Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

Somewhere in the world (Candira and runawayninja)

She gasped as she watched him. Something, she feared, really was inside of him. He had been right before when he described to her the kind of rage he felt. But it was over so quickly that she doubted that she even saw it. Still she made note to visit some of the dark mages she knew to ask about such supernatural occurrences. And there were plenty of those in the capitol.

When he spoke again, she felt the concern and guilt that had drawn her back to him tug at her heart. She set down her staff and came closer to him, kneeling down to get to his level. "I was harsh as well. I apologize for handling my anger poorly. I was just worried about you," she said, frowning. She really was worried...for someone she used to hate and had only met the day before. How had that happened?

She pushed that thought to the back of her head and focused on him. "In any case, you did what you felt was right...and I can only blame you so much," she said with a soft smile.
 
Rafe gave her a soft and warm smile. "Old habits die hard, I'm just used to fighting very differently. Charge in fast with fearsome might, use terror and power to seize the advantage, cause a rout if you can, hit and run if you can't. It was drilled into me." His lips parted softly, those warm, soft lips quivering a bit as if you say something, but he hesitated and the words formed differently. "I know that you just didn't want to see me hurt...your compassion for me has not gone unnoticed...and it warms the heart and soul. It's been a long time since someone has cared enough about my fate to show a desire for its continuance and...it's just very nice that someone cares that I'm still alive."

His eyes started to well up, but he wiped them on his sleeve. "Ahh...I fear I'm going to lose my composure, I'll go on watch, you should rest..." He hopped off the cart, intent on walking alongside to keep a look out.
 
Something about his style of fighting struck her as heartless--not only because of the way it was drilled into him, but because he seemed to ignore his own when he fought. He didn't seem to care if he lived or not...and that saddened her. Surely that was part of his training as well. The way he looked at her touched her and she felt a great urge to put her arms around him. He looked like he needed some sort of comfort and her nature was drawn to give it to him. She wanted to say something, but before she could even think of the words she needed, he was out of the cart and walking alongside it. Very well...

"Be careful, Rafe." She sighed and made a little bed for herself before laying down to rest. She closed her eyes, some of her hair falling into her face as they traveled. She would sleep until Rafe cared to wake her or the Merchants woke her.
 
Unfortunately, her sleep was anything but calm and quiet. She was subject to a very striking dream.

She was in a field, beneath a giant oak tree. She was laying against it and there was a weight against her lap. Down in her lap, Rafe was laying. The kind and handsome young man that played his sweet music for her. The hurt and lost young boy that needed her care and her compassion to find his solace. He smiled softly at her and caressed his hand on her thigh a bit. He spoke to her, but no sound came of it as he nuzzled against her and relaxed against her as a blissful feeling of peace, compassion, and serenity passed over this realm.

But a sharp sound threatened the peace. A loud, screeching cawing came as a raven drew close to her and landed on the ground near her. In its eyes she saw something reflecting, something burning. After only a moment, it dawned that it was looking at something behind her. The fields turned dark and barren and the shining sun became a moon emblazoned with white fiery light around it. Above her, instead of the oak, was a great visage of a giant raven-thing standing tall over her, sheathed in blue flame. Its eyes glowing with the same intense red light that she believed she saw in Rafe's eyes. Beneath her, in her lap, Rafe now wore his cursed armor and rich red blood ran from his lips, his skin pale, his eyes closed. A deep bloody gash was torn through his torso just beneath the chest, the manner of the wound proclaiming that death had surely claimed him.

Emitting an aura of fear and mind-blasting power, much like the one that had surrounded Rafe in the fight in Lyre, the raven-thing spoke to her. "Come child...see what must be seen..."

The eye of the great raven expanded to fill her entire field of view. It was raining at night and two dark figures were fighting amidst a city, but no one save them were around. Their armor was black and striking and they both wore stylized helmets. Doom and Fate. Rafe and that man that had led the Black Riders. They lifted their visors to speak to one another.

"Don't be a fool...you can't win here. There is no victory to be found here..." Fate's words were damning and rang of finality.

Rafe's form was battered and beaten, his armor dented and his face bruised. "I have my soul...I have my conscious...I can say...that when I die, people will mourn my loss...I have people that depend on me."

Fate gave him a cruel laugh. "Die with your soul, die with your people. I will not! I have embraced the power we were given and I shall walk with it forever!" He pushed his visor down and his form changed as he strode forward. A black mist followed him until he took the form of a shadowed and hooded creature without flesh or armor. Rafe's visor went down and a pair of great black wings emerged from his back. Their blades clashed, both swords long and great, Fate's black curved, thick, and ragged on its edge, while Rafe's two-handed black was long and almost spear-like, and he wielded it as such.

