Sorry it took so long, I honestly have no excuse but writer's block this time. I promise, i will try my hardest to get the next chapter up ASAP! Until then, enjoy this :) EDIT: Thanks for the review, Y-Ko, I've made the changes.
CHAPTER 2
Her eyes, as deep a crimson as the final seconds of a summer sunset, crinkle at the corners as a grin stretches across her face. Then, they close, just for a second, as she tosses her head back and laughs, white teeth flashing, pearly hair gleaming in the moonlight. I laugh along with her, but not as raucously, my own eyes tracing every angle of her visage, memorizing every shade of color in her face as they meld into each other, shifting and changing as the clouds pull across the moon. There's only one out, tonight; Masser, I think. Though, in all honesty, the moon is taking up the least of my attention. Then, again, the clouds part, and yet again, the colors of her skin shift from dark, pine-green, to the shade of silver-kissed sea foam. Her lips, from icy mint leaves, to the color of morning dew in spring. She is the most beautiful woman in the world, standing there, bathed in silver light.
I pull my gaze away from her face. Or, more accurately, I focus on her, not just on the planes and angles that make up the sum of her parts. She's not laughing anymore, but smiling, calmly, contentedly, looking at me with the deep affection that thrills me to be the recipient of. I smile back, and take her hand, pulling her through the trees. She giggles at the movement, and follows my lead, as we leap over boulders and roots and fallen tree trunks, making no more noise than a passing breeze.
We run together for a while, until we reach our destination. Our spot; my perch. Ironically, the place where she'd almost fallen to her death, and where I'd had my worst nightmare in years, was the happiest place in Tamriel to us. It was the place where we'd truly found each other, for the first time. Where we had realized that we were completely, unequivocally, in love. We stop running, and cross the tree line, hands clasped together. I look around the clearing, taking in each and every familiar detail as if it were a new wonder to me. The gradual lengthening of the grass beneath my feet, until it's just long enough to sway in the breeze. The scattered droplets of molten amethysts, the dark nightshade blossoms, opening their petals to the moon. The aurora, bright blue tonight, a soft river suspended in the heavens, flowing on towards gods know where. And the myriad of stars visible from the perch, hundreds, thousands of bright splinters of diamond, glowing against the black canvas of the night sky.
A cloud drifts across the moon, once again darkening the world. The clearing suddenly feels less open, much more private. We continue walking until we reach the edge of the cliff, and sit down, I, with my legs crossed, toying with a twig in my lap, and she, with her legs drawn up against her chest. She wraps her arms around them, and leans her chin on her knees. She looks straight ahead, eyes staring at some indiscernible point in space, no doubt lost in thought. I don't mind the silence; I'm content to simply sit, and watch the beautiful girl. I resume attempting to identify and catalogue every possible aspect of her face. But, the deeper I look, the more difficult my task becomes. Typically unnoticeable things become obvious with time, such as her eyelashes. Each one of the long, curved hairs casts it's own minute shadow onto the plane of her face, and each time that the wind so much as stirs, they shift, forcing me to start over. After a minute, however, I give up, and follow her gaze out to the sky. I begin counting the stars meditatively, unconsciously allowing my thoughts to wander.
"The sky here is different from the one in Morrowind." Gabriella murmurs quietly, breaking the silence. I look up at her words, brushing my hair out of my face to clear my vision. She continues staring straight ahead, thoughts still elsewhere. I wonder if she's even aware that she has spoken.
"How so?" I ask, turning my gaze to the heavens, and then back to the elf. She looks up at my voice, a questioning expression on her smooth face. She relaxes.
"Oh. Well, in Morrowind, everything has a reddish hue to it, as if it has been covered by a thin sheet of dust. I never realized it until I came to Skyrim; the night here is blacker, the stars shine brighter." She pauses for a moment, biting her lip thoughtfully. "Everything has an icy clarity to it." She finishes, turning back to me, crimson eyes asking whether I understood.
I nod. "That's how I felt when I came here from Cyrodiil. Everything there seems…green, and soft." I laugh slightly at my less than eloquent description, and Gabriella smiles. "But here…" I trail off for a moment, trying to find the right words to accurately convey my thoughts. "Skyim is all ice, and rocks, and wind-blasted trees. It is what it is because of the snow, the moons, the stars." The elf nods, again leaning her head on her knees, resuming her thinking. "It's wild, and ageless." I murmur, my words not directed at anyone in particular.
A few minutes pass. The silence is companionable; we're both comfortable enough with one another to understand when words are necessary, and when they aren't. After another minute or so, she speaks again.
