Private Tales Unexpected Bonds

[Ariel]

Ariel honked again in response to all of her questions. If there were a way to speak while in animal form he had not heard of it, let alone perfected it. Luckily the feathers hid the hot blush he felt coming to his avian face at Isiell’s laughter, but he could not fault her for the reaction.

He waddled forwards, making sure to point out as soon as he could that this bird was quite graceful in water. In answer to Isiell’s request, he extended the long neck and pushed the small, feathered head into Isiell’s outstretched palm.

After allowing her to pet the pretty feathers, and fluffing himself out, he puffed up and popped back into his regular, fae self, falling flat on his backside as he did so.

He couldn’t help himself laughing as well. His hair was mussed and a thin sheen of sweat was starting to form on his brow. It was still very, very taxing on him.

“Six months,” he said. “But I didn’t get good at it until a few weeks ago. I kept turning just my hair into feathers or making my neck extra long at first.” He leaned back on his palms and stretched out his legs, flexing his humanoid feet.

”I told you I was writing about birds, right? I just... felt drawn to them all of a sudden. Like... like I was supposed to go and, I don’t know, join them or something.” He knew how it sounded, but he kept going. It was exciting to finally share this with her. “I didn’t choose a swan, it just worked out that way. But I like it.“ He shrugged.

He leaned forwards and took her hands in his. Her skin was always so much warmer, and it made his cold fingers tingle. “Whatever animal you become will be impossible to contain.” He was just picturing a giant writhing coil of fire and wind, but surely some animal embodied that.

 

[Isiell]

Isiell felt her heart warm as swan-Ariel gently settled his head in her palm. Ever so gently, she softly stroked his head and beak, then softly ruffled the feathers of his neck before pulling her hands away.

He transformed back a moment later, and Isiell burst into giggles again when he landed on his ass, then burst out into laughter as Ariel mentioned the complications he'd had with learning the transformation in the first place.

"An extra long neck on your already gangly body must have been quite a sight," she said when she caught her breath. "Turning your hair into feathers would be a neat trick for a party, though."

She listened eagerly as he explained the draw he'd felt to birds, nodding quietly. Maybe she just... needed to start reading more through the bestiaries in the library. Her tutors would be much relieved, she was sure.

When Ariel took her hands, she frowned slightly at how cold he was. Her alignment with fire meant she was rarely cold, and almost always put off some amount of warmth, and so she carefully cupped his hands within hers lifting them up to let her breath warm his hands.

"You will be a very beautiful swan when you're done growing," Isiell said, then smiled at his insistence that she would be impossible to contain in whatever shape her animal form ended up taking. "And of course I will. I'm always impossible to contain."

Isiell gazed him for a few moments, a surprisingly soft smile on her face if anyone saw it besides Ariel. It had been weeks since they'd last seen each other, even in passing, and she'd missed him so much.

"Do you want to camp out here with me for a few days?" she asked, turning to put another log on the fire. "Surely between the two of us we can scare up some sort of prey for dinner."

 

[Ariel]

Ariel cocked an eyebrow, "Gangly! I'll have you know my mother tells me I'm quite the handsome young man." The jest in his face was melted away, however, by her gentle touch and warming breath. He noticed, for perhaps the first time, just how soft her hands were.

He blushed in full at her compliments and let his gaze flick awkwardly away, up, down, and then finally back to her eyes when the mischievous flare had returned to them. Even so, he mirrored her smile, though his voice had mysteriously vanished.

Isiell's high birth should have precluded them from being friends. His parents weren't noble enough to merit an audience with hers, not without official reason, so it was the young fury's own refusal to stay within her social bonds that had allowed her and Ariel's partnership to bloom.

He wasn't sure if her parents thought he was a good influence, or maybe just something to distract her fiery will outside of her own home, but for whatever reason they'd been allowed, encouraged, even, to seek one another out.

Honestly he didn't care why. Young fae were few and far between, and finding one so close in age, location, and interests was a blessing.

"Yes!" he said at once, so quickly he surprised himself. "Let's stay out here... just for a night or two," the woods were not, after all, safe for two young fae, but they were still close to the gates and capable of looking after themselves... surely.

He gently disentangled his tingling fingers from hers and stepped back to the creek's edge. When he dipped his fingers into the glassy-clear ripples he half expected them to steam and sizzle, but the cold silently took the warmth of Isiell's breath away. In its place Ariel could feel the vibrations of the stream, and spread his fingertips beyond their physical bounds, casting his touch along the current.