The movements were supernaturally fast, and the strikes hammered against one another, with each move calculated several turns in advance like a game of chess. But Fate was a vicious fighter and a master of the sword. He headbutted Rafe's helm, denting it inward, causing blood to issue forth from the visor. Then a knee to the stomach, the blow ringing through the plate mail into flesh and muscle. A swift stroke from behind cut along Rafe's legs forcing him to his knees which was responded to with a hard backhanded slap to the ground. Rafe was battered and hurt, struggling to reach his disarmed blade.

"Goodbye, young fool...if you wish to die for your pitiful cause, then do so fast and begone from my sight. You are no longer worth to be called Doom." The sword plunged through Rafe's torso emerging from the front of him. "Lowly worm..." A twist of the blade ended Rafe.

She was awakened by a shaking of her form. Rafe stood before her, looking at her. "Are you ok, Lady Candira? We're at Namira's Crossing, the first village. We're just about at a coaching house in the village." Coaching houses were important places on trade and travel routes, offering stables, inns, and eateries for weary travelers that kept people safe from brigands and wild animals.
 
Horrified by what the dream had shown her, she woke with a start, gasping as Rafe shook her. Startled, the woman looked a bit paler than usual for a moment before she forced herself to be calm. "I'll be alright. It was just a dream." She smiled softly and sat up, rubbing her eyes a bit. She looked around her and saw that they were, indeed, entering a village and she cold see their destination in the distance. The lady stood and felt cold. The sooner they reached the capitol, the better, she feared. She needed to speak with her black mage friends and do some research at the temple of Dima.

She turned her attention back to Rafe and found that she needed the comfort this time. Rather than hug him, as she longed to do, she reached for his hand and squeezed it instead. She was still quite a bit shaken by everything and the dream left her feeling drained. "I'm not feeling quite so well, actually...would you mind helping me?"
 
Rafe smiled and nodded slowly, helping her towards the coaching house as the carts and wagons were put into the stable and the others of the caravan headed for the same destination, looking for drink, food, and a good bed. "I know about bad dreams, I tend to have them often enough. Just shake it off and remember that we're back in the real world. Nothing in the dream can harm you here..." His arm was around her to insure that she didn't fall or stumble. "Don't worry..."

Once inside, he got her to a seat and ordered some hot food for them, lamb and bread with some sharp cheese and some stout ale. Heavy food and a hard drink would help them to sleep. He smiled at her, warm and calm. "Just one day and we'll be in the capitol."
 
Candira was glad to see him smile. It was enough to help calm her for the time being. She liked seeing him happy. And it was nice to be the one who got taken care of for a change. She was still nervous and a bit shaken, so she was glad that he'd put his arm around her to help steady her. She put one around him as well and leaned against him for the comfort it gave her. She listened to his words and she found that he was right. Nothing in a dream could hurt her just now. She took a deep breath and let him guide her in and order their food.

The subject on the capitol now, she wanted to bring it up. "Rafe...when we arrive at the capitol I want to visit a few of my black mage friends. They know quite a bit about dark magics and about the supernatural. I want to find out more about your powers if you don't mind. I've had some suspicions about them, and I want to find out what I can. Will you come with me?" She asked, hoping that he would agree to it.
 
Rafe's eyes darkened and his face lost its comfort as he looked down at the table for the longest time. "I've tried to just...put it behind me. To forget about it, but...I have terrible dreams of ravens, the hallmark of...well, it's a symbol." He frowned deeply. "I can't talk about it. All I can say is that...the Black Riders entered into a pact with powers beyond our understanding. They...or rather, Fate...was looking for something on your lands. I told you we were there against orders, they wouldn't risk the contract on a simple raid for resources. They..."

Rafe got quiet, before looking at her in the eyes. "Make no mistake, Candira..." He dropped the usual formality of her title. "I'm a monster. I am...I can't live that down. We all are...they were looking for something important, something that would...do something terrible and I could no longer be a part of it." He sighed softly and looked down as their food arrived. He waited until no one else was in an earshot. "The raven...it is a mark placed on me, nothing physical, its on some unseen part of me. And sometimes I can draw upon its power and...sometimes it draws upon me."
 
She frowned and listened to him. He was troubled and the news troubled her. She wanted to help him. "I don't think you're a monster," she said with a frown. "But I do think there's something monstrous within you...I'm worried, Rafe. I want to understand this power better, and I want you to as well. Perhaps if we can find out more, it will help in some way. I know it's probably a long shot, but I want to at least try," she said. And perhaps she could make sense of the awful premonition she'd seen.

"If you really wish for me to leave it be, I'll respect your wishes. But there is one thing you cannot deny. Your past is a part of you that has made you what you are and who you are today. And you couldn't be more different than the man I met so long ago." She smiled at him encouragingly and took his hand again. "I promise you that as long as I can help you, you will never be alone."
 
