Stage 03

“So you made this thing?” Kaiyo was speaking to a gentleman seated at the bar, large eyes taking in the intricately crafted crossbow he’d placed beside him on the bar top. It was large, the length of the man’s arm, and made of polished steel with golden accents; it’s stock was created like that of a rifle, sturdy yet had cut outs of what looked like stick figures holding the piece on their tiny shoulders. It had a single hand crank, positioned near the long silver trigger on its belly and held a long range scope atop its massive frame. Its arms were made of three curved cuts, leading out like the wings of a dragon and affixed to the weapon’s body to lead into ornate carvings of a beast of fire. Maybe this is what she found so intriguing for she’d been tracing the delicate details much to the unease of its owner.

Its owner was a larger man, looking to be around 6’3 and filled of 160 pounds of muscle. His skin was a light olive tone, that melded well with the wavy black locks that hung around  his squared jaw; the strands were a thick medium length and cut in delicate layers so it’s bottom most half curled around the base of his neck.  He was quiet, watching with large grey eyes mixed with worry and discomfort. He was a handsome, blunt, man of 23 years that grew up under the wing of a blacksmith in this city. His clothing seemed to match that of his personality for it consisted of a pair of fitted black trousers, polished black combat boots, a deep maroon button down and a rather bulky army styled jacket with a fur lined hood.

As if deciding to speak up before his weapon was broken his words were drawn out on a calm, deep tone, which one would expect from a silent older brother, “I did, now leave it alone. You don’t know how to use it so it’s highly likely you will damage it.” Eyes not missing a beat they took on a sharp edge, glaring out from his messy bangs towards the young woman at his side. This girl was strange.

Kaiyo whimpered, brows knitting together in annoyance, “I will not break it! I’m being careful!”

“Kai! Leave Oz alone, damn it.” Leon barked from the other side of the bar, clearly in a bad mood as he dried a glass. She’d been here a week and had already started to annoy his regular customers, it was a pain in his a*s. Not to mention Zane’s reluctance for work as of late; the kid had shown up twice since Cael left earlier in the week and vanished most of the day the others. The hell was he going off to and getting back so f*****g late at night? Brown eyes muddled he looked over to the male seated who was now quietly sipping his brandy: Osmond Baines was a local but fit more into the realm of weird folks in this town. Not that Leon could say much; he was the King of that damned category. He was a regular that had taken over the local Blacksmith shop when its original owner passed last spring; he wasn’t the quiet type so his silent brooding today was throwing the demon off.

Oz sighed, grey eyes wandering up to watch his usual acquaintance with an odd stare, “I didn’t know you were a big brother, Leo.” Taking a sip of his drink he swished the liquid around a moment, watching it, “Why hasn’t she been around before? That weird Father of yours usually keep a good eye on her?” The girl in question had wandered off to another part of the bar, now peeking over the shoulders of two men playing poker with bright eyes. She looked like a child that had been brought into a toy store she’d never seen before, as she had every day this week for something new always piqued her interest.

Leon lifted a brow, instantly suspicious of the man’s uncharacteristically quiet nature and sudden onslaught of questions. “She visits sometimes, I just keep her out of my affairs. Better her pain that old beast than ruin my damn bar’s reputation in this town.” Leon placed the glass under the bar before grabbing a bottle of whiskey to refill a woman sitting on the smith’s left. This was odd; Oz was the brooding type but he usually had a mouth that matched that of his late Father. It never shut up.

Osmond had laughed, sharp eye wandering back to watch Kaiyo with a renewed interest; she was a bit entertaining when she didn’t have her hands on his things. His brows were knit in thought, as if he were processing the lines of her figure, “She’s a lovely woman. I never would have thought you had even an adoptive sibling that looked like that, Leo.” A sharp sound of a bottle hitting the granite counter caused the man’s eyes to pop up and rush round towards the brunette in front of him. S**t he’d hit a nerve.

“Oi, Oz …” Words dark, Leon had reached over to grab the male by his collar. This son of a b***h had a personality like Cael when it came to women, and he wasn’t about to have any of that s**t with his sister. Had the old fire breather been there he was sure the son of a b***h would have roasted this mother f****r … so if he punched him it was the raven getting off easy, right? “Keep your hands off.”

