loyalxtotheend

[loyalxtotheend]

The Doctor wasn't sure what kind of answer to expect from the woman, but she hoped she would accept help. Clearly, she was in need of some sort of help, at least. She waited, patiently as she good, and gave a bright smile when she finally got an answer.

"Oh, good, good!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet and holding out a hand to help the other woman up. "In that case, come with me. We'll have you all patched up in no time!"

MINERVA STUDIED THE WOMAN, curious, yet skeptical. She wasn't entirely certain what to make of her, but at least for the time being, she didn't seem to mean any harm. She seemed to genuinely want to help, and despite Minerva's reluctance to trust people, reluctance to accept help from anyone, she found herself slowly nodding in response.

"I suppose you can," she answered slowly, forcing herself not to shrug as she spoke. "If you must," she added a moment later, somehow managing to keep her voice even and devoid of emotion.

#thcwidow #threads: the doctor

[loyalxtotheend]

moirainescdai​:

                JUST FOR A MOMENT    Moiraine smiled faintly to herself,  slowly shaking her head.  “You would be surprised how often my judgement gets clouded,”  she admitted in a voice that was quietly amused.  “I do my best to minimise the risk of that happening.  It doesn’t always work.”  

                A quiet laugh escaped her lips,  and the smile she gave Thom in the next moment was nothing short of sad.  “In this particular instance,  I cannot afford to hope for anything different.  “Whatever happens,  all I can do is accept it.  I am hardly important in the grand scheme of things.”  

“Perhaps I shouldn’t have brought wine, then” Thom commented. “It’s not the best for minimizing the risk of clouded judgement” he pointed out, giving her just a little grin. He doubted a little wine would cloud her judgement at all when it came to something so important.

Thom frowned when he saw the sadness in her smile, and his heart sank at her words. Her acceptance of what she thought would be her death tomorrow was...well, it wasn’t so easy for him to accept. “You can always afford to hope” he said gently. “But if you choose not to...I’ll do it for you. I’ll hope for you.”

#moirainescdai #threads: thom merrilin

[loyalxtotheend]

moirainescdai​:

ofadventuring​:

“Too right she looks better,” Mat whispered, although he wasn’t altogether certain that she did. He wasn’t sure what was happening. Was the man actually doing anything yet? Or was he just being hopeful that this wasn’t one more snake oil salesman out to con the world out of a bit of coin? Mat edged closer to Thom – and, incidentally, closer to the door. As he watched, as it looked like nothing was happening, his skin began to crawl. There was no way this could be a good thing. It had seemed like it at the time, seemed like a brilliant idea really, but now that his initial burst of panic was over, Mat was deeply, deeply second-guessing himself. 

After all, he’d brought a man who could bloody well channel into the room. The man seemed sane enough, but how could he be? 

Mat bit the side of his thumb again, trying not to fidget – failing badly. 

“Come on, Moiraine,” he muttered. 

As for the stranger… 

He gave Moiraine a somewhat sad but still friendly smile. “Secretive, hm?” he asked, smiling a little more, and he shrugged one shoulder. “Fair enough. That’s a life I know well. Now, if you don’t mind, my lady, I’d appreciate you not trying to kill me when this is over.” He winked, as if this were all some harmless, merry sort of game, despite the sadness in his eyes. Then, he lay his other hand on her and closed his eyes, exhaling softly before going perfectly still. 

Saidin and saidar twined themselves together, simply and naturally, as they were always meant to do. There was no taint, no twist of darkness, nothing foul that came along with the magic. The Healing he wove was simple enough on the surface, but if Moiraine had the strength to follow along, she might be able to see enough tiny threads to know it was anything but simple. And, if she did not have the strength, she might feel a calming sensation, like a comb being gently run through one’s hair, as tendrils of energy moved through her, cleansing away the lingering darkness and poison of her wound before acting on the wound itself, before the true healing began.  

It wasn’t fast. Another Aes Sedai could doubtless have done it in a few heartbeats. But it was gentle, as gentle as floating in a warm pond, bathed in sunlight. And, when it was over, the Blue’s wound would be cleansed, healed, nothing remaining but a scar. 

The stranger opened his eyes and dropped his hands to his lap, watching her intently. 

Mat stepped forward. “She’ll be alright now?” 

“I hope so,” the stranger murmured. “My lady? How do you feel?” 

THIS DIDN’T SEEM TO BE    the first time the stranger had done this sort of thing, Moiraine observed.  He seemed far too confident to not have done this before,  far too practiced in his weaves.  However he had managed it all without being caught and gentled by the Red Ajah,  she wasn’t going to question that.  She was far too grateful for his help to even begin to question anything he did.  

