"In the beginning there was Light, whom we as humans will know as the Lord. He created our galaxies, our stars, and the very ground we walk on. He also created four faries. One fae of fire named Volcan, one of nature named Tansy, one of rock named Unan, and one of water named Aria; these four spirits lived together, and stumbled upon the barren and desolate planet of earth. They carved the canyons, created the creatures, and gave life to the world making it their home. Life flourished here, and humans were created by the water fae for even more companionship. All was well, until two of the fae discovered love, and jealousy."
Aria was walking through the forest admiring Tansy's handiwork, when Volcan landed by her side. His fiery form was enough to make the sun itself swoon. He was tall, and his skin was bronzed, as if he has been caressed by the sun. Muscles rippled out over his body and his sharp jaw empathized how masculine he was. She turned to smile at him, but was cut off by his excited expression.
"Aria! Sweet Aria, I have something I would like to show you," Volcan flashed her a devilish smile as he put his hands over her eyes and pulled her up, his wings kicked up dirt as they shot into the sky.
"Volcan! You could have waited until I said yes at the very least!" Aria laughed while she held onto his arms as they soared though the beautiful blue sky. They dominated the sky like dragons with their grace and speed as Volcan flew them towards their surprise destination. Volcan held her tight against his body and she felt the warm dust between her toes as they landed.
"Wait with me until the sun sets. I was here last night, and the stars are striking here," Volcan sat and pulled her down with him, still holding his hands over her eyes. She laughed at him and pulled his hands away, keeping her eyes closed.
"The stars are lovely everywhere Volcan, but I will sit with you, only because you are my best friend. And instead of holding your hands over my eyes, I will just blindfold myself." Aria took her hand and covered her eyes as ice crystals seeped out from her fingers. The ice seemed to mold itself to her every comment, and spider webbed a blindfold over her eyes. Aria softly kicked her feet over the cliff's edge of his secret spot, laughing at Volcan's jokes and stories. The temperature slowly dropped and through the ice incasing her eyes she saw the sky dim and finally turn the dark blue she so loved. Volcan sighed in awe, and Aria turned her head skyward.
"The stars are the prettiest here. Here, let me remove your ice." Volcan placed his hands over her eyes and the ice sizzled away, the water draining down her face into her dress. She looked into his red irises and smiled, and then she caught the view of the night sky. She gasped and gazed at the hundreds of millions of stars decorating the deep blue as if the stars were scattered diamonds. He was right, the stars here are more beautiful here than over the ocean, or anywhere for that matter.
"Once again, you prove me wrong; the stars are much more dazzling here." Aria looked down, as she felt Volcan's gaze on her. He was looking at her as if he was puzzled; she stared back in confusion. He placed a warm hand over hers and leaned in close, so close that his face was only inches from hers. Aria's heart started to quicken.
"Aria, you look different to me. Not physically, but you just look different tonight." Volcan traced her jaw with his fingers, barely touching her soft, cold skin. Just the light touch of his fingertips made her skin feel like it was on fire.
"Is it a good different?" Aria's voice was barely above a whisper; she was captivated by him. His eyes were so deep and such a beautiful red, she felt like she was being swallowed up by the magma in his hottest volcano. She had spent so many years looking into those eyes, but tonight there was something different in them. They seemed to delve into her soul, and she could feel their heat flare up her neck, and decorate her cheeks with a soft pink. Volcan moved so that his whole side was touching her, and any space between them was closed off. He held her gaze, and then turned away shaking his head.
"Volcan?" Aria felt the stuttering of her heart as her mind asked her body what was different, what was wrong. This has never happened before. The two of them had always been together, drawn to each other by their polar opposite elements. He always warmed her heart, and she calmed his hotheaded attitude. Over the years, something had started to change between them, and Aria never noticed it until now. The silence was deafening between them as she anxiously waited for his response. She itched to reach out to him and hold his face in her hands. She wanted to look into his eyes and see what emotion he was trying to convey.
"It's not a bad different, I'm just very flustered. I don't know how to put it." He paused and looked away from her back to the night sky. "Do you feel as if something between us has changed? It is as if now, I crave your company in the fleeting moments we are apart." She saw his cheeks flush with pink as he struggled to explain, and she leaned in to hear him better, "Now, when I find things that bring me joy I want to show them to you too. I want to bring you joy. Aria, I want nothing more than to make you happy. What do you think this means? I don't-" Aria cut him off as she placed her cold hands over his, and leaned against his chest.
"Does it feel as if there are wings in your stomach whenever we are close?" She listened to the steady thumping of his heart and heard it quicken whenever she spoke. Sitting back up, she beamed at him, and his eyes crinkled as he laughed at her goofy smile. His face turned serious and he lightly cupped her face.
