[size=DF-KaiSB]Ariel Wylde[/size]
âHey~â he jumped. He should have heard the fluttering of wings, but he didnât. He was too caught up in his thoughts. Sindri. He missed him already. Ariel wondered if he had fallen back asleep like he always did when Ariel had to leave for something, or if he watched him leave the village. By now he had ran his hands through his hair enough times to pull all the soot away, leaving his white blonde hair shimmering in the moonlight. It was annoying, but there wasnât much he could do about it. But anyways, back to the Fae would scared him. Letting a small sigh part his chapped lips, he tilted his head up ever so slightly to acknowledge the other, a thin yet polite smile playing on his lips.
âOh? Hello there,â Lifting his gaze up, Ariel was met with blue eyes and blue hair, almost the same shade of color. He was pretty. Not like the Unseelie, but beautiful in his own way. Though that smirk on his face reminded him of Sindri and that made his heart give a painful thud, âIt is nice to meet your acquaintance. I am Ariel Wylde of the Unseelie Court. Of course, you could have guessed that, seeing as I am a Fae as well as you.â He inclined his head and shifted his body a bit. He opened his mouth to speak but the perfect tune of a flute cuts him off. Not that he minded all that much. Small talk was never something he was good at. Instead, he leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes, letting the notes flow over his skin like freshly woven silk. It wasnât something he heard from his own Court, where the music was dramatic and loud, then soft and beautiful. It was different, and Ariel didnât know how to describe it in any other way other than amazing.
Like all things in the world, the song ended in time, and blinking his eyes open, Ariel smiled into the direction of the trees that he heard the flute. âWell, hello, then-are you all that has arrived as of yet?â Even her voice was different. Nothing like the sweet melodic tune of the Unseelie female Fae. It was rougher, a little deeper. But for some reason, Ariel wasnât repulsed by it. Honestly he thought he should have been, being that it was nothing like what he was used to. Maybe it was just his curiosity kicking in, or something along those lines.
Focusing his eyes on her, he gave a much nicer smile to her, and bowed his head politely, âAh, my apologies, it seems that we are the only two here.â He gave her a light laugh, a sound that was normal to him but in the back of his mind he wondered how it sounded to her, âThough I do wish the otherâs would hurry up. I donât want to be waiting all night.â That that he gave a yawn, and looking surprised, his cheeks colored a light pink, something the light of the moon easily shone its light upon, to his chagrin.
âOI!â It was booming and loud, but Ariel could say he saw this one coming. He heard him stumbling about through the forest like some intoxicated being, or a wounded animal. He was clumsy really. Flicking his gaze away from the only girl with a polite nod, he looked the new comer up and down as he came toward their little pod of three. He was tall, much taller than Ariel could ever hope for. Maybe, he guessed, six feet, if not taller. He was a dragonkin, which much was obvious, unlike the very uniquely pretty girl in the group. His hair was the color of a new fire, and two horns came from his head, curling back, much like his long horned cattle. Upon reaching the other three, the tall, no giant, dragonkin sat down next to Ariel. He grinned tightly, not quite sure how he felt about that, but he left it alone, finding on a different level, he didnât care.
Next came another girl, much shorter than the dragonkin. Her hair was a curly mess, and Ariel found it really cute. He wanted to touch it, honestly. He was about to greet her when her whole body just stopped. At first he was worried that something attacked her from behind, ready to do some hand to hand combat or something, but when he noticed the minimal change of color to her cheeks with a tiny blush, Ariel turned to follow her line of gaze, only to stare at the massive boy next to him. He didnât smile, only snicker in his head and pressed a pale hand to his lips, smothering the smile that was growing there. It was too early for relationships like what the girl wanted, though there was nothing wrong with finding him attractive. He just hoped that if anyone decieded to be with another, and things ended for some reason, they wouldnât become hurt or annoyed and effect the who groups journey. They were going into a life or death quest.
