Wishes do come true (Aiden)

[Hinrik]

The sounds of battle filled his ears. Hinrik was focused on his task even though the cries if men and women were all around him. Some of them were cries of pain or rage or sadness. He couldn't listen to any of them. None of them would help him defeat the beast in front of him. None of those things mattered now. His axe was at the ready, his sword in the other. His shield had broken just yesterday so he has to step into the fray without that protection, but he had faith in his own abilities. She he had faith that the Norns would provide him with whatever lay ahead.

With a fierce cry he leapt forward, axe raised and ready to attack. And as he was moving, everything fell away. The sounds and noise of battle was replaced by a gentle quietness. His even was replaced with an immovable front door. In the moment that it took Hinrik to process all of this he only had a moment to attempt to not slam axe first into someone's lovely home. He dropped his weapons with a clatter and shifted his shoulders to take the brunt of the impact. He hit with a solid thud, falling to the ground where he panted heavily, them rolled over onto his back, starting up at the strange world around him.

He had no idea what was going on and he thought he would much appreciate a cup of tea. And possibly his mum. He might have hit his head.

[Aiden Mumble]

"Shit!" Aiden spilled her drink and jumped at the sound of something ramming into the door. What the hell? Was someone trying to break into her cottage? How many people even knew this was her cottage? Gez, Tintagel had probably swept her off to some scenic location that just also happened to have some dangerous beast that would try to eat her sooner or later. This school was a mess. It's like the people in charge are trying to make them all miserable.

Aiden switched her drink into the other hand and tried to shake of some of the rum that had sloshed on her. She glanced toward the door. She was only half joking about a beast, perhaps she shouldn't answer it. Just to be safe, Aiden stopped in the kitchen to replace her drink with a knife, then headed for the door. Grasping the handle, she took and breath, counted to three and thrust it open.

It was a person, not a beast. It was a male person. A male person lying on the ground. A fairly familiar looking male person, looking dazed and lying on the ground. It had been a while and Aiden had no reason to actually, honestly expect him. It took a long minute for her mind to comprehend what she was seeing. Even then her heart hit a stone wall and she couldn't let herself believe what she was seeing.

Aiden had been leaning, crouching a bit, ready to attack. She straightened very slowly, even leaning back a bit. She kept the knife tightly in her hand and in front of her, protectively. Was this a trick. Aiden looked to either side of him. He looked battle worn. What the hell? Was she hallucinating? Had she taken drugs today? She parted her lips, but didn't speak. She dare not guess his name and be rendered a fool when it wasn't him. How could it be him? She dare not speak his name and be right and have to face him. So, instead, she stood. Silent and as still as stone. Waiting for more clues as to how she could best defend herself from the oncoming attack on her heart.

[Hinrik]

Hinrik was still feeling dazed when the door opened to reveal, of all people, Aiden. And she was wielding a knife. A kitchen knife. Hinrik must have truly hit his head because now he was hallucinating. He was hallucinating all of this. And, on top of that, he was lying on his sword and the handle was stabbing into his back. Still lying flat on his back he swore. Loudly and not in English. "Norns," he said, pressing the heel of one hand into his eye to rub away the headache that was there and steadily growing. His body had stopped fighting and now it wanted rest and tea. And then he suddenly realized that it was cold.

Hinrik lowered his hand and picked his head up to look around for a second. There was snow on the ground here, which shouldn't have been surprising considering Aiden's last letter. Whatever this place was it wasn't Trenale. He let out a long suffering sigh. He needed a good stretch and a long hot shower. He must look a mess.

His eyes flicked over to Aiden. "Aiden, I'm not going to hurt you, but I am going to situp. This sword handle is murdering my backside." Slowly and deliberately he sat up and rubbed where he had been laying. It was mostly for effect. "So, how are you? Where are we? This is a lovely little place." He looked around squinting a bit in the sunshine. "This isn't my blood in case you were wondering." He looked down at himself to double check and there, a great long scratch on his arm had started to bleed again. "Well, its mostly not mine."

[Aiden Mumble]

Norns. What? She was so focused on listening to what he might have to say she felt like there was a buzzing in her ears. Maybe she hadn't heard him right. Or maybe this was just someone that looked like Hinrik that only spoke gibberish. Her head twitched slightly to one side to bring one of her ears closer to the source in case he kept speaking. He didn't at first. He was looking around. Suddenly Aiden realized he had no idea where he was. Duh. That should have been obvious by the fact that he'd run into her door and was now lying on the ground, but she'd been too obsessed with his presence at all to consider whether it was on purpose or not. When the school shipped everyone here did it screw up and think he was still currently a student and send him here too?

