Disclaimer: The only character I technically “own”
is Zaida Thorngage (a personal D&D character of mine). The location used belongs to the
wonderful people who write for Doctor Who (Yes, it’s “Bad Wolf Bay”). And yeeeeees, I did
paraphrase a line out of “What Dreams May Come” – I just watched the movie and
thought it would be interesting to add in, since it fit… in a way. ^^’ Also, I do not own the character of
Arius – He appears with the permission and input of the HL player, himself.
Author’s
Note: Yaaaaa~y! My first RP with Ari in
F.O.R.E.V.E.R! ^____^ We
hashed out the details over Yahoo! Messenger on March 11th, 2013 –
and appears here in its final form, with the approval of both Arius and myself. Now, enjoy!-Z
The
fire from the brand on her thigh had died down with the cold air whipping past
her. Zaida had taken flight
after that afternoon and hadn’t dared come down. It’d been days – she was fine, she
didn’t want to stop moving… She silently cursed herself under her breath,
“Fool, this was exactly what you wanted to stop doing…” The white feather wings extended and
she continued to glide, desperately trying to grasp at any hope of outrunning
the voices in her head.
…until
another voice popped into her mind… a welcome voice… his voice: Zaida… The sudden arrival of this new voice
startled her – she hadn’t dared hoped to hear it ever again… “Arius?” she asked aloud, knowing it
was impossible for him to physically reach her while she was airborne. Zaida… The pull on her heart was strong –
stronger than she’d felt in months… she followed it until she reached its
source. Northern Europe –
Norway… She knew this place… Dårlig ulv Stranden. Why would Arius be here…? She honestly had no answer as
her feet touched down on the sandy shore, just out of the reach of the
waves. Zaida tried to take
a step toward the man, but she stumbled and fell – she had been in the air for
so long, her muscles had atrophied somewhat. She cried out as she hit the ground,
biting back curses at her own foolishness once again. Taking a moment, not trusting her
voice, Zaida simply looked at her surroundings.
The
sight before her looked like a painting – the sky a mixture of bright pinks,
oranges, and blues as the sunset moved into twilight; clouds dotted the sky in
mixtures of dull blue, purple, and gray. Arius Stormborn, one who she had
thought long lost to her, stood at the edge of the water – facing out toward
the sea, the waves rolling over his feet. “Arius?” His voice answered back, containing
few of the melodic sounds her voice had remembered, “Hello Zaida; it’s been a
while, hasn’t it?” “You
could say that,” the deva called back, “about a year and a half… I came because
of your call. I hadn’t
heard it in so long that I thought I may have been going crazy…” The briefest of movements told her
that Arius had nodded, taking in her words – he stood too far away from her for
her to get a good look at him… All
she could really tell from this distance was that his body had shown signs of
struggle and survival – his shoulders and chest were broader, more muscled than
she remembered; his clothes – singed and dirty – gave testament to the fact
that the last year and a half hadn’t exactly been spent in paradise. “Arius,” she called out, worriedly,
“What’s going on? Where have you been? Why now? Do you have any idea what I’ve been going
through?!” Her voice had
raised with each question, she began to shake as the wracking sobs took over
once again. “I’m sorry,
Zaida,” he replied, “I’m sorry I disappeared like that… but I was only
following orders…” His
voice turned angry and bitter as he spat the final word at her… “…remember?!” “Wait,”
Zaida sobbed, “This isn’t how I wanted this to go at all…”
She
tried to calm herself, but it was no use – her words were still choked with
sobs, “I’m sorry, Arius. I’m
so sorry… I never meant for any of this to turn out this way.” Her hands reached out to him, but he
was still so far from her, his gaze still out over the water – she continued,
“I just wanted to keep you safe… they were coming to kill
you, Arius…. I
couldn’t let it happen. I said and did all of those things to push you
away…” “Because you didn’t trust me to stay alive,” Arius growled. “No, because I didn’t trust me to keep you alive,” she corrected, “I
was part of the problem… It wasn’t that you reminded me of what happiness was,
but because I couldn’t join you and stay with you… so I left – and made you
leave, too.”
“Is
that all you had to say after all this time?” he asked. “No – that problem’s been handled,”
she responded, his coldness shocking her, “They’re dead. You can come home now. Everyone misses you. I still do.” “I’m not coming home,” he announced,
“Not yet – that’s why I reached out to you.”
Zaida finally heard it – his voice, there was something… off… It sounded
hoarse, but his tone was a bit warmer, “I just wanted to let someone know… I’m
probably not going to be back for a while.
