As for the mountain princess whose name seemed to be on the lips of half the kingdom, she was naught but a dead body sprawled in a field.
Alright, not dead, though she was imagining herself as so. She’d walked a good distance away from the palace, taking a winding path that led away from the city capitol and off towards empty nature. To meadow of gently swaying green grass and floral lavender, where butterflies and honeybees were fluttering and buzzing from blossom to blossom.
At some point she’d just let herself flop to the ground as a dramatic heap of deep blue silk and brown trousers. Sprawling on her back in the soft grass to soak in the warm rays of the sun and to listen the wind sweeping through the trees. Despite the fact she’d wandered far enough away from the royal palace that she could not longer feel the pull of the faerie tree, when she closed her eyes and stayed very, very still she could almost hear the roots deep under the ground. Somewhere so far, growing and reaching… As if it too was seeking something that it hadn’t touched in a long time.
One would think that she’d have some sort of… something. Peace? Satisfaction? Nothing was perfect, it never would be so, but she was making real actual progress now. Shouldn’t she feel some sort of gladness for it. The royal family here welcomed her and actually aimed to help in any way she needed. She had magic now to sustain her and help protect her. She’d made friends that seemed genuine so she was not alone in the world. There was a plan in place and a direction to take, so she wasn’t flailing in circles chasing her own ass. And she knew what she was now – fae, absolutely unrepentantly fae. No longer full of mystery and questions about her very own existence.
Yet still, she was empty. Unable to tell if it could be blamed on her missing heart or if she were just that broken inside now, that there was never any going back. If Calia could never be happy again, at least she could fill the chasm with moments? Laying here and pretending she was dead could only last for so long. Perhaps she should start chasing thrills and excitement. Make her days so busy that she didn’t have time to think about the cold dark void that kept beckoning her to crawl into it.
Mountain daughter.
Fantastic, that voice was back. Probably going to tell her to start burning villages again. It sure wasn’t the tree because–
Calia sat up in the grass glancing around, realizing quickly that it wasn’t her hateful little inner voice either.
Hey! Over here. Come over here.
It took some scanning of the meadow until her eyes caught something burnt golden scurrying along the forest’s edge. At first she thought it might be a wolf, only when it popped it’s head up and shook it’s fur, it revealed itself to be smaller and shaped differently.
A golden jackal. Not the typical one, either as it had long spiral horns like an antelope or goat. Nor was it alone, a chorus of similar voices all chimed in. Hey girl. This way! Come play here.
“I don’t think I should be following a bunch of fae jackals off into a forest. You’re going to eat me.” she told them. In her former life she would have ignored them and ran in the opposite direction. It wasn’t wise to even have a simple conversation with fae, they were wily with words and oh so charming. Except… now that she knew she was fae herself, what was the harm? There was nothing they could do to her now that would matter.
We would not eat a sister. reassured one. You have no heart to eat, anyway, Maybe a little too honestly, cause another snapped at it to mind it’s manners.
“That sounded real trust worthy. Thanks but no thanks.”
Don’t you miss the forest? asked the another with a surprising amount of concern, like a mother crooning at a lost pup. You cannot trust elves, sister. They keep their great tree in a glass prison.
“She’s happy there,” explained Calia.
Is she? Is she truly?
Well that had Calia pausing for a moment to think about it… was she happy there? Of course she loved the family she looked after, seemed to be growing strong and healthy – after Calia had helped stopped the tainting of her roots, though. She never did get to feel the rain on her leaves, or the free wind through her branches. Had she grown that way within the elven palace her entire ancient life? Was that a good life for a tree?
Sister! the jackal called out, sounding excited now, bouncing from side to side. Sister, would you like to see a tree that is free and wild?
Now that piqued her interest but… “I can already see a lot of trees free and wild.”
Not like ours. An ancient tree! A tree of our land!
Another faerie tree? Out there in the deep forest. Calia hesitated and mulled it over… or told herself that’s what she was doing, despite the fact she was already getting up to her booted feet and dusting off her pants. In the back of her mind thinking this was a bad idea, but damn it all! Had she listened to these whispers and beckonings in the past, couldn’t she have discovered her true self sooner! All of the chances she could have explored enchanted parts of the forest and actually found her true self within it.
The decision already made even by the time she was walking into the dark forest, following on the bouncing heels of a very excited jackal with horns. Glancing around as the rest of the pack joined them, hopping and leaping and yipping.
Joyful sounds of Yes, little sister! and Walk this way! and To the tree! To the tree!
Calia had not planned on his little walk to talk her deep into the forest, yet here she was. Walking alongside a pack of fae jackals that were surprisingly good company. They yipped and ran with each other, sometimes pausing to wrestle each other. One got brave enough to headbutt her and almost send her on her ass, which prompting a lot of cursing from her, laughter from jackals and then it began a game of chase through the trees. With Calia doing most of the chasing until she threw a stick at one and then a whole new game began. Of toss and fetch and tug of war.
The forest floor grew dense with brushes, brambles and rocks to the point where no more mortal paths were apparent through the brush. Forcing their play to come to a more mindful end as she and this pack of jackals had to climb over logs and hike up steep hills. Soon the leafy canopy above became so dense that it blocked most of the light from reaching the ground. No longer a warm sunny forest, but this soft ethereal misty place of cool greens and soft blues. Sounds had changed too from the light warbles and chirping of birds, to something more muted. Still birds… a caw of crow. A screek of a hawk. Less cheery and more quietly serene.
The princess knew in an instant when she crossed from the elven forest to… something else. Like a fuzzy blanket being tossed over her head. Very reminiscent of the way the felt in the presence of the faerie tree, only this was so much heavier. Enough to fill the air and make it thick with magic. A kind of magic she could touch simply by waving her hand through the lingering mist. Invigorating and heady all at once. That first jolt of a good shot of liquor, but all the weight of the three after it.
As they headed deeper into this wood a now familiar new tugging began, where Calia didn’t even need to follow the jackals anymore. Being guided along by the pull until she spotted the culprit fist by it’s dark black roots jutted up from the ground. Going farther until the trees all stopped seemingly of their own decision to form this wide circle around something far more imposing than anything else she’d ever seen.
Bark black as night, it’s trunk was massively wide, enough to carve a family home inside of it surely! With roots covered in a bloody red moss that stretched outsides in this strange clearing. One upon a time maybe it had been covered in glorious leaves, but now it was nothing more than a tangled web of bare branches. Far, far, far upwards to the canopy where there ought to be enough uncovered sky but there was nothing but dark stormy cloud, as if the sunny day had all vanished on her way through the forest.
The jackals that followed came along with her, bowing in reverence to this derelict tree. Calia frowning at the lot of them before she approached closer, giving this poor ancient thing a grim, pitying expression.
“This does not look wild and free to me…”
“She withers until one can make her bloom again,” said a voice behind her. Causing the princess to make a slow turn, and then having to look up and up and up.
This jackal was not of burnt golden fur and horns. This one stood up on hind legs, body stretched and distorted in this awkward, disturbing shadow of a jackal with it’s own long curling horns and glowing red orbs for eyes. The pack might be fae creatures… this was something more. Something dangerous enough that she could feel the shiver down her spine when it spoke again.
“Why do you let yourself wither, sister?” the fae creature asked. “The means to heal yourself is already in your hands.“
“I do not have my magic, it’s been stolen,” she explained.
“Ah. So they continue to lie and use one of us as their tools,” the shadowy jackal spat. Slinking across the ground to come approach the derelict tree and place haunted paw against it’s blackened bark. “Your magic can return to you sister, all you need is -A- heart. It need not be the one taken from you. Did they not tell you? They bind you to a demon and yet will not give you a heart.“
No, no they sure as hell didn’t tell her that and it came through immediately in the way she stepped back and frowned. Still it would be wise for her not to simply believe the words of a fae jackal, especially one that seemed to have no love for the elves that made their kingdom nearby.
“…the great tree told me to accept the binding. It was not the elves.”
“Then do you see? You have been given a heart after all. Gifted by your own kind. All you need do is take it as your own. You will be whole again.“
That was… well that all sounded like a perfect tidy little package didn’t it. Full of karma and comeuppance. A full circle moment on levels that surely screamed this had been their fated destiny all along! For Archimedes to have unleashed demons into his kingdom, to become a demon – a heart demon as he once said. To find herself who has turned out to be a lost fae daughter without a heart. To be bound to her. Stuck with her.
All she had to do was take his. Take his heart for her own and she would be herself again. Powerful again. Do everything she wanted and needed to do with her own hands.
…that didn’t feel right.
“Why do you hesitate? Does he not take hearts himself to feed his own power? It is not a cruelty to be a predator, sister, it is life. It is death. The tree of the elves blooms while ours withers away. Summon the demon here and take his heart. Bless our great tree with blood so she might blossom again.“
It almost had her. For a split second, she’d almost bought into this madness. Some part of her still full of anger and rage and frustration, ready to latch onto anything just to free herself and be back to what she used to be. Blood, though? A demon’s blood to feed this great tree! No wonder it withered and decayed, this would have been the fate of the great tree in the elven palace had they continued to torture and bleed demons dry down in it’s roots.
This fae… no, this DARK fae was trying to pull her into a terrible wicked place.
“I’m not a tool for you anymore than I am for them,” she hissed out. Taking a few steps back and then a couple to the side, setting herself in the direction to head back from where she’d came.
“She will have blood, lost daughter, it does not have to be demon.“
Well fuck. Now she was about to get blamed for another disaster, and this one was going to be difficult to explain.
Laying the elongated box upon the little nightstand, he had expected Calia to have returned by this point. Or to have been located by one of the siblings –particularly that of Nysia- but it hadn’t been the case. She had been the most likely choice merely due to the fact that she surely wanted to gossip about her first unchaperoned excursion. Giving all the unnecessary details till one’s ears were asking if they could be gouged out because the sheer monotony of it would be a device for torture!
However, even upon his successful departure and return –with no one threatening to light him on fire, mind you- there had been at least some belief the rogue daughter of the mountains would have found herself back indoors. Perhaps not here but he supposed the likely placement for her would be that of the fae tree. After all, they were of similar blood. Likely seeking refuge in another, in ways that no one but a fae could really understand.
It seemed reasonable then to himself to at least check such a place. Leaving the attempt at a peace offering only to find a rather cautionary knock at the door. Not Calia, obviously.
Sweeping off front of any imaginary lint or dust; the pull of the door in his best butler mimicry came as both a surprise to the redhead prince and a swelling bemusement to himself. Only cause the man’s eyes looked as though they were fighting to stay lodged within his skull. Ears pulled and dipped revealing probably more horror on his everlasting youthful appearance than he likely intended. Stumbling over tongue a good long breath. Allowing him to lean into the door frame as an perturbed home owner. Arms crossing thickly over another with quiet expectation for the prince commander to get his wits back.
A struggle it certainly appeared to be. “Wha… How…” Renus gave his head a vehement shake. Knitting brows down into a scrunched grip. Lips following suit. Fruitlessly attempting to look far more formidable than he had momentarily shown himself to be. “Calia.”
“Aye?”
“Is she available?”
“Ah, yah just missed her. She just went out frolicking amongst the wild flowers. Skipping along the entire way, little prince.” It shouldn’t have been nearly as amusing as it was to see the man scowl at him. “Yah seem fun.”
“Archimedes, I was seeking out that of Princess Calia and if you are going to be no more than a sodding pain in the rear end, then I would highly appreciate you cease this nonsense immediately.”
“Renus right?” The man continued his effort of scowling, “Yah better be careful. Yah sit on a stone and yer ass is guna crush it into a diamond with how tense yah are. A very neat parlour trick but probably ill fated for yer health.” Immediately mouth opened to spit back something only that really was not the time. “I ain’t her keeper. She went off into the woods out back this morn and hasn’t seemingly come back to her allotted room. That’s the barest I can tell, and was going to just check on the fae tree to see if she scurried her little squirrel self up into its tender branches.”
“You’re bound to her. You can surely sense were she is.”
Giving a few motioning waves for the commander to back up, Arc shook his head. “Yes and no. If there is no magic around causing interference, then yes. But the fae tree has magic about herself, so it isn’t as easy to feel where Calia is. And if she is too far away, then I won’t know. It’s kinda the shit end of being the dog to the contract. This dog doesn’t know when master is guna be back. So unless yer now worried that I’ll piddle on the floor cause no papers had been left out for me or eat the furniture, how about we go and check the lovely fae tree.”
“She’s not there.” Immediately blurted out, that caused a bit of a brow raise. “It was the first place I went to look. It seemed like a good possibility that once court had ceased, she would want to be present. But, she was not.” The man’s green eyes rose up to him in a strange sort of worry. “You said she went to the forest out back?”
“Aye.” It didn’t lessen his concern, “Why? What’s back there?”
The commander shook his head, “Nothing really. Unless you walk a fair distance. Eventually it’ll start reaching the point of where one of the scars of the land are. A place that many demon’s were felled and tends to be not the most welcoming of places to be.”
“It doesn’t have a hell gate, does it?” Renus shook his head, at least that was good to know. “Alright, well then I guess we go lookin’, hmm?”
“Us?”
