Private Tales Night Fever

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer
“Of course it wasn’t bad, it was with me.” Aranhil joked. There were times when his conceited arrogance was really just a joke. Not many realized it at first but perhaps Siobhan had begun to notice it some with their time together. After all, it’s not like Aranhil was as bad as some other Night Court men. Therefore, he could afford some satire.

“Well that’s a relief. Maybe that means you’ll think twice about killing me.” Aranhil continued with the light teasing, and then they had arrived. He looked at Siobhan, his face suddenly becoming serious. “Fix your dress. We’re going to go inside, you’ll put the clothes away like you intend to stay. I’ll inform the brownies that you and I are going off on a little adventure and to prepare a lunch, two horses need to be prepared. I’ll go into the room to change, we make a bag, grab the bow, take whatever cold food is given to us, and we’ll be off. Don’t look suspicious.” Aranhil warned. “Brownies aren’t as stupid as they look. I’ve learned that the hard way.”

When Siobhan was ready to head out, Aranhil got out of the carriage, holding the door open for her and offering her a hand to steady herself as she stepped down. He then led her into the summer home. Despite telling Siobhan not to look suspicious, the serious look on Aranhil’s face from before hadn’t left. He was probably the most suspicious looking one so far.

Siobhan Lusce
 
Siobhan smiled at his joke. He wasn't wrong though. She did shoot him a look when he mentioned her thinking twice about killing him now. He wasn't wrong there either. She smiled again but this time it was a little more evil looking.

He grew serious a second later and she nodded after he finished giving her directions. She fixed her dress and took Aranhil's hand to step out of the carriage. They walked into the summer home together and she immediately headed to her bedroom to put her new purchases away. Siobhan changed into pants and a shirt before grabbing a bag. She started to pack the bag that she had just gotten out. First, the beautiful blue dress she had gotten and then some pants and shirts.

She pulled her boots on and sat on the bed until her fiance joined her.

Aranhil Voronwe
 
Aranhil did his best to be calm, cool, and collected. When he spoke to the brownies he kept his words vague, but watched them carefully. Well, they didn’t look like they thought he was being suspicious. So far so good. He went into the bedroom, and changed into something far more durable than what he was currently wearing. Grabbed his bow and packed one nice change of clothes into the bag and headed out with Siobhan.

The brownies had prepared a cold lunch, and in a wicker basket. They informed him the horses were ready. He looked over at Siobhan.

“Uh, She—Sheg—Sig… Siggy, can you hold the basket for our lunch later?” What was her sister’s name again? He hoped the stumble of the names didn’t alert the brownies. He led her out, informing the servants they’ll be back later and set down the items he was carrying except for his bow.

“Let me grab my quiver.” He said, heading back inside and grabbing it. The brownies were invisible again, he noted. Good sign, right? He was back out in no time, and helped Siobhan onto her horse before securing the basket behind her. He had everything else as he mounted his own horse. With a nod of his head, Aranhil started off with a light trot down the path away from his summer home.

Siobhan Lusce
 
Siobhan tried hard not to laugh when he struggled with remembering her sisters name. It was a tad entertaining but she kept quiet and took the basket. He was a little adorable when he struggled with something. He tried though.

Once they had taken off, she stayed quiet until the house was far out of view. "Signe is my sisters name," she finally spoke with amusement in her voice. Her smile to him was filled with genuine happiness as well. "It was a very nice save though," she added.

She had to admit that the ride was nice and she was enjoying her time with him. They had managed to not fight since they had fun in the carriage. Perhaps sex was all he needed to keep him in a good mood.

Aranhil Voronwe
 
“Well, yeah, I’m supposed to be marrying her.” Aranhil said, trying to roll over the fact that he had forgotten who his original fiance was supposed to be. In his defense, why the heck were all the Lusce named S names? Saang, Siobhan, Signe… whoever else, they probably had a name like Samantha or Sam or Sammy or… Sarah. Aranhil made sure that their horses stayed side by side so they could converse much easier. “Hopefully you guys call her Siggy.” He muttered. They probably didn’t, what girl wanted to be called Siggy?

