sinbound. [Akira & Earinor] [ENG]

He didn't feel horrible tired, so that was a start - and it also made being awake a bit easier, or at least trying to keep his eyes open. Did he startle Caelan? Actually, Ronan had no idea - the thin line between being concious or, well, being asleep was still present and in reality it weighed down on him the less he moved, so actually it wasn't a bad idea for Caelan to seemingly get a move on and packing up - Ronan would, most likely, be no help with that, anyway. "Don't worry, I woke up on my own", he mumbled, lying just to make Caelan feel better, even though they both probably knew that the blonde was the culprit all along and that it didn't matter how much they tried just that to one another. "It's good that I'm awake, anyway", he mused, still not letting go of the blonde as if they were two magnets stuck to one another just because - and he had no problem with that, in fact, he wouldn't even mind being lifted up and carried around right now, but he couldn't say that, his lover was busy with packing up and Ronan was the one closing his eyes again while he clung to him.

Warmth wouldn't overcome him so soon, there was still plenty of stuff to do and most of it was packing up now and then cleaning out the cabin once they'd arrived there. The truth was, that he couldn't wait to be there but on a different note was kind of afraid to have Caelan see all of these stained sheets, or even some of the books - maybe it was a bad idea going there? No, he couldn't pull his invitation back now and he rumbling in his stomach was at least enough to distract him. "That's nice to hear. You ... could have woken me up so I ... could help ... you, you know?", he mumbled, needed a few moments to collect his often incoherent thoughts and then tried to pry his eyes back open. Caelan helped him around and he let him; there was no reason to fight it anyway - it wasn't like he could do that, either. Another kiss and no time to kiss the blonde back - Ronan sighed, stretched himself for a second and then opened up the bag and rummaged through it, took something out and just ate it while watching Caelan pack up. "Are you sure I can't help?"

The world seemed like it was awake, it always was, and Ronan was the kind of person that was busy falling behind, trying his hardest to catch up - busy running away, busy trying to hide - his body, his mind, all of it was caught in a different world for way too long and his very being was brittle, trying his best to wake up, to realize that no, he wasn't asleep any longer that, no, he was in fact awake, as awake as he could be right now and it didn't necessarily matter whether or not he'd wake up completely soon or in a few hours. "I'm trying ... I'm trying ...", he mumbled, aware of the fact that staying awake wasn't always easy and that Caelan wasn't like him - that he could jump out of bed and just do whatever he wanted, as annoying as it was to Ronan - he had to deal with it. Clinging to Caelan sounded like a good idea, but now he just stood there and watched - watched as long as he could without his eyes shutting and while he was at it, he shoved some more pieces in his mouth.

"I appreciate the effort, but you can just wake me up when you get up, don't worry", he mumbled. Maybe that'll help him become more like Caelan? Though, Ronan doubted it - in what world had that ever worked? In reality, he was nothing more than a sad excuse for a sick man and then again, he claimed he wasn't sick - but what was the truth? Nothing? Or something? A slight sigh spilled from his lips and he finally stretched himself once more, didn't dare touch his face just yet and instead picked up his shirt, put it back on and then searched for that cape of his that he had put somewhere as well. But where? A bit of looking around and actually opening his eyes later, he found it and promptly draped it over his shoulders to keep himself warm and very much awake. "Can you hold me instead? I think that might be easier and I think I'll stay warm that way. Plus, my excuse doesn't really work the other way around", he proposed and then, before even taking anything else into consideration - like Caelan wanting to answer him - made his way for the lakes shore, kneeled down and washed his face, his hands - tried waking up - and when he had, he walked back to Caelan. "So, do you still need help?"

On the other hand, if he had been awake just a little bit more, he'd probably have taken care of packing up by himself. It wasn't hard to just fold everything and then orderly pack it up, but as it seemed, other people had different methods - why should he blame Caelan for that? The truth was that, in reality, tey were all different and in fact, not all birds of the same feather tended to flock together. Ronan, on one hand, was usually just happy when he got something to work the intended way, but sometimes it was also somewhat fun to fool around and try out new things - but not now, they already had packed and he wasn't really in a condition to do something that went against all of those principles. Maybe he felt like it, yes, but in reality he also felt like being held and sleeping just a little bit more in those strong arms that Caelan had and maybe, just maybe, hating himself a bit more for a second for not being like him, not like his lover, but instead thin and scrawny, unsightly even.