âAriel, I want you to remember something?â The small boy froze and slowly brought his legs to his chest. No. No he didnât want to do this. Not now, not ever. Especially not now though.
âAriel, are you listening to me, I know I didnât tire you out that much.â A light caress made his body tingle all over again, and he nuzzled closer to his lover, a soft moan escaping his lips.
âYeah, âM listening Sin.â His voice was muffled, and the words slurred, his body getting warmer as the other trailed his hands over the places he knew would get a reaction from him. Fleeting touches to his sides, nails scraping against his bare chest, lazy circles on his hips bones, scratches alone his inner thigh, it was driving him crazy. âSin, justâŠtell me, will you?â it broke off as a mewl, his back arching, âDammit. I hate you.â
A soft chuckle, âI love you too, Ariel. But, Shortie, listen to me.â All touches stopped and Ariel wanted to groan, though he held that in, âI want you to remember me. I know you want to say âyeah, yeah of course I will, I love youâ or something along those lines, but I donât want you to remember just this. I want you to think about me.â A pause, âI want your quest to be in the name of saving me.â
âSindri, thatâs dumb of course I will never forget you. When I come back, you will be right here, still stuck here with my greedy parents,â the look on his loverâs face halted him, âSin? Sindri? Is there something youâre not telling me?â all his good mood was gone and he sat up quickly, tears springing to his eyes, âYou arenât leaving me are you?â
âGod, fuck. No.â the older sat up with him and grabbed his hands, âNo. But Ariel, I am 22 years old, how have I not gone to war yet? I am able to. Honestly, I think it is your parents doing, for you. And with you gone, I think I will be sent to fight. I am not needed here if you arenât here. Your parents have their own maids. So I want you to remember me, for me. I want you to finish your quest with me in mind. Because Ariel, if I go, Iâm positive I wonât be coming back.â
Another maid knocked on the door and Ariel understood that he was being summoned by his parents.
Flicking his eyes to gaze among the trees, Ariel tried to calm his quick beating heart. It was a horrible conversation, with a horrible ending, yet neither of them talked about it again. It was too heavy. Just like they never talked about when Arielâs parents would give him the option to marry the princess, what would he do? Or what he would do if they got caught? It was selfish of both of them, living in a fantasy world with only each other, ignoring all else. But nowâŠnow it was time to face reality. It was time to grow up, after so many years of trying his hardest to not take responsibility, the music was going to be hard to face. He imagined that Sindri was going to go through the same thing.
It was a while before the next one came. Ariel counted the group again; along with himself there was a Seelie Fae and a Dragonkin. He looked at the two females for a while, trying to pick apart what they would be. The shorter looked too fragile to be anything but a Fae or a witch, and considering she didnât have wings, he went with the witch. He let a small frown mar his face. He want overly fond of witches and warlocks. Their magic interested him, but he knew that some were downright nasty and used their magic for evil. And he wasnât talking about the war. However the other female was hard to figure out. She was tall, so not a Fae. They had a dragonkin, so she wasnât that either. He could say centaur, but he didnât think her to be one. Not quite sure what she was, he gave a short sniff and leaned his head back against the tree, giving complete guess and saying she was a either a centaur or a nymph.
Not too much time had passed when a pale skinned and pale haired boy came out from the trees and Ariel without a second thought figured out he was a centaur. He carried himself much like one. He had seen them before, though he had to hide in order to not be killed, and the regal way they held themselves, and even the way they fought, was beautiful. Breath-taking even. âMiss NagaâŠâ What? A Naga was here too? âIt isnât polite to hide up there, please come down. Everyone is waiting.â Ariel looked up and let out a whine, seeing a very large thing in the trees. He figured it was the Naga and looked back down, another yawn parting his lips. Maybe he should have taken a nap with Sindri while he had the chance. Oh well, too late now. Directing his gaze over to the centaur, he found that he was on the short side for someone of his race, or at least the men he saw fighting were huge, though he figured that since they were all still kids, they had the possibility of growing a few more inches. Except him. He was stuck. Forever at 5 feet. It was a horrible thing.
