To see a Darkened Sun
chapter 9
Gwyndolin watched as they battled, on and on, over and over. Oscar was beginning to hollow and Arias was getting worse and worse condition. He was now holding his sword in his left hand, his right one had been sliced right through the wrist, passing through the joint and almost cutting it clean off. He was bleeding profusely, and as they fought and on, he became more and more animalistic in his fighting style.
Gwyndolin hated it, seeing a man such as Arias devolve into a beast, and even worse, an unstoppable one... all for him. His heart was beating faster again, Gwyndolin grimaced, shaming himself for getting caught up on such a thing while Arias was in so much pain. He had to do something. Looking over at the two, he would not be able to hit either of them as they were moving too fast, and it was already hard enough to differentiate them from each other because of their armor.
He hated feeling this helpless. There had to be something he could do. His grip tightened on his catalyst as his mind raced. What spell could he use in this situation, would it even be able to reach them? So many different outcomes. He looked to the windows, the sunlight that filled the now bloodstained room seemed as if it was not meant to be. Because it was not, it was his illusion, his illusion that he could control.
Then an idea popped up in his head, one that with some proper timing, would work well. He had to at least try.
The rays of sunlight quickly intensified. Growing bright, so bright, filling the room with the golden glow it soon became so intense they had to close their eyes to avoid going blind. The wild movements of both Oscar and Arias halted, staggered by the golden glow of Anor Londo. Arias heard a familiar sound, the sound of Gwyndolin's teleportation spell. Soon the light retreated from the room, the golden glow returning to the simple rays of sunshine from the windows.
Arias quickly opened his eyes, looking in every direction to prepare for an attack, but it never came, Oscar was gone, and all that remained was the sunlight, Gwyndolin, and the blood that now coated the previously pristine floor and walls. Seeing he was safe, Arias collapsed to the floor, the adrenaline quickly losing it's kick, and pain filling all of his senses, overwhelming him.
There was a small flash of light, and then Gwyndolin was sitting beside him, he lifted him onto his lap and gently ran his hands along his chest, feeling all the cracks and protrusions in the metal of his armor. Arias gazed into his crown as he continued to move his hands across his chest. He saw the worry in the frown on his mouth. Gwyndolin repeated the stroking motions along his chest, up then down, the sensation reminded Arias of taking deep breaths.
It was so calming, the soft repeated motions, the presence of his god, caring for him, it almost felt as if it were soothing his wounds. He wanted to speak, he wanted to say that he'd done all he could, that he was sorry was not able to better defend him, but he could not find the words.
Arias feebly lifted up his left arm, and it shook as it found it's way to Gwyndolin's cheek. Gwyndolin was shocked by the action, yet he did not make a move to stop him, instead he gave him a concerned look.
"Ah- aahhhhhhh..." His voice was weak and hoarse, and he still could not find any words to express himself, simply groaning in pain as he tried to convey some sort of message. Gwyndolin held his hand in his own free palm, he felt a calming warmth to it.
"Do not strain thyself Arias." He spoke.
"Thou may rest now. Thine duty has been fulfilled." His voice was soft and heavenly, and Arias could not help but sigh in response. His hand slowly fell back to his side, leaving a smear of blood on Gwyndolin's cheek. Gwyndolins own hand then found it's way to his face, lifting his visor and wiping away some of the blood.
Then, his arms wrapped gently around him in a warming embrace. It wasn't long before Arias fell fast asleep in his arms.
Gwyndolin sighed as he sat down on his bed. His heart was still thumping and he did not need to read a book to understand why that was now, though he did anyway. One of his snakes collected him one from his small library. He read through it, then another one, then another. Instead of highlighting another possibility they all shone a light on what his strange feeling must be.
Love.
He was infuriated that he'd let such an emotion take hold of him, a god, a child of Gwyn no less. And he had an extremely important role in the age of fire, one that he could not put in jeopardy because of some sacrificial undead. Yet, whenever he looked at Arias, his heart raced, and his mind would focus in on him.
He was ever so devoted to him, more than any of his other followers. He sacrificed a potential ally and his entire past just for him. He'd never even heard of a human that loyal before. Could it be that he also felt something for him? He cursed himself for such a thought, even more so at the fact that deep down he knew he liked the thought. Of him. Of, them.
Gwyndolin groaned and looked away. Damned undead, teasing out his deepest emotions without even knowing it. Though as much as he tried he couldn't be really angry at him, even if his presence messed with his feelings, even if he was just a sacrifice for the flame. Maybe he was caught amidst one of his own tricks, not being careful enough he may have set a trap for himself by accident.
No that was just too far out there, even for him. As much as he tried to get around it, as much as he tried to fight it, he'd have to accept it at some point. Looking back over to Arias his heart began to thump again, and he felt his cheeks warm up, but this time he did not look away.