Private Tales Ash and Iron

[Lorcán]

His thumbs smoothed over her cheeks as he opened her eyes to look at her, starlight all that lit the orb of shadow that swirled around them. His brows furrowed at the question hanging in the air as thick as smoke, threatening to choke him. His throat worked as he swallowed and slowly, he shook his head.

"Every day I wait, this gets worse. Every day I feel more and more unstable. You don't..." he paused, a breath shuddering from his chest. "If you knew what I was like without control, you'd understand." he grimaced, dropping his gaze in effort to hide the shame he felt at the thought. He wouldn't allow himself to fall so far again, not now that she was in his life. So many times before it had taken his brothers months to halt his destruction. His father had most often been the cause, except when he'd lost Maeve the first time. If he lost her again, nothing would drag him back.

"You've kept me grounded this long, but I can't stop it. I can't let it stand... " his jaw tightened.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve's shoulders slumped. It was not the answer she had wanted, but the one she had known in her heart was coming. A part of her had known even when she'd started the argument that it had been futile. Fae were beyond the human constraints she still mentally governed herself by. She didn't think that even her parents, who had fallen in love at a young age and been married for nearly thirty summers, would understand the deep bond mates had. She had no doubt her father would want revenge if her mother was hurt, but that sensibilities would stop him. With the fae, with magic entwined in that, sense was out of the question.

"I don't want you to do this. I don't want it to become a war where innocent people are hurt," her jaw clenched and she drew back from him. "I can't give you a blessing to go... but if you must, and if you won't take me, at least go with your brothers."

 

[Lorcán]

"I don't intend on hurting innocent people, Mae." he assured her. "War isn't what I want either. What I need is so much simpler than that.." he frowned. If Summer court chose war, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it, but there was no other way around it.

Lorcan nodded at her wish for him to take his brothers with him. He wouldn't go alone, if that was what she insisted. "I'm sorry.." he said again, hoping she knew that he meant it. "I'll be back home as soon as I can." he assured, reaching for the hand that now wore the ring he'd given her, lifting it to his lips and pressing a kiss against it.

"I love you." he told her firmly, and the shadow around them fell away, culminating instead into a set of large, raven wings on his back. He stood, letting her go and refraining from saying goodbye to her for fear of breaking. Instead he turned and left, taking flight the moment he reached the balcony.

 

[Lorcán]

Where are you?..

He needed her, needed to see her, to know that she was safe, that she could still even bear to look at him. His heart pounded in his chest as he flew as quickly as he could toward the Orchard, his brothers not far behind. His senses were wide open, searching, reaching for her.

"Maeve?!" he called as he landed in the courtyard, skidding to a halt in the gravel before rushing up the steps and into the foyer. "Maeve?!!" his voice boomed through the halls.

 

[Maeve]

The twins had found her in the library that first day. It had taken some coaxing but between them they had eventually managed to get her back to the Orchid. She'd barely said a word as they complimented her ring, undressed her and put her in the big tub in her suite. They gave up trying when she still wouldn't speak after they had brushed out her hair and left her in peace after tucking her into bed. A bed which she didn't leave for five days.

Nightmares had plagued her when she could sleep, and the last words she had said to Lorcan replied in her mind when she was awake. A waking nightmare all of its own.

She was vaguely aware of the twins coming and going, attempting to get her to eat or to draw her from her rooms but they did not push too hard. By then they had all heard what Lorcan had gone to do, what it could mean for Endora. Maeve couldn't bare to see concerned or worried faces. In the end, though, there were some people even she couldn't ignore when they came calling.

 

[Midir]

"Hello, son."

Lorcan would find them in the sunroom where moons ago another Ruler had sat. Fiadh had had far more innocent motives of visiting than the King who now stood from the couch he had been sitting on. It was an absurd setting to see the Erlking in, with the glass doors out onto the bright, vibrant, flower-filled garden beyond. Lorcan had arrived with the dawn of a new day and the sky was still tinged with soft pinks and purples as the sun awoke. The light filled the room with a soft hue at odds with the sharp angles and dark shadows that created Midir. He even held a teacup and saucer in his hands which he gently set down as Maeve bounced to her feet. Her eyes flickered between father and son with obvious alarm.

"We need to talk about your little... trip."

 

[Lorcán]

Something was off. Had shifted. Lorcan found himself running toward the sunroom, tugged by the thread of the bond he shared with Mae. His heart pounded. Had it stopped pounding so hard at all since he had left her?