“One,” Pointing at Renus, then himself. “Two. Us. Would yah get yer panties outta yer ass crack, I ain’t guna steal yah and run off into the woods to suck the marrow out yer bones. Yes, we might not be friends or even civilized but if yer concerned about Lia, then it’s best to check it out. Unless she summons me by force, guna have to use our eyes and ears to find her. Yah can even lead commander.” Arc offered, “Yah already know how that pointy stick at yer side does against me. So yah have the upper hand, now… are yah guna suck yer quiverin’ little lip in and do what needs to be done?”
Red brows had collided together, “I don’t know if I like you better like this or as you were.”
“Make a club about it. Bake cookies, do whatever yah what. Just start walkin’ the right way to go and find the damsel in woods.”
Calia had found herself in a unique situation and it was unclear who exactly had the upper hand here. The entire pack of jackals were keeping themselves at a distance – something notable to Calia, though she hadn’t figured out why just yet. Hard to tell if they were afraid to come closer to the poor decaying tree, or if it was this big shadowy dark fae they did not wish to encounter.
Every time she made a step in one direction or another the shadowed fae would move to block her. When she backed away closer to the tree, he followed. When she stepped along the roots in circling the big monolith of a plant, he stayed on her trail. always making sure he was in between her and the forest. She could’ve just sprinted into a run, but that was likely to trigger an entire chase with the snapping of jackal teeth at her heels. Calia wasn’t about to become prey for a whole pack! She was fast but not that fast!
“So we’re just going to stand around like idiots then,” she finally stated, setting her attentions now to seeking the clearing floor for something useful as a weapon.
“Bring the demon here,” it declared. “If you are a coward and refuse it’s heart, at least it’s blood will feed the tree.“
That’s what it really wanted, then. Charming her had not worked, so now it was down to intimidate her, scare her, or simply wait it out until she got frustrated enough to either call up Archimedes directly or use his magic, which would likely tip him off that she was up to something. While Calia doubted he’d care much to bother showing up unless she demanded it, that was still a risk not worth taking.
Now how was she going to do this without magic and a goddamned sword.
“I don’t think this is your forest. This is not your pack and this is not your tree.” That declaration was without reason and evidence, something simply to taunt and distract. To see what reactions she might get. Such a wild guess may not have been so off the mark, as the shadowy figure hissed an annoyed sort of sound. Especially when many ears of the horned jackals standing watch around the clearing started to curiously twist and rotate.
“Do they know the blood you pour on these roots is why she withers? Blood not freely given, but taken? A bad sacrifice. They bloom with what they’re given and you’ve given her d–“
The plan had been sound – working even! Because the faeling jackals were getting restless and beginning soft yips and growls. Only, Calia hadn’t taken into account that this creature would make good on it’s threat. That it would not be patient forever and allow her to bend the ears of the ones it currently ruled. The shadow jackal’s massive twisted body moved so fast she didn’t even see it coming. Her back hitting the derelict ancient tree in the blink of an eye, something sharp and silvery piercing through her shoulder and into the bark – long glistening claws.
Calia yelped with a grimace, finding herself evergreen eyes staring into red glowing orbs.
Then she laughed. Smiled wide and laughed as the beast tilted it’s head with curious confusion. Because it did not realize that Calia didn’t need the demon’s magic right this moment. As the withering tree still flowed with it’s own ancient magic, something tangible she could touch due to her very own blood. At least enough.
Retribution was swift in the form of a jutting out branch from black bark. Slamming against the shadow jackals face with a loud resounding CRACK and pushing it stagaring back over the red moss covered roots. It shrieked a many-voiced layered sound… no longer the soft and chipper sound that mimicked that of the faeling pack. When Calia herself stumbled forward, watching him bending and screaking, holding his face in his hands… he no longer seemed so shadowy.
He’d become solid now, black robes made of fur instead of shadows. Still obscenely large and twisted in body, only now those jackal feet were cloven hooves. The jackal face was cracked in half, bone mask on one side – a bloodied contorted face that was more man that beast, but still eerily inhuman.
“Highblood,” he hiiiiiisssed. Those long silver claws coming out again.
“Pretender,” Calia shot back. “Are you even fae at all or are you just wearing the skin of one!”
That may have been too close to the truth, as Calia did not know what happened next. How she went from standing to a ringing in her ears and staring up at the storm cloud sky, with that bone mask wearing, skinwalker nightmare standing just within her peripheral vision.
“Anything?” Sidestepping a lifted root from the earth belonging to one of the grand timber monolith’s, head was given a gentle shake. “Really.” Unsurprising that the littlest prince wasn’t so trusting of whether or not he could or could not be truthful. It was certainly going to make this whole wandering the woods a lot harder if he was unable to realize that fooling around with this search and discovery wasn’t even worth the effort of impish behaviour. Settling a disinterested violet stare upon the man. Letting the very pressure of it rest upon the younger man till he began to successfully shift awkwardly side to side. “I can’t be sure you’ll be honest when it’s vital, Archimedes.”
“I get that yah are a fighter and slayer of all demon kind. A master of yer craft. Valiant and noble and whatever else fun descriptors yah wanna add on but really, yer puttin’ all the assumptions upon me. It’s of no use to me to play around with this cause if somethin’ happens to Lia while were under contract, I don’t suddenly get to burst into fanfare. So manage to find a wee crumb of trust in that doubtin’ skull of yers, princey boy.” Lofting vision upwards to the canopied heaven, it was strange that he wasn’t able to feel even a trace of the tether.
Either Calia really had gone running as fast as she could in hopes that no one was ever going to find her, or something else was heavily interfering with it. There was no twinges or nudges or pulls on the flow of magic either to give him a clue. Turning this whole searching venue into the needle in the haystack.
Just a faeling princess in a forest.
For a few seconds in time they walked in utter silence. Practically able to hear the irritated cogs turning in the youth’s head while trying to formulate a thought that wasn’t akin to I am rubber and you are glue. The guy seemed proficient at his work but had the personality of a dry stick. Guessing a lot of that had to do with the unlikely truce that was between them all merely because of his collar being held by the princess.
“This way.” Renus stated making a vague waving motion, “I’ve got tracks here. Footprints, fresh too.” One could practically sense the hesitation on his tongue, “It looks to be leading to exactly where we don’t want to go.” Eyes of brightened green rested upon him, “You can fight, right?”
“When I have too.” Something about that clearly didn’t instill faith in the boy, “Listen lad, I’m not just a big hunk of muscle for looks. I do use it. The looks is merely an added bonus but I can fight. Magic or physical. And in the odd time I can be used as a washboard but that’s highly restricted to the feminine persuasion.”
Just the look of pure disgust was enough to temper him from getting particularly snippy, “What is it that yer worried about fightin’?”
“I’m not sure honestly but it’s not uncommon for dark fae or demons to appear in such areas. So just… stay alert?”
“Aye aye cap’n.” Motioning again to lead on. Though internally he really did wish that Lia would give him some sort of sign. Doubtful as it was, the girl was so stubborn to ask for any assistance that he really should have made a bet with Liriel that she was highly wrong about Calia being fragile and sensitive. They were going to have to get lucky finding her. If they found her.
If Calia had any sense in her, she’d be afraid. She did wonder as she lay there on the ground if hubris was at play, and she was too wrapped up in her own bullshit to respect her mortality. When that beast – still undecided if he was dark fae now or actually a demon in fae skin – grabbed her by the foot and was dragging her back towards the tree, she did confirm it in herself that she had no desire to die. Proving it in that moment the second she was close enough to the tree again to reach out with both hands and grab onto a root, using it’s own flow of magic to lash out another swinging limb to send the bastard flying and landing on his own ass.
The other half of the bone mask fell away and the circle of jackals erupted into a frenzy of angry barks when he rose, a frenzied expression of his own with long gnarly teeth and a face mishappened into something that was more a nightmare version of a dog than any natural creature.
The illusion was gone now, though. He was no jackal, he was not theirs. Yet they would not come into the barrier of the clearing. Taking a step in with their angry yipping, but jumping back just as fast as if the very land burned their little paws.
Calia intended to make her escape then and there, scrabbling off the ground to dart for the woods and he swiftly blocked the way. She hissed a soft, be that way and doubled back for the great tree itself – this time finding that he’d learned his lesson! Blocking her way to the trunk and to any root she tried to inch towards. Having apparently realized, her manipulation of it’s magic required that means of physical touch!
“Arrogant young highblood,” he spat. “Not good for anything but parts to be used by others. You could take that demon’s heart and become more than the Blood Queen. More than the Wyvern. Useful, wasteful. Arrogant little–“
“For fuck’s sake,” she finally shrieked back. “Come bleed me dry then, I’m tired of listening to you!”
This time she didn’t get caught by the ultra fast movement, already diving and rolling the second the words came spilling out of her mouth. Evading his shrieking snarl, and at least proving that while she might be an arrogant highblood – whatever the fuck that meant – he was not some all powerful creature himself. Illusion magic, a powerful speed and physical strength. Something in the way he cracked open and unhinged his own jaw to send out a terrible sound though, made her head throb and her vision blacken. Leaving her disoriented enough to tumble back to the ground.
All she had to do was use his magic. That’s it. Except, doing so would very likely bring the demon here and that’s what this crazed skinwalking bastard wanted. To spill demon blood and further damage this poor tree. But if Calia didn’t do more than simply defend herself, it was just as likely she was going to get herself killed! Dying wasn’t exactly going to protect him either, cause who the fuck knew what would happen if she did!
“Fine! Fine, you want to see a demon…” she finally snarled, drawing herself up. “You’re not going to like how I summon him though.”
Her widening smile was positively wicked, spiteful too when drew heavily on the demon’s well of magic. Not to summon him, if he wanted to show up and get pissed at her, that was his prerogative – instead she was pulling waves of it, enough to kick up the wind and sky. Pulling to herself until she could root it firmly in the ground, latching onto the roots of the ancient tree, fragile and dry. So easily sparking it up into red embers, to shoot up the very roots and into the tree itself. Sending the misty surroundings into a warm plume of orange when the tree itself woofed up into open flames!
The beastly, contorted form screamed again – far too late, as she’d taken her hands and pulled the air, the giant tree in turn making a terrible wood shattering as it splintered in half. Ashes and embers quickly filling the air.
For a split second he moved toward the tree, maybe to save it, maybe to put out the flames. Calia didn’t know and had no time to figure it out – hell she didn’t have time to run either, as that ear piercing sound came echoing out of the creatures mouth in a full on rage and made every bone in her body feel like it was cracking apart too. Whatever his plans were for the tree, it had not been to see it destroyed like this. Whatever his plans for Calia, they were now ruined and abandoned. He came at her with shadow and silver claw to put this failure to end. A chorus of protesting howls and snarling from the pack of jackals to be her final sounds.
He could practically smell the change in the scenery. Lush and thick grand masses of dense trees towering above and their smaller cousins huddling at their roots. A dense grouping of browns and emeralds that begun to noticeably lessen. Where they had grown so thick that they could blot out the sky creating great pillars of streaming sunlight to split through the heavens down to the ground, here? One could notice the distinct change of how everything begun to twist.
It wasn’t quite a rot but it was a acrid. Pungent on the tongue and bitter down the throat. Purely unnatural while the landscape began to crawl back on itself. It started out small. One or two trees that were far more gnarled with their trunks looking almost peaky by comparison to the deep earthy brown ones. Ashen. Sickly. And spreading.
Nearly feeling the unease rolling off Renus in waves with every step taken. The man’s ears were perked. Subtly moving to any and all noise that wasn’t their own feet. Merely waiting for the spooky eyes to be lurking in the ever deepening gloom.
The scenery easily warped. From healthy to sickly to just something best suited for a forest graveyard. Petrified in their own everlasting death. Splinters of their branches turned into claws. Drooping in vain pain towards the earth. Looking more like rotten soot by the way the nutrients had all been sapped out. Dry and cracked. Parched and the decay was lingering.
It wasn’t exactly subtle to him. The pull and familiarity that was tugged on his very being. Recognizing the traces of present trails of demonic energy that permeated this land. Blood split to the point that the land had become so saturated that nothing else would grow here. It was not like a wildfire that cleansed the poison but a miasma.
Straying vision left and right in search of anything that was standing out like a sore thumb amongst the land cast into its permanent scar, mouth had intended to speak but found his head was whipping towards the left to hold. Merely missing the burrow to make his best alert gopher expression, “Lad,” Arc reached out to grab a fistful of the man’s shirt. Hauling him to a stop much to his own strongly voice displeasure. Promptly slapping hand away to free himself from being tugged along like a mere toy. His own ears lifted. Internally feeling at the well of manna being pulled. Tugging and, “Hurry up.”
“Archimedes?”
“Run yer little legs or yah’ll get left out here.” It was really the only warning Renus was going to get before he was actually left here. To fend off whatever squatted in this place calling it home. Taking to straight running as the pulling was certainly not a subtle tap or light little push. It was heavy. Hard and demanding on the pool that was spread between two people rather than one. And he was still considered to have quite the depth to pull from, but whatever Calia was doing to require the mass elemental demand, it was clearly not just a frolic in the flowers.
Hearing Renus yelling at him as the kid was hoofing it as fast as he could, it was almost unanimous that the smell of inky greasy fire began to reach noise. Merely urging the need to hasten steps faster to practically bulldoze through the reaching fingers of trees.
Sounds of something yipping. A sensation of another presence that was looming and the smell of fire with the waning of magic tingling at the tether; mentally already going over the familiar words to prepare the spell. The kid was not close behind but still able to be heard shouting after. Swinging palm outwards in a outward slap to manifest the runic circle into air; earth itself began to shudder. Tremors building to burst and rattle. Bursting beneath the earth the spirals of craggy stone, clay and earth alike to erupt from between the roots and red moss.
