Tag: adventurous death

lightsailing‌:

bram’s brow furrowed as he held on to each word that escaped theodore’s lips. he was desperate to commit each sound and nuance to memory, even though he would forever loathe that of which theodore spoke. 

it was no surprise to bram that his beloved had romanticised his own death. everything seemed to be a fairytale to him, naught but a game, inconsequential. did he care at all for the hearts of those he would leave behind, no matter the manner of his demise?

the admiralty? he mused, interest piqued. the dying wish thrust bram into copse of even greater confusion. where he had just wondered what would push theodore, a man who fought for the crown, to be a traitor against it, he now wondered for what cause he committed treason for? if his acts of espionage were sanctioned by the crown itself, then what was theodore hiding his actions for? who was he spying on? 

it was a damn shame that edrington was, yet again, forced to set aside his emotions for the sake of duty. he wanted to kiss theodore once more, to remember the feeling of warm lips on his own. he wanted to see his smile and the way it infected every bit of the world, making flowers christen and the sun glimmer. in that moment, bram nearly laughed at his own selfishness. grief and love made men cruel. he wept because no longer would he be able to have what theodore once provided. 

theodore would pass – whether now or later – and so would bram, in his own time, but britain had the chance to prevail. though bram could only secure theodore’s mortality for a finite amount of time, if there was a way he could help secure britain’s for an eternity, it was his duty to do so.

“i’ll take the letters right back where you took them if you don’t tell me what is significant about them,” he said quickly and prayed to god that theodore would comply. 

the footsteps of the soldiers were drawing nearer and nearer and edrington could no longer pretend like he had enough time to get the information he needed and make up his mind on what to do with theodore. the situation was proving to be more complex, more sensitive, than what he previously thought. if the admiralty was truly involved and fashioned their business to be so secret, they could not let a well – reputed major in on it, then surely it was not for any of his lessers to know. defending a spy to the soldiers inbound would be a difficult and damning, albeit necessary, task,

there was, however, another avenue bram could pursue: lying. he could hide theodore away and send his subordinates on a wild goose chase. 

it would be hard to justify in a court martial, but if everything that theodore had said was true, then there would be no condemning grounds to ensnare them both. however, bram did not know if he could trust theodore and he especially did not know if he could trust the admiralty. damn the navy. 

Theodore was torn – torn between completing a mission at the risk of his beloved Bram, or letting himself die with the secrets clutched tight behind his teeth. For what purpose would it serve to get the young Lord Edrington mixed up in these affairs? If the endeavour failed, it would only place one who was far afield of the mess at risk – but if the truth came out, and Bram was to learn what Theodore died for in silence, would he not be made bitter with the awareness he could have helped, had Theodore only spoken? 

He knew Bram was a man of deep loyalty, a patriot in ways he himself had never connected to. There was an ardent adoration for England and her legacy bred so deep within his lover that it was a wonder at times that Bram could love him at all. He would not take well to the idea he could have protected his darling country, if only the man he once called darling had granted him the capacity to do so. 

These thoughts took too long – his breath rattled wetly in his lungs when at last he dragged in the air to speak, and there was a slight rasp that indicated too clearly beyond the veil of his pain that he was not going to last without the aid of a surgeon, and swiftly. 

“Proof, my dear,” He had no notion of the fact his darling Bram was genuinely considering the unforgivable on his account – that the dedicated major was already racing through the means of preserving him despite his lack of knowledge on what was going on. “Proof that our Lord host plays his hand with the Irish rebels in support of Napoleon – that he is – funding invasion efforts – “ Theodore coughed, grimacing as he clutched at the wound now, unable to pretend any longer, to hold on to pride any longer and act as though he wasn’t in considerable agony. 

He curled slightly, shifting to find his feet, slipping slightly against the pool of his own blood. How far could he run, with the time he had now wasted, and his head now grown heavy and lethargic? How much blood had he lost – how vital was the strike? These were questions to which he did not know the answer, but he did know this, “It’s you or I, darling.” 

