Private Tales The Lost Princess and The Exiled Prince

[Arun]

"Another of those Elven qualities." Arun mused, his thumb slowly stroking over her skin as his other hand came up over his face.

He looked at it for a few moments, as if inspecting it.

"Something I've never considered." The former Prince said as he cocked his head. "But then again, I've been doing that quite a lot over these last few days."

He of course meant, considering new things.

 

[Maeve]

"It's not a bad thing," she said suddenly, mildly concerned she had offended him in some way. She turned her face back towards his and moved her arm to use it to prop herself up against him. "Humans get very rough hands the more we work," she held out her hand towards him so he could see the difference whilst she watched his expression. It didn't seem like he had been upset but he was incredibly hard to read unless he frowned or his voice got thick with sadness.

Or they were playing stones.

"I guess having an annoying child around asking you questions like why and how makes you consider things," her lips twisted into a crooked, half embarrassed smile.

 

[Arun]

Arun gently grasped her hand, running his fingers over the rough callouses and playing over them with a soft touch as he considered.

"I don't mind the questions." He told her with a smile. "Or the company for that matter."

A hundred years was a long time to be alone, even for an elf. "You have made me question more things than I have myself in two and a half centuries."

That was a gift in it of itself, one he was pretty sure only she could have provided.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve watched the way he studied her hands and felt a jolt of pride that he touch didn't make her cringe away in terror. It still sent her heart racing and she felt hot but not... not in the same way anymore. She couldn't tarnish all elves with the same brush.

"Well I will continue to ask questions," her head listed to one side slightly and the tendrils of her red hair fell across one shoulder. "Maybe this was the issue with you and these... An-ir-i-ans," she still had to say the new word slowly. "Maybe you just needed to talk more and fight less," she gave a single shoulder shrug. Though if the tribes of her lands were anything to go by talking very rarely helped. Mae wondered what it would be like if they fought over the simple fact they hated another group because of what they were.

 

[Arun]

"I think my mother would have liked you." Arun said with a smile, gently letting his thumb play over one of the callouses on her palm. A breath drew into his chest, smile touching his face as he continued.

"She advocated such a path for many years." The War had last nearly three Decades and had seen incredibly vicious fighting. Neither side had been able to best the other. War-Singers and Dreadlords fighting to a stand still while the Anirians had never been able to push into the Falwood.

Arun could still remember some of the more brutal battles. "Unfortunately both my father and the King in Fal'Addas disagreed."

As Fal'Addas went, so did the Falwood. Even his father accepted that.

 

[Maeve]

"I can't even imagine a war that lasted as long as you described," Mae spoke in hushed tones. The moment felt quite... intimate in a way and she couldn't take her eyes off of his thumb as he rubbed over her rough skin.

"I think the longest war in our entire history was ten years and that was centuries ago before the clans were united under Liath - my grandfather - he's the one that made it stop," bound them all together at the cost of his own exile for the remainder of his life. She bit down on the side of her cheek and wondered what it would be like to live a whole life in a constant state of war - if these... Dreadlords were human then some of them must have suffered that.

"But... I am glad you think your mother would like me, I don't tend to get on with mothers," she scrunched up her nose.

 

[Arun]

Arun let out a laugh, his chest shaking slightly. "I think she would have said the same about most other women."

His mother had held a notorious reputation for being curt, and with little patience for...well pretty much anything. She had never suffered fools, and her worldview had been so fixed into place that one might as well have argued against a mountain when speaking with her.

That was always how it'd felt as a child certainly.

His thumb slowly traced along the lines of her hand, almost as if reading something within them. "It was the third war between our peoples, and by the account of some...the worst of the three."

The first had seen the Anirian's slaughtered, the Second the Falwood had burned, and the third? The third had been simple butchery of both sides.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve grinned when he laughed. It was a musical sound and not something he did nearly enough. His mother sounded like her type of woman; Mae had found her status as a Princess had never lent itself well to fostering female friendships. Not genuine ones either. Women who wanted to be a part of her Amazones perhaps, but not usually ones who wanted to be friends because they liked her.

The grin faded when he went back to talking about the war.

"At least it is over now... perhaps there can be peace?" the lilt she added to the end made it a question for she didn't know the situation herself. Maybe there simply couldn't be peace. "It strikes me as strange you would fight merely on the issue of race."

 

[Arun]

"There has been peace for nearly a hundred and fifty years now." He explained with a soft smile, his hand finally allowing her palm to calm down and fold against his chest.

"We did not begin the war." He explained softly. "Not the first one anyway."