"Aria? Will you trust me and close your eyes? I've wanted to do this for a while." Aria closed her eyes and she could feel her veins beating against her skin. It took all she had not to leap out of her skin. She had craved this intimacy too, more than Volcan would be able to realize. She remembered the first moment he had touched her, how his warmth was the first thing she noticed. She remembered him lightly caressing her wings, and the way the water and ice in her being bubbled and boiled underneath his touch. She had wanted to be warm for so many years, she had wanted this heat. Suddenly she felt his hot breath, and her world was rearranged as he kissed her. His lips touched hers, and her body sagged with the intensity of the kiss. Pure happiness rushed through her skin, igniting her soul. It was like all the ice and water filling her veins was replaced with a liquid fire, and it was burning her from the inside out. She could not pull away; her body wouldn't let her. Not that she wanted to anyway. Her hands acted of their own accord and reached up to wrap around his neck as she turned her head to keep him as close as possible. She grasped at his hair and pulled him closer to her, causing him to break into a soft moan. Her wings were shaking with the liquid fire that seemed to be racing through her veins, itching to take to the sky. Their bodies lifted off the dirt and they flew into the sky, their wings beating as fast as their hearts. He turned his head and pulled away with a sharp intake of breath.
"What was that?" she whispered, breathless. Volcan shook his head and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her small frame against him.
"I do not know," he smiled at her, and pulled her so she was fit against every curve in his body. The fire from his clothes and the water from her dress sizzled and crackled.
"But I'm about to do it again." And each night they returned to the cliff, and shared fleeting kisses for hundreds of years.
Throughout all of this, Aria's faithfulness to the Light never wavered. While the other fae played in the beautiful world they created, she prayed. She began every day with a small prayer of thankfulness, and ended each day with he same prayer. She thanked Him for everything she was able to accomplish and create. Light was happy she was so faithful to Him, and He told her that He would be going away for a while to create newer and more intricate pieces in the galaxy. Light told her to create things of life, but Aria protested that it should be Tansy's privilege because she is nature. Light shook his head and said that water is the holder of all life, and without it, everything would wither. Tansy heard them as they conversed and was furious. She
Light was happy she stayed faithful to him. He would give her many new tasks and powers. She even was in charge of creating the first non-fae beings. She created humans in the likeness of the other fae. The new privileges that Aria had earned from Light caused Unan and Tansy to grow jealous, and hateful against her with each day. They too had begun a courtship, but their basis was not love. Their mutual love for power and greed brought them together, and lust played a heavy part as well.
"Unan, I've had just about enough of these stupid creatures," Tansy twisted a piece of wood into a sharpened stake and stabbed the rabbit that was nibbling on her precious flowers. She dropped the bloodied stake and turned to her lover, caressing his shoulder. He caught her hand and kissed her palm.
"I know love. But even two against one we couldn't win, and Volcan is wrapped around her finger as I am wrapped around yours. He would burn you and all your precious plants to a crisp if we touched her." His husky voice brought a smile to her lips. She stood on her toes and whispered in his ear,
"Then I guess we will have to convince him to come to our side. Here's what we will do." They plotted, and they schemed; their hatred for Aria growing with every sunrise. Finally, Tansy figured out the ultimate plan that would easily bring Volcan to their side; they would play off his emotions. Volcan is the most emotionally driven fae, and a surge of jealousy would leave him as malleable as wet clay. Tansy and Unan smiled and waited, and began setting up their plan little by little to destroy Aria.
Aria walked through the jungle and ran her fingers over the waxy petals of Tansy's flowers. She splayed her fingers out and water bubbled out of her hands to water Tansy's intricate creations. Aria smiled as the animals crawled out of their hiding places to greet their creator, and they weaved in and out of her feet.
"Aria! Volcan is looking for you! He asked me to tell you to meet him under the waterfall by the mountain." Tansy's voice carried through the forest and she stepped out of the thick foliage right in Aria's path. Aria smiled,
"Thank you Tansy, I'll go right now! I haven't finished watering all your flowers, though. I apologize!" Aria ran off as Tansy turned to the shaking rabbits, squirrels, and birds that had gathered around Tansy's intricate ferns and blossoms. Her eyes flashed green and they scattered terrified for their lives. She smiled and brought a crystal up to her lips.
"She's on her way Unan. Remember, think of only me."
Unan smiled as he felt the soft vibrations of her feet hitting the rocky ground. He emerged from the pure rock and it chipped off his form like dry mud. He opened his eyes to a startled Aria. She smiled at him,
"Hello Unan! I didn't realize you were there, Volcan is supposed to be meeti-" Unan reached out to her as he saw the red fae in the sky about to descend on top of them. He forced the ground beneath her to lurch so that she fell into him. He grabbed Aria's waist, and pictured her as Tansy. His lips crushed Aria's mouth and he held her captive as she was frozen with shock. An angry roar filled the painful silence, and Unan opened his eyes to see Volcan smoking with wrath. Immediately, Unan started yelling, "Aria what are you doing? I do not want you! I've told you many times, the only one I want is Tansy! Stay away from me! This is the last time I will meet you here, I want nothing to do with you." Aria pushed him away in disgust and shot ice crystals at him that slammed him into the mountainside. Her face contorted into sadness as she realized who had roared. Her hand went over her mouth and water dripped from her eyes.
