Ari placed a wary hand on the reddening part of his cheek. Never once had Nolan ever hit him, until then. Had he found out so soon? Ari lowered his eyes to the dampened wooden floor he was sitting on. He could not have. Rein said he had not told... so how?
His eyes stay focused on the small cracks in between the floorboards. Water was falling into it, causing Ari to look to the ceiling. The thatched roof was falling apart, letting the humid air in. The hay from it was decorating the floor. It caused his skin to itch making him more uncomfortable than what he was already feeling. There was some in his hair and a few sticks of it that made it into his shirt as well.
Nolan had put him in the secluded hut to reflect on his actions, something he had always done since he was very young. His praise and acknowledgment was what Ari had strived for, for so long. It meant the world to him when he told him good job or I am proud of you. Now, he was only getting looks of disappointment and a heavy hand to his face. Of all people, Ari thought he would be the most understanding, but he was wrong.
Ari pressed both his hands to his face and squeezed his eyes shut. He would take any punishment given to him as long as Freir was not involved. Freir had tried. He had warned him and was against all of his actions until recently. Truly, it was not his fault.
The door opened and crashed into the side of the flimsy, wooden hut walls. It made Ari jump and back against the wall out of reflex. It was dark inside as it was outside, but Nolan held a candle to his face as it lit up the room. His face contorted into a scowl and his lips were tightly drawn. As he came closer, Ari pressed his back into the wall as much as he possibly could.
"Have you reflected?" Nolan's voice boomed. "Are you ready to repent and speak to me of your sins... and past transgressions?"
Ari kept his eyes trained to the floor.
"Ari."
"What had I done wrong?" Ari mumbled as Nolan placed the candle on the side of an aged and well-worn table.
"What had you done wrong?" Nolan repeated. "Tell me, Ari, what do you think you had done wrong?"
"... Everything."
"No, not everything. You had come back. That is something I can recognize. You know where you belong."
As Nolan moved closer Ari noticed he was just dressed in a long-sleeved, black shirt covered by light leather armor. Dark circles were forming around his eyes and he had grown a beard. Ari did not notice it before.
Nolan tried to reach out a hand towards Ari, but Ari only turned his head which showed his reddened cheek.
"In all my years of raising you, I had never raised a hand to you. Not even once. I did not mean to hit you. I was angry and disappointed with you. You had never disappointed me before. And you had never made me so wrought with anger."
"You lied to me for all these years, and yet you are the one asking me what I had done wrong? I had not done anything, but learn to accept what I truly am. It was difficult... but I learned... so should you."
Nolan's eyebrows raised before they kneaded tightly together.
"You are what you want yourself to be. I did not raise you to be like one of them. I raised you up as human and hid away your demon orgins for a purpose. I did not do it for selfish reasons."
"No... It is not that simple and easily put as you say it is."
"So what is it you are trying to say, boy? You do not wish to stay here?"
"I appreciate everything you had done for me... I would like to believe it was all for me... You had raised me... after all."
"Raised you? I had saved your damned life! No human would have dared to ever do such a thing. The lesser demons would have ate you."
'I know," Ari mumbled.
"You have seen what they can do."
Ari nodded.
"And yet you still would like to leave?"
"I am not wanted here... and it is not where I belong... "
Nolan's eyes grew dark and somber. He only nodded and rose from the floor.
"Why had you come back then if you felt this way?" Nolan's voice was dark and his expression made Ari's heart twist and pull in his chest. He was always such an intimidating man; a hard man to love, but over the years Ari had grown some feeling towards him. However, the glare in his eyes seemed to melt away all of it and in its place, it filled with fear and caution. "Answer me that."
Ari swallowed.
"It does not matter what punishment I give to you... You will not see what you had done wrong. You did not come back here for my sake, had you?"
Nolan smiled at his silence as he slowly paced around the small room.
"There are many things I had learned about blood demons by raising you... Your imperviousness to high and low temperatures, the ability to learn and adapt fast, beauty even... but there was one thing I always found to be intriguing and unexpectant." Nolan's blue eyes found his causing Ari to clutch some hay into his hands.
"Emotion. Feeling. You feel that so much more than us, and I found that odd... " Nolan looked at him again. "So I tried to suppress it. Keep you mild-mannered and less inclined to outbursts... but the one I had overlooked was love. Is that not the worst one of them all?"
Ari's eyes were growing hot. He could feel the tears amassing in the back of his eyes.
"And pain. That one too... If I had been more aware or if you would have told me... I would have never let Priest Reynold treat you the way he had for so long. If he had not caused you to feel such a feeling, you would not have went on and killed him." Nolan gave him a small smile and continued on. "Although I cannot quite excuse this. Disrespect towards your uppers is one thing, but this... "
It was quiet for some moments, so quiet Ari could hear both of their breaths and the sound of his erratic heart beat pounding through his chest. His mouth had gone dry a long time ago. There was nothing left to swallow down but his pride.
