forum Private with Serpentess

Started February 11, 2022 by @emilyevewrites group

tune

Mardicos stared at Farah and her outstretched hand for a long moment. He was still torn, still worried he’d hurt her, and it nagged at him, but he found himself wanting more and more to stay.

He then noticed how shaky she had become. With a gentle grip, he took her hand in his, his thumb caressing the back of her hand.

“Alright. But… don’t rush yourself if you’re not ready,”he said softly.

A few random thoughts came to his head then. It was obviously morning, and he hadn’t eaten anything since that bear cub last night, and then a small dinner before that. And, besides that, he was still covered in dirt, and would be going back into her house again. What was he going to do?

“Um… strange question before we head inside… Do you have somewhere I might wash? Or could you maybe even summon a rain cloud or some such? I am feeling awfully self-conscious right now,”he said, chuckling shyly. He then started wiping off the tears on his face with his free hand.

Farah sighed with relief when he finally took her hand. It was amazing how familiar his touch was to her already. It was rough and wild and… comforting.

"You deserve to know," she murmured, faintly smiling, but it was gone quickly. "It's the reason why I live here now and not where I came from. And… why I'm terrified of…" She trailed off, holding up her hands to symbolize her powers.

At his request, she chuckled quietly. "Yes, I can do that." Her eyes turned silver-blue, and she gathered moisture from the air to rain down on him and wash him as he'd asked.

Mardicos smiled a bit, starting to draw small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. She was still so soothing to be around, and holding her hand reminded him of simpler times, before he had learned that Eidna was a cruel witch, when all he knew was the adoration in the Queen of Flame’s eyes. Would Farah ever look at him that way? Or would his fears be prophetic once again?

Mardicos nodded at her words.

“Much like how my past has influenced my decision to roam as a feral,”he replied softly in understanding.

He noticed her eyes change again, still fascinated by it. Though, it was probably not a good idea to keep meeting those eyes. But, it was difficult not to.

When the rain fell on him, it tore him from his thoughts, and he couldn’t help bursting into laughter. She was a witch. Of course, she could, and would, summon rain. Why hadn’t he expected it?

Regardless, it was refreshing, and it didn’t bother him at all that his clothes became soaked as well. Hell, they probably needed a good washing as well.

Farah couldn't help but smile at his amazed laughter. "I told you, I'm well versed," she remarked knowingly. He'd already seen her demonstrate her mind powers, earth powers, light powers, fire powers, and now water powers. Come to think of it, with the wind just a few moments ago, he'd also seen her air powers in use. Mardicos had gotten a glimpse into each type of magic she possessed, which suddenly made her feel extremely vulnerable.

"I can dry you off as well, whenever you're ready," she remarked, watching him with a soft gaze as her rain drenched his clothes and left him soaking wet.

“I know. I just didn’t consider how fast you could summon your magic. It’s amazing,”he replied, his mood considerably improved.

He hadn’t really noticed how much of her magic he had actually seen, but it didn’t matter to him. He had made it clear that he didn’t want to hurt her, involuntarily or otherwise, and he always stuck to his word. So, when he smelled that something was off about Farah, he gave her a gentle smile and his other hand wrapped around hers, cradling and caressing her soft fingers.

“Being wet doesn’t bother me, but I understand that dripping water everywhere isn’t always ideal. Whenever is fine,”he said with a chuckle.

A happy, even playful, gleam had entered his eyes, and it was accentuated by the strands of hair splayed on his face. The starkness of the white streaks in his jet black hair was even more apparent, and some of the stray strands were a combination of the two colors.

Farah smiled. "I've created this barrier as a conduit to the magic of the land. Channeling my magic isn't difficult outside, but it's even easier in here," she explained softly.

A soft gasp escaped her as he touched her hand so gently. It was odd to see the gentle side to a man who took on such a hostile creature in his other form, but Farah found herself comforted by his delicate treatment of her. The way he handled her, it seemed that he thought she'd break if he was too rough with her.

She studied the effect the water had on him, rejuvenating and uplifting. She kept herself out of the way of the raindrops, knowing that if she got wet, she could dry herself, but she allowed Mardicos to indulge in the water alone.

“I never thought that the land itself would have magic. That actually explains a lot,”he said, intrigued.

Mardicos heard her gasp and his smile grew slightly. He continued to cradle her hand in both of his.

“I want you to know that, even with my fears and my curse, I hold no ill will toward you in any way. I was raised to be a gentleman, and I have always done my best to remain so. And you, dear Farah, have done so much for me. I honestly don’t know how to repay you, and that’s just for the things you’ve already done,”he said softly.

