Hello… I know it has been YEARS since I have posted anything. It has been way too long! I haven't abandoned Fallen Light… it's just been crazy with now having TWO children. I was really depressed for a while and didn't want to continue because I had completely lost all of my notes and outlines for the story in our last move. I am slowly picking up the pieces!
Anyways… I have discovered a beautiful anime: The Ancient Magus' Bride (Mahoutsukai no yome). I decided there was not enough fanfiction out there for this fandom and wanted to added my own story. This will probably be 3-5 chapters at most… but I hope you all enjoy this first installment!
Silver Lady sighed as she stared out the window into the gloomy and wet landscape that was England. The caretaker preferred not to have her Master and his apprentice locked up in the house too long. At the rate things were going, it seemed like the whole household would be weary-faced and melancholy because of the weather. She especially could not allow her Master's lady to remain in such a state. Turning to the counter in the kitchen, Silver picked up the tray that held some hot cocoa and quietly made her way into the lounge where all the members of her house were currently stationed for a late morning of studying.
As she entered the room, Silver neared the Sleigh beggy and saw the sketched image of the Thorn Mage coming to life on the the girl's lap. She softly leaned over Chise's shoulder and gave a soft sound of appreciation as well as letting her know that she had made a sweet treat and was waiting for her to take a cup. Chise almost jumped out of her skin and her face reddened severely.
"Oh… um…" she stuttered at the Silky while clumsily putting her graphite down and taking a cup of steaming hot cocoa off the tray that was being proffered, "Th-thanks Silver."
The Silky silently made her way to the coffee table and set the tray down in front of Elias, knowing not to disturb the Mage while he was so engrossed in his book. She quickly made her exit after seeing her Lady's face lighten from the sweet chocolate substance.
"Shouldn't you be reading instead of drawing?" Ruth peered up as the red-head curled up on the couch once more after setting down her cup on the table.
Chise gave a panicked whimper and quietly hushed the grim, "Ruth!"
She hugged the journal she had been hiding inside the larger tome that she had been pretending to read. Elias had been immersed in some ancient text for a couple of hours and had seemingly forgotten that his apprentice and her familiar still occupied the same room with him.
Ruth sighed and spoke to her through their shared thoughts; such were the perks of being the girl's familiar, "You won't grow closer or come to understand him any better just by sitting there and sketching the Mage for hours on end. Conversation tends to help, you know."
"I…" Chise's thoughts faltered as the young apprentice glanced down at the large, elegant animal on the floor next to her.
The black dog wagged his tail to calm her nerves, reassuring her that he meant no ill-will, "Perhaps if you shared some of your drawings with him–"
"NO!" Chise snapped quickly, realizing too late that she had just spoken aloud.
Elias broke concentration at the outburst, "Chise, is everything alright? You seem upset."
The apprentice blushed at the Mage's concern and pressed her journal ever tighter to her chest, "Sorry… I am fine." She was determined to keep her dozens of sketches a secret.
The Thorn Mage cocked his head, "Are you sure?"
"Mhmm." She attempted to appear nonchalant but she knew Elias was becoming ever more gifted in reading her expressions and seeing through her many facades.
To her utter relief, Elias dropped the subject as he closed his book and stood, "While I loathe to go out in this rain, I have important business to attend to in the city and I can wait no longer for this weather to lighten."
"Oh… um okay. How long will you be gone?" Chise asked, a little shocked, not expecting Elias to be leaving. A part of her was saddened at the thought of his absence. No matter how much time she spent with him, it never seemed to be enough… she was always aching for just a little more. The Thorn Mage hid so much of himself from her that even when she would be in his company for long periods, Chise felt like it wasn't even real. That was, perhaps, the reason she had taken to sketching Elias so often. It was a private piece of him that she could keep.
Elias' body language showed him to be slightly annoyed and visibly tense, "Did you have other plans? I realize it is pouring rain, but you still are my apprentice and would benefit greatly from accompanying me on this trip."
She kicked herself silently, hating that she didn't understand his intentions sooner, "I'm sorry, Elias! I wasn't sure if you wanted me to come! Let me go grab my coat!" Chise jumped to her feet, making sure she had her journal and the book she should have been reading tucked under her arm as
she ran to her room to tuck them under her bed. She threw up her hair with a small rubber band, snatched the hunter green material out of her wardrobe and hastily put it on whilst running back down the steps.
"I'm ready!" Chise announced, slipping on her boots in the front entry. Silver, accompanied by Elias, emerged from the hallway carrying an umbrella and presented it to Chise with a small smile.
The Thorn Mage beckoned his apprentice and her familiar out into the rain with him and she made no hesitation to grasp his billowing robes closely as his deep voice rumbled the familiar spell that still gave her chills, "Nettle in the shadows… false holly in a ring… entwine the branches, entangle, enmesh, spin a spider's web!"
