Purity in the Stars *Maleficent: Mistress of Evil- Udo Love Story*

Chapter Twenty Five: All Eyes On Us

The end of November was lonely for Yuna.
Lonely, and worrisome.
Mina and the Corsairs had set off to investigate the chain of islands Azazel had attacked, leaving Yuna worried and beside herself that she would lose the sister she'd just finally been reunited with.
Of course, the ship was flanked by royal scouts as well as warrior feys so Yuna knew that her worries were unfounded; she'd seen the feys in action herself. She knew better than anyone that they were fierce fighters; fierce protectors.
Speaking of the feys...
Udo, Borra and Maleficent (so by default Diaval as well) had gone north to investigate reports of a disturbance; a small inlet by the coast that served as the home to stray water nymphs. Ini had felt something wrong the night she'd performed a simple spiritual ritual; a common practice among the Desert Fey. Perched in her meditation and allowing the powers of the earth, heavens and faeries to encompass her, Ini had nearly crumpled from the harsh pain of it all as she staggered to steady herself.
She had said she felt something dark, something evil enter into the realm she had found herself gathering energy from and it didn't take her long at all to pinpoint where she felt the anguish.
As leaders of the fey, it didn't take the three more than a few minutes to flight for the peninsula. Their worries of fallen faeries and a blood-lusted pirate outweighed any other priority.
Mina had been gone for two weeks, Udo for one; despite the seven days apart from Udo feeling like a lifetime, Yuna still felt his warm embrace and sweet kiss from his departure like it were yesterday.
She missed them both terribly, worried and practically cried out of pure anxiety multiple times before finally convincing herself that some things were just simply out of her control.
The cottage in the Moors felt empty without them, her life felt rather empty without them as well.
Yuna missed them both dearly.
So...The end of November sucked, for lack of a better word.
Currently, the herbalist sat in her office within Castle Ulstead. The rain hitting the windows outside reflected her mood, and Yuna sighed deeply as she shuffled through yet another report.
The growing stress of their mission had resulted in Yuna coming to the aid of more and more soldiers, scouts, stationed allied mercenaries and guards and even some of the dark fey themselves.
From running psyche tests to patching up wounds and sores that resulted from the often brutal scouting missions Philip sent his men on, there wasn't such a thing as a "relaxing day" for the healer.
December was right around the corner, and yet they'd made no breakthroughs in any of their investigations. Azazel hadn't popped anywhere around the globe, and the group had little success in either following his trail or figuring out any motivations.
Yuna was frustrated, exhausted, at her wits end, and quite honestly feeling a bit useless.
A knock to her office door alerted Yuna, and the tired herbalist carefully shoved aside the report she'd been writing.
"Come in." She called out, wincing as she stiffly settled back in her rickety seat.
The door in front of Yuna opened swiftly, and she was greeted with a rather amused (but equally as tired) Percival. He leaned against the doorframe easily, smirking at Yuna as he kicked one booted foot over the other.
"Someone's out of it today." Percival noted with a huff, brow quirking up at Yuna.
The herbalist pushed herself up from her desk.
"Someone is tired today." She swiftly corrected, pushing her seat in. "What can I help you with Percival?"
The guard was silent for a moment, studying Yuna intently. His years of being Philip's most esteemed liege weren't for nought; he got there for a reason. Dutiful, committed and observant, Percival saw right through Yuna.
"I was thinking the two of us could put our reports down long enough to take a walk." He offered, cocking his head.
"Inside, of course. We'll get muddy and wet otherwise."
Yuna's expression portrayed all of her surprise, and she looked to Percival like he'd just proposed to her.
"You...want to take a break from work?" She questioned rather incredulously. "Is...there a gas leak in the castle?"
Perhaps not the brightest way to talk to your superior officer, but Yuna knew she could get away with it.
Percival shot her a non-venomous glare, and a rather playful grin. "If there were, that would explain why you're so behind on all of your reports."
Yuna yelled out an exclaimed "Hey!" of disapproval, and Percival laughed.
"Come on, herbalist. If either one of us spends another minute stewing in our offices, our brains will become mush." He opened the door wider with a creak, emphasizing his invitation.
"Come with me."
Yuna eyed Percival warily one last time, before she finally accepted. "Alright then." She gave a halfhearted smile, working her way around her desk.
"I think a break is just what I need." Yuna agreed.
Meeting Percival at the door, the guard offered an elbow to the girl.
Yuna quirked a brow, smirking up at him.
"Will I have to worry about a certain jungle fey coming for my head?" She teased lightly, accepting the gesture as Percival led them from the cozy and rose-scented office.
Percival rolled his eyes as he lead them down the hallway;
"I'm more concerned over what a very possessive tundra fey will do once he discovers I've had his lady on my arm." The guard countered right back, the two falling into matching steps as they clicked down the hallway. From curtains to rugs, the stone and wood was beautifully drenched in burgundy and gold; giving the elegant atmosphere an almost eerie feeling as the overcast flooded inside.
Yuna sighed, finding her hold on Percival's strong arm actually quite comforting.
"Well, Udo actually has to come back in order to get angry." Yuna chuckled dryly, and Percival almost immediately picked up on the hint of worry.
He let it hang in the air in a moment of silence before addressing it.
The rain hitting the castle windows served as a pleasant white noise, and as the two rounded a corner Percival spoke up.
