It loomed over him, every night, every dream — the specter of death, which would always tread so near and yet skitter far away. He tried to confront it, at times, steeled by momentary encounters with his own, jilted bravery, but never could he open his own eyes wide enough to see what followed at the end of days. There was so little the fledgling knew. He knew that death awaited everyone, and roughly where it went, but the process of departing from life was something he found impeccably strange. He remembered that moment, two years gone, where he laid facing what he could see of the clouds from a clearing of pines, his eyes reaching towards the exaltation of the heavens before they flickered to a close. It wasn't Muid he found, then, nor the coolness of a Well of Souls... it was instead the image of himself upon a tall cathedral, overlooking a murky city below. The building was the one he had chosen to marry Riven in... a personification of all of the dreams he had in life that death would rob from him.
Of course, it didn't matter to his mind back then that Riven was already dead — it was more a lamentation of what could have been. The life, the future, that he had always meant to have, if only he might have escaped his ebon chains.
Death terrified him, then. As he ruminated above that cathedral, he wept into the cobble and the murk, and felt himself fade. And then he lived.
It was a strange feeling, that: weeping over the end of one's life, only to be returned to it. For a long time, he envisioned that everything after then was a dream, his mind suspended in reality by the very wishes of his soul. It took Taelian a while before he could see that he was still alive, that he hadn't lost those dreams after all, even if the man he originally intended for them was gone. Even if his mother was gone, his father, Eleanor and Lethiril and Vendrael... he was still alive. No one else, perhaps, but always him. He made peace with that: the fact that he lived when all of the arteries that stemmed out from his heart had shriveled and passed. He couldn't imagine himself ever being happy, perhaps, but he could sublimate... he could create great works of art, he could build nations, he could alter the course of the world to a trajectory that would have seen his loved ones still alive.
And he made peace with that idea, too, only for that concept to die again, before long. He found Ford, and suddenly he was in the shoes of the man who dreamed again. Beyond almost anything else, that was why he wanted him to be his Arlaed... because if Taelian lost his meaning again, if he had to cope again with the abolishment of everything that formed his life, he did not want to live a life at all. If Ford died, the man would go with him, and then finally he would know what death was like after all. He wouldn't be spared from it, not again. Not even the son of a God ever got a third chance.
And now, there he was: choking in his bed, hacking up the contents of what looked and felt like dark phlegm, suffering an illness he thought himself impervious to for so long. There it was, inside of him — the corruption. The Bleeding of Venadak. It was in his blood, in his bones. Every manifestation that came made him shiver, and even sob, and he never let the other man see or hear or know. He was meant to die with Ford if the time came... Ford wasn't meant to die with him.
Through it all, though, he wore his smile whenever eyes could see him. He didn't know how bad his symptoms were, or for how long they would last. He only knew that he was confused, and uncertain, and even in pain. That was fine, though. Long before he'd ever imagined himself as a Draedan, that had been the natural state of his life. He was raised in the Bedlam, after all, his parents both succumbing to a disease of bubals and ulcers. What was black bile emerging from his throat, and coolness, and shivering, and pain? He compartmentalized all of it, and focused instead on that idea again: sublimating. Rather than facing his mourning, he would be the best husband and father he could ever be. He would assure that his children were not corrupted when they were born, and he had spent the better half of the last month practicing and refining his ability to construct the chambers they would very soon be moved to.
Taelian was a happy man, now, with Ford. A sick man — perhaps even a dying man — but a happy one, particularly because no one knew about all of those other, uncomfortable parts. Not even the man he very much loved. It wasn't a secret, really... or at least he rationalized it that way. It was... because he wasn't sure, and why worry the other half of his soul over an uncertainty?
The man emerged from the bed. Sometimes, he dreamt that he was much sicker than he was; he imagined himself coughing and hacking heavier, bloodier things. He remembered the claymore he'd shoved into his own chest to prove he was a Draedan to Arkash — sometimes, he hacked that up, too. It didn't really matter what it was, so long as his anxiety could conjure it up as some horrific, visceral thing.
He set all of that aside for the moment, and rubbed the side of his head, the palm slowly moving over to apply gentle pressure to the edge of his eye. His features were pensive, and cool.
