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petalouda85 · 4 months ago

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Thank you for your lovely comment. I’m still super proud of this fic. 😊😊

Sorry to hear you teared up a bit. My writing tends to have that effect on people 😅

Braids

Fandom: Blades of Light and Shadow 2

Pairing: Tyril x f!human!MC (Kassandra)

Word count: 2.6k

Concept: the Tyril reunion of Blades 2, as I imagined it pre-chapter 2.

Tags: @choicesficwriterscreations, @liviusofpella, @megas-choices, @starlight-starfury

AO3 link: X

A/N: It’s been three years since I’ve written a fanfic and the first time writing these character so please be nice. Also, did quite a bit of research into box braids but I’m certain that I still got some details wrong. Apologies in advance. Also, so glad I got this finished before the Book 2 Finale 😅

It was earlier in the afternoon when Kassandra sat before the vanity in her room in Whitetower, everything she would need to braid her hair prepared and ready before her. She had washed her hair the day before and had allowed it to air dry in temporary chunkier plaits. Now that they were taken out, she was ready to begin the long process of braiding it all.

It had been a week since her escape from the Shadow Realm. Kassandra had been keen to start the mission, not wishing to waste her time while the Ash Empire threatened her home and her family. Every second that ticked by, their foes grew more prepared. Every day that passed, another hour of sleep was lost, her mind in turmoil and desperately fighting back horrendous images and memories. She wished to run out of the city walls, return to the road, and walk towards a solution. But regathering the group had hit a snag.

After the Royal Archives had run out of leads on how to find her, the group had split up, hoping that they could find something to rescue her in the other corners of Morella. Mal and Nia had remained in and around Whitetower, Nia researching in the Temple while Mal snuck around old tombs and temples. Imtura had returned to the Wraith, searching around the Cartesian Sea for any possible lead; it was by sheer chance that she had been sailing in the waters north of the Whitetower and was heading back to the city when Kassandra returned. Threep and Loola had not strayed far, having cozied up to Kade in the Archives, snacks never far from sight.

Only one member was missing.

A dove had been sent to Undermount with news of her return but the others had been uncertain if Tyril was even in the city; he had announced the intent to go there when the group had parted ways but some time had passed since then.

While they waited, desperate to keep herself busy and ignore the knots of sadness in her chest and the turmoil in her mind, she had spent some time taking out her braids. Her time in the Shadow Realm had ruined them and, considering the length of time she had been gone, they were long overdue a redo. All things considered, her hair was in a remarkably good state. A few days loose with the necessary care and her hair was ready to be braided once more.

She began by parting her hair into various smaller sections, pinning away most sections for later; she had always found it overwhelming doing everything all at once, even when Kade aided her in her quest. Last thing she wished now was to be overwhelmed by braiding; it felt at times that anything could set off the maelstrom of emotions hidden behind her smile and determination.

She began braiding the first section she had parted. She braided until about the halfway point before she moved to another section, braiding it too to about half the length of her hair. She repeated this for all the front sections, bringing the half finished braids forward over her shoulder in preparation for later steps. Once all sections were braided and brought forward, she let out a long sigh, already exhausted by the lengthy process. Still, she still had some ways to go. Before continuing, she peaked at her room in the reflection of the mirror, giving the space a brief glance over.

Everything in the room has been as she left it. Her first full day back, she had gone through all her belongings, yet another distraction from her mind. She had yanked out all the borrowed clothes out of the closet and organized and folded and hung them up again, despite them already being neat and tidy. She had read and reread all the lore tablets, searching between the lines for new details she knew weren’t there. She had searched and organized the few belongings she had and during that, she had found an item missing.

Her trusted bow.

She remembered that she had left it in its usual spot by her night stand. Of course, the one day she decided that the dangers had passed was the day she had needed it. A search of the royal armory yielded nothing nor did the exploration of the royal relics on display in the grand halls of the palace. In fact, no one had seen her bow since the group had gone their own ways. Her disappointment had been hard to hide. She was skilled in other forms of combat and the alchemy set she had acquired in the Shadow Realm was quite handy but her bow was special to her and now it was gone.

Just another thing she had lost.