"How are you doing?" Percival inquired, keeping his gaze trained forward.
Yuna's gaze never left the rug at her feet.
"What do you mean?" She responded, only needing a moment to contemplate the question.
Percival sighed.
"I mean that everyone can see you've resembled a moping child for the past two weeks and it's making the Castle... dreary. I think you discredit how much you contribute around here." While chiding, Percival's words were soft and sincere.
Yuna smiled, and the guard continued;
"I know its hard being separated from Mina so soon after your reunion. I also know that Udo leaving isn't helping, and it's a worrying thing that you can't keep in contact with either one." Percival spoke carefully. Yuna felt her throat tighten at how true the words rang, hands gripping into his royal jacket just a bit tighter.
"However you have all of us here, too. You'd do well to remember that." The reminder, while blunt and rather straightforward, was sincere coming from a man as uptight as Percival.
Yuna shot him a side smile. "Was it that obvious?" She asked.
Percival scoffed, his own soft smile on his face. "Quite." He nodded.
"Same look that Aurora has been wandering around the castle with. Between Maleficent and Diaval traveling with Udo and Borra, and Philip practically neck-deep in all of this rubbish... I reckon she's been a bit lonely as well." The guard heaved out a weary sigh at that, and Yuna noted that his steps had become heavy.
"Well, how are you holding up?" She mirrored the question right back to Percival, for doe eyes staring up at him.
Wordlessly, Percival patted Yuna's hand.
"Don't fret over me." He answered briefly. "It's my job around here to look after my men, and all of my subordinates. Tired or no, Philip always needs me to be the sturdy one."
His words ignited a sense of passion in Yuna, the girl smiling as she saw the guard's eyes begin to take on a proud sparkle.
"Well, know that it is highly appreciated." Yuna responded to the commander, smiling contently as the two walked.
"Especially by me."
Percival chuckled, "Don't be spreading any gossip to the recruits. The minute they stop fearing me is the day I lose all control over them. They're a hopeless bunch."
Yuna's rolled her eyes before letting her expression soften.
Even just talking to Percival filled the healer with a new kind of vigor. It was a change of pace and a reminder of companionship that Yuna almost forgot she had during those cold November days, alone in her cottage and alone in the castle.
"I'd offer to let you leave for a bit and get some fresh air, but I don't believe that's be wise in the rain." Percival continued.
"I believe some time with her highness Aurora may quell a few of your troubles... "girl time" correct?" The guard almost fumbled over the phrase as he led Yuna up one of the spiraling, ornate staircases.
Yuna recognized the walkway; it was the same floor that housed the bedroom shed found her sorry state in more than once.
Ah, memories.
They only briefly stayed on that level before ascending once more, and Yuna soon figured Percival was leading her to the royal chambers.
'Aurora...is still in bed at this hour?' She contemplated with furrowed brows.
"I see you really scouted me to play nurse for your queen." The sentence seemed accusatory, but Yuna didn't mean it that way and the guard knew it. Ascending the stairs once more, Percival almost smiled.
"Actually, it's because I care about my subordinate...rather, I care about my friend." He expertly corrected, and Yuna felt her heart squeeze at the sentiment.
To the junior castle staff and knights, Percival was perhaps more terrifying than Maleficent herself. To Yuna however, the guard was like a giant teddy bear with a colorful bow tie slapped around the neck to compliment its stitched smile.
It was a feeling that the healer felt very lucky to have, and a work relationship and friendship she had to have been blessed with.
"Well, this friend appreciates it." Yuna quipped playfully, any sense of sadness or loneliness seemingly vanished as she walked side by side with Percival. "Really."
Entering onto one of the highest floors, the floor that housed the royal wing, Percival chuckled.
"Don't think I'm all nice. If Udo-"
The guard suddenly halted, eyes widening and Yuna caught on with a coy smirk.
The floor was the most extravagant, as it personally housed the royalty. Velvet upon gold upon bundles of beautiful flowers adorned the hallway, and the extravagant atmosphere almost felt too serene to Yuna.
"Udo put you on babysitting duty?" The healer winked, stepping in front of the guard to exit from the staircase.
Percival sighed, shoulders shrugging in a faux apology. "More like watchdog duty."
The guard matched Yuna's amused smile.
"He...He has his own worries about leaving you."
The revelation made Yuna's eyes momentarily widen, before she let her head fall to the side in a contemplation.
'Udo was worried?' She wondered, then her smile widened. 'Who am I kidding. Of course he was; it's Udo."
"Consider yourself relieved." Yuna patted Percival's arm, giving it a squeeze to show her appreciation.
"I didn't mean to sulk; I'm alright. Really." She wasn't sure is she was more so trying to reassure Percival or herself.
The guard nodded to her words, his usual gruff and no nonsense demeanor slightly soft with his gaze.
"Just see to it that you put yourself first." He smiled ever so slightly, before turning on his heel to descend back down the stairs.
"I expect your reports first thing tomorrow morning."
Yuna smiled at his retreating figure, hands resting on her hips as she called after him;
"Is this special treatment? An extension on my deadlines...what's next, a raise?"
Percival didn't respond or react, but Yuna knew the guard had a smile on his face.
Her face softened, and Yuna turned before the royal bedroom doors.
"Thanks, Percival." She smiled.
'I can't let Udo worry. No more wallowing in my own pity... I need to be okay for him. He needs me.'