"What is it, about this place, that calls to you so strongly?" The elf inquires in her lilting voice, again fixing me with her crimson gaze.
I pause for a moment, attempting to formulate the best response to her question. But I can't think of a way to truly convey my emotions towards this place. I don't completely understand them myself. So, after a while, I settle on the simplest answer. "The view." I reply, gesturing out towards the sky. "You can see the stars from here."
She nods thoughtfully, then continues, "Then, what is it about the stars that draws you?" Her eyes remain focused on me, intent as ever.
I sigh. This time, a response comes to me in the blink of an eye, the answer as familiar as anything could be. I look down into my lap, and resume toying with the grass there. My long, auburn hair hangs into my eyes, as a speak. "My parents…they were killed, when I was very young. You know that." Gabriella makes a sympathetic sound, and I take a deep breath, before continuing. "The last words my mother said to me, were that I should run as far and as fast as I could. And I did. I fled to Whiterun. But, the road to the city was a long one, especially for a seven year old." I force a chuckle, and the elf wraps her arm around my shoulders. I smile gratefully. "So, I cut through a forest, somehow managing to avoid wolves, sabre-cats, frostbite spiders, bandits; none of them ever took any notice of me. I didn't realize how lucky I was of that fact until a few years later. Anyway, it was that first night after my home had been burned. I was sitting on a flat rock, crying my eyes out. I didn't know what to do. I was just a child; I couldn't go on by myself." My voice hitches, and I stop for a moment, to clear my throat. I look up at Gabriella. Her eyes, the color of wine held in front of a lantern, shine with empathetic emotion. I look down again, before continuing. "I just…happened to glance up. I remember my eyes flicking back down again, without really taking notice. And then, something shifted in me. I looked up at the stars, and I stopped crying." The elf smiles, the expression a mixture of comfort and sadness. I feel her soft hand, as she gently brushes the hair out of my eyes. Her touch sends a pang of emotion through my stomach. "There…there were these two stars in particular. They were side by side, and brighter than all the rest. And, somehow, my young mind decided to believe that those silver sparks in the night where my parents, watching over me." I let out a breath of air, almost a laugh, relief at finally letting go of the memory washing over me. "I stayed up all night. Watching. Gazing. And when the morning came, I got up, and began walking to Whiterun. And…I haven't cried for them since then."
I glance up at her, just for a second, to see her reaction, but quickly look away again. I clench my jaw, annoyed that I allowed myself to be so vulnerable with her. I look off to the side, and begin to apologize, but Gabriella's fingertips on my cheek stop me. She guides me around, until I'm facing her. She shifts from her prior seated position to a kneeling one, moving in very close to me. I look up at her, sculpted face framed by diamond waves of hair. "I love you, Daanik Sun-Strider." She murmurs, before leaning down to kiss me. The warmth of her lips against mine sweeps through my mind like a gust of cleansing wind, carrying with it all the clutter and fear and anger that I'd left to fester over the years, things I'd forgotten existed at all. When she pulls away, my breathing is clearer, lighter. I smile up at her.
"And I you, Gabriella Aschrown."
She pulls back, with a content, happy expression on her face, and returns to her original seated position. Again, she rests on her knees, head tilted slightly downwards, so that all that's really visible of her face are her eyes. They have a glow to them, like dying embers in in the night. Silence envelopes the two of us, as we resume our stargazing. A breeze whispers across my face, and I shiver slightly. Gabriella extends her arm, and I look up at the movement. She reaches out over the edge of the cliff, palm facing upwards, and concentrates. A softly crackling flame, about the size of a small melon, grows into existence on the face of her hand. Once it's fully formed, she slowly pulls her hand out from under the ball of fire, and to my surprise, it remains floating in midair.
"It is a spell that I have been working on. A combination between a Magelight, and a simple Flames spell." Gabriella explains, at the expression on my face. A proud smile flits across her lips.
I grin, proud of her unparalleled skill. Single schools of magic were relatively easy to manipulate, but integrating two of them, such as Alteration and Destruction, isn't an easy task even for veteran mages.
We inch closer to the fire, crossing our legs and leaning forward slightly, trying to absorb as much warmth as possible. I stare straight ahead, eyes pointed towards the crackling ball of flames, trying to make out it's center. Slowly, I lose myself in the dance of the burning tongues, trying to find some rhyme or reason to their movement. I find none, but don't seem to care, as the combination of warmth and light lulls me into an almost hypnotic state.
After a few minutes, Gabriella scoots closer to me, and leans her head against my shoulder. I look down, surprised at the motion. Then I smile, and press my lips against her pale hair. She sighs deeply, and leans in closer, the soft curve of her body fitting perfectly with my own. I wrap my arm around her, and hold her close. Feeling her warmth. Breathing in her scent.
