Curiosity killed the Cat

[Gerwald Lechner]

”Of course not... what I’m suggesting is there are things you will have to do as a leader that I will not be able to. We are species of warriors and killers, but I don’t suppose to think that I can run off into battle for you without you by my side.”

She teased about the throne. Let him sit there and run off on him to fight. It was a thought which made him laugh.

”I would no sooner sit on that throne and leave to all the fighting than you’d part with your favorite dress and pair of shoes,” he teased back. It may have been a shot a bit below the belt, but he knew it was the case. Neither of them would fight without the other, nor would they sit back while others fought for them. No one would fight for them.

He should have gone sooner.

”We we’re going to go after Melida/Daan,” he said looking away.

The implications were simple. Had he not been neglecting his promises his siblings would be free. There was something else here however. She would know that they had been together while he should have been going to get his siblings. It was a painful admission.

”I can only speak of myself, Katrine. I shouldn’t have left them, and I shouldn’t have stayed away. It was a foolish and selfish thing that I have done, and nothing is going to change it. However, I can change what I do going forward. We were close, and we will be again. Nothing is irreparable when it is tightly knit. I broke the pack, but it will be whole again. It will be stronger.”

He chuckled at her joke. It was funny and lighthearted.

”Oversized suits you. Should I remind you that I’m near a foot and half taller than you. The chair may look oversized, but you can fill it without a problem. Though, if you want a new chair... something gold maybe?”

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

Things she would have to do as a leader that he won't be able to. They were a species of warriors and killers, he knew better than to go into battle without her. Katrine nodded. Though she was a warrior because she was a Witch, not because she was a Lupine. She was sooner a killer because she was a Lupine than she was a Witch. "The Witches are the warriors I hail from," she threw in even though it didn't have to do with the Lupine factor too much. It was just one of those facts about her. Never did she have to fight because she was a Lupine, not in her life. It was always because of the fact that she was Witch, whether it was on Dathomir or within the Confederacy.

And he would sooner sit on the thone and leave the fighting to her that she would part with her favorite dresses. Katrine shook her head. Sore subject. She just did that, after Pebble had left, throwing away several dresses that had been destroyed due to the fire before A.R.K.I. had activated the system. Except for one. She probably wouldn't be able to wear it again but she couldn't part with it. "Too soon," she pointed out. Her dresses shouldn't have been part of their current discussion.

They were going to go after Melida/Daan, she heard and sighed, knowing exactly what it meant, knowing she had been causing for it not happening. Her forehead leaned into his shoulder for a moment. "I didn't know," Katrine whispered. He could argue it not being her fault, and for the most part, it wasn't but when his siblings were in question, she would take the blame for it no matter what he said. Her head rose though almost immediately as her fist curled up, punching him in the shoulder, with nothing but her own strength. It wouldn't cause that much of a pain even if she was slightly stronger than what she was perceived to be due to her size. "You need more willpower." Even with the guilt, Katrine knew she shouldn't have felt this way.

He couldn't speak for what she did but he was right, he shouldn't have left them or stayed away. Foolish and selfish. Katrine gave him a firm nod. She wasn't going to argue his words. He should have. Katrine couldn't have gone back for Ram or Seren. Despite her not understanding at first, she couldn't go back for them after she had left. He could have. Though Gerwald believed they would be close again, stronger even. "I hope so."

A giggle escaped her lips at his response. Oversized suited her. But if she wanted something new, he was suggesting gold. She shook her head even with her giggle. "We're not talking about you. Trust me, a skull throne should fit better. It's the seat of power." It really wasn't the same thing. "And no, I want my own skull throne. It's my birthright." More silliness than fact. By old ways, the skull throne belonged to Wolfram. And if anyone could contest that, it should have been Seren but Father had changed that. Which was exactly what she what she wanted to do for everyone, not just her.

[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

Of course it was too soon, but Gerwald had made the joke anyway. It was a symptom of the other thing Katrine said. He needed more willpower.

Ger nodded.

”I guess I took that taste of freedom to far... huh...” he said as he ran his large hand through his hair. It hung loose, in fact he rarely had it pulled up, unless he was in battle. When he was in battle his hair was tied up so the enemy could not grab it for an advantage.

”No you didn’t, and I said nothing. I know there is no convincing you it’s not your fault, but don’t hold anymore blame than you have to. Most of it falls on my shoulders, so let me carry it, hmm?”

