Private Tales A Walk in Shadow

[Harper Kai]

It didn't take much for her to lean into him. A flicker of surprise along her brow. Her arm snaked around his torso. She leaned against his chest and wrapped her other arm around him. When was the last time she hugged someone? Let someone hug her?

A sharp inhale as it made her further miss what had been taken from her.

Her eyes stung and she pressed her face against the crook of his neck, glad the semi-dark would hide the tears she could no longer keep back. She already felt warmer against him. And felt like a piece that had been missing for quite some time was slowly clicking into place.

"Need me to keep you warm?"

"You can try," a whisper against him.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

Being alone all the time changed the dynamics of what Tadgh did, and didn't consider to be normal in a relationship with someone else. So, for the two of them to be so close in only a few days wasn't surprising to him--they'd survived something quite dangerous together, and moreover, it wasn't clear if the two of them would even live for longer than a few more weeks, or even months given the danger of their task before them and the nature of their work.

It was only natural for him to pull her closer at her words, nestling her closer to him and pressing her side almost entirely against his, his arms wrapped around her shoulder and waist to keep her close, and warm. Then, he slid his head down slightly against hers until the bridge of his nose rested against Harper's forehead, pressing gently against her, his lips almost touching the tip of her nose. It was the type of affection he'd shown only a few times to Mab when the two of them were in similar danger, and it was for that reason that no longer was the cold a concern, but rather Harper's well-being, as Tadgh gently squeezed with his hands here and there to try to comfort her, knowing now that their embrace was one of two survivors, not cold strangers.

He would hold her like this for however long she needed, or until something else changed, or the storm itself finally passed...

 

[Harper Kai]

The embrace fit. She felt as though, in this moment, she was made to fit against Yujin's side. And like their retreat in the mountains, she knew she didn't need to say anything. She relaxed against him. Eyes remained closed as she felt the puff of his warm breath against her skin.

She listened to his heartbeat.

"Can we stay like this for awhile? Will you just...keep holding me?" A trace of vulnerability in her voice. The first time she'd shown it.

With a shift, she perched in his lap, her legs sprawled across his lap perpendicularly. Her hip and side rested against his chest. Arms looped around his torso as her head rested against the top of his shoulder.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

One might not have expected a water nymph to be quite so warm, but that was the first sensation Tadgh experienced when she nestled her way into his lap, making herself comfortable. In kind, he would wrap his arms around her, one around her shoulder and one around her waist. Her hair was softer than he'd imagined, and while her skin felt unusual, that too was a pleasant sensation. For a moment, he forgot the blizzard outside, as the two rested in quiet comfort in each other's arms.

Then came the hesitation. It wasn't something he'd shown often, either, and certainly not in a setting like this. "As long as you like," he said, plainly. It was a soft and tender moment for him, and as hard as it was for him to trust, even he realized that there was more to their relationship than a simple camaraderie from being caught up in the dangerous plot of whatever organization wanted to bring down Winter, that seemed too dangerous even for some of Summer's agents, to have defeated him and someone as experienced as Harper so handily...

For now, though, there was tranquility and peace as the wind howled outside, although it seemed after holding Harper for a while that some time had passed, and the wind was slowly starting to die down. Yet he didn't move, instead simply holding on to Harper like he was holding on to the moment they were having together now. Did it need to end?

 

[Harper Kai]

She didn't know when or how it happened but her eyes closed and she fell asleep. And for her to do that, she must've felt warm enough. And safe with Yujin's embrace within their little hovel away from the storm. Away from the world. And at least this time, neither of them were nursing injuries.

Her breathing would slow and settle against him and by the time her lashes fluttered and she began to stir, the storm outside had stopped completely. Well covering their tracks and leaving them within a newly minted winter-wonderland.

She shifted against him, lifting her head. Thankful to feel more rested than she had the night before back within her Groundskeeper home. When she'd been alone. She began to disentangle herself slowly, knowing they had to move on. "How long was I out for?"

