I did this fic for a facebook group, the theme: Soulmates
What better than a Soulmate Kyman AND a Stick of Truth AU?
So... it got a little bit out of hands. Title came from the song ''And So My Heart Became a Void'' - Ursine Vulpine and Annaca.
Warnings: Not beta read (yet), Stick of Truth's AU, Soulmate AU where you can't hurt your soulmate, angst, hurt/comfort
And so my heart became a void
The Endless War between the Kingdom of Kupa Keep and the Elven Kingdom is, after long years that feel like millennia, a step away from ending, with the advantage held by the humans thanks to the Grand Wizard King.
The clearing that has served as a battlefield remains silent except for the spells of the kings clashing against each other, closely observed from a distance by the soldiers who still stand. They are exhausted, leaning on each other without daring to heal their wounds, too absorbed in the battle unfolding before their eyes; each spell and flash of magic kindles or diminishes the hopes of each race, the humans holding their breath when their king seems to finally subdue the High Elf; for their part, the warriors of the elven kingdom watch in despair as the plants their king is using in his defense begin to wither, the magical exhaustion clear in his movements despite stubbornly remaining standing.
Though the Grand Wizard King has the advantage, none of the humans wish to celebrate yet, fearful of jeopardizing the results by getting ahead of themselves. For them, the elves are elusive, and it wouldn't surprise them at all if at any moment the High Elf pulled something out of his sleeve to tip the scales. For the elves, who know the extent and limits of their own magic, though their king's is vaster due to his position and lineage, the battle is already lost, and they can only hope for a blessing from the Gods.
No one but their kings know what will happen to the losing side, but they can only imagine the worst.
Those present stifle a collective gasp when, suddenly, the High Elf falls, stumbling over the dry roots of his shield, and the Grand Wizard smiles victoriously, raising his staff. The fatigue is clear on his face, even from the distance, and more than one is surprised that he didn't fall first.
''This ends here, High Jew Elf'' he declares loudly, the tip of his staff, pointed at the elf's body, which is trying to stand, begins to glow, ''I'd say it was a pleasure to meet you, but I'd be lying.''
''If you're going to finish me, do it already, coward'' the elf king spits, accepting his fate.
The Grand Wizard huffs, brandishing his staff, gathering the little magical energy he has left for the final blow. Under the horrified gaze of the elven warriors, the light of his staff intensifies, and a final spell is cast towards their king. Someone screams, no one is quite sure who or if all at once, when the light envelops the High Elf, the spell emitting a whistle and then disintegrating in the place the elf occupied, blinding them for a moment. A victorious shout escapes the Grand Wizard's lips, but it soon turns into a sound of confusion.
When those present regain their sight, they are surprised to see the High Elf in the same position he had been, kneeling before the Grand Wizard, without a single scratch apart from the small wounds he had obtained throughout the battle, not a single hair out of place, and only a small part of his robe singed.
''What the hell...?'' the Grand Wizard growls in frustration, refusing to believe his powerful spell had failed but unable to cast anything else. Frustrated, he raises his staff, ready to finish the opponent the old-fashioned way, but when he lowers it with force with every intention of striking him, the staff stops centimeters from the elf's face, who looks as surprised as he is.
''What's happening?'' murmurs one of the human soldiers, or perhaps one of the elf warriors, confusion spreading throughout the clearing, turning into murmurs that quickly flood the place.
''Stop...'' the Grand Wizard raises the staff again, getting the same result when trying to hit the elf with it. ''Let me finish you!'' he shouts in frustration.
''I'm not doing anything, fat idiot!'' the elf retorts, managing to get up, his scepter held tightly in his hands, and this time it is he who tries to strike the Grand Wizard with it.
Tries is the keyword, for just like with the Grand Wizard's attempts, his scepter remains suspended in the air, centimeters from his head. Both remain still, intensely observing their chosen weapons, trying to discern if the lack of magical energy is interfering with their attempt to finish the other or not.
''You're cheating!'' the Grand Wizard suddenly declares, dropping his staff and lunging at the elf, who, in trying to stop him, drops his scepter. Their bodies collide and fall to the ground from the impact. ''No protective magic or amulets! That's what you said, stupid Jew!''
''I'm not doing any of that!'' the elf protests, trying to get the human off him, their bodies struggling against each other and rolling around in a ridiculous and undignified display for two rulers.
''You're insufferable!'' the Grand Wizard growls, ending up on top of the elf, quickly subduing him, taking advantage of his physical strength. He presses a hand to the elf's chest, pushing to keep him there, and raises the other, fully intending to beat him to death if necessary.
