Icarus, perhaps Prometheus (no matter, the gods always come for you)
"Bella, this is the worst idea you've had in a while."
All Rodolphus got for an answer was a mirthful laugh that got lost in between the wind and the mist between him and his wife. She had always been wild, but now that they were free again she had been behaving in ways that were downright reckless.
It was cold, and the air was so moist that traveling through it felt like it was raining. They would be soaked by the time they reached the sand, but Bella couldn't care less it seemed. They were freezing already and yet she looked as happy as a butterfly soaring over a garden in spring.
Bella was too giddy to care. She was too busy flying about him, letting her broomstick wander up, and down, and left and right, no true course to her flight whatsoever. Not like the bird of prey she was known to be on a broom, more like a happy little bird finally let out of its cage.
They had spent over a decade locked up in the most miserable place, smack in the middle of the northern sea, their ears assaulted by the continuous crashing of enormous waves against the walls of Azkaban, sometimes so violently that they could feel the vibration coursing through the stone walls. Their minds assaulted by something far worse, something that took pieces of them with each peck on their cheeks.
They had endured. They had survived. And Rodolphus could not yet name the feeling that seemed to build up whenever Bella was not near, only to be diffused, like air being let out of a balloon, whenever he could established that she was still here, still whole, still his. That same feeling came upon him like lightning.
Bella was out of his sight, no longer meandering through the air about him. Rodolphus looked around, and then circled about the same spot. Could she have fallen? Could she be so enthralled by freedom that she had forgotten to properly hold on? Could he be so distracted as to miss it?
Air surged from beneath him, and a dark shape flew right past him, heralded by a sound of pure mirth. His wife flew up and up, the wind jostling her black cloak, revealing the indigo blue dress she wore.
Rodolphus laughed as his chest went back to feeling normal. It was going to take them forever to reach the beach if Bella kept flying in all directions like this, and yet it felt like the right thing. A voice in his mind told him to not follow, to not play along. They had a place to be and a curfew to comply to. Rodolphus did not listen.
How could he not indulge her now? This graceful, dark creature capable of spreading destruction in a scale that only a few could imagine. This powerful witch that never had any qualms about summoning doom upon the foes of their Master. This incorrigible wife of his, that he so dearly loved, and was loved back by.
He flew up after her. Up and up they went, until the water on their skin became unbearably cold and they could no longer feel their fingertips.
Bella eventually stopped climbing up the air, soaring quietly for a couple of minutes, taking in the view. They had flown over the coast, and where now above the sea. It rippled in waves down below, each one crowned with white foam as they kept going until they crashed on the shore.
Rodolphus soared next to her, absolutely oblivious to the beauty of nature, absolutely taken by the beauty of her. Her black curls waving in the wind, crowned with the frost from altitude. Her cheeks blushed pink, something out of a faraway memory neither of them still held whole. She looked into his eyes then, her grey irises nearly colourless in the light, in sharp contrast to the rich colour of her dress. Her eyelashes sprinkled with the same frost that adorned the rest of her.
"You're freezing! We have to go down, Bella."
"Must we, really?" His incorrigible wife laughed, already looking up, the wind blowing her loose hair into a dark hallo.
She urged her broom a little higher, daring him to follow. Rodolphus moved with speed and precision, flying underneath her and catching her ankle, careful not to pull her foot off the rest. They both stopped.
"Frostbite is not comfortable, dammit!"
This was not about him being cold, though. That was a mere façade, something he could use as an argument without feeling so fragile. This was about stopping that feeling from growing too large inside him, stopping it from crushing the air out of his lungs. Except he didn't want it to vanish completely, not truly. Rodolphus had become addicted to it, addicted to what followed.
Bellatrix looked down, with a tender smile that was only his, their secret bond mirrored in it, the one that the world was oblivious to. And she complied.
oOo
They landed on the sand with barely a sound, almost ashamed of disrupting the quiet beauty of the grey day. It had started to rain, and between that and the melting frost, they were both soaked.
Rodolphus was quick to conjure a windshield just big enough for the two of them, the pale canvas puffing with the wind and darkening with the water. He pointed his wand at the top and augmented it, adding much needed coverage in the form of a canopy. Two dark wooden poles grew from the limits of the canopy into the ground, digging in between and then under the sand.
