Shattered Windows, Broken Locks

Kalt I say goodbye to my weakness, So long to the regret, and now I see the world through diamond eyes.     Kalt watched her carefully when the girl’s name was revealed. He watched her expressive eyes widen and freeze, her breathing seem to stop and trip over itself at the same time. He watched her start to shudder at the sound of the name she had likely tried so hard to forget. There was a piece of him that regretted allowing them to be introduced so soon.     As he looked at the way Ashetta regarded the toddler, the man gritted his teeth for a fleeting moment, his eyes remaining on the woman. Theea was alive. She had been this whole time, but Ashe hadn’t known. The two of them hadn’t spoken about it in the Guild. After Theea was found out, Ashe was thrown in the pit for three weeks, then whipped, then subjected to his icy torment for five weeks. He had gotten creative in those weeks, and that time together had been the focus of some of his worst night terrors, listening to her scream and utterly shatter nearly past the point of rebuilding... Kalt quickly closed his eyes and shoved the thoughts out of his mind before they consumed him. The point was that there wasn’t time after Theea had been found out to talk about it, and afterwards it just wasn’t safe.     Ashe practically flew out of the bed, making Theea jump slightly in shock and bringing a sharp huff to Kalt. Wide eyes looked up at him, and the man stood up, rubbing the toddler’s back once. ”Theea, stay in here,” he directed. ”Papa’s gonna go talk to Ashe.” The girl simply nodded and flopped onto her back with a giggle at the way the sheets floated for a moment under her falling weight.     He briskly made his way out of the room, clicking the door closed behind him. Kalt released a slow breath through his nose, brows furrowing in an empathetic manner, rather than a disapproving one. Ashe remained on her feet - a good sign for her mental status - in the hall, as her hands raked into her hair. Slowly, he walked up behind her, but she likely would’ve known he was coming after her, especially once the door had clicked.     ”Ashe,” he said quietly, stopping and putting his hands firmly and gently on both of her arms. He would carefully encourage her to turn, and if she allowed it, would hold her against him. Unlike when she was in the midst of a night terror, he didn’t force her against him. This time, she didn’t need a tether to reality. She had been thrown too far into reality too quickly, so he was simply giving her a place to curl safely. When she was with him, she was safe. Even if she didn’t consciously remember that, a part of her would always recognize that feeling.     He combed her hair back, moving her hands from the raven locks. ”Breathe with me,” he said quietly, drawing elongated breaths, deeper than he needed, but enough that she would be able to stabilize herself to some degree. Kalt smiles at her gently. ”I’m sorry I didn’t tell you back in Northwind, but I couldn’t risk it. Master had found out once. If he discovered her again...” His heart started racing, red creeping into his vision. Theea was his daughter. Master may have had a blood connection to the little girl, but Kalt put in the blood, sweat, and tears (sometimes all at once) to keep her safe and to raise her. To think of that masked fuck taking her from him...     He refocused himself, looking at Ashe and drawing a breath mostly for himself that time. ”Are you okay?” He was pretty sure he knew the answer, but he wanted her to speak, to tell him what was going through her mind.