Wayfinding | Aaravos x Reader |

CHAPTER 2

The villager's eyes widened in horror. "What did you - what did you do to her?!" He bellowed between heaves.

"Rutherberries. They're native to the Xadian deserts. To a grown man, it'll give nothing but a small stomach bug. But to a foal . . . well, you know," the elf smirked, drawing her tongue along her bloody lip.

All at once, reality had unfolded for Arkeus. Everything had happened so incredibly fast that he barely had time to register each event. How did he go from hunting the men who robbed his merchandise to trying to fend off ruthless elves? And why was a quiet, gentle man engaging in such an impulsive and life-threatening scene?

The villager gazed upon you, mournfully, watching you convulse like a fish out of water. He was crestfallen at the sound of you chanting and calling after your ma and pa - both of which who didn't reach for you.

Then - there was a beat.

A spark.

An epiphany.

The man leisurely became aware of the throbbing thought in his head. He recognized why he was so compelled to risk his existence for a child he barely knew of.

Your eyes - they glistened with the same hues as the scales of the almighty Avizandum.

Just like his dead lover's.

You were not as unfamiliar as he had initially imagined.

Arkeus felt his chest tauten. He had fallen so deeply into his clouded mind that he failed to recognize that Inyah was trudging towards you. "Up on your feet, now!"

"M-Ma," you moaned, your orbs rolling back into your head, uncontrollably. "I c-can't . . ."

The female elf did not wait for you to comply. Instead, she seized your arm, with nails embedded in your flesh, and hauled your gradually paralyzing body over her shoulder. Jarringly, it took Inyah an abundance of effort to transfer you which - on any other day - would have been elementary. Although she would be too stubborn to admit, the fight did drain her more than expected.

Fortunately, Arkeus took her enfeeblement to his precedence by lurking up upon her. He understood that the elf was far more able-bodied than he was. He also understood that she was equipped with the skill and knowledge that came with combat of all forms. Thus, to challenge her in something that she had a clear advantage in would be an imbecile's move.

So the man did what he did best.

He followed the cravings of his muscles - followed what they were wired and molded to do.

Cluing into the rhythms of his limbs, the man slid his weapon back into the scabbard and yanked it from his belt loop in one swift movement. Gliden, who had toppled over from the previous round, hollered to alert his partner. But the woman was not as haste as her best days.

As a smith would hammer scorching iron on his anvil, Arkeus raised the sheathed blade over his head and struck the elf at the back of her head. As Inyah's mouth widened and her eyes faced the Heavens, the Katolian imagined a spine-shivering holler to escape her. But the only sound that resonated as a result of the attack was from the thwack that came from her body colliding with the earth. Arkeus found enough peace within himself to exhale when stillness finally bedeviled the woods.

But the man did not rest easy. Hearing gravel shift behind, the Katolian stood alert and swiftly turned to the source of the noise with his sheathed blade at hand.

"No, wait--" Exclaimed the earthblood elf. His pupils were dilated and trembling in their whites. A covered sword is not all that intimidating. Yet, after witnessing the brute strength the villager possessed, the elf was embarrassed to admit that he was absolutely terrified of turning his back on the human. Even for a second.

The Katolian, on the other hand, felt power preceding what he could ever possibly imagine. To see the enemy of his race at a state of such vulnerability made him feel as if he'd given humanity the opportunity to take a step towards freedom and equity. Arkeus imagined ending the existence of the two ruffians. But he understood that if he decided to be a slave to retribution, his victory would be dishonourable. It would be tainted with revenge. So he held his weapon with no other intent but to use reasonable force necessary to guard you.

"I mean no harm-" Gliden started.

"You mean no harm?" Arkeus growled. "This is all your doing!"

"I know . . . and I didn't realize what I agreed to until it was too late. Till we hurt her." The human followed the eyes of the elf's, similarly encapsulated and saddened by your state of being. "If it counts for anything - I'm sorry. I want nothing more than for them to be safe."

There was another beat.

Arkeus undid the frown that was once knitted upon his lips, and lowered his weapon. "I'll be taking the stagecoach," he stated solemnly. Sensing that there would not be any resistance, Arkeus sauntered towards you. He recovered you with ease, and returned to the vessel, hoisting you onto the bench. Once he heaved himself onto the vehicle, he instinctively searched for the male elf. His apprehension was relieved when he saw Gliden with Inyah with her arm over his shoulder. "Will you lads be alright?"

"With your horse? Yes. Hopefully she doesn't wake up before you're long gone." The elf dolefully averted his gaze from the face of his enemy to your tranquil one. "Take care of her."

"Likewise," Arkeus muttered, studying the unconscious female. He recalled what the woman said earlier and soon curiosity consumed him.

"You wouldn't be able to imagine even half of what we went through."

The villager's eyes trailed to the boy, finding that a piece of his ear was also missing. He furrowed his brows. Certainly, Arkeus had his biases. But one undeniable fact about elves was that they were a righteous and spiritually-elevated species. They express great respect and gratitude to life - aside from that of humans. So the question that graced Arkeus mind was why were these two elves involved in a trade that contradicted all of those principles? And who despised them so much as to defile them in such a manner?

The man caught his bottom lip between his teeth - forcing the notions away. 'There'll be another time to ponder on this,' he thought.

With the whip of the reins, the horses were perturbed into action. The Katolian had a final glimpse at you, watching the way your face softened by the minute. Your chalky cheeks met shades of mauve and cyan. "Don't fret, dear. I'm going to make sure you're alright."

You'll be alright.