“A friend of mine,” he began, as now it was time for more serious things. “Followed through on an engagement, but the day of his wedding, he met his mate. Obviously an affair started, few years later, his wife finds out, does everything she can to try and separate them. Says he’s going on a business trip, takes his mate with him to the place I told you about.” He holds out his left hand to Siobhan so she could see the unmarked skin.

“They like… brand you and your mate, a symbol to represent never being apart.” Aranhil frowned. “I don’t know if they’ll do it for us, we aren’t mates but… maybe it won’t matter. If they hear our story I think… well, maybe they’ll marry us.” Aranhil wasn’t sure what they were going to do if this secret lovers hideout would reject them and their plea.

Siobhan Lusce
 
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Siobhan let out a laugh and smiled at Aranhil, "we do not but the brownies don't know that."

Everything changed in a moment as he changed to something more serious. The story was crazy. She had to admit that she did not know much about mates and marriage but the whole branding thing sounded scary. She looked at his unmarked hand and then back up at his face.

"I...that sounds scary and painful..." She was not sure where he was taking her but now she was worried about them traveling all the way there and not being able to marry her fiancé.

"Siobhan Voronwe," she said as she tested out the name. She had surprisingly not thought about her first name with his last. It didn't sound too terrible actually.

Aranhil Voronwe
 
Aranhil laughed, because yes, it did sound scary and painful. But wasn’t that what love was? He himself had witnessed just how scary something like that could be: to still love someone but for them to no longer love you back at the drop of a pin. And if anything, we could understand the appeal of it. A mark that would never leave you, and one that everyone could witness.

“See, aren’t you lucky you’re getting married to me and not someone with the last name Wartman or Gondera?” Aranhil said with a grin. A good start to their journey.


It took three days, not two, to arrive. Mostly because Aranhil got lost on numerous occasions. But in his defense, the directions to the place were so incredibly vague he was sure someone was messing with him. Turn towards the rising sun at the greenest tree? How was he supposed to know that that meant a tree covered completely in moss and to turn east? The riddles were frustrating, and the journey itself wasn’t fun.

For the past day it had been raining, and both him and Siobhan were soaked to their very bone. Aranhil himself wasn’t that cold, but he knew Siobhan was. He had even given her his shirt on multiple occasions and must have looked like a delinquent riding around half-naked with a shivering woman behind him. He’d make it up to her later.

Luckily though, they did arrive on the third night. It was a secluded, quiet lake, that looked rather ordinary. But it was all a glamor, which Ari could almost see through. Not quite, whoever had set it up was powerful. However, Aranhil knew that there was an island in the center of the lake, now they just had to reach it.

He got off his horse, surveying the lake and seeing that there seemed to be rowboats, three in total, just waiting to be used. He looked back at Siobhan.

“We’re almost there.” He said, pulling off the rucksack from behind the horse. “Perhaps you’ll change later? Maybe when you won’t get drenched?”

Siobhan Lusce
 
Siobhan only complained at least one hundred times. She tried telling him where to go but Aranhil did not want to listen to her. He knew where they were going. He could follow the directions. It took them an extra day because of it. Between the mild fighting, they joked and actually had fun. She might have even started to like him a little. Just a little. Very little.

Now they were here. The place the two of them were going to get married. She dismounted and watched as Aranhil got the rucksack from the horse. She looked at the rowboats and then at her fiance.

"Yes, I am sure I can change over there...I hope..." She said simply and took his free hand. "This is your last chance to run, Ari. I won't hold it against you."

Aranhil Voronwe
 
Ari raised a brow at how Siobhan grasped his hand, only to tell him that he could run now. Why? Why now? After their three days journeying together? Sure, it had only been five days since he met her. Sure, this plan was crazy, formed on the second day they knew each other— had it even been twenty-four hours at that point?

