Private Tales The Lost Princess and The Exiled Prince

[Maeve]

His laughter was a soothing balm and she found it hard not to join him in the quiet chuckles of two people in bed sharing a private joke.

What he described next captured her imagination. She could imagine it quite easily what he described, surprisingly easy in fact. The Falwood might not have been her home but the Plains back home had been in her dreams more often than not. It wasn't entirely the same but she did at times feel like it had a pulse, or its own life that she was merely a tiny part of.

When his fingers turned into a fist she gently stroked her thumb over the inside of his wrist to dispel the tension.

"I understand."

 

[Arun]

He smiled slightly, pulling his fist back. There was an exhilaration in those dreams, but also a terror. The Falwood was not entirely a safe place, and just like in every wood a darkness lurked among his home. It was hidden from most, but still there.

Arun had seen it more than once. "There are also Dreamers among my people."

She would note the emphasis he put on the word.

"Not quite mages...but close." He told her as he shifted his weight so he could look at her better. "They can use their dreams to make things happen in the Falwood. Bending the trees, moving herds of animals."

Their connection with the forest ran deeper.

 

[Maeve]

"That sounds..." Mae wasn't sure what the word was to describe what she was thinking. Terrifying? Awe-inspiring? She couldn't imagine holding that kind of power. It was scary enough being able to heal and what that had done to her let alone controlling a whole forest.

"Well," she scrunched up her nose. "It definitely does not make me trust your trees any more that's for sure," she already harboured distrust for them after Arun had told her that they had minds of their own. Let alone trees that could be seen through by other people. The thought was mildly uncomfortable.

 

[Arun]

He chuckled at the comment. "They are intensely rare, even among my own people."

In fact, Arun could really only think of one back in Saen. There were a few others in Fal'Addas, he knew that much, but the gift was an exceptionally rare one, and also left one incredibly vulnerable when it was actually utilized.

Controlling the Falwood was all well and good, but with that control came consequence. Every tree that was felled hurt, every owl that died was a wound.

From what Arun understood, it was not always as pleasant as most would think.

"If it's any comfort." He told her with a smile. "I don't think any of them would look towards me."

Too much shame.

 

[Maeve]

Mae's cheeks grew red when he chuckled and she shifted herself in his arms so that she could rest her cheek on the same pillow he rested his on. Their noses nearly touched and their quiet words could be felt in the warm air between them. She closed her eyes briefly to stifle another yawn then opened them once more; even though her body wanted sleep her mind was still a chaotic storm.

"I imagine it would be hard trying to figure out what to look at in a place this large," she could only imagine it was overwhelming. The forest already stretched much further than she thought from her brief time here but the map Arun had pointed out to her had covered even larger swathes.

 

[Arun]

Arun nodded his head. From what he understood the gift was discovered at a young age, taking years upon years to properly master. It was not quite sorcery, but close enough to it that it could be taught and carefully practiced.

"Some of the Older one can pick and choose." Arun explained. "Though when they are young it is difficult for the Falwood itself not to take control."

In it's own way after all the Forest was alive. Reaching out to it was not as easy as simply taking what you wanted. Arun knew that much from his own dreams. "I have always wondered what it would be like."

His lips thinned.

"My own magics have always been more...enigmatic." Tied to that other part of him.

 

[Maeve]

Mae listened curiously with wide eyes. It was a world so removed from her own it sounded almost like a fairytale. People being able to take control of a forest or if they weren't careful have it take control of them? She chewed on her bottom lip enraptured until he spoke about his own magic. She blinked realising she didn't actually know what his magic was. He had told her about what he called his 'other half' and she had seen him sing to trees, but not about his gifts. What he had trained with in the beginning.

"Can't be as bad as mine," she joked. He had said hers were harsher than elves magic. "What can you do?"

 

[Arun]

He mused for a second, wondering how best to explain it. "I draw upon what is offered from what surrounds me."

The words sounded more morbid than the ability actually was.

"Plants, animals, friends, even foes at times." A power that allowed him a great amount of strength, though a dangerous thing. A fact that he had experienced during the war. Many of his allies had nearly died because they had given him their strength, and in his revelry of it he'd nearly been their end. "I have little raw magic."

Arun explained. "But with the help of my surroundings I can utilizing many spells that would have drained even my mother."

Always though there had to be permission. He could not take what was not offered.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve scrunched up her nose as her head tried to process that kind of magic. After a while she seemed to make sense of it.

"So you could draw from me if I gave you permission?" there was no sense of fear in her voice more curiosity as she shifted her position slightly. "Is it just like energy you take? Then that powers the magic?" she guessed she hadn't thought about the cost of magic before - she had never had to. The first time she had had to was when she had healed him and nearly passed out from exhaustion.