He said her name and she actually flinched. That was his voice. He was speaking English now and it was even more familiar. And he'd said her name. The rest of the sentence was sort of muffled after that. She was probably looking rather wild and odd, panic shining through her eyes. Aiden needed time to prepare for these things. She would have panicked if Hinrik had told her he was coming home in a few months, let alone it being sprung on her like this. He sat up and Aiden drew the door closer to her, as if she was afraid he might bold inside.

He was talking again and her eyes darted as various questions and comments exited his lips. She could think of responses to none of them, her throat closing up and the knife still in front of her. Blood? Her eyes darted down again to address his body and she felt her stomach do several flips for several reasons. His arm was bleeding. That was Hinrik's arm. Hinrik is here. HOLY GUIN, HINRIK IS HERE.

Aiden slammed the door shut. And turned around and leaned her back on the frame, her legs feeling like jello. With her hand that was not clinging to a knife, she covered her racing heart. The words That's Hinrik raced through her head only occasionally separated by possible reasons to keep the door shut or open it back up again. She needed time to prepare. Time to not be wearing the basic leggings and a t-shirt. Time to not look like an alcoholic mess. Yet, he was bleeding. That cut on his arm looked nasty. It was cold and he was hurt and he'd slammed into her door pretty hard. That same damn argument that had been getting her into trouble this far popped back into her head once more. She didn't like him, but she didn't want him to die.

Aiden took a breath, put on a more controlled expression, and opened the door again. She looked down at him, a million thoughts and emotions swirling around in her eyes. The door was still drawn close, she was still calculating whether she had to let him in or not. She glanced at his arm. She had to let him in. After much hesitation, she pushed the door open the rest of the way so he could pass through.

"Can you stand?" Aiden said flatly, despite secretly being very concerned.

[Hinrik]

Hinrik probably shouldn't have been surprised by any of Aiden's behaviour. After all, he must have given her quite a freight the way that he has slammed into her front door like that. But good brain was still trying to process that this was not Geatland where he has been only a moment ago, fighting off a hoard of beasts. And somehow he had been magically transported from there to wherever this undisclosed location was. Hinrik want actually site he wasn't dreaming. So he jumped when Aiden slammed the door shut. He was still so wrapped up in trying to understand how and why and where that he hadn't been paying attention. And having been so long at war with the Geats, loud unexpected sounds startled him.

Hinrik tugged his sword out from under him and promptly laid back down. He couldn't quite deal with all of this and he planned to simply lay on Aiden's front porch until he could think of something. He would definitely think of something. Gods, what he wouldn't give for a nice cup of tea right now.

But then the door opened again and Aiden was standing there. He looked over at her. He hadn't expected her to come back. He expected that she would be angry at him. He expected that he would have to work a lot harder to get her to even open the door to him. He had expected a triumphant return as a war hero, swaggering into Trenale. He had not expected this. This was a bloody mess.

He rolled over and carefully got to his knees. He collected his weapons, sheathing then properly while he was there. And with a weariness, he stood. "You don't have to invite me in," he told her. "Though I wouldn't mind a cup of tea. If you have any tea. It's been a strange day."

[Aiden Mumble]

Aiden bit her cheek as she watched him gather his weapons and stand. She took a deep breath. He was significantly less intimidating when he was lying on the ground looking all tired and confused. Now he was standing. Aiden's knife was still in her hand, but lowered down by her side, her other arm crossed protectively. He didn't exactly need anymore wounds. Aiden narrowed her eyes slightly. Somehow, torn up and weary he looked more attractive than ever. Stupid viking. Rude.

Her heart felt like it was caught in a vice, her skin burning. Hinrik was here. She still couldn't believe it. Was she...happy? What was this feeling? She wan't to push him out in the snow and pull him closer all at once. Aiden had spent all the time he'd been at war fighting her own sort of battle. She was tired and she was tempted. Tempted to inch a bit closer, tempted to just consider the idea of him being here a good thing.

Aiden blinked and snapped back to reality when he spoke, realizing her eyes had been lingering places other than his face. She rolled her eyes dramatically when he said she didn't have to invite him in. "Fine, don't come in then." she said hotly, heading back into the cottage herself. Yet, she didn't close the door on him this time and she added: "You can check for tea in the kitchen if you want," She waved in the direction with her weaponless hand without turning around. "This isn't my house." That was probably vague and concerning, but Aiden made no effort to clarify. She sat herself down on one of the end tables and faced back toward him, eyeing him like some sort of disgruntled feline. She certainly looked feral, what with her various yellowing bruises and tired eyes.

