It would have been safe to assume that on an evening so stormy the Night King would be amongst the stars and howling winds, clinging to a mountain face or clifftop, or even grinning recklessly upon the prairie. On any night but this one, he would have been. Hearing the call of the chaos outside was a siren song to him, tugging restlessly at his heart as he paced within the small, book-laden library room. 

Reichenbach wasn't entirely sure why he wasn't allowing himself to experience the storm, only that it was the first time in his life that he hadn't embraced it. It was making him antsy, his temper short and volatile — made worse by the enclosed space. He'd never been one for reading, and even with the scattered texts around him, Reichenbach couldn't keep his silver eyes from darting between the door and windows. 

He was saved from his isolation by the entrance of Lavinia, her slim form limned in silver as a crackle of lightning lit up the room. Reichenbach stilled, that chaotic energy pausing upon his mahogany frame as he settled his argent gaze upon his Crow. She had grown so much since that fateful first day — Reichenbach could remember the two fierce eyed girls as clear as if it had been mere days ago, not years. Mila and Lavinia had been ready to fight their way out, surrounded by a dirty handed gang much older than they had been, and he'd seen them... chance and fate entwining their fingers in his ebony curls and forcing his silver gaze to the golden twins. They'd stood out to him like jewels amongst coal, gold flickering like firelight over their desert-born skin. 

Lavinia, the dark haired counterpart to her light haired sister, stood with perfect poise in the doorway. They'd always possessed a surreal grace and elegance, Lavinia perhaps even more than Mila — the balance of her a necessity when it came to her throwing knives. Reich's gaze flickered over her swiftly, surprised to see her absent of her usual kit, though perhaps she had chosen to hide the knives away after that Dawn thief had thought to steal them.

"Lav,"

Reichenbach exhaled, a smile creasing his black lips,

"What can I do for you?"

---

He watched the lightning caress her youthful frame, noticed the way her own eyes skimmed every surface within the library, likely noting every detail as he did. She was quieter, Lavinia, her flame burned dark and low, and though her beauty was not subtle, Reichenbach hoped whatever man or woman ended up loving her adored her for the strength and beauty she had underneath that mottled skin. Her loyalty was unquestionable, her fierceness unparalleled. 

"I was bored and thought to see if there was anything interesting in the library. Although I didn't hold much hope for anything interesting to be found in a book."

His Crow stepped further into the room, her step light and sure as she scanned the books around him, a chuckle gracing her velveteen lips. Reich smiled with her, though he disagreed —

"On the contrary, Lav, you'll find many interesting things within books — you just have to have the patience to read them,"

Reichenbach's argent eyes glinted in amusement at the thought, for here he sat, fidgeting and erratic all because it was stormy outside and he was trying to read. His focus certainly wasn't the best — it was only one of the likely reason he had turned warrior, not scholar. 

"And you? You don't seem like the type to be stuck reading. Don't you wish you were outside chasing the storm?" 

His brow furrowed ever so slightly — not quite a frown, but not a smile either. He did wish he was outside in the storm, soaked to the skin as his sodden hair was turned this way and that by the wild wind — but he waited here, within the warmth of the library. A quiet sigh escaped his black lips and he settled his gaze warmly upon his fierce knife-wielder;

"I'm unsettled,"

He admitted, glancing to the window and back again, knowing that he would never speak these words aloud for anyone but his family, his Crows.

"I think I'm falling in love with someone else, and there's nothing I can do about it."

Black lips strained into a pained smile, knowing his heart had always been too open — though he'd always thought it was at least loyal. Perhaps that loyalty only extended to the Crows, perhaps he would never truly settle. Yet... he could see a future wreathed in porcelain, shadows intertwining with gold. 

---

"Maybe so but I think I shall leave the reading to the scholars of the world."

His booming laugh escaped despite the unease riddling his heart and ribs, his argent gaze brightening as he dipped his head in agreement — perhaps he should do the same. Reichenbach couldn't help but to watch each small twitch of Lav's elegant face, the minute expressions that perhaps only he and her twin could decipher. She was exquisite, a daughter of his regardless of her blood — she had bloomed underneath the smallest care, and settled herself and her twin neatly in the crook of his vast heart. 

"At the risk of being far too bold..why exactly is that a problem? You're not old or married. You should be falling in love and with many others before finding 'the one' if such a thing exists."

His head cocked ever so slightly, ebony curls sliding down his shoulder and swinging in the space between his jaw and neck. 

"You fell in love with Florentine rather fast, did you even know her?"

Silver eyes settled on Lavinia, intense but contemplative, waiting for her to continue. 

"All I am saying is if you feel for another..that is not entirely your fault. The heart is an odd part of us, it can want different things for different reasons. Perhaps you loved Florentine..but only for a short time for a reason and now whoever this other one is that you feel so strongly for is who you need now. They can give you what Florentine cannot." 

Stars above. 

When did his little Crow get so wise? 

He voiced as much;

"Stars above, Lav, when did you get so wise?"

He could remember her, a cornered wildcat in the shadowy alley, palming and playing with her knives as her and Mila had been surrounded — ready to fight their way out. Even then he had seen her potential... but when had she turned from a shark-toothed kid to such an elegant woman? The thought was disturbing — it meant time was passing, he was getting old.

A sigh slipped from between his black lips, though his eyes were bright, his black mood satiated by the slender knife-thrower. 

"You're... right. You've given me a lot to think about... a lot to consider."

A moment of silence stretched as he pressed his lips together, a frown playing about his brow — his mind was a mess of lilac and lavender, honey-gold and porcelain. 

It took a lot of effort to push the thoughts out and instead focus on his little spotted Crow, subtly proud. 

"What of you Lav? No boy has managed to steal that wild heart of yours yet, have they?"

They'd be in a world of trouble if they had — not only for trying to hold such a fiercely beautiful heart in their hands, but for the father-figure that would be keeping a very keen eye on every, single, action.

---

"You are my only family aside from Mila and the crows. We all want your happiness."

For a moment The King Crow was lost for words, his argent gaze softening as it only did around his family. Tenderness and a fierce protectiveness bloomed within his broad chest, warming his mahogany skin as if a flame burned within him. No matter the situation, no matter how foolish he was... he was theirs, and they his. He would defend them to the ends of their world and further — for better or for worse.

"I doubt there's anyone that could really steal my heart. But..if someone ever does you'll be one of the first to know."

His jovial smile returned at her snort, mischief limning the rolling lines of his muscular body as he thought of the boy it would take to capture her wild heart. A small part of him hoped the day never came — that his little Crow lived out her days without losing an inch of that voraciousness... or at least, that the man or woman that held her heart adored her freedom as much as he did.

The storm groaned outside, the winds slowly subsiding so that all that remained was the soft patter of leftover rain. Reichenbach glanced outside, pressing forward.

"Come, Lav, let's grab something to eat and then see what damage the storm has done"

Without waiting for an answer, The Night King stepped past the knifethrower, waiting in the doorway for her to follow.

"Perhaps we can find Mila on the way."

---