It took him a moment to notice Farah’s avoidance of the rain, but it didn’t really bother Mardicos. If she didn’t want to get wet, that was her choice. He was actually quite content. It had been awhile since he’d savored a good rainy day. And if he was in his wolf form, he’d likely be playing around in the mud or chomping at the rain droplets.

That thought brought a snicker out of him. Even when he was a small boy, he’d always found the rain both fascinating and amusing. Though, despite all the fun times in the rain, he loved snow above any other form of weather. He was a child of the mountains after all.

"The land is how I use my magic," Farah murmured. "I… I use the elements. In fact, you've seen little bits of each element already," she finally admitted.

But despite her own wishes, the fairy's entire demeanor softened when he addressed her as "dear Farah." Her warm brown eyes met his blue-grey ones, and she found herself trapped in his gaze, but she didn't panic.

"I don't wish a payment of any kind," she assured him gently. "I don't expect my acts of kindness to be reciprocated anymore." Her eyes lowered, almost embarrassed as she spoke, but before she did, Farah noted the childish glint in his eyes that came with the rain.

Farah almost wished she could be childish again. Her youth had been taken from her quickly, by Rosalind, and she'd been turned into a loyal soldier before she even realized it. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she'd felt genuinely relaxed in the presence of another… until now.

“That… actually makes a lot of sense. I don’t know much about magic, so this is all new to me. And…”Mardicos trailed off in thought, trying to remember all of the examples.

“I didn’t realize that until now. It’s intriguing, but, if I’m honest, it’s also a bit daunting. You are powerful enough to remove scars that no one else could. I can only imagine what you can do with the rest of your magic,”he said.

He stared into her eyes for a long while, amazed by both her power and her beauty. And the way she seemed to relax at his words made her even more mesmerizing.

Without realizing it, Mardicos took a step forward, still cradling Farah’s hand, still staring into her eyes. He then blinked when she started speaking, momentarily dazed.

“I understand… but I would be a poor excuse of a gentleman if I did not express my gratitude somehow,”Mardicos said. He moved a hand to gently lift her chin so their eyes could meet again. His other hand wrapped around hers, holding it tenderly.

“Shall we head back inside, that I may properly acknowledge, and savor, your hospitality?”he asked softly.

Farah smiled weakly. She didn't like to talk about her power… and for good reason. When they got inside, she would tell him, as she promised, the darkest moment from her past. She could feel her heart beginning to race at the thought of telling someone what had happened, but she immediately relaxed when Mardicos took a step closer to her and lifted her chin.

The mind fairy instantly flushed, and the rain stopped. For a moment – one sweet moment – it was the two of them with their gazes locked and their hands together.

"Yes," Farah breathed her answer before smirking casually and using her air magic combined with a slight bit of fire magic to dry him off with a heavy gust of wind.

Mardicos chuckled a bit when Farah flushed. It didn’t matter much to him that the rain had stopped. It was probably a good thing anyway, and it also allowed him to gaze at her without rain droplets getting in the way.

He smiled softly when she spoke, then jolted when the wind hit him, startled. His hair puffed up, including his goatee to a point, and he couldn’t help bursting into laughter.

“I thought I would expect that, but apparently not,”he said with an amused grin.

He brushed a hand through his hair, but instead of flattening, it seemed to get crazier, some hairs even sticking straight up. That only made Mardicos laugh harder.

Farah laughed as well, the sound beautiful and wild. "Oh gods, your hair," she pointed out, smiling and waving her finger to stir it with the wind again.

Using her magic felt good. It was like she was restoring life to her body, and Mardicos' laugh was contagious. "Come on," she urged him, still holding his hand and tugging him toward her cottage. "Let's go inside." Again, at the words, her heart began to race.

Rosalind. Aster Dell. The Burned Ones. Magic. The power…

“I know,”Mardicos said, his voice almost a gasp because he was laughing so much.

The wind seemed to soothe most of his hair, but a few strands of hair were still inclined to impersonate spikes or wave at the pair. Though, Mardicos was able to somewhat take care of those with a brush of his hand.

He then nodded at her words, walking with her. It was nice to hold someone’s hand again after so long of being alone. And it was made better by the fact that Farah was a smart and beautiful woman, let alone a witch.

He still snickered at his hair, but he slowly calmed as they walked, his expression settling into a contented smile. Without even thinking about it, he started rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.

Farah was glad she was facing forward and he didn't see her blush as his thumb caressed her hand. She subtly and gently squeezed his hand back, and she didn't notice the trail of daisies that followed her steps as she made her way to the door.