If Bram took the letters, then he could surrender himself now unto death – but if not, if Bram could not bring himself to believe the admiralty’s suspicions against their host now, he was obligated to give it one last shot with whatever strength he had left. For Theodore held no doubts, and he would not afford Bram any more reason for regret than he was bound to already hold.   

lightsailing‌:

closed starter for @oceanfoamed

of all the enemies of the crown, lord edrington could never will himself to find any respect to be given to agents of espionage. it was a shameful affair borne of trickery and deceit and all virtues that went against gentlemanship. conflict, even in the finest of societies, was inevitable; the least that could be done was to ensure that some rules of war be upheld. 

it was with irritation that he dispatched his men to rifle through the estate for the spy supposedly in their midst. there had been papers, the content of which not divulged to edrington, stolen from the master’s study.

he heard footfalls approaching, a wild, frantic gait. edrington let his breath out slowly with the anticipatory satisfaction that the spy was crawling right into his grasp. he unsheathed his sword, the worn brass of the guard and pommel cold against his bare hand. 

at the very last moment, he turned out from shadows of the hall, holding firm as the blade pierced a body. not one to deny any man a mercy ( even a man as low as a spy ), bram withdrew his sword. blood glinted on the steel in the thin light of moon that passed through the broad window panes of the hallway like ghosts haunting the mansion. the man staggered back and, as he did, a crescent of the moon flitted across his face. 

the sword clattered to the floor. he dashed forward, taking the man in his arms. “good god, what have i done? theodore, my heart,” bram whispered, staggering to the ground. his hands trembled as they ran over theodore’s body. he prayed that this was but a nightmare, that he would frighten himself awake and turn over to see his man, his darling man, asleep and safe beside him.

the sound of his sword falling had, no doubt, alerted the very sentries he had scattered around the manor. his hand balled in theodore’s shirt tight as if he was holding on to the last grains of sand that spoke of their waning time together. bram had to think quickly while fate had not yet solidified. 

as much as he loved theodore, could he let allow a criminal to go free, could he lie through his teeth to the people he swore to protect, could he be instrumental in treason against the crown, knowing the empire could be at risk? however, was bram’s heart strong enough to bear another break? would he ever heal from this, watching another person he held so dear to his very being, slip away into the veil of death? 

“you damnable fool!” he hissed, voice just above a whisper, for any louder would have have caused it to break. 

It was all fun and games until he had been caught – he had agreed to assist in this matter mostly because it had sounded so dreadfully entertaining. He understood the risks of course, the danger of being seen as a spy himself should anyone lay witness to his actions – but he had believed, wholeheartedly, that he would be able to prevail despite the obstacles in his way.

The admiralty could not risk sending an actual spy into their own house – could not risk it becoming known that there was doubt to the intentions and loyalty of a lord – but a youthful and willing scapegoat to play the part and get the proof was a gamble worth taking. Theodore knew the reason he had been chosen was because he was known for one thing most of all:

Appearing absolutely harmless until it was too late.

Indeed, he had a marvelous time convincing his way to the right manors, the right houses, and sneaking off in search of the evidence the admiralty required. He’d done remarkably well the last two times and perhaps that was why fate had seen fit to intervene. He had grown too confident.

Caught concealing something in his coat by one of the marines, Theodore had little choice but to fight his way out and run for it. He’d been running toward the door after breaking past several of the soldiers barricading the hallway ( taking a few minor hits along the way ) when a familiar form had stepped from the shadows to stop him.

It was almost embarrassing to know he had stopped to look at him, rather than register the fact his sabre was bared.  

Now, lowered as he was to the ground as shouts rang out nearby, Theodore knew he was fast out of time. He could not risk Bram – even with the pain lancing through him, Theodore felt sure he could run if he had to – but not at the cost of this man’s success in catching him, however.

“You know,” Theodore wondered if Bram had realized, in the darkness, who he was. Or if the shadows had blocked his face, that it wasn’t until the blade was through him that his lover had realized what had been done. It mattered little in the grand scheme – Bram had a duty to uphold, and Theodore would not begrudge him that. “I always yearned for an adventurous death,” He mused, feeling the hand twisting in his shirt and hearing shouts upstairs as his capture was perhaps discovered by backup, “I daresay love grants me that.”

Even if he survived this, he would be arrested and put to death for his actions. Theodore knew the admiralty would not defend him and in truth, he found it sweeter to die by Bram’s side than before a firing squad, or the cheers of the gallows crowd.

“There are letters in my pocket,” Theodore whispered, praying he still had one shot to at least succeed in protecting Bram from the treasonous actions of the man in charge of this very manor house, “I would ask you take them to the admiralty in my stead.”