"It's the new season," he muttered, not really seeking for Ford to hear him, though he wouldn't act surprised if he did. His husband had a way of stirring whenever he did; maybe it was part of being Arlaed. "This is where everything always happens, isn't it? Not grand, but simple. Starvation, illness, dying from deprived heat. Cheers to Frost."
Taelian stood, nude, and brought himself to his desk to flip through the pages of the dossier Miranda had left him. The sun had only just begun to rise, but work was on his mind. The cannery was opening in a few days. Everything was about to change.
Re: Born
Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2022 10:54 pm
by Ford Edevane
Ford’s dreams didn’t involve anything of the sort. He hadn’t had such an eventful life. For a human, it was eventful enough, but his life was slowly changing, and that was something that could not be helped. His dreams had dealt with other things, mostly failing to be there for Taelian for the years to come. Not in the sense of being a lousy husband. Most revolved around him being too weak, usually accompanied by Eloise’s voice of reasoning as to why it had to happen. Regardless of any of that, though, he had started working on what could be helped. He had strengthened his body beyond what the mutagen had done for him. His muscles were becoming tougher, and his ability to change muscle dynamics more quickly was becoming more acknowledgeable. He had a goal that he hadn’t told Taelian yet. Mostly because Ford wanted to try and do it himself. He just had to poke his nose around before he could do it.
The nights since their initial meeting had been glorious. Nights were usually filled with lovemaking or the ability to speak freely and offer affection. It was unique for Ford, and he felt it was unique for Taelian. No matter, Ford usually did stir when something happened. Just as when Ford would wake up and leave the bed, it wasn’t long before Taelian had come looking for him to fix whatever was wrong or drag him back one way or the other. In that current moment, though, while Taelian was suffering, moreso to himself. Dealing with… Ford was silent beside his husband, not reacting to anything happening in those moments.
At the time of Taelian’s waking moments, Ford was on his belly, one knee arched up beside him and the other partially out straight from him. When Taelian’s shadow passed across the room with the last dregs of the night’s darkness across it, there was the slightest glint from Ford’s direction. He may have been lying with his face buried, but he was awake and watching Taelian as he had woken up.
He’s coughing again and choking even. When was the last time he slept a week without it happening?
And in those silent morning minutes, he hadn’t moved. He simply watched his lover from the safety of the bed until Taelian had busied himself with the dossier. Quietly, he slipped out of bed, not acknowledging what had transpired before Taelian got out of bed and the comments about Frost. Coming up behind him, Ford’s muscular arms slid around Taelian’s torso, his hands smoothing over his abdomen as he pulled him into a tightly squeezed hug. He couldn’t possibly hug Taelian with any more love. His husband held it all already. A soft, gentle kiss of his lips to the branding to the back of the other’s neck, and he rested his chin atop Taelian’s shoulder and looked to see what he was looking at.
“I miss the days my husband spent every morning hour in bed with me, snuggled up to me and saying sweet words.” He did pause for a moment, smiling and kissing the side of his lover’s neck. “But then you look at me with that look of yours and just melt it away anyway.”
Resting his cheek against the back of his shoulder, he simply wanted to hold his husband, keep in close, and ensure he felt Ford’s affection. “Busy day ahead?” He asked, but those blue eyes did not hold the same warmth his voice did. He was worried. Taelian wasn’t supposed to be the sick one. Ford was supposed to be the one susceptible to stubbing his toe and dying. Was it even a sickness? Was it some kind of allergy? He didn’t know, but he didn’t care. Taelian wasn’t ready to talk about it, and he wouldn’t push him. Not yet. He owed Taelian that much.
Re: Born
Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2022 7:19 pm
by Taelian Edevane
Before he knew it, Ford was slung around him, kissing his neck and whispering lovingly into his ear. His husband's voice always had an effect on him — no matter how he felt, it had its way of simultaneously warming his core and sending throbbing, cool shivers throughout the muscles innervated by his spine. Taelian turned his head back to kiss his beloved on the lips, before rotating his chair and drawing him into his frame, bringing him onto his lap so that their bodies could intermingle. "You miss those days?" he asked with a low whisper, bringing his lips to brush against Ford's ear. "Then let's make today one of those days, again. It's the solstice -- a public holiday. I don't need to work today, and what better to spend my time on than you?"