Osmond laughed nervously, hands suddenly lifting as if he were surrendering, “I won’t breathe on her.” He’d appeared to be bracing for the impact of the owner’s other fist for Leon’s demeanor was well known in this town. Alas it never came, partially to the black headed male’s relief … and discomfort. He usually wasn’t the type to turn down a fight if he was dragged into it, but wasn’t the type to go out starting them either. Feeling himself released he returned to his drink, shrugging lightly, “How long is she here?”

“Not f*****g long.” He hoped. He prayed for his own damn sanity at this rate for now it seemed he had more than fiends to worry about attacking her in the middle of the night. Plus, Cael hadn’t exactly given him an idea of when he’d be returning … not that the drake’s lake of information was surprising Dark eyes narrowing he studied the young woman approaching the bar, “She should be gone next week.”

“Oh? You heard from Papa?” Clearly not reading the tension in the air Kaiyo plopped down beside the 23 year old and leaned forward to inspect her brother. “Did he find anything out then?” She hadn’t noticed the young man on her right stiffen and suddenly take a dire interest in his drink before he’d reached over to pull the crossbow into his lap protectively. The only thing she was eyeing was the furrowed brow of the male behind the bar top, “You worry a lot more than you used to, you know?”

Leon stared in mild disbelief, never in his life had he seen Osmond shy away when a woman approached. Especially one he’d been eyeing. Since when was that a*****e the shy type?

After placing a cup down, he wandered over to a kettle that he’d recently retrieved from the back and filled the empty ceramic with hot tea. He was clearly ignoring her last comment, not wanting to admit to the sign of weakness in the slightest. “I haven’t heard anything from him yet, but he should have made it to the desert by now.” Lifting the cup he placed it in his sister’s waiting hands before returning the kettle behind the bar. “After you finish your tea can you do me a favor, kiddo?” Leo leaned forward resting atop his elbows as he eyed the front door. It should be fine to send her out for a bit, right?

Kaiyo sipped her tea lightly, large eyes confused, “What is it big brother?”

“Could you go see if you can spot Zane around town?” Brown eyes taking on a more worried edge he met her golden ones softly. He was uneasy; Zane had been acting even more strangely than normal the past few weeks but this was the first time he’d skipped out on working. Usually the kid was nearly glued to his side out of fear of flipping his lid … so why? “Don’t approach him if you see him, but keep an eye on him. I want to know what he’s up to, and I’m sure Raid and Charlotte wouldn’t mind knowing.”

Raid and Charlotte were old companions, the couple had ventured with he and the rest of their lot years ago when the world was falling apart. They’d been long time friends and the dumb a*s ended up confessing to her around the same time he latched onto Sara like a small child. Merely thinking the name caused a sharp pain to rise into his throat and he was forced to stop his thoughts a moment before they wandered out to that tree in the courtyard. Leon cleared his throat, swallowing lowly.

After everything happened they’d returned here and helped him bury her then the rebel organization’s leader and his wife skipped town to live in Mihal. Raid had stated he was enough in this town to keep the peace, but with both Cael and Vincent here as well it was too much over kill. Too many well-known faces in one place could cause trouble … Raid was a smart man. Suddenly as if he was being snapped from a dream Kaiyo’s face burst into his personal space and she’d given him a sharp flick on the nose.

“You’re thinking too much again, Leo.” She’d been speaking to him and he hadn’t heard a damn thing. Seeing her older sibling retreat rather embarrassed the young woman laughed, her golden eyes soft. She really did love this big oaf a lot, to the point it pained her to see him looking so lonely in his own mind. “I’ll go look for him and I won’t start or get into trouble. Promise.” She wasn’t a weakling, and ironically Leon was the one that acknowledged this fact more than their Father. That she was grateful for.

“Watch you back, alright? I know it’s peaceful enough but there’s still usual dangers of living in a large city.” Leo smiled, ruffling his sister’s hair thankfully before glancing over to Osmond. S**t, was he really about to ask this? Then again from the way the male was acting when Kaiyo was actually near him he was sure he didn’t have much to worry about, “Oz, you busy today?”