I part my lips to whisper something, but stop, as the elf lays one, delicate finger on my lips. Her ruby eyes stare up at me expectantly, as if waiting for me to take action on something that apparently already seemed clear to her. And then, slowly, without being aware of the action as it happens, I open my eyes.
I stare at the ceiling in silence for a few seconds, my mind adjusting to the reality of the situation. I'm in a small cabin, somewhere between Hjaalmarch and Haafingar. It's very cold. My hair is long. My daggers are gone. And Gabriella…is…And suddenly, the weight of the sky crashes down on top of me. I let out an involuntary sob, my chest heaving with it's intensity. The fact that the experience that I'd just relived was only a dream slowly dawns on me, and I wrapped my arms around my stomach, and hunch over, trying to force myself to calm down. "Oh gods…" I whisper, pleading for an end to this misery.
I grab ahold of a section of the bed's frame in each hand, crushing it in my fists until my knuckles turn white. I feel my nails carving trenches through the wood. Better it than my skin. I hear the material creak, and after a minute, I calm down sufficiently enough to release the planks. I hold my hands up to my face; my fingers are torn and bloody from the splinters.
I lay them on the blanket, still breathing heavily, and concentrate on the stains my bloody hands leave on the virgin cloth. Suddenly, a voice reaches my ears, interrupting my attempt at settling into comforting, though temporary, single-minded ignorance.
"Gabriella, this time?" Amaril asks, voice as calm as ever. I look up; he's standing in the open doorway, his tall frame difficult to make out in the dark.
I don't have the energy to respond with anger. I nod, numbly, looking back down at the blanket. I clench my hands, and a bit more blood trickles from them.
"Gods…" He murmurs, sympathetically, and walks over to the side of the bed. "I'm sorry, mate." He puts a comforting hand on my shoulder. I don't respond. I continue to stare at my hands, examining the red stains as they seep further and further into the cloth, trying to identify the shapes they represent. Amaril sighs at my unresponsive attitude. "Well, at least you didn't dream about the legion again."
His words strike a nerve in me. "Why?" I mutter, the word almost indiscernible.
"What?" He asks.
"Why?!" I roar, hurling the blanket away and leaping out of bed. The cabin trembles slightly at my voice, as I turn my burning gaze to the elf. "Why must I be subjected to this nightly torment?!" I scream. The ground shakes harder this time, and the elf holds out his arms to steady himself, eyes wide. "What did I do to deserve this?!" Dust falls from the ceiling, and I hear a rafter crack.
"Tell me!"
My words echo, coming out louder than they should have due to the influx of unwanted power that so readily jumps to my aid now. Amaril doesn't answer me, and I force myself to remain silent as well. I grit my teeth, and look down, clenching every muscle in my body. Slowly, the shaking stops, and the dust settles. The tiny room is silent, but for my labored panting. My rage abates almost as quickly as it had come. The threat is gone. Even still, I don't want to look up. I don't want to meet Amaril's eyes, afraid of what I might find there, be it anger, disappointment, or worst of all: pity.
The elf still doesn't say anything, and after a minute, I look up, and sigh. He's gone. I turn around, and sit down heavily on the bed. Absentmindedly, I notice that my ears are still ringing from the force of my own voice. I flick my eyes towards the corner, catching a glimpse of the carving that I had made last night, barely visible in the somber night. Without thinking, I stand up, and drag myself over to the cracked piece of wood. I pick it up, and brush the dust off of it. My head swims when I see the image; suddenly, I feel immensely tired. I sit back down on the bed, and close my eyes for a second to stop the world from spinning. When I feel like my stability has increased sufficiently, I open my eyes again, almost unwillingly. I look down at the flower carved into the wood, and a pang lances through my stomach.
"Gods…" I whisper, desperately wanting something, anything, some form of guidance. I beg for the hand of the Gods to carry me, just this once. But, my prayers go unnoticed.
After sitting in silence for what must have been at least an hour, I slowly sink back onto the bed, fingers still clasped around the fractured carving. I glance out the window; it's nowhere near dawn yet. I turn back around, shivering, and close my eyes. The words of Gabriella's lullaby come to me, unbidden. A single tear, trickles down my face.
I don't remember falling asleep. All I recall in the moments before, is a melody, and a hand on my cheek. Both are imagined, I know; but they're comforting all the same. For once, I let myself be peaceful, and take comfort in the denial that sleep offers.
How was it? As always, let me know, leave a review. They're appreciated VERY much :)