It felt odd,  whatever it was he was doing.  Moiraine was all too familiar with being healed,  but this felt different.  She couldn’t quite place what it was,  however,  though she could tell it wasn’t the same as what she was accustomed to.  It drew far more of her energy than she would have expected,  though to be fair,  the stranger seemed to know what he was doing,  and Moiraine had had little strength left to begin with.  She supposed it was the first time she had been quite so close to death upon being healed.  Perhaps it was to be expected that it would leave her much weaker than she would have expected. 

Her brow furrowed just the slightest bit upon hearing the question,  though she was quick to return her expression back to one of calm composure,  despite being unable to completely hide just how  drained  she felt.  

For a moment she was silent,  merely considering her answer,  trying to pay close attention to what was going on with her own body.  There was only a dull ache left behind where not too long ago had been sharp pain,  like fire coursing through her veins.  She imagined it was the sort of ache that would fade in time,  once she was rested and had regained her strength.

“Exhausted,”  she finally admitted in a quiet voice,  barely able to even keep her eyes open.  “But… It is definitely an improvement.” 

@loyalxtotheend​

While he couldn’t see anything happening, it was clear to Thom that the stranger was doing something. A bit of colour seemed to be returning to Moiraine’s cheeks - or was that his imagination? He couldn’t be sure, but he certainly hoped he wasn’t imagining it. She might be angry with, she might very well hate him, but he would rather she keep right on doing that, if the other option was death. And luckily, it seemed death wasn’t on the table for her today.

Time seemed to stand still in the gap of silence between the stranger’s question and Moiraine’s answer. Thom hated every second of it. Moiraine’s voice sounded strained to him, but she did sound a little better than she had over the past days.

“Being exhausted is...normal? Right?” he asked, eyeing the stranger. He didn’t know too much about healing, especially not by channeling, but he had seen it done on a few occasions, and a bit of tiredness afterwards didn’t seem to out of the ordinary. And with how close to death Moiraine had been...would that leave her even more tired? He wasn’t sure.

“How long before she can travel?” he asked a minute later. He thought she would probably be eager to leave. “I imagine she’ll want to find her Warder...”

@ofadventuring​

#ofadventuring #moirainescdai #threads: thom merrilin

[loyalxtotheend]

enduringmagic​:

Relief, that was the first thing Tilda felt. She let out a breath, took in another, let it out slowly. She trusted Lydia at least enough to believe the woman was telling her the truth. She had noticed Lydia and Minerva growing close over the past couple of years, and if Minerva thought she could be trusted, Tilda was more likely to trust her too.

“Is he dead?” he asked, aiming for an emotionless voice, but sounding far more hopeful than she had intended.

Lydia watched girl's face, curious as to her reaction. She saw the relief in her eyes, but apart from that, it was difficult to read much more. Lydia understood that relief- she had felt much the same thing.

"He is" she answered, nodding. It had always only been a matter of time. Or at least, that was what Lydia had always hoped. She had seen first hand the results of the Baron's treatment of Minerva, and had hoped that one day, she would fight back. And she had.

#enduringmagic #threads: lydia #v: pre s1

[loyalxtotheend]

She didn't really buy the other woman's answer. "You don't look fine" the Doctor commented with a little frown. "That looks pretty bad." She studied the woman for a minute, then moved over to sit down next to her.

"Can I help?" she asked. "Or at least take a look?" She fully expected a firm rejection of her offer, but she had to at least try to help, didn't she?

「   RP MEME :     WAYS TO REACT TO AN INJURY  .   」 @loyalxtotheend asked: ‘ oh my god! are you okay? ’ -from the doctor because more crossovers yes please

STARTLED, Minerva's eyes widened as she looked at the woman. She hadn't known anyone else was there -- in fact, that had been the entire point of coming here in the first place, to be away from everyone.

Her brow furrowed as she studied the stranger for a moment, a faint frown crossing her lips. She was most definitely not someone Minerva had seen before, so what she could be doing here, that was anyone's guess.

"I'm -- I'm fine," she finally replied with a small shrug. Perhaps that wasn't quite true, but as far as injuries went, her current ones were far from the worst she had ever had. "I've had worse."

#thcwidow #threads: the doctor

[loyalxtotheend]

lydia/minerva is canon now. yep. canon. 100%.