The man smiled, smoothly, lowering his face so that his lips could embrace every contour of his husband's neck, Taelian kissing along the underside of his jaw and trailing down. He'd sort of answered Ford's question, with that — his day had the potential to be very busy, or very lazy, and he at least wanted to spend some of it doing nothing of interest. The man wrapped his arms around Ford's back, gripping him before steadily bringing himself into a standing position, carrying the large other man in his grasp. He brought him to the bed and followed him onto it, sprawling out across Ford's muscular frame and nuzzling their faces together.
"I want to be done with my duties with the Covenant already," he mumbled in what nearly sounded like a tone of complaint. "I want to be able to do nothing but lay around with you again. You know nothing makes me happier than this, right? Nothing makes me happier than you?"
Re: Born
Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2022 7:52 pm
by Ford Edevane
How could Ford not find a way to his husband and offer him comfort? Something as simple as a hug, a kiss, a compliment. They went a long way, much longer than people gave them credit for. As he was pulled to his lover’s frame, though, he could not help but grin knowingly. He would be a liar if he said he did not appreciate the times when he could just hug his handsome other half. The question, though had Ford’s head leaning back just a bit. A gentle uplift of his chin and pursing of his lips could be seen as his eyes narrowed. Were those trick questions? Having searched his eyes for a longer moment than was necessary, taking in the beautiful set of ambers before him, his expression changed when he realized they were standing and found themselves right back in the same bed they had just abandoned moments ago.
Ford could not rebuttal against Taelian’s choices because things had worked back in Ford’s favor in more than one way. Back to the bed and his lover lying atop him, the blonde had found the warmth of his husband’s face against his own, and his body only allowed him to do one thing at that moment. He let out a sigh of complete and utter contentment. Just laying with Taelian was more easing to his soul than anything else he could think of.
The questions came with the lilt of the other’s deep voice, which had pulled at the corners of the Griscian’s lips into a smile. “I do. I admire your hard work, but the days spent lazing about with you, hearing you say my name, or sharing wine with you and no other cares in the world are sorely missed.”
Gently, his hand lifted to stroke fingertips to the back of his husband’s neck, stroking over the branding before sliding their caressive strokes into his hairline to hold to the back of his head. As his fingers found their places, his thumb lightly stroked back and forth in soft, even strokes, merely comforting his Arlaed as they lay in their bed. “Soon, Taelian. I know you desire something better and something… More….” His free hand slid up his husband’s triceps and over his deltoid, and his palm down his lover’s cheek and caressed it as he pulled him that short distance for a kiss. It was a simple, chaste embrace of his lips against Taelian’s, one of which found Ford closing his eyes and breathing in his lover’s scent. Whatever Ford had meant to say had been lost for taking the chance at that momentary embrace of their lips to one another's.
The softest sound of their kiss ending could be heard as Ford kept his eyes closed. The right corner of his lips pulled into a warmed, heartfelt half-smile. “That sounds divine… And one day, our family will be complete… But would a life like this truly make your heart the happiest?” As he asked, his eyes finally opened, and he looked at his lover, sliding his hands down to hold his muscular neck, fingers squeezing and pulling at the man’s body, feeling the musculature down from his neck to his shoulder. “And no matter what, you will always be my everything. It’s funny… Before meeting you, my thoughts always wandered, and I continuously tried to understand everything that involved me… But since I met you. Perhaps some would say it’s unhealthy. I have given you everything I could ever offer, and if I could give more, I would. You have made me feel something that… Perhaps I am foolish, but I don’t even have a word to tell you how being in your presence, being your husband, being here in this bed with you, makes me feel. I just know I am complete.”