Already having a second spell at the ready in a hue of grayish blue upon other palm, seeing only the backside of whatever the fuck this fur covered beast was, at least to strike a temporary fear into it to back off. It wouldn’t last long as a minor spell but it ought to at least push the creature to cower for a moment or two.
Jumping over a few of those wayward roots so he might throw elbow into the back of the beast to lay them out flat a moment. “Lia!” Voice unusually spoke of concern before muttering something low. A burst of glittering dull light to flare about herself, reigniting the contracted bond to grant the passive abilities once more.
“W-w… what the hell is… t-that!?” Renus huffed as he readied sword a moment, looking both at the fired husk of a tree and the thing in furs. While himself stepped into a ready stance with fists up to fight.
“Ask later lad, just kill the damn thing!”
Calia really expected to be full of more claws by now, so what a surprise to hear Arc’s voice so immediately. Thinking surely it should’ve taken him far more time to consider if he even wanted to know what she was up to, let alone the time it’d take to get there! Discovering with a release of breath, that there were things she’d not even realized she’d been cut away from here in this tainted part of the forest. It’s entire miasma had isolated her within it, that now she felt as if she were being folded into a warm embrace as all those senses returned back where they were meant to be.
She pushed herself back to her feet, ignoring blood and pain to cast a quick examining look to Archimedes.
“Did I hurt you at all?” was the first question that decided to come out of her mouth. Feeling it needed to be answered before she took any further action– only to swiftly find with alarm that Arc was not the only one that’d joined her in the clearing. A wild wide-eyed stare at Renus followed while he stammered out his own wonderment of just what he was seeing!
The beast itself too was drawing back to it’s own feet. Higher and higher, uncurling from it’s strange twisted contortion to reveal itself even larger than Calia had thought. It’s skins and furs were falling loose to one side now, showing off a body that was all long, long spindly goat legs and pale bone thin arms. It may have been a man’s head with the snout and jawline of a canine beast, except he’d unhinged it again so gaping wide that it was a black hole of tongue and teeth.
Dark fae or demon, it didn’t really matter, the second it recognized Archimedes for what he was, he lit up in red eyed delight.
Calia made her choices in that split second. Renus was likely never going to think her anything safe again, but she had warned him. She was terrifying and beautiful and now he’d get to see why. Archimedes could protect himself. What those two couldn’t do was make sure this otherworldly monster no longer had a sick, withering forest to feed off of.
So she side-stepped and moved closer to the tree, minding her way past burning roots – flaring them up hotter even as she drew on that magic well. Easier now with Arc closeby, but still finding that it wasn’t a natural and as easy as drawing up her own magic with a thought. It took willpower and a clenched amount of strength to fan the fires hotter in the now split tree. Burning it so hot it became difficult to even look at it. Drawing up her hands and then throwing them down to send those flames pooling outwards, like a stone dropped into a lake. Fire bloomed and rolled across the ground outwards as a wide burning circle. Catching every tainted, struggling, decaying tree and bush with it.
Seeming to cleanse that barrier that prevented the true fae jackals from stepping paw into the clearing.
The former shadowed jackal let out another of it’s screams, chilling bone and reverberating into the woods at such a volume that a flock of birds went squawking into the sky. Even the jackals had cringed and lowered close to the ground. Those red orb eyes darting to each target, discounting the elf with the sword as nothing. Stomping a foot forward with intend to get at his demon prize, but that blasted highblood was destroying everything!
Luckily had two long arms and hands full of claw, reaching the silvery sharpened knives both for the girl and the demon.
It really didn’t matter what the hell that thing was. It was closely enough associated with the dark side of the coin that demon or dark fae, just meant it needed to be squished. Quickly. “I wasn’t doin’ backflips but no harm. We both lucky my font of manna isn’t very shallow.” He could think about that later, maybe it had an association with his memories and who he had been. But right now that was not the topic nor the means of consideration.
Figuratively flipping pages in his mind was he watched through the corner of eye as Renus was getting into defensive position. Sword at the ready, glinting white and falsely pure. It would work well enough to stab the thing and doubly so if it had demonic blood somewhere in its body. Although as it finally got back to its feel, it began to uncoil. Into a great shape that was neither cute or pleasant, “Face on ‘er like a busted cabbage.”
“Don’t compliment it.” Renus hissed finding a very strange moment to have some humour about him.
A short glance backwards to consider where Calia was and the whole pyre of a the withered tree, it really would need to be explained what the hell was going on. Later of course, seeing as this thing was screaming like it stubbed its pinkie toe on the bed end. Strifing immediately to his right with Renus replicating the same motion. Spreading themselves out even with its long skinny ass arms, he was already thinking. It wouldn’t do a whole lot to cast any necrotic spells on this thing. It likely was already shadow property. Though casting his larger spells were hit with a road block seeing as the whole contract really did limit what he could do freely.
Mind control was out of the picture as well since he would have to get closer to lay his hands on the thing and that just wasn’t in his interest. Magic in this moment wasn’t going to save them, especially with Calia pulling and making the fires burn hotter. As limbs began to outstretch with claws arced, he was already moving. Sidestepping to have the wiggly digits miss him by mere inches, lunging forward, fiss raised.
The sound of a solid punch landing echoed like thunder in the hollow of the withered grove. Knuckles meeting jaw with a sickening crunch, following the other with a blow to where one’s ribs ought to be. Slamming hard to force the creature back, “Renus!” The elf using his spry feet leapt in. Sword raised to hack down in a two handed pull to cut hopefully that of an arm off! “Lia, light this fucker up. Medium spell!” Arc pulled hand back to rip fangs across the back of hand. Tearing thickly to well the blood up required as a payment in this course, “Elemental, third slot!” Hoping she at least understood he was referring to the meteor spell as Renus pulled back. Taking sword with and readying to stab the beast again.
Fire ought to at least make this thing do a hippity hop dance till the tree was properly too far to save.
Calia didn’t even have to think or worry about the two of them – or even the hellish beast itself. They had it well enough in hand that all she had to do was stay out of the way and focus on this cleansing fire. Shifting elemental magic’s form to push the earth itself and shove those two massive halves of the tree apart from each other to leave behind a circle of dark healthy soil. Rich now with burning ash from the wood of the great tree.
She’d gone up to that center point, only turning when Arc shouted her name and following instructions. Not quite understanding at first until she remembered that brief sharing of his demon magic, the rules of it. The unwritten spellbook that made up his arsenal.
If he wasn’t scared of her before, maybe he ought to have been then with the way her own face lit up with a broad wicked smile. The flames of a now scorching hot clearing all around them.
“Oh, I have been wanting to try that one…” Raising hands and wiggling fingers, because of course she was going to do it in her own way. The fire smoke wafting high enough to mingle in the dark cloud cover over. The sudden sound of rolling thunder, as Calia was a multitasker, there were many things to do here.
Maybe it was dramatic to have taken the spell oh-so-literal. To open the sky up and bring down a massive molten ball of ash and rock. Shouting a quick warning of Get out of the way, before that flaming orb came crashing down on top of the dark faeish beast to not just crush it flat as a pancake, to create a whole crater in the ground now full of tattered furs and twitching spindly limbs.
If by some unholy chance the bastard was still alive, he wouldn’t be for long. Those yipping fae jackals sprang into the clearing to chomp at arms and legs, shaking their heads with ghoulish glee to steal parts and gnaw down on bone.
With a stepping back and a glance to the sky, those clouds yielded to a cool pouring rain. Soft pit pattering at first until it was full on pouring. Tempering fires down to embers, washing away miasma, icky and more with every drop. Calia wandered back to the unearthed ground where the great tree once grew and plopped her ass down with a heavy, weary sigh. Placing hands flat on the moistening soil.
Returning to tugging on that of the tree. Not dead, no longer tainted with malice and untold years of suffering and blood. Maybe giving a little of Arc’s magic too for coaxing it up out of the deep deep ground. Pulling with a soft gentle whisper of encouragement until a little shy twig of a thing came inching up from the soil. Until it grew several little limbs and a few fat green leaves.
“NO MORE MALICE,” she shouted with a growl loud enough to pause every single one of those fae jackals from their feeding. Ears turned backwards as they crouched low. “No malice. Mischief and mayhem, but never malice. Do you understand? You protect her.”
One by one ears righted themselves and bodies untensed, seeming to understand fully what they’d just been given. Now free to scavenge and drag away the beast that had lied and pretended to be jackal itself.
As the rain subsided, Calia leaned back on her hands there in the dirt. Another deep sigh. This would be a mess to explain. She didn’t understand half of what just happened either!
If he was able to keep watch after his whole shouting to get her to start summoning up something of a literal molten fire ball, he might have had something to say about her whole theatrical dramatics. She may not have been a mage but she was pretty close to how melodramatic some of them could be. Merely missing the chance of bellowing out the summoned spell for the flare of the show. Thankfully too busy trying to keep this messed up creature of nightmare fuel and unholy terror busy.
Grateful that the sword Renus carried made of demon parts was at least making work to hack and slash with his own poetic motions. It could have complimented his own barbaric efforts of just literally beating a bitch because at this moment, it might as well have been cathartic.
Till there was the sound of Calia giving them a heads up to move it or lose it! Needing no second declaration of the very thing to leap backwards –watching as Renus made a rather elegant retreat- only for his face to be lit up temporarily by aerial hell fire. Colliding with the creature that shouldn’t have maybe had more than one brain cell to have fled rather than fight. For it was promptly squished under broiling stone to be nothing more than a squealing sizzling something. The smell alone being nasty as he took a few more cautionary steps back. Watching as the effects of the magic began to promptly dispel to leave by a fine large hole to signify where the thing had made its final mistake.
One hell of a tombstone, that was for sure.
Whatever the hell had been yipping came rushing forward. Apparently taking it literally of an eye for an eye. Rendering abomination to be not so fun confetti as the sky broke open. Merely plips to proper mending rain. Hearing Renus muttering something in elvish that was surprisingly very ungentlemanly like. Even if the kid was smirking in a strange way that was probably more shock and awe than anything terrible. Only to be scared shitless as Calia suddenly started shouting.
Liable to make the prince turn into a skittish deer!
Rubbing the back of hand over pants to wipe away the drip of spell required blood, the very things she had been yelling at happily took their new playtoys leaving no more than three sopping wet beings and a sky opening to show the bare of its blue once more. Squinting at it and half expecting something else to come screaming out the soil bellowing about how it was melting, footsteps had hurriedly took the lead up the severed roots towards the woman. “Calia!” Relief and concern made a mess of the prince’s voice, “Are you alright? How… what… No. Just, are you alright?”
At least Renus was not running and screaming into the night. Although coming running at her might not have been a good idea either, for a trio of the fae jackals took chase of him. Snarling and snapping at his heels.
“Cut it out,” she sharply barked. Halting their nonsense with a yip. One skirting around her and Renus both to go sniffing curiously at the freshly budding sapling, a second plopping in the dirt next to her to rest head on her knee. The last wasn’t done given the prince the evil eye, however. Sitting just behind Calia to peer nose over her shoulder and bare shiny teeth.
Elves can’t be trusted, sister. They lie! it said, apparently at a volume all could hear.
At his question, though Calia shrugged her shoulders. Nodding at first, until she felt that twinge where she’d been stabbed by silver claw, and to be honest her guts felt bruised and raw now too. As if she’d been physically having to push and pull the means of magic with her entire body… maybe she had been. Having to draw it out of another person and then bend it to her own will.
So then she shook her head. No, she wasn’t exactly okay.
“Tired, mostly.” she then gestured with a pointed finger to the demon of the hour. “Is he in one piece? I didn’t fry his brains up or bleed his organs?”
It was almost comical how Renus seemed to realize almost all too late that the trio of weird faeish creatures had taken after him, snapping at his heels. If the prince had a thought after it might have been to brandish the sword in hand. Thankfully Calia had called out and the creatures had come to a variety of halts. One looking the part as if to say I wasn’t doing anything and the other trying to look oh so cute.
Leaving the last one to be offering its best hairy eyeball that got the elven prince to glare in return. Fingers tensing on the weapon as if that should be warning enough. Declaring loudly its thoughts, “We lie!? What about you. How on earth did Calia get here, I don’t suspect it was her being simply invited by some grand figment of imagination.” Gesturing to the sky for emphasis. “I won’t say Fae lie but they aren’t always forthcoming either.”
He looked pretty annoyed once more even as he asked his question and the princess merely shrugged her shoulders. Something flashing over his face that probably spoke of how he couldn’t believe her and her general nonchalance. As if she hadn’t just been fighting that haunted spook for however long and was trying to brush it all off. If not entirely brushing away the means of genuine concern for a friend.
When she seemed to think about it and shook her head to declare she was tired, Renus’ eyes went to the wound. Then exasperation flashed noticeably on his face. Unsure of what to say, likely because she was asking about the demon.
“Would it matter?” Arc asked a bit showing his own annoyance of how it was phrased. Again, he really should have bet Liriel on the fact of lack of care and consideration and how he was just a manna pool!
