Private Tales Ash and Iron

[Maeve]

"Lórcan?"

Mae had stirred when he had gently eased her off his chest and onto the sofa. She had had every intention of drifting back off to sleep in the warm spot he had left behind when she had heard the door open with a soft stick. Blearily she opened her eyes. The fire had guttered and died in the hearth and the room was full of the night. Where was he going at this hour?

With a groan she rolled to her feet, dragging the blanket with her, and tottled outside to see him drop to his knees.

"Lórcan?" Her voice was thick with sleep and she rubbed at her eye drowsily. "What are you doing out here? It's freezing."

 

[Lorcán]

I will never forgive you Lórcan..

Her voice echoed in his mind, over and over until it sounded like a hundred different voices shouting at him, his hands gripping at his hair as it grew louder. His response was the same 'I'm sorry', muttered feverishly under his breath again and again.

I will never forgive you Lórcan..

Lórcan.

The word was solid. Here. Present not as a distant echo in his mind but alive and whole. "Mae?.." he quietly croaked, letting go of his hair and opening his eyes, realising where he was. A dream. Nightmare. She was alive, and as he looked up at her he loosed a shuddered breath and swayed to the side, planting his hand on the pine needle carpet to steady himself, his other hand dragging across his sweat-covered brow.

He'd been sleepwalking. None of it had been real... Oh but it so very nearly had. He had considered it before he'd come here, even after he'd arrived, after he'd seen her with those weapons, after she'd come at him with an iron dagger. He'd considered ending her and taking his soul back. He blinked at her, and whether it was the poison in his blood or the guilt he didn't know, but he leaned over and vomited into the dirt.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve uttered a curse from her native tongue as he vomited. Her feet were moving before she could think, though with sleep clinging to her still it was more of a stumbling jog than a run. She dropped to her knees beside him, mindful not to do so in the vomit drained grass, before putting a hand on his forehead.

"Is it the poison?" She fumbled for that link through which she could feel his pain. It didn't feel worse but that didn't mean anything with poison - especially fae magic. Awkwardly she rubbed his back. Her breath fogged in the spring night air as she glanced up at the lake simmering a perfect reflection of the stars. Water.

Standing quickly she jogged to the barrel she had filled earlier and filled the bowl she had left beside it.

"Here," she soothed, pushing his hair back from his face and offering the bowl. "It'll help."

 

[Lorcán]

He was still trying to wake up and make sense of how he'd got here, how he'd managed to move her. He'd woken up and she had been gone.. It didn't matter, he told himself. She's safe, he assured...It was just a bad dream. His eyes closed at the touch of her hand on his forehead, and his fingers curled into the soil under his hand to find that anchor to reality, to ensure that he was awake and that she was real. He felt the pine needles stab into his palm, the damp dirt crumble through his fingers and breathed in the earthy smell.

Lórcan just breathed for a moment, his chest heaving as he leaned, ensuring that he wasn't going to throw up again before he sat himself up. If he'd been feeling less terrible he'd have laughed in bewilderment as she rubbed at his back. "I'm alright.." he rumbled quietly at her, insisting that she go back inside before she froze.

He hadn't expected her to come back, but as she returned to his side and pushed his hair back from his face he stared at her, her skin pale and perfect under the moonlight and those eyes capturing the light of the stars above them, putting them to shame by the way they seemed to sparkle.

"Fuck you're beautiful." he sighed almost drunkenly, not entirely certain whether he'd said the words out loud or not.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve stared at him.

Was the poison making him delirious or had he drunk after she had passed out? But he had been calling her name... he had been dreaming about her... he... Foolish girl, she chided herself angrily. He might not have wanted to kill her but he could still want to take her back to the fae world. She had to be careful, had to keep her head straight and not think about how beautiful his eyes, the colour of an evening sky, were.

"Drink," she guided his hands to the bowl and watched him carefully. "Do you think you'll be sick again?" Her hand went back to gently rubbing between his shoulder blades.