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

While he was glad Harper could find a path to sleep, Tadgh could not; the snow above was worrying for more reasons than just the threat of a potential collapse. It was completely out of season, and that had Tadgh wondering if something more sinister was behind the sudden blizzard. In time, the snow would subside though, and eventually, Harper would awaken from her slumber. There was a certain beauty to her features as she rested, he had to admit, and while he had spent some nights in the arms of other Fae before, none had been quite so innocent, nor so warm to his heart.

He allowed her to untangle herself, as he answered her question. "A few hours, I'd guess," he said. "Long enough for the storm to pass, which means we can start moving again..."

He gave her a long look, their faces lit only by the small dancing lights around them.

"At least, if you're ready to go, anyway. We've certainly had an exciting week together, haven't we?"

 

[Harper Kai]

"I feel closer to you in this one week than I've felt by some I've known my entire life," she admitted quietly. A glance up the hole of the burrow. "Let's go." According to Yujin, they still had a lot to do. And she still needed to find her brother.

She hadn't told Yujin yet.

That would wait. Perhaps where they were going she could get some of her own leads. It's why she'd turned Elio down from joining Dusk when he'd gotten her out of Summer a few months ago. And now Yujin. Well, he complicated things. Made her steps toward revenge falter.

Reaching up, she pulled herself out of the snowy-hole into the crisp, quiet air outside.

"How much farther are we?" She'd turn and ask Yujin as he followed.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

Though he felt a certain joy in his chest from the connection, there was a simultaneous terror lurking just beneath, subtle and pervasive. It clouded his thoughts for a moment; he feared now not only for his life, but for Harper's as well, especially as he had a growing dread of the task that lay before them. He stepped into the snow outside, briefly answering, "A few days, as the sparrow flies."

He couldn't confirm it. It felt silly to say aloud, so he didn't. But it nonetheless prevailed his thoughts: such a blizzard was unseasonal for the Winter Court. And Tadgh had a suspicion as to why.

Calmly, rejuvenated from their rest and the residual magic the two had invariably granted the small burrow, he easily shifted into the form of a small, white fox, almost invisible against the new canvas of the snow around them. Unlike when he was a dragon, he retained his ability to speak this time, and said, "The path through the snow will be longer, however. Yet I have little fear; though it is hidden, my memory of that place is strong, and I will lead the way."

And so, he did just that.

***

A few days' journey found them braving the freshly-fallen snow, which by the second day of travel had melted again, leaving the ground loose and muddy. Through forest and thicket, and across rivers and streams he led their party of two, unwavering in his direction. To match the new terrain, he instead became a raccoon, often climbing trees to overcome obstacles in their path. Eventually, the path yielded their destination: a large, abandoned fortress atop a hill.

In the center of a large ring of fortifications, the most prominent feature stood: a massive spire, made of cracked, now-crumbling stone, which loomed over the surrounding lands like an oppressive tyrant of marble, and granite. Its glory days were clearly over, the fortress a shadow of itself replete with massive holes in its walls, missing sections of tower and parapet, and the spire itself was clearly in a state of disrepair.

Tadgh transformed back into his Fae form. "There it is," he said. "Summerwatch Spire."

He gave Harper a moment to sink in the view.

"Built long ago for a war long-forgotten even by our kind, it is off-limits to all, in both Summer and Winter alike, and all Fae..." As he said this, he gave her a knowing smirk. "Well, off-limits to all but a very select few. For our purposes, it is a meeting place... there, we will summon the representative others of a secretive organization: The Shadow Council, it is called, by those who know of it. The danger to Winter presented by that group is far too great, and could disrupt the natural balance of the Courts. They are organized, and dangerous. Normally, only one representative appears for the Council, but this is a special circumstance, as you have found yourself inexorably involved... One member of each Court will appear, and we will decide on a course of action. It has always been so since I have joined, and so shall it always be, I suspect."