Arun frowned, shaking his head.

"I am sorry. It is not a topic we need to discuss." He sighed, playing his fingers over her hand. "War is an ugly business, and unfortunately it has stuck to my mind even after the centuries."

He half turned to smile at her. "Perhaps we can find your tree today."

 

[Maeve]

"I don't mind, if you need to talk about it we can talk about it," Mae's eyes drifted from where she had been watching her hand splay across his chest to his eyes. Her crooked smile made her eyes dance in the morning light. It wasn't a pleasant topic certainly but he hadn't spoken to someone in centuries. War stories amongst her people were a way of healing after the battle - a way to make sense of the violence and remember those who had been lost.

"But I would like to go... tree singing," the idea was still an odd one and it seemed to be worse when she spoke it out loud. "I would like to see magic in action that isn't so draining on me," despite her words Mae then sprawled back across his chest again, clearly also content with the idea of staying exactly where they were. "I think I can manage a climb down the tree now my ribs are.. not broken," the lacerations on her back were still painful and her bandages would need to be changed when they got back but the uncomfortable feeling of bone jutting against her lungs was what had been causing her the most discomfort.

 

[Arun]

The Elf slowly shook his head, indicating that there would be no more talk of war. At least for now. Such things plagued him often enough that he did not need to saturate her mind with such thoughts as well. Best not to speak of it.

"We shall go carefully." Arun assured her quietly. It would have been foolish to have her injure herself on a trip like this one.

As much as he would enjoy singing the bow for her, it would be for naught if she ended up once again hurt. Yet he would be with her the whole time, something that would undoubtedly help if she did indeed go falling down.

Despite their talk of the day, Arun made no move to get up either. His hand came up slowly. softly playing with the locks of her hair.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve watched his hand quietly as it raised but she didn't move like she would have done even yesterday. There was still a hint of wariness to her gaze but it was overridden mostly by curiosity. When he began playing with her hair her lips curved into a soft smile and she nestled her head back down in the cook of her arm that was splayed across his chest.

"You don't... come across as the other elves you describe," he didn't seem prissy or haughty or too above such gentle gestures. He came across as almost human. Or a human who was just rediscovering the pleasure of a simple touch.

 

[Arun]

He frowned in consideration of the words. "No, perhaps I do not."

Once upon a time he had used to be. When he'd still called himself the Prince of Eagles and done his best to emulate his father. That had changed after...or perhaps during the war. The more reserved side of him had faded away, and instead he'd become something...different.

"A hundred and fifty years ago it was been different." He told her with a soft musing. "You probably would have despised me."

There was no doubt in his mind of that fact, really.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve lifted her shoulders in a faint attempt at a shrug, her eyes blinking slowly as she considered his statement of fact.

"Perhaps. Despising someone takes a lot of effort though," and the human had no inclination for such a thing wearing her down. "Life is short for us, remember. I probably would have tried to kill you though," like she had tried to kill the first elf she had met. Though in fairness, she had been attacked first. Mae probably wouldn't have known what to do if an elf had approached her... kindly. Stared? Gawped? Or perhaps the wind would have initiated something instead.

"You know... I've never met someone else with red hair before," she caught a strand of his locks betwixt her fingers and twirled it. "It's a sign you are fae-touched on my isle; green eyes and red hair. Everyone else is fair."

 

[Arun]

He chuckled. "I do not believe I am touched by the Fae."

If he was there would certainly have been questions about it by now. His mother surely would have noticed given her gifts in Sorcery, and his father likely would have had him thrown off the Great Tree if it had been the truth.

"The color turned after my..." What to call it? "Awakening during the war."

When his other side had come out. "It was blonde before."

His finger slowly traced the back of her palm resting on his chest.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve scrunched up her nose as she tried to imagine him blonde. With his odd yellow eyes it seemed... wrong.

"I prefer the red," she let the lock of hair fall away from between her fingers and watched as it caught the light and shimmered in different shades.

"Sióg beannaithe is what we call it," she smiled and then let her hand fall to his shoulder. "When we go I will start teaching you a few words, important ones," Mae had never taught someone her language before - had never had to - but the idea was an exciting prospect and was sure to pass the time whilst they hunted for a tree.

 

[Arun]

"I will love to learn." The Elf said with a smile.

Language had never really been an interest to him, but he figured that if he was going to be hanging around Maeve then he might as well learn.

His lips parted as he pronounced the words she had offered him, sounding it out almost as though he would in Elvish before nodding to himself. "It may take us hours to find your tree."

