Ruth Serbel was a lot, but no fool: he was a highly talented, very skilled mage and an academic. He was the right-hand man of Sir Riftan Calypse, the Lord of Anatol and Commander of the famous Remdragon Knights. He also was the descendent of the nobel Serbel Clan with distant Elven lineage and a former member of the renown mage tower, Nornuri.
He also looked far younger than he actually was, which is a result of his elven lineage, as well as his perfect and skin, silver hair and grey-blueish eyes. Most of the people would consider him quite handsome, but he didn't care about such superficial trivialities and especially not about what other people thought.
He considered himself headstrong and straightforward. Once, a mage of Nornuri, he decided to leave and has ever since been shunned. He learned to live with his deeds, the consequences of his decisions, fair-minded and straight-up.
One of the consequences was, that he casted a spell on himself, to ensure that he would never ever fall in love again. That he would never ever become a fool again.
Ruth Serbel was a lot, but certainly no fool. That he was sure of.
And that is were the story begins.
***
Ruth was gazing into the dark night sky staring at countless little sparkling lights floating around in the dark of what seemed like nothingness right now.
The mage was in deep thought. His silver-white ruffled hair shimmered softly in the light moonlight while he was staring into the sky.
He was thinking about her, just like every single night for the past three years. Three insufferable years have already passed, three insufferable years that his mind has been circling around her, three insufferable years that he had last saw her.
Belisent Elowen Calypse.
He closed his eyes and pictured her. Something within him was terrified that someday he might forget how she looked, how she smelled, how she felt - her petite figure, her sunkissed soft skin, her perfectly shaped oval face, her full juicy lips, her almond shaped dark orbs framed by thick black long lashes, her dark brown wavy hair falling softly down her shoulders and back, her sweet smile, her lovley scent, her melodious voice and laugh. How her hips swayed when she walked, how she looked at him. Something within him held on to those memories tightly.
***
She knocked three times on the heavy wooden door to Ruth's chambers in his tower, gritting her teeth in pain. She hadn't listened to him before and underestimated the situation, ending up hurt.
"I'm not here...", he snarled from inside and she knocked again, whimpering in pain: "Ruth.... Please...."
Ruth heard her whimpering and immediately knew that something was wrong. She sounded hurt and he instantly felt worried, rushing to his door. She was holding her side, cold sweat glistening on her face and she was panting.
"Sorry, Ruth... I got really hurt...", she was stumbling on her feet, almost falling, but he caught her.
She was badly injured. Her attempts to patch herself up were rather miserable. He cleared his throat, gently rolled up her shirt and sighed: "Looks like you underestimated the harpies...", he mumbled while inspecting her wounds. Deep cuts of the harpies claws were scattered on her back, their poison causing a painful infection.
"I know... you were right... I should have listened to you....", she admitted and Ruth smiled softly, starting healing her up, by lowering his hand over her wounds, starting with the deepest one: "You did pretty well though, I heard the mountains are cleared of all harpies now."
"Yes.... Now our people won't need to fear them anymore.", she smiled at him and he felt his heart jump.
As Ruth's hand glided over her wounds, a gentle warmth emanated from his touch, mingling with the air charged with unspoken emotions. Their eyes met, a silent understanding passing between them. The gravity of the moment hung in the air as Ruth continued to mend her wounds, his healing touch a tender dance on her skin.
"Thank you, Ruth, for always being there.", her eyes sparkled with gratitude, and Ruth found himself drawn to her. The proximity between them intensified, and their breaths mingled, creating a deeper unspoken connection. There always had been something between them, something different, something special.
As Ruth finished healing the last of her wounds, he hesitated, his hand still lingering on her back. Their gazes locked, dark brown met grey-blueish and the world seemed to fade away. In that suspended moment, the air crackled with this something - an unspoken desire, a tension that neither dared to name.
Finally, breaking the silence, she whispered, "Ruth, I...," her voice trailing off as she looked into his eyes, her lips parting slightly. The words hung between them, and the space seemed to shrink, inviting the possibility of a shared confession.
Ruth, feeling the weight of the unspoken, leaned in, closing the gap between them. Their lips brushed in a tender, almost hesitant kiss, a fusion of gratitude, longing, and the uncharted territories of their emotions. Time stood still as they explored this newfound intimacy, a gentle surrender to the emotions that had silently grown between them during their shared trials.
As the echoes of their shared moment lingered in the air, a subtle awkwardness settled between Ruth and her. Ruth, suddenly aware of the weight of his action, withdrew gently, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. She, too, felt the shift in the atmosphere, a mixture of emotions playing across her face.
"Thank you, Ruth. I... I should go," she said softly, breaking the silence. She smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes, a reflection of the unspoken complexities that now hung in the air.
Ruth nodded, swallowing the words that threatened to spill out. "Take care, Bell. If you ever need anything... you know where to find me," he managed, his voice tinged with a sincerity that mirrored the depth of their connection.
With a lingering gaze, she turned to leave. The door closed softly behind her, leaving Ruth standing alone in the quiet aftermath.