The prince took a moment. Pinching fingers over the bridge of his nose trying to temper down what could have been likely a new moment of uncharacteristic rage. Breathing a moment, then another. “I was concerned that you were not present in the castle. You left me a note and when I finally had time to come and speak to you, Archimedes informed me that you were not present. We’d been looking for you to make sure all was alright which it clearly was not. Or at least to my perspective it wasn’t.” Gaze went to the sprout with a mixed frown. Curious but uncertain.
Mouth opened and closed a few times. Struggling to find anything of use in the moment till gaze went to the jackals. Back stepping so he could look around the general vicinity. Taking it all in with a long thought till finally focus was returned to the sprout. “A fae tree. I wonder if it’s roots had once been connected to the one that looks over us.” He was asking mostly to himself. Bowing head a moment that showed a general pious consideration that was probably offering sentiment to Gaia herself.
“Are you staying here then?” Renus eventually asked looking at Calia seemingly stewing on whether to even offer her assistance or not. Veering more towards the not due to the jackals and the overall sensation that she probably didn’t much care that they had come at all. Absently noticing that Arc had wandered well out of earshot, seemingly waiting and giving allowance of uninterrupted chance to speak.
A couple snarls were the reply to Renus and his threads. Calia gently laying hand around the snoot of the one trying to be an adorable lap friend so it would cease it’s growling, while the other took to speaking it’s mind as it pleased.
We wished to show our sister the blessed wild tree. The pretender had been here long before us, we did not know he too was full of lies. He smelled of the elders. It snapped it’s teeth at Renus again, but stayed full bodied behind Calia just in case he started feeling stabby.
That… gave at least a little context to the absolute chaos Calia had walked into. Of why the fae jackals followed him and did not seem to want to disobey him. That was about as far as she could get her weary mind to go, cause as expected Archimedes was pissed off with her. And even Renus seemed to be frustrated with her, as her statement of being tired clearly did not express well enough what she meant by it. Apparently enough to be thinking she actually wanted to stay out here. Like this had been fun for her!
…alright, dropping a meteor out of the sky had been fun. But now she was tired, and she did not know how to express how deeply, as it was so much that even using her brain was a struggle.
A hand went down to stroke the fur of the laying jackal, only to come back to glance at it with a grimace. Wet dog! They were all sopping wet now!
She likely could have offered a few good suggestions about the roots of the great tree, only to instead let out another sigh. Nudging the fae creature off her so she could climb stiffly back to her feet.
“I’m coming,” she finally answered. Calia might’ve preferred to lay back down in the dirt, curled up and napped until this bone weary feeling passed. Except they’d both likely think she was being difficult on purpose! Best to stay close and answer the questions when they were asked, and maybe she’d figured it out what happened herself along the way.
“Even as fae, surely you could have seen that what you were being led to was not as you know it. Fae are supposed to be keen of nature!” It was certainly a never ending thing that Calia had warned him about. She had stated that she was cursed and dangerous and all the other things. Just he had not thought it would really be this deep. To where now that she found out she had fae blood or was a fae herself, that she was going off gallivanting with the creatures that could have just as easily killed her. Had tried from the looks of it and yet, these three were coiled up around her like she was their mother and it absolutely frustrated him. A sense of trust feeling damaged if not entirely foolish for even believing that she was as keen eyed as she may have seemed.
Add on that he knew it was a bad day in hell when he felt as if Archimedes has proven to be more trustworthy –not a lot, he was still on the bad list as well- but the demon had not steered them wrong when coming to look for someone that didn’t seem to realize that things weren’t kosher. Of course he was surprised at the new sapling and hoped it would be able to thrive. Hope that it grew strong enough to have its roots reach the one that protected them and vice versa.
But right now, he wasn’t sure what to think. What to say.
Just frustration and knowing a sense of misplaced belief. If she was as fae as it was coming to show itself, it was probably best that she not build a kingdom again. That she reunite with her own kind and start mending whatever it was that felt best.
Granted, she would have to release Archimedes as well. Seeing as demonic magic was probably more in line with dark fae than light.
Another glance outwards amongst the devastation that had been wrought here, Renus merely hoped that whatever sort of curse had been placed was removed. So the land could heal. That the animals and apparent fae here could also join in. Mend and be free to live as they needed. Not in fear.
With a few steps off this mound of roots and dirt, he heard her speak. Saying he was coming and he had to bite back a comment that was entirely out of spite that maybe she should just stay here. Knowing he was just utterly in his emotions and they were not constructive remotely. Unfairly ready to stab blame and in justification on the girl who was no nicer word than a complete and utter mess.
Renus navigated carefully along the roots as not to find a weak spot or roll over an ankle. Sliding weapon back to is protective guard till successfully down the slope with a look back to see how she was managing. Clear that no one was in the mood to talk, probably a good thing.
“They are young fae, they didn’t know the difference,” Calia did dig up the energy to pipe in. Renus could be mad and frustrated with her if he needed to be, but these horned jackals were barely as old as she was. That tree had been in a state of sickly withering for a long, long time. As long as the demons had been unleashed in this land, though Calia had this nagging feeling that it might have been even longer than that. The fact these fae critters believed the beastly dark one had been an elder meant that a true fae elder had not been in the woods for awhile.
No wonder the tree had withered so. There had been no fae here to protect it. None of the young ones had even been able to step close enough to the tree to even learn how to try.
The faelings knew now, though, and the land was cleansed by fire and rain. It could all grow back into a proper fae forest full of magic and life and beautiful creatures. Renus could not see yet what she’d done, but it had been worth every derailing second. Calia could endure this moment of awkward discomfort, as for once – for once – the calamity that followed her had done something right. Renewing something from the ashes, instead of just burning it all down.
She did follow him though, not dilly-dallying around as she stepped over roots and around piles of dirt. Not alone either, as the jackals were joining. Making escort their personal mission, and taking full claim of ownership of these grand events. They’d found this lost sister themselves and changed the very forest.
If they weren’t all wet, Calia might’ve given them a pat. Pausing her following of Renus only when it came time to cast a glance to Arc with the unspoken question if he was coming. Not daring to say the words, cause she knew damn well he was pissed too. There’d been no chance for her to ask permission before latching onto his magic, so they couldn’t exactly have that discussion of how much was too much too fast and what damages it would cause. Hell, she hadn’t even known it was going to take so much muscle for her to use that she’d end up feeling like she’d spent the entire day beating dummies with a wooden sword!
It was silence. A strong, lengthy, clearly pressurized silence that it didn’t appear either of the males were interested in breaking. Nor was either one of the two talking about the trio of fae that had decidedly started to tag along. Privately in his own head, he was already devising a plan to hopefully cut this contract short.
While the tug of magic was more than he had experienced in a while it hadn’t drained him. It wasn’t near to half personally but left a tension in the back of his head. Likely due to the whole being a conduit rather than the caster. He’d mastered his craft so he could use it as he needed too, but not so much the effort that came from being just a bridge between new caster and pool. It was going to take some getting used too but he also suspected it wouldn’t.
The girl had discovered her faeling roots. If the show of her bringing back the tree to life was anything, it told him enough that she didn’t need his magic. She could tap into other fae creatures and use it, so there was hardly a reason to hang onto the dark sorted stuff that made up his being. He’d not have to worry then about getting memories back. He could sneak away from this kingdom and follow Liriel’s statement of doing as he always did. It would be easy enough surely to just mention it to the girl that she was well in charge of herself. Capable of doing things that centered around her new found reality.
Hell, he was almost certain she could even go and find the fae court somehow and just migrate herself into their fold!
It would end this constant back and forth that was truly doing nothing. Although as they walked back, he could see just how irritable the commander was. Curious he was to know what was going through that noggin, but not enough to ask. Likely cause he was the picture perfect appearance of someone with a black cloud over their head. Thinking about their choices.
Likely wondering why he was concerned at all. A similar thought that had been tossed from his mind shortly after it had spawned and the clarity came that there was no way in heaven or hell that anything was going to change.
She didn’t need an advisor. She didn’t need an army. She didn’t need potential allies and friends. She just needed herself. To do as she wanted, problems or solutions. He knew enough faelings behaviours to know they weren’t exactly the most cooperative group. They did as they wanted and mattered not about the consequences. Almost waiting for Calia to pipe up at some point that she didn’t need anyone’s help. She probably didn’t, not if she was able to use latent fae energy.
By the time they had reached back to the palace, Renus made it pretty abundantly clear that he wished not for either of their presence any further. He bowed to them both, a stiff action that pivoted on awkward heel to step inside. Of course he was almost influenced to go and annoy the kid further but decided that until Renus didn’t have the pointy stick anymore, it wasn’t worth it! Not sure that he wouldn’t just throw it at him at this point. Better to let emotions cool and thoughts become even.
He slowed to a stop. Looking at the palace a moment. Hands lifting to go behind neck as he mindlessly hummed. “If I have any suggestion, should at least go have a bath. The passive spells between us will at least help yah heal faster. Besides that,” Arc shrugged nonchalantly, “Hello and goodbye.” Using her own words from the morning to indicate he was outta there for now.
Neither of them even tried to ask her any questions and at first Calia was glad for it, thinking that at least it was giving her a chance to get her thoughts in order so she could explain how she’d ended up in that situation in the first place, along with all the interesting tidbits that surely would be valuable knowledge for the elven kingdom. Except those questions never came and the chilly silence remained. All the way through the forest, and even when the fae jackals stayed behind at the forests edge.
Where surely she’d think someone would pipe in with something now that there were not extra listening ears that were wily and had bitey teeth. Even if it was just to yell at her, that would’ve been preferable! Still that silence continued and Calia could not seem to find the will herself to break it. Thinking of Nysia and her way of just blurting out whatever she wanted without fear or care. Wishing she could feel that same fearlessness, as it sure wasn’t sparking in her now.
Renus could not have gotten away from her fast enough, and that was fine. He’d finally gotten to see her for what she was and Calia hadn’t expected anything much different. Shock and awe and then that realization that she was every much the terror she claimed to be. It was fine because she’d done the right thing, she’d done everything right this time.
Then Arc himself was so quick to give her that Hello and Goodbye, and Calia didn’t know what happened. Something in her cracked. Broke and shattered, so that of resolve that had kept her walking and moving forward decided all at once it was done. What was meant to just be a simple nod and a Yeah, okay, came out as a whisper and a sudden shuddering sob. And now that she’d started, she couldn’t seem to get herself to stop!
Mentally he was prepared for a sassy retort. An angry telling off. A smug beam of pride and affirmation of what she had all done by herself. Even that same shooing motion as to be gone peasant from thy sight. There was nothing in their history that could have even prepared him for the girl that made it clear she needed nothing, no one and was fully capable of handling everything herself with a sword, magic and a fury that rivaled whatever gods there were.
Legitimately he assumed with him using her own greeting and shooing away that had come this morning, she would have at least rolled her eyes at him. Call him all sorts of names and declare something akin that he was simply lucky that the fae tree and queen had duped her into the contract.
Not this.
Looking around just in case one of the other royalty specials had materialized to take over. That Renus had returned to start shouting and finger pointing. Something! Nothing of the expected happened. Just that it was a very awkward encounter with the fiery, angry, prideful, self isolated, fae child that had turned into racking sobs and tears. And damn him for being so easily moved by it! With hesitation mind you, cause there was always that chance she could still could command him to bend into a pretzel and die.
“Hrmmm…” grumbling more at the whole gracelessness that this whole scene was, prepping to get stabbed even; the elven demon stepped closer. It wasn’t as if he was entirely devoid of emotions –in fact, he had them just the same as any person but kept the more squishy ones down below so indifference and being a pain the in ass had more room! Cautiously at first reaching a hand out to pat pat her head before stepping close enough to slide palm down to one arm hug the mess of a person. “Come on now, is this really how yah wanna be comforted? By yer demonic pet? Yah just need a good bit of food and a nap, yah’ll be right as rain in no time, Lia.”
This was all so damn pointless. Even her tears were pointless, as where was it going to get her anyway? Apparently, a patpat on the head and boy did that make the sobbing even worse! Might as well add sobbing dramatics on top of her long list of faults!
“I am tired,” she managed to agree amongst the staggard gasping for breath. “I am so tired…!”
Tired of trying so hard to say the right things, do the right things, be the right things. She was tired of judgmental elves, and trickster demons, and fae secrets. She was tired of feeling out of sync with the world, and feeling nothing, and feeling everything all at once. Tired of always being wrong, even the one time she’d sincerely done something amazing that was worth being excited and proud about. Tired of letting everyone have their feelings, because fuck their feelings, what about hers!
None of this she could seem to say though, even when she had this burning need to scream it at the top of her lungs. Even when she did open her mouth trying to suck in the air to at least give something, only to shut her mouth tight again with another sob. Knowing that even if she did, they would tell her the same things they always did, not really hearing her because she never could seem to express her in ways people could comprehend. He was already trying to brush it away into nothing.
So she just caved in. Likely to be seen as a toddler’s tantrum and she couldn’t get herself to care anymore. Letting legs and arms go the way of wet noodles as she crumbled and cried. He could leave her there and maybe she’d cry enough tears to become a tree herself.
It sounded like a toddler that needed a nap, but it felt like there was so much more behind it. Honestly, he wouldn’t be surprised considering even in his own thoughts, he hadn’t expected her to respond as such. As he told Liriel, she had a lot on her plate. However, he could accurately recount that even in their on and off again encounters, she had never cried. Grieved or whatever she needed to do. It was liable to compound itself up and up till it had nowhere else to go besides well, this.