Golden eyes settled on her first, and then widened slightly as they fixed on his father. Burning fury coursed through his very veins like acid, his muscles shifting under his skin as every part of him tensed at the sight of him so close to Maeve. He was gone less than a week, and the Erlking and taken his opportunity to come to his home for tea with his mate.

"I agreed that you could visit Endora on one day per year, not that you were granted free access to my home. Get the fuck out." Lorcan said, his tone surprisingly calm despite the incandescent rage he felt. He had fought with his father many times. It was always destructive, and he did not wish to destroy his home, their home, nor give his mate any further reason to fret right now. His priority was her, and so he went to her, the thread of their bond that'd been stretched so tightly it pained him, easing now that he was back in her presence.

"Are you alright?" he asked her urgently, turning his back on his father as he stood between them, his blackened hands reaching for her shoulders. He looked over her and searched her expression and deep, green pools of her eyes. Being gone from her side had been as unbearable as he remembered, and once again he'd lost himself. He wanted to fall to his knees and beg her forgiveness, he wanted to know that she still loved him despite it, to crawl into her arms and soothe whatever aches they both felt.

But he was here. In his home, with Her, and his jaw clenched.

"I said. Get. Out." he growled, turning his head slightly to keep the male in his peripheral.

 

[Maeve]

"I'm fine," Maeve glanced from Lorcan to the man standing over his shoulder. Instead of leaving, he settled back down onto the couch to seemingly wait for the pair to have their moment. She had thought Lorcan's power a mighty weight but Midir's was crushing. Every instinct within her screamed to be out of this room as far away from this male as possible. She tried not to show any signs of her feelings as she gave her mate a wobbly smile.

"We're fine. Your father has been... polite," she had been expecting a monster not the man who had knocked at her door and introduced himself, then waited to be asked in.

As she went to touch his hands to reassure them, her eyes were drawn to the unusual tone of his skin. She flinched.

"What happened to you? To your hands?"

 

[Midir]

Midir ignored the childish outburst and seated himself once more across from Maeve. She had been far from what he had expected of the mate Lorcan would attract but in a surprisingly pleasant way. Starting with the curious fact that she was made. He wondered, with a flicker of amusement, if she had met Freya yet. The Erlking picked up his dainty porcelain tea cup and took another sip whilst the mated pair had their reunion. From the corner of his eye he noted Raphael and Sid taking up stances by the door. So, he had corrupted his old friends. Interesting.

"I believe that brings us back to the manner of your little visit to Summer," the Erlking leaned back on the couch and crossed one leg over the other, his tea-less arm draped across the back. "I've received a rather demanding letter from your cousin, requesting I drop you and your little friends back at her palace so she might rip your heads off herself and display them on her turrets. Care to elaborate on what exactly you did to anger the Queen of Summer?"

 

[Lorcán]

Though he was relieved to hear Maeve say she was fine, the sight of Midir's suffocating presence in the same room as her caused every muscle in his body to tense. His jaw clenched at her mention of his father's politeness. He knew all too well the façade Midir could put on, the charming exterior that concealed the darkness within. He didn't want Maeve anywhere near this male, ever. Not after what he had done to the last woman he'd cared for.

As Maeve's eyes landed on his hands, Lorcan followed her gaze, his frown deepening at the sight. He hadn't noticed until now, too consumed by his own rage and the chaos that had unfolded in the Summer palace, recalling how it'd felt when he'd thrown everything at Mercutio, how the starlight had burned..

"I'm fine," he assured Maeve gently, though his tone belied the storm of emotions raging within him. He had more to say to her, apologies to make, forgiveness to beg, but the moment was far less private than he had hoped it would be.

His father's voice cut through the tense silence, like claws scraping against his already fragile mind, and Lorcan growled quietly in frustration. He cast a quick glance toward his brothers, silently pleading for them to take Maeve away from here should things escalate.

Turning his attention back to his father, Lorcan's tone grew dangerously cold. "You know well enough," he retorted, his gaze unwavering. "She doesn't want to talk, and Mercutio talked too much. They started this the minute they went after Maeve."

With that, Lorcan stood firm, a silent vow to protect Maeve at all costs evident in his stance. "You said it yourself, there's something going on, and you're taking too long to figure it out. They're getting away with too much."