Both of them had known his siblings were there. Katrine had been drunk enough she had an excuse at least. However, Gerwald knew that she would blame herself for not asking when she should have, especially the more she learned about his mother. The woman, she needed to die. Her crimes against him and his siblings were great, and there would be an exception to her no killing rule.

He smiled when Katrine said she wanted her own skull throne. It made him happy to know that she wasn’t all glitz and glam. She loved her clothes, but Katrine was so much more than what she wore on the surface. There were many layers to her and who she was. Gerwald loved every bit of her, and the more he discovered the more he loved. His wolf had seen it right away. His wolf had wanted the white wolf, and the truth of being a Lupine was the wolf always won. It was the primary form, the dominant one. It was something his mother had never taught him.

”I suppose I’ll just have to kill all your enemies and make you a new chair then. I will be more than your King, but your sword as well. Wield me as you will, and just see who comes to kneel at your feet.”

A wicked grin rugged at Gerwald’s lips. It was almost a snarl. Clearly the wolf was speaking through him. His eyes seemed to hint at a want to change, but Gerwald suppressed it for now. They would be on ground soon enough. He didn’t want the ship, he wanted the woods, a hunt, and to have his white wolf with him. It was a thrill that no one else could give him.

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

He took the taste of freedom too far. "Yeah. Like me, when I discovered explosives," she pointed out. She was a child, it was fun. She'd gone on to blow a lot of things up on Dathomir but nothing had as of a lasting effect as it did killing her bunny. Problem was that Mother was only truly upset over the fact that Father may have needed it and she was wasting it. In retrospect, her Mother should have been a little more concerned about the fact that her six-year-old was playing with explosives. But then, her whole childhood was a little out of the ordinary or would have been complete if her Nona hadn't played a part in it.

Katrine didn't know and Gerwald hadn't said anything. He knew he couldn't convince her it wasn't her fault. Most of the fault was on his shoulders and he wanted to carry it. "You can. It doesn't change what alcohol had done to me that night. I should have been able to tell that all those Lupine scents were not just you and your Mother. I should have been sober enough to assume there were more of you. Just like there are always more of us," she admitted. She'd drank so much that night, thinking it couldn't do much to her. Katrine couldn't begin to imagine how much the mead would affect her. She'd only been out to get to know the future Shaman of Lylek and enjoying the alcohol. Her fault lay more in that night than anything else, Katrine knew this.

He supposed he'd have to kill all her enemies to make her own chair. Katrine smirked at that, even though she didn't think she had that many enemies anymore. There was one, she had been dealt. Orcani had considered themselves her enemies but Ceta had pacified them by possessing her body. Gerwald was willing to be more than her King, he was willing to be her sword. For her to wield him as she wanted. "Wield you, hmm?" The blonde wondered, smirk still firmly in her place. Looking at him with her sapphire gaze, she hadn't missed it though. She felt it more than saw it, her own wolf responding, holding on to him a little tighter as she did. Lupine called to Lupine. "Soon," Katrine told herself as much as she told him. She could have changed right now, taking her natural form on her own ship wouldn't have been a problem for her but the wolf didn't just want to be, she wanted to be free with the Gerwald.

And at the moment, Katrine was reminded that it was a feeling she would never have had if she hadn't done what she did. If Chloe hadn't left, if she hadn't followed, if she hadn't been stuck on Orcus falling, only to free herself. All this because Chloe had left them. None of this would have been possible otherwise. But this had always been her destiny. Gerwald had been her destiny. The Lupine belonged with the Lupine like she wouldn't have belonged with anyone else. "I don't regret one moment that led me to you," Katrine finally said. Her smirk was no longer on her face, there was just a soft smile before she kissed him.

[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

Explosives, that was something Gerwald had not seen Katrine play with yet, and now he knew he had to. Why? He wanted to see the look on her face as she blew something up. Gerwald imagined the look of pure joy on her face as she destroyed something to bits and pieces. It was much the same look he knew that she wore she let her wolf take over. At least that's what he thought.

"You should have known, and I should have told you. Instead I was too selfish and kept you to myself. Besides, I am surprised you remember anything from that night. You were so drunk that the minute you looked up at me you were practically passing out. I had to catch you and carry you back to my home. You should have seen the look on my mother's face when I brought you into the house. It was as if she knew everything was going to change, and I didn't know then just how right that look of hers was."