With that thought settled in her heart, Yuna pushed open the ornate doors.
"Someone call for a-"
A beaded pillow connected with her face, and Yuna almost immediately changed her mind.
"Oh. Sorry."
Yuna rubbed at her nose as she caught the cushion, glaring at its sender.
Shrike smiled toothily; "Heard Percival outside. I thought he might've been interrupting." The Fey explained.
Yuna quirked a brow, taking in the scene before her. Aurora sprawled out on her bed in a rather un-queenly manner, Shrike relaxed on one of the grand chaise lounges and Ini perched on one of the deep window sills, looking out over rainy Ulstead.
"Wow; another girl's day and I wasn't invited?" Yuna smiled, throwing the pillow right back at the fey.
Ini smirked coyly thought it didn't quite reach her dark eyes, legs crossing atop of the sill.
"You're just in time for the sorrow fest." She greeted, a sigh ripping from her body.
The statement made a rush of concern flood through Yuna, and she quickly stepped further into the grand and opulent bedroom.
"What's going on?" She asked, a bit frantic. Yuna's heart dropped, and she instantly thought of the worst case scenario in her panic induced conscious.
"Udo, Mina and the others, are they-" The words fumbled from her mouth, and Yuna had swallow thickly so that no tears threatened to escape her.
"They're fine." Shrike quickly intervened upon seeing Yuna's panic, and the girl could've simply fainted from sheer relief.
Yuna clutched at her chest almost painfully, and she almost staggered as she let out a breath of relief, eyes scrunching shut.
"What on earth is going on in here then?" She asked, eyeing Aurora's fallen form on the bed.
"Aurora?" Yuna tried, eyeing her friend with worry.
Her back to the herbalist, Aurora lifted a weak hand to beckon her friend over.
"Come 'ere." The queen responded weakly, and Yuna could tell she'd been weeping.
Like a spark of lighting hit her bum, Yuna was at Aurora's side in an instant. She knelt by the queen's distressed form, soaking in her bloodshot eyes and red cheeks; her wet under eyes and snotty nose.
"Aurora?" Yuna pressed again, this time incredulously at the girl's appearance. Her hand came up to carefully brush some wave blonde locks from the queen's face, and Yuna tried to offer her a smile.
"Is this your way of telling me you and Philip are finally expecting?" She teased lightly, knowing that Aurora would appreciate the sentiment.
It worked; the golden-haired girl scoffed with laughter as she wiped at her eyes.
"Us having time to have sex during all of this? That would be a godsend." Aurora fired right back, a twinkle of amusement in her sad eyes.
With Yuna's help, Aurora pushed herself up into a sitting position with a grimace.
"I fear that I bear horrible news from Diaval." She whispered, and the sentence immediately put Yuna on edge. Diaval was traveling with Udo and all of them...
She looked to Shrike and Ini, and the two female feys seemed equally as disheartened. Ini looked forlornly out of the wet window panes, and Shrike pinched and ripped at the beads and threading on one of the grand bed's many expensive pillows.
'Something tells me Percival didn't know what he was sending me into.' Yuna had to suppress a wave of dread.
The queen continued, and as she did so she carefully unfurled the letter she'd held crumpled and close to her chest.
Aurora slammed down the letter almost angrily onto the nightstand.
"Dead. Gone. All of the faeries in that peninsula..." She grit out the words like it was poison on her tongue.
"Diaval reported that the land their was uninhabitable, like the earth itself had been drenched with a deadly tonic. The waters are unable to sustain any life...the plants are withered. The faeries are..." Aurora had to stop, shaking her head as she threatened to break into a sob.
Yuna's hand came to her mouth as she sought to process the words, feeling her knees giving out as she fell from her knelt position and fully onto her hip. Her brows knit as she tried to understand, and she shakily dropped her hand to to squeeze into her uniform.
"Diaval, where is he?" She couldn't raise her voice any higher.
"He flew back to be with the others." Ini's responded, eyes trained outside. "Udo and Borra will start to purify the land; to bury the dead. Maleficent is there to help with the process." While her tone was neutral, Yuna knew her friend well enough to hear the pain hidden in the words.
Yuna's breath fell shorter and shorter, and she nodded her head.
"U-Udo and the others? Are they alright?" She asked into the air, and it was Shrike who responded.
"They're upset." She stated cooly, fingers digging into the pillow. "They should be back in Ulstead by tonight. Be ready for them."
Yuna nodded once more.
When Udo returned, she knew she would have to be prepared for how inevitably upset her fey would be. It hurt Yuna's heart knowing what Udo was going through on that small peninsula, and it hurt even more knowing that she simply couldn't be there with him at the present moment.
"I will be." Yuna nodded firmly, not letting her voice waver.
'All of those faeries...' Yuna shook her head. 'No more crying.'
"What happened?" Yuna asked quietly, pushing herself back up to her knees with a deep breath.
"We don't know." Aurora's hand went to rub at her eyes, face twisting in pain. "We can only assume it's something to do with Azazel, but we won't know until they finish investigating."
A cry raked through Aurora;
"I'm already not helping our people here; now I can't even protect the faeries!"
At that, Yuna pulled her friend into a comforting hug; sharing her space on the bed.
Yuna's neck was wet with the queen's tears, and Ini finally tore her gaze from the window.
The beautiful desert fey just seemed...so sad.