In the solitude of his space, Ruth sighed, his thoughts a tumultuous cascade of emotions. He ran a hand through his hair, grappling with the realization that their relationship had taken an unexpected turn. The line between friendship and something more had blurred, leaving him in a state of contemplation of why he did it. Why did he kiss her? Has the spell he had casted upon himself years ago, faded? Or has she broken it?
***
He shook his head at the memory. „Damn it, Bell...I really hope that you are fine."
He had given up on investigating what was happening to him. The spell of shielding his heart from romantic feelings and especially love, was still intact, he had checked this several times already. Why she would pop up in his mind so frequently, it circling around her and their shared memories so often, was not explainable.
He had reached a dead end, surrendering to the conclusion that he did not know why this was happening.
As a shooting star suddenly crossed the night sky, another memory trailed through his mind.
***
„A shooting star! Quick, make a wish!", she closed her eyes for a moment and opened them again, smiling at him.
„What did you wish for?", he asked, taking a sip of wine from the bottle, he held.
„That is not to be told! Otherwise the wish won't come true!", she narrowed her eyes and bend slightly forward: „You should know that as a mage!"
„That is superstition, not magic.", he answered raising an eyebrow at her.
„Fine. Superstition or not, I have manifested a wish and I truly believe that it will come true one day.", her eyes sparkled: „Cheers!"
She clinked her glass of wine against his bottle and he chuckled.
„Your dragon slay expedition starts tomorrow, so does my south exploration. And none of us know whether we'll come back... to be honest... I am scared...."
„Don't speak like that.", Ruth frowned at her, arms crossed over his chest, as he slightly whipped the chair he was sitting in: „I'm not going to get myself killed by that dragon or whatever is going to await us there, neither are you."
„I should come with you and help slay the red dragon! I don't know why Riftan refuses my offer...", she rubbed the spot on the bridge of her nose between her eyes annoyed by the thought of her earlier conversation with Riftan.
„The south exploration is more important than slaying that dragon, we've been preparing intensively for this after all and everything is ready now. The dragon campaign is not as important for Anatol compared to the south exploration. Besides, Sir Riftan has a good reason to return alive this time."
„You mean his wife? I really feel sorry for Rif, that he was tricked into that marriage by that bastard, Duke Croyso... if anything happens to my brother, I swear I'll make that bastard pay.", Bell finished her glass and held it towards Ruth: „More please."
„Heh?! Are you trying to get wasted? Don't drink that much.", Ruth shook his head, grabbed the bottle of wine, took a big sip himself, poured a bit into her glass and took another sip.
„You're just afraid that there won't be enough left for you.", she smirked: „Cheers! To us and dear life!"
Cling.
***
He could still hear the clinging sound of her glass against his bottle. He remembered that night as if it was yesterday.
***
Her face was flushed, as she leaned against him. He wasn't sure whether it was the wine or probably even something else that caused her blush but it was adorable. He couldn't help himself. The wine made him dizzy, he thought. Made him lose control over his body, made his mind go blank.
Amidst the flickering candlelight, their eyes met again with a mixture of vulnerability and longing. As they sipped wine, their nerves entwined.
„No regrets.", she whispered.
„No regrets.", he answered.
Finally, courage found its way to Ruth, who reached for Bell's hand. The touch sent a shiver through both of them, as he started to gently caress her.
She looked up at him: „I'll be waiting for you.", she stated blankly and Ruth instantly felt his heart ponding loudly against his chest.
„Are you also going to wait for me?", she whispered as he stared back at her dark orbs, drowning himself in them: „Of course....", he hummed.
Then, he took her cheek in his hand and stared at her lips. He really wanted to taste them again. One last time before their ways parted. He wanted to savour them. To savour her. How shameful that thought was.
But then it was her, who finally closed the gap between their lips, closed the gap between their bodies, tasted him, savoured him. All of him.
In that stolen moment, time seemed to halt as their lips met in a dance of longing and surrender. The world around them blurred into insignificance, and the only reality that mattered was the sensation of their souls intertwining. The warmth of his touch lingered on her cheek, and the taste of her kiss was an intoxicating blend of desire and longing. And as their bodies pressed closer, a silent promise of passion and secrecy enveloped them, sealing their hearts in a clandestine embrace.
***
He touched his lips with the tips of his fingers. He never would forget that kiss, the feeling of her lips on his.
Unfortunately, he never have the chance to talk to her about all this, as both of them left for opposite directions the next morning.
„Damn it, Bell.", he whispered again before finally leaving his observation spot heading for the library.
Under the canvas of the night sky, Ruth lay in quiet contemplation. The moonlight painted the room of the library in a soft, silvery glow.
With a sigh, he couldn't help but trace the outline of Bell's face in his mind, remembering the warmth of their shared moments. The yearning he felt became a silent melody, playing softly beneath the vast expanse of the night. Each gleaming orb seemed to hold a secret, a reflection of the unspoken desires echoing in Ruth's soul.
Could it be that he had fallen for this woman?
Impossible, that he was sure of.
As he closed his eyes, the night enveloped him, and the longing feeling became a bittersweet lullaby, cradling him in a dance of dreams where reality and fantasy intertwined.