Re: Born
Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2022 2:57 pm
by Taelian Edevane
It was nice to have moments like theirs — like the one they shared, presently, alone and entwined without a single thought or worry. They couldn't have those moments all the time... or even often, depending on the season and its encompassing woes, but when they did it was nothing but pleasant. Taelian had no reason to make things at all difficult. When Ford seemed to inquire whether or not their simple dynamic would make him fully content, he merely nodded, offering a quiet 'of course' before moving forward with their physical intimacy.
And then came a knock.
"Lord von Klade, Ser von Klade," a woman's voice intruded, humming in through the boundary of the door. Lord was Taelian, of course, and Ser was Ford. Ford was perhaps a Lord to Taelian, but until the mess that was Taelian's divorce and re-marriage was handled officially, he was merely a Ser to everyone else... particularly the title-hawks of the Covenant.
"Yes?" Taelian grumbled, rolling off of his husband before bounding off the edge of the bed, grabbing a bath robe from the coat rack and wrapping it around his frame.
"Kyng... Kyng Uldred of Jorikford has, ah — cordially invited you and your dear husband to his court, to demonstrate the, ah... power and proficiency of..."
"Hilden, out with it. What is wrong?"
The woman stammered; she was quite obviously perturbed even through the door, which Taelian quickly swung open. The blond-haired woman's face was crimson red, but not because she was flustered or embarrassed. She was terrified.
"...the power and proficiency of... of the Draedan, Lord von Klade," she whispered, averting her eyes down. "He, ah... specifically mentioned to me that he would very much like a Draedan to illuminate the Winter Solstice. He said: 'Who better than the son of Venadr?"
The man's face went pale, and he slowly shook his head, back-and-forth. Before anyone knew it, Taelian's arms were clutched around Hilden's shoulders, and his eyes widened, his face shaking with rage. A grimace overwhelmed him, and he spoke in a barking, almost destructive tone.
"Who the FUCKTOLD HIM?!" he screamed, thin droplets of spit escaping his furious maw and landing on her forehead.
"T-Taelian, it was not me. I do not know who it was — I have been trying to contact Eloise all morning since the request, but she will not respond. P-please, remove your hands from my shoulders," she pleaded, maintaining her straight posture all throughout.
Taelian let go, and huffed out, his arms unsteady with a undulating, wroth vibrato. He couldn't stop his chin from turning again and again, unwilling to accept the words he'd just heard. The man turned around, facing towards Ford, who he hoped was covered by blankets rather than bare and exposed to Ms. Vandel.
"F-Ford... he knows. The Kyng of Jorikford knows, and he wants me... he wants me to put on a public-fucking-performance. What... how is this happening?"
His heart was pounding; the man reached up to grip his temples, massaging them as heavy breaths pierced through his throat and escaped into the air of the room. Hilden quietly excused herself, performing a low curtsy as she did.
"We can't go," he muttered. "No... but we have to. It's the Kyng... there's no refusing... we can't. We have to go... we have to go..."
Re: Born
Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2022 3:51 pm
by Ford Edevane
Hilden had always been polite and cordial to Ford. He remembered from the moment he stepped inside for his interview and dealings with her up and through to the current day. She had never been outright rude to him, nor had she turned her nose up to him simply because he had not established himself as a Mage or a Lord of import, yet. So, when the knocks came, interrupting their moments of marital bliss, Ford propped himself up on his elbows and watched his husband dress himself to answer the door. The names afterward brought a smile to his features before knowing the message's intent. She had no reason to include his name in that address for their attention, just Taelian’s. But when the door opened, and Hilden’s tone was anything but cordial and maintained, it properly concerned Ford, which saw the blonde pressing himself up into an upright position before turning to the side of the bed. The pants he had worn the day before happened to be nearby, and they were pulled on quickly and fastened.
Allowing space not to interject himself in Covenant business, he kept a safe distance, off to the side, and allowed his gaze to settle on Taelian’s face. There were many emotions he saw play across his lover’s face, but when he gripped Hilden and the sheer anger compiled with fear across his face increased ten-fold, he had to at least attempt to step in. He was not foolish enough to grab at Taelian, not when he had a firm grip on someone else. But Ford had begun coming into his own.
A deeper, heavily Griscian-accented voice spoke one single word.
“Taelian.”