"There's nothing you could've done, Aurora." The fey whispered. "You're queen of the Moors, are you not? As far as I know, the Moors is perfectly okay. You're doing wonderfully."
Aurora shook her head in Yuna's hug. "I don't care if it isn't the Moors! I don't want any faeries to be murdered!" Her arms wrapped around Yuna's was it tightly.
Yuna let her hand rest atop of Aurora's head, and she looked to Shrike with her own disturbed expression.
"The Moors are at least alright?"
Shrike nodded slowly, but she didn't seem to confident.
"For now." She answered quietly.
Letting Aurora cry it out, Yuna continued.
"I didn't even know that faeries living outside of the Moors was common." She stated, feeling like a mother as she slowly rocked the monarch through her hysteria. It grew harder to fight back her own upset tears (as was the case for Ini and Shrike), but Yuna made it work.
"Well, isn't it the Miyagatan belief that your land use to be a part of the Moors?" Shrike smiled weakly.
"Just like people, faeries can exist and thrive anywhere. The Moors is simply the land of the faeries; it doesn't serve as their only home. While Dark Feys always migrate together, the same can't be said for all species of faeries."
Ini finally rose from her spot on the window sill.
"Someone now threatens that vitality." She closed her eyes, before reopening them; no doubt an attempt to compose herself.
"This wasn't just some regular attack. This was planned; I know it was Azazel. I just don't know what his reasons would be." Ini's face tensed with anger.
"I imagine Mina's findings will be no different once she returns from Isle Viridi. Azazel is targeting the places that serve as habitats and homes for faeries. He's going to come here too." The fey nearly grit her teeth as she spit out that statement.
Yuna's brows furrowed, and she had to look down at the neutral colored duvet to keep her thoughts straight.
"Did Diaval have any messages to deliver from Mina?" She asked hopefully, and fearfully. Her little sister had been gone for far too long, and the fact that this tragedy was coming to light out Yuna on edge over the girl's safety.
"None."
Aurora finally tore herself from Yuna, distressed expression set with acceptance.
"Don't worry. I'm sure she's fine; with luck, Mina might've discovered something on Isle Viridi that'll help us understand Azazel more."
While Aurora spoke the reassurance, she calmly walked towards the warm fireplace. The queen's eyes were tired, and withdrawn. Her hand came to rub at her tender forehead, and she almost swayed from where she stood.
"I can't do this anymore." She mumbled.
Yuna's brow crinkled with concern, and she hesitantly approached Aurora.
"This?" She prompted unsurely.
Aurora's hand came out to steady her on the fireplace mantle. Her other hand ran over her exhausted face, and she released a deep and heavy breath.
"I can't keep doing this." She spoke into her palm. "Our people will be in a frenzy once Philip and I have to announce all of this. I can't protect all of the faeries... I can't, I can't..."
"You can." Yuna corrected swiftly, eyes softening.
"And you will."
Aurora shook her head.
"The casualties on both sides will be immeasurable; I'll be forced to chose between the humans and the feys. Why did I think I could lead two different kingdoms? Why didn't I...why didn't I think this through?!" Her fingernails dig into the stone.
Ini was soon at her side with Yuna, as was Shrike.
"You're only second guessing yourself because you're stressed; you need to lay down Aurora." Ini spoke gently. "No one will force you to choose. You can't forget that you have allies on both sides, we'll make it work. We have to."
Shrike places a hand to the queen's shoulder.
"Everyone feels helpless right now. We can't let that feeling overpower us; that's what Azazel wants. The minute we start doubting ourselves is the minute we will consequently slip up."
Aurora remained silent.
"They're right, Aurora." Yuna whispered.
"You've done more than you know, and we can't solve what's still an enigma. It's hard, but we need to be patient; you need to be patient. You're a leader, and a leader never lets their opponent see them sweat." She gently assured.
'I'm one to talk about patience.' Yuna thought with a muted burst of sadness. 'Through all of this mess, we still can't even get a lead on Leo. I feel selfish, but... he's my main priority. He's my baby brother.'
Her head resting in her palm, Aurora nodded shakily.
"R-Right." She breathed in deeply. "Right. I'm sorry." Her teary eyes lifted from her hand, and she staggered towards her wardrobe.
"I need to call an advisor meeting; we can't keep this a secret from the public any longer. I don't want to do it... but they need to know. We can't keep them in the dark any longer. If they want to flee with their families to some remote farming town, I need to give them that opportunity."
Yuna felt a pat on her back as Shrike passed her.
"Right. I imagine Udo shall inform the Moors upon his return." The jungle fey encouraged.
"I'll wait for their arrival to question Borra about their findings. If my spiritual magic can tell me anything, then maybe it can help us understand what happened... or rather, what's happening." Ini stated, already making a turn for the door.
"Take care."
Aurora nodded through both fey's words as she shrugged on an overcoat, sloppily throwing her curled locks up into a puffed bun. She managed to make the briefest of eye contact with Yuna;
"Accompany me?" She offered rather desperately.
Swallowing her own overwhelming feelings of helplessness, Yuna put a brave smile on her face for her friend.
"Of course." She nodded.
*
With a cold twilight over the Moors, Yuna busied herself one the cottage kitchen with a sense of anxiety.