"There's a lake at the end of this. Pretty close if I can feel it." He stood and wiped his fingers dry with his shirt, and offered his other hand to her. "Shall we?"

 

[Isiell]

Isiell almost--almost--replied very handsome but then Ariel blushed and her breath caught a little as she realized how delightful it looked on him, but he was looking away shyly, and while she had other... acquaintances that she didn't mind teasing until they got angry, she didn't want to do that to Ariel.

The thought of Ariel being angry with her, ever, made her stomach clench uncomfortably.

So she just waited, still holding his hands in hers, until he had the courage to look back at her.

When he gave an enthusiastic yes to her idea of camping, though, her soft gentle smile turned wild and gleeful, and she clapped her hands and bounced up and down as Ariel dipped his fingers into the stream and declared that it led to a lake.

"Yes!" Isiell eagerly took his hand again and let him lead the way. There were still a few hours of daylight left, but that should be enough time to find or make some sort of shelter.

With a quick wave of her hand, she extinguished the fire before they left.

"So... with your water magic," she asked. "Can you pull fish out of the lake? That'll be a lot easier than trying to hunt something."

 

[Ariel]

The water was cold, numbingly so, but it didn’t bother him. Water never seemed to, whether it be hot or cold, it always seemed to make itself more pleasant, or tried too. He wasn’t going to jump in a boiling pot anytime soon, but the creek’s babbling stream did not turn his fingers icy.

He considered her question as they moved eagerly towards the lake. “I, uh… maybe?” He should be able to, he reasoned. Perhaps if he gathered up a big bundle of water and threw it all on shore?

He took Isiell’s hand as they neared, for the sun was beginning to wane. Even in the fading light, the lake’s crystal waters gleamed.

He tried Isiell’s suggestion, and it was much harder than he’d thought. He could collect a bit of the lake and magically levitate it, but the fish just swam out of the floating orb and plopped back into the water.

“I just gotta be quicker,” he said in excuse, and after splashing a very generous amount of water onto the bank in his attempts, he finally managed to fling a trout onto the shore.

He grabbed hold of it, or tried to. It was exceptionally slippery.

“Don’t let it get away!” He cried. He had worked so hard for it.

 

[Isiell]

They found a sheltered little spot on the lake shore, and Isiell set about to making a fire again while watching--giggling--as Ariel attempted to catch a fish. The fire was roaring long before he caught a fish, though really it wasn't fair to compare it since fire was easy, and her sides hurt from laughter at the fishes that managed to swim out of his levitating water bubble.

"Are you fishing or playing?" she hollered to him in the water as he splashed around, eventually sending small waves onto the shore.

In the fading light, she barely caught sight of the trout that he finally managed to fling onto the rocky beach, only realizing what it was when he scrambled for it, hollering at her.

Isiell darted over as the trout flopped about, sliding out of Ariel's grasp. With a shout, she flung herself to the ground, attempting to land on the trout before it could flop its way back into the water. Her breath left her in a whoosh at the impact.

"Did I get it?" she gasped a moment later.

 

[Ariel]

"Ah!"

It was all Ariel had the time, and air, to say when Isiell threw herself on the ground. He reached out a hand to... what, exactly? He couldn't exactly grab her out the air with one arm, even if he had been close enough. He grit his teeth and grimaced at the impact, and hurried towards the wriggling creature in her fingers.

"Yeah," he said breathlessly, slipping two fingers through the fish's gills and finally securing their prize. "You got it."

His whole front was sandy and damp, but he warmed it as best he could by the fire as the fish cooked. He had washed his hands several times in the icy lake but a faint smell of it still remained. Finally he gave up, and set about gently turning the fish on the stick he'd speared it with.

It was dark now, with only a dull purple glow to the sky amongst the stars. It wasn't snowing, not yet, but the air held the crisp threat of growing winter. Isiell looked the most genuine in the flickering, energetic light of fire, he thought. It made her features dance and cast bright flares against deepest shadows. It was a good representation of the chaos child.

Looking at her made him wonder how much of a fuss her parents would make knowing she'd left. Would they have noticed yet? How long would it take for them to send search parties? His own parents wouldn't start to worry after just one night... maybe after two they would grow concerned but Isiell's family was... different.

He didn't have the heart to bring it up. He didn't want to ruin her night. With the fish crisped and ready, he offered the stick to her. "Make sure to leave some for me, eh?"

 

[Isiell]

"Good," Isiell gasped, letting Ariel pluck the wriggling trout from her grasp, then rolled over, flopping on her back in an inadvertant imitation of the fish while she caught her breath. The first early stars were appearing in the sky as the sun dipped below the horizon. It was a shame the sky was mostly hidden in Underhill.

