Private Tales The Lost Princess and The Exiled Prince

[Arun]

Arun frowned for a moment, hesitating as she recounted the reason as to why. Lips thinned, and then slowly, almost painfully so, he reached out and covered her hand on the page with his own.

His fingers enveloped her in a soothing touch. "I see."

The Elf said softly as he stroked his thumb over her skin.

"Sometimes, we would rather have learned something from somewhere else." He commented quietly, thinking of a few things that were like that for him. "But...It is still a good thing we have it."

Regardless of where it came from.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve watched their hands for a moment and the way his thumb drew across her skin slowly. All she could think about was how much bigger his hands were than hers. It was such a silly notion she almost laughed at the ludicrousness of it. Yet, the more she thought that the more she couldn't stop thinking about it. In the end she could only nod, afraid that if she spoke all she would do was laugh. At least, for a few moments more.

She leaned against him as if using him for support.

"Yes..." Mae let out a shuddering breath. "It used to be one of my sweetest memories and now... less so."

 

[Arun]

Emotions were not exactly his area of expertise, least of all human ones. He had fought for a long time just to understand his own thoughts and feelings, and even then...he had done a very poor job of it over the last century.

"Perhaps..." He bit his tongue for a moment.

What was he supposed to say? Arun felt an odd...need to make her feel better, a desire to make sure she would be okay, but...he wasn't exactly sure if he even could. "Perhaps it's time for new memories?'

He offered softly.

"Your life doesn't have to be all gloom." Arun continued. "Past...or present."

 

[Maeve]

Her lips quirked as he tried to comfort her. Mae could feel he was ... not uncomfortable but not exactly in his safe zone of conversation either. It was a difficult one even for other humans to have let alone an elf who confessed himself to not talking about emotions with one another unless it was a life partner. She had just needed a shoulder to lean on, no soft words or promises it would be better. She hadn't expected that from him. Yet... yet they made her feel better all the same.

"I think you are right," her eyes went back to their hands on the book and after a moment she turned her hand so it faced up and she could entwine her fingers with his. "I'm glad I met you, Arun."

 

[Arun]

There was no hesitation this time. "And I, you."

The Elf said with a smile, turning his eyes away from their palms and up towards Mae's. He felt his heart beating a bit faster in his chest, felt his fingers tightened as hers curled slowly within his palm.

He did not know what else to say.

So he simply decided to say nothing, his eyes on hers, his lips quirked into a smile.

 

[Maeve]

Mae found her own lips responding in an echo of his smile and for a while they both sat there, grinning at each other like fools. Neither spoke nor moved, simply enjoyed the moment. A Moment not filled with pain or that would be sullied later on. A nice, new memory for them both. After a while she found her eyes lowering to the book and their hands. It seemed to suddenly dawn on her what they had been doing and she cleared her throat, a red tint colouring her cheeks.

"It's late..." and it had been the most energetic day they had had yet walking about the forest. Her body might have been healing at an accelerated rate but she was perhaps more tired because of it. "I think I best get some sleep if we're .... befriending elk tomorrow," she slowly unravelled her fingers from his, though with some reluctance.

"Are you going to sleep tonight?"

 

[Arun]

For a brief aching second Arun hesitated, and then he realized what made him bite his tongue; shyness.

It was an odd thought. He was nearly a quarter of a century old, ancient by human standards, and he had charmed more women than he'd even cared to count. Yet here he was, acting like a human teenager who didn't know what else to say. "Would...you like me to?"

Arun asked tentatively.

He wasn't sure why he felt nervous.

 

[Maeve]

The curve of her lips was a mirror of the crescent moon which had risen outside.

"Well you definitely keep the bed warm," despite the teasing nature of her comment her voice too, was shy. Despite her openness with such matters she had never actually shared her bed with a man. Occasionally she had fallen asleep on a friend when they were on camps, but nothing so intimate as in a bed. Still, it had been nice and she recognised her body craved the soft and gentler side to skin contact she had been missing for the past few months.

"I can build the pillow fort again if it makes you more comfortable," Mae offered before sliding into the bedroom.

 

[Arun]

Arun followed her like a puppy might someone holding a piece of food that it had never encountered before. There was excitement, but also trepidation of what it was that might be about to come.

The smile never left his face though. "No."

He said with a shake of his head as he slowly slipped into the bed besides her. The pillow was adjusted slightly as he laid himself down, his hand slowly coming a rest between the two of them as he looked at her. He smiled.