Honestly, had she been someone else, he might have been better at the comforting thing. Yet it was still her. There was a healthy dose of caution ever present because just like her, he wasn’t particularly keen on opening up to others. It was a dog eat dog world here after all and she did own him in very much a sense of literal ownership.
Either she knew how much power she had on him or she was only momentarily unaware. A variable that wouldn’t last long.
It was an attempt to awkwardly try and joke about the whole situation. Putting it out there that he was probably the one person she really didn’t want to try and there-there her considering their hot and cold relationship. Such a tactic clearly worked out magnificently. One could tell it had by the way she just crumpled in to become a sobbing plop on the ground.
Okay so he was going to have to do better about this then. Show empathy. A feeling that was terrifying truly because doing so meant it revealed there was so much more than just a shallow persona.
Pulling in a slow breath and pulling at the knees of pants so he could crouch down to keep her a little more eye to eye, gingerly touch moved to push away the wet errant black as silk hair from getting stuck in more watery tears. Or being inhaled through her nose or mouth. “It’ll be alright, Calia.” Voice turned soft, sweet and sincere even if he wasn’t trying to explain why or how it would be. Such things didn’t need to be stated. “Yah don’t have to believe me but I know it’ll be fact. Yah didn’t make it this far on just luck. We both know that. I get yer tired. In ways I won’t even understand or pretend to. And yer valid to feelin’ as yah do. Feel what yah need too. No shame in that. But it’ll all come together whether it feels like it or not.”
Claws light combed back to gingerly knead at the base of skull. Retracting shortly, “Come on, little bunny, either yah’ll be carried like a princess or piggy backed. Yer choice. But let’s get yah inside, somewhere warm and calm and we’ll work on mendin’ what can be mended. Yah just gotta have a wee bit of faith.” Giving head a bit of a tilt, “Will yah let me help yah?”
It was a painful shudder of trying to breathe, when her body already felt battered and sore and now this sobbing was only highlighting it all the more. Good and ready to throw herself the rest of the way to the ground and just lie there, regardless of the fact people were going to pass her by and wondering why that witch faerie princess was wallowing on the ground being even more pointless than usual.
What she wasn’t ready for was Archimedes crouching down to her stupid pathetic level. Using such a gentle tone and soft touch that surely she’d passed out at some moment and this was just some wishful dream. Finding it so impossible that he’d show any sort of care towards her, and in that single moment being so desperate to believe it just once. Desperate enough that she didn’t want to pretend anymore than she was a functioning person.
Calia nodded with a tearful shiver, agreeing to this softly spoken offer of help. Sure that in a few moments she was about to get dropped into a tub of ice water as a means to calm her down and shock her back to her grim reality. For now though? Caving into that need to reach for someone, this time literally reaching to wind her arms around his neck in a tight, face burying cling. Apparently having chosen the princess carry option.
“…as long as I,” she hiccupped, “don have ta hang upside down, lookin at your ass ‘gain.” A struggle for a light comment, it was about all she had to give before she was back to sniffling all over again. Curling up like she was trying crawl into herself and disappear from all existence.
If either of them knew what the other was thinking about, believing that it was going to all be ripped away so easily then they might have had a chance to see they were both probably more alike than not. There was no mindreading but a sort of quiet concern that bleed into something else. Not quite sure it deserved a name. Obliging with arms reaching out to wind in around neck silently declaring she was choosing the more princessy style of being picked up.
With a comment of course. “Only once do yah get that sight.” Offering to follow her attempt at being funny, “Usually its reserved for the sorts that are so drunk they can’t walk straight.” Which maybe she just might fit into that category right now. Less drunk and more just mentally exhausted with whatever and everything that had launched itself into a dog pile.
Sliding hands respectfully along back and under knees, they were shortly standing again. Making it at least a seemingly easy enough entrance back into the palace once they were seen by some of those man guards that were naturally uneasy with the whole demon thing. Add on the state of an upset princess that they knew was a guest of the palace and it was liable to have some sort of stirring rumour spread through the halls by the end of the day! It would be interesting to see what would come out of it but for now they obliged to open the door. So he wasn’t actually swinging Calia over shoulder again like a sack of taters.
With the return to the allocated bedroom –with a few more eyes that were of the maid-ly variety and an expectation that someone was going to hear of the whole scene- he gave it a bit of a hip check paired with a awkward grasp of hand under knees. Managing to open it and shuffle inside to at least set the princess onto the bed.
“Take yer time. I’ll even be a good demon and go and see if someone will bring yah a meal inside. So yah don’t have to awkwardly socialize before yer ready too.”
It was probably a good thing she wasn’t noticing the audience whose eyes were spying a rare sight indeed, as Calia would’ve likely felt right back into that doomed spiral of running through all the things people were going to think and say about her now. For now just giving in to the feeling of being a useless lump of sore muscle and aching bone. Burning lungs and broken, missing heart.
At first she didn’t let go when he set her down. Liable to be stuck there had she not forced wrists and then elbows to bend and retract. To curl her arms back to herself to fold and scrunch in her attempt to shrink smaller without doing so literally with the aid of magic. Finding even that thought made her feel sick to the stomach and threatening to renew the sobbing, when she’d finally just simmered down to streaming silent tears.
Calia examined his face there, not sure what she was looking for or if it was even worth doing so. Making that motion of opening her mouth ready to say something, only to just as quickly close it again. That futility of everything trying so hard to keep it’s claws dug in tight. Having to take a shuddering breath to try and shake it loose.
“I’m sorry,” she ended up saying. Unable to even settle on a single reason why, because there were too many that she didn’t know where to start. That likely wasn’t going to mean much of anything, but at least she’d said it.
Once he was freed from her and watching the usually fulsome woman crumple down into the smallest form she could make of herself, rear end plopped itself on the bed. Contemplating how much he could get away with and if she might start shrieking if he rolled her up into a blanket roll then made her stay there till she felt like she wasn’t about to crack like glass.
Fragile… god damn Liriel.
What he did settle for was tugging at the blanket to get enough to flip over her. Doing the same pat pat he had to her head, but less of a comical sort. Gently knead palm to knee, watching her act like a fish gasping for air when mouth opened and closed. Sparing thumb to be bold in reaching over to stroke feebly the means of streaking drips. Hearing as she gave the saddest most uncertain apology he’d ever heard. And he hadn’t heard many of them fairly. There was usually no reason for it.
It was a reaction to want to point out that she was saying silly things. To make a joke of it. To tease and laugh but it didn’t feel like the best time for that. Not when she was looking so pitiful. “Yah don’t need to say such thin’s to the likes of me.” Lips pulled a little in a earnest tilt, “Yah ought to keep it for someone who be deservin’ such honest statements.”
Shoulders shrugged at her, “Thin’s be a little topsy turvy right now. Ain’t meanin’ that yah need to flip with it to keep yerself right side up. Shit happens and we both know yah’ve had an entire cake recently of the very thin’. Yah’ve been through it with no rest. No chance to think and process much of anythin’ before the next thin’ comes and smacks yah. Truthfully yah have been holdin’ on longer than most would’ve. Not easily either but yah did what yah thought best. No one can fault yah for it. And if they do, then they just don’t know what they are natterin’ about.”
Reaching to tug the edge of blanket up to cover shoulders, “Don’t stress yer wee head about it lass. Especially over the likes of me. I take no foul to it and if it seems like it, just give it a minute. I’ll forget about it in a few minutes.” Which he meant giving another pat, “Now, give me an idea what yah be needin’ to fill yer gullet. Otherwise yah might get somethin’ with eyeballs cause I won’t know any different. And yah got some sweets too. Ain’t sure what yah liked so yah’ll have to forgive my ignorance too if its shite.”
He probably could have rolled her up like a rug and she’d have let him. Just sitting there afraid to move, as somehow that was going to destroy this moment where he was actually talking to her instead of at her. Where he was actually showing he was capable of actions towards herself other than biting comments and sarcasm. Not to say he hadn’t been much more… companionable since he was set free out of his imprisonment, but it’d never really felt sincere either.
Now here he was offering himself up on a platter as the day’s asshole, as if he’d actually done something to deserve it. Her hurt feelings aside, believing he’d wanted to escape her at every turn was truly not only aimed at him, it was aimed at everyone, so it was really kind of stupid for him to be taking any blame now.
Still, she was very much ready to fall backwards and curl up and never talk to anyone ever again. Only giving pause when he’d asked her what she’d want for dinner and mentioned sweets. A curious enough thing that she followed his glance to the box on the nightstand, to then lean over and flick the top off with a finger to reveal the chocolate treats inside.
Treats. Treats that’d been waiting here since before he and Renus came fetching her out of the woods. Which was just… that soothed a shattered part of her in a curious way. Taking one of the small chocolates, in this agonizingly slow motion simply because her body was still sore and her breathing still shaky, to pop in her mouth with an expression that finally wasn’t wracked with despair and pitiful sobbing. Just contemplative and quiet.
He didn’t hate her.
And somehow that was enough to set her into an easier breath. Tugging blanket tighter around her shoulders when she looked at him again, a faint examining of his face while she decided what to say.
“I didn’t seek your magic or help in the woods at first, because that is what the thing wanted,” she confessed. Needing him to at least understand this one thing. That she didn’t hate him either. “He tried first to convince me to take your heart for my own and when that didn’t work, he tried attacking me instead. I didn’t pull from you until I didn’t have another option. I wanted to be able to ask you first. To talk about it and practice with it… not spring it on you in some frenzied moment and accidentally kill you. …I don’t want to be your enemy or master, I want us to actually be something better. Friends, even.”
“I am having a very hard time making friends,” she admitted, almost cracking in the voice again. Now it seemed she’d managed to unlock her ability to speak actual words, and she was running with it while she had it! Sucking in a deep breath to let it out. “Everyone thinks I am being threatening when I’m not meaning to. Or that I’m exaggerating what I say about myself. They say they’re not scared of me and- well. You saw Renus today. I could have stayed back in the woods and he would’ve been relieved.”
“I can’t be what everyone wants me to be and I don’t want to be alone anymore. I’m spinning in circles over and over and over. And I am so tired.”
There was that phrase again and it still wasn’t enough to explain the depths of that tiredness. Finally just shrugged her shoulders until she was left with nothing more than the tearful sulking.
“I want soup. Soup and a bottle of hard liquor,” she gravely muttered, as if it were going to be her last dinner.
Girls and sweets. He was never going to truly understand that but it was a boon that she wasn’t picking up the box to huck it across the room in a stubborn zeal. Rather taking one to give it a taste. Almost about to tell her that he didn’t do anything to them but found himself lacking the courage to do so. Likely cause it wasn’t the time to jest and it was clear enough for even a blind man to see that the mountain hardass was just as sensitive and fragile as the crown princess said. Now he was grateful there was no bet to be had cause he wasn’t sure what she would demand in payment.
In a moment he shifted back to prop up on elbows. Letting her get her thoughts together whilst waiting to see what she wanted him to go and scare the cooks for. Instead giving him a preview of apparently something that warranted open bewilderment. Not interrupting her even if there was a few moments he really did want too. From the statement of how that thing playing ooga booga in the dark woods wanted her to take his heart –which was something interesting- and how she wanted in turn to ask for his magic. Also interesting.
Nothing like her suggesting wanting to be something better, claimed it as friends. Urging a pointed claw tip at himself like he wasn’t sure she just said what she did. Even reaching up to make a show that he was feeling at horns to make sure they were still present. But no added commentary yet.
Because she was venting. Exposing how she was on a narrow edge of this and that. Them and those. Struggling in a web of hers and others creation till it was wrapped so tight that the girl was slowly suffocating just trying to be it all. A task that was impossible. “I’d be tired too tryin’ to put eight different pairs of shoes on and realizin’ yer not a octopus.”
“I’ll get yah soup and something to drink but that ones guna be at least shared with a glass. I ain’t gettin’ good stuff and not at least seein’ if the hoity toity elves know how to brew somethin’ that’s not fairie piss.” Eyes rolled up the ceiling then clearly not busting to get up so fast. Rather, thinking. A hard long thing.
“I don’t know anythin’ about heart stealin’ and how it can be fixed outside just gettin’ yer own back. But honestly, yah don’t want mine. For obvious reasons and the reasons that yah don’t need somethin’ that black inside yer chest. But it is somethin’ we could look into. See if there is a way to find a temporary heart that can help yah get in touch with yerself.” Topic one mentioned and crossed off. Moving on. “Next, yah can feel surely that what is called for blokes of the magical persuasion a manna font, that mine is hardly small. Yah don’t need to ask to use it, especially if yah need it in a prime moment. Today was a fine example. I couldn’t feel the tether because of what I am guessin’ was that foul aura around that withered tree and cap’n gobshite. Yah usin’ it told me where yah were. It’s there for yah to use as that’s the contract. But if yah need it said, use it as yah feel comfortable. I ain’t guna die from it. If it was a shallow font, then I’d at least throw up blood and be sick for a bit but that’s not somethin’ we ought and have to worry about.”