[Hinrik]

Alden did not look good. Hinrik was finally looking at her, really looking and he realized that she didn't look good. She didn't look well. He wondered why that surprised him. It shouldn't. He knew she wouldn't be when he had left. That's why he'd started writing letters in the first place. He wanted to give her something to hold onto. But this didn't bode well. He wondered what had happened in his absence. Of course he got news from Costin and quite a lot of it in his letters, but Costin wasn't the most reliable source. He was biased and tended to be very biased where Aiden was concerned.

He followed her through the door. It wasn't an invitation in the strictest sense, but it would do. And since it wasn't her home he would certainly raid the cupboards. He wasn't above a little pillaging for a nice cuppa after a long day. He walked into the kitchen and began his rummaging, opening cupboards and drawers. “What are you doing here if you don't live here?” He called to her.

He rummaged around some more until he found exactly what he was looking for: a nice tin of chamomile tea and a packet of biscuits. “Found the tea,” he called. “Fancy a cup? It's chamomile.” He poked his head out of the kitchen and held up the biscuits. “These will be nice with a cup of tea if you're so inclined.” He smiled at her. He doubted she would accept the offer, but it was always fun to tease.

[Aiden Mumble]

"The school sent us on some stupid retreat or something, not like any of use got a choice in the matter, of course." Aiden grumbled. With her free hand she tapped a finger rapidly on her tightly crossed legs. She was feeling uneasy and suddenly self conscious. She wished she had worn something to cover her bruises. Too be perfectly honest, she couldn't remember where they came from...which was all the more concerning. He would notice, if he hadn't already. All she could do now was hope he didn't mention them.

Aiden pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at him slowly when he poked his head back in view. He knew damn well she wasn't a tea drinker. He was teasing her. It irritated her more than it should have. "Must you speak?" She said wearily. She clenched her jaw. This was going to be far more effort than she was prepared to put forth today. She couldn't even get a drink since Hinrik was in the kitchen and she wasn't about to put herself willingly in the same room as him. That would be ridiculous and dangerous.

[Hinrik]

It made sense that the school had whisked them away and it seemed only appropriate that the school would put them here with all this snow. It was a lovely winter wonderland. It was perfect for a nice holiday getaway. He wished he could spend the holiday here too. Christmas wouldn't be the same when he was fighting monsters and men in a place that hadn't even heard of Jesus yet. Although the Yuletide celebrations would be quite fun.

He grinned at her, placing the packet of biscuits behind his back. "I'm afraid I don't know any sign language, so speaking is the best communication I have currently." Still more teasing. Even if he did sign, she was an American and they had different sign languages. He ducked back into the kitchen just as the kettle began to whistle.

A few moments later Hinrik reappeared with a green mug that was steaming and the packet of biscuits. For a moment he looked around for a place to sit. He wasn't really appropriately dressed for visiting, especially with the blood and grime and sweat. He tucked his legs under him and decided to sit on the floor. "Are you sure you don't want a biscuit?" he asked.

[Aiden Mumble]

Aiden blinked slowly at him, unimpressed with his teasing. In fact, it made her want to scream, but she knew that wasn't a wise or appropriate reaction. Any normal person wouldn't be so upset about such a minor poke, She knew her boiling blood was a response to much more than just the things he was saying. It was that he was speaking at all, the familiar sound of his voice, his presence before her, his eyes meeting hers, his battered state, her battered state.

When he moved back into the kitchen, she took the few moments she had without his gaze on her to bit her lip and take a deep breath through her nose. She flexed the hand that she'd been tapping on her leg, trying to relax the muscles. She demanded that she get a hold of herself three times in her head before he reappeared and and she resumed looking as still and calm as possible. As calm as you could look with a knife in your hand. She should put the knife down. She didn't put it down.

Aiden notice him glance around. There was an unoccupied couch behind the end table she was sitting on and a couple of chairs too. He chose the ground in front of her instead. He spoke, but it was more nothing. It was just more unimportant nonsense about tea. Aiden stood up suddenly. She paused for a moment, trying to recover from standing for no reason. Was she going to run somewhere? She folded her arms and took a few anxious steps off to her right, thinking about what to say. They were ignoring important information, she knew this. They weren't talking about how he'd been gone and now he was bake and what that meant. They weren't talking about his injuries or hers. They weren't talking about the knife she clamped in her hand like a maniac. They weren't talking about the letters. They were talking about tea.