"Forgive me... " Ari said trying not to choke on his tears.
"For what?"
"The priest... Alia... "
"No. No. No," Nolan said wagging his finger in Ari's face, "I do not think that is good enough. I do not think you sincerely mean it. And there is many things you had left out in that repentance." Nolan grabbed his chin and forced him to look him in the eyes. "But it matters not. You want to leave then so be it. You should have no regrets. Leave nothing behind to tether you here."
Ari pulled on to the cuff on his shirt, keeping him in place.
"I was wrong. I was... so forgive me," Ari sobbed.
Nolan only shirked him off and headed for the door. When he opened it, a Sanclii threw someone inside which made Ari's heart fall to the very pit of his stomach. A couple of them walked inside not long after.
"So let me do you this one last favor," Nolan said.
Ari quickly rose from the floor and went to Freir. Blood was trickling down the side of his head and there were some bruisings along his jaw and lips. He was not conscious, but felt his heart beating through the simple touch of his hand near his neck. Ar hugged him close and shook his head as he saw the Sanclii approaching.
"No," Ari said into Freir's neck.
"No what?" Nolan said.
"I... I was wrong in my words."
"Oh, and what words were those?"
Ari muscled down what little pride and hope he had of leaving down, and breathed. The tears still flowed from his eyes in a steady stream, but he did his best to keep his emotions from out of his voice. He could not let Nolan know how truly torn he was over what he was doing to him. For so long, he had trusted him and only to realize it was unfounded trust and loyalty into a man he did nothing but use him.
"I want to stay," Ari mumbled.
"Stay?"
"Yes."
Ari could hear Nolan's footsteps moving away from him as he laughed.
"Arnold, see, I was right to have let Freir and Rein be for so long," Nolan said to one of the Sanclii in the room. "He could not latch on to me. Rein despises the boy, so all he had left was Freir." Ari felt his heart breaking into multiple pieces at his words. "He is all he has left now."
"Nolan," a woman said but she stopped speaking.
"What?"
"Is it okay? To leave him here? Alone?"
Ari could feel Nolan's icy eyes on him, but he kept his head down and continued to listen to the sound of Freir's heartbeat.
"He knows where he belongs," Nolan said after a moment. The chill of his words sent shivers down his spine. "Do you not?"
He closed his eyes and nodded.
"If you happen to have a change of mind, I will be more than happy to rid you of whatever regrets are left lingering behind. Oh, and the temple. Come speak to me there on the morrow."
Ari heard multiple pairs of feet leaving from out of the hut before the door slammed shut. He pushed the hair out of Freir's face checking to see if he was truly okay. As he looked further, Ari did not see any wounds, but the one to his head. He tried to shake and wake him. His heart was hurting so much and he was filling with so much negative emotions he had done his best to avoid all his life. Because of that, they were threatening to swallow him whole and he did not know what to do. He needed him and the thought of losing him, hurt more than the thought of losing his freedom.
Once he realized he would not be waking up anytime soon, Ari walked over to where the water was dripping from the roof. He tore of a piece of his shirt, and held it where the dropped. When it was soaked with water, Ari cleaned Freir's face with as Freir had always done for him by the light of the candle.
As the hours passed, Ari did his best to keep him warm, but he was only so small. He could not stay here. Ari throat was getting dry as well and his stomach was grumbling. He rose and walked to the door. Ari balled his hand into a fist to knock, but he hesitated. What pride of his was left? There was none. He would do as Nolan said if was for Freir's sake. He would do anything.
Ari knocked at the door and a familiar face opened the door. It sent a wretched feeling through Ari's chest as she smiled. Her dark blonde hair was pulled back into a pony tail, and she wore the same armor she had worn back in the mess hall. She was a tall, muscled woman and did his eyes no more pleasure than hearing her voice.
"What is it?" Alia said.
"I am fine here, but Freir... and his head..."
Alia nodded as if she cared, crossing her arms all the while.
"Before you request anything from me, do you not have something to say to me, first?"
Ari lowered his eyes. He licked his lips before biting down hard onto the bottom one.
"Well?" Alia said, growing impatient.
"Forgive me... I was wrong... in saying those things and the disrespect shown to you as my upper." Those words coming from out of his mouth left a bitter taste in his mouth.
She laughed and threw her head back. "So I had been wrong. Nolan had truly done well with you."
"Talon, go and fetch Freir," she barked to someone outside. "Rein is probably looking for him, I am sure."
Alia looked back at him and smiled again.
"I know my place, and now you know yours."
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[A/N]
Ah, sorry for long wait! I was a bit busy with life and all + I had a mini block. Anyway! Ari is definitely in a bind. Alia definitely had it out for him. I feel terribly bad for Ari right now, and I wonder now... do you guys think it'll have an effect on his choices from here on out? Leave me your thoughts down below!
Thank you for reading, commenting, and voting! You guys are just friggin awesome. *Gives lots of kisses*