#ooc #tbh it's an interesting dynamic #i live for lydia being all #wtf minerva wtf are you doin i know what you're tryin to do but wtf are you doin don't do that ily but don't do that #CANON okay

[loyalxtotheend]

thcwidow​:

                MINERVA TOOK A MOMENT    just to think over the question.  Usually in times like this,  she would want to be alone,  would hide away from everyone – perhaps out of fear,  or shame,  she wasn’t sure which.  But Lydia’s presence was comforting,  and really there was no reason to hide from her.  It wasn’t as if she had anything to hide anymore.

                “I’d like that,”  she finally answered,  giving a small nod.  “I mean,  if it’s not too much trouble – if there’s not somewhere else you would rather be.”  She imagined her company wouldn’t be the best.  She was exhausted,  sore,  wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week.  Likely she would manage an hour or two at most,  that was usually how it worked out. 

“Oh come now, it’s no trouble” Lydia shushed her gently. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be, and I daresay you could use a little company.” She could as well, if she was honest about that. And even in this condition, Minerva was better company that Quinn. Besides, she wouldn’t forgive herself if she left her friend alone and something happened.

Carefully, Lydia helped Minerva to get settled beneath the thick blankets. Leaving her boots on the floor by the foot of the bed, she settled herself under the blankets next to Minerva, lying on her side facing the younger woman. For a moment she just studied her. “It’s going to be alright” she said quietly after a few minutes had passed. She reached out to take one of Minerva’s hands and squeezed it gently. “One day.”

#thcwidow #threads: lydia #v: pre s1

[loyalxtotheend]

enduringmagic​:

        Lydia’s answers were barely reassuring. She was hardly telling anything at all, much to Tilda’s frustration.

        “Lydia, I just want straight answers!” She couldn’t stop herself from sounding at least a little irritated. “What happened? Is she really going to be okay? Did the Baron- did he go too far? He had a lot to drink last night, he hurts her more when he drinks, it makes him angrier-” She forced herself to stop her nervous rambling, taking a deep breath.

        “Wait-” Everything finally sunk in, and Tilda frowned slightly. “If it’s not her blood, then whose…?”

Lydia could understand Tilda’s irritation, but she merely waited it out, waited for everything she had said to settle in the girl’s mind, for her to make sense of it. She saw the moment it had all registered, saw the change in Tilda’s face.

“It’s the Baron’s blood” Lydia answered. She couldn’t even bring herself to pretend to be remorseful. The way she saw it, it really wasn’t a loss for anyone. The Badlands would be better off without him. Minerva would certainly be better off without him. “Minerva finally had enough, it seems.” Oh, Lydia couldn’t be more proud of her. The Baron had had it coming for a long time. It had only been a matter of time.

#enduringmagic #threads: lydia #v: pre s1

[loyalxtotheend]

“You know I can’t do that, Minerva.” His voice bore no anger, only concern. He knew how afraid she was of something like this happening, and no amount of reassurance seemed to ease that fear.

He approached her cautiously and crouched down in from of her, just holding out one hand. “It’s okay. Everything’s okay. Just let me take a look at it.” He wasn’t sure how she would react, so he just waited, giving her all the patience in the world.

「   RP MEME :     WAYS TO REACT TO AN INJURY  .   」 @loyalxtotheend​ asked:    ‘ that’s a lot of blood. ’  -from gaius

                JUST HEARING HIS VOICE,    Minerva was already shrinking away from him.  It had merely been an accident,  a small slip of a kitchen knife – one that was considerably sharper than she had originally thought.  That was all it had taken.

                Minerva wasn’t certain how long ago that had been. Time had meant little to her. Oh, she was grateful no one had been around.  She didn’t even want to think about what she might have done. And now… now she just felt  drained – physically,  mentally,  just exhausted. 

                “Stay away from me,  Gaius.”  Even her voice sounded tired,  despite her attempts to put a warning tone into it.  “Just… leave me alone.” 

#thcwidow #threads: gaius chau #v: post s3

[loyalxtotheend]

thcwidow​:

                MINERVA TOOK A MOMENT    just to think over the question.  Usually in times like this,  she would want to be alone,  would hide away from everyone – perhaps out of fear,  or shame,  she wasn’t sure which.  But Lydia’s presence was comforting,  and really there was no reason to hide from her.  It wasn’t as if she had anything to hide anymore.

                “I’d like that,”  she finally answered,  giving a small nod.  “I mean,  if it’s not too much trouble – if there’s not somewhere else you would rather be.”  She imagined her company wouldn’t be the best.  She was exhausted,  sore,  wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week.  Likely she would manage an hour or two at most,  that was usually how it worked out. 

“Minerva, it’s no trouble at all.” Lydia would prefer it that way, even. She wanted to keep an eye on Minerva, wanted to make sure she was alright. “I’m happy to stay, I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t.”

