Elvin released the vine, sending them flying to the mountain peak below. His metal boots landed gracefully on the rocky ground. Aria, on the other hand, was sent hurtling forward by the motion. She grasped onto Elvin, dragging him down with her.
Their bodies tumbled down the mountain. Strong hands wrapped around Aria, protecting her from the sharp rocks. An entanglement of limbs. Their bodies clashed until they eventually came to a stop.
Elvin grunted as he soothed the back of his head, letting it rest against the muddy ground. His neatly braided silver hair, stained brown by the mud. "Are you okay?" He asked.
The concerned tone barely registered on Aria's mind. Clouded by annoyance, she grasped his collar. "You bastard, you used me as prey!" Aria demanded, looking down at him.
"I couldn't be ready to attack and be the bait" - his thin lips widened jokingly - " besides, you make delectable prey."
Aria's cheek reddened, red as an apple, as frustration filled her. She wanted to slap him. Slap that smug smirk away. But she couldn't. He had gotten them safe, after all. So for that, at least, she was thankful. Her finger clamped around his cheeks and pinched. Harsher than she needed to. "Jerk." This much he deserved.
His nose wrinkled in discomfort, and she had to admit, the silver-haired elf was quite cute when he wasn't brooding. His sharp eyes shot daggers as she pinched harder. A storm thundered in those silver pools. Sparks of lightning sizzled throughout his cheek and into her fingers.
"Auch!" Aria snapped her fingers back. Remnants of energy tingled down her body. Suddenly, she was very aware of the deadly power that laid hidden in those thundering eyes.
"Now, as much as I enjoy having your thighs straddling my hips, I suggest you get up. We have a long journey to catch up to the others." Elvin casually cast his eyes down to the space between them.
Aria trailed his look and found her thighs at each side of his waist. She straightened and gasped when a large bulge pressed against her. Her anger subsided and was immediately replaced by embarrassment. Aria scrambled off of Elvin and straightened her tunic, pretending that she did not just unintentionally rub herself against him. "Despite my distaste for being used as bait, thank you for not leaving me behind."
Elvin chuckled at her statement and rose from the ground. "And why would I ever do that?"
"Why wouldn't you?"
Elvin strode forward. He took Aria's right hand in his and held it over his heart. "I am truly thankful for what you did for Lia and General Elora." Elvin's heartbeat under his chest, drumming below Aria's hand. "I am in your debt. Truly, thank you," Elvin spoke as he lowered her hand back down.
The action stunned Aria into silence, and she found herself shifting under his lingering gaze. Uneased by the intimacy of the situation, she asked, "Where are we?"
"We are south of the mother tree. It's probably best to tread towards the kingdom." Elvin began walking north, seemingly getting her hint to end the previous conversation.
"What of the others, shouldn't we try to find them?" Aria hurried to catch up to his pace.
"They are wounded and being chased by the rest of those Orcosk beasts. They most likely retreated too far for us to meet within the forest. Soldiers are trained to regroup in a neutral location. So we will walk towards where we left the Avealis first."
"Isn't it dangerous, for just the two of us?" Aria gazed around the heavy forest, wondering what dangers lurked hidden behind those beautiful sunset-colored trees.
Elvin smirked, a proud warrior smirk, "fret not. I am more than capable of keeping us safe."
After what she had observed, there was no doubt in Aria's mind of that. Never before has she seen someone move like that. So graceful. Yet so deadly. If she was honest, he looked like a god with the lightning contouring his skin.
"Let us go. We need to cover as much territory as possible before it gets too dark. We should first clean our clothes. The smell of blood could attract more creatures." Elvin spoke and began to walk through the heavy forest. Aria followed closely behind, looking around nervously at the slightest sound.
"I thought you said you could keep us safe?" Aria asked.
"Creatures, whether monsters to you or not, are still living. I rather not kill any unnecessarily."
They continued to walk in silence. Elvin gazed bore into the distance. His ear would slightly twitch every so often, in perfect synchrony with every brush of the wind and chip of the birds. Aria wondered how far those senses extended.
Elvin suddenly stopped as they walked, "there is water near. We can bathe and clean our clothes there." He changed directions, seeming to follow an invisible trail.
Aria looked around and saw nothing but grass and trees, "how can you tell?"
"The moisture in the air, I can feel it," Elvin stated as a matter of fact.
He parted heavy layers of leaves, revealing a series of waterfalls and pools. The water stemmed from a central waterfall at the top of a hill, splitting into multiple pools. Each separated by mossy green rocks. The aquamarine liquid glistered in the morning light as steam rose from its surface.
A pleased smile made its way to Elvin's face as he made to remove his clothes. His hands stopped over his unfastened fighting leather, letting it hang on his broad shoulders. "I forget your human sensibilities sometimes. If you would like, I can wait and let you bathe alone."
"Alone?" Aria looked around worried, imagining every monster that could prowl from the treelines. "There are different pools, you can take the left, and I'll take the right one. Just keep your back to me."
"Fair enough," Elvin spoke as he finished undoing the strings of his tunic. It came off in one swift motion.