By then, he had released her, and once the other had turned to face him, there was a stern but apologetic glance from Ford to Hilden. He would have tea or something random to check on her at another point if there was another point. With Hilden leaving, Ford leaned over to close the door and moved to stand directly in front of his husband. He had seen him frustrated, but he had never seen him like this. Something closely guarded for so long was now knowledge and would soon become public knowledge. Although ignorant of the deeper intricacies, Ford also felt a certain level of fear. Not for himself or for the idiotic commonwealth that would be subjected to the Kyng’s cheap display of power. He knew he had a Draedan in his midst and wanted to show the world that he had one… It did not matter. His focus first, foremost, and always would be Taelian.
It was a quick movement and perhaps unneeded, but the movements of Taelian’s face needed to stop. His nervous system was reacting to the intense emotions and pumping of hormones throughout his body. Ford’s hand had curled under Taelian’s jaw, fingers gripped to one side of the male’s lower jaw while his thumb came under and up to grip the other side. Hopefully, stopping Taelian’s facial movements enough to force him into eye contact, the bright depths of blue clashed with the fierce amber gaze, and for just that moment, Ford stood in silence. Nothing but deep breaths in and deep breaths out. Only then could he speak.
“The Kyng knows… It does not matter how he knows right now… It matters that he knows.”
A momentary pause as his thumb released the pressure from Taelian’s jaw and instead chose to stroke across the well-structured flesh.
“I only see very few paths leading from here, husband. You can do it. Do as the Kyng asks. It will bring you the closest to him that you have ever been… You said it yourself, you needed to get close, and now’s your chance. But if you choose that, I want to make sure that choice is for yourself. Not for the Covenant as a whole… Not for Eloise… And not for these people. It needs to be what you want. If what you want is to do this for whatever reason. I will stand by your side and do what I need to support you.”
Clearing his throat, those blue eyes finally lowered from Taelian’s as his hand fell from his Arlaed’s lower jaw to rest on his partially robed chest.
“This is a make-or-break decision. If you choose to do this… The Kyng is announcing he has his very own Draedan… And it will bring unimaginable troubles to our doorstep once it goes beyond Jorikford”
“…Or run. Keep your secret on your terms, and I will run with you and live in a cave on a mountain in another land if that is what it takes. They will attempt to out you regardless… But, Taelian Edevane von Klade… You do not run. You are not a coward… That much I know, or else my knife would be in a forest somewhere, paying homage to the elements. For as much as I want to protect you from even more pain and hurt, I know you are a fighter… I can feel it every time I look into your eyes… You have this deep richness to you that is intoxicating.”
Pausing his words, he took a deep breath and let it out through his nose. “If you do this. Do it calmly and calculated. Do it for you and on your terms and twist it to your benefit. Do not do this for Eloise, the covenant, or even the Kyng."
Ford had known something was coming. Perhaps not in this manner, but since Eloise had inadvertently shown a bit of her hand, he knew something was coming regarding both the Draedan and the Kyng.
“I support your choice, but I will not sit by and watch you do it alone.”
There was a single, daring blonde brow raised, almost asking to tempt Taelian into trying to tell Ford no.
Re: Born
Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2022 4:46 pm
by Taelian Edevane
Taelian could not be calmed, but Ford calmed him... or tried to, at least. His hands wove their way into the edges of his complexion, and before long he was speaking reason into the open, agonizing void that suddenly curdled out from the web of Taelian's mind. He could feel the arteries of his thoughts expanding outward, forming some penumbral veil over everything else... and occasionally, Ford's calm slipped in, and narrowed the empty path towards smaller but equally blind walkways. He did not know what sat at the end of either of them, but his husband was right. He had the choice: between risk and reward, or escape from it all. If this was Eloise's doing, it meant that she was far more cutthroat than he thought... but that also meant that he didn't need to be bound by loyalty to her anymore.
He could make his own path, one where he only considered himself, and his family.