She opened it and stepped inside, breathing in the familiar, comforting scent. She slipped her hand out of Mardicos's before going to the kitchen and taking the tea from earlier. It was still warm as she used her magic to keep it that way, and she sipped heavily from it, letting out a soft sigh afterward.

"There's something calming about making myself tea," she whispered. "Like home. A home before Alfea… which is odd. I don't remember much before Alfea. Before… Rosalind." She spat out the name like it was poison on her tongue, and she took another swift sip of her tea.

Mardicos’ smile grew a bit when Farah squeezed his hand. He had barely noticed it, but it was enough, and it made him all the happier. He then noticed the smell of daisies, but decided not to mention it. His smile grew a little bit more.

When Farah opened the door and let go of him, Mardicos took a subtle deep breath. It was still a strange sensation to be welcome inside another’s house. Though, almost immediately as he stepped inside, he saw his axe, still sitting against the wall. And, his teacup sitting on the table, waiting patiently for him to grab it again.

It seems that even my own axe, and Farah’s tea, wanted me to come back. Hmm…

Mardicos watched Farah, listening closely. So, this was where her dark memories began. And this ‘Alfea’, was she taken there as a child? It sounded like that. Then the way she said ‘Rosalind’… he despised whoever it was already.

Farah inhaled steadily, but her exhale was visibly shaky. "Alright… You told me your darkest memory, so I feel it's only right if I share mine with you. My mentor was a mind fairy by the name of Rosalind. I looked up to her in every way. She was the one who brought me to Alfea, where I attended school. Rosalind was the one who practically raised me, the one who trained me, and in my last year at Alfea, Rosalind invited me to be her protégé for the coming year. I accepted, of course. It was an honor to me at the time. She turned me into a loyal soldier, and when she had my trust, I look back on it now, she began to manipulate me. She would give me just enough information to string me along, and I was stupid enough to fall for it."

She shook her head briefly before continuing. "The following year, as the Burned One attacks became steadily worst, Rosalind assembled a group of two other fairies and two Specialists to be in her personal battalion and travel with her on her quest to end the Burned Ones' reign of terror. I was invited by her, and again, I accepted. Being in her battalion and her protégé, Rosalind began to spend most of our time around each other.

"Then, one night, we were in her office at Alfea. We'd just gotten back from a successful expedition, it was dark, and we were both working late. At one point, when the words on the pages started blurring together in my vision, Rosalind approached my desk with a bottle of liquor."

Farah closed her eyes. "I should've said no, but I doubt that alcohol was the only thing to influence me that night. Her magic was taunting in the air, but I was too tired and soon too drunk to realize. Eventually, we ended up sitting together on one of the couches in her office, and she put her arm around me. I was too delirious to tell her no even if I wanted to. I don't know how I remember every word she said to me that night. I was horribly exhausted and drunk out of my wits, but I remember she looked me in the eye and whispered, 'Don't you want me?' And at that moment, I did. So I kissed her.

"That kiss was… incredible," she admitted reluctantly. "But I wish with all my heart that evening could've gone very differently. If only I told her how tired I was so she would let me leave… If I had refused the alcohol… If we hadn't sat so close…"

Farah took a deep breath and continued still. "It only got worse in the following days. Rosalind had me tied on the end of a string. I was completely, blindly loyal to her. She could've told me to do practically anything, and I would've done it. And… she did." The fairy smiled amidst the sadness and laughed while hurting tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. "Aster Dell," she murmured. "It was Aster Dell that changed everything.

"It was a civilization near the coast. Rosalind led us there, telling us the city was overcome with Burned Ones and the civilians had been evacuated. The five of us got there, and the three fairies in her battalion – Rosalind, Ben, and me – all combined our magic. There was supposed to be a shared expenditure of magic, but… Rosalind withdrew, and Ben wasn't strong enough to support the amount of magic needed. The power was already there, and mine just filled in the gaps without me even realizing it. It was so easy, and I drew on so much power, Rosalind was overjoyed. I had thought the civilization was evacuated, and the only beings in it were our enemies, the Burned Ones. But Rosalind had lied. It wasn't evacuated. I didn't find out until after."

"The lightning I brought down on the civilization destroyed it in seconds. It was the most power I've ever felt. When we went down to observe the damage and make sure all the Burned Ones were dead…" Her voice began to break. "There were people… she told us it had been evacuated… I should've doubted… should've questioned her. I murdered an entire town like it was nothing, and after trapping Rosalind in Alfea's hidden undercroft, I used a gateway ring to get here, made my barrier, and hid myself away. I don't deserve such power."