He grinned as she said soon. It was alluring, and the wolf inside him would have been wagging its tail if he were free. Being with her was not just about being a wolf, it was about the freedom to hunt, run, kill, be what they were together. Gerwald had done all of those things with his siblings, but this, with Katrine, it was so different from that. Lupine with Lupine felt so natural, and this was one of very few chances for a Lupine to be with a Lupine. Whatever had happened that night on Stewjon, or the other events that had led to their meeting, Gerwald would always be thankful for them.

She didn't regret one moment that led her to him. He nodded. No regrets. It was a promise he made to Scherezade, and refused to have any. Like Katrine, he regretted nothing that brought them together. It was good to hear it out loud, and he needed to say it too. Her kiss pressed to his lips before he could speak though. It was soft, but passionate. He kissed her back, smiling into it as he did. They had found some answers today, there was a wedding to prepare for, siblings to rescue, and future to embrace.

Gerwald pushed the books away, and whatever he was still hovering with the force feel to the floor as he let go if it all. She had a way of capturing his attention in a way that didn't let him focus on anything else. It was just them, in that moment there were no Van-Dervelds or Lechners. It was just Gerwald and Katrine.

"I regret nothing," he finally said when he could. The back of his calloused hand brushed against her soft cheek. "Ironic as it sounds, but the future had to step into the past so that we both could have a different one."

His lips found hers again, every part of him open to her through the force. If he had ever been unclear about what he wanted, and how much he already was hers, there would be no doubt of it now.

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

She should have known, he should have told her. Slowly, her head moved into a yes, to both parts of that sentence before Gerwald called himself selfish. He was surprised she remembered anything considering how drunk she was. Like there was the look on his Mother's face. She vaguely remembered the scent of a Lupine present had made her open her eyes. The face of that woman carved into her mind. "I saw her," she whispered to his words, "I don't think I'll ever forget her face." And it was between two completely foreign Lupines that Katrine had gotten so confused before she'd passed out again. It was overwhelming, all of it.

There was a nod to her words before she'd kissed him, she hadn't missed it. She kissed him still and kept kissing him, holding on to Gerwald as she did, as if she didn't plan on ever letting go. Part of her didn't want to, not really. Just physically, in the days ahead, in the days where they were both in the service of the Confederacy. Each in their own way. Their future awaited them though.

It was a big step though, finally finding Lechners written on the pages. Katrine had searched but without him, without his blood and magic, she hadn't had managed it. They did though, together. The singular thought emerged into her mind: together, making her pour more of herself into their kiss. I regret nothing, he spoke before his hand brushed at her cheek, making her smile. Gerwald was right though. The future had to step into the past so they could both have a different one. Katrine smiled even more. "A bright future," Katrine managed before his mouth found hers again. Now, the Lupine felt the Lupine, felt his clarity clearer than before. It only made Katrine love him more, knowing he was hers as much as she was his already. No marking, no claiming, no bonding. Just belonging.

[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

Katrine did remember a bit of that night. It was the first it really came up in conversation. His mother didn't have an unforgettable face, but perhaps it was the way she had looked at Katrine, it was as if she knew before Gerwald could say anything. Everything about what Gerwald had been told was a lie, and the evidence of it had been carried in by her son. Everything that had happened since, at least Gerwald leaving, and the fact the two had chosen each other, were all things that she already would have known would happen.

"I don't think she was too excited that I brought you home. Whether she knew the truth or not, I know she realized your presence meant I was leaving before I could even say anything to her about it."

Maybe it was an obvious statement, but Gerwald had made it. He wasn't always the most profound in what he said, and in the moments where he was, Gerwald was not trying to be in any way.

They kept kissing. Gerwald certainly could not ever get enough of them, and Katrine certainly behaved as though she couldn't either. It was indeed a bright future they had together, and there was no need for Gerwald to say anything else about the matter. Whatever anyone wanted to call what they shared, it would always fall short. He finally understood there would be no words that could ever describe what they had. They belonged to each other in a way that they could never belong to anyone else, and even that seemed to fall short of what they were.

He smiled as they continued to kiss. Whatever happened from this point forward, would happen together. There could be no more misunderstanding each other. This, what they shared, was their home now, it was their life. They belonged to each other, and that was the starting point of everything else.

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]