Shocked out of his thoughts Osmond looked up, grey eyes large, “No. Why?”

“Think you could show her around? I haven’t taken her much farther than the market on the next block, so I’d rather her not get lost.” Despite his wandering eye, the blacksmith was the type of guy you could rely on in a pinch, and despite his look he wasn’t the pushover most thought him to be in this place. “I don’t want her to turn a few hours excursion into a 24 hour thing because I didn’t show her around properly. Can I trust you with that?”

Both the young ones stared in disbelief, Osmond from being asked to complete such a task … and Kaiyo at the fact Leon had just asked another being a favor. He didn’t used to trust others so easy, had her brother grown in the past few years she’d been vacant from his life? Her eyes were studying the man, a spark of awe apparent in their liquid depths, “Hey, Leo …” Before she could speak further Oz stood and silenced her by cutting in and speaking over her.

“I’ll agree only if you take care of my drinks today. Deal?” His voice was giving him away, he was nervous about the whole thing, for it was shaking and his cheeks were a faint red. Of all the things that brute could ask him to do after threatening him … s**t. Now he had to be alone with that woman!

Kaiyo lifted a brow uneasy; this one was weird. “I’m sure I’ll be fine by myself.” She really didn’t want to have to walk around with this guy. He had been rude to her at first and now he was acting offended.

“Deal. Have her home by 3 PM.” Leon spoke wiping his hands, glancing to the clock that read a little after noon. It shouldn’t take them that long.

“Rodger. Let’s go woman.” Osmond grabbed his crossbow and tossed it onto his back where it usually rested before turning on his heel and headed for the front door without as much as a glance back in the black headed princess’ direction.

Kaiyo stared, mouth agape before looking to Leon and sputtering out, “Are you serious? You really want me to have to entertain that guy all day?” He was definitely weird! He’d just switched back to his rude demeanor as if someone had flipped a switch! Leon simply shrugged, nodding towards the door as if to urge her on, “He’ll leave you if you don’t hurry up. He’s not the type to baby people.”

No wonder that a*****e got along with her brother so well! They were the same! Grunting with displeasure the young woman stood and trudged for the front door, waving lightly to her older companion. “If I come back and he’s been eaten it’s not my fault, big brother. I mean it!” She’d called over her shoulder, voice her distaste once more before stepping out into the middle of the bustling street. Now, where had that guy gone? Golden eyes shifting about she searched through the crowds rather quickly before sniffing at the air. She could smell the food stalls from the market from here, and finally the dull smell of coal and sweat gave the man away. He was waiting at the corner of an Inn, arms crossed and light eyes glaring in her general direction.

Now that she thought of it, why did he smell so strangely? Allowing herself to leave the mood she’d been in behind Kaiyo folded her arms behind her back and started walking over with a mild skip in her step. She’d taken on the demeanor of a young princess, for she barely remembered these streets from when she’d walked down them years ago. It was a sense of renewed excitement and adventure, with a mix of unease about her company. “I didn’t think you were the type to wait, stinky.” Lifting a brow she stopped beside her tour guide and gave him a smug smirk.

Osmond hissed lowly at the comment before starting to walk forward, “Are you always rude?” Besides he didn’t think he smelled, he’d bathed this morning and hadn’t touched his anvil more than an hour before heading over to the bar for a drink. It had been a slow day so he’d decided to take it easy … “What’s with your clothing anyway? It’s strange.” Grey eyes wandering over her curves again he took in the brightly colored orange and red yukata. He’d never seen an eastern style in this area before …

“You smell like coal and sweat. Maybe some oil in there too, stinky.” She’d ignored the rude comment, not used to taking such words to heart. Leon had far too attuned her to such baiting in her life, but his comment about her clothing hit a nerve. She fancied wearing her Mother’s clothing for it felt most comfortable, “They are not strange! Every woman wears such things in my country and besides …” Her mild anger had slowed lightly, hands finding the massive braid of black that was hanging over her right shoulder. “Papa says I look more like Mama when she was younger when I wear them.”