Smiling, Ariel looked up at the Naga in the trees, âYes, please, I would love to meet you Miss. Iâm sure none of us bite, you are safe here.â He didnât move from his sitting position so craning his head up was a bit awkward and painful, but he made do so he could address her, âSo please, Miss, come join us. You are among friends.â
Soon an Elf arrived and Ariel fought the urge to hug her. He loved Elves. They were an amazing race. Not true to their name, they could be any shape or size, and they were great at wood-work and had top-notch blacksmiths. Or they did, back before the war. He wasnât quite sure how every race lived with the war raging on. She stood tall, and didnât talk, which made Ariel a little put out because he didnât want a moody Elf. Or in general, a moody anyone. They were going to have to get along, why try and fight it. The Elder told him that they were going to have to earn each otherâs trust, and watch each otherâs backs during fights. And that there would be many battles. He wasnât sure if that meant external battles or internal. He just said it was going to be a bit of both.
About to say something to the Elf, a bright light shone through the trees and Ariel tensed up. They were safe here, or they should have been. After it faded into a dimmer glow, a young man walked out of the trees, shimmering in light. It seemed to originate from his forehead. Knowing no race that shimmered, he guessed a magicuser, specifically a Warlock. âSo, whatâs everybody up to? If you were waiting for me, I already went on ahead and checked everything out. Seriously you guys are way too slow.â Ariel raised a single eyebrow and quirked his lips, âSo, yeah, stop being lazy and get your bums moving. Mommy Mavin is here to guide the way.â Ariel giggled a bit at that, his eyes closing for a second as the sound carried and brought a hush to the group.
He blushed. âMy apologies. Anyway, Warlock.â He stood up and internally sighed at his height. Damn this. It was going to take a while to get them to take him seriously in his height, âIn case your Elder didnât tell you,â he pointed a finger at him with a huff, âthough why he would tell you anything is beyond me. Why did that pick such an incompetent Warlock is beyond me,â he added under his breath, âWe were to meet under the oak tree at midnight. Judging by the position of the moon, it is well past midnight. Iâm quite sure the Elders did not say âgo galloping into the forest and find a way to get through everything and show off your manlinessâ or did yours specifically say that?â his hands ended up on his hips and a smile played at his lips. He normally wasnât so informal, but the boy didnât seem the type to care for formalness. And besides, Ariel was irked that they, he, had to wait for so long. Honestly, he could have been sleeping. But he wasnât mad. Not really. âAnyways, Iâm sure the other Elderâs told you this but we are granted safe passage through the lands that the races inhabit. After that, we are on our own for food, water, medicine, whatever.â He frowned and ran a hand through his hair. âYou were right about one thing, Warlock. We need to get moving. So come on.â By this time he was sort of standing next to the magicuser, but a bit in front of him at the same time. As everyone started to shuffle around and get up, chatter also started to be heard, instead of the stiff silence. Smiling, Ariel tossed back a grin at the Warlock and moved aside to let him through, âShow us the way, or Great Warlock.â
As they began to gather their things and set off, Ariel cast one glance back to where he knew his land resided. Back to where Sindri was. His heart felt heavy, and all he wanted to do was run back into his arms and never leave them. I love you, Sin. he thought, turning back to face the front and smiling bitterly. If he thought about it hard enough, he could still feel the tingling of his touches along his body. The perfect hands, caressing his sides, running through his hairâŠjustâŠ
They laughed and kissed again. Then again, the giggling quieter. The next time their lips pulled apart, Ariel had the perfect shade of blush on his cheeks and Sindri was smirking. Bringing up his hands, Sin cupped the otherâs face and pulled him into a deeper kiss, gently parting his lips with his tongue and starting a battle that happened each and every time. It was slow at first, slow and sweet and gentle, but when Ariel bit Sindriâs bottom lip in a challenge, everything turned on his head.