 

[Arun]

Arun nodded his head. "Exactly."

He was not quite a magical leech, but close enough to it that he had made other Sorcerers back in Saen uncomfortable. His mother had never shown that prejudice of course, not for a second in her life, but he had seen it in others.

"Most mages among my people draw their magic from themselves." He explained. "Our constitution is vast, and for some, like my mother, it was even more so."

Thus spells were 'fueled' by ones own raw magic. "For me that power comes from others. It makes me stronger, but also inherently more vulnerable."

If there was nothing else to draw on...well then he was shit out of luck.

 

[Maeve]

She was clearly thinking about something from the way she chewed on her bottom lip but whatever it was she didn't say it out loud. Instead she gave another small yawn and plumped up the pillow around her head. The moonlight that filtered through the cottage reminded her she should be sleeping not sharing whispered secrets with an elf.

"Well, if you need to take some from me you can," Mae murmured sleepily and closed her eyes so she wouldn't see his expression. The way he gently ran his fingers up and down her back was soothing and doing wonders to release the final bit of tension from her body. It wasn't long before she slipped back into sleep.

 

[Arun]

Arun smiled slightly as she spoke sleepily, his hand slowly coming up to gently caress her cheek as she passed once again into the world of dreams.

The Elf did not go back to sleep, instead deciding to stay awake in case something else happened with her. As they lay there his mind began to wander to a thousand different thoughts. He wondered about the Fae that was coming after her, thought of which of his mothers spells would protect her best, and considered what they would do when they set out.

All of this had become far more complicated than he had ever thought it would be.

When he'd picked Maeve up besides the river he had assumed that she would be on her way within a day or two, yet here they were near enough a week later and he was thinking of opening up a spellbook that presented more than a little temptation.

A frown touched his lips. Worth it.

He thought to himself.

 

[Maeve]

There were a few murmurs in the night but nothing else caused her such distress as the first dream had. With the familiar and comforting weight of his hand on her cheek or running through her hair, for whatever reason Maeve was able to keep the Fae who called to her from her dreams for the rest of the night.

It was as dawn broke she finally showed signs of waking, her nose scrunching up as the sunlight touched her face. Mae stretched lazily then mumbled something about turning the light off before rolling onto her stomach and burying her face in the pillows. Her red hair in the light looked as bright as rubies spewed across the white sheets.

 

[Arun]

Arun was still awake of course, though his hand had removed itself from Maeve's face right around the first time she had thrown herself into the pillows. It had been comical to watch then, though she had shifted her position half a dozen more times.

When dawn broke, the Elf had decided to get up a little bit before Mae woke.

It was not that he hadn't wanted to spend more time in bed with her, but after a night like hers he had decided it would be kind to offer her a gesture. When Maeve felt the sun on her skin, she would also have the scent of breakfast enter her nose.

"Time to wake up." The Elf said softly, carrying a tray of food into the bedroom.

 

[Maeve]

Her stomach won out.

With a groan to illustrate she really was suffering to do this, Mae sat up and rubbed at her eyes to dislodge the sleep there. The food made her stomach growl and she wondered, not for the first time in her life, if there would ever be a time she was actually full. It felt at times as if she could eat everything there was in the world and still feel the pangs of hunger. She threw Arun a sleepy but grateful smile when he set the tray on her lap and she picked up the tea first to wet her lips.

"Did you manage to get back to sle- Oh wait," she caught herself, remembering that elves didn't actually need sleep to be well rested. It was just an instinctive thing to ask someone in the morning; so human. She set the mug down and then noticed for the first time the red welts on her wrist as if someone with a burning hot hand and clasped it tight. Slowly she rubbed her hand over it and then hid it beneath the covers so it was out of sight and out of mind.

"Thank you," for last night, for the breakfast, for being him.

 

[Arun]

"You're welcome." He said with a smile, sitting himself down on the chair that had been at the desk.

A brief glanced was offered towards his weapons on the wall.

He had hung them up there again, and a part of him wondered if he shouldn't leave them there when they left to go on their trip. It would be stupid, but for some reason that didn't put him off by too much. Lips thinned for a second, and then he returned his attention to Maeve.

"I have my mothers spellbook." He told her. "I'll need you there while I go through it."

Lest temptation take him.

 

[Maeve]

"Mmfffk," Mae managed around a mouthful of food but she nodded in case he didn't get her meaning before ramming more food into her mouth. The dream had sapped her energy as though it had been a spell she had cast herself. It wasn't long before the plate was gone and her stomach was still complaining. She tried to ignore it and what it meant.