Arun said softly, though he did not get up to move.

"Yet I find it difficult to start." Yellow eyes folded over her as he smiled, his hand still slowly tracing up and down her palm and arm.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve couldn't help the ripple of a grimace that passed over her face at the mention of finding the tree again. She still wasn't convinced one of them would give her a branch from their limbs willingly after she had chopped, burned and used one as a makeshift weapon. She wondered briefly if it was their ire that stopped the Tribal Elves from doing the work themselves.

"Me too," she decided to focus instead on his last words. Her green eyes looked up from where they had been following the movements of his fingers to meet his gaze. As he smiled she found her own lips moving in response to him. "Maybe just a small walk in the general area today and a longer expedition tomorrow if necessary," she wasn't entirely sure how much exercise her body could take but she also didn't want to leave the bed.

 

[Arun]

"Yes." He told her softly in agreement, though once again he did not make any movement to try and push her up or even get her out of the bed.

Instead he simply lingered.

There was an odd calm that had washed over him, one he had not felt in quite some time. He was almost certain it was due to Mae. Some of the thoughts in the back of his mind had quieted, the roiling storm not seeming so close. "But."

He offered.

"Maybe a while longer in bed." Arun said quietly. "Just a little."

 

[Maeve]

"Okay," Mae watched him for a moment longer then she closed her eyes and didn't bother to stifle a yawn. "In that case I'm going back to sleep," it felt as though she would never stop sleeping. Though it was hardly any wonder her body needed it if even Arun had been taken aback by how much energy it had been taking to heal her broken ribs.

Maeve had the uncanny ability to fall asleep anywhere, anyhow, anytime. She had once slept in her saddle out on a hunt when it had been rather dull and hadn't fallen from Whispers back. Her father joked about it often. Mae thought it was one of her better talents and when she had been sore and slept on the cold wet floor of the Tribal tents she had even been thankful for it.

It didn't take long before her breathing evened out and she was asleep once more.

 

[Arun]

Arun did not fall back asleep, doing so seemed impossible.

Instead he let his eyes drift over Maeve, fingers slowly slipping through her hair in a calming touch. He wondered what life would have been like had she not passed out by that stream. His routine would have continued, life would have marched on.

Would he have stayed in exile forever? Would he have ever released the bonds around his throat? It seemed unlikely, impossible.

Yet she had done so. In a weeks time they would be leaving the tree-house. Arun would break his exile and risk the wrath of an entire city. It was a decision that he did not make lightly, and yet he would still make it all the same.

Just because of this one little human.

 

[Maeve]

With the way the sun hit the bed just so and warmed her, Maeve dozed for another hour or so. Her dreams were sweet and light things of memories and things that felt like memories but held the same warmth as real ones. Rides along the plains, warm fires huddled under blankets with family, drinking in the meade hall. Pleasant, soft, happy fuzzy dreams.

When she awoke she was in the same position she had fallen asleep in and her left foot felt half asleep. Carefully she stretched and then opened her eyes with a small yawn. Blinked once. Blinked twice before she could focus on his face.

"I don't know how you could go so long without sleep, it's the best thing in the world," she mumbled and closed her eyes again.

 

[Arun]

Arun shrugged, at least as best as he could in his current position. "It has never really seemed all that necessary."

Not exactly a waste of time, but...

"Besides, I enjoyed watching you sleep." The Elf's words were, in human culture, rather strange if not downright creepy, but he didn't know that. To him it was simple honesty and truth. Couldn't go wrong with that.

Right?

 

[Maeve]

A strange look crossed her face before she gave a wry smile.

"You might not want to say that to other humans, it is..." she tried to think of the right word. "Considered rude to some, especially to women," she didn't want to say creepy and make him embarrassed. Mae didn't particularly mind it especially as she knew there was no sordid intentions but not many would feel the same way as her. The last thing they needed on the trip was him freaking out other humans along the way. Though maybe the humans here would be more used to what elves were like.

Reluctantly, Mae slowly pried herself off of his chest and sat with another yawn, running a hand through her thick red tresses.

"So... tree singing hm?" she rubbed at her eyes.

 

[Arun]

"Noted." Arun said, as though he had just scribbled something down on a piece of paper.

A small pang of regret filled him as Maeve pushed herself up off his chest. He frowned, then shifted so that he could move himself more comfortably up into a sitting position.

"Yes." He said with a smile."First we must find your tree."

The one that would allow itself to be crafted for her. "That will really be the difficult part."

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed Arun stood.