Once the thorns dispersed around them, Chise was met with the familiar sight of London. When she turned to find Elias, he had already used his glamour and now somewhat resembled the priest in their town, Simon. She still couldn't get used to seeing him so… normal. If she had the choice, her preference would be for him to keep his normal visage with his usual skull and horns although she knew it would draw too much unwanted attention.
"Are you coming Chise?" Elias asked, opening the umbrella that Silver had given to them before they left. Ruth jumped into what little shadow she had from the lights of the shops around them and Chise nodded to the Mage, quickly joining his side to take shelter from the onslaught of rain.
After making two house calls assigned to them by the church, the Sleigh beggy was already beginning to feel worn out. It had already been decided by the time they had arrived to the first home that the red-head would be the one to attempt to rectify the issues plaguing the families. Through Elias' excellent instruction and a little aid from Ruth, she had carried out the tasks assigned to them. Chise cast away a succubus feeding on a young man two years her junior at their first stop and then exiled an unknown entity that normally haunted cemeteries but had taken residence at an old manor. The teen really looked forward to returning home to the warm dinner that Silver would have waiting for them… the wet weather was starting to chill her and she wished she had brought a thicker coat.
Elias took Chise down a small path of art galleries that made a shortcut to Angelica's shop. She glanced around her, hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the artwork that decorated the interior walls. Chise stopped dead in her tracks as she saw a painting through a window that took her breath away. Two lovers entangled in each other's embrace were rising to the heavens. It was the most beautiful thing she had seen in her lifetime.
The disguised Mage turned, realizing that his young apprentice was no longer walking next to him. Fear gripped him at first… it wasn't uncommon for the Sleigh beggy to be snatched from his side by either friend or foe. She was truly precious.
"Chise!" Elias called out, somewhat worried until he saw the teen completely entranced by an object in a shop window. The foolish girl was soaked from head to toe from the torrential rain that was ever increasing its assault on the city.
The red-head couldn't hear anything around her… for all she knew, she was alone and time was standing still. She absorbed the image before her.
I wonder if Elias truly made me his bride, would he ever hold me like that? She had so much she wished to tell him.
"I am such a coward." Chise whispered to herself in was in love with Elias but couldn't tell him. How could he ever return such strong emotions for her when he had already admitted that any such notion would be a lie on his part?
It is better to keep it to myself rather than facing the truth. Chise shivered and stared at
the man in the painting. He was heralding his lover upwards but never taking his gaze from her. His touch on the woman looked so delicate… as if he made one wrong move, their dream would shatter and she would fall back down to the Earth without him.
"If I told Elias my feelings or if he discovered them, would he no longer want me with him? He did say he intended to make me his bride… but that was two years ago." Chise wondered to herself and to her familiar whom she knew was listening to her thoughts.
"Chise?" Ruth's gentle voice invaded her mind, "You will always be loved by those around you. Whether that Mage recognizes his feelings or not, I sense something overwhelmingly powerful in the way he regards you."
"I…" Chise started but was all too quickly aware of a familiar presence behind her. The rain also seemed to stop falling from the cover that was extended in her direction.
"Chise, you will catch a cold if you stand there any longer. Come we must get you dry…" Elias started out in a gentle scolding but trailed off as his gaze wandered to the painting that held Chise's attention utterly transfixed.
"Elias?" Chise had her back to the window and was now facing the Thorn Mage. Fire burned across her face as she realized why he had faltered in his reprimands; he had seen the painting of the intimate couple. What must he think of her? What was running through that skull of his? Usually, she could easily see his emotions on his face when he was in his glamour. This time, however, he was stone-faced cold. There was nothing there. No emotion.
Elias felt a sharp pain in his chest that was more uncomfortable than he cared to admit. Why was she staring so intently at this piece? A thought struck him even more violently… She was almost seventeen. At that age he supposed her indifference to human males had probably disappeared and was quickly replaced by an overwhelming attraction. Would his dear Robin be lost to him already? Elias wasn't prepared for this sort of competition. Of course he was one of the most powerful Mages in the world and he was more than respected, as well as feared, yet Chise didn't care about any of those things. How long did he have with her until she tired of him and yearned for human attention? It did not escape his notice in the least that she kept her distance from him especially when he was in his human glamour… was he so repulsive that not even a human visage could interest her?
"Elias?!" She tugged on his coat.
The Mage didn't even look down at his worried apprentice and said in a monotonous tone, "Come Chise, I think our business here is done."
"W-What?" Chise stuttered, terrified at this new mood he was in, "But I thought we still had to see Angelica?"
Elias did not respond, instead, he politely urged the teen forward with him and turned the corner into an alleyway. Before they were completely hidden in the shadows, he had already started the spell that transported them to London and that would take them back home. Chise quickly latched onto the Mage, vaguely wondering if her worst fears were being confirmed. Was she now disposable?