Fresh hot tea lay waiting on the table, as well as golden honey. Yuna managed to stop by Lavender's afterwork and pick up some of Udo's favorite strawberries and cream desserts, which adorned the table as well. Udo wasn't a fan of meat (most faeries weren't), so Yuna had settled on roasted eggplant and various other colorful veggies like peppers, and the fresh sprouts she'd manage to spare from their garden.
Candles were lit, the fire was ablaze, freshly washed blankets were smoothed over the couches in the living room. The space was as comfortable, homey and safe as it could be.
Yuna knew that Udo's arrival back home...would be rough. Yuna wanted to cry for him; for the dead kin he had to put to rest. For the emotions he no doubt kept bottled within so that their friends didn't see him upset. A week without her fey left Yuna missing Udo terribly, and she felt even more terrible knowing the pain Udo would be bringing home with him.
It would be okay; Yuna was here and ready for it all. It was her turn to take care of Udo, to show the fey her love.
Yuna sat on the couch as she awaited Udo's arrival, nervous as the wind and rain hit against the window. She left the front door unlocked, and she found herself mumbling a silent prayer that her fey wasn't too heartbroken.
'Please, don't let Udo be sad. I won't be able to see him like that; he doesn't deserve something like this.' Yuna fiddled with the corner of a thickly knit blanket, once again squeezing her eyes shut so that she didn't let any tears escape.
'I'll be his support. I always will be.'
The front door clicked open, and Yuna was up on her feet in an instant.
There Udo stood, the door shutting behind him. The cloak covering his winter robes was wet with fresh rain, and his long hair was also damp. High cheek bones were dotted with fresh droplets and his overall expression...was unreadable.
Yuna's feet carried her to the fey in a split second, and before Yuna knew it she had Udo in her arms. Her hand went to behind his neck, and she gently guided Udo's face into the crook of her collarbone and shoulder. She held him there, one hand on the back of his horned head and the other between his soaked wings.
Udo released a heavy breath as soon as Yuna embraced him, hugging her back just as tightly as he nearly collapsed in her arms.
His next sigh into her neck was followed by a weak cry, and a dry sniffle and Yuna quietly hushed the fey.
"It's okay." She whispered into his ear, fingers carding through his wet hair. "You're home now, Udo. It's okay." Yuna repeated softly.
"Whatever you need, I'm here. You're safe."
Despite Udo being about a foot taller than Yuna and having horns and wings, he melted against her easily.
Yuna repeated the mantras as Udo muffled his almost pained tears into her skin, and Yuna's eyes closed as she rubbed steady circles into Udo's tense back.
They stayed like that for a long, silent while. Udo held onto Yuna like he were scared that she would disappear, and Yuna held him back as a reminder that she wasn't going anywhere.
It was a comfortable intimacy; the two of them embracing through sorrow as rain raged outside and the cottage warmed them in a quaint familiarity.
Only once Yuna could hear and feel Udo's cries dwindle down did she ever so slightly pull away. Her eyes and hands immediately went to the clasp that fastened Udo's cloak to his shoulders, and she unfastened the heavy material with haste as it fell to the floor.
Her fingertips trailed up to stoke at his teary cheekbones, to brush away the damp baby hairs that stuck to his skin, and she finally settled with cradling Udo's handsome face.
Udo cradled Yuna's face right back, the girl barely able to inspect his tired and distressed face before Udo dove in for a desperate kiss.
Desperate as it was tender and loving, Yuna basked in the quick exchange as Udo lingered there. His lips moved against hers, and as soon as he drew back he automatically buried his face into her neck again.
Yuna held him there, remaining silent as she let the fey speak uninterrupted.
"T-Those faeries, those water nymphs... some of them were children." Another guttural and dry sob heaved from Udo's throat, and Yuna's heart dropped.
"They're okay." She softly whispered into his ear. "They had you to send them off into the next realm; they're in a place of peace and wonder that we can't even comprehend. They're okay."
Yuna couldn't think of the right thing to say, and she felt completely useless. She pressed a kiss to the ear she whispered into, and continued to rub the Fey's back.
"I'm so sorry you had to witness such things, Udo..."
Udo gulped thickly against her throat.
"They weren't even... it wasn't even bloody or brutal. They were just dead, like the life had been sucked right out of them. They looked like they were just sleeping..."
Yuna listened to the recount with a feeling of dread, but she was sure to mask any negative emotions in the face of the fey.
Who was she to even be the slightest bit upset when it was Udo who was affected?
"I'm sure for them, it was just like falling asleep." She whispered.
"Let it all out, whatever you need I'm here Udo. Mourn them, and then try to find contentment in what you could do, not what you couldn't. I know, without a doubt that you did everything you could Udo. You always do; that's why the fey respect you as their leader. You never let anyone, or any faerie suffer alone."
Her words brought Udo into another harsh cry, and Yuna held him tighter.
"Thank you." Udo cried into her neck, his hidden face crinkled with pain and anguish. He held Yuna so close that she was flush against him, and he sighed out to try and catch his breath through his distraught tears.
"I'm sorry." His hands furled into the uniform Yuna still wore.
"I don't deserve you; I don't even know why you stay." He squeezed her closer. "I know I've been busy this past month; I know I haven't been able to be with you as much as either one of us like."
Udo babbled in his upset state, and Yuna let him as she softly hushed him.
"I'm sorry. You know that sometimes it's out of my control what my duties will be, right? I don't want to ever have to put you second, but-" Udo's teary babbles were beginning to borderline on full blown hysterics, and Yuna quickly sprung into action.