"Go grab it then - do you need energy?" she was curious as to whether that was why he wanted her to be close when he did it. She wasn't sure she would be able to help in any other way; she knew nothing about magic. Maybe it was to do with the Fae's magic he wanted help with?

 

[Arun]

"No." He said shaking his head.

Here in the Falwood such a thing wasn't really a concern, at least not where he lived. The life around him would supply all the energy he needed. That was why he was never worried about the trees turning on him, they had long ago made an accord.

Arun would protect them, and in turn they would give him the power he might need in an emergency.

That was also how his bath, the fire, and many of the other minor enchantments were fueled. The power was drawn not from Arun, but the forest around them. "I will need...moral support."

He explained.

"The Book has some very powerful spells in it." Arun said with a slight frown. "Some which might prove to be rather tempting."

Arun did not say 'to my other half', he'd noticed Maeve didn't like it.

 

[Maeve]

Confusion was written like a symphony across her face but she nodded nevertheless.

"Whatever you need from me, Arun," her words were soft and the expression eased into a tentative smile as she placed her hand over his briefly before letting him go and fetch the book. When he came back she was finishing off her tea and made room for him besides her.

"What exactly are you looking for?" the conversation between them was hazy in her mind from last night. Other things stood out sharper like how close their faces had been of the feel of his hand on her cheek as she had drifted into sleep. She hoped her cheeks weren't heating with the memory.

 

[Arun]

They were, but Arun had decided that at times Human cheeks sometimes just turned rosy pink. He did not know their anatomy well enough to question it really.

"A ward." The book that he held did not look like a witches tome or anything fancy, but rather a simple leather bound journal. There was writing on the front of it, though of course all in elvish. Along the back there was a portrait of a woman, two boys clinging to her side.

"Something to keep your dreams your own." He explained. "Even from a Fae."

His mother had invented many spells, though he did not know if she had created such a thing. It was worth a shot though.

Slowly he sat himself down besides Maeve, placing the book in his lap and caressing it's cover.

 

[Maeve]

"Okay..." The redhead looked dubious as he spoke but she scooted closer anyway to look over his shoulder whilst he flicked through the pages. The scrawl was not something she could understand but there were pictures every now and then which she could at least appreciate.

If he could find something it would definitely be a relief for her. She didn't want to fear sleep for the rest of her life, especially if it was going to become a long one. Underneath the covers her hand brushed against the welts on her wrist and she suppressed a small shudder. Dreams weren't meant to hurt you in your waking world but if he could do that to her what else could he do?

"Is that your mum?" Mae asked after a while, motioning to the picture on the back of the book.

 

[Arun]

Arun nodded his head. "Along with my brother and I."

In truth his mind was not on the conversation, but rather on the spells that flickered on the pages in front of him. Most were familiar, but a few were utterly new to him. His mother had always been secretive when it came to her magics, and as he looked Arun suddenly stopped on a page.

"Huh." He frowned for a brief moment, lingering on the page. "This is..."

There was an odd distress to his voice mixed with confusion, his fingers tracing over the page.

Maeve would not be able to read the script, but on the opposite page she would see a depiction of someone that looked very similar to Arun, save half his face was almost demonic in appearance. The image split directly down the middle.

 

[Maeve]

Maeve sat quietly as he paged through the book, assuming he needed to concentrate on what each one said so he could determine whether it would be of any use to him. She wasn't used to sitting quiet and still however and soon ended up sitting cross legged beside him doing her hair into braids.

"Hm?" she had had her eyes half closed in concentration when she heard Arun speak for the first time in a while. Opening her eyes fully she glanced to him first then down at the page where the book lay open. A small frown puckered her brow and she rolled onto her knees to take a proper look at what it showed. "Oh..." she didn't really need to read the script to sense it was for one, disturbing him, and two that it was about him.

"She had a theory?"

 

[Arun]

He shook his head. "It would be more accurate to say..."

Arun looked more than a little troubled, his lips thinning and his face going slightly pale as he looked at the image on the opposite page. Fingers tightened for a moment, and an odd emotion welled in the center of his chest as he considered.

"She enacted a plan." He explained quietly. "The spell is a sealing one."

Head shook for a moment. "I will...deal with it later."

This moment was not for his burdens, but to find a ward for her.

Arun went to flip the page.

 

[Maeve]

"Arun," Mae's hand came to rest over the top of his and stop him from turning the page. The frown was growing as she studied his face. It didn't take an expert to see it had shaken and upset him. She understood that elves had difficulty in dealing with emotions - at least from what she had seen and what he had said - but she couldn't leave him to push it to the side.

"I am fine, let's deal with this now. It will cloud your mind anyway until you do," and she sensed it was probably not a wise thing to conduct magic with only half of your wits about you. "What does it say?"