He turned only to find Bella well out of his conjured protection, standing still with her ankles disappearing into the breaking waves. Her boots and socks discarded on the sand, well out of the reach of the sea. She was not moving forward though, so he let her be for a minute, before he pointed his wand up, creating an umbrella that was barely visible, and started moving towards her.
Bellatrix turned to look over her shoulder, and Rodolphus caught a glimpse of that wicked smile of hers. He knew then that she was not remaining still. He rushed but she was faster. Bellatrix took off her cloak, tossing it away, and walked into the waves, diving into the cold water.
Rodolphus intended to merely wait for her to come back, but he soon realized he would have to go and get her. He holstered his wand, divested of his cloak and then of his trench coat, and followed. He didn't dive into the waves, simply walked until he was chest deep in the sea. He smiled as his indigo siren swam towards him, and stretched out his arm, extending his right hand. Bella took it, using him as her anchor, for her feet couldn't quite touch the bottom.
He used that hand to pull her near until he had her completely within his arms. She laced her arms around his neck and kissed him with salty lips. Theirs was a secret love that only those closest were aware of. A quiet undercurrent within the both of them, one never visible under the turmoil of crashing waves.
Bella clung closer to his body, as if burrowing in him. She was cold, properly cold now. He did the chivalrous thing and quietly wrapped his arms about her, one around her back and the other underneath and around her knees, without ever chiding her for the foolishness that had brought them here. He carried her out of the water, and he had every intention of carrying her all the way to their little canvas haven, were it not for the jerking shivers coursing through their body.
He carefully lowered her from his arms, steading her as her feet found purchase on the sand, and pulled his wand out, drying them and warming them. He pointed his wand up to cast another barely visible umbrella, but Bella took hold of his left hand and tugged. She didn't run up the beach as he expected her to. She just held his hand and tugged, prompting him to follow her as they slowly walked up, absolutely uncaring that it was raining.
oOo
Rodolphus woke up feeling stiff. They had walked up to their canvas retreat, and he had modified it into a makeshift tent so that they could lie down inside. Bellatrix had conjured blankets, and the sounds of the beach had acted like a lullaby.
He had no idea about how long they'd been asleep. All he knew was that he was stiff, and aching for a proper stretch, and yet the thought of waking Bella up was unbearable. He couldn't see her face with the way she was sprawled over his chest, but he knew she'd look peaceful. It was such a rare look on her face.
He was all too aware that he was not the only one in on the secret, but there was a delicateness to Bellatrix when she was sound asleep and her body just lay there, devoid of any strain. She was eerily beautiful, a thing worthy of a statue. Though he liked her better when she was awake, when she had that edge to her, when she would move with the elegance of a born predator.
Bellatrix stirred in her sleep, taking in a deep breath, and her head slowly rose and turned. She ended up placing her chin on the back of her hand, her fingers caressing his chest, but kept her eyes closed. They were months out of Azkaban, yet the shadows clung to her eyelids.
"What time is it?" She asked, still keeping her eyes closed.
"I'm not sure. I think the rain has stopped," he replied, one of his hands burrowing into her mane of curls, pushing them away from her face, "how about we have lunch?"
Bella's eyes sprung open, the streak of recklessness in her all too visible.
"We could hunt down a seagull. Better yet, we could find a Muggle town and raid it for lunch."
Rodolphus laughed, taking hold of her head with both his hands, gently pulling her up. She leaned up, realizing his intention, and let him kiss her. Nothing salacious, just a gesture of tenderness. A habit.
"We have orders to lay low, Bella. We're not spreading mayhem over lunch."
"Seagull hunting it is, then."
"No, it's not. I had your sister's elf pack us something. It's in my coat."
Bella rose gingerly, stretching once she was up, and went about foraging in his trench coat pockets. Rodolphus stretched and used his elbow for support, lifting his upper body. He teased his wife through the process of finding their lunch, since he had shrunk the parcel. She did not appreciate the added distraction, at all, so much that she actually threw sand at him, making him stand up to shake it off.
She behaved as if nothing had happened once she found the envelope-sized parcel of brown paper and thread, walking back to their blankets and sitting down demurely, as a proper daughter of the House of Black was supposed to.
She flicked her wand at the flaps of their tent, letting the beach in. The light was not so grey anymore, though the clouds still lingered. The breeze flew in, smelling of salt, and so did the cries of the seagulls and the crashing of the waves.