“I’m a Blacksmith so that makes sense that I would smell that way, idiot.” His words were uneasy, for he was suddenly self-conscious that he needed another bath. How the hell did she smell something like that? Lifting his arm the young man took a sniff, and just as he thought no scent filled his nose. How? They rounded a corner into the market as her words drifted off, and eyes started wandering around aimlessly. He’d hit a rough spot, eh? “So that old lizard is your biological father?” Jeez if he made her cry his a*s would be on the line with that demon barkeep.

“He is. I lived with Mama till my Uncle killed her when I was seven. Papa was supposed to marry Mama but he found Vinny when he was out exploring and ended up running off with him long before I hatched. The first time I met him was a month before Mama was killed and then he came for me.” Kaiyo tugged at her braid as she spoke, voice an even almost forlorn tone as she made the explanation brief. She disliked talking of such things, and disliked remembering the sight of her Mother’s corpse even more. “Papa and Vinny raised me from then on, so I was a lucky girl and had three parents.” She meant that.

“I’m sorry for your troubles.”

Kaiyo stopped short when a weighted hand had reached over to ruffle her hair lightly; her eyes lifted, wide for the feeling was familiar. It was warm, and made her think of her Father and Brother. It was a silly thought but his words were genuine, and caused her cheeks to flush lightly from what she’d found. The man had stopped, grey eyes concerned as they bored into her skull and made her feel self-conscious in her own skin. “We grow through adversity; a flower blooms the brightest in scorched earth.”

Her Mother always told her this when she’d come to her crying over something silly.

Oz appeared taken aback, pulling his hand away almost instinctively; he wasn’t used to a woman like this. He was used to fragile creatures that needed encouragement and delicacy, but this one … she was rough around the edges and tossed his pity back in his face with a stern eye and squared shoulders. Swallowing the man turned his attention back to the crowd and pushed his legs on, ignoring the burning in his own cheeks. He’d thought she was strange but this was a bit ridiculous … “Come on then.”

He was a weird man indeed, but he was managing to entertain her. Kaiyo laughed to herself, following after him with a spring in her step once more, “Aye sir!”

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

How long had he been circling in this darkness, in this forest that hung on the edge of eternity and smelled of despair and regret? It felt hours had passed since he’d fallen down into this cesspit from the shifting sands of the desert of Joaquin and breached the line between the world of reality and that far beyond the grasps of mankind’s mind. Something about this place felt strange: different … yet as he wound about the blackness and through the white trees with their peeling bark he felt the same despair clutch at his soul. No, this place was the same; he dared even say it was more cruel and unnerving than the last time he’d been forced to wander its depths. More than once the lord had been startled by his own horn ridden shadow following behind him in the dark when he’d happened upon a patch of fireflies.

Cael stopped, tired of traversing as his mind had growing weary; one had to keep your guard up in such a place and in his human form such careful trespassing was tiring. Maybe he should take on his visage of scale and armor that could spout fire and brimstone for the rest of this tireless wandering; there was no set path to lead one to that pool, you simply had to survive as you wandered about until you either happened upon Thanatos’ dwelling in this forest or the God found you to ferry you to the other side. Just as he’d been readying himself to shift, to switch from man to beast, when he heard the soft sound of bells. It was a pure melody of silver and was faint, as if they were hanging upon thin lines to sing as the wind blew in this hollow place.

Golden eyes harsh, the ancient turned slowly body tensed and ready to gut the next thing that crossed his vision.

Far too many times both previously and in this excursion had the creatures wandering this nothingness attempted to end him. The Irishman froze, large eyes easing almost instantly as a small fountain appeared out of what seemed nothingness. The fireflies were circling it, protecting it as if they were a magical beast that served the God that roamed these woods; it reflected a full moon from somewhere far beyond this place, as if one were looking down into the night sky of the world of man. He’d found the old God’s dwelling it seemed, and without hesitation the fire ancient stepped into the barrier of insects and allowed himself to be enveloped in their soft buzzing. Nothing would disturb him here.

