Private Tales The Lost Princess and The Exiled Prince

[Arun]

He frowned for a moment, nodding his head. "I see."

So the magic was not technically hers, but the winds.

"It lead me to them." Arun said quietly. Would Maeve even be aware of that? A part of him doubted it, she had suggested it the night before, but had been so drunk it would've shocked him if she remembered. "Convinced me to go in the first place."

Arun was still not entirely sure how to feel about that. Whatever song it had played, whatever melody he'd heard, Arun knew that it had come from the Wind.

He did not blame it, at the end of the day the decision had been his to make, but he wanted her to know what had happened. "During the war it would happen frequently. My people called it the Threl'saeva, a blood frenzy."

 

[Maeve]

Maeve turned and propped herself up on her elbow when he spoke. She looked somewhat alarmed, her eyes wide.

"You didn't make a deal with it did you?" she couldn't be entirely sure but she was certain it was a type of Fae and deals were binding things no matter how small they were on the hierarchy. "Arun..." she shifted so she was sitting up more and put her hand on his arm hesitatingly. The movement clearly caused her pain as her other hand rested on her ribs. "I need you to promise me you won't listen to it again," if it began to think that he was another of its playthings then it wouldn't let him go. She knew he was centuries old and probably had more wisdom to him than she could possibly ever get in her lifetime but... This was a creature she had known since she could walk.

She knew how cruel it could be even to those it professed to love.

 

[Arun]

Arun shook his head. "No bargain was struck."

An offer had been accepted, but further than that there was nothing. Arun was confident in that at least. The Wind, whatever it was, hadn't so much as coaxed him into doing anything as more acted like a sounding board.

He'd wanted to kill the tribals, slaughter them as he had. He'd just been given the opportunity.

Despite that though the Panic on Maeve's face was more than clear. That couple with her touch let him see just how serious she actually was. He frowned a moment and then nodded his head.

"I shall endeavor to ignore it entirely." Likely easier said than done, but he would try nonetheless.

He hopes the promise would be enough.

"Now." He reached up and softly grasped her hands. "How are your wounds."

 

[Maeve]

Maeve visibly relaxed when he confirmed it, making her look suddenly exhausted again. There was a soft childish giggle the floated in through the window and she rubbed at her nose. What was she bringing to these lands? They seemed to have hardly any idea of the Fae. She was about to apologise when he took her hands including the one pressed to her face. For a moment all Mae could do was stare at his hands; they were incredibly soft. It was like he hadn't done a day of hard work in his entire life and worn gloves for the rest of the time.

Slowly breathe out 1...2...3...

Another tiny victory in not pulling her hands away.

"Sore. I do not think I can heal myself," the girl frowned. "I don't even know if I'd be able to do it again."

 

[Arun]

Arun nodded. "Well the salve will do it's work."

He let his hand linger on her for a moment more, and then he gently released her. The last thing he wanted to do was make her uncomfortable.

"My word still stands." He had slaughtered the tribals already, but that didn't mean their deal was done with. "I will take you back to where your grandfather is."

He looked at her. "You have but to tell me when."

Arun assured her.

"Though, I suggest we wait at least the week still." The Elf gazed at one of her bandages. A trip now would most certainly bring her quite a bit of pain.

 

[Maeve]

When he let her hand go she curled back under the blankets with a sigh, eyes closing briefly.

"I've never felt so weak," she had not yet seen war, had not endured such injuries before. Then to top it off her magic was just now choosing to come through? Mae sighed and rubbed at her face. A part of her criticised herself for saying it out loud; admitting weakness was a sure fire way to end up dead.

"I'm sorry, I'm not very good company," when she opened her eyes she offered him a small smile. "I bring some crazy Fae thing to your door who leads you off on a murder spree and I can't even get the energy up to play stones with you again," she shook her head slightly.

 

[Arun]

He smiled at her.

"I've had worse guests." That was a complete lie, as both of them would well know. Arun hadn't seen another person besides her in nearly fifty years. He slowly drew back and away from her.

He needed to wash the blood from himself. The sheets were already stained crimson, and some of the bedding itself. He wouldn't make her move just yet, but it would all have to be washed eventually.

"Do not worry yourself." Arun told her softly. "Rest. Ill bring food to you in a little while."

Slowly he turned away and stood. "I need to bathe."

 

[Maeve]

Despite feeling like a mewling kitten she couldn't force herself to stay in bed, especially when he was getting up too.

"Go, I'll deal with the sheets," it was worse on the side he had slept on but she had had his blood all over her when he had set her back in the bed so it wasn't much better where she was. Before he could protest she was getting to her feet and beginning to strip the bed of its sheets. If he hesitated and didn't get moving she would stop what she was doing to give him a very firm push out of the doorway.

She just needed to feel like she had done something with her day, washing sheets it seemed would be that today.

 

[Arun]

Arun decided it would be best not to argue with her.