"Hey." Yuna pried Udo's face from her neck, once again cradling his face. It was meant to steady him; his gaze seeing nothing but her.
Yuna sucked in a breath at seeing Udo's pained expression and completely tear stained face, allowing a soft smile to encompass her lips as she smooth her thumbs over his skin.
"Focus on me; everything is alright." Yuna kept her voice soft. "Breathe. Listen to my voice."
Udo's eyes shut as she spoke, wincing from either pain or exhaustion. As Yuna coaxed him, his shortened breaths gradually dwindled, and his distress (while not totally evaporated) became manageable.
"There you go." Yuna whispered, lips pressing to his forehead. Her fingers brushed under his tired eye bags, blotting away his tears before going right back to keeping a secure hold on either side of his face.
"It's alright Udo."
With their height difference, Yuna rose to her tiptoes to press her forehead against Udo's. Quelling his upset state, she quietly reassured him.
"Before you're the love of my life, you're the leader of the Dark Fey. That's a title that brings me so much pride and joy; and I could never fault you for that." She whispered, Udo's breaths still holding a small shake.
His eyes finally opened to catch Yuna's dark irises, the two holding a close and intimate stare.
"No matter what your duties are, I will always support you. The same way you support me in my court herbalist duties, I'll always be right behind you in your role with the Dark Feys. Even if that means being away from home for awhile, or missing a special occasion here or there. You'll never have to pick between me or your duties." Yuna assured him, and she really meant it.
Udo ever tossing her aside?
Perish the thought. Yuna knew he never would, and she didn't even fear it. The sun would sooner burn out before Udo ever disregarded Yuna.
Udo's eyes softened with sheer adoration as Yuna spoke, and she smiled.
"You're only thinking and saying all of this because you've had a rough week, and a very tiring journey; you're home now, Udo. You did your job, you did it well and as best as you could, and now you've come back to me. Nothing else matters."
Yuna finished with a soft sentiment,
"Let it go."
Udo has managed to catch his breath, and his cries had boiled down to occasional sniffles. Yuna held his face for a moment more, coaxing Udo until he managed to take in a solid and fulfilling breath of air in.
This time from exhaustion, and not complete despair, Udo collapsed back into Yuna's arms.
"Thank you." He breathed into her hair, and Yuna finally felt her eyes begin to water from the emotion of it all.
She quickly blinked it away.
"You're welcome." She turned her head, nose brushing against Udo wet and rain-scented hair.
"Come on. It's time to relax; you deserve it."
Yuna detached herself from Udo, giving him that smile he adored so much as she tugged at his hand.
Udo blearily allowed the girl to guide him along, mind still foggy as she swiftly sat him down at the kitchen table.
He sighed out as Yuna's finger combed through his drenched hair, wringing out any left over water.
"It's been about a week since you've had an actual meal, hm?" As if to emphasize the question, Yuna let her hands trail for Udo's hair to his shoulders. The bone there was just a bit more prominent, and Yuna squeezed them comfortingly.
"I seasoned and roasted some of our last harvests from the garden. Just the way you like."
She felt Udo gradually relax against his seat.
"I picked up some desserts from Lavender's, and the tea is still hot. That should make you feel a bit better." Yuna's lips pressed against Udo's horns, and she let her hands fall from his shoulders.
Yuna took a step back from Udo and set towards the couch to acquire a warm and comfortable blanket, just barely moving before Udo's hand caught her wrist.
Yuna looked back to him, and Udo's teary and red eyes were soft and flooded with love. His expression was tender, like he were admiring the stars.
"I love you." He whispered.
Yuna smiled, her other hand coming up to cover his.
"I love you too." She answered back just as quietly.
Udo didn't let go.
"Thank you." His thumb rubbed over her knuckles tiredly.
Yuna chuckled.
"You're welcome, Udo." She cooed.
Udo's grip tightened ever so slightly.
"I don't deserve you." His eyes took in her beautiful features, his nose breathed in the delicious food she'd prepared just for him.
Udo felt completely in love, fully grateful, and also the smallest bit possessive.
Yuna smiled fondly at him, her head giving a slight shake.
"Stop that. Of course you do." She gently chided.
Yuna softly tore away from Udo's grip, only walking a few feet to the nearest sofa to fetch a warm blanket. Udo almost whined are the loss of contact and attention from Yuna, so the girl was quick to return to him.
Gingerly and lovingly, Yuna brought the blanket to wrap around Udo's broad shoulders. She bent her head, and kissed his temple briefly.
"Eat." She instructed.
Udo watched her as she took a seat an the end of the small table, but next to him. Yuna expertly picked up a laid out porcelain plate, shoveling on Udo's favorite foods before pushing it towards him.
"I can get a loaf of bread out as well; I just made it yesterday. Do you want some with honey?" Yuna asked as she poured a cup of tea for the fey, being quite generous with the milk and sugar.
Udo watched Yuna's movements, feeling a rush of love and appreciation as Yuna tended to him so thoughtfully.
What could the fey say? Even faeries liked feeling a bit spoiled.
Especially by their mates.
"If you don't mind." He responded, a soft smile finally breaking onto his face.
It was small, but it was still there.
Yuna's grin grew, turning into the kitchen to fetch the baked good. A thick, sweet, and perfectly crunched slice soon found its way to Udo's plate, and Yuna drizzled honey over the flaky bread almost perfectly.