“I run and then what?” Aranhil asked, frowning as he looked down at Siobhan. “You can’t run away from home, there’s nowhere to go for a woman like yourself.” Duanann women had the worst fate, even someone as thick headed as Aranhil knew that. He saw firsthand what happened to his mother, her blindness caused not just from her affinity but more so as punishment from his father. And yet she claimed to love him the most. Only the upbringing that focused on forcing constant guilt, shame, and remorse onto women could have someone claim to love someone who scarred her for life.

“You’re my responsibility now.” Aranhil said finally. “I understand you think your brother is some… hero or whatever, but if you thought he could save you from your father, you wouldn’t have came up with your plan. Whether you like it or not, deep down inside, you know that I’m your chance at… well, maybe not normal, but at least more humane than some of your other possibilities.”

Siobhan Lusce
 
Some of the fear inside Siobhan retreated at him words. He may have started to like her a little as well. At the very least, he cared about her fate and that she not get killed or worse if she went against their fathers wishes. She did not say anything as she stood on her tiptoes and placed a feathery kiss on his lips. "I just wanted to make sure," she said as she came back from him.

Siobhan also noticed that he had not yelled at her for calling him Ari and she smiled a little smugly about it. She would win that fight. She kept hold of his hand and started to walk towards the rowboat. They might as well make it look real so they would be granted permission.

Ari held the boat steady while she climbed in and then he followed. "It is going to be weird being someone's wife. Just saying it sounds weird," she said with a joking smile.

Aranhil Voronwe
 
When Siobhan got into the rowboat, he pushed the boat off of the side, a slight grunt escaping from him but other than that he did make it look quite easy. He got inside, took hold of the oars and began to row.

“It is weird,” Aranhil agreed. “It’s like, I always knew I would have to get married. That was just part of the deal, growing up in a family like mine. Gotta make those business connections.” He shrugged, and then looked over at Siobhan. “I’m sure you felt the same way. Probably more than I ever did. The only thing expected of you is to be as pretty as you can to attract the best husband, get married, and then have as many kids as you possibly can.” He frowned, thinking that over. Despite not being the brightest, even he knew how that sounded. Even he could realize that it sounded like Siobhan wasn’t a person.

“Hey, it may be too late to do anything now but… isn’t your sister still going to have to get married?” He asked, genuinely curious. Not because he cared about Signe, more so because he was just curious what it was like for women in general. They couldn’t… refuse an engagement, right? Or was it just that her sister was repulsed to be sent to someone from the Voronwe family?

Siobhan Lusce
 
Siobhan stared at Aranhil debating how much she should tell him. Nothing, she thought. She couldn't tell him anything right now. Not yet. She looked down at her hands and sighed deeply. "There is..." She paused. "Hopefully my sister will not have to worry about it. That is all I can say right now..."

She looked to the side and watched the water ripple as they glided across its surface. One of these days she would trust her husband and she would be able to tell him about the group that smuggled out Night Court women.

She stayed silent the rest of the trip to the small island. Once they had come to rest, Ari helped her out of the rowboat and she looked around at the simple, beautiful island. It really was the perfect place to get married. She wondered how many had come here to marry their mates in secret or maybe the lovers that their parents did not approve of.

Aranhil Voronwe
 
Aranhil shrugged. It seemed Siobhan didn’t want to talk about it. He wasn’t sure if it was because she realized that the plan the two sisters had come up was futile, or if because of another reason. Either way, he had learned that sometimes it was best not to press things. He also wasn’t the most emotional sort of person anyhow.

As he helped Siobhan out of the rowboat, he wasn’t looked around, at least not as much as she was. The area was quant. The island was a little sandy, but the further one went into it’s center, growth could be seen. Grass, ferns, birch and pine trees intermingling together. Small wildflowers dotted the along a well-trodden path. Behind the tips of the tall pines, one could see a gold and white roof. Their destination.