Her belongings sorted and with little else to do while they waited, Kassandra had set to the long task of redoing her hair. Kade had offered to help her, spending some time with her undoing the many long braids she had and putting in the now-much-easier-to-acquire products in preparation for the new braids. He had chatted away endlessly about his work, the new books he’d read and sharing previous tales like he had done in Riverbend. She had listened intently, grateful for the distractions but soon, in typical Kade fashion, the topic began to drift away from the frivolous, joyous tales. Gently, he began to pry into her ordeal in the Shadow Realm, asking if she was alright and if she needed to talk; no doubt he had spotted the bag under her eyes in the days since her return.

Somehow she had avoided talking about any of it. Part of her wanted to talk about it, let it all out and be weak and vulnerable for just a moment, just be Kassandra and not the Saviour of Morella, the fearless leader of the group. But she couldn’t. Now wasn’t the right time.

It never was.

With a sigh, Kassandra turned her attention back to her braids, eyeing the back portions of her hair. Parting and braiding the back was always difficult to do; maybe she shouldn’t have declined Kade’s help. She resorted to fiddling around with an extra mirror available in the room, eventually finding a set-up that allowed her to see the back. As she began to part the hair, a thought rushed through her mind, it leaving a feeling of sadness.

She had promised Tyril that she would teach him how to care for and braid her hair once everything had calmed down. She couldn’t help but imagine the scenario, a tear welling in her eye. The two of them in Whitetower’s garden, sitting by the fountain, her showing him how to make a braid, braiding it halfway down before offering it to him. He’d probably fumble, mutter about how in Undermount it would be done using magic and being gobsmacked by the notion that she had to do it all by hand. He’d be further shocked by the fact that, when she lived in Riverbend, braiding her hair was an affair lasting several days, work and other duties preventing her from completing the artwork in a single sitting.

Not today. She was determined to finish it in a single sitting, aching arms and sleepy eyes be damned.

She repeated the process from before: parting the hair, pinning away the sections for later, braiding the sections one by one, and throwing the half finished braids to the front for later completion.

Once all sections were partially braided, she began finishing the braids, detangling the strands as she went; certainly not the fastest method of braiding but Kassandra found that she cared little for it at the moment. In silence, she worked through the braids one by one, painstakingly tying each braid off with thin threads of black ribbon, placing the few decorative beads she owned on some of the braids.

By the time she reached the final braid, the sun had already set.

There was a knock at the door. Kassandra sighed. It was probably Kade, coming once again with chamomile tea to aid in her futile quest for a restful night.

“Come in.” She said, hoping she was loud enough to be heard. She didn’t look up as she heard the door open, keeping her focus on her last braid in an attempt to avoid yet another conversation of concern and deflection. Silence continued throughout the chamber as she finished and secured her braid. She anticipated to hear the sound of a cup being placed down, the door shutting, and being left to another lonely night of nightmares. A fragment of a scent graced her nose but it wasn’t the tea she anticipated. Floral but not chamomile.

“Moonflowers?” Kassandra thought, her breath catching. Moonflowers weren’t common in Whitetower but they were somewhere else.

Undermount.

She glanced up in the mirror, finding a figure standing in the doorframe. Tall, elven, blue-skinned, and long, dark hair.

“Tyril.” She mumbled, jumping to her feet and turning to face him, praying she wouldn’t wake from some cruel nightmare. Her breath caught once more when she found him still standing in the doorframe, eyes trained on her, a cacophony of emotions flashing across his face. Disbelief, desperation, confusion, desire, love.

Time seemed to pause between them, both of them stuck in place.

Tears beginning to fall, Kassandra snapped out of her statue-like stance and ran to him, the elf meeting her halfway. They crashed into a hug, Kassandra gripping tightly onto him, feeling him do the same. A comfortable silence fell between them and a smile played on her lips as she took in his warmth, feeling safe for the first time in a week.

“How?” She heard him whisper into her hair. “When?” Kassandra shook her head, holding her grip tight.

“Don’t say anything.” She responded softly. “Just stay like this for a moment.” The tears continued as she held onto him, cursing her captors in her mind; how dare they take her from her family, from this. They stood in each other’s arms in silence, savoring each second. Reluctantly, they pulled out of the hug, though they remained close.