It was silent save for the sound of the bells, much louder now that he’d passed into this inner wall. Now that he’d closed the distance between himself and their music something familiar tugged at his ears; this melody. He knew this melody that they sang softly on the forgotten breeze as if it were engraved into his mind like the rolling hills and ocean breeze far from this place. The words were those he had whispered softly tenfold, fingers brushing through locks of a muddled blonde. Cael felt his body go numb, golden eyes enlarged as they stared off into the pool at the rippling moon and listened to the eerie song that seemed to taunt him. This … this was that demented God’s doing; this mocking.

“I dare you not step from the shadows for I may gut you for such treachery.” The Irishman’s words were pure fire, his form shaking with rage as the song continued without skipping a note. In such a place as this he would be mocked, he would be tortured so by this melody and the memory it brought with it. Thanatos knew him well, and it seemed that even in such a late hour of peace he still meant to rip at the old drake’s soul. Golden orbs closing the redhead seemed to flinch; a sharp memory of cutting blue eyes had torn into his mind’s eye and brought with them a laughter he’d not heard in many nights. “Wretch.”

“Young Ned of the hill has no castle, no hall. No bowman or spearman to come to his call.”

This voice. Cael’s eyes tore open, a mixture of emotions playing through them as if he’d been shoved into Pandora’s Box and left to die. Why was such a voice in this place? Was he to be mocked ever more?

“But one little archer of exquisite skill; has shot a bright shaft for young Ned of the hill.”

The words were whispered softly, and with them a breath that touched the ancient’s ear and caused sadness to fill the golden depths. He would break at this rate, and completely lose his will to continue in this forest if he could stay here with such a voice so close to him. Something then unexpected happened that both shocked and caused the old beast to lose all grip on his reality. A pair of hands had slipped out, snaking around to cover his eyes and pull him backwards as if to embrace him. Cael allowed himself to be ushered backwards, no longer caring if he were damned to die in this place; this touch was warm and caused a spark to alight in his belly far too familiar for him to withdraw from it.

“It is hard to escape from this young lady’s bower - for high is the castle, and guarded the tower. But the mind knows the way where the heart holds the will, and Eileen is gone with young Ned of the hill.”

The voice was so close he could nearly taste it and urged the redheaded lord to grip at the hands covering his eyes. He pulled them down, clutching at them tightly as if they were a shimmering trinket of gold and gems. Finally his shoulders turned, brows pressed in a line of despair and shimmering eyes alight with a dam of withheld tears. There they were " those beautiful aquamarine’s that chilled him to his bones and brought forth a noise from his gut of agony. “Mo ghra …” He could pass into dust and bone if this was what the old God wished of him for showing him such a sight as this miracle.

A man stood, a soft smile gracing his thin lips and the icy blues that had been taken in by the golden pair were drenched with tears. He was slighter, a bit shorter than the old drake with pale skin and messy dirty blonde hair; it framed his sharp features and softened his almost feminine charm as it layered around his cheeks and floated above his shoulders. The fingers of the taller man had wrapped around his cheeks, wiping at the tears spewing forth from the figure’s eyes, “You’re late. I’ve been waiting.”

“Forgive me.” Cael shuddered, the once proud lord sinking to his knees and dragging the younger looking man with him. He’d wound his fingers into the wavy blonde locks, clutching the male’s features as if they were his hold on the world before speaking with a breaking voice, “Vincent … forgive me …” He must have died and gone on to where ever such a being as he would go, for this was too much for his old heart to take. Too much magic was here for such a sight to be real, to feel as if his beloved did now.

Vincent laughed softly, his fingers reaching out to wipe at the droplets of water that had broken from their golden prison. He settled onto his knees before grasping one of the trembling hands holding fast to him like a lost doll, “I always do, don’t I Cael?” His voice starkly contrasted the deep, old accent of his lover’s and was light like that of a fairy speaking in sarcastic rhyme. He’d busied his attention with the larger fingers in his own and drawn them in to place a soft kiss atop them one by one, “You haven’t changed at all, nor have these calloused fingers or your brash temper … I thought you would end me.”