Aiden spun around to face him again, trying terribly hard to hide her stinging heart and thinly veiled rage. "When are you going back?" She shot at him. She'd been hoping to sound casual, but it sounded more like she wanted him to leave as soon as possible. More truthfully, she needed to know the date and time so she could prepare herself for another heartbreak.

[Hinrik]

Hirik cradled the warm mug in towards his body, taking comforting from the heat as much as the actual beverage itself. He popped open the packet of biscuits and shoved one in his mouth before he could say something stupid. He was already on her bad side. There was no need to be in the dog house with her as well.

He looked up when Aiden stood. She was uncomfortable. That much was obvious. And understandable. He'd basically fallen into her lap completely by surprise. He hadn't meant to make it a surprise. He meant to be completely open and honest about when he would be coming back so that Aiden wouldn't be panicking like she was now.

He winced at the question. He knew that it wasn't meant the way it sounded. But that didn't stop the fact that her question hurt a lot more than any wound he'd sustained in battle. He sipped his tea trying to keep the hurt off his face as best as he could. He needed to remain a bit of composure. He needed to be strong. But he sighed, softly. He couldn't help it. "I don't know, love," he admitted softly. "I don't even know if I can leave." He sipped his tea again, giving himself some time to think. He'd barely even been here for five minutes. He would need to go back, of course. Mum and Father would be worried. Plus, the campaign wasn't over yet. "I don't know how I got here. I never did have much of an understanding of magic though."

[Aiden Mumble]

She saw the sting on his face, despite his efforts to hide it. She’d been looking specifically for it, so it wasn’t horribly difficult to pick out among his mingled emotions. She, in turn, endured a war of threatening sentiments. A dark, molten satisfaction warmed her stomach, but, at the same time, an empathetic regret reddened her face. She kept her eyes forcibly locked on him in a desperate attempt to seem in control of the situation. This failed nearly as soon as he opened his mouth to respond.

”Don’t- she began when he called her “love.” She cut herself off and turned her back on him as he continued, wrapping her arms protectively around her body. She blinked away a burning in her eyes. She furrowed her brow when he said he wasn’t sure he could leave. He might stay? she thought. What did that mean exactly? That was terrible news, wasn’t it? She was already just hanging on to sanity by a thread, to throw Hinrik in the mess long term was likely to shove her over the edge. Yet there was the tiniest release on her heart. An inch of comfort at the idea, though she dismissed it as exhaustion and the rum she’d recently drank.

There was a pause before Hinrik spoke again and Aiden had been so whole heartedly obsessing over the idea of him staying that she’d hardly noticed it had occurred until his voice once again broke the silence. She instinctively turned her head to one side in an attempt to hear him better. She lingered in that position for a time, registering his words. She knew why he was here, of course. She’d wished for it. Well, not directly. She had meant for him to return safely, but not immediately. She’d not tell him it was her doing, not in a million years, but the wishing well’s clever twist could give her away with a few pointed questions. Stupid fucking well, this STUPID school! she cursed in her head.

Aiden suddenly hissed in pain. She had been so completely distracted that she hadn’t noticed the knife that she was holding was digging a bit into her opposite arm as she hugged herself.

”Shit.” she said, a little too aggressively over a minor cut. Damnit! she said, a little louder. She stormed into the kitchen, tossing the knife into the sink with a clatter and grabbed a dish towel to run under some cold water. She didn’t know if Hinrik had followed, but she grabbed the edges of the sink and let her head sag forward in a vein attempt to calm her nerves regardless.

[Hinrik]

He'd known it the very second it came out of his mouth that Aiden would resent being called love. She hadn't used to care for it before he'd gone away, but he was sure that she tolerated it more than she would ever let on. His leaving had destroyed everything they had had before. He would have to consciously choose not to call her that, even though it was so comfortable rolling off his tongue. "I'm sorry," he apologized, hoping she would see that it was truly sincere. "Old habit. I won't call you that again." But that was likely a lie. He was his father's son after all. His father still to this called his mother Kettlingr as they had done well before they married. But he would try not to call her love if that was what she really wanted. At least out loud anyway.

There was a pause. Aiden didn't say anything. He hadn't expected her to say anything though. This was a great shock to her after all, his just showing up in her front garden completely unannounced. It was another great and unexpected shock that he didn't even know if he could leave. "I'm sorry," he said again. "I wouldn't have ever just shown back up like this on my own accord. I would have given you advanced notice." Hinrik wasn't sure why he felt like he needed to explain. Perhaps it was because of how raw he was feeling. The change in locations, the sudden switch in time and space had been unnerving to say the least. Hinrik wished that Aiden would come closer to him. He wished he had that reassurance.