No one understands what is happening when, just like with the staff, the Grand Wizard's fist stops in the air, centimeters from the High Elf's face, and no matter how much he struggles to land the punch he's been dying to throw since they met, it's as if an invisible force is stopping him before he can touch him. He could even swear his arm is being pulled by this invisible force in the opposite direction; only the equally confused look of the elf beneath him assures him that he really has nothing to do with what is happening. A quick glance at his disheveled appearance confirms that he carries nothing different from his usual accessories that could be helping him.
''Why?'' he shouts, frustrated, straightening up on the other's lap, still pinning him with his legs. ''Why?'' he repeats, frowning, trying to find the answers in his freckled counterpart's face.
The High Elf returns the same confused look, but it is clear in his eyes that he is thinking about all the possibilities that could be causing the impasse in their battle. It makes no sense that it is happening now; they had struggled before, pulled each other's hair, tripped each other; they had played every juvenile and childish prank they could think of whenever they had to spend time together in the same space the times their parents had tried to establish a peace treaty between their kingdoms.
But... The High Elf rises, his hands reaching to touch the Grand Wizard's shoulders, confirming that they obviously can touch each other. But... He thinks, trying to hit the human, getting the same result as the other: his fist raised centimeters from his face, held by something he cannot see or feel but that prevents him from completing the action. All those times they had faced each other with childish malice had never...
The intention had never been to cause permanent harm. The fact that now that they fully intend to hurt each other...
Both kings observe each other, reaching the same conclusion.
There was only one reason in all their knowledge why, right now, at this precise moment when the fate of the Endless War depended on the death of the other, they could not fulfill the task for which they had come to the battle.
When the elves had asked for a blessing from the Gods to win, this was definitely not what they had in mind.
The concept of "soulmates" is merely insignificant to humans.
Yes, they are aware that since existence is existence, whatever wove the fabric of the universe took the trouble to grant every creature with intelligence and consciousness the virtue of linking their souls to another person. The legend goes like this: two people cut from the same cloth, destined to meet and coexist as one; the purpose was to complete and fill the void they were born with, find each other, and spend the rest of their lives together. The purpose, in short, was that no one, regardless of race, should be alone.
The problem, from the humans' point of view, is that this "something" seemed to have a peculiar sense of humor or was deeply bored when it made that decision because it put a single condition on the whole matter, which, in turn, served to find your other half: soulmates could not, under any circumstances, cause physical harm to each other.
It seemed archaic to them. Even savage. As if that entity they could only speculate about expected everyone to start fighting whoever crossed their path to find their "other half."
At first, long before the human Kingdom was a kingdom, and before Kupa Keep was even a thought in a noble wizard's mind, it was easier for humans to find their soulmate. ''Easier,'' of course, didn't mean it was simple. With the quarrels and wars that broke out among the different human villages, it was common for someone to discover their soulmate in the person they had to fight on the opposite side, and more times than could be counted in the history books, that encounter ended in tragedy, for war is relentless, and no one bothered to stop for more than two seconds to understand what was happening.
That pain, of losing who was supposed to complete you but hadn't had the chance to know, was too much for humans. It wasn't the reason for unifying them, but it was the driving force behind the peace treaties between human villages starting to take place.
And with their unification under the command of the first Wizard King, all in a single kingdom christened as Kupa Keep, they did not hesitate to throw away the idea of destiny and soulmates. They had enough with the empty shells of those who had lost their other half; the suffering was more than they were willing to tolerate, and with their King's blessing, the humans decided it was best to abandon any active search.
The knowledge remained there, history passed down from generation to generation not as motivation but as a warning.
"This must be a mistake! I refuse to accept it!" bellows the Grand Wizard King, cutting off whatever the royal advisors are about to say, ignoring the irritation written on their faces.
After the revelation they had on the battlefield, both kings decided to make a truce to verify the matter. All soldiers were sent back to their respective kingdoms, ordered to be treated immediately, and the fallen were also taken for their respective funeral rites. Meanwhile, a temporary peace treaty was established within hours to allow for an emergency meeting on neutral ground.
This neutral ground was a castle that no one had ever claimed, located on land where their kingdoms bordered each other, where rare peaceful meetings between previous rulers were held when they attempted to end the Endless War. They mutually decided it was the best place, ignoring their exhaustion and wounds to focus on the meeting; the royal advisors were immediately summoned, accompanied by a historian or scribe from each people unified under their mandates, with orders to bring every book, scroll, or manuscript known to have details about soulmates for both humans and elves.