Cael let a broken whimper escape, turning again into that sorry excuse of a man as he’d been the day he’d buried this very face. The day he’d lost sight of these brilliant eyes before him forever. “Never.” He dared not even raise a harsh word towards this man at this moment, much less the trembling talons that were being cared for so delicately. He should, for his mind knew better than such a blessing could be but his body wouldn’t respond; nay his heart wouldn’t allow it to respond for it felt as if it had been regrown and doubled in size in the past minute. “Be here. Be true. I beg of you to be flesh and bone before me.”

As if answering the taller man’s words the blonde looked up and pulled at his husband’s chin; his lips brushed the speaking ones softly, fingers tracing into the red locks tenderly. He silenced the drake in his words before more nonsense could spew forth, before he had to hear the pain the voice carried any longer. He could hardly stand to hear such a sound coming from this man’s voice, such a sight tinting his eyes as long ago when he’d pulled him from that castle far on the hill and into a boat. “Do I feel real?”

Cael didn’t respond, golden eyes transfixed by the half closed blue hues looking up at him from below. This warmth, this tenderness that filled his chest and added to the blaze in his stomach had stilled his shoulders; his eyes muddled more with relief, with gratefulness as his brows pressed together. Yes, this man here was real; this Vincent was real. His Vincent was here, within arm’s reach and giving him a look all too familiar. It was a look he’d seen more times than he could count that had both teased and worried over him. “How?” Without lingering on the thought Cael reached forward and yanked the smaller frame into his own before wrapping his arms around it protectively.

His nose buried deep into the blonde hair, taking in the familiar scent of gunpowder and sandalwood. He enveloped him like a protective blanket that had been missing its master, like a beast guarding his long lost treasures of old. Never again would he allow this body to be out of his reach, “How?” He asked again, both wishing for an answer and dreading it. Very few things would allow such to be, and all were answers he’d rather not hear. Words he’d rather not be spoken despite his devilish curiosity.

Vincent took in a deep breath, savoring in the smell of smoke and a cologne that smelled of Frankincense.  Such a thing could wait for a while; as if pressing the thought from his mind the sniper wrapped his arms around his lover’s torso and gripped at the back of his waist coat tightly. “Shh.” The shoulders enveloping him had begun to shake once more, and were such a thing he could hardly stand. How many years had he lay in this forest and yearned for the burning touch of this old drake? The blonde pulled backwards, taking his companion with him as he landed in the dewy grass. “Later.”

Cael hadn’t moved, the weight of his own body pressing down on the man beneath him as familiar as the lips that had started to brush against his jawline. Finally his arms released Vincent’s shoulders and allowed the redhead’s fingers to wander to the younger man’s cheek yet again. “You will tell me later.” For the first time the ancient’s words were forceful, mildly heated, as he looked down with chastising golden eyes. Even now this human was a tease, and enjoying himself based on the apparent smug grin drawn across the blonde’s lips. He had always been this way, playful and toying … it was refreshing.

“I promise my Lord.” Vincent whispered, lips finally reaching his partner’s earlobe to nip it. The soft hum of the bells had started yet again, humming a soft tune that melded with the buzz of fireflies. Such a thing caused the blonde shudder as familiar fingers entwined themselves into his hair again and reminded him of a distant memory on a mountainside. The words were instead in an old accent that tugged at his ears as they lay under the stars entwined and huddled beneath a blanket for warmth. Vincent nipped at his lover’s ear again, this time a bit harsher as he gnashed his teeth. “Cael …”

Cael hissed, the sound coming from deep in his chest, before his lips sought out the pair beneath them and captured them forcefully. Even in such a place, that blonde b*****d was still a tease. Unforgivable.

Dark is the evening, silent the hour
Oh who is that minstrel by yonder lone tower?
Whose heart is so tenderly touching with skill?
Oh who could it be but young Ned of the hill?

Who sings, “Lady love, will you come with me now?
Come and live out with me under the bough
I’ll pillow your head where the light fairies tread
If you will but wed with young Ned of the hill.”

Young Ned of the hill has no castle, no hall
No bowman or spearman to come at his call
But one little archer of exquisite skill
Has shot a bright shaft for young Ned of the hill.

It is hard to escape from this young lady’s bower
For high is the castle and guarded the tower
But the mind knows the way where the heart holds the will
And Eileen is gone with young Ned of the hill.