 

[Lorcán]

His gaze fell reluctantly to the bowl of water as she took his hand and he smirked as he lifted it to his lips to take a long drink..

"No.." he huffed quietly glancing sidelong at her as she rubbed at his back, a husky laugh tumbling from his curling lips. "If you take care of the people you loathe like this, gods help the people you love." he mused and cleared his throat.

"Sorry I woke you. Get back inside and get warm.. Last thing I need is you freezing to death. I have enough on my conscience." he snorted and pushed himself back to his feet, the handprint on his chest just as vivid and the smooth, silvery surface of it catching the light of the moon.

Lórcan looked down at her a little awkwardly, handing the empty bowl back. "Thank you."

 

[Maeve]

Maeve shot him a dark look that had none of the venom in it it had before.

"I just didn't want to have wasted my energy healing you for you to go die on me an hour later," she huffed, hugging the bowl to her chest and hoping he couldn't see through her words to the concern beneath. He was right about how cold it was outside though and she had come out bare-footed into the frost tipped grass without a thought for her boots. She shivered and wrapped the blanket a bit tighter around herself before taking his hand.

"Come back inside," it wasn't really a request but Maeve wasn't used to asking and she didn't want him outside alone when he was still sick. Her eyes lowered to her handprint on his chest. Saints how had she done that? Abruptly she turned and walked back to the house, dragging him if necessary with her. "You need rest," was her argument.

 

[Lorcán]

He did indeed see through those words, he could hear the concern, he'd already felt it, but that didn't make her any less of an enigma. His cheeks dimpled as he grinned at her, letting her know that he saw through her, but he appreciated it too much to offer up any smart comments or taunts.

His eyes fell to her hand as it gripped his, half expecting it to burn him again..but it didn't. It was just small, and soft, and still warm despite the icy chill. He let her guide him back to the cabin, though not without a smirk of amusement that she thought she could command him, or that she could have dragged him. She may have been strong for her kind, but Lòrcan had an unmovable solidness to him, like a flood could wash over him without uprooting his feet..And there she was, marching him back to his sick bed and it was fucking adorable.

"As you wish, My Lady." he mused.

The door closed behind them with a soft click, the extinguished fire in the hearth suddenly bursting back to life and the few doused candles around the room also flickered with new flame. He couldn't help but wince at the stab at his side, another not so subtle reminder that he was being frivolous.

"How are you feeling?.." he asked quietly, rubbing sheepishly at the back of his neck. She'd stopped shivering, had probably been sound asleep and he'd woken her from it only to lead her into the cold. "Here.." he quirked a brow, and let go of her hand to collect the cushions from the chairs and sofa, bundling them in front of the hearth and throwing the blankets atop it.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve couldn't help but flinch at the sudden appearance of fire but it wasn't as bad of a reaction as it had been before. In fact, a part of her wondered if she would be able to do the same one day. A slight shake of the head cleared such thoughts.

"I'm..." The words died off as she watched him create a nest for her in front of the fire. She clamped her lips together in an effort not to laugh at the absurdity of it, but she couldn't stop the way the corners of her mouth turned up into a faint smile. She didn't point out there were three perfectly good bed in the other rooms like a sensible human would have. Instead she grabbed the kettle and filled it with water then set it over the flames.

It was always much more peaceful at night. Even in this little oasis away from the bustle of the town nighttime seemed to soften all the hard edges the sun threw into perspective. With the crackling logs and the smell of brewing tea against the star studded sky outside Mae let out a quiet content sigh and settled down onto the cushions.

"Thank you... but I feel better. A bit more sleep and by morning I should be fine," she stretched her bare feet out towards the fire with a small noise in the back of her throat. "Do you sleep walk a lot?" She raised a brow at him.

 

[Lorcán]

His brow rose as he gestured to the comfortable little bundle, a blanket ready in his hands to drape over her when she sat by the fire, clearly trying to make it up to her.. He was tired and looked like shit, still shaken by the dream he'd had, but the guilt weighed heavily on him.