"And what if I don't get up at all? You know, you can't just hoist me around like you want and throw me over your horse like a sack of potatoes, that would raise suspicion." Not that Ronan would mind, in fact, it probably would be uncomfortable but enjoyable in its own regard - not, that he did these things often, let alone with Henry. Even if he was friends with the crown prince, if there was one person busier than him, it was Henry himself who seemed to be given absolutely no free time, whatsoever. "My excuse?", he peered up, rubbed his eyes like a child, cleared his throat. If he was good at one thing, then it was acting, and right now, he clutched his chest with both of his hands, averted his gaze from Caelan and looked for a spot between the leaves. "I", he coughed, sounded almost miserably convincing while doing so. "Am horribly sick and", again, he coughed, raising his hand to his mouth, shivering on the spot where he stood. "My fellow lord, has decided to", another cough, his voice sounded wavering. "Bring me to a doctor." After that, Ronan shook his body, looked up again and stopped the fake act. "I hope that's convincing to some degree", he said and did as Caelan told him - this would, most likely, feel weird if not foreign, but he could make do. "Hurry up or I might leave without you", he joked, now fully awake and ready to actually move on.

"Unfortunately I'm not a regular sack of potatoes. Maybe they'd think you have a hostage", Ronan mused. He wouldn't mind being Caelans hostage, but he wasn't some damsel that needed to be stolen away from home, or even kidnapped by a noble who found her so endearing that he had to make her his wife; that wasn't the case here. Instead, they both were stealing one another away from their reponsibilities and dragging each other to an isolated cabin in the woods. "You're giving me too much credit. I just use the material I have accordingly and try to make the best of my situation", he explained to Caelan. It was true that he usually did his best to deceive people around him, but being able to act sick on a whim sometimes helped him to get out of things he didn't want to do - especially if he knew they were happening in advance. Of course his parents caught wind after a while, but to the untrained eye, it looked genuine. "If it convinces you, it should be enough ... and no, I won't shut up, ever." Right now it was his time to tease Caelan, even if they were together on the same horse and the path was a long but rewarding one.

"Yes, very", Ronan answered. Maybe he should have agreed to sit behind Caelan, but then he'd fallen off sooner or later if he actually fell asleep, so this was better. He felt safe right here and right now, even when the horses started to move, he still could lean back just a bit and cuddle up to Caelan in some weird way. Instead of watching the scenery, he focused on the rhythmic sounds that the hooves were making and closed his eyes - just for a moment was, what he'd told himself. What a lie. It wouldn't be far to Alster from here, but they'd do better to hurry up and maybe find a nice spot for their eventual break - at least one. "I don't have much in the hut, so yes ... but don't worry, we'll stop in the last town before the woods, they have whatever we need", but even that was quite the stretch to the cabin. Yes, it was on the way, but in reality, the cabin was so isolated that there was nothing around it but the forest and some wanderers, if they ever found their way into that area. "If you're up for a walk, we could leave the horses there ... if not, I'm sure they'll both fit in the small stable at the cabin." The cabin itself had belonged to his family for how long, exactly? Well, it didn't matter - the only thing that did was, that it was secluded and would fit all their needs.

"I doubt they could do anything against a young heir stealing away a poor peasants daughter, so you should be fine. Still, I don't imagine it would be all that comfortable being handled like a sack of potatoes, you know?" With all due respect, he wouldn't mind getting manhandled by Caelan of all people, but he didn't have to admit to that, nor was he prompted to confess such a thing right now. They both should take their time, see what this day would end up giving them and then, when all was said and done, they'd see for themselves what they liked best and what it was that they absolutely despised. For now, they actually had to get there and in reality, that would take some time - a few hours, to be exact. "I will, I will - don't worry", Ronan mumbled, already getting sleepier the further they moved away from their little lovenest and wondering if this all was related somehow, or if he should have just not closed his eyes earlier. Whatever it was, it didn't matter - they were on their way and eventually, they'd arrive, wouldn't they? "Mh, I could, but that would be a bit of a hassle, so this is fine ... I think", right now, he really regretted not getting on that horse behind Caelan, didn't he?

He was getting drowsier again and all those impressions he had earlier seemed to drown and fade out one after the other - yes, he very much was aware that he still had things to take care of, mainly attend to Caelan and not just enjoy that soft, short kiss of his that he had received. "That would be nice", he mused, thinking about those stupid warm coats from Fhaergus - they didn't have something from Alster, but Ronan did like the one that he had gotten from Caelan when they were sleeping at the lake the first time, though, he had his own and he wouldn't want Caelan to get needlessly cold. "Mh, even if I fall asleep, I don't think that I'll sleep until you need directions, but sure. The best thing you can do is ride until you almost reach the capital. It's a bit stupid to explain, but once you do see the walls on the horizon, there's two directions - either toward the capital or you can continue on the road you've been on. Choose that one. If you follow the road, you'll just need to choose the left exit when you reach the next fork in the road and follow the small path from there, all the way to Kilead. That should be something like a dead end and also the last town we could possibly stop at", he talked much, but the directions were necessary so that Caelan would understand and he could lean back indefinitely, until he had to wake up because his lover had become unsure of their plans. "Alright then, I'll take your word for it."