This last year and a half, I’ve been fighting – and I still am.” “Fighting?” Zaida asked, “Who? Is there any way I can help you?” “No,” he answered, “This is something I’ve got
to do on my own – only I can face the monster inside… but I can’t do it here…
That’s why I’m going away.” Zaida tried
to stand, her legs were still too weak to bear any weight – “Where? Where
are you going?” “I can’t say,
Zaida,” he replied, “You might try to follow… hell, you might try to alert
Salazar or Silver – so no, I can’t tell you… but I might not come back…” A cry escaped from her lips, “Why, Ari? Why
won’t you?” His shoulders fell, as if
letting out a big sigh, “My fight isn’t over – and it’s something that I have
to do… alone. Zaida – right now, I need
you to listen, so pay attention, because I’m only going to say this once…”
She
desperately wished he’d turn and face her – it killed her not be able to look
into his eyes… she couldn’t read him, couldn’t see what was going on inside his
mind. Zaida waited with bated breath for
his next words, “You shouldn’t keep beating yourself up over things that have
passed – all of the bad things that’s happened… Zaida, I’ve already forgiven
you. Forgive yourself, now.” Zaida
sobbed, a sigh of relief washing over her.
Arius continued, his voice more tender than ever, “If I don’t make it
back… Please tell Silver and Salazar that I miss them, and no matter what –
I’ll still be praying for their safety… I hope they’ll be alright… and you,
too, Z. Especially you.”
Ari’s
body turned slightly, his right side facing her – she was shocked to see the
extent of the changes in his appearance.
His soft silver-green eyes were now a glowing red, his hands – strong,
and calloused from years of training –resembled claws moreso than hands… He
called out to her, “I’m going to miss you, Z.
You’ll be in my thoughts as I face destruction.” He turned, then took a step toward the water.
She
screamed, “Arius! ARIUS, WAIT!!!” He paused, his voice harsh again, “What is
it?” “Arius, if you truly forgive me,”
Zaida cried out, “then give me a sign… until then – your words are only that…
just words.” “I can’t do that, Zaida,” he answered back. “Please, Arius,” she shouted, “Let me help
you… if nothing more than just a blessing to keep you safe.” His head fell, obviously torn between two decisions…
moments felt like hours before he finally responded, “Close your eyes, and
cover them with your hands. You can do
your blessing.”
She
obediently closed her eyes, placing a
hand over each – then, she waited. Zaida
faintly heard his footsteps on the sandy beach as they approached. She felt him kneel next to her, his breathing
was erratic, ragged even, “Zaida, it’s never been more important that you
listen to me, right now. I’m going to
use your hands to guide you, but it’s absolutely imperative that you keep
your eyes shut.” “Why can’t I
see you, Ari?” Zaida questioned him. “Because,” he replied, “There are some
things you don’t need to see… think of it as me protecting you. Now, I need your word on this: will you keep
your eyes closed?” She nodded, “Yes,
Ari. I will…” His sigh was filled with sadness, and he
gripped her hands at the wrist. The feel
of claws where his warm fingers used to be startled her – but she kept her
promise. Her hands were placed on both
sides of his head before he released her from his grasp. She leaned forward and touched her forehead
to his, whispering the incantation - allowing her power to flow over him. Zaida
sealed her blessing with a simple kiss on his forehead, lingering a moment to
breathe in his familiar scent – it was faint among the smells of smoke and ash,
but it was still there… “Thank you,” Zaida whispered. “I’m the one that should be saying that,”
Arius replied, his voice warm, but still hoarse.
She
smiled at his words and began to pull her face away, and finally she couldn’t
hold back any longer. Her eyes opened
and locked with his – she caught a flash of those familiar silvery green orbs
before they shifted back to red; his face had been calm but now his face was
one of disappointment and sadness.
“Arius…?” “You promised, Zaida,”
he whispered, his body disappearing. The
familiar crack of apparition popped in her ears as she was left on the
beach. “Arius!!” Zaida screamed out,
“ARIUS!!!”
The
sound of the waves at the beach of Dårlig ulv Stranden answered her – she was
alone. Zaida shifted back into her
glamour and apparated back to Ottery St. Catchpole, back to the Shadow Enclave
– in front of the statue of Arius. She
looked up at the painting on her ceiling, once again seeing the warmth in the
smiles and laughter on their faces – Arius had his hands wrapped around her
waist from behind, pulling her in for a hug… and Zaida wept, the image of what
she’d just seen burned into her memory and held up for her eyes to see.
(end)