Rodolphus restored the parcel to its proper size and opened it, producing two meat pies, a canteen of water, and two apples. They ate in silence. They had moved past wolfing down any food they were given, but the act of eating actual meals still felt unreal, and it was something they were wont to do quietly, cherishing every flavour. They took measured bites, and chewed them slowly.
They knew these times of relative peace were at an end. The war loomed over the horizon again, and though they craved it, yearning for the battles that were their true element, they were acutely familiar with the toll it took. So they enjoyed the calm before the storm.
oOo
The wind had picked up with the dying daylight, but the rain had not returned, so they stood outside their tent, watching the sun set over the sea, painting it yellow and orange and pink as it went. Their curfew was upon them, but they had decided against flying back, just so that they had more time to spend at the beach. Just the two of them. So they stood side by side in the sand, two dark creatures welcoming the night, his right hand and her left hand fingers tangled together.
Their marks seared in their forearms. The bittersweet pain they both so much craved and feared, never knowing exactly in which measure, retrieved them from their daze. Their Master was calling them home, slightly tugging on the leashes he had had in place for decades now. Their cage was different now. They had chosen to be in it, for they both enjoyed being unleashed upon the world and given lead to do their worse.
Still, a cage was a cage, and one seldom wanted to simply walk back inside.
"We have to go, Dolph," Bella said, turning to face him and caressing his chiselled cheekbones with her free hand, "he's calling."
Rodolphus nodded. His arm burned too, though that pain was amplified by the knowledge of what was to come. He had her by day, but she was rarely his by night. He didn't truly resent him for it, too reverent to even consider challenging him. Still, it burned, but it only served to further inflate that feeling in his chest. The one he craved just for the sheer thrill that came each morning, when she would return to him, still there. Still his.
Their marks burned again, this time with intent to harm. This wasn't a reminder, this was a command, and failing to comply, immediately, would earn them pain.
Bella fretted at his side, tugging on his hand, already vanishing their tent and blankets into non-being. She was looking away as a pale figure enveloped in smoky black robes materialised not far from them.
"We have to go, Dolph, now," she insisted, looking into his eyes, "he'll be furious if we're not back on time. He'll never let us leave again. Please."
Rodolphus smiled, for Bellatrix was still facing away from the solemn figure moving slowly towards them.
"No, I have to go. He has come for you."
Bella looked confused for a second, then smiled openly as their Master's familiar prodding buzzed in their minds. She gave him a peck on the cheek and walked away from him, without ever looking back.
Rodolphus looked on as his wife bowed her head in greeting and reverence. He bowed his from where he stood, and quickly turned away, for witnessing their affection caused him gut-wrenching pain. He took a couple of steps away, briskly turning right, half his mind thinking of his destination, the other half thinking about how he had to do this every sunset. The entirety of his mind cared not a fig about the consequences of his distraction. It cared only for that agony that grew inside him and that only Bellatrix could fix.
Author's Note: Prompts and Challenges
Assignment 3 Culinary Arts: Pasta Task #5 - Conchiglie: Write about a day at the beach
February Event Team Valentines 4(word) Chivalrous and 30(setting) Beach
366 Prompts Challenge 161 Incorrigible
Insane Prompt List Challenge 1 Indulge
Winter Seasonal Challenge Days of the Year January 5th - National Bird Day: Write about someone flying (by any means); Winter Challenge 8 Freezing; Colours 5. Indigo; Birthstones 2. Amethyst: (dialogue) "Frostbite is not comfortable, dammit!"; Flowers 4 Cyclamen: (plot) Seeking shelter from the rain; Water Element 1 Moist; Religious Holidays/Events January 13th - Maghi (Sikh): Write about bathing in nature; History of Winter 2 Prompt: Write about something/someone getting drenched in water.
February Writing Club Trope of the Month 11 Dialogue: "You're freezing!"; The Fabulous World of Comics 12 (pairing) Bellatrix/Rodolphus; Book Club Henna: (word) distraction, (action) holding someone's hand, (emotion) relief; Showtime 23 The Fall of Saigon - (Relationship) Married couple; Scamander's Case 3 (action) flying; Film Festival 19 (word) secret;
WC – 2 560 words