 

[Maeve]

Maeve's face drained of colour and she sat down heavily upon the couch, seemingly forgetting whose company she was in and any insult she might incur. Midir for the most part only barely glanced in her direction before returning his attention to his son.

 

[Midir]

So, his mate hadn't realised the full cost of Lorcan's little revenge spree. Interesting. Midir took a sip of his tea, seemingly unfussed by his sons snarling and posturing.

"And I told you that these things are delicate. Matters of state require tact not," he opened the piece of parchment and read directly from Tatiana's angry scrawl. "Breaking in to a private party, harassing and bullying courtiers, threatening their lives, then proceeding to tear apart and splatter the remains across her gardens like a messy toddlers paining, destroying most of the forest in the process."

Across from him Maeve sucked in a breath.

"I had hoped, given your company," his eyes cut to Raphael who stiffened, "that you would be discreet."

 

[Lorcán]

Lorcan squeezed at the back of his neck as he paced, trying his best not to look at Maeve's reaction. He could feel it already, and his jaw clenched at his father's delivery of such news. "I didn't actually threaten anyone.." he answered dryly, drawing a look of disdain across his father's face and the letter he held.

"And you can leave them out of it. It was my doing, not theirs." he glanced to where Raph and Sidereal stood before stopping and turning his full attention back to Midir. "I restrained myself for long enough, I was already walking on knife edge, had he given me the opportunity perhaps I might have brought him here for a fair fucking trial but he didn't deserve one. The first words out of his mouth were about Maeve, about how he.." he cut his words off with a snarl.

"Even you don't have that sort of restraint! He deserved worse than what he got, his death was far fucking quicker than it should have been." he frowned, standing his ground.

"So, what now? Are you sending us to her, or are you going to give me the soldiers I asked you for in the first place? We should have retaliated months ago! Or... Is it that you've lost your nerve?"

 

[Maeve]

Maeve looked as though she were about to be sick.

Splattered...

She had known Lorcan was strong but to be able to turn another fae into little more than a pile of meat made her stomach turn. Not because he held that power, not because he had used it on someone so evil, but that because he had done it over her...

Her eyes widened with horror as Lorcan asked his question, darting back and forth between father and son. He wouldn't really sell out his own child like that would he? The alternative was not much better either. A war between Summer and Autumn? She quietly muttered a prayer to Fiadh.

 

[Midir]

Midir raised a brow at the part Lorcan chose to take issue over. Threatening wasn't exactly the most problematic part of the charges Tatiana had laid at his feet. He folded up the piece of parchment and tucked it away once more in the inside of his jacket.

"Unfortunately you are my son, and I cannot just hand you over to the Summer Queen. Even if it would mean one less headache," he sipped his tea. Considering the alternative was war he didn't seem all that fussed, almost as though he had anticipated this as the most likely outcome. "You're going to travel to the other Courts and ask for their support. If you can manage it, I think your story will garner sympathy amongst most of the leaders. They all have their own problems with Tatiana but attacking a mate is a taboo even the Night Court won't ignore. Your mother has already pledged Dawn's support."

Another sip.

"Take your... fiancee, with you. She's got far more manners than you."

 

[Lorcán]

Unfortunately you are my son...

Lorcan's expression hardened at his father's words, in effort to hide the hurt, shame and anger he felt writhe in his chest. He had grown accustomed to Midir's callousness over the years, and yet was a bitter reminder of where he stood in his father's eyes. That he spoke to him as he did in front of Maeve made him loathe the male all the more. Perhaps he was as worthless as his father said he was. Perhaps she'd see it.

He fought to keep his composure, his jaw tightening as Midir continued to speak, outlining his plans as if Lorcan had no say in the matter. The demands grated on him - the thought of venturing into the political quagmire of fae politics was enough to make his skin crawl. And now, Midir wished him to take Maeve with him, potentially putting her in harm's way.

He glanced at Maeve, his heart aching with the knowledge that he had unwittingly dragged her into this mess.

"Fine." Lorcan said evenly, his voice devoid of emotion. "But Maeve has a choice. It is safer for her here." he said as he turned away, unable bear the weight of his father's gaze any longer, nor could he meet Maeve's.

"Now, leave our home."

 

[Maeve]

Maeve stared at the King as he coldly delivered his verdict. How had the man she loved grown up under such loathing? She understood a little better why he was the way he was. Silently she wove her fingers through her mates and gave his hand a comforting squeeze. Despite their differences and the conversations that needed to happen next, she wouldn't leave him alone to face his father.