A few more words back and forth, Ronan eventually succumbed to sleep. It wasn't a long one, or at least he thought it wasn't, but once he had opened his eyes again, they already were in Alster and his neck hurt a bit from the uncomfortable position. Once they'd made their way deeper into the country, they stopped and took a short break, relaxed a little bit and then shifted all of their belongings from one horse to the other, just so that they could spend the rest of their way on his own - and thankfully, said horse wasn't all that mad about having Caelan handle him. The sun was already setting once they'd set out to leave again and, now fully awake, Ronan actually could afford to light their way from time to time with an improvised torch if they needed to - the way to Kilead was not only full of snow and ice, there also were some trees that had fallen over and Ronan knew that all too well; nobody lived out here, not a single noble soul, and therefore, nobody cared all that much when the temperatures were as low as this. For now, however, they did have to ride all the way back there and once they did, Ronan was somewhat glad that it already was early enough for them to buy some of their stuff at a local bakery - try as one might, he was tired again and Caelan probably could use the rest too.

Thankfully, the cabin wasn't all that far from Kilead, but still far enough that it would probably be morning and the sun would be rising anyway - and Ronan was proven right. Out here, atop of a hill, stood a small cabin, ever so slightly worn down by the weather, but it fulfilled its job. There was nothing out here, just snow and trees, just this little hill that it was standing on - and Kilead was so far away that it was so late already, even the sun managed to shine through the many trees. It didn't take long for them to stop, or for Ronan to press a quick kiss to Caelans lips before he got off the horse - no. He fumbled with something in his pocket and pulled out a key, but before he could unlock anything, he led the horses - with Caelan atop of his own - to the small stable adjenct to the cabin. "Can you put the horses in there? I'll go check if the cabin itself is alright and then we can take a nap", he mumbled and try as one might, was still holding the stuff they'd picked up at the bakery, tugged under his arms in the same burlap sack they'd borrowed to actually transport it. The key almost creaked in the rusty locky and as Ronan opened the door itself, he sneezed as dust was wafting right into his direction - great. The burlap sack itself was deposited on the table that the young noble spotted, that was that.

At least the sun illuminated the place well enough for him to see things and before he even could think about anything else, he stepped in one of the two siderooms that this cabin had - the bedroom. Rummagging through the closet there, all dusty itself, he found a fresh sheet and almost ripped the old ones off - yes, they were in fact, stained with blood. Ronan, being Ronan, shoved those back into the closet equally as fast, put the new ones on and sighed in relief. After that, he also retrieved a second blanket from said closet and closed it behind him, lay the blanket out on the bed and made sure that there was enough pillows for both of them, which, yes, there was. Once that was done, he went outside, got a few pieces of wood and put it into both of the fireplaces - one in the main room, the other in the bedroom and lighted it on fire as fast as he could, before he wanted to rush back out to Caelan and help him drag in their belongings which ... maybe he should have helped beforehand? A few quick steps outside later, he found himself in the small stable. "Do you need any help?"

They both had been awake for far too long anyway, at least Ronan thought that they were - and in honesty, he probably wasn't wrong at all. Before he could say anything worthwhile, Caelan was already dragging him back inside - the stable door was at least closed tight and so was the shabby door to the hutchs entrance. "I'm pretty much done for now", he answered, as best as he could anyway, but before he managed to get rid of anything, Caelan had already dragged him to their bed and was hellbent on going to sleep like this. The young noble couldn't help but sigh. "Caelan, I have to take off my shoes first", he mumbled and, as he sat there, just quickly undid those stupids boots of his and helped the blonde with his own, swiftly tossing them aside and getting rid of his own coat, before he lay down, patted the spot next to him and as soon as he was welcome to enjoy the blondes embrace, was fast asleep, just as expected. They both were tired and their horses could use some rest too - everything else was going to have to happen after they woke up once again, but not now.

How long did they sleep? Well, they hadn't pulled the blinds shut and the orange tint that was creeping in through the window told Ronan that he had been asleep for at least a few hours, if not for half of the day. His eyes hurt and his hair probably looked worse than before, but he was still cuddled up to Caelan who - to his surprise - wasn't awake just yet. As soon as he had made sure that he was, in fact, awake, he slipped out of the blondes grasp and back to the other room, started tending to the fire there and fed it some more fuel, grabbed the key from the lock and hung it from a hook in the wall next to it and then - ever so tenderly and silently, started to unpack their belongings and light a candle or two so that it wouldn't be completely dark in this room later on. Most of their stuff went into the cupboards over the fireplace which, unlike the one in the bedroom, was meant for actually cooking their meals and heating their water. Then, the other stuff, he had to leave aside - he didn't take his dirty laundry with him, instead had packed it with his other belongings that were being sent back to the capital directly, but what about Caelan? He could was it if he needed to, but for that he needed water and it wouldn't be a bad idea to go figure out how to maybe cook a broth with the stuff they had bought earlier, but ... instead, Ronan slipped back into the bedroom. "Wake up, sleepyhead", he softly murmured as he shook Caelan just a bit.

