - he'd hardly yelled in her ear or crept up on her, and yet here she was acting as if he had materialised from nowhere. Hell, she'd called him in, so he was doubly confused about why she was so surprised to see him. He briefly wondered if it was some kind of power play to help her deal with the whole situation between them, but he felt like he knew Aiden pretty well by now, and he was certain that wasn't her style. Rather than opening that can of worms by asking what the deal was, however, he settled for throwing her a withering look before dropping into an armchair.

He expected her to speak, to open the conversation, to do... something, and when nothing happened he looked up at her with his eyebrows raised expectantly. He was finding himself completely caught of his guard, and that wasn't a feeling he was entirely comfortable with. As the pause dragged on and Aiden continued to look at him as if she had no idea who he was, he shifted in his seat slightly, uncomfortable and confused. If this was a power play, she was doing damn well at it - he had absolutely no idea what she was doing. He opened his mouth to speak, but she got there before him.

He stared at her, open-mouthed for a second, before quickly trying to regain some control over his features and raising an eyebrow at her. Ok, they hadn't exactly spoken much since their night together, but pretending not to know who he was? That was just petty. He rolled his eyes as he leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Hilarious. No, really. You're a comic genius, Aiden." He said, a hint of sullenness in his voice. "And after all we've been through together?" A smirk reappeared on his face as he placed his hand over his heart. "That hurts, dude."