Second topic now could be scratched off to the third one that was surprising a lot more difficult to speak on. Starting at the ass of it rather than the start. “People don’t get the unknown, Lia. Yer unknown. A ragin ball of turmoil and fear and pride and very much an quality about yerself that is equilivant to I don’t need no man, I’m a strong independent woman.” Smirking a bit at that one, “Yer imposin’ and it has a place and sometimes it don’t. Yah got a lot on yer shoulders and this is all new to yah. A new world. A new existence. A new discovery about yerself. That’s a lot to ask for on a normal every day basis. I mean I think yah gotta pick yer audience. A humble brag goes further than outright sayin’,” Arc sat up and puffed out his chest, “I could summon a fireball and nuke yer entire plane of existence as no big deal. It’s not exactly what people wanna hear. True as it might be. What yah don’t realize is yer a cannon brought to a bow and arrow fight. Yer strong, and unlike Caeldalmor, these people are sensitive little souls. I don’t think yah sayin’ that yer strong is bad, but maybe just being confident in yerself without sayin’ it?” Nose began to crease before he waved hand through the air, “Or yah stop givin’ a fuck like I do about what people think and care about. Then say whatever yah want. The difference is yah either care and find the nicest way of sayin’ I’ll fuck a bitch up, or yah say it and give not a whit what people say. Even if they are clutchin’ their pearls.”
Bed shifted as he began to climb to his feet. “I think Renus is just overwhelmed. I mean I was pesterin’ the little lad quite a bit and he just might need to sort his thoughts. He was pretty worried about yah today. Enough that he came and accepted me to work with him. Well… kinda. Whatever. What I am sayin’ is well… I think this. The first person yah gotta care whose opinion matters the most, is yer own. Everyone else will either accept it or don’t. But at the end of it, unless they are fucking yah, financing yah or feeding yah, they don’t get to decide who yah ought to be. That’s on yah to choose.”
Reaching out he gave her a fresh pat, “Yah just might regret tryin’ to make friends with a demon. I don’t know if that’s a smart move on yer part. I am pretty frustratin’ even without a pretty handsome face.” Chuckling at his own joke as feet took the weight once more, “Try to wash up. Yah don’t wanna roll up into a cocoon with dirt, blood and forest juices all over yah. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Ain’t guna promise I won’t terrorize a few chefs however.”
Calia had no interest in finding some other heart to stash away in her chest, if only because she felt nothing would do the trick. Demon, fae, human, it didn’t really matter. All she wanted was hers and anything else was going to be lesser, as she knew her body well and what it would take. It was as stubborn and immovable as herself after all.
It needed no comment, much like his revelation about his manna well. Having a blanket permission to use his magic helped ease some of her fears, though he did not realize just how far she could take it. …Although she did have to admit that using magic this way was a lot more intense and difficult than she’d expected. Where all she’d done with the ancient tree would have been nothing to her with her own magic, it’d been work using his. It might grow easier with practice, but for the time being she was perhaps a little less strong than she’d like people to know.
He seemed to want to address all her problems in one big swoop, nearly breaking her somber expression into a soft smile. Arc was very much every bit the natural advisor whether he remembered it or not. Not that she wanted to hear any of this part. How she came across as too strong and independent, and thus no one dared to get close to her. That she needed to learn to speak in a more appealing way – heard that a thousand times now. Or to simply stop worrying and caring so much about what others said about her.
“…it’s hard not to care about what people think of me, when after a while it feels like I am just not wanted as I am. I start to wonder why I am not worth the effort.” A difficult thing to say out loud, especially with one she had such a thin line of trust with. Calia had tried so many times before to open these lines of communication with him, to have him say cruel things that were still sitting in her now.
She didn’t know what was different now, but he wasn’t throwing her wish of a friendship back in her face. Being self deprecating maybe, and hinting that she was making a poor choice, but thankfully now seeming to be accepting.
“I’ll wash up,” she did acquiesce. heaving another heavy sigh now that she’d seemed to have cried herself out. Quickly brushing fingers against cheeks to wipe away the remains of nears and then looking down at those same smudged fingers with a grimace, realizing she likely just smeared dirt all over her own face.
That…. That was certainly a thing that made him pause. Looking at her then around the room with deep thought upon his face. Considering well, it never put I into such thought. Likely because he was of the nature to be aloof, sardonic or mean spirited when he couldn’t do the other two as seamlessly. It never made a dent in his head that perhaps not caring wasn’t as simple as a shrug of shoulders. A crack of one’s neck and a overall meh. She wasn’t a monster from hell after all, even if she was something of the other realm for a fae, she grew up with her family. Wanting acceptance probably in more ways that she likely knew.
“Yer worth the effort. It’s those who don’t want to put the effort that aren’t worth yers.” Arc offered in a confidence that wasn’t false or manifested for just this moment. “I don’t have any grand sagely advice on how that helps or to make it effective but it can be figured out with time.”
“Maybe when I get these unpleasant painful memories back, I may have better insight. Or I might not. Regardless, shit ain’t that broken that it can’t be repaired.”
Stretching arms over head, there was a moment to watch her agree that she would wash up. Hot water would do her well alongside just a few minutes to breath. Without someone hanging over her shoulder waiting for something to happen. Nodding and no sooner whisking out the door to follow the unspoken path that would lead him to the doors of the kitchen. Much to the shock of the kitchen staff. Where he made himself right at home at the long wooden table that made up the centre of the room, barely giving a thought about how there were more eyes on him than his own on them. Listing off the request of a soup with a good hunk of beef in it. Something hot and meaty would help her regain her strength. Whilst declaring whatever finest drink in the land ought to be added to the menu with some glasses.
Never mind the sort of wink wonking glassy eye staring he was getting before he smiled. Announcing he wouldn’t go away till he got what he was looking for.
Finding it practically comical how quick they would leap to the task when there was promise that he would disappear. Not to darker their kitchen again. Or well, until next time.
The whole arrangement of setting up a carrying tray with a wide tall bowl to be filled with what was on the pot, it was more of a creamy stew than soup. Chunks of potato with thick hunks of beef amongst the various little veggie bits that clustered around. Steaming wonderfully and given a piece of bread that had been baked that morning. Buttered and ready to be dunked into the stew if one wanted. Napkin and spoons. Two tall glasses and a bottle of dark looking liquor had been placed upon, then slide cautious over. As if he were about to take their very lives as payment, rather than just making a show of bowing and saluting. Scooping up the tray with the means of leaving the kitchen. Only pausing at the counter to pick up what appeared to be a wad of cheese. Tossing it onto the tray with a toodaloo to accompany his disappearance from the room.
Upon his return, he gave a heavy knock. Announcing the return though hardly did he exactly pause to enter the space. “One kitchen staff officially mildly terrorized and a meal for the lass that ought to fill up those sore cracks in yerself. If it don’t, the drink ought to.” Setting the tray down on the nearest table so he could pick up the bottle, giving it a curious look over. “Seems fancy. Rushed Pink Dutchess,” With a cork pulled, it became clear why it was in a dark bottle. The damn shit kinda glowed, “Well, that’s a new one. And with a name like that, I was expectin’ it to be frilly not glowin’.”
If people who did not put in efforts towards her weren’t worth her own effort, Calia felt that was going to land her in a very lonely existence. Which wasn’t entirely fair, as at least there were now some individuals in her life that she felt a kinship with and that had not been something she’d experienced outside of her family. She didn’t make a peep of fuss about it though, cause well… he was putting in an effort now to actually try and make her feel better. That was more than they had before and worth her reciprocating.
Once he left the room, the mountain princess made good work of cleaning herself up. Not so keen on the show of a whole bath, but using a basin of hot water and soap deftly enough to wash away all the dirt and blood that’d dried up on her skin. The wound on her shoulder was indeed healing quickly and needed no further attention. She refreshed her hair and combed it out to leave it down and loose to properly dry.
Calia dressed herself in a silky robe of a pretty rose color, with absolute no intentions of leaving this suite again today. Going through the motions of trying to appear in front of the royal family while pretending she was fine seemed too impossible at the moment. Neither did she want to risk another tearful breakdown, forcing a whole room full of people to witness her complete lack of fortitude and having to give her soothing platitudes just to shush her.
Maybe after dark when everyone was asleep she would go visit the great tree and let her know she was no longer alone in the elven capitol. Now her roots could reach out to someone beyond her glass dome in the palace.
When Archimedes returned, she was pacing the floor with that box of chocolate in her hands. Restless in some ways, tired in most, and simply trying to process her own flurry of thoughts. At least she looked a lot more lively and not so puffy around the eyes.
Calia slid into a chair at the table, pulling her legs up into the seat for sitting criss-cross. Already arranging the items out on the table as he examined the bottle. Giving a soft laugh of response.
“They name their liquors all sorts of strange things. At least this one doesn’t sound dangerous,” she commented. Buttered bread immediately went dipping into the soup and into her mouth, and it really was a lifetime of royal etiquette that was keeping her from looking like a hungry goblin. Calia was starving. Another interesting side-effect from the efforts of using so much of another’s magic.
“The chocolate is better here, though. It’s almost impossible to get in Caeldalmor,” she revealed. It had apparently been a very well chosen treat.
“I think when yah live so long, yah gotta find amusement in various areas. Drinks tend to be quite the creative freedom. Clearly.” Making a slight point to it as he made an effort to turn the glasses upright. Letting their mouth be point the right direction to take liberty to pour her probably more than the recommended amount. Coming out a glowing soft pink colour which really was at least the explanation on the pink part. They likely couldn’t call it the shit that glows a pink, cause well, he already could think of a few sexual innuendos that it was trying to masquerade itself as.
“Guessing yah found the Dragon’s spit if yer referencin’ ones that don’t sound dangerous.” He knew of it. Had it before. It was a spicy whisky that was certainly worth a belt or two. And not the least bit shocked that Calia may have given it a try. With a name like that, it was just begging for the curious to give it a knock back. It absolutely had a pungent biting kick that fit the name.
As he was side eyeing her to make sure that she did in fact partake in the spoils of his visual assault on the poor innocent cooks of the grand palace, the demon took the opposite chair to turn around. Straddling it to loosely knock arms over the high back. Offering open curiosity to the whole mention about how the sweets that had been on a selective whim of trying to show he wasn’t entirely a raging fuckwit out to cause mayhem and ruin her existence; was well received. “I don’t think it would keep well for a variety of reasons in the mountains.” It soil was easily too cold for the tree that made the required bits of chocolate to make. Add on that he could guess that traveling traders didn’t make it a priority very much.
“Well glad it was a good selection. Yah seemed to respond well to the ones Nysia had the other day so took note of it.” Downplaying his attention to detail, Arc leaned back a moment to look around the room. The light scent of soap and the whole slowly returning lax mood was highly noticeable. “So, just to be the one that asks the question’s so yah not potentially stewin’ on them later, what happened? If yah need to talk about it.” Not want, if she needed too.
“Spicy dragon spit, and then something pleasantly icy afterwards.” As soon as her drink was poured, glass went to lips and a good half of it was gone in a quick few swallows. She paused there, touching knuckle of fingers to her mouth, considering the taste of it and how the alcohol landed in her stomach. Fruity and pleasant, but not too sweet. Absolutely deceptively strong, which was just fine for Calia. It felt like a good evening to drink herself stupid.
Color her bewildered that he seemed to have taken note of something she liked. Calia sure hadn’t thought about that moment with Nysia and her dozens of suitor gifts, or even had a second thought about the sweets she’d snatched extra of when they’d been offered.
“Hmn, thank you. I might have come back far sooner had I known there was a treat for me,” she confessed, genuinely at that. Best not to make a big deal about it, though, or he might never want to do a nice thing for her again!
The real surprise came in his question of what happened. Drawing her to pause mid scooping of spoon, to glance up at him, unable to hide the surprise that he deemed to ask her, as sure was pretty certain himself and even Renus didn’t much care to know. Just having assumed it more Calia Trouble and she’d been doing it on purpose or in some reckless pursuit of being a pain in the ass.
“The fae jackals, they were only curious. Just wanted to play and show off,” she started with a considering tilt of her head. “They were proud of their tree, but couldn’t come into the clearing with it when we got there. I don’t think they realized that wasn’t the way it’s meant to be.”
“Before you and Renus got there, that dark thing had himself shaped like the jackals. A big shadowy form and everything about him did seem old and ancient. Like it was his forest and his space. I thought he might be dark fae, but…. I don’t know now. He had many skins on him made from many things.”
He wasn’t sure what the pleasantly icy was afterwards. Not needing to really ask since it wasn’t something they really needed to go into detail about. Especially when she took the glass poured to make half of it disappear. Perhaps a more conscientious person would suggest she not take it bad so fast but that would imply he was about to nanny or tell her what to do or not do. Certainly not! If she wanted to get knackered, that was her choice. One that might be more than just considering the whole day and the very expenditure of tears that lead her revealing just how utterly overwhelmed she was.
Enough to want to reach out to the likes of him. Still a bad choice.
So he shrugged indifferently at the follow up that she would have returned faster if there had been knowledge that there was something she had enjoyed present. Not about to point out that if it hadn’t been for Liriel, he likely wouldn’t have bothered. Neither of them needed to start splitting hairs about such things. Just accepting that he did something considered nice and she had appreciated it.
Leaving them or rather him to choose the next selection of words.
The general why and what had all happened. Of course he had given her the clue to where the woods were this morning when it looked like she was ready to go squirrelly and start climbing the walls literally inside the palace. But that was all he had known. Pair on that when they finally realized she had been absent for a good portion of the day with Renus looking for her, there was that blank spot that was probably needed some explanation.