Aria's eyes shifted sideways to avoid the sight, "you could at least wait till I looked away."
"Feel free to peak. I truly do not mind," the smugness fell off Elvin's voice like melted chocolate.
She heard more rustling of clothes, and the itch to look became more than she could resist. Her head turned slightly, just enough for the sight of his bareback to reach the edge of her eyes.
His strong back muscles flexed as he un-tense them. The ink on his skin danced and snaked around every muscle as he moved. They pulled at them and commanded their actions. Aria's eyes lowered further down, wanting to see where the lines would end. Her cheeks flushed. The lines traced the edge of Elvin's bottom. It was as taut as an kettledrum. The heat spread from her face downward at the sigh, causing her to look away.
"You can peak at the front as well if you so desire," Elvin chuckled as he lowered himself into the water. No doubt taking pleasure in Aria's discomfort.
"Do not flatter yourself. I have no interest," Aria scuffed. Taking advantage of his turn back, she began to undress.
"Your scent suggests otherwise," Elvin's chuckle vibrated across Aria's skin, making her blush even further.
Aria let out a deep breath, refusing to let his words get the desired rise. She instead focused on removing her clothes. The fighting leathers were particularly hard to decipher, but soon enough, she found herself free of her constraint. Her hand rose to cover her breast. Even though Elvin had not moved a muscle, it felt improper to not at least attempt to hide. She walked over to the pool adjacent to his and lowered herself down. She relaxed into the calming waters, feeling it ease every tense muscle.
Silence fell over the clearing. Lingering...
Uneased by it, Aria spoke, "When you were fighting that monster... Oosk... what did you call it?"
"The Orcosks, you mean? Derived from our ancestors' language. That's the name we give to the creatures that arise from beings that eat the forbidden mother tree's fruit."
"So those were people before?"
"Fae, who in search of power, ate the mother fruit. It is said that when you eat it, it gives you immense powers. But, it slowly chews away at your being, transmuting you into something wild. Hungry. Without reason."
"I see..." Aria pondered the information. "Your tattoos, they moved when you were fighting the...Orcosk."
"They are Mahtar tattoos, given only to warriors that pass the trials. They heighten your senses and reflexes in battle when active. What you saw was not even one-third of what they can do."
"Seems like something that might be useful for everyone to have," Aria spoke.
"The trial is to determine if you are strong enough to receive them, 70% of those that receive them die from the inability to sustain its power. I was the youngest warrior to warrior to survive them."
"The odds seem too high to even try," Aria said, turning her head to gaze at the dark ink that decorated his skin. It still held a purplish tone.
"It was what was required of me," Elvin stated like it was obvious.
"Required?"
"I do not wish to speak on it," Elvin stated.
"Come on," Aria urged. For some reason, she wanted to know more about this strange elf. To learn more about the elusive persona that had saved her life.
"I will tell you,"- Elvin's voice trailed teasingly - "but only if you join me on this side of the pool." From the tone of his voice, it was evident he did not expect her to.
Feeling defiant and trying to stun the prince into silence, Aria rose from the water and ordered, "close your eyes."
"Huh," Elvin asked dumbfoundedly.
"You heard me, close your eyes."
Aria did not wait to see if he would and stood. The water fell around her, gliding down her nude body. She paused before making her way over the dark rock wall that separated the pools. Once over, she stared at the silent prince, amused to see his confused face.
She lowered herself back into the water and spoke, "you may open them."
Grey stormy eyes fell on Aria. They looked cloudier than before as they trailed the edge of the water. Perhaps, disappointed at how far into the pond Aria had settled.
"I didn't think you would come," Elvin's voice was low and raspy.
"Do you plan to go back on your word?"
"Never." Elvin sounded offended at the implication but grunted at being called on his bluff. "My family was not always the ruling one," Elvin stated, watching the water ripple around him. "Before us, there was a different ruling family. Their ideas were archaic at best. My father raised me to take them down."
"That seems like a callous way to bring up a child."
"It was. But, once I gained a better understanding of what they did to my mother, I would go through it all over again."
"What did they do to her?" Aria asked.
"Imagine." Elvin twirled his finger in the air and the wind vortexed over the water, taking the form of a woman. Wings sprung from her back. "A tale as old as time, a young woman meets a man." Following his words, a man appeared from out of the air. "But their love is forbidden, yet true. So despite the consequences, they marry in secret and consummate their love. Once the king found out, he ordered them to be punished and separated. They cut her wings for mixing outside her race." Elvin looked at the shimmering water with hatred, as if cursing it for looking so peaceful.
"Her wings?"
A bitterness overcame his tone of voice, "I was told I was still in her womb when they did that to her. She almost lost me that day."
Aria's throat closed as a cold shiver ran through her body, preventing her from speaking. She wanted to console him somehow. He looked so lost at the moment. So unlike how the warrior she has seen before.
She made to speak, but Elvin's finger snapped to his mouth, shushing her to silence.
His eyes traced the water, following it still motion. "Fuck," he cursed at what he sensed.
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I couldn't resist posting today, what did you guys think of Elvin's mom's story?