Udo's exhaustion faded as sheer hunger replaced it, and he had to resist the urge to plant another sweet kiss to Yuna's face.
"Everything looks delicious." Udo sighed, grabbing his fork. "I...I think this is just what I needed."
Yuna rested her arms against the table, watching as Udo took the first forkful of the savory food into his mouth with a content expression.
It made her happy knowing she could at least do this for Udo. Bring him this kind of comfort.
"I think so too." She agreed, smiling.
Udo's freehand found hers, and he let their fingers bump against each other on the table's surface.
His fingertips played with the glimmering ring around her finger, a constant reminder that they were only for each other and no one else.
"Thank you." Udo repeated the sentiment once more, only this time it was a lot less hysterical and a lot more sincere.
Their eyes locked, and Yuna suddenly felt all of her struggles that week fade away.
"Welcome home."
*
Udo sighed out in sheer contentment as Yuna dragged a thick-toothed comb through his freshly washed and dried hair.
His eyes were shut as the comb massaged his scalp, his tension and remorse dissipated by the amazing abilities of his one and only Yuna.
"I'm proud of you, you know." Yuna's soft voice spoke up from behind him, sitting in the center of their large bed.
"I know what happened wasn't easy...but you persevered. I'm proud of you for that."
Yuna set the comb down on the sheets, and embraced Udo from behind. She rested right in between his wings, arms wrapped around his neck as she nuzzled into him.
At her words, Udo felt a dull guilt begin to hold him.
Yuna smiled, unaware.
"You're a good fey, Udo. A good man. I don't want you to ever doubt that." She whispered.
Udo knew he couldn't postpone this any longer. He couldn't accept Yuna's sweet words, the affection and loving comfort she'd given him all evening when he felt so dirty. So wrong.
Udo softly reached for her hands, undoing their grip around him.
"I'm undeserving of that, Yuna."
He changed his grip so that he held Yuna's hand tight, shifting around to look at the girl.
Her long hair was pined up rather messily, and the pink nightgown she wore had a small stain on the chest from when Diaval and her tried to make a cake for Maleficent's birthday.
While her face held no makeup, the sheer natural beauty Yuna emitted never ceased to make Udo wonder how on earth the girl would ever want a Dark Fey like him. She smelled of the herbs and old books she held within her office at the castle, and that only further served to remind Udo that his heart was as terrifyingly intelligent as she was beautiful.
Really, just how had Udo been so lucky?
Now, here he was; probably about to mess all of that up.
Yuna's head cocked curiously at that, her hair following the movement so cutely that Udo's heart yearned to just smother her.
"What are you talking about? Of course you are." Yuna had stated it like it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Udo smiled sadly at her, hand come up to rub his knuckles over her cheek.
"No, Yuna. I'm not."
His gaze fell to their hands intertwined on the bed, and Udo felt an anxiety begin to bubble within his chest.
Yuna seemed to pick up on this anxiety, because she shifted in the bed rather unnervingly.
"Udo...?"
Heavens, Udo could've shattered from the concern in her voice. Yuna was too sweet and sensitive for the world, and Udo felt like he was all too undeserving of it all.
Udo swallowed thickly, then lifted his head to look his heart in the eyes.
"I've been keeping something from you." The fear flooded through Udo's veins all at once.
He watched the worry suddenly flood into Yuna's dark eyes; the assumptions and worst fears.
"Oh..."
Her brows furrowed, and she took a moment to process the rather concerning statement.
She looked to Udo with her lips in a tight line, voice threatening to break.
"D-Did...You weren't unfaithful, right...?" Yuna squeezes his hand tightly, silently begging the fey to quell the horrid fear.
Udo instantly felt a brief, hot vexation replace the fear coursing through him. His eyes hardened like steel, and his fangs nearly made him growl out his response,
"Never." His eyes flashed with a dull hurt, and he shook his head to Yuna disapprovingly. His question came out just a bit more severe than he intended;
"How could you even think I'd ever do that?"
The sun would sooner burn out before Udo even noticed another woman who wasn't Yuna, but that was a story for a different time.
Yuna relaxed with a visible relief, releasing a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.
"Well, when you tell me you've been keeping something from me and look like that," Yuna referenced towards the worried lines in Udo's face.
"You'll have to forgive me for assuming the worst."
Udo let his face soften, resisting the desire to lean forward and press a kiss to Yuna's soft and glistening lips.
"I'd never even think of another woman, with you by my side." He clarified firmly, eyes locking with Yuna to be sure there was no room for any doubt.
"Not in this life, or any other."
Yuna stared at Udo adoringly from his words, and she kept her voice soft.
"I know. Same for me." She smiled softly, but then her expression turned more serious.
"Tell me what's wrong."
Udo sucked a deep breath in; here goes nothing. While his chest tightened with apprehension, Udo kept a brave but apologetic face.
He spoke, "I knew about the pirates before we arrived at Miyagata." The confession lingered in the air, and Udo felt like he'd been socked in the gut as he finally said it.
Udo almost looked away in shame,
"I didn't know they were Azazel's crew, Yuna. I swear. I only knew what Philip told me...that night you and Aurora fell into the ocean, Philip told me what the threat really was. I swear, I only had good intentions." Said Udo, fighting to keep his voice steady.