"I will go," she raised her chin in a touch of defiance. She refused to be made to feel small and powerless in her own home, this would be her decision. "Besides, I already promised Tharu I would visit again."

 

[Midir]

Midir gave the young fae-made a slow smile at the show of defiance. Of course his son's mate would have a will of fire. He wished him the best of luck, see how he dealt with someone so unruly.

"Excellent, then it is settled," he purred and set the cup back down on the dainty table then rose to his feet. Maeve followed, though he thought it was more instinct than out of any sense of propriety. Still, he was a fae who held to The Ways and despite the coldness with which he did it, he took her hand and brushed a kiss to the back of her hand in formal farewell.

"I'm afraid I cannot use the whole of my allowed day here with such pressing matters, but I look forward to seeing you both at functions in the future," he gave his son a cold smile, then turned on his heel and left.

 

[Lorcán]

He felt his stomach drop at Maeve's decision, but he lowered his chin in a quiet nod in acceptance.

His eyes remained on his father, however, and Lorcan could feel the edges of his vision darken as Midir dared touch Maeve's hand, as he brushed his lips against her precious skin. It took more restraint than he knew he had to say and do nothing when he'd never wanted to take the male's head clean off his shoulders more than he did right now. Maeve had been through enough, and destroying their home when he was already walking on thin ice would likely not have gone down so well right now.

He sneered at the last words the male spoke before he left, and turned to Maeve when he was sure he was gone. Lorcan suppressed the need to go to her in the fear of being pushed away, or perhaps hit with another shoe..

"Mae. I'm sorry." he frowned, his blackened fingers curled into fists at his sides.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve waited for that feeling of magic pressing down upon her like a crushing weight to subside, indicating the Erlking had truly left their home, before collapsing back into the sofa. Her mind whirled with the emotions of the last few days and this new information. War, alliances that needed to be forged, a royal tour. None of them were strangers to her of course, her people had been a warring type, but whereas she had been schooled in those politics from as soon as she could walk the world of fae politics was an unknown. An unknown that could get her and people she cared for killed.

Slowly, she looked up at him.

"What happened?"

 

[Lorcán]

Lorcan turned to her, meeting her gaze and dropping to a knee in front of her, his head bowed.

"He wanted to die." he answered after a moment's contemplation. "Nothing but that could have made him goad me in such a way. I shouldn't have risen to the bait. I lost control.." he frowned.

"He deserved to suffer longer."

 

[Maeve]

Maeve's brows knitted together into a deep scowl.

"That's just what he is like, he enjoys seeing you angry. Seeing you..." the word break caught in her throat and she swallowed several times to stop the fear she had been trying to work through the last few days from resurfacing. "And what if he did want to die? What if that was what they've been banking on to start a war? Your father said this has been brewing for some time and you..." she rubbed the heels of her palm against her temples.

"This is a mess."

 

[Lorcán]

"It is. A mess they caused. They struck the first blow - several of them, in fact. If hurting you was the spark that lit the fires of war then so be it, it was an act more than worthy of burning their entire court to the ground." he looked up at her, his gaze begging her to understand.

"There was no other way, Maeve. They are out of control. They wouldn't have stopped... She would've tried to get to you again.." he sighed, reaching for her hands to pull them away from her head. "I'm sorry it happened this way, but if not this way then it would have been another.."

"I will never let anyone hurt you like that again. Do you understand? An example had to be made."

 

[Maeve]

"No it didn't!" Maeve exploded and stood up, stalking away from him to pace the room and control her anger. The candles and lanterns around the room seemed to flicker uneasily. Raphael had vanished from the doorway, she noted as she made a second pass of the door, and made a mental note to lay into him the next time she saw him.

"I asked you not to go. I told you that I didn't want this. You could have just moved on, like I'm trying to do! But how can I? How can I now there is a war where people are going to die?"

 

[Lorcán]

Lorcan flinched at her anger, feeling it course through him and rattle his bones. His brow furrowed at the effect it had on their surroundings, on the little flames here and there, and then his brow rose. What he did next was something he might live to regret, but it was an opportunity he chose to take.

"I couldn't move on, Maeve! You saw what it was like in my mind, you felt that. It would have driven me insane, day by day.." he explained, standing, drawing a breath and bracing himself.

"People die every day. They've been dying in wars and battles long before you were born and will continue to die long before you're gone. Perhaps, Princess. You should mind your place." his arms folded.