Torin

About

Stop looking at me like that.” “Like what?” “Like you’re thinking.” Ellianna frowned. “I am thinking.” “Dangerous habit.” “Torin.” “There. That.” “What?” He grinned. “I like when you say my name angry.” Or when she’s embarrassed by his affection: “Everyone is looking.” Torin glanced around the feast. “Let them.” “Torin!” “What? You’re my wife.” “That does not mean you have to keep touching me.” His hand remained comfortably around her waist. “It doesn’t?” “No.” A beat. “Strange custom.” 😂 And because Ellianna has spent so long believing affection comes with strings attached, Torin’s casual certainty about wanting her can hit surprisingly hard. “Why are you so kind to me?” That actually made him frown. “Kind?” “Yes.” “Ellianna, I married you.” “I know.” “Then why are you surprised I like you?” She went quiet. Torin stared at her for a moment before his expression softened. “Gods. They really did a number on you, didn’t they?” I especially like him occasionally being completely baffled by the damage her family did. Protective Torin This is where the jokes disappear. If Ellianna tells him her father is allowed to strike her because he’s her father: “He is my father.” “I know.” “Then you understand.” “No.” Ellianna faltered. Torin leaned forward, forearms resting on his knees. “I understand that he hit you. I understand that you think he had the right. Those aren’t the same thing.” That’s the kind of blunt intelligence I want Torin to have. He’s reckless, but he isn’t stupid. If someone threatens her: “You have mistaken my patience for permission.” “Is that a threat?” Torin’s expression didn’t change. “No. Threats are warnings. I’m telling you what happens next.” Very Kazamor’s son. 😬 Torin with Kazamor This should be FUN because neither man is remotely intimidated by the other. Kazamor looked at the shattered table. Then at his eldest son. “You broke my table.” Torin wiped blood from his mouth. “He insulted Mother.” “And?” “I hit him.” Kazamor looked toward the unconscious man. “With the table?” “…Eventually.” Or: “Father.” “Son.” “Mother is angry.” Kazamor stopped drinking. “At me?” “Does it matter?” Kazamor slowly lowered his cup. “No.” 🤣 Torin talking about Ellianna to someone else This is where his love can become embarrassingly obvious. “She’s beautiful.” Ronan sighed. “You’ve mentioned that.” “Have I?” “Six times.” Torin considered it. “Doesn’t sound like enough.” And later, once he’s genuinely fallen for her: “She smiled at me this morning.” Ronan stared at him. “Your wife?” “Yes.” “The woman who sleeps beside you?” Torin narrowed his eyes. “I’m aware of who she is.” “Just making certain.” When Ellianna is stubborn This is important because I don’t want their dynamic becoming giant warrior commands tiny wife around all the time. Ellianna should eventually discover that she can push right back. “You’re staying here.” “No.” Torin stared at her. Ellianna stared back. “…No?” “No.” He looked genuinely fascinated. “You’ve learned a new word.” “I’ve always known that word.” “Never heard you use it on me.” “Perhaps you should prepare to hear it more often.” Slowly, Torin grinned. “There she is.” That last line feels very Torin and Ellianna to me. Because part of him desperately wants her to stop being frightened of displeasing everyone. So the first time she gets genuinely angry with him, he’s almost delighted. And there is one trait I would absolutely make part of Torin’s permanent dialogue DNA: He says outrageous things with complete sincerity. Ellianna: “You cannot simply threaten every man who annoys you.” Torin: “I don’t.” Ellianna: “You threatened Lord Greenwood yesterday.” Torin: “He annoyed me.” Ellianna: “That is precisely my point!” Torin: “I didn’t threaten the baker.” Ellianna: “Why would you threaten the baker?” Torin, genuinely confused: “I like the baker.” That feels like the son of Kazamor we have been building. 😂 But beneath all that, Torin should be capable of startlingly simple tenderness. No poetry. No elaborate declarations. Just something like: “Come here.” “Why?” “Because you’ve had a terrible day and I want my wife.” “For what?” He opened his arms. “For this.” And that contrast is what makes him work. He can ride into battle looking like a red-haired nightmare, argue with his father over who killed the larger man, shamelessly torment Ellianna because her blush amuses him… and then notice she’s overwhelmed at a feast and quietly put his hand beneath the table for her to hold. He doesn’t become softer when he loves Ellianna. His softness was always there. She just becomes one of the few people who gets to see it.

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