Rafe looked at her holding his hand and he squeezed her's a bit before he began to eat. It was good food and it warmed body and soul, but Rafe's darkened and somber mood could not be shaken. "I have done terrible things out of the fear of being used, the fear of being weak and vulnerable. Now fear has made a home in my soul and I am its prisoner. There is a darkness that has inked itself into my being and will not be shaken. Evil...evil is very real. It has license and lease in this world and it inhabits the hearts and souls of people. And often, it is only exposed after it has done damage."

He stood up from his empty plate and mug. "I...I fear for you Lady Candira...I fear that I'll harm you...and that's why I have to contain it. I have to kept it under lock and key, beneath all my guards and wards...because I could not willingly part my path from yours now." He turned away from the table and hurried upstairs to their room. The caravan was paying for the guards and drivers meals and lodging, but same parties were having to share rooms. Which meant they were in the same room together again.
 
She ate as he ate, though the wonderful taste and good heavy feeling it gave her didn't last long because of what she'd brought up. She knew it wouldn't be simple to help Rafe, but she needed to. He needed her to stay and help him and damn if she'd let him down. So she go through her meal, forcing herself to finish and she drank her ale. She put it on the tab of the merchants.

She listened to him and the weight he carried and found herself wishing he would just let her help him...but of course, it didn't help that he was afraid he would hurt her. And the way he'd finished...She watched him hurry off, sighing. She stood up and walked toward their room, wanting to give him a moment. When she arrived she knocked and entered.

"Rafe?"
 
The door was unlocked and inside it was dark. Rafe was sitting on the foot of the bed, looking at the floor, shirtless but still with his cloth leggings on. "I'm awake..." He commented so that she would not have to be silent. "I don't want you to feel obligated to me...I am thankful for all you've done, all you've...made me feel. But don't stay because you feel you have to." He slowly looked at her, his eyes full of emotion, full of want for something indescribable. "I...have crossed a dangerous line, Candira. Because if something were to happen to you, if I were the cause of it...I would be forever lost." He slowly stood and walked towards her. "I would surrender to darkness, now and forever, if it kept you from harm..."
 
She blushed softly as she saw him sitting there. But the gravity of the situation let her ignore his state of dress. His words made her want to speak right away, but she got the sense he needed to finish what he was saying. Her heart beat faster as he came closer, his eyes conveying a need that she hadn't seen before. She stayed still just inside the door as he told her he would give in.

She rested her staff against the wall and turned to him. She took his face into her hands and shook her head. "I would never want you to do that for me, Rafe." She looked up into his eyes and smiled softly, staying close to him. "I do feel it's my duty to help you, but that's not why I want to. I want to help you because you're trying to change. Because I like the person you're becoming. I like seeing you happy. I'm staying because I want to. I like you, and I hate seeing you in pain."

She let go of his face and put her arms around him, hugging him to her. "Whatever you do," she said, "Do it because it's what you want. Not because of me." She closed her eyes and just stayed there, not moving.
 
She felt droplets of warm fluid slowly spill onto her face. His tears streamed down like crystal water as he embraced her firmly, holding her close to him. He sighed softly and looked down at her, stroking her hair softly. "You mean...more to me than I can say..." He slowly took her face into his hands and he kissed her softly, his lips pressed up gently against her's.

He slowly looked into her eyes, gazing deeply into them. "You've done more for me than anyone else...you have a good heart and a good soul..." He kissed her again and nuzzled slowly against her neck.
 
She hadn't expected him to be so moved by her words, but perhaps she should have. He was so much in need of someone who really wanted him to stay. He was definitely in need of more than just a kind word or a simple deed. He needed to be healed. And she hoped that she could do that for him. She looked into his eyes as he took her face and then kissed her. It was a good thing it was dark in the room or he might have seen her blushing. She felt her heart skip a beat and then speed up.

She gazed back up at him as he told her she had a good heart and soul...that she meant so much to him...She kissed him back this time, and shivered just a little as he nuzzled her neck, enjoying the feeling. She returned the favor, closing her eyes. "Yours is still good too, you know. Tarnished, but good." She held him tighter. "You are important," she said softly. "To me you are..."
 
"You are my line in the sand...you are where it stops for me...where all stops...time, eternity, all I am...right now, I need you Candira. I need you more than I can say...and I hope you need me to some degree..." He kissed her again, this time without reserve. Without pause or hesitation, he kissed her deeply and fully to meeky attempt to express how he felt about her at that moment, though it fell drastically short. It was physically impossible to relate to her how much he wanted her, needed her, how much he loved her at that moment. "Candira..."
 