His very own Draedan. Those words stuck to him -- he hadn't even thought of it that way, but that was probably what it was. The Kyng of Jorikford wanted Taelian to be present to all as a threat; a weapon he had acquired, one he was ready to wield. He had no idea of what ruin he would bring upon himself in doing so, though; Grisic still hunted his kind, and that hadn't changed. The essence of his soul was of incredible value, and he doubted the Living Gods returning in their very incremental way would dissuade any predators. They weren't going to protect him -- they didn't care about anyone outside of their venture to keep feeding the Well of Souls.
"There is no point in running. All that will do is isolate me, forging the same ultimate outcome but with no support. If I at least pay homage to Uldred's ridiculous game, he'll have incentive to protect me. If I don't, he may as well join the Griscians in hunting me down. I may be Venadak's son, but that means little now in this world, even in Radenor. Draedan are a threat, and if they cannot be tamed, they are best annihilated. It's the same thing with Ascendant mages; it's why we don't see any of these old relics of history any more. That degree of innate power threatens the rulers of our ridiculous world."
Biting his lower lip, the man sighed out through his nostrils, looking down emptily towards the floor before his gaze quickly rose back up, taking in Ford's handsome features and his lifted brow. He wasn't going to tell him no, whether he was dared to or not. He needed Ford.
"I already know what he's going to want from me," the man said, frowning. "He's going to want me to fight the Beast of Leiden. It is... a Necromantic construct, one made hundreds of years ago. It was meant to protect Jorikford against the remnants of the Unbroken Empire after the Bleeding -- to push them out of this land. Uldred loves to flaunt it around, particularly in the form of blood sport. He wanted Miranda to fight it, once, but she refused... the day after, she was stripped of her title of Overseer of the Malevin chapter of the Mages Guild, and was nearly brought in for execution. He's a pitiful fucking bastard," Taelian spat.
Ford was right, though. Calm was what they needed. If they were going to go forward with this, he had to be prepared for that possibility... that threat, and Ford needed to help him.
"You should sit beside the Kyng in the observation balcony, overlooking the Hippodrome," the man said with a nod. "I want to know what his intentions are, and I trust you to figure them out. If they're poor, I will fly up from the arena ground and melt him alive. I'm not playing his game for his own benefit -- I'm doing it for ours. So let's be smart."
Re: Born
Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2022 5:27 pm
by Ford Edevane
It was not Ford’s intention to ease every worry that had been awoken. Ford had a gift for being calm, but he could not erase the fears that Taelian was feeling in those moments. The blonde did not know if it had been Eloise, but Eloise was the only one that had anything to gain by the move that had just occurred. In those moments, the Griscian held contempt for the woman. For as fine of the features she had and the poise she carried herself with, Ford had seen something else entirely. None of that mattered, not anymore.
“Then we do not run. Give him a reason to protect you… Then take everything from him and show him pathetically insignificant he is.” It was not like Ford to speak so ill of someone he had not met. But the person in question had chosen to involve his husband in something that had the potential to be disastrous on so many levels that he could not help but feel a sense of ire in the Kyng’s direction,
“Are you well enough to fight it the way you want?” Ford had played dumb enough not to acknowledge it to Taelian before. There was no question in Taelian’s ability; Ford knew that Taelian could handle it regardless, but Ford had his stamina and fortitude in mind. The coughing and the bits after were not lost on Ford, and he knew when his husband was ready to figure out how to get help, he would let him know the rest of it.
Ford wanted to help. He just wasn’t ready yet to take on a fabled necromantic beast whose historical reason for existence was to stem the remnants of the Unbroken Empire. The Griscian knew when he was outmatched, however… Two things he had going for him that could not be denied, even by Eloise. Ford had an air about him that welcomed conversation and amiability, and he could read people. They weren’t his only strengths but they were enough to put money towards. “I will be his closest friend if needed.”
He did have to pause, though, because Ford had to take a minute to breathe. Not because he wasn’t ready to do what it took to help Taelian but because, in the grand scheme of things, the Kyng had interrupted his lazy day with his husband. That was unforgivable.
In a robe or not, Ford’s arms slid under Taelian’s own and wrapped around his muscular partner, pulling him in against his own body. Chest to chest, he rested his chin on his husband’s right shoulder and rested it there, holding him tight. “We’ve got this. I’m not afraid, not if we’re in it together. Whatever I can do, I will.”