"No. NO! Unan, why? Why did you do that? I do not lo- I do not love you! I only love Volcan!" She pushed off the ground and flew after the smoke trail Volcan left in the sky. Unan wiped his mouth and touched the mountain. His voice rumbled through the rock and the jewel in Tansy's pocket shook.
"He has seen. Now, it is your turn."
Volcan raced through the sky, wet tears sizzling as they met with his skin. How could she do this to him? How?! When she told him to meet her there, was that her way of leaving him? He shook his head and beat his wings faster. Vines shot from the forest and pulled at his ankles, throwing him off balance and wrapping around his wings. He yelled and tried to incinerate them, but they were just too wet. They pulled him to the forest floor, into soft arms. Tears dripped onto his clothing and he instantly calmed as Tansy looked into his eyes. She sobbed and whispered,
"She… Aria... Aria kissed my Unan.. I never thought she would want him and you. I mean she has you, beautiful, handsome, amazing you, and she wants my Unan? He told me what she did, and he is disgusted. Why couldn't she just be satisfied with just one? And she has the Light believing she is a perfect little angel, when she kills my plants by poisoning the water and feeding it to them." She buried her head in his chest. She looked up into his eyes again and begged him,
"Please. Help me lock her away before she hurts us anymore." Her voice cracked, and Volcan stilled, holding her in his arms. Rage finally consumed him, and he was lost to his emotions. The person he had loved for all these years has been playing him for a fool. He was not a toy, or a form of entertainment. He was a powerful being, and now she was going to play for deceiving him.
"I promise. She will not get away with betraying us."
Aria flew as far and as fast as she could, trying to find Volcan, and found the special cliff top where they shared so many fleeting kisses and memories. She lowered herself to the ground, tears streaming down her face turning the dusty rock into mud. A whistle came out of the forest and she turned to look for it, stepping closer and peering into the dense foliage. The bushes shook, and thick ropes of thorny vines shot out and wrapped around her legs. Panicked, she beat her wings so fast she rocketed into the air, but the vines crept up her back and wrapped her wings around her. Spreading her fingers out, she tried to freeze the vines, but they snapped her hands shut and cut off her magic use. She plummeted from the sky and smashed into the ground, shattering her bones. Tears sprang into her eyes as she gasped for air. Her body felt like she had been broken and she couldn't move. She tried to call out for Light, but her throat was bruised and she was gasping for air. The vines wound around her arms angrily, with the thorns digging into her skin and she was dragged into the forest while her face scraped the rough, unforgiving ground. She was lifted up by strong arms, and she opened her eyes to see Volcan. She wheezed and coughed, trying to speak only his name, but no sound came out. His eyes stared straight forward, his arms cold and uncaring for the first time. They were not gently cupping her body as he carried her, he was tense and his muscles dug into her body like rocks. His temperature was no longer hot, and his skin was a soft beige instead of the normal red-tan. She turned her neck and winced, but was able to see where he was taking her. A giant hollowed out stone cut in two loomed closer with each step he took. When they reached the stone, he dropped her inside and the air was knocked out of her again from the pain. As he began to turn away she searched his face, and was begging him with tears in her eyes to rethink this. There was a glimmer of recognition in those eyes that she had loved so much, but once Unan touched his arm they became consumed by anger again. He sneered at her and told Unan to finish it. Unan stepped forward and began to force the rock closed, and anger swelled up inside her. She tried to spray ice at him, but the vines just squeezed her tighter and they ground her broken bones together. As the light faded, she met Volcan's eyes for the last time. So much hatred seared into her soul, she felt as though someone had just ripped out her heart. She looked down as the final slivers of light disappeared. The rock glowed as magma fused it together, and she wailed from the pain of this betrayal. She sobbed and screamed as her broken body met her broken heart.
After Volcan fused the boulder together, Unan scattered jagged crystals all over to make the rock impossible for a fae to open. Tansy then covered the stone in copious amounts of wet vines, and she thickened the forest so humans would not trespass.
Volcan later found out the truth that he had been deceived when he found Tansy and Unan laughing and boasting about it to the humans. He had followed them to the village and found Tansy entertaining the men by dancing seductively, while Unan watched with boredom. Volcan screamed at them, and volcanos erupted as he shot off the ground and began speeding to the mountain. He tried everything in his power to free her, but nothing he did worked. Volcan was such a ruined man, that he immersed himself in his hottest volcano, and allowed himself to be eternally in torture. The humans say that whenever it rains, it is Aria crying from her broken heart, and when a volcano erupts, it is Volcan weeping for his mistakes.
Darkness. That is all she's known for many a millennium. Aria breathed in, and closed her eyes. She whispered pitifully, "Volcan. I did not betray you. Why did you do this to me?"
Pain. Since he realized he imprisoned his only true friend, his lover, this is what he has forced himself to endure. The magma seared off his skin, but as he was immortal it continued to grow back only to be incinerated again. "Aria. I am so sorry. Not a second has passed that I don't wish I could go back in time. Could you ever forgive me?"