Farah trembled, unusually vulnerable at that moment. "I have hundreds of deaths' worth of blood on my hands. That day has lived in my mind for the past sixteen years. I'll never be able to outlive it."

Mardicos listened to it all, watching as Farah broke down. He closed his eyes, sighing, then looked back at her with a gentle, knowing gaze.

“Come here. It’s terrible that you were put through all of that. And I understand part of it. Two kingdoms… gone, because I cut the head off the woman I loved,”Mardicos breathed, slowly approaching her and wrapping her in a tender hug.

He gently rubbed her back, closing his eyes again. Tears slowly leaked out, sliding down his cheeks.

“It happened long ago. It’s over, passed. And you didn’t know. Ignorance does not put you at fault, dear Farah,”he said softly, partly to himself, but mostly to her.

Farah found herself instantly comfortable in Mardicos's arms, and she pressed her face into his chest. He was strong and firm and solid, and the fairy clung tightly to those certainties. His touch on her back was inexplicably relaxing, and she exhaled shakily.

"That's easy for you to say," she whispered back – firm but not rude. "I would've trusted Rosalind with my life. It felt like a betrayal. She manipulated me, lied to me, and worst of all…" Farah closed her eyes, refusing to cry. "She broke my heart. I really thought I was in love with her. I really did."

Mardicos held Farah close, content with her in his arms. There was still something so soothing about her, even when she was upset, and he needed that. He needed the company, the comfort, the proximity. And she fit so well in his arms too, like they were two puzzle pieces that had finally found each other.

“It’s not… because, even after five hundred years, I’m still not convinced. Eidna had done the same to me, and I still love her, even though I utterly hate her,”he said, his voice becoming shaky.

He nuzzled into her hair, trying, and failing, to contain his emotions. Farah’s scent was the only thing keeping his tears somewhat at bay. Without it, he likely would have already collapsed to his knees while wailing at the sky.

"Yes," Farah breathed, pulling her face back a few inches so she could speak. "I feel the same. But do you understand now? From earlier. When I said a love that ends with a betrayal of some sort was rarely ever love. It's taken me years to realize that Rosalind never loved me. She never cared for me more than my power. Using me for her own gain was all she wanted. I've learned that, eventually."

She could feel the turbulent emotions swirling inside of him as much as she tried to keep her magic from reaching out. His feelings were powerful, and it drove the power in Farah too. She hid her face from him and winced as she restrained it.

Mardicos looked at Farah, a helpless glint in his teary eyes.

“I do understand, but… I still believe that some part of her truly cared for me. When we met the first time after her resurrection, she had true remorse. And the last time we met, when I killed her, there was hurt in her eyes. Not pain, greif, for what might have been between us,”he replied softly.

He nuzzled into her hair again, this time a bit deeper than before. More tears streamed from his eyes, but he had a sanctuary. Farah’s scent, and the feel of her holding him, reminded him that Eidna was long gone, truly dead. He needed to let her go, he really did. But, letting her go was far harder to do than it sounded.

"I wish I could believe that too," Farah whispered quietly. She looked up and made intense eye contact with Mardicos. There was something about his gaze that she couldn't quite place… but she could feel the way he cared for her.

She blinked quickly and gasped a bit as she felt him nuzzle into her hair. "Yes. You both loved each other. I've never loved anyone quite like that."

What was she feeling? It was new. Odd. Jealousy? No, she quickly dismissed the thought. She couldn't be jealous of a queen who died 500 years ago. It didn't make sense.

Mardicos gave Farah a sad smile. He noticed how intense her gaze was, but he wasn’t sure why. It was likely fairly obvious by now how conflicted he was over Eidna, and it was an endless battle between his love and hatred for her, but he was uncertain of his feelings for Farah. He liked her, there was no denying it, but he also felt safe with her. It was a strange feeling, something Mardicos had never experienced, even with Eidna. He didn’t know what to do about it.

He heard her gasp, and couldn’t help chuckling a bit. Having his face somewhat buried in her hair was quite comforting as it turned out, and not just because of her scent. Farah had such lovely, soft hair.

A small sigh came from him at her words and he reluctantly lifted his head to speak. He didn’t want to leave the calming nest of hair, but he needed to say something to soothe Farah.

“I suspect our relationship was unique. But, despite the passion between us, I never want to go back to that, nor have a repeat. There was too much pain, and we both knew it,”he said.

A new smell hit his nostrils from Farah, but he couldn’t figure it out. He knew it, had encountered it a few times, but it had been so long since the last time that he simply couldn’t name it anymore. Just in case it was something upsetting Farah, Mardicos rubbed her back some more. He then nuzzled into her hair once again, to soothe her, but also because he just wanted to.