Beautiful
by Shadowy Star
September 2006
Disclaimer: I don't own the Coldfire trilogy. It belongs to C.S. Friedman. I do own this story. Characters, places, locations and organizations not appearing or being mentioned in the books are also mine. Do not archive or translate or otherwise use without permission.
Summary: Four beings in a room. Two sleeping, two watching. The nature of beauty.
Hovering in the air outside the visible world, Karril looked down at the two lovers sleeping peacefully in each other's arms. He felt as sated as never before in his existence, having just fed upon their lust and desire. Their passion sometimes surprised even him. Yet, he sensed much more than that, something deeper and stronger than just lust or physical pleasure of sex. Something he couldn't quite comprehend. Was it that 'love' humans were always so eagerly seeking? Could Iezu learn it?
Whirls in the currents of fae heralded the approaching of another Iezu. From the sheer beauty of those whirls and ripples he could tell this one's identity. Well, he thought, in truth he even didn't need to see the pattern because the feel of this particular Iezu was utterly familiar to him. Utterly familiar and utterly welcome.
Beautiful, don't you think? Saris said silently, shaping her essence into a translucent semblance of a human form and hovering just beside him. Using fae for speech, it seemed she didn't want to wake the both humans.
Karril frowned slightly. Well, Damien is handsome if you like the strong warrior type but I'd never call him beautiful. As for Gerald … well, of course, he's beautiful.
That's not what I meant. Saris slightly shook her head. Them … together.
Karril looked at his sister/lover, sending his puzzlement along the strings of fae. Looks like a match made in Heaven, he said with dry sarcasm he adopted from one of the sleeping men.
And in Hell, Saris added. She seriously. To each thing there has to be an opposite, she went on. The way they complement each other. Complementing doesn't necessarily mean matching, you know. In their case, it is. She smiled faintly. More than this, they complete each other. Apart, each of them is lacking something. It's only when they're together they're perfect. Together, they're whole. Complete, and therefore beautiful.
She began to summon the fae.
What are you doing? Karril asked worriedly. We're forbidden to intervene.
She formed the fae to tiniest strings and sent them down at the sleeping pair like a rain of silver. Luckily, she'd learned a lot about human body over the last years. And luckily too, her brother/lover had taught her to use the fae not only for illusion but also as a physical force. A force that could truly alter what it touched not just deceive the eye. When she was done she smiled, satisfied, wondering how many years it would take for them to understand the nature of her gift.
I didn't intervene, lover. On the contrary, I'm only following my aspect. You know, I'll always preserve beauty.
FIN