In the hours after the battle, with adrenaline still coursing through his veins, the Grand Wizard King did not understand the need for the High Jew Elf King to call so many people or take so much time to analyze anything. From his perspective, they simply needed to clarify the mistake, convinced it couldn't be true.
Completely sure that the stupid elf couldn't be his...
"With all due respect, Your Majesty," the royal advisor of the elves looks at him with irritated calm, condescension oozing from every pore as if it could crush the Wizard King's will. God, even the way he addressed him as if he were still a child indicated he wasn't entirely convinced he deserved "respect", ''we have checked in every magically possible way. There is no mistake..."''
The elf continues speaking, but the Wizard King decides to ignore his diatribe; firstly, due to the clear disregard for his authority, and secondly because he had more important things to concentrate on. Like the other king, sitting on the opposite side of the table in front of him, various elf healers examining and healing his wounds while he reviews the manuscripts laid out before him; written in a language the Wizard King cannot understand, not that the distance helps, of course. The calm with which the elf examines the texts greatly irritates him; he was taking things too calmly after the aggressions were paused, while his own mood worsens as the meeting progresses.
How could he be so calm? Unlike him, who had started the meeting with shouts and insults, the High Elf had not raised his voice at any moment. Well, ''any moment'' is a bit of an exaggeration; he did it gladly a few hours after the review of the supposed connection between them began, using language unbecoming of his royal self, seemingly reserved solely for him, letting him know in the most vulgar way he had ever spoken to him to "stop whining" and "damn it, Cartman, just let them speak so we can solve this."
The outburst took him by surprise, effectively silencing him for a couple of hours. On another occasion, years prior, the Wizard King would have reveled in making him lose his composure; he would have immensely enjoyed seeing his cheeks flush and his tongue slip into the ancient elven language. But this moment is like no other, the outburst ended as abruptly as it began, and the High Elf was once again enveloped in that silent calm that was beginning to drive him crazy.
Why? Why wasn't he as upset as he was? How could he simply be there, calm while being healed, listening to the nonsense both advisors were spouting? How could he accept so calmly and peacefully what was happening when hours ago they were about to kill each other? Unfruitfully, they now knew, their spells did not clash by chance, but they were about to.
For all that is and isn't sacred.
How could he simply accept as absolute truth that they were soulmates?
The thing is, for the elves, the whole matter is much more serious and solemn than for the humans.
For them, more than a prank motivated by the boredom of an entity beyond their understanding, it is a blessing. A gift to compensate for the long years their existence spans, filling them with calm and joy with someone who shares the same burden of their longevity.
Soulmates, for the elves, are not designed to complete them but to complement them. Someone to compensate for their weaknesses and enhance their strengths, with whom to care for nature and their people, to serve their purpose on earth. Their view on the matter is, frankly, more romantic than one would expect from creatures that live longer than the average. The detail that they could only identify their other half by not being able to harm them is, in a few words, an opportunity to maintain peace. Their magic, by itself, was supposed to guide them in their search instead of resorting to senseless fights.
"Is there any record of this happening before?" is the first thing the High Elf asks after hours of silence. His tone is measured, flat, inflexible. So much so that the Wizard King unconsciously squirms in his seat.
It is not a tone he has heard before, accustomed to the irritated inflection with which he addresses him, or the familiarity with which he speaks to his second-in-command, Ranger Marshwalker, or the polite chivalry with which he speaks to Princess Kenny, his own second-in-command, or anyone in general who isn't the Wizard King. Even when he speaks to his people, his voice has more life than this poor imitation of his normal voice.
The Wizard King is not sure if this is good or bad; what he knows is that he doesn't like it at all.
"Don't you think if it had happened before, we would already know, Kyle?" he asks irritably instead, cutting off whatever the elf advisor is about to say, who throws him an annoyed look for his intervention.
"Not necessarily; who knows if it was hidden to prevent...?" the High Elf stops, frowning before looking at his advisor.
The Grand Wizard doesn't need to hear the rest of the sentence to consider it himself, looking at his advisor for answers. If at some point in the history between both kingdoms an elf and a human were soulmates and the records were simply eliminated... How many years of massacre could have been avoided with that information?
"This has never happened before, ever," informs Princess Kenny, gaining the attention of those present.
In theory, the woman shouldn't even be present, considering it is a delicate matter for which only experts were called. However, she refused to miss all the drama she knew would unfold and used the excuse of healing King Cartman to be there; not that their healers couldn't do it, of course, but it was that or abuse her power, and she wasn't in the mood for that.
Besides, it was a bonus to annoy the Wizard King with several whispers about the matter, congratulating him for finding his other half or joking that they took too long to discover it.