"No, I don't.." he admitted uncertainly. "Not that I'm aware of anyway.." he added, rubbing at the back of his neck and sitting himself down on the floor beside the little nest, drawing in the heat of the flames. His hand trailed down his chest and frowned at the silken feel of scarring. Somehow he didn't think it was going to fade.

He braced his forearms across his knees and closed his eyes, trying to chase the dream from his mind, focusing on the sound of the hearth, the sound of the sighs and noises she made as he breathed. "I dreamt that I took your life to take my soul back, and that you existed inside me. I could hear your voice.." his eyes opened and he rubbed at his face with a huff. "And you were so fucking angry.." he muffled.

 

[Maeve]

Oh.

Maeve slowly pulled the blanket around her shoulders as she tried to work out what exactly to say in response to that revelation. She would have made a joke but he looked so... upset. He hadn't hidden the fact he had come here to kill her so it shouldn't surprise her he was having dreams about it. But it was still a little unsettling, even if the dream seemed to upset him.

The kettle began to whistle.

"Well..." she carefully took the kettle off the flames and poured the hot water into the two mugs. "At least we know there is another option," she glanced briefly to the hand mark on his chest then handed him a cup and settled back with her own.

"We'll just... try and figure out what I did," her grimace however betrayed how hard she thought that was going to be.

 

[Lorcán]

Lòrcan watched her, his brow furrowing at her reassurance as he took the cup from her, catching the grimace on her face. One touch had taken its toll on her never mind healing such a wound completely. The dream was still weighing heavily on his mind and he shook his head slowly at her.

"It's not an option I'm considering." he said quietly and cleared his throat. "For all I know the mark you left was that piece of my soul trying to return. You might unknowingly give it back, and I don't know what that would do to you."

He rubbed at the back of his neck again, the tension now a dull ache that was spreading to the back of his head. "Perhaps it wasn't a dream at all.." he frowned, letting his eyes close as he rolled his shoulders. "No.. We won't do that again, Mae. You've helped me enough.." he rumbled quietly and shot her a morose smile.

"I'm going to write letters tomorrow.. I didn't have it in me to visit the few friends I have before I left. I've made my peace with it, I'm not 'giving up', it's just how it is.. Though you might need to deal with me for an extra day or two.." he smirked, running his hand over her handprint.

 

[Maeve]

"Men are like stallions; 80% mule and only 20% good horse. You need to know when to push but you also need to know when not to fight. It will they're more likely to agree with you when you push again if they think they won the last bout."

Her mother's words made her bite back her retort and glower into her mug instead. It was her magic, not his anymore, and it should be up to her what she did with it. On top of that she took being told what to do as well as anyone used to being the one giving orders. But the last time she had poked him about giving up it had ended in a fight and she was too tired for one of those.

"You get your three days," she promised and took another sip of her tea and eyed up the handprint once more. She had done that but how? It frustrated her how little she knew. "Will you... teach me? Magic? As it's yours I just thought..." her cheeks heated with embarrassment.

 

[Lorcán]

Day one was over. He had two days left, and just when he had started to wonder what they could do she asked about learning to use her magic. It wasn't the question itself that caused the boyish grin to dimple at his cheeks, but the way in which she asked it and the way her skin flushed that was adorable.

"Sure. It's yours now, you should know how to use it.." he agreed with a nod, and settled down against a cushion to sip at his tea. "You only have a fraction of the power that I do, but that doesn't mean you can't develop it. Think of what I gave you as a seed, just a kernel of power that you can nurture and grow if you put in the practice.."

He looked over at her and smirked. "As long as you're not planning on using it to beat me with, I'll start showing you a few cantrips in the morning.." he promised.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve finished the last of her tea and laid down on the cushion on her side, her head propped up on a stack of two and the blanket laid out over her. She was glad he had agreed but did he have to smile at her like that? Dimples and all? She tried to give him her best scowl but it was interrupted by a yawn and she nuzzled further down into the nest.

"Anger seems to be the only way I can make it work so don't hold your breath," she sniffed but there was amusement in her voice. Another yawn, bigger this time, forcing her to shut her heavy lidded eyes.