Maeve looked like she was about ready to fall into the floor and pass out, but the determination on her face was one thing at least he'd learned to read. Humans were strange creatures, and he highly suspected that Maeve was more stranger than most.

Without argument Arun went out o to the front porch and quickly stripped off what was left of his bloody clothes. Before long he was the one who found himself within the bath, head tipping back as he relaxed.

A sigh escaped him as he closed his eyes.

As soon as he did events of the last days began to slowly play within his mind.

All of it flashed before his eyes like a moving pictures. It played again and again, a strange sort of film that he watched and studied.

 

[Maeve]

The wind tip-toed its way out once Arun was gone.

"We need to have a talk," Maeve kept her voice low and switched to her own tongue as she pulled the sheets off entirely and then carried them over to where she had seen him doing other bits of laundry the day before. It brushed against her hair gently as if asking for forgiveness. "No, you don't get to do that when I'm mad with you!" it whispered back from her and hung in the air. Mae couldn't actually see the creature she referred to as the Wind but she got the distinct impression it was looking at her like a kicked dog.

"He's off limits, you do something like that to him again and this is done," though she had no idea how exactly she would ensure that. Either way it seemed to work and after a moment's hesitation she got a gentle caress on her face she had come to recognise over the years as an apology. She gave a soft hurmph but said no more on the matter as she went about cleaning the sheets.

 

[Arun]

When he was finished Arun dragged himself back out of the tub, frowning slightly as he dripped water onto the patio.

It took him a few seconds to realize he's forgotten a towel, and his head shook slightly. He'd been too wrapped up in his own thoughts, too deep in what had happened the night before.

There was danger in that, losing himself. Whatever that wind was that followed Maeve around had coaxed him far too easily into violence. He knew the reason for it of course; he'd wanted it. The ment Maeve had mentioned the reason for her injuries, the second she had spoken of the tribals.

He'd wanted to kill them.

There was no blaming the other aspect in his skull. It had nothing to do with the frenzy, at least not really. He had wanted to do it, and when the opportunity came he had seized it. The reason why didn't really matter.

He was starting to think Exile had not been the best thing for him.

Without giving much thought to it the Elf walked back into the cabin.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve had just turned round with the freshly washed sheets when Arun walked in. It wasn't like she hadn't seen ... that before but having him walk in in such a way was certainly not what she had been expecting. There was a sharp squeak and then she turned abruptly on her heel to look the other way with her cheeks a flaming red almost identical to the colour of her hair. After all he had told her about the elves she didn't think that he would so boldly walk across the room in such a way.

"Good bath?" she kept her eyes very much on the wall in front of her like it were the most interesting thing in the world as she held the wet sheets bundled in her arms. She had gotten the blood out of them with a lot of scrubbing and had been about to go hang them outside.

 

[Arun]

"Oh." Arun said as she suddenly squeaked and turned towards the wall. It was very clear that she was doing her best to avoid looking at him.

He glanced down at himself.

"I apologize." Though she couldn't see it Arun dipped his head slightly. "I didn't think that your modesty extended to me as well, but I should have known better."

The elf clicked his teeth and shook his head. "Social graces still escape me I'm afraid."

Though his own people did not talk about sexual desires save for with their partners, the body itself was not inherently sexual. The nature of a man or woman was beautiful in it's own way, far apart from just what occurred in the bedroom.

 

[Maeve]

"You couldn't even talk about sex last night then you strut through here like this?!" Maeve laughed but she didn't turn around. Amongst her people the two went hand in hand and after she had seen what he had been like the day before she had just assumed... She cleared her throat slightly and then turned but kept her eyes pointedly up as she made her way outside with the sheets.

The wind helped her fluff them out and hang them over the rails so that they would dry in the warm afternoon sun. It had taken her remaining energy out of her and for a moment all Mae could do was lean against the rail for a few moments as she caught her breath. The wind drifted about her in concern but after a few moments more she managed to make her way back to the sofa before she collapsed on it.

"I wasn't sure where the clean linen was," the redhead mumbled from her face down position in the cushions.

 

[Arun]

As Maeve fell back into the couch Arun stepped out of the bedroom with his more usual clothes. "There are no others."

He commented to her as he ran a towel over his head and tried his hair.

"I haven't used the bed in over fifty years." Which would make someone question why he had it in the first place. Of course, Arun didn't answer that question yet, and instead walked towards the kitchen. "Are you hungry?"

He, personally, was starving.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve raised her head with a confused look on her face.

"Why d'ya have a bed then - also," she shifted herself carefully onto her side. "Why don't you use it, there's other things you can do in a bed like read...?" Mae personally preferred curling up in a bed than she did on the sofa if she had the choice. She gave him a look that very clearly insinuated that she thought he was crazy.

As for his other question the loud rumbling of her stomach which had been going on throughout her barrage of questions was probably the only answer he would need.