After being pushed down into the bed, Ariel looped his arms around the olderâs neck and yanked him down for a much deeper and more heated kiss. Quiet moans were swallowed by the other, and their bodies began to rock slowly against each other. Pulling away to bite his neck, Sindri trailed his hands up and down Arielâs body and then quickly rid him of his clothes. Next came the nips and the hot laps of his tongue. The warm heat that enveloped him, the areas that made his back arch off the bed and clasp his hands over his mouth to muffle the moans or screams. A dull pain, and then pleasure. And more pleasure. It built up, their bodies now rocking without a rhythm. His vision went white and then black. Perfection.
Thud.
âOw, dammit.â Blinking away the memories, Ariel rubbed his forehead with his hand, tears springing into his eyes and a pout formed on his lips, glaring at the tree that did him no wrong. He was so caught up in his memories, the memory that would be one of many to keep him going through this quest, that he had not been paying attention to where he was placing his feet, resulting in him running head first into an oncoming tree. Placing his other hand on the tree, he pushed off of it and tried to blink quickly, willing the black spots in his vision to go away. But it was to no avail, and for a long while, Ariel spent his time tripping over roots and rocks and other plants while he was trying to make his vision clear. There were a few snickers here and there, but he couldnât tell who was who and in the end he just didnât care. Or really, he cared a lot, but he wasnât going to make a big deal out of it because there was no point.
He remembered a time, when he was much younger, when a few kids were bulling him for his hair, pulling locks of it out and pushing him around, making him bleed. He was crying, sobbing really, trying to fight back. He was smaller than the other boys, though he was the exact same age as them. It really made him angry. He wasnât even sure why they wanted to pick on him. To him, his hair was his hair. He was special. His mommy told him he was special and that no one could take that away from him. A rather loud wail escaped him and the two boys were picked up by the collar of their shirts
âWhat are you boys doing to my son?â his motherâs soft yet commanding voice pierced through his sobs and he opened his eyes to see his mom glaring at the two kids, âDonât touch him again.â She put them down and they took off running, terrified of someone from the Royal Court. Especially the Queenâs advisor. Once they were gone, Ariel was picked up and cradled in his momâs chest, and he started to cry all over again.
âMommy, I donât like my hair, I donât like my eyes. I donât like being short. Mommy I donât like it. I hate it. I just wannaâŠI wanna be normal. Why am I not normal. IâmâŠI amâŠugly. They told me I was ugly.â He sniffled a few times, but because he was his mother he stayed strong. She called him her brave little warrior.
She cooed and pet his hair, carrying him all the way back home. âRemember that you are special, Ariel. People are going to make fun of you your whole life, okay? But I want to you kill them with your kindness. Be polite to them, smile at them. Donât be rude back, stay calm at all times.â
âKindness is the best form of manipulation.â was what she told him. He took it to heart as a child, and kept it with him, using it with his father. He doesnât remember his father every being a kind man, but apparently he loved him and his mother very much before being sent to war. War changed a man. It changed him forever. He hoped that Sindri wouldnât end up the same way.
Glancing over at the Warlock, he frowned and stepped over a protruding root, âPardon me Mister, but do you actually know where we are going? Do you have a plan in mind, or is mindless walking your plan?â Pale eyes rolled and a faint smile touched his lips, âOh, I forgot. I am Ariel, a Fae from the Unseelie Court. As if you couldnât tell already. But who exactly are you?â he shrugged his backpack to the other shoulder, âI mean, your sort of a powerful Warlock, judging by the magic you tried to use back there, but I see you canât control it. Why did the Elders chose you?âHe didnât mean for it to be rude, and so he forced his tone to drop into a sort of mild curious one, instead of a flat, monotonous tone he normally used. A small tilt of his head also gave way to the fact that he wasnât trying to offend, just merely asking. He wanted to know, honestly. What made this guy special. Ariel figured he was a wild card to the group, with his powers and all that. But what about the others?