She stared up into his eyes as he told her he needed her. Candira had never been told that by anyone. The way he looked at her told her that she was absolutely the only one who could fulfill those needs, and while she had helped others out of a sense of duty, she simply couldn't ignore how drawn she was to him. She needed him as well. She didn't fully understand it, but she didn't have to. Her breath caught as he kissed her again, with more passion and more hunger. She kissed him back, willing to give him all she could.

"I need you too," she said softly. She kissed him deeply and passionately, wanting to take from him and give all she could in return.
 
Rafe stared into her eyes for the longest moment before he leaned to her, kissing along her neck softly, gently using his teeth to nip her flesh. Then he began to slowly remove her clothing from her, taking it slow to give her time to resist and refuse if she so choose. He didn't want to do anything against her will. He wanted to be able to see her beauty in all its glory, without the shield or hindrance of her clothing.
 
She blushed softly, leaning into him as he kissed her neck. She shivered at his touch, her breathing deepening as he used his teeth. Candira had never really considered this possibility--that she would love someone she really knew so little about...but the more he was with her, the more she knew it was true. She let him remove her cape, the short piece of material falling away without much resistance. She was trembling because she was nervous about letting him see her like this...she'd never done anything like it before. Still, she didn't want to stop.

As he moved to remove her top she helped him get it off of her and looked up at him, blushing. No one else had ever seen her this way before, and she wasn't sure what he would think of her. She stopped him for a moment and removed her soft boots, putting them off to the side. She was just a little shorter without them, but that was alright. When she came back to him, she kissed his lips and pulled him close to her, not wanting to be apart from him for long.
 
He kissed her lips again and then his teeth softly tugged on her ear as he whispered into it. "You're beautiful...lovely beyond compare..." He meant the words. He had never seen anyone so beautiful in his eyes. He slowly turned around to remove his own clothing and she could see the forest of scars on his back from repeated lashings. Someone had abused him.

He stripped down and turned back to her, smiling softly as he lifted her into his arms and laid her down on the bed, kissing her warmly as his body climbed onto her's. "I want to make you feel good, Candira...I want to...make you feel like you make me feel..."
 
She shivered as he kissed her ear and tugged at it. All feelings of being awkward went away as he told her he thought she was beautiful. She smiled and blushed softly and stole another kiss from him before he turned away. She watched as he removed his shirt, frowning at the scars he revealed. Immediately, she wished she could heal them and make them go away. But those scars were a part of him now, and there was no changing it. The best she could do was love all of him.

She took the time he was turned away to finish removing her clothes as well, and then the two of them were absolutely naked. She took a moment to take him in and then smiled and put her arms around him as he came close. A little gasp escaped her as he lifted her up and then gently lowered her to the bed. He kissed her tenderly and she shivered as she felt him move above her.

Candira smiled softly as he told her he wanted her to feel good. Gently she ran her hands down his arms and looked up at him, eyes full of adoration. "And how do I make you feel?" she asked.
 
"Full of hope and wonder...like life is worth living and worth going on. That I can make a difference and help...you make me feel wonderful...and I want to make you feel that way too." Rafe smiled softly, looking into her eyes before he kissed down along her neck and then over the flesh of her breasts, sucking hard on each nipple in turn. A gentle hand slowly ran its fingers down along her smooth, soft belly until it ran between her thighs, softly tickling her flesh and then the fingers teased and rubbed up against her slit.
 
His words touched her and she smiled softly, putting her arms around him. She hadn't realized that she could do so much by doing so little. She smiled softly and shivered as his lips traveled down her neck to her chest. No one else had ever done these things to her, though she'd heard stories of this kind of contact when she was young. Her eyes closed as she leaned into his attention to her chest. His touch was so light and gentle, and his intentions were so good. It was impossible not to feel good.

She gasped softly as his fingers began to tease her, her whole body tensing up and then relaxing as he teased her there. She spread her legs for him a bit more and just tried to tell her body to relax and enjoy it. Her hands gently rubbed his back and shoulders as he took his time with her.
 
His fingers teased her slowly, taking his time as he played with her, seemingly knowledgeable in female anatomy as he stroked her clit softly. He looked into her eyes with a gentle, loving gaze. "Have you done this before?" He wanted to know how much to temper his lust for her. If she hadn't done this before, he would have to love her gently and compassionately.
 
She shook her head just a bit, blushing. "No. This will be the first time for me," she said, managing to look into his eyes while still being a bit embarrassed. Lady Candira had had but a single purpose since she'd met the black riders, and that was to restore her lands. That goal had driven her forward, and she'd long since forgotten that the body needed pleasures of this kind as well. She shivered and gasped as Rafe provided them. He seemed to be so well-versed, and she felt a bit foolish for not being quite so experienced. Still, the way he looked at her...She knew he would take care of her.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom