Swing Life Away (Evie)

[Henry Renold]

Henry sat on the roof of the Black Bear Tavern, swinging his legs wildly and holding a bottle of rum in one hand.
Men had been cursing at him all afternoon, but he had never cared less, and women had been screaming as they saw how precariously he balanced on the edge.

Below him on the ground, lay the remnants of several empty bottles, the contents of which Henry had consumed and later emptied again behind the chimney, much to the barkeep's disgust.

He was dressed all in black which was unusual for Henry who usually wore a mix of earthy browns and greens. Even when thieving he wore grey. He was an inky blot against the skyline for anyone who happened to glance this way from the main city. But once again Henry Renold just didn't give a damn.

As he saw watching the patrons leave and enter the tavern below he hurled abuse, and anything else he could find. A couple had thrown the roof tiles back, but Henry had laughed. No one could hurt him up here, he was immune to their comments and their throws. But he wished he wasn't.
"An't you god anything bedder?!" He slurred, cackling like a madman at someone who had attempted to hit him with a rock. He dropped another bottle down onto the floor below making a woman squeal as it smashed to a thousand pieces at her feet.
He laughed again, completely oblivious to the consequences of his actions.

[Evie Perroy]

It had been a little while since Dante's death, and Evie had finally returned to work. The regular patrons didn't murmur their sympathies to her, after all, they were brotherhood members and used to death. But they didn't stir up any trouble for her, and Evie was grateful for it. Evie leaned heavily onto the bar, her lower back was beginning to ache from standing upright for so long. Her head rested in her hand, and she stared down at the sticky wooden bar, following the lumps and knots in the wood as if it were the most important thing in the world. That was her coping mechanism. Not thinking about anything.

A crash from outside caught her attention, and one of the busty wenches who worked the area burst through the door with her hands wrapped about her head.
"He almost hit me!" she cried, and continued muttering as she dropped into the closest man's lap, fanning herself with her hand.

"I'll get it." Evie replied darkly. She was in no mood for trouble tonight, and felt sorry for whoever was outside. She slammed open the door to the tavern. "Get out." she spoke to the man before her, who was clutching rocks, assuming he was the trouble maker. "I swear, if you don't..." Evie trailed off, stepping out level with the man and following his eyeline.

"Henry?" she cried, as she caught sight of Dante's best friend drunkenly swaying on the rooftop.

[Henry Renold]

"Eeeeeeeeeevie!" Henry yelled, swaying dangerously far forward and sliding down a few tiles. They crashed into smithereens at the feet of his former friends lover and he laughed again. The pair has never been very close, in fact they had only really met through Dante, but she had been good for him and Henry had nothing against her. In fact she had never been anything but nice to him.

Since Dante's death, Henry hadn't spared a thought for poor Evie, who was probably suffering in equal measure- if not more so. He still didn't think of it now, as he drunkenly stared at her from his vantage point on the roof. All he could see was a pretty blonde girl, who was wearing a rather provocative outfit, and he was getting a damn good view.

"Com'n up here," He slurred, shifting over slightly and patting the bare patch of tiles he had been sitting on, those had been some of the ones he had smashed earlier and the rough felt below was itchy, but more comfortable. Henry thought himself rather chivalrous.

"Come on!!!" He yelled, swigging his rum. It was almost empty he realised, and that meant at some point he was going to have to go down to restock.

[Evie Perroy]

"Henry?" Evie replied to his yell. She opened her mouth to ask what on earth he was doing on the roof, but spotting the bottle clutched in his hand she thought better of it. That was her answer. "Oh for goodness sake." she hissed under her breath as Henry called for her to join him. Evie lived in the building, in fact her room was the one below just below Henry's swinging legs. She decided to humor him in the hope she could get him down before he hurt someone, or worse, fell drunkenly to his death.

"Hold on!" she called up, then headed back in to the pub. Literally she thought darkly to herself. It took only moments for her ascend the staircases, lean out of the window and pull herself up onto the roof using the ledge as a foothold. Evie had strong arms, and was more than capable for a girl of her build. She shuffled across to where Henry had indicated she sit, looking down at the ground with very little care for her own safety. She didn't care much for anything since Dante's death, and she assumed that Henry had come to the same conclusion.

"How did you get up here?" she demanded. Her room had been locked and she couldn't see how Henry could have scaled the building. "And how much have you drunk?"

[Henry Renold]

"I don't know." Was Henry's reply, which came with a sad and confused face. He truly couldn't remember how he had gotten up here, but it had been ladder at the back of the property. The owner had since removed it.

"But i had fourrrrr," He swayed forwards, clinging onto Evie's shoulder to balance himself and pulling her dangerously close to the edge too. As a way of apology he offered his dirty bottle of rum.
"Wan' some?"

Henry then remained silent for a while, staring out across the city trying to find something to occupy his attention so that he didn't start to think. Think about Dante and about Gill, whom he hadn't been able to face since his friends death. Goodness only knew what she must have thought about his sudden disappearance, and so soon after they had finally gotten their act together too.

But right now he was here with Evie, and she was all he could think about because if he didn't, who knew what might happen.

[Evie Perroy]

Evie gripped onto the roof tiles as Henry leant his weight on her, and she tilted back slightly to keep them both balanced. Evie took the proffered bottle of rum, sniffed at it and wrinkled her nose. It certainly wasn't watered down, which meant it probably wasn't from the Black Bear. There wasn't much left, but she swigged at it herself, then pitched it off of the rooftop..

"Oops, clumsy me." she said, as it smashed to the ground. Her lips pressed into a straight line, and she sounded anything but apologetic. At Henry's reaction she shrugged, "Not allowed t'bring your own drink to the 'stablishment...' she added with a wry smile.

Henry seemed quiet. Evie wasn't a scholar of human behavior, but she could tell that his drinking was some sort of coping mechanism for his grief. She sighed, and linked her arm through his, partly to comfort him, and partly to anchor him more firmly to the roof.

"You miss him?" she spoke softly, phrasing the words as a question despite the fact she knew it was a statement. Evie didn't specify who 'him' was. It was still painful too speak Dante's name; it opened the dark hole in her chest that threatened to take over her when she least expected it.

[Henry Renold]

Henry watched, horrified, as his alcohol sailed out of Evie Perroy's hand and down to the cobbles below. It was true that bringing your own drink to the tavern was prohibited, but Henry didn't really care. What could anyone do?

Her question caught him by surprise though, and he turned to look at her slowly. What could he say to that? Of course he missed Dante, but right now he was denying it to even himself and so instead he ignored her question, but he could feel the new "wild" Henry building up inside.

After a few moments, he turned to look at Evie, and noticing that he had a rather good view of her cleavage now that she had pressed herself closer to him, he placed his hands on her curvaceous hips and laughed as he pulled her towards him.
"Y'know I always thought you was gorgeousss." He slurred at her.

He somehow felt better when he was like this. Maybe it was because he felt like a new person, one who had no memories of Dante.

[Evie Perroy]

Henry seemed thoughtful, and looked at her before answering her question. The breeze, that they had no protection from sitting so high up, blew Evie's hair across her eyes, and she reached up her spare hand to tuck the flyaway strands behind her ears. She looked into Henry's eyes, frowning as she followed his eyeline to her chest...
Suddenly, Henry's arms moved down to her hips, and she caught his slurred words. Evie could smell the alcohol on his breath.

She didn't react at first. If this had been a patron in the bar, he'd have a red imprint of her hand across his face by now. But this was Henry. She thought he was her friend, and even though they didn't know each other that well, he had been Dante's best friend. She suppressed the initial urge to react violently- that wouldn't be clever on a rooftop- instead, she grabbed onto Henry's wrists and twisted them away from her, slamming them back into his own chest. She knew Henry was pretty high up in the Brotherhood, and despite his skinny frame he could probably take her whatever resistance she put up.

"Shame on you Henry Renold." she practically snarled at him. "You're dead best friend's lover?" she folded her arms across her chest and shuffled away from him. "How could you." she added, speaking more quietly, and facing outwards.

Henry's behavior had shaken her, and Evie's moods had been very temperamental recently. She bit her bottom lip. Her initial anger had faded, and she felt tears prick at her eyes.

[Henry Renold]

Evie's harsh words had some effect on Henry and he let her push his hands away without resistance.
She was right of course, but teh mix of intoxication and care-free attitude had meant he barely had control over himself. Her negative reaction meant he didn't push his luck though and he actually muttered a quiet apology.

"It wasn't right. I know. I'm sorry." And without warning, Henry Renold broke down in tears.

He hadn't cried since that fateful day in the barracks, and it felt like he was setting himself free as he allowed himself to finally grieve. He both hated and loved the way he felt like the old Henry, and he struggled as to whether he should accept it or rebel against it.

"Evie, I can't do this anymore. What will i do without him?" He gasped.

[Evie Perroy]

Evie was still angry with Henry's behaviour, but she put an arm around him anyway, albeit without much warmth. When Henry began to cry, the tears that had been pricking at Evie's eyes began to fall and ran down her cheeks silently.

She breathed in, sniffing loudly and trying to gather herself together to reply to Henry. "I can't tell you it'll be all right." she began, giving his arm a gentle squeeze before letting go and folding her hands demurely in her lap. She stared out away from him across the rooftops. People didn't appreciate it when others watched them cry, especially men.

"I dunno what you're going t'do. I don't even know what I'm going t'do. I just keep reminding myself that I lived before I knew him, and I wasn't unhappy. It's possible to get there again." Evie's head dropped, and she looked down into her lap not really believing what she was saying.
"Everything is so grey." she stated. It was a beautiful day, but Evie knew Henry would understand. Everything they were seeing was grey, bleak and very empty.

[Henry Renold]

Henry nodded silently. It was like the whole world was shrouded in a black veil, making everything around him seem hazy. He sniffed, wiping his nose drunkenly across his sleeve and frowning out at the horizon.

But i didn't live before him, He thought sadly. I merely existed

"We need to stop crying." He said, matter of factly while shutting out his sad thoughts.
"We have to carry on. Make him proud." This was the new Henry talking, maybe he wasn't all bad afterall. But he still hadn't remembered that he was supposed to have met Gill several hours ago.

"I think i'm going to become an assassin." He said, seemingly having gotten past his intoxication. "I want to be like him. I want to avenge him."

Henry had never had much of a dislike for the Pendragon family, but now Arthur had killed Dante...

Things had changed.

[Evie Perroy]

Evie was impressed how the flash of grief that had struck Henry had sobered him up. She brushed the back of her hand across her face in a rough unladylike motion when he spoke of crying.

We need to stop crying...We have to carry on""

"If you hadn't noticed that's what I was trying to do... before certain customers drink themselves into a stupor and scale the building." Evie replied to his words tartly, drumming her fingers on the guttering they were holding on to.

"I think i'm going to become an assassin."

Henry's simple statement caused Evie to burst into a fresh batch of tears. It was so violent and sudden that she slipped a few inches down the roof tiles; one dropped from beneath her and shattered on the ground below.

"Henry I lied to him." she managed to say in between sobs. It was potentially dangerous to tell Henry this in his volatile vengeful state. "I was an assassin, I still am I suppose." At this point she forced herself to look Henry in the face, "For the Pendragons, I was in the royal army. I never told him because I thought he wouldn't understand. Arthur was his greatest enemy, Arthur killed him. I trained under the man who killed him. You can't hate me more than I hate myself." Evie shook as she spoke, it was such a release to tell someone, the guilt had been weighing her down since before Dante had died.

[Henry Renold]

Henrys eyes flashed dark as he stared out into the sky. He couldn't bring himself to look at her right now, for his newly developed hate of Arthur Pendragon was the single strongest emotion he could feel.
How could she possibly betray him like that? It was true that Henry had only just formed his hatred, and that it had been directly fuelled by his best friends murder, but Dante had always been his enemy. She would have known that and still she joined the army. Arthur's army.

He turned slowly to meet her sobbing eyes, but said nothing. He didn't know what he could say- not because he didn't want to upset her, but because part of him wanted to push her off of the roof.
Silently, he placed a hand on top of the nearby guttering and swung his legs off. With one last black stare at Evie, he let go and dropped down to the cobbled street below.

Normally no sane man would have even thought of dropping down from such a height, but although the signs of Henry's intoxication had passed, he had yet to regain his spacial awareness. The shock as his legs hit the floor caused him to buckle, falling down to his knees.

[Evie Perroy]

The tears that fell from Evie's eyes didn't fall for long. She was upset at the guilt, but it seemed a farce to shed so many tears over something so slight in comparison to the grief she had felt at Dante's death. As she forced herself to look into Henry's eyes, she saw his humour change. He was no longer vulnerable or upset, and the wordless anger that his stare conveyed actually made Evie feel a little worried for her safety sat alone with him. She had not thought this through. The last thing Henry needed in this state was a sudden revelation.

Henry didn't say anything. Normally when men got angry, they shouted, threatened or were violent towards her. Evie was thrown off guard with this smouldering silence, and she spoke again, quietly but utterly in control of her voice.

"His battles were not mine Henry. And they still aren't." As Evie spoke the words steadily, she wondered if Dante's battles were now Henry's; after all, it would make sense. She didn't need to tell Henry that she loved Dante, that she felt guilty for not telling him her own position while she had the chance... she hoped these were things Henry would realise in his own time once he had shrugged off whatever this was: anger, revenge or madness.

She realised he was about to jump only when it was too late. "No!" she cried, throwing a hand out into the air seconds after his head disappeared from her line of vision. Her fingers slowly closed inward to her palm as her mouth froze in a little O of shock. Leaning forward, she looked down to the ground, expecting the gruesome sight of Henry's innards covering the cobbles. Her hanging blonde hair framed the picture of him upright. Upright but still silent. Evie didn't know what to make of it, but she scrambled to action, sliding back along the roof and into the open window.

She flew down the stairs, her hands running along the course wooden banisters barely touching them. It still took her a good few minutes to emerge from the front door or the tavern, unsire of what she would find.

[Henry Renold]

Henry waited.
Waited until he knew his legs would hold him up and allow him to walk and then he stood slowly. He had jarred one ankle with the impact he discovered, but he had sustained worse injuries and lived, a temporary limp in comparison to recent events, was nothing.

Evie came flying out of the door as he finally made it to his feet and he met her eyes with cold, green ones. He still heard the echoes of her words in his head.
"His battles were not mine."

Once upon a time Henry Renold had had the same opinion, quietly letting his friend get on with his hatred of the Pendragons, while he got on with his own life. Sure, they spoke of the ongoing feud and Henry was always on Dante's side, but that was all it was to him. Words.
He knew that like Evie, he should accept that the death was inevitable after the way Dante had riled the prince up time and time again. Really it was a wonder he had not been killed before, simply for attempting to assassinate him, and had he won the final battle, Uther would have had him killed for regicide.
It just didn't matter with Lows. Whatever rules were in place, the second a Low did something the king didn't like, those rules changed. And that was the real reason Henry had taken on Dante's hatred.

Or so he kept telling himself.

"Goodbye Evie." He said simply, no change in his facial expression, "I won't be seeing you again."
And then he walked slowly away.