Hinrik looked up sharply at the swear, his body tensed and ready to move if necessary. Ready to fight if necessary. His free hand had involuntarily moved to his weapon. And then a second later, he saw what Aiden had done. He relaxed visibly, placing his mug on the floor next to the packet of biscuits and stood. He debated for a minute about whether or not to follow Aiden. And then he was in the kitchen doorway, watching her silently. He had missed her so much in the time that he had been away. He loved her so much. He would never stop. Hinrik took a step forward. "Let me help," he said quietly. "I'll wrap it."

[Aiden Mumble]

With her head bent over the sink and the sound of running water filling her ears, she tried to drown out the echoes of his apologies from moments before. Everything about them sounded wrong. They made her face feel hot and her bones, fragile. Before he'd gone away almost all of their interactions had been kept a shade lighter by his wit and the instance of his adoration. She'd managed to continually torture both him and herself with aggressive comebacks and twisted thoughts, but Hinrik had always carried a blinding light into the room. Or, else, a calming glow, like a burning candle. These were the only two ways she seemed to have seen him up until this point. He was either too intense and overwhelming to handle, like when he made her heart race or face flush. That, or, he was as inviting as the eye of a storm. An anchor that she was in desperate need to cling too, but was stubborn enough to let herself get swept away by the sea instead. This time he was a different light, a sadder light. Something new to adjust her eyes too when she'd barely just adjusted before.

He'd apologized. Twice. She was certain she must have heard him apologize before, but this was something different. This felt more like a heartbreak than a frustration, like he was content, at last, to truly apologize for pursuing her at all and leave it at that. He said he wouldn't call her love again and, even as she saw the blood dripping from the cut in her arm, her chest was what hurt most. She'd written letters. He'd written letters. Did they mean nothing, or was she just reading his exhaustion as an intent to give up on her? She'd pushed too hard. She had not opened up enough. What was she even talking about?!

Aiden wiped her cut with the newly chilled rag and banished her spiraling thoughts. None of it mattered anyway, she didn't want him. She didn't want him to want her. If he'd given up, she had won at last. Then he spoke and she turned her head away from him. She squeezed up her face, forcing down a sob and remaining silent. She felt like a dramatic mess, which wasn't much different than usual, except she felt it now more than ever. She once had a full mental collapse over a letter he wrote her, so really this should be a surprise to no one. It was just his voice. That warm, gentle tone. The image of candlelight came back into her mind. Perhaps the changes in him she sensed were simply the weather from war and time and distance. These were things that had left their marks on her as well, although her war was a private sort of bloodbath.

Aiden coughed in an attempt to mask her emotional outburst then turned her face back over the sink. She should say no to him. She thought of a million things she could say that ranged from rude to vile and that would certainly get the point across. She would have said no anytime they'd met before he'd left. Back when she hadn't known he was leaving. Now she didn't know how long he'd be back and, when he left again, if he'd ever come back after that. So, against every instinct she'd worked very hard to press into her psyche, she said "Fine."

She turned off the sink, but didn't make another move after that. She'd given him permission, but she wasn't going to throw herself at him. It was just a little help, she reminded herself, she wasn't collapsing into his arms and begging for love. She was just getting her arm fixed up. It would have been really hard to wrap it herself anyway.

[Hinrik]

Hinrik watched Aiden. Her movements were tense and frantic. She was panicking again. She was going through some kind of inner turmoil that he couldn't fix. It was a kind of inner turmoil that he couldn't even begin to touch. It was the kind of inner turmoil he wished he could fix. He watched in silence as she made up her mind, but he wanted to touch her. He wanted to put a hand to the back of her neck to ground her and let her know that he was here. But it was likely that Aiden wouldn't appreciate his touch.

Instead he turned quietly to get the first aid kit. He'd seen it in one of cupboards when he'd rummaged around looking for tea. Still trying to be quiet he pulled it out and set it on the counter within reach of Aiden. There was still a chance that she would say no. He hoped that she wouldn't refuse.

Hinrik hovered, hesitating. Maybe he should walk away. It wasn't unlike Aiden to completely ignore him, but he wanted a definite answer either way. He was feeling too raw to have anything less than that. He needed an answer either way.

And then the answer came. He let out a breath and then moved up beside her softly. He popped open the lid of the first aid kit and pulled out the necessary items to patch her up. Then he took Aiden's arm. The cut wasn't deep but it was continuing to bleed. Gently he took the towel and wiped the blood off and quickly but efficiently bandaged her arm. "Maybe you should let me be in charge of knives from now on," he commented softly.