"I think this is okay?" It was half a question at her own level of comfort.

He had to fight not to reach his hand out to touch her.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve was already in the bed when he clambered in. Her eyes flickered to the hand that rested between them and then back up to him with a smile. It was sweet that he was asking her, making sure that everything was okay. She couldn't say she really blamed him. She had been here nearly five days now and it had taken until yesterday for her to stand his touch at all on her skin.

In answer to his question she scooted over and closed the gap between them. It wasn't long before she was settled against him like she had been the night before.

"This is okay," she confirmed and then gave a soft yawn again.

 

[Arun]

His hand found it's way onto her skin, fingers floating over her stomach for just a brief moment before it settled into place where Maeve found most comfortable.

As she pressed herself softly into his side Arun felt his breath hitch slightly, though it quickly released as she spoke up again. A smile touched his face, and the Elf nodded his head in compliance as his eyes closed and he enjoyed the sensation of her warmth.

"Good." He confirmed quietly.

Arun did not know if he would sleep, did not know if he could sleep, but oddly enough...he looked forward to trying.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve was beginning to learn her limits well. She had chosen the right time to call an end to their night of games for it wasn't long until her breathing evened out into the slow deep breaths of a person sound asleep.

The moon was still high in the sky when the nightmare took her.

She was in the forests back home. Whisper waited for her at the edge of the clearing, chewing on the grass with her ears flicking this way and that. The Fae woods made her nervous but she came here for Maeve because her odd little human liked the flowers that grew here the best. She bent and picked them. It was a pleasant dream; the sun warm on her skin, her mood light and carefree.

Until she felt his shadow a second before his hand touched her wrist.

"You cannot run for ever, Little Princess," she gave a sharp cry as his hand tightened and crushed her bones causing her to drop the basket of flowers she had been holding. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I can see you."

Her skin was covered in a sheen of sweat as she tossed this way and that in her sleep, soft whimpers escaping her lips as she tried to wake up.

 

[Arun]

Arun woke to Maeve slowly quivering at his side. She tossed and moved, her entire body shaking, quaking besides him as she nearly threw herself against the wall besides the bed. A frown touched his lips as he watched her, his head still heavy with sleep.

A whimper escaped her throat, and for a moment he hesitated.

Lips thinned, and then the ache in his heart at seeing her in the way she was overwhelmed him. The prudishness of his people forgotten, Arun suddenly reached out and wrapped one arm around Maeve, then slowly the other joined.

With a gentle strength Arun dragged her into himself, pulling Maeve's body tightly against his own. "Shhh."

The Elf said softly.

"Shh." His hand slowly stroked through her hair. "It's alright."

Arun said softly as he held her.

 

[Maeve]

His touch helped her finally wrench herself from the dream and she collapsed against his chest sobbing.

"He knows, he knows and he's not happy and I-I," Mae's bubbling stopped when her voice broke on a hiccuping sob and she buried her face in his arms. It muffed her cries but her body still shook and quaked with them. The dream clung to her senses like a sickly web that refused to let her go. She could still feel his touch on her wrist, the way he had tried to drag her back home. She hadn't yet seen the red finger welts on her skin where his touch had followed her from the dream into the real world.

"I'm not going home," she whispered, though whether it was for his benefit or to convince herself she wasn't entirely sure.

 

[Arun]

Arun held her close. "No, you are not."

He agreed with her as she whispered that she was not going home, whispered her fears to him. Arun tightened his arms around her for a few moments, fingers lacing over her skin as he tried to further soothe her.

"You're safe." The Elf told her softly. "You are safe here."

Had the Fae touched her in her dreams? She certainly seemed to be afraid, and if that was the case...

Lips thinned. "I'll make sure of it."

Arun slowly stroked his fingers over her hair, drawing her in as close as he could to calm her.

 

[Maeve]

His words reached her through her tears and tremors. His touch brought her down from her hysteric edge. Slowly, very slowly, but he did manage to get her to relax again. Mae raised her hand and brushed at her cold wet cheeks before laying back against him as close as she could get. Arun hadn't let her down yet and so far he had proved what he said now; she would be safe with him.

"He knows where I am," she said softly after taking a deep, long, trembling breath.

 

[Arun]

Arun ran his mind through half a dozen options. They had planned to take another three or four days for her to rest at the very least, and in truth he would have preferred another week in order to make sure that her wounds had proper time to heal.