"We have no records," confirms another human present, nervously playing with the sleeves of his robe.
"There are no records in the royal library either," agrees the elven advisor, pursing his lips slightly at having to agree with the humans.
"But is it possible it has happened before?" questions the High Elf, his eyes scanning the room for answers.
"Is there any way to break the bond?" asks the Wizard King at the same time, his words hanging in the ensuing silence with much more weight than his counterpart's.
All eyes in the room turn to him, and only years of enduring similar or worse looks prevent him from shrinking into himself. Princess Kenny looks at him with incredulity, daring to pinch his side instead of hitting him as she wishes, but it is the pain on the High Elf's face that makes him truly consider what he just said.
"There is no force or magic capable of breaking the bond between soulmates, Your Majesty," says one of the human advisors, carefully measuring his words. No one liked the idea much more than their King, of course, but he couldn't be so stupid as to insult the elves, right? Hadn't he been taught anything in his preparation to assume the throne?
Yes, they had years in a war with the elves, but that didn't mean they were ignorant of their customs, and of all the things he could have asked, it had to be that.
"Nothing except, maybe..." responds the High Elf, straightening in his seat, looking, for the first time since it all began, directly into the Wizard King's eyes, ''the Stick of Truth."
The silence that falls over the room is much more oppressive than before.
The Endless War had lasted so long that no one could remember exactly how it started. What they do know, of course, is that the Stick of Truth was involved.
The Stick was an object imbued with magic unknown to both elves and humans, but whose properties were believed to guarantee immense power to its possessor. No one knows where it came from or how the knowledge of its existence spread across the kingdoms, but it had caused so many deaths to obtain it that gradually the focus of the war changed to who should protect it rather than who should wield it.
The elves claimed that human minds were too weak to control such unknown magic, promising that they could keep it guarded and no one would be tempted to use it. The humans, on the other hand, already deeply involved in the conflict, did not trust the elves' words one bit because they themselves knew they would be capable of atrocities if they were to possess it; in their logic, then, knowing what they would be capable of if it were in their hands, they were sure they could protect it better.
And it was, of course, the only thing that could go against destiny itself.
"Leave," commands the High Elf when the silence starts to become suffocating.
"Your Majesty..." protests his advisor, looking at the Grand Wizard with distrust. Just because he couldn't intentionally harm him didn't mean one could trust the human.
"We are both magically exhausted, and your purpose here has been fulfilled," he says, his gaze never leaving the Grand Wizard's, who holds his gaze while struggling with the desire to shrink away. "Leave."
His words leave no room for doubt or protest, so one by one the present parties withdraw, with varying degrees of resistance, until only the Grand Wizard and he remain. The last to leave is Princess Kenny, who looks back and forth between them with concern before closing the door behind her.
The room falls back into a heavy silence that neither seems willing to break. They remain this way for long seconds that drag by, looking into each other's eyes and ignoring the tension that fills the air; finally, the first to break eye contact is the Grand Wizard, uncomfortable with the feeling that the High Elf is looking into the very depths of his soul.
"Do you really wish to break the bond?" The Grand Wizard looks up again, slightly startled by the question, sure that if they weren't already silent, he wouldn't have heard it because of how softly the High Elf spoke.
"Are you sure you want to accept it?" he asks instead of answering, shifting in his seat.
The High Elf observes him for a few more seconds before standing up, approaching the window in the room and turning his back to him, and for a moment, the human regrets not being trapped in the green of his gaze a little longer.
"Eric" the named one jumps again, surprised because it must be the first time in years he called him by his name, if not the first time in his entire life. "Do you really wish to break the bond?" he asks again.
The Grand Wizard observes him, noticing the tension in his shoulders, the slight tremor in his hands despite the way he holds them behind his back. He swallows hard, considering the question, really thinking about the implications of answering affirmatively.
Is it really what he wants or did he just ask because he thinks it's what Kyle, deep down, wants?
But, of course, it's foolish to even think the elf would agree to such a thing. No matter how much he wishes to crush the knowledge he has of the High Elf, he knows that of all the insults and curses he has hurled at him, suggesting breaking the bond is the worst of all.
"I'm surprised you didn't suggest it yourself," he lies brazenly, carefully rising to take the place next to the elf, observing the garden.
"Do you know what happens to elves when the bond with their soulmate is broken?" he asks instead of responding to his comment.
The answer is obviously no.
Eric knows what happens to humans, not only from the stories passed down orally but also because he witnessed it firsthand with his mother, being one of the few with the misfortune of falling in love with her soulmate. Fate had been cruel, in his opinion, linking the poor woman to the man he was forced to call father and who, even after his death, only brought her suffering. What they always seemed to forget is that, sometimes, physical harm was not the worst thing that could happen to someone.