With her declaring they were simply curious little faelings that were proud of their own tree but failed to know or understand that it wasn’t as they believed it were. He had caught the tale end of how the jackals had claimed Elves lie and that Renus was none too impressed with their own lack of clarification. It sounded to him that it was two sides of same coin. Elves were fae at one point, dökkálfar and ljósálfar, but things occurred and well now they were one of the mortal races on this side of the realm.
He didn’t know a lot about fae jackals to be frank. But there were all types of fae that knowing them all would be quite a feat in itself. So he didn’t bother stewing on it, just more of a lingering thought on the creature that had clearly not been quite as it was playing itself to be. “It had demonic familiarity. Not entirely, so it could have very well been a dark fae at some point that was unfortunate to get itself into some demonic thin’s it ought not to. Dabblin’ where it shouldn’t. The lad said the area yah were in, was a space that demons had been felled. So their blood likely did thin’s that were not so grand.” Arc leaned back then, “Demonology is pretty broad. Many applications and many thin’s that can go wrong. A strong enough demon or concentrated enough blood will twist things. Evil and voodoo and all that stuff.” Gesturing loosely for effect, once more arms loosely posted themselves over the top of the chair.
“Regardless, yah did what yah needed too. And it ought to have had a strong effect now that hopefully the repairin’ of it all can come with its own natural influence.”
Food was a blessing, warm and actually delicious. Already starting it’s work of sating her empty stomach and those pangs of being drained and starving. Alternating between bites of the stew itself and dipping in the buttered bread. Thankfully without the frenzy of a barn yard animal.
It seemed she had wanted to talk about all of it, perfectly in tune with paying attention. Invested with a soft nod, to learn that the effects of demonic things came in all sorts of varied ways.
“He’d also worn a jackal mask. Between that and the skins, it was no wonder the little things thought he was some ancient grand elder of the forest. There was such a strong aura of power on him, and he could come through the clearing where they couldn’t.” There was an openness to her, that surly had not been there before. Aided by strong alcohol and being too tired to care about looking proper or fumbling with her words. Easily pausing to lean on an elbow when she’d stop and consider things. All those thoughts flittering across her face in quick succession along with the emotion attached to them.
“I’m certain he was no fae elder at all! He didn’t know I could connect to the tree directly, even if he knew I was fae. Gave him a lovely surprise with that and shattered his illusions until he was hissing and spitting and calling me highblood. The young ones were happy to tear him apart once they knew he was a pretender.”
By now she was using spoon and hand to help her continue, lighting up with the chance to actually talk about things that deeply interested her.
“That poor tree was so far gone she couldn’t even speak anymore. I hated to burn her down and scorch her roots, and it was a miracle itself I didn’t have to kill her. I just had to reach far enough down in the ground to find roots that hadn’t been touched by malice or miasma. With all of that open forest, she is going to be beautiful.”
If they were as young as Calia defended, then they likely didn’t know the rights and wrongs themselves. So they gravitated to something that seemed like it did. To teach them even if it was just to use them for its own means. He wasn’t sure what the being was originally or if it was some true demon that he had never encountered before. It didn’t much matter. Calia had mashed the bastard into jam so the yipping trio had gladly tore the rest of them apart. It would be hard to revive after that even if they were in fact a demon. Granted Renus also hacked and slashed at them too, so there was plenty up there in the air of just what could happen.
Nodding along with no adding comment that wasn’t helpful or just to irritate, there was some curiosities still. Calia had said the thing suggested for her to take his heart. So it had known some stuff.
Was that because of it being fae. Dark fae. Demon? Something else… it was absolutely unclear and wouldn’t just make sense now.
Tapping cheek in likely a vain effort to search through the myriad of his knowledge, nothing was coming up. Only that violet sights had slipped over to her when she mentioned highblood. Considering Calia moment but offered no additional comment on that one. If what it said about highblood was true, then she wasn’t just a simple forest nymph. Something higher than that, as the name would imply. He couldn’t say if that was fact or not. Only a real fae might be able to detail that and getting them to speak plainly wasn’t exactly easy. As she likely knew from said Fae Tree that didn’t care to answer much.
It was funny though how she was open and conversationalist more now than she ever had been before. Probably because he wasn’t trying to dupe her into anything, and she wasn’t steaming mad wanting to stab him or anything. Speaking about something that clearly ignited something bright in her chest and in turn expressed that she in fact was glad the tree out in the woods hadn’t been killed. Just had to start from new roots.
Tapping fingers then, he debated his thoughts. Selecting the best route possible, “Yer able to use other creatures natural magic so long as yah have a physical link to them. The fae tree here and out there,” A thumb motioned over shoulder like she wasn’t clear what he was talking about. “So yer magic in a sense ain’t totally gone. Just it’s not as abundant as it was before the whole stealin’ aspect.” The demon was thoughtful, a little cautious too. “Would it not be advantageous for yah to not have my manna pool then? It’s of a directly different flow than yer own. Especially if yah can use and apply others with touch and what not, it seems to me a bit counterproductive for yah to be linked up to myself.” Expression was level, revealing. Not a speck of mischief or twisted implication made. He was speaking genuinely, “It can’t be good for yah to be usin’ or even dippin’ yer toes into diabolic manna fonts. Especially if yer more effective with nature and elements.”
He had ideas about her magic. Some that made perfect sense, others that didn’t quite feel right. The part that made her stop her eating to lean back in her chair and examine him, however, was bringing up once again that she didn’t seem to need his magic. That this binding of theirs was unnecessary.
Naturally, the first thing to happen was that upset. Flaring up fast and ugly, whispering those suggestions that she was something to get away from as quickly as possible. Forcing her to wrangle them instead of blurting out that hurt on the spot, by reaching for her glass and quickly swallowing what was left in it.
A beat. A moment. A breath. To actually think before she made assumptions and acted on them.
It was a perfectly fair thing to want to question the binding and not want a part of it. She’d not wanted a contract either, or feel tied to someone without any means of escape. Before when he had the reigns, at least she was not a slave to him, even if her access had been limited. This binding had him leashed in such a way that even with the terms she set, she still had an intimidating and frightening amount of power over him.
So of course he wouldn’t want that.
“The trees… they give that magic freely. I’m not quite sure I can do the same with another, like a mage or even another fae,” she answered first, at least considering what that might mean for her. Strangely, a sense of peace and feeling less empty inside to know that not all of her natural gifts had been stolen away. Apparently, there were parts of her still intact and now that she knew the source was fae, perhaps now she could develop those skills.
“Are you asking me because you’re afraid I’m going to use and abuse you?” she asked instead of answering his questions on whether or not he was even useful to her. Because that part was obvious bullshit, of course he would be useful! Difficult of not, he’d been of help to her. “Any ill feelings I had about you and towards you are gone. I let those go awhile ago, and even if I hadn’t, I think you’ve paid the price plenty enough of any wrong you did me.”
She pointed that out with ease, as damn it all, only someone cruel and truly heartless would’ve seen what she did and then still want him to suffer even more.
“If you don’t want me to use the magic, I won’t. I’m not going to control you or treat you like my servant or like an animal here for my use and entertainment. You can even go on about your own business if you wish, I’m not going to make you stay with me either.”
“I do want your help, though.” she finally just admitted, with a soft shrug of her shoulders and a frown. Tilting attention back to the meal in front of her. “I need help. Mostly so I’m not traveling the continent alone shoving my own foot in my mouth every time I need to deal with people in ways that don’t involve kicking their ass. So yes I can take care of myself with magic and strength, it’s just… the rest of it I struggle with.”
Easily he had expected a flare of bursting anger to show itself. After all he wasn’t entirely being subtle about his thoughts but that was the point. He wasn’t trying to sugar coat it or hide it. Just laying it out there while pointing out it was probably taboo somewhere that a faeling of her caliber –if the highblood was fact- was dabbling or possessed even a thimble of demonic magic. It was his of course but she was currently eyeball deep in it whenever she wanted. One he already told her she was fine to use at her leisure because it really didn’t bother or affect him.
He’d mastered the spells he had thus far.
So when she tipped the glass to empty and looked at him to speak, he was listening. Once more not leaping to interject because that wasn’t his intention. He knew of fae magic, not how it worked. So he couldn’t exactly tell what he had assumed was correct or not. Just a hunch with no basis. “I’d be lyin’ if I were to say no.” Arc admitted freely as he gave a private smirk. He’d already admitted to Liriel that even he was not a fan of potentially dying. Afraid of it and Calia did in fact have that power. He’d seen her as unbridled as a wild mare with its mane ablaze in pure flame. She could slaughter and fight and try to stomp anyone flat. “But I also know that it’s part of being in the contract. It’s beneficial for yah as the owner. Whether there are ill feelin’s lingerin’ about or not. Yah may not realize the level of control yah have over the likes of myself. A mere spark of ire that could or could not be rightly deserved can be unleashed.”
Stretching fingers before cracking them, Arc shrugged. “It’s my selfish nature not preferrin’ to be leashed. However, even I can fathom there was a reason the queen and the fae tree highly encouraged this. I won’t over look that. Might not understand it but won’t over look it. And we both know I’m hardly cuddly and sweet or a grand companion worth more than a few days.” With a open motion of hand, he was laying it out on the table figuratively. “I’ll admit, I would like to not be in the contract. My life is quite literally in yer hands and we both know that as a demon, I don’t have outstandin’ credibility. Plus my business is no more than wanderin’ and being a fantastic whore.”
Still she was being honest with him and expressed even that she wanted his help. Dangerous as that might be. Puzzling a bit till he level a strangely revealing look, “I think yah might be puttin’ all yer eggs in the wrong basket. And relyin’ on me to be an advisor may just be a really bad idea but how can I say no in the end. It’ll be weird… strange… probably highly incorrect. Poor judgment on yer part but I guess so long as there’s a sort of honour amongst thieves as it were, it could work.” Arc pursed that of lips a moment as eyes noticeably slitted, “Outside the rules of don’t harm others and that stuff, demons? Up for grabs or not?”
How refreshing to have it just laid out there in the open with honest intention, without him snapping or biting at her. Without herself immediately getting into a huff, because of course she knew sometimes she felt things too personally and too deep. To know where she stood without lies and games and secrets was it’s own kind of comfort.
He didn’t want this binding anymore than she did, but they had it and needed to work with it. There was a purpose for it, even if she did not yet know what for. Queen Ashera had her own obvious reasons, but the fae tree’s involvement made it a little murkier. Aside from her admittance that it had been to help Calia. It was what she needed, even if it wasn’t what she wanted.
“You’ve spent a long time in the hells and just wallowing in this means of being a demon,” she mused out loud. “Convinced yourself you’re some kind of villain and have even played the part. Yet, for as long as we’ve been here to uncover who you used to be, it’s not quite lining up, is it. You as a traitorous, hateful bastard. I’ve been trying to force myself into the box of everyone’s expectations of me…. do you think you might just be doing the same thing?”
A sincere question, as he sure didn’t fall into line with what she’d seen of demons so far. Which wasn’t say good natured demons couldn’t exist out there somewhere, but even so. Archimedes claimed to be one thing, then behaved like someone else entirely.
“If a demon is being a problem, have at them.” she did finally agree. “I imagine they’re a problem more often than not. Honestly, anyone being a hateful shit can fuck off.”
That was a bit loose of tongue, aided by that nice feeling of good liquor. Calia wasn’t someone so gentle of heart that she wasn’t down for ridding the world of evil, terrible people by the way of a swift end. Death had it’s place in the balance of things and some most certainly deserved it.
“You’re not the wrong basket for me,” she did finally say with all confidence. “We’ve reignited a fae wood and that wasn’t even a joint endeavor. We’ll do grand things if we’re working together.”
“Now I wouldn’t call it wallowin’, lass. I’ve had a grand time in the fiery pits of the burning abyss but even that gets borin’. Which results in poor judgment on my part and doin’ thin’s that gets me in mighty big trouble with bigger demons than myself.” After all she knew he had gotten put into his smallest form my some elder demon due to his flirtation and successful bedroom antics. He’d just preferred to be out in the mundane world doing the same things with less of a noose and threat of fucking with someone’s lady when it could come back to bite him in the ass.
But Calia seemed to have this idea about him that was curious to listen too. That he was not nearly as villainous as he was meant to be. The he played the part, and such. But there were quirks and spirals in his behaviour that made it less believable. Nearly about to point out how he had replied to her efforts of cockblocking him but decided that they didn’t need to repeat that memory. Instead, he made a show of thinking about if he was doing the same thing.
Humming and hawing till, “No. Not really.” He didn’t see what she did. Sure he knew he had more thoughts and behaviours that weren’t on par for what he was supposed to be, but those things were meant to be private. Secret. Only for him to know about and everyone else to think that there was absolutely nothing good and worthwhile.
He wasn’t about to start saving people from burning buildings and kissing babies. A very thought that led him around to wondering just how tight she was going to make this contract. To whether or not if other demons that had particular skills he wanted, were up for meal time.
And she stated it in such a way that wasn’t just go for it. “Let’s be hopin’ they are always a problem.” Tapping fingers to the table again even if he was smirking at her. Shortly nudging the bottle to her as a influence that she was to pour herself another drink. “My spell book could use some more additions to it and I don’t much care for doing it the lengthy learnin’ way.” Easy way out and using skills associated with his carrion status.