Ariel went about preparing the fish for cooking, and soon she returned to the campfire, settling beside it to watch him as he cooked the fish on a stick.

She caught him gazing at her pensively several times, but Isiell neither asked him for his thoughts nor tried to distract him with conversation. She had a good guess as to what his thoughts were about, and she didn't want to think about... what would be waiting for her after this little bout of rebellious freedom.

Ariel was a creature of water, but the way the firelight kissed his blond hair and gleamed in his eyes almost made him seem as much of a fire fae as she was.

But she also didn't break the silence because there was a strange warmth blossoming in her chest, and she didn't want to think too hard about it. Just savor the moment.

When he held out the cooked fish and offered it to her, Isiell grinned, and moved to sit beside him.

"We can share," she said, taking the skewered fish for a moment and biting into it, carefully minding the bones. Then she handed it back, and took her time chewing and swallowing as she waited for Ariel to take a bite.

"Don't worry about my family," Isiell murmured as they ate. "I'm certain that someone would have seen me with you before we left Underhill. If they think I'm at your house, things won't get too difficult. They probably won't even send a messenger to your parents to check."

 

[Ariel]

He gratefully took the fish, getting a few small ribs in his mouth with a famished bite. Transforming and trying to whirlpool fish from a lake had taken more out of him than he'd realized, and even unseasoned and undressed, the fish was the most satisfying thing he could think of.

It kept him distracted, for a time, passing the fish back and forth with Isiell and looking back and forth between the fire, the lake, and the stars. Her black hair was so shiny, and reflected the fire and moonlight so well that it almost glowed.

"It's... different this time, isn't it?" he asked finally, looking up from the fire towards her. "With your parents." He drew a circle in the dirt with the now bare stick. "What happened?"

 

[Isiell]

Isiell stilled, her eyes going blank and dull for a moment. She gazed unseeing into the fire, not meeting Ariel's eyes as he finished his question.

She was a being of fire, but even that couldn't quell the chill she felt twist its way through her heart, and she took a deep breath, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

"Mostly just... the same," she finally answered, still watching the fire. "That I'm not behaving as the heir of the house should. That I need to be less... me. But something felt different this time. Like I couldn't just stand there and take the words anymore.

"I don't even remember what I said in response, honestly," Isiell huffed a little. "But Mother slapped me.

"She's never hit me before."

She looked up at him then, biting her lip. Her eyes were glassy, but she didn't let the tears fall.

 

[Ariel]

Ariel stiffened and sputtered "What?!" He met her eyes and for once those mossy eyes were not cool and crisp but hot with fury. He had snapped the stick in his fist, and although he was still a scrawny, young faerie, his frame appeared tall and dark against the flickering firelight.

His face softened as soon as he saw the glimmer in her eyes, and he sank a bit to fall into a posture of calm and comfort, instinctively reaching out and pulling his dear friend close to him. "I'm sorry," he said softly, holding her head to his shoulder. It was all he said for a time. He didn't know what else to say. What else could he say? Nothing that would help, not right now.

The anger threatened to rise again and again as her words echoed in his head, but he swept it away with each stroke of her hair. Isiell didn't need to be avenged right now, she needed a friend. Then he said, "Let's stay out here for a few days. I can practice fishing and you can keep us warm with your fire. And we can name the constellations like we used to." He didn't feel as cold as he had moments ago, and he wasn't worried about people looking for them any more.

 

[Isiell]

She hadn't wanted to tell him. Especially not when they were still in Underhill. A very, very small part of her had wondered if maybe... maybe she had finally gotten on her mother's last nerve, and that she'd deserved it. And that Ariel would sympathize, but tell her that it wasn't all that bad.

The worry that unfurled and slipped away at his reaction surprised even herself, the tension falling from her shoulders as she gazed at him wondrously for a moment as the anger flared in his eyes, and she realized that even though he was water he had some spark of fire in him too.

But then his gaze turned gentle, and he was reaching for her and pulling her close and saying I'm sorry and as he cradled her head against his shoulder, his hand stroking softly over her hair, she found tears slipping from her eyes to soak his shirt.

Then he said, "Let's stay out here for a few days. I can practice fishing and you can keep us warm with your fire. And we can name the constellations like we used to."

"That sounds perfect," she murmured, tucking her head into the crook of his neck, and realizing that she felt... safe. She closed her eyes, breathing in his scent and letting his embrace calm and comfort her.