Aranhil led his fiance along the path, suddenly quiet. A sense of nostalgia and melancholy washed over him. His life was about to change, indefinitely. As was hers. And while he knew that before, it was starting to hit him now.

He was scared.

As the couple came in sight of the white and gold temple dappled with shadows and sunlight, Aranhil felt as if he couldn’t speak. His throat was tight and dry, and his body was stiff.

Siobhan Lusce
 
Siobhan was scared too.

She took her fiancé's hand as they walked. Her own fear was resting in the pit of her stomach and she felt like she was going to throw up. She squeezed Aranhil's hand as they grew closer to the white and gold temple.

"Ari...I am scared..." Siobhan spoke plainly. They were about to be married and she needed to trust him. That meant that she needed to share with him. She needed to share everything with him and not bottle it up like she tended to do.

The two non-lovers entered the temple, hand in hand.

Aranhil Voronwe
 
Are you a man or a boy? He wasn’t sure why those words popped into his mind at this moment but they did. When Siobhan grabbed his hand and held it in her much smaller one, Aranhil tensed up but then softened a bit at her touch. He may had had to remind himself that this was what would be the new normal, to have a forever partner in crime.

He took a deep breath. He had to be a man. He had to protect his soon to be wife. If he didn’t protect her, who could in this wretched Night Court?

“We’re only scared because we don’t know what will happen.” Aranhil said, trying to sound more confident than he felt.

The temple was empty of fae. It was a small place but the lack of furniture helped to amplify the space and make it look more large. Wreaths of flowers hung from the walls, creating a lovely floral scent At the back of the building was an altar. Candles were lit along the side of a path the couples were supposed to follow up to the altar. Aranhil noticed that this path was made of glass, and below he saw nothing but darkness.

He took a step, and the glass held. Another step. No cracks. The glass felt like solid earth instead of a flimsy gateway to the abyss. Aranhil tugged at Siobhan’s hand, giving her a squeeze to let her know it was okay to walk on it. And then they headed towards the empty altar.

Siobhan Lusce
 
Siobhan watched Aranhil take a step onto the glass aisle, a second step. He didn't fall and take them both into the darkness below so when he squeezed her hand, she took a step forward as well. They walked together towards the altar and she looked at her fiancé - her very soon to be husband - and offered him a weak smile.

She could have it worse. He was moody and mean but he was not cruel to her until she had started it. He had been great since they had decided to start over. These last three days had been nice. They had laughed and they had gotten to know each other. It had been nice.

Perhaps it was a good start to a friendship and then...whatever else came from it.

Aranhil Voronwe
 
At the altar, no one but them were there. Aranhil was about to say something ignorant, but before he could even open his mouth, a figure appeared before the couple. They were fae, but ethereal. More so than the duanann were. Aranhil knew what it was based on the stories: a will-o-wisp. How unique.

“The final test,” the voice echoed despite it being so soft and dulcet. “Hold out your left hands.” It commanded, and as the duanann did as they were told, the will-o-wisp touched their ring fingers. Nothing happened, but the fae before them closed their eyes and concentrated.

Aranhil felt it, a burning beneath his skin, a searing hit that went from his ring finger to his heart. Gritting his teeth he stayed as still as he could.

Siobhan Lusce
 
Siobhan was not sure what she was expecting from this whole thing but the fire burning from her ring finger to her heart was not it. She let out a small, surprised gasp but joined Aranhil in staying still. After a minute had passed, the will-o-wisp spoke again, "Touch your left palms together."

Siobhan did as commanded and held her left hand in front of her. As soon as Aranhil's skin touched her, the searing sensation cooled and wrapped around their hands like a rope. Siobhan let out a small giggle at the odd feeling and then smiled at Aranhil.

"You are joined forever. In this life and the next..."

Then they were alone again. Standing palm to palm.

Married.
 
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