But elves? All he knew was that they had their ways of finding each other without causing harm, and that they had a long existence ahead. However, the somber expression on the king's face next to him makes him remember the rumors that reached the Kingdom of Kupa Keep before the High Elf was crowned.
Like how the then High Elf Gerald died mysteriously and Queen Sheila, a warrior from the remote Jerseyite forests, followed shortly after. Dead from a broken heart, like his mother.
"I can only imagine," he admits, feeling uncomfortable with the thought of death, even more uncomfortable imagining himself as the cause of the man beside him dying in such a cruel and pathetic way.
"Even if I dared to think about denying the undeniable, we must accept that we are destined to be together, Eric" finally, the elf turns towards him, and automatically, Eric turns to face him. The sorrow in the High Elf's eyes, mixed with a feeling he doesn't dare to name, takes him by surprise. "The problem is that I don't dare, nor do I wish, to deny the undeniable."
What? He thinks, feeling his breath cut off.
"What?" he murmurs aloud, or thinks he does. He is sure something has come out of his lips, but he can't hear his voice over the pounding of his heart in his ears.
"I was prepared to die for my people in battle" the expression on Kyle's face softens and Eric wishes he could hit him, really hit him, to erase it. His neutral or angry expression is a thousand times better than the vulnerability displayed before him at this moment. "This war has taken too long, and you have rejected every attempt at peace I have offered."
"I didn't..."
"And if the answer is yes" Kyle places a hand on his shoulder, interrupting him gently, ''you won't need any peace. Stan had instructions on what to do if Kupa Keep won.''
Shut up, he wants to scream, but he can only look at him, paralyzed in place. Shut up, don't say foolish things, he thinks, taking a deep breath. He opens his mouth, closes it again, the words stuck in his throat. The desire to retract everything he has ever said to the High Elf, to erase it from his memory and everyone else's, burns in his gut.
"If the answer is yes, I was still prepared to die by your hand" his hand rises from his shoulder to his cheek, resting there with a softness neither is used to, giving him a smile that feels like a dagger to the heart.
It's not fair, it's not fair, it's not fair, it's not fair.
"So I ask you once more, Eric Cartman, Grand Wizard King of the Kupa Keep Kingdom" Had the High Elf ever used his full title? His full name?. "Do you really wish to break the bond that binds us?"
It's not fair that Kyle leaves the weight of the decision in his hands, believing that he will make it to the detriment of the elf. It's not fair, at all, to confront the feelings that have been gnawing at him for years after such a long and tense day, a week, a month, a year.
Their whole lives.
After the revelation that has been made to them.
Of course, the damn High Jew Elf would put him on a hard place where the only solution was to admit that he has never, not even when their first meeting was a complete disaster, hated Kyle.
"Damn... Jew Elf," he manages to say, ignoring how his voice breaks with a sob that struggles to escape. "Of course... Of course I don't wish to do it."
He doesn't know what hurts more, admitting it aloud or the surprise on the redhead's face.
"I don't want you to die, you damn idiot"—he sniffs, lifting his hands to wrap them in the High Elf's robe, pulling him towards him with strength. "I accept... I accept this bond and everything it implies..."
"Eric..." Kyle's gasp brings a small laugh from him, the elf's cheeks turning a red as intense as his hair, giving the fierce king an adorable look.
"And I accept any stupid peace treaty you can think of" he continues as if he hadn't been interrupted, his hands releasing the robe to wrap him in his arms, taking advantage of the few centimeters he has to rest his head among the mess of curls that he calls hair. "And I won't let you out of my sight for a damn second, do you hear me, stupid elf?"
"Hm" if Kyle has said anything, his voice is muffled by the fabric of his robe, his hands tightening around his back the only indication that he accepts his words.
If suddenly his robe becomes a bit darker where the elf's face rests, or if some curls are flattened by sudden moisture between them, neither mentions it. They'll have plenty of time to tease each other about losing control of their emotions, or they'll let it pass in favor of taking the secret to their graves.
They will have many things to arrange from now on. Like their wedding, because although elves and humans disagree on many things, both races could agree that once a soulmate bond is accepted, it must be formalized according to their laws.
There will also be a political headache ahead, between possible opposition to a more permanent peace or resistance to a possible union of the two kingdoms. But that's a headache for later, when their bodies recover and their magical energy stabilizes.
For now, they will simply remain there for a long while, enjoying each other's warmth and the closeness they have yearned for years, not knowing that the other desired the same.