Even now he was hesitant to say that they should go any sooner. Doing so could be more harmful than beneficial. If the Fae knew where she was, then it would likely come for her eventually. He did not think that being on the run half-injured would be a good idea.

Not if there was to be a confrontation. "I will look into my mothers spellbook."

Arun said softly, feeling a knot twist slightly in his stomach.

"She may have devised a ward." He told her softly.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve nodded mutely and pressed herself closer, or at least attempted to for there was no way she could get closer. There was still a slight tremor to her body as if she were cold but it was primarily the shock and adrenaline wearing off. Even so she pulled up the blankets about them and practically buried herself in them in the way children did after a nasty dream.

"I don't want you to get hurt because of me," it had been bad enough when he had come back injured after taking on the tribal's by himself but the Fae was strong. She knew elves were just as long living and that Fae could be killed but the Fae were cruel. Even more cruel when they thought they were being kept from something that belonged to them.

 

[Arun]

"I am the Prince of Eagles." Arun said, interjecting some jest into his voice to try and make the moment a little bit lighter. "Son of one of the most powerful Elven Sorceresses in the last generation."

He drew her a bit closer, his touch still floating up and down her back. "It will take more than a Fae to bring me down."

Arun had absolutely no idea if that was true.

For all he knew he could be murdered by the Fae within a single second of their meeting, but he was trying to make her feel better. Reality was often different than the expectation, and there was no reason to bring it forth now.

"You are not alone now." He told her softly. "Let me do as I was trained to."

 

[Maeve]

Mae gave a little surprised laugh that tailed off towards a sob at the end as he jested. Despite his assurances she was scared for him, scared for herself. She had never seen her betrothed fight but the Fae were legendary with their fighting techniques at least back home. Her arm slid around his back and she buried her face once more in his chest as he held her tightly.

"Okay," there was a touch of reluctance in her voice but after a moment her arms tightened around him and she said it with a bit more confidence, trusting him. "Okay," was that why the Wind had sent her on the path to him?

"Thank you.... I'm sorry if I woke you up," it seemed a silly thing to apologise for but it also seemed like a stupid thing to have got so upset about. It was only a dream, maybe it didn't mean anything.

 

[Arun]

"It's alright." Arun assured her softly, his fingers still slowly floating through her hair.

He did not mind waking to comfort her, though Arun couldn't help but wonder if he had done a good enough job at it. He could still sense her nerves, feel the way she placed herself directly on the edge of everything even now.

Perhaps she had a right to.

"I find I like the company more than I do the sleep." He offered her with a smile.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve looked up at his last words and found herself returning his smile. The fear retreated from her eyes a little more, her body relaxed a fraction further.

"I'm surprised you slept at all given what you told me about elves not needing sleep," her voice was softer now when she spoke and tears no longer clogged up her throat. Talking about something different was clearly helping to ease her mind off of things.

"Do elves dream?"

 

[Arun]

"We do...though it is different then when you do." How did he explain this?

Arun did not want to sound condescending, something he had apparently done in the past when explaining things about his people. He frowned for just a brief moment and then happened upon the proper wording for what he meant.

"We are more...connected than you are. Our souls are bound to the land, the forest, the plains, where we are." His mother had taught him that. "Our dreams do not come from us, but from that connection."

Fingers played over her skin still. "It can be...unpleasant if our environment is not suited to us."

 

[Maeve]

She thought about how he had sung to the trees to make her bow and the way he was with nature. He even seemed to be able to sense or hear the Wind which none of her people had ever been able to do. It was a shy creature for whatever reason and it chose who it spoke to for its own gain, yet, he had heard it. Multiple times. She wondered if it was because he was an elf of because the Wind allowed it.

"That makes sense," Mae nodded slowly after a while, her eyes dropping from his and she rested her forehead against his chest instead with a small sigh. Another bit of tension left her. "So you dream about being a flower, or a tree?" there was a hint of a jest to her tone but there was also curiosity as to whether that was a possibility.

 

[Arun]

Arun chuckled. "No."

There was something amusing about that thought though, and he couldn't help but wonder just what that would have been like. He imagined being a flower was much simpler than being a Prince. All you did the entire day was grow and face the sun.

Seemed an excellent life to him.

"I dream of the forest." He told her. "The Corridors of the trees, the animals moving through them. The fish in the streams and even the people wandering through."

His lips quirked into a smile. "In a strange way I become the Falwood in my dreams."

His free hand came up, as if he were reaching for something.

"I feel it. It's beating heart." His fingers turned to a fist. "It is...hard to explain."