He cupped her face in his hands, looking at her as if she were the stars themselves. With a brief flash of hesitance, he leaned forward and captured her lips in a kiss, it slow and gentle, as if he was trying to savor every moment of it. It was different yet somehow the same, as if no time had passed between them. He deepened the kiss, clinging onto her as if he was scared that she’d disappear once more. Soon, he pulled away, the two of them breathless. Kassandra looked into his eyes, finding tears welling in them.

“What happened to you?” She shook her head.

“I’ll explain everything tomorrow. Let’s just enjoy this moment while we can.” He nodded, leaning forward to give her a kiss on her forehead. He cupped her cheek and frowned in concern.

“When was the last time you had a good night’s rest?” He asked, running his thumb her baggy eyes and wiping away her tears.

“I could ask you the same.” She reached up to cup his cheek, frowning at his baggy eyes. He bowed his head down as if in shame. “Tyril,” she began softly, only to be stunned to silence when she spotted a familiar weapon strapped to his back, “is that…?” She asked softly. Immediately, he pulled the ornate bow free and held it out for her to see. Kassandra reached forward but dared not to touch it, the tears reappearing.

“Your bow.” He responded. “I… took it before I returned to Undermount. I know I shouldn’t have but, I wanted something of you with me. To remind me to keep fighting and to keep going.” His face fell. “It has been… difficult this last year.” He added before holding out the bow to her. Kassandra hesitated for a moment before gently taking the bow into her hands. She stared at it for a moment before hugging it to her chest. She felt Tyril’s hand on her shoulder and she gave a faint smile.

“Thank you.” She whispered. She turned around and walked to the nightstand, placing the weapon against it, right where it belonged.

A bell tower tolled the hour outside the open window, snapping the two back to attention.

“It’s late.”

“So it would seem.”

“Maybe we should…” Kassandra looked at the elf, his expression seemingly calm and collected but she could see the faintest trace of doubt in his eyes.

“I can leave, if you’re-“

“No.” Kassandra quickly replied. “Stay. Please.” After a moment, Tyril began to remove his weapons, placing them down by the nightstand on his side of the bed. Kassandra turned around as she took off the outer layers of her clothing, letting the fabric fall to the ground in a heap. When she glanced her over shoulder, Tyril had already taken off his armor and stood in the shirt he wore underneath it.

The mattress dipped under their weight as they lay down on their side, facing each other. They stared at each other, Kassandra taking in every inch of his perfect features; how she had missed that face.

He gave a quick smile and reached forward, placing a reverent kiss on her forehead, then her cheek and then her lips. Once he pulled away, he smiled softly at her, Kassandra returning the gesture. Grabbing hold of her hand, he lay back down. Her smile morphed to a curious frown when she spotted an unfamiliar necklace around his neck.

Compared to the detailed elven armor he wore and the general extravagance of the elves, it was very plain. Simply a black string with a small silver bead. She reached forward and gently brushed her fingers over it.

“What’s this?” She asked softly. Tyril reached up and began to fiddle with the bead.

“Something I wanted to give to you. Before…” He trailed off, a sadness taking over his expression. He sat up in the bed and took off the necklace, sliding the small bead off the string into the palm of his hand. “It’s a bead for your braids. I commissioned a silversmith to make this for you after the Masquerade. To thank you. For everything.” He held his hand to her. She reached for the bead but lingered her hand in his, taking in the warmth and the comforting smoothness of his skin. She smirked at the light blush that appeared on his cheeks. She held the bead up to admire it, quickly spying an image carved into the silver, a familiar sigil.

“The Starfury sigil.” Kassandra said to which Tyril nodded. He hesitated for a moment before reaching forward and taking one of her braids with a fond smile.

“It’s a pity that I didn’t arrive sooner. Maybe you could’ve worn it already.” He said, a hint of remorse in his tone. Gently, Kassandra took the braid from him and untied the string holding it in place. She undid a small section of it before sliding the bead onto one of the strands. With practiced ease, she redid the braid and tied it off.

“There. Right where it belongs.” She announced proudly, admiring the braid. She ran her fingers over the bead. “Thank you; I will treasure this. Always.” He smiles fondly and the two lay back down once more, the comfortable silence falling between them once more. Eventually, she shuffled closer to him, still grasping his hand tightly. Soon, she found her eyes getting heavy, her mind slowly drifting towards sleep though she didn’t fear it as she had the previous days. The fleeting thought made her smile.

It was always easy to rest in his arms.

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