Chapter 7: Seeing Things in a Better Light
"Marak, you might want to catch your Bride." Shamus commented when he witnessed Mabrey turn tail and dart away. Marak's pointed ears swiveled slightly to catch what Shamus said. He only then saw that the girl in front of him no longer bared any resemblance to a woman in pain. In fact, her cheeks were tinted with a rosy color, and she was beaming at the Goblin King.
"Did I get you?" She asked warmly, winking at him.
"Well, obviously you did, you daring tiny wife. Did Mabrey put you up to this?"
"From the moment she spoke to me."
"Of course she did." Marak boomed proudly. "In any case, I should have known something was brewing when I saw you two laughing in the backseat like that." He then rotated just enough to seize Shamus's interest. "Take this daredevil to where we originally were going to stay for the day. I shall go retrieve my stray cat. We will meet again tomorrow night, so do not move. Can I put you in charge of that, hmn?"
"Undoubtedly, Marak." Shamus's expression was unchanging, but the weight of his new responsibility was known by his stern attitude. Dani chuckled and daintily stepped back into the awaiting bus. A few concerned protests from her husband were the last Marak heard of the rumbling bus, for he was now on the hunt.
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Mabrey clumsily rushed through the forest to get away from the road behind her. She knew just clambering in a straight line would be like a green diamond over her, showing everyone where she was. So in order to compensate for her rough stroll, she swerved far to the left, went straight, then to the left once more, repeating the process. Though the land she was trudging was flat, layers of ice, leaves, and sticks did not help her in any way. Mabrey had fallen twice on the ice bed, the second time proving dangerous when a sharp stick sliced through her jeans and into the flesh of her right leg.
"Ah…" Was all Mabrey allowed herself to express. She knew blood was oozing from the wound, but the luxury of plopping down in the snow and crying about the thing wouldn't do her any good. So she hiked until tears began to pool at the edges of her eyes, and the pain of her injury dulled to a painless throb.
Mabrey almost felt delirious as her sides gained painful stitches and the arctic air burned the sides of her throat. It must have been below windshield, for her fingers held no feeling, along with her toes. She knew that she would drop dead then and there when up ahead, a hill greeted her. Mabrey groaned, wondering if she should chance climbing it, or just go around the hulking landscape. She was weighing her decisions when, as she inched closer, a small caved carved from the hill appeared. By the looks of the architecture it was manmade.
"At this point, I don't mind if it is goblin made." The nearly frozen girl mumbled. She hurriedly raced into the cave thanking her lucky stars that there were not particularly hungry animals she would have to share the den with. Mabrey chose a corner in the back of the cave to collapse. She dug through her pockets and found hand warmers, cracking the miniscule beads inside for and equal miniscule amount of heat. The sun was rising in the east.
I made it. Mabrey cheered in her head, a smile spreading from ear to ear. It was there, Mabrey forgot the golden rule; don't count your chickens before they are hatched…or something like that.
"You, my dear," The Goblin King crooned from the cave's entrance, "are making something that should be quite easy, very very hard."
Mabrey was about to get up and rush past him, her adrenaline levels probably soaring like crazy, when she noticed something. Marak was covering his eyes with one clawed hand, clearly in pain. Though she desperately wanted, no, needed to flee and forever be done with this mess, she did not have the heart to leave a creature in pain. Yes, even a Goblin King.
"W-What's hurting you?" Mabrey ventured nervously. Marak stumbled trying to advance further into the cave and luckily caught the wall to steady himself with his other hand.
"Hurting? Come now, Mabrey, the despicable Goblin King does not feel pain!" He said half jokingly and half…Mabrey did not know. She gulped, considered leaving one more time, and sighed in complete failure.
"I'll help you, but I'm not guaranteeing I'll stay."
"I'm not either." Came the pained reply. With that, Mabrey strode over to the goblin and took hold of his free hand. She expected it to be icy from the weather, but it was mildly warm. The contrasting temperatures sent shivers down her spine. She cleared her head from the aftereffects and led the poor goblin to the back of the cave and away from the sunlight.
"Let me see your eyes. Do you have something in them? I can help if you do." Mabrey asked once Marak sat down with his back to the morning. She sat in front of him to observe what the ailment was. Marak chuckled wryly, letting Mabrey catch a glimpse of the fangs she use to think were dangerous. He then slowly slid his hand off of his eyes. Mabrey gasped, though she did not back away.
"Attractive, yes?" Marak asked. What were once the white of his eyes was then covered in films of red veins, pulsating. His pupils and slit irises were wrapped in a ruby red lens, somewhat resembling an iris and pupil cover contact. Now that Marak's eyes were fully exposed, crimson droplets of blood fell from his eyes in globules, changing to brown in color once the blood touched his toned cheeks.
"Oh…goodness. You really can't see in the daytime." Was all Mabrey managed to say. Marak blinked and smiled.
"Dani adores gossiping. What a wonder that she skipped a detail. You will have to scold her the next time you see her." He blinked again, and then once more. Some of the irritated parts of his eyes began to dissipate. Before they completely healed, Marak noticed the stain on Mabrey's leg. His stomach leapt while his mind filled to the brim with worry. "I think I should be the one tending to you." He muttered. Mabrey followed his eyes and only just then remembered about her wound.
"It doesn't…ouch…!"
"And now it does." Marak said, wiping his cheeks with the sleeve of his outfit to rid himself of the drying droplets of blood. He searched for a packet he kept on his person at all times for emergencies such as these. Marak found said packet in the pouch on the side of his sleek black boots. "Hold out your leg, and I'll heal that for you." After a moments pause, he sighed. "I am not going to hurt you. Goblins never lie, remember, little cat?" With those words said, Mabrey gingerly stretched out her leg, wincing at the pain it delivered her.
Marak tenderly peeled back the denim jean legging to reveal the seeping wound. He tore open the package, letting the delicate leg rest on his knees, and applied the paste from the package on the wound. Slowly and surely, the threat went away, not even leaving a farewell mark.
"What is that?" Mabrey asked, fascinated. Her face displayed a curiosity Marak never knew a person could possess. She seemed to drink up his answer like elixir.
"It is an application my kingdom has owned for centuries. It's made with a bit of magic and other properties…" Marak trailed off, he himself wincing once his eyes completely healed, leaving no trace of the pain he was in before.
"What properties?" Mabrey asked eagerly.
"I shall tell you only if you agree to be the King's Wife." Marak joked, cracking a smirk. Mabrey frowned, seriously disappointed at the denial of knowledge.
"In that case, give me back my leg." Mabrey folded her newly healed leg under her to join the left leg. She glared at him sourly, and he felt that he backtracked on progress. Mabrey only felt cold after taking her leg back and shuddered. To cure herself from the cold, she shoved her hands inside of her pockets to rejoin with her warmers. She probably looked like a cousin to the popsicle.
"You know, this will not do. You are cold. I am cold. I do not care if you harbor some disgust over goblins, but for the day, let us have a truce!" Mabrey was about to protest. She wasn't disgusted of goblins, only unhappy from the thought of being cooped up and unable to learn. Before those words escaped from her lips, Marak swooped over her and plopped her into his lap. He then wrapped his strong arms around her shuddering body and rested his chin on her shoulder.
"Now, we are both warm." Marak whispered into Mabrey's ear, and though Mabrey knew that the goblin had somehow bewitched her, she settled into his embrace with a sense of security. Both fell into a wintry slumber.
Author's Note: I love this chapter. Sparks are fun to write. Spzz! See you next chapter!