She gave Minerva a little smile. “Now come on, lie down,” she said gently, pulling back the blankets to carefully help Minerva into bed. “I’m sure you could use the rest.”

She tried to imagine what the younger woman must be feeling, what must be growing through her head. It wasn’t hard to imagine, even though it wasn’t something she could specifically relate to. Quinn had never hit her, she could only imagine the fear Minerva must feel, especially given the information that this was a regular thing, and had been going on for many, many years. She wanted to help, in any way she could.

#thcwidow #threads: lydia #v: pre s1

[loyalxtotheend]

thcwidow​:

                “NO,  THAT IS DEFINITELY    one of the reasons he is a complete and utter idiot,”   Minerva replied.  She fully believed that,  and whatever excuses Lydia could come up with for Quinn,  she wouldn’t believe them,  not for an instant.  Men were predictable,  at the very least. 

                A small frown settled on her lips,  and shaky breath leaving her in the next moment.  “I’m not sure I even know how to rest anymore,”  she admitted.  She tended to work herself to exhaustion,  sleeping only when her body demanded it,  when she couldn’t force herself to continue on any longer.  “I’m not sure how much good it will do.” 

Lydia just smiled sadly at Minerva’s answer. “You should try, regardless” she replied softly, brushing a hand over the younger woman’s hair again before she pulled back just a little, just enough to allow her to look Minerva in the eyes. It wasn’t hard to see that she was still shaken, and Lydia could hardly blame her. She hadn’t seen the extent of it, she had only seen the results of the Baron’s abuse, but she wouldn’t blame Minerva in the least for being shaken by it, even after all these years.

“Do you want me to stay?” she asked quietly. Minerva seemed to find at least some comfort in not being left on her own, and Lydia would do whatever she could to help. Lydia didn’t have many friends, but Minerva was definitely someone she would consider exactly that. And if nothing else, she had an unshakable loyalty to those she considered friends. She would do whatever she could to help Minerva.

#thcwidow #threads: lydia #v: pre s1

[loyalxtotheend]

thcwidow​:

                MINERVA PULLED BACK SLIGHTLY   upon hearing Lydia’s answer.  She was silent for a long while,  just studying the other woman,  her brow slightly furrowed.  It was hard to comprehend,  really,  what Lydia had just said.

                “Well,  he’s an idiot,”  she replied darkly.  She leaned back into Lydia again,  immediately missing the comfort of the other woman’s arms around her.  “You’re beautiful,  and he’s even more of an idiot than I thought if he can’t see that.” 

Lydia couldn’t help laughing quietly. “Oh, I don’t know about that” she answered. “Well, he is definitely not always the brightest.” She had to acknowledge that at least. “Though I’m not sure that can be considered to be among the reasons he is...not the brightest.”

She smiled faintly when Minerva leaned back into her, her arms wrapping around the younger woman again, just holding her securely for as long as she wanted it. “You should try to rest” she said quietly after a while had passed. “It might do you some good.”

#thcwidow #threads: lydia #v: pre s1

[loyalxtotheend]

thcwidow​:

                SHE WASN’T CERTAIN   if anything Lydia was saying was comforting or not.  She wasn’t even certain she believed any of it,  as much as she wanted to.  She knew the other woman meant well but… it was hard to believe there was anyone who cared for her anymore.  

                 “Quinn– does he ever…?”  she trailed off,  unable to voice the words,  as thought that was too much acknowledgement,  as though it made it all too real. 

Lydia shook her head, suppressing a little laugh. It really wasn’t funny, she supposed. Especially giving exactly what it was Minerva was asking.

“No, he hasn’t” she answered. “He can be cruel, but his cruelty shows itself in different ways. Toward me, at least.” It had bothered her at first, to no end. These days... it still hurt, just a little. But it was easier to ignore. She had Minerva to thank for that. She had found someone she cared about as much as she had once cared for Quinn. It dulled the pain, quite a lot, actually.

“These days he mostly ignores me. He’s moved on to younger, prettier things.”

#thcwidow #threads: lydia #v: pre s1

[loyalxtotheend]

thcwidow​:

                MINERVA COULD ONLY FROWN    at that,  skeptical of those worse,  doubtful.  It had been a long time since there had been anyone who had looked out for her,  cared for her.  It was hard for her not to be at least a little suspicious.  But Lydia… for some reason,  Minerva trusted her.  It was just a feeling,  really.  She had been hesitant to listen to her instincts at first,  hadn’t trusted them.  But eventually,  she had come around.

                “I don’t know about that,”  she scoffed,  letting out a dry laugh.  It was hard to believe she wasn’t disposable.  Hard to believe she was strong.  She had been,  once.  That had been a long time ago,  and so much had changed since then.  

