The girl sat upon the cold stone floor, her back curled against the rock of the cave, her knees drawn up against her chest. Several times in an hour she faintly recognized the scraping of stones against the rocks, though she had become accustomed to it.
She tried not to think of the stranger who would be coming soon to collect her, but she could not help it. The magic of the ancient books drew her in such a way, compelled her towards him time after time.
She noticed the pebbles clattering on the floor as he came to stand at the doorway of the cave. He watched her for a few moments and she suddenly remembered the night he first came to her. She had been unable to sleep, and so she wandered to the cave. Then, she had almost gone back once again, terrified by the sound of rocks scraping across the ground, until she caught the sight of him. He was a striking figure of a man, standing tall and dark with a flowing dark cape covering him from the night air. His black leather vest was laced and clasped with silver. Around his neck he wore a thick silver chain with a sapphire set at the center of it. He had stepped out of the darkness and revealed himself to her.
At first, he had not spoken, but only stood near the entrance of the cave entrance. She was too scared to move, but he stayed and watched her for what seemed like hours. Then, he spoke to her. He told her stories of his past, his travels in his search for the Druid's source of magic, and the girl had listened, fascinated by his tale. She was hypnotized by the way in which he spoke... the sound of his voice made her feel safe.
Mysterious and captivating, he drew her to him like a moth to a flame. A fascinating, dangerous passion, she could no more resist his call than she could a hungry lion. Then, without warning, her entire body had grown hot and she couldn't stop herself from melting into his arms. He spoke again, with a newfound hunger in his voice.
"I can banish the curse, but it will take one of you. Your clan-brothers will not remain. I will take your place. Your clan-brothers don't deserve you."
His penetrating eyes fixed on her, hard and angry. Then, with a sudden movement of his hand selecting one of the books from the shelf, he snapped its leather cover and the page rustled. He read the passage aloud:
"Selfishness, deception, and greed are dark traits of your qualities. You are untrustworthy and blunt, and deserve no love."
She had stared back at him, speechless. He had scowled, expecting a response from the tip of her tongue, but she had none to give. He had glared back at her, not hiding his disdain and disdain in her silence.
With a flick of his wrist, he had directed a bolt of white energy at her and it struck the wall, mere inches from her face. She had gasped and begin to tremble at his rage. She started to explain herself, but as she tried, he continued to interrupt her.
"I offered you a chance at happiness, and you accepted it. I provided you my aid, and you accepted it. I gave you a place to sleep, and you accepted it. I have given you stories, and you have accepted it. More than that, I have given you my DATING, and you accepted it."
She pleaded for his forgiveness for not responding, for letting him down, for not being able to tell him WHY she hadn't responded. He did not respond, but shouted louder and louder, as if he had found a fault with her. His words came in rapid succession and became maniacal. Then, bile rose in the back of her throat, as he apologized for insulting her, apologizing for yelling at her, apologizing for cursing her,
Backing away from him, she staggered off the cold stone floor of the cave and ran into a chest. She reached behind to find the handle and swung the chest open. Then, she fell to her hands and knees, tearfully. The anger that had filled him was suddenly gone, and replaced with pity and concern.
"I think… I should go, now. I will miss you. Please, tell my clan that I am sorry." She had begun to weep, seeing the remorse on his face. She looked up at him, seeing his face and his stony face soften. "Whatever you wish," he told her, his head bowing to the floor. She had gotten on her knees, and he took his hand off his hip and held it out to her, as if to silently offer her to leave. She stood, and grabbed his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet and they had fallen, into a deep embrace in each other's arms. He held her like a dear friend and wrapped his arms around both of her upper arms. She wrapped her arms around his back, hugging him tightly.
They had stood like that for several minutes, until she closed her eyes and gently kissed his cheek. He smiled just a bit at her. They stood there for a few moments, nothing but the sound of her sobs muffling their breathing. She felt his warm breath against her face and she closed her eyes as his left hand rubbed her back.
Then, she broke out into squeaks and moans as she tried to explain her cowardice to herself and to him, but she was suddenly restrained. His right hand grasped her left wrist, preventing her from clawing at the chest before her. His left hand grasped her left shoulder, holding her back too. She struggled for what seemed like ages, but she could not break free from him. Then, she felt her knees beginning to weaken and she seemed to lose consciousness. As she slipped out of his grasp, she heard him speak with a different tone than he had ever used before.
"Don't leave me now." It wasn't an order, or even a command. It wasn't even an order to stay. It was a plead to stay, a plea to not leave. "I'm sorry. You're sorry. You are sorry. You are sorry. You are sorry."
She heard it before she opened her eyes. "You are sorry. You are sorry."
She opened her eyes and looked around herself. He had encircled her in his strong, black cloak and he was holding her close to him, beside a large candle that was surrounded by eight smaller ones. She stared at their faces and watched twitch as if in pain. She turned to him and they stared into each other's eyes.
"I am sorry," he said, looking at her and smiling as he spoke. He chuckled warmly and his fingers ran through her long, black hair. "Sleep now," he whispered, his finger softly stroking under her chin. "You were trying to tell me that you were sorry again. That you wanted to stay, but you were afraid. Barely awake, you were half out of your mind, trying to get me to understand why you refused me. Sleep now," he told her gently. "When you wake up, I will show you the relic you came for."
She leaned her head against his chest, and she felt his arms encircle her shoulders and his head rest upon hers. She smiled, content and peaceful. She had always loved the feel of the deep forests and she felt perfectly safe and at home in his arms.
The spell she was under seemed to last longer, but she suddenly fell asleep, against his chest, in his arms.
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