"If you have another bad dream wake me up mkay?" Her sleep slurred voice faded and it wasn't long before she had slid back into an easy sleep.

 

[Lorcán]

Lòrcan's lips twisted as he watched the flames.. "Ah I seem to have a knack for pissing you off.." he rumbled with a laugh under his breath and took another sip of tea.

His skin warmed at her insistence that he wake her, as though he were a child in need of coddling. He let out another huff of a laugh and watched her as her body relaxed into sleep once more. It was soothing enough in itself.

He sat awake for some time, playing with the flames to keep his wandering mind occupied. Images of his friends danced in the hearth, casting shadows against his face. Then Mae's face was looking back at him, fighting the urge to smile but giving in. He realised that if he'd never seen her again, it was how he'd remember her, just as he'd remember the feeling of her nuzzling against his shoulder. She'd left her mark in more ways than once in such a short time. She was beautiful, yes, and beautiful things had always made an impression on Lòrcan. He appreciated beauty. But he was used to beautiful women throwing themselves at his feet and she had managed to knock him down a peg or two..

Whether it was that their souls were connected, that they shared a bridge, a bond of some sort, he wasn't sure, but his draw to her was undeniable. He leaned to draw her blanket up around her shoulder and settled himself down on the outside of the little nest, pulling a cushion under his head and watching the flames until he let a more peaceful sleep consume him.

 

[Maeve]

As the flames died in the hearth once more in her sleep Maeve had moved closer to the other source of warmth at the edge of the nest to press her back against him. It was there, half in the nest and half not, that she woke when the sunlight finally filtered through the windows and fell upon her face. She gave a soft groan, wiping at the unflattering bit of droll on her cheek and shoving the unruly mop of red hair out of her face as she rolled over.

Only to leap to her feet with a start when she collided with the fae prince's chest.

Still caught in the web of sleep it took a moment for her to remember why she wasn't in her room above the forge and why there was a man with the devils good looks on the floor with her. She roughly dragged a hand through her hair and let out a breath to calm her rapidly beating heart.

Which is when her stomach gave an almighty growl.

 

[Lorcán]

Lòrcan had roused from his slumber only slightly when he'd felt her shift and press her back against his chest, his body awkwardly rigid for a few moments as he considered whether to move her back or move himself, but he didn't dare disturb her from looking so peaceful. He'd ensured she was fully covered with her blankets and loosely draped his arm over her, quickly falling back to sleep, soothed by the scent of her hair.

He'd still been deeply asleep when she'd turned around to face him, but as she jumped like that he jumped too, rolling back and onto his knees, flames dancing readily in his palm, ready to fight. His dark, golden eyes were wide as he stared at her in confusion, his chest rising and falling quickly with each panicked breath. "What?! What the fuck?!" he asked, glancing around the cabin before slowly realising that there was no threat.. That waking up beside him had either frightened or disgusted her enough to wake with such a jolt.

The flame diminished with a soft sizzle and he dragged the hand down his face and ruffled at his hair.. "Fuck me." he muttered, trying to calm himself.

 

[Maeve]

"I forgot... where I...." Maeve trailed off at the look on his face. His rumpled hair, the exasperated look on his face, the crazy flames that had been dancing over his hands... she began to laugh despite herself. The fae had always been presented to them as Other-worldly, God's who had decided to grace mere mortals by walking among them, but right now Lórcan reminded her of any ordinary man who had been caught sleeping on the job. It was absurd.

It was her stomach growling again that made her eventually stop and she wiped a tear from her eye though her lips still twitched as though it were a struggle to stop.

"Sorry," she bit her bottom lip then glanced to the meat she had left over from their wasted meal the night before. Giving another chuckle she shook her head and wandered over to the thin slices of bacon she had prepared from the sow.

 

[Lorcán]

He drew in a deep breath and let it out slow, trying to compose himself and hide his dented pride as she outright laughed at him. He couldn't bring himself to be angry at the sight of her amusement, even if it was at his own expense. He lifted his eyes to her with his head bowed, rubbing sheepishly at the back of his neck and lifting his brows as he shrugged, fighting his own smirk..