When she pulled away several moments later, she pressed a quick, affectionate kiss to his cheek, then sat back and wiped her eyes.

The sun had sunken fully below the horizon now, though the western sky was still tinged with the barest amount of light. It would fade quickly, though, and if they were going to sleep out here, then they'd need a way to stay warm. Her air and fire magic would definitely insulate things, but while she could do some impressive things with it, she was still working on being able to hold things for indefinite lengths of time.

She and Ariel worked together surprisingly efficiently, gathering fallen leaves and tree boughs and creating a make-shift shelter that would hold together so long as there wasn't any wind or rain. But the sky was clear, so things should stay dry, although it meant that what little heat there'd been from the sunlight would quickly vanish.

The next two days were sublime.

Nights spent stargazing, and curled around each other to stay warm. Snowball fights when they'd find a drift along the lakeshore. Eating so much fish until they were both sick of it. Shoving fistfuls of leaves down the back of Ariel's shirt when he was least expecting it.

Looking back, it would be one of the happiest times in Isiell's childhood.

On the third morning, though, she was uneasy. As much as she wished she could run away and disappear into the mountains, living free, she knew her parents wouldn't make it that easy. If she was going to be free one day, it would have to be done in a way where they had no claim to her anymore, by the laws of any court.

"It's time to go back," she told Ariel as they fixed their breakfast. (Fish... again. And she wasn't saying so just to have something other than fish.) "Any longer out here and they probably will send out a search party."

She didn't want to get him in trouble.

 

[Ariel]

It was wonderful. He'd had a little apprehension as he woke the next morning and remembered what he'd promised, but it melted away in the morning sun like the frost just outside their shelter. Isiell knew how to keep things lively, and as they walked and played and laughed, he found himself far more refreshed than any night in a cushy bed had offered.

He turned into a swan just once more in those days, both to practice and to make Isiell laugh with great, splashing landings amongst groups of innocent ducks. It was easier with her there to encourage him. Everything felt easier.

He was mid bite when she announced their return, and he stopped chewing in surprise. Then, slowly, he nodded and swallowed. "You're right."

It would have taken no time at all to clear their campsite, their shelter had been just a pile of sticks and leaves at its core, but Ariel said they should keep it. "We may want to come back some day," he said with a sort of melancholy smile. He didn't think they would get the chance again soon.

Walking back they recounted the snowball fights, the botched fishing attempts, and the snow wasps from that one time... but the laughter faded the closer they got to Underhill's sturdy gates.

Ariel took Isiell's hand and gave her a weak smile. "I'll take you to the Frost Square, then we should probably split up." It was close to Isiell's home, but not so close that they would be spotted by anyone important. "And make sure you bathe before your parents see you or they'll know for sure you were sleeping in dirt for the past three nights."

 

[Isiell]

"We might," Isiell said with a sad smile as they looked over the camp. She had no idea when that might be possible... but maybe next summer, their little campsite might still be standing.

Isiell appreciated Ariel's attempts to keep the mood light as they traced their earlier path through the forest and back toward Underhill, but the closer they drew, the harder it became for her to ignore the apprehension in her heart.

As the gates came into sight, her footsteps faltered, and she bit her lip.

Ariel took Isiell's hand and gave her a weak smile. "I'll take you to the Frost Square, then we should probably split up." It was close to Isiell's home, but not so close that they would be spotted by anyone important. "And make sure you bathe before your parents see you or they'll know for sure you were sleeping in dirt for the past three nights."

She snorted a little, but didn't let go of his hand. "Somehow I don't think they'll care about the dirt," she muttered.

When they made their way back into the city, Isiell was surprised that the guards just ushered them straight through. She was tempted to tug Ariel into one of the little pastry shops along the way, steal just another hour or two with him, but she was certain by now that her parents knew she was back in the city.

The Frost Square appeared far sooner than she would have liked. She stopped just outside of it, and clutched Ariel's hand a little tighter.

"I guess this is it," she said quietly, looking down at the ground as she scuffed at it with the toe of her shoe, then she glanced back up at Ariel. "I hope your parents won't be too upset with you."

 

[Ariel]

Ariel rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "They'll be alright," he said. "So long as I'm in one piece."

He looked at Isiell with an expression of concern. "Will you be ok?" he finally asked. He didn't like the idea of what her parents might do to her, especially if her mother had struck her last time.

If she said no he... well he didn't know what he'd do, but he didn't want to let her walk into harm's way.

"I'll try to come back here tomorrow. Meet me if... if you want."

If things are horrible was what he meant, but didn't say it.