 

[Arun]

Arun of course did not wait for Maeve to completely confirm if she wanted food or not, he instead went about making enough for the two of them.

Except hers would have meat of course. "It seemed natural."

The Elf answered with a shrug of his shoulders. Even Elves learned for the dream sometimes, though he had made sure to avoid it until last night. It wasn't like they couldn't sleep, it was just that they didn't really need to.

"I use it for reading sometimes." He contended. "Or just laying down."

Though not recently. "It's not like i've never washed the sheets, Maeve. I just don't usually need to."

 

[Maeve]

"Sleep is one of my favourite things, I don't know how you could go 50 years without doing it," she flopped back down on the sofa now her questions had been answered and simply watched him from her curled up position. Mae hadn't quite realised just how hungry she was but then she had practically slept away an entire day so it made sense.

"Well hopefully they dry by tonight or I'm going to steal your sofa and you'll have to lay on the floor," her lips curved slightly in amusement at the image in her head. "I'll give you a pillow, I promise. Maybe a blanket if I feel nice."

 

[Arun]

Arun blinked for a second. "Why would I need a blanket or pillow to meditate?"

"Oh." He said with a shake of his own head. "You mean to sleep."

He was starting to get the hang of this.

It had only taken him about two days, but finally things were beginning to click when she said something.

Placing the pan on the stove Arun also quickly retrieve a pan and what appeared to be a large baking sheet, taking out some of the root vegetables he had and a few smaller herbs that were in potted plants on the counter.

"Perhaps I'll just lay on top of you instead." He commented. "You sleep like a troll in the sun anyway."

His attempt at a joke.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve practically choked on his words. She hadn't heard him make a joke. Well, not a good joke. Not a joke anyone would have ever laughed at considering he spoke so seriously all the time. This however was a joke and despite it being an insulting one she began to laugh. Mae had never been practically fussed about jokes at her expense, it was all common place in her tribe. She got off far lighter usually because of her status.

"I feel like it would be more funny if I had actually ever seen a troll," she critiqued. The only reason she knew what a troll was was because of story books. No such things lived on the Isle of Fae.

 

[Arun]

"Ah, well they turn to stone in the sun." Some of them did anyway, not all.

Those in the Falwood were Forest Trolls, and though they did not enjoy the touch of the sun they could handle it most of the time.

Arun smirked at her. "Had you been an Elf, that joke would have killed."

He wasn't entirely sure about that, but he quickly proceeded to chop up some of the veggies, taking out an odd pan that looked like a giant bowl. He sprinkled something inside of it, then let it heat over the open flame of the stove.

"I was much different once." Arun said quietly. "Before the war."

 

[Maeve]

A pillow would have hit him square in the back of the head.

"No war talk," Maeve pointed a finger at him. She knew he had said that he liked to reflect on the good and the bad but she didn't like the way his voice changed when he spoke about it, the way his expression grew cold and distant. It just wasn't... the Arun she was beginning to get to know. The one who, apparently, made troll jokes.

"You are different, different isn't necessarily a bad thing," she said bluntly. "Would past you have helped me down by the river and be cooking a human dinner? Would your father even let you, even if you had discovered I was a Princess?" sometimes, the royal mark swayed people she knew, but perhaps it wasn't like that amongst elves.

 

[Arun]

Arun shirked slightly, feeling the strike against his head. "Alright alright."

The Elf said in agreement, frowning slightly as she continued to hammer her point home.

Every word she said seemed to resonate for a moment, and to every single one his answer would have been 'no'. The Prince of Eagles would have done none of those things. He would have slaughtered the tribals, exterminated them.

But he would have let Maeve die.

"You're right." He said softly, picking up the dozens of veggies he had cut and putting them in the strange pan, stirring them with the handle. "Something more pleasant then."

Arun took a breath. "Do you want to know about my Eagle?"

It was not a euphemism.

 

[Maeve]

Content and happy with herself for changing the direction of his thoughts again she shifted herself again on the sofa. It was really hard to get comfortable and stay as such for a long period of time in just one position. Everywhere ached and even places she didn't think hurt that much would after a while of putting all her weight on it. Now she arranged herself into more of a sitting position so she could watch what she was doing in the kitchen. Though the unusual pan was forgotten in favour of the tidbit of information he gave her.

"You have an eagle?!" eagles back home were smaller things you hunted with but she had read the stories. "You mean the ones you ride don't you?" the excitement was paramount in her voice.

 

[Arun]

The excitement in her voice nearly made Arun jump. "Yes."

He closed his eyes for a second, tossing the pan and reaching over to a small bottle sitting on the counter. There was a splash and then a hiss as he added whatever the liquid was, tossing the veggies once more before he half glanced at her.

"Vallya was her name." He stopped, corrected himself. "Is her name."

She had not died, simply been taken from him. "I raised her from the moment she hatched."

Those were good memories.