Peeling Caelan out of bed sounded like a solid idea right about now, but what then? Would that really, truly suffice for him or did he maybe, actually want more than just that? Well, his shirt was wrinkled and his hair was looking horrible so he could at least heat up some water and then inspect the lousy thing that he called bathroom in this place and maybe give it a quick clean before he could sink into the even lousier tub. "Look at you, now you're the one that whines about getting up", he chuckled and eventually ceased his shaking and sad down beside Caelan, stroking his hair - they both could use a bath after their little swim in the lake and maybe they could stand to lose some of their clothes in the process. They could change into something more comfortable, more suited for shedding on a whim if need be. "I thought we could take a bath and wash up", he answered and let go of Caelan, his frail fingers moving alongside his back instead and sporadically tugged on non-specific spots on the shirt he was wearing. It suited him and the fabric was nice, but it sure as hell was uncomfortable to sleep in this thing.

"But the water isn't even warm yet, so you can stay where you are for now ... but get out of your shirt, that can't be comfortable." Then, he got up and walked over to the door once again, only to bring some more firewood from the next room back and put it in the fireplace to keep the bedroom nice and warm. Then, he walked over to the window and pulled the curtains shut to block out the remaining light. "Don't stress yourself", he assured Caelan, took his boots and without a care, just slipped into them, went outside to grab some water from those rain barrels and brought the two buckets back inside, before he closed the door behind him and peered back into the bedroom. Was it Caelans time to be sleepy now? God, who knew. Ronan wound up searching for some things before he could finally afford to put the black pot into the kitchens fireplace and poured the cold water from outside into it, eventually having to leave to get more and fill this stupid thing to the brim. While they were taking their bath, he theoretically could let the broth simmer, no? Well, if he figured out how to make that, actually. Right now, he was trying to heat the water up and not get it to cook, still hoping that his lover would be cooperative and get up sometime soon. Though, the blondes current tiredness also left some room or him to actually go peer in the only other room this place had and, thankfully, it looked better than he'd remembered - wasn't that just great? Satisfied with the fact he wouldn't have to clean out the bathtub, he stretched and then attended the water in the pot. Should he try to wake up Caelan once more? No, that'd just be mean.

"Getting a bit bold with that one", Ronan chimed, knowing fully well that they both hadn't even known one another for a week - at least not like this. He didn't mind, not one bit - after all, Caelan was his puppy and anyone who tried to contest that would have a hard time trying to get the young nobles mind out of the gutter anyway. Right now, right here, they were on their own and the only thing that they could be missing was some nice candlelight that set the mood just right, though, whatever they had right now also worked well enough for them. "I guess we'll crawl back into bed sooner or later then - good, I wouldn't want our sleep schedule to suffer too much", the young noble sighed - actually, why did he even care? They both could do whatever they wanted and if they desired to pursue their carnal instincts, time wasn't a big factor anyway, let alone something Ronan would care about all that much. Right now, right here, all that mattered was Caelan and all he cared about should be Caelan, so why even bother with other things? Why even try?

"Hm, maybe I do - unless you want to be spoon fed", he remarked, but knew well enough that he didn't plan on cooking at all - not now, anyway. Instead, he had hoped that he could spice things up just a little bit, that he could stay where he was and just do the bare minimum of work so that Caelan would save him a bit of embarrassment - but no. "I prefer not lying on the floor, but yes, the fireplace does its job quite well - that's what it's here for", he mumbled and wanted to concentrate on the blonde, wanted to gift him another kiss and give him some more love, but he didn't - there was no chance to, not even once. "Oh, you do? The-", he didn't get further, instead he felt Caelans hand finding its way into his hair, grabbing a fistful and pulling it ever so slightly. Ronan was on edge, without Caelan needing to put in effort - it felt horribly good and a shiver ran down his spine soon after he had felt that pull. Any words he had in mind had died in his throat as he listened to the soft musings of his lover, of the many words he spouted that only riled him up even more, maybe without even meaning to. "I'm sorry, of course you should see something. I'll be nice and obedient if you want me to, but satisfying you without being able to touch you will be hard", Ronan croaked, his voice hoarse and his throat dry. What kind of witchcraft was this? Caelan had him in his grasp and the sheer thought of 'later' had him shiver in anticipation, had warmth pool in his stomach - it was unfair. An easy to miss gasp escaped his throat as Caelan pulled on his hair again, but that's where i stopped and this stupid shirt of his had wandered back up his shoulders. "Whatever you say", he mused - his eyes were probably hazy with anticipation anyway. "Bathing first, food later - I feel disgusting ... at least my body does. The water should be warm enough, but I don't blame you if you want to let it cool off first - try it."