"Mh.. It's fine.." he grumbled and let out a quiet breathy laugh as he collapsed back onto the cushion, his hand sliding back and forth across his pounding heart. "If you're trying to kill me quicker I'd prefer the dagger." he huffed, the burst of magic taking its toll, but he made sure to shield that stabbing pain from her. The last thing he wanted to do was wipe the smile off of her face.

He cleared his throat and smiled up at her. "Good morning."

 

[Maeve]

This time her laugh brought the wind with it. Rushing about her it played with her hair and sighed at the sound, singing it back to her in its own musical way. She still hadn't figured out whether the wind was a creature she couldn't see who had attached itself to her or if it was her powers manifesting in a way she simply didn't understand.

"Good morning," Mae answered his smile with her own then looked back down what it was she was doing. She regretted not eating last night; her stomach seemed to think her throat had been cut but it could very well have been the use of magic the night before too. Either way she found herself heaping bacon into the pan and carrying it to the fire.

"Can you..?" she waved her hand towards the fire

 

[Lorcán]

The last thing he had expected given how yesterday had started off was a pleasant smile in the morning. He grinned at the thought, watching that magic play around her with curiosity.

"Hm?.." he blinked, looking at the hearth and lifting his brows. "Oh." he nodded with a slight grimace as his hand flourished and the fire burst to life. It was a simple cantrip, something that had never taken much energy at all, if anything, and now he could feel it physically drain him. His jaw tightened, a flare of rage as his father's grin flashed in his mind. The old bastard would be loving this. His weak and pathetic son proving his own point. Letting himself die rather than take a mortal life.

He grabbed a blanket from the pile of cushions and pulled it over his bare torso, over the handprint and the black veins that caused his stomach to churn furiously every time he looked at them..

"Thought I might take a flight over the mountains today, if you'd care to join me.. Let me make up for frightening you last time.." he winced. It'd no doubt be the last time he'd have enough strength in him to do so.. He swallowed at the thought. "I promise I won't drop you."

 

[Maeve]

Maeve stumbled at his suggestion and whipped her head round to look at him with unmasked fear. For a split second anyway. She managed to regain her composure quickly though she couldn't meet his eyes again. Instead she crouched in front of the fire and focused intently on setting the frying pan over the flames and feeding it strips of bacon. It wasn't that she was scared of... him anymore - not that she could believe she was even thinking that - it was a deeper fear of heights in general.

"I really don't like heights," she admitted in a weak voice though kept her back to him. She couldn't trust herself not to look as scared as she felt and cooking was focusing her mind on something other than that feeling of dropping. Even if it had only been for a few seconds.

"I'll just... go fishing or something whilst you fly." At least she could swim if she fell.

 

[Lorcán]

He couldn't imagine being afraid of such things. He'd always loved flying and the sense of freedom it gave him. It'd let him fight in the skies beside his brothers in wars, escape his father's clutches when he had to, let him see the world from above and how small and insignificant they really were.

Lòrcan gave a gentle shrug at her answer and nodded.. "Alright, I won't force you. I just.. Think you should try it. You.. Said it was peaceful. Before I ruined it. I'm sorry.." he frowned. He'd felt how that sense of calm had fallen over her as she'd begun to appreciate the same peace he'd found in flying..

"Consider it a dying wish that you let me make it up to you, and let me help you conquer your fear." he smirked and huffed with another dramatic shrug. "But if you won't honour a dying man's wishes then.. Well then that's on you, I just hope you can live with it." he smiled at the fire.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve gave him a look that suggested if she could skin him and make a rug out of his hide she would in that matter. The fire flared higher for the briefest of seconds and then suddenly guttered again back to a calm smoulder. A devilish, small smile crept over her instead.

"I'll go flying if," she waved the pair of tongs at him like a wagging finger, "you let me try and heal you again," the smile she wore was nothing short of the smug cat who had got the cream.

It was one deal she thought she was getting the better end of.