Then she had to go and say that. That he wasn’t the wrong basket. He didn’t think a single glass could get her drunk, but he could be in for a surprise. “Well… we’ll do things. We’ll see if they are grand or massive flops. Either way, sounds interestin’ enough that I have little to bitch about outside the usual.”
Leaning back to stretch arms up and over head, Arc maneuvered himself upwards. Coming to stand and groan with the length of stretching. Eventually sighing to rub at the back of neck, “Yah good now? I’ve got plans to be told horror stories of my apparent youth from Aien and experience leagues of brain pain akin to being mashed potatoes, but just checkin’ to make sure yer on the up and up, petal.”
Calia most certainly did not forget that he’d landed himself into a mess because he’d been sleeping around with the wrong demon’s paramour. He was likely to get into that same trouble here in the mortal realm as well, with no signs of that stopping any time soon! He was lucky he didn’t end up attached to someone like Renus after all, that would flush and squawk and be all manner of pissed off every time he got flirtatious.
In the end she just laughed. Arc didn’t have much faith that they could accomplish anything spectacular… there was a point Calia didn’t think so either. Where she’d been so wrapped up in her own grief that she didn’t think anything was possible at all. Even today had been difficult and it managed to crack through her carefully built up exterior to knock her off guard during a moment she was too overwhelmed and exhausted to keep it in check.
They could do it, though. Finding it a little bit easier to imagine a successful future, if they could apply any of this to something actually constructive. How wonderful it could be to actually create something instead of tearing it all down.
“Not good,” she admitted with a wry smile. Reaching for the bottle he’d gestured to and pouring herself that fresh glass. “On the upswing, though. I’ll get there.”
“Ah, yah’ll do marvelous, wee lass.” Arc offered and even did that same pat-pat thing to her head. “We’ll be in sparring grounds if yah be curious enough to venture out the room at some point. Although I can’t say if it will be uneventful if yah do. No tellin’ where the one that runs on sugar and spite be located after her day of makin’ cow eyes at the first beau. Surely she be out there lurkin’, waitin’.”
That was a terrible thought thinking about Nysia merely waiting for the right moment to strike with her level of bullshittery. Nearly shuddering at it. Managing to suppress the urge as he back pedaled to the door to lurk just a moment more.
Something flashing over that of mind. Trying to find its way to mouth. But seemed to lose its way in the attempt, “Try not to get too shit faced, no tellin’ what yah might wanna try out when liquid courage coats yer belly, Lia. I’ll be around if yah need me.”
There was nothing more strange than being a grown ass woman – a tall grown ass woman, and having your head patpatted like you were still just knee high. He’d done it several times today and it was both infuriating and endearing in ways she really didn’t understand and didn’t want to besides. Only giving him a hum of a sound and a mysterious smile that really didn’t put one at east that she wouldn’t get herself shitfaced drunk and then go around terrorizing the palace with magic.
She never had before, but there was always a first time.
Arc has been right on the money that Nysia was just itching, waiting, lurking out there for her opportunity to chatter away about her very first date. When Calia declined to show up for family dinner – for once she’d been the first one to excuse herself from the table. (After the dinner course, she wasn’t going to miss a good meal!) Likely missing passing the demon by mere minutes when she came busting into Calia’s room
Calia was going to have to lock this door, wasn’t she.
“There you are! A private dinner, without me?” she scoffed. Bustling in and making herself right at home at the small table where Calia had finished off the stew and the bread, and was presently having a nice munch on the cheese to go with her heavy sipping of that glowing duchess brew. Well on her way to being good and drunk, just as she pleased.
“Generally when one doesn’t come to dinner, they aren’t up for company, Nysia.” she stated flatly, but wasn’t shooing the girl out either.
Nysia laughed it off as she always did, helping herself to the second glass and pouring a bit of the drink for her own self.
“You didn’t miss much, anyway. Liriel is in a wonderful mood now that she’s had her little private lovers moment with the demon, and Renus was as quiet as a ghost and didn’t care to explain it, so I have a feeling that has something to do with you seeing as you’re hiding in here dressed for bed and drinking yourself silly.”
“Lovers moment?” Calia asked, completely side-stepping the commentary about Renus. If he was frustrated or angry with her this time… fuck him! For just this one, fuck him! She’d finally had a chance to do something impactful and amazing, she wasn’t going to be sorry about it. Besides, Nysia’s gossipy nonsense actually managed to hook her this time.
After a drink of the wine, Nysia leaned forward grinning ear to ear. “He adored me, of course, as any man would dote on a little sister. But it was actually Liriel he was sweet on and she had her own crush on him as well. Never to the point of lovers, Liriel was always too upstanding for that…and I guess he was every bit of a flirting tramp too. You can’t pin down a man like that.”
Well there was a fun bit of context for Calia to learn. She wondered if he remembered anything about Liriel from back then or if those feelings were bleeding their way through now? Knowing he didn’t much care if a woman were attached to someone or not, the Crowned Princess might very well be on the receiving end of a demon’s seduction!
“Hope that doesn’t end up in a messy affair,” she blurted out, taking another heavy swallow herself!
Nysia erupted into a loud cackle. “It’ll be fine! Liriel is so witlessly in love with Rhiann, not even Archimedes could get in between that. If he starts shuffling around lovelorn, you’ll know why. Speaking of lovelorn–!” It was no surprise she found a way to bring everything around to be about herself. Practically vibrating in her seat to give a retelling of her day.
The young elven princess’s date went beautifully – a gorgeous sunny spring day lent for a walk around the lake to view the swans and to have a nice little picnic in the fresh grass. They collected flowers to make wreaths and chattered on and on and on… And when Nysia kept adding on more of those ‘on and on and ons’ Calia got the distinct impression that the conversation wasn’t so great. Falling into an amused, easy laugh herself.
This beau had turned out to not have a single thing of interest to say. Prattling on endlessly about the weather, remarking on things they looked at, giving Nysia a thousand compliments. Even when Nysia actually genuinely tried to ask what his interests were, his hopes for the future, he’d just sort of shrugged and said he liked talking to her.
That was now one more suitor crossed off her list and Nysia had discovered that she did actually want a husband she could talk to about things that actually had meaning.
They chattered for a long while, mostly just Nysia talking about herself and occasionally bringing up the celebration ball and all she expected to attend. Surprisingly, she didn’t try to press or needle Calia into talking about what happened during the day to make her want to hide away in her room. Remaining polite company until she herself was ready for bed.
By now Calia was absolutely pleasantly smashed and if she had any sort of intelligence she would’ve gone to bed. Instead, she was distinctly adamant of getting her time with the fae tree. It was dark enough outside for the stars and moon to be out. The palace household out to be at least winding down in their own rooms. It didn’t occur to her in the slightest that she ought not be walking down the halls in that silken rose colored robe and holding a mostly empty bottle of glowy booze. Lucky at least that she wasn’t wholly nude underneath, because she still entered the courtyard and climbed up that tree and was liable to show her bits to he whole world if she hadn’t thrown on some undergarments!
Calia settled down in her favorite spot of the great tree, sipping from her bottle and told her all about the day. Without filter too, beginning to end. About Archimedes refusing her walk and her hurt feelings. The fae jackals and their invitation. The strange beast in the woods. Renus and his attitude. She talked about the withered tree and scorching down a huge portion of the wood to clear out the miasma. Coming back and wishing she hadn’t broken down, but was kind of glad she did because now she wasn’t so worried about Arc. Then it was less about what she’d done and all about what she thought was going to happen next. How the tree would blossom into something as beautiful as this one. That maybe the natural animals would return there, and hopefully a fae presence too as those jackals were young and needed someone to mind after them.
There was so much to say and for once it was easy to say it. At least when one was full of liquor and talking to a tree.
It wasn’t terribly far off the money that sparring and just interacting with Aien resulted in the same sharp stabbing brain pain that made him both want to growl and bite about it, while burying his head into the sand. Seeing how Aien was a sympathetic soul, asking continually if he ought to cease while the motion and pairing direction stated for the slightly younger man to keep causing that strong discomfort. At least until it was clear that he was about to probably start spurting blood right out his ears!
Needing to stop unless the prince wanted to clean up demon blood and explain just how he felled the foe with mere words alone. Rubbing head in fruitless attempts to soften its thunderous pounding between tense brows.
Practically finding a new colourful way to both curse the elegant queen and the fae tree for their true sadistic methods of torture even if there were some clouds being lifted out of his thoughts. They’d been right.
Akin to a magic barrier, an onslaught of needlessly endless attacking was bound to weaken and break it down. It wouldn’t be easy and it certainly left him feeling worse for war, but there was glimpses of recollections.
In particular, a study.
Filled to the roof with ancient scrolls. Smelling of old yellow parchment and fresh ink. Coloured a golden yellow from what was referred to as an everburning lamp. Flameless but created by alchemical synergy. Runes carved into metallic plates that encased the top and bottom of a yellow glass in the shape of a pumpkin. Squat, ridged and hissed as though there were flame within but it never burnt out. It had been a feat of engineering that was manifested by clever men that weren’t gifted with magic per say but able to use the law of equivalent exchange.
It made the place warm. With a desk that was freshly oiled. Scuffed, worn and effectively beaten from years of studious work from a singular man that was even in his recollection, of similar appearance. Just older. With the same blue hair as his own with a far more coifed managed affair. A part of him wanted to recall that there had been lightly tinted spectacles on his face but each time there was a thought of it, the waffling of memory struggled to say otherwise. Unclear if it were fact or fiction.
With a careful replay of lips, Aien had only confirmed that the elder man was merely that of Atticus. The male parent that had been tasked or rather gifted with being a singular parent. An oddity in the elven world seeing as he thought earlier, elves stayed together for life. Only a few details suggested a separation and the woman that had apparently selected that option was merely uninterested in being a spouse or parent.
The prince expressed that it had been a topic that his apparent father rarely spoke about. Merely stating that the unknown woman just left. Nothing more.
That the replacement had been one of the councilwomen that lived within the palace town. Known to be a swordmaster family, that resulted in a son of her own. A step brother that Aien was evidently fond of. By the way he spoke, Jakson was a gifted teacher. And they apparently didn’t see eye to eye very often. Blaming it on his own apparent gifted nature of being able to be both studious and athletic. Apparently irritating the near similar aged step sibling that they commonly butted heads. Of course the prince put a spin on it to make it seem amusing. The way his head ached and his chest flared with a sort of irritable flame, suggested loudly that he hadn’t thought the same.
It was only with a mention of Aelyra that he had spoke a need to cease. The name had apparently been the cutting off point to know that any further and that whole imaginary of him bursting at the ears was liable to happen.
With grace, Aien agreed. Settling to instead talk about that of his own family. The one he cultivated rather than the one he was born into. Noticeably talking about things he personally wouldn’t have any recollection of and highly appreciated it.
So imagine his surprise that when the sparring door had opened to reveal an moody looking Renus, he hadn’t been leaping for joy. Only that the youngest prince gave him a singular thing to know. That come the morning, they would be journeying to Poinsettia Manor. To let Calia know and that he wanted to accomplish the task before that of the newest prince’s celebration of life.
Whatever the hell came over him, he’d blame on his aching head. “Yah remember what I said about rocks. That prolly includes any surface yah sit on. It’s guna be really hard for yah to explain to a healer why yah got a whole chair in yer ass.” Feeling Aien’s palpable confusion.
“I beg your pardon?” The commander turned to stare at the two of them sitting there in the sparring chamber. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means, yer a tight ass. Liable to combust if yah suck it close any more. And takin’ it out on someone that don’t fuckin’ deserve yer sourness. Especially when there’s enough goin’ on that yah should just be a support not a added burden.” Arc narrowed his eye whilst massaging his head, “Let me put it this way for yah princey boy. How about yah find a ladder and climb off Calia’s back, eh?”
It was a surprise that Renus didn’t choke on his own lip when it sucked up to almost touch his nose. “What’s going on?” Aien questioned naturally needing to understand the context.
One that Arc wasn’t too interested in explaining. “Yah know it’s a shitty day when I, as someone who can typically find two fucks to rub together to make a whole one, can figure out that yer treatin’ her like she ought to be some pinnacle of immediate success to every new discovery she has. Yer worse than a demon, lad.”
“I am certainly not!”
“Hmm sure. Save I can sit here and tell yah, there’s less expectation I have than yah do.” The demon offered a humourless smile, “Maybe if yah weren’t so busy polishing your nose from buryin’ it down into whomever’s ass, yah’d realize that she trusts yah and she’s scared. Yah could be helpful, not tryin’ to act like yer her parent. Yah might be older than her Renus, but yah don’t have the experience that comes with fightin’ the world.”
A hand had reached out from Aien to squeeze his shoulder. Not sure what to say but clearly trying to read context lines. “Just clean up yer attitude, buddy boy. Yah don’t have to agree with everythin’ done but yah can at least figure out which side of the line yah stand on. Yah can’t have it both ways. Hate me all yah want too, but don’t treat her like a problem. Cause we all know who can and could be a problem. That’s all I gotta say.”
Renus scoffed but it wasn’t nearly as deep as it was probably trying to be. Eyes glancing around the room a moment till, “Be ready in the morning.”
“Yes my liege, whatever yah say, my liege.” A look. A scowl and a empty huff was more than enough to have the prince leave. And the other to look at him. “Yer family really is all sorts.”
“Some of us are really deep into their own beliefs of expectations. Granted I don’t have a clue what’s going on.”
“Better that way. Truly better that way.”