                “I don’t really think anyone would miss me if I was gone.”  She paused, shrugging.  “Perhaps that’s why he picked me.  He could have chosen anyone.  It only makes sense he would choose the one that no one would miss.”

Lydia could practically feel the younger woman’s pain. She could understand where she was coming from.

“If that was his aim, to pick someone who wouldn’t be missed, he made a mistake” she answered, giving Minerva a gentle squeeze. “I’d miss you. The girl - Tilda - she would miss you. People would miss you, Minerva. Probably more than you know.”

“You aren’t like him. I’ve seen how you treat the cogs. You’re kind to them, not like him. Kindness, that’s something people remember. You would be missed, I promise.”

#thcwidow #threads: lydia #v: pre s1

[loyalxtotheend]

things that are totally canon now:

lydia and minerva becoming bffs before season one

lydia lowkey planting the seed of “yo maybe you should just murder your hubby, he’s a literal piece of poop”

the minute minerva snaps and finally kills him and lydia hears about it, she ditches quinn and they just co-baron together. tilda gets two moms.

season three rolls around and they’re girlfriends with boyfriends. gaius and moon are totally cool with this. no one’s jealous. everyone’s happy. tilda gets two moms and two dads.

NOBODY. DIES. except quinn. and pilgrim. fuck those assholes.

#ooc #who's canon i don't know her

[loyalxtotheend]

thcwidow​:

                THOUGH HESITANT AT FIRST,    slowly,  Minerva allowed herself to lean into Lydia’s embrace.  She let out a shaky breath,  trying to let herself relax,  even just a little bit.  It wasn’t easily done.  She wasn’t sure she had ever really been relaxed,  not in a long time.  But at least now,  she had some sense of safety.  Perhaps it was silly – could Lydia really protect her,  if it came down to it?  She wasn’t sure,  but at least for that moment,  she could allow herself to feel that false sense of safety and comfort.  Perhaps she needed it.

                Her teeth clenched,  and she tensed slightly at the question,  but a moment later Minerva shook her head.  “I was sixteen,  the last thing I wanted was to marry anyone,  least of all him.  I was just a Cog.  Disposable.  I had no right to refuse a Baron.” 

Lydia had married a Baron as well, though she had never been a cog. It had been her choice. But she had seen how some of the Barons treated their cogs. Some were worse than others, but she could say for a fact that Minerva’s husband was among the worst.

“No matter what he may think, or what you may think, you’re not disposable.” Although she kept a gentle tone, there was a firmness in her voice. A firmness that said she wouldn’t be argued with. “You’ve made it this far. I think you’re stronger than you know.” The poor woman had put up with so much, and for so long. It took strength to do that, even if Minerva felt anything but strong.

#thcwidow #threads: lydia #v: pre s1

[loyalxtotheend]

thcwidow​:

                HER SHOULDERS SLUMPED SLIGHTLY,    head hanging as her arms wrapped tightly around herself.  Her eyes fixed on the ground,  not moving from an invisible spot there.  It was a little comforting,  feeling Lydia’s hand move gently over her hair – not that she particularly wanted to admit that.  She wasn’t used to comfort,  hadn’t even allowed herself to try to find comfort in anything at all,  not in years.  Anything that could just turn her mind off for a while,  that was what she had settled for.

                Her brow furrowed,  stomach twisting uncomfortably at the question.  It wasn’t one she wanted to answer.  It wasn’t even one to which she wanted to acknowledge the answer.  

                “Since always,”  Minerva finally replied,  her voice shaking.  “Since I married him.  Well,  even since before then,  I suppose.”  Pausing for a moment,  she let out a bitter laugh.  “I wanted to die,  you know.  When he informed me we were to be married.  All this time,  I’ve kept hoping that one day,  he would just kill me.”  

Lydia felt her heart break for Minerva. She remembered hearing from Quinn that his fellow Baron was to be married. That must have been nearly a decade ago. She hadn’t known Minerva at the time, had only met her recently when their husbands had formed an alliance. But to think what she had endured all this time...

Gently, carefully, Lydia pulled the young woman into her arms, holding her securely, but not so tightly as to aggravate her injuries. “Well I, for one, am glad you’re still alive” Lydia told her quietly. She kept running her hand lightly over Minerva’s hair, noticing it seemed to relax her at least a little bit.

She played everything over again in her head, little by little the pieces starting to fall into place. “You never wanted to marry him, did you? He never gave you a choice...” It made sense. He had so much control of her, he had all along.

#thcwidow #threads: lydia #v: pre s1