He swallowed thickly, almost like he were trying to swallow down his guilt and shame himself. Udo's eyes were desperate as they flickered over to Yuna, begging but accepting.
"I am so sorry, Yuna. I only wanted you to be able to finally go back home without anything holding you back. If I told you there were pirates involved, then I was afraid your homecoming would be soured."
Udo lifted Yuna's hand up, squeezing it with both of his as his expression became worried.
"However, that wasn't my call to make. For that, and for keeping something from you...I'm sorry."
Udo couldn't read the expression Yuna met him with, and he felt a franticness in him that threatened to make fresh tears spill.
Udo brought her hand close to his chest.
"I'm sorry, Yuna."
Her face was slightly creased with something unreadable, and she looked away from Udo. Her eyes told that Yuna had fallen into a deep contemplation, and the sheer lack of response could've made Udo cry.
Of all the things Udo messed up in his life...he could've kicked himself for putting his own relationship with Yuna in jeopardy.
Udo didn't mean for his impatience to boil over, but he just needed the bandage to be ripped clean off already.
"Yuna-"
"You did that for me?"
Udo's mouth snapped shut as Yuna's soft voice spoke up.
Yuna lifted her head, eyes meeting Udo.
Udo nearly fainted; where he expected to see anger and sheer hurt, he only saw adoration...and a joy that only Yuna could emit.
Her eyes glimmered, maybe with tears, and her smile was small but genuine.
Happy.
"You thought about me that much? You...kept all of this in, just so I could be happy?"
Udo still felt too apprehensive to let any relief flood through him, but heavens Yuna was staring at him so tenderly.
"Of course I did. I always think about your best interests." Udo finally smiled, teeth showing.
"You...You should be furious with me, Yuna. You can't just let me-"
Udo was silenced as Yuna leant forward, lips meeting his briefly. Udo was left stunned as she pulled away, Yuna's smile brightening even more as she looked to him.
"How could I be mad? I've...I've never had someone care about me the way you do, Udo. No one has ever thought about me in such detail; ever tried to give me so much." Her hand came to cover Udo's.
"I'm not mad, not at all... I'm happy. I'm so happy."
Udo felt an affection explode within him that only Yuna could trigger, and he instantly swooped in to plant a delicate kiss to Yuna's soft lips again.
And again.
And again and again.
Yuna giggled, and Udo was left breathless as he finally pulled away.
He let his head rest against hers, his feathers practically ruffling from his sheer adrenaline.
"I'd never deceive you. I'll never keep something like this from you, not ever again." He swore under his breath, eyes half-lidded.
Yuna sighed; it had been such a long week.
She missed her fey.
"You didn't do anything wrong." She clarified quietly.
"Even if you did know it was Azazel...what would telling me do? Magically stop him from coming back? Say his name three times in a mirror and his ship sinks in the middle of the ocean?" Yuna chuckled.
"What you did was thoughtful, and it wasn't insidious. I know you wouldn't do something like that."
Udo could've collapsed as the weight was lifted off his shoulders, lips brushing against Yuna's once more.
"I'm glad my judgement was at least right on that." He whispered, and Yuna didn't miss the underlying tone in his voice.
She shifted on the bed so that they were closer.
"At least?" Yuna pressed, Udo looking away from her guiltily.
It was a different kind of shame beginning to emit from Udo, and Yuna's eyes softened.
She was quite sure she had a general idea about where this was going.
Despite the fact that they were getting ready for bed, and were currently in their sleep wear, Yuna made the decision to scoot to the edge of the grand bed. She tugged at Udo,
"Come on." She pressed. "Come with me."
Udo followed Yuna's figure with his gaze, watching as she threw a thick shawl over her shoulders.
Cautiously, he rose to his feet.
"To?" He prompted.
Taking a matching shawl from the curtain adorned closet, Yuna strode back to Udo. She wrapped it around him, smiling.
"Outside." She laced their fingers together.
"Let's go."
Their bare feet padded through the newer, much more expansive and appropriate bedroom.
While they couldn't quite finish any impressive renovations before all of this happened, they'd gotten a good head start.
With, well, magic home renovations were significantly easier (and cheaper).
The old bedroom, Aurora's teenage one, had become expansive enough to to be classified as a master bedroom. A larger and sturdier bed frame replaced the old one, as well as a bigger mattress. That change alone had made Yuna and Udo's lives together much easier, and it truly was like heaven.
With the bed's size, Udo could easily stretch his wings out and not have his horns constantly be digging into their poor headboard. For Yuna, she couldn't really complain about all the extra space; every night was like sleeping in an endless sea of silk and plush comfort.
The bedroom was beginning to fill with their own intimate touches that couldn't be (or couldn't fit) in the old one;
A new wallpaper lined the walls, for one. A pale pale with little gold detailing in it; as classy as it was practical. A dresser for Yuna, a chest for Udo; special knickknacks adorning the room that were the couple's own little story.
It had been Udo's idea to also adorn the bedroom with larger windows to let in more natural light, in turn hanging plants all about the ceiling and walls that the fey eagerly tended to with Yuna.
It made them both happy; for Yuna it simply reminded her of her apothecary days, a routine she hadn't been able to practice for quite some time. For Udo...in a weird way he liked that it like they were raising the little buds.
Timeless white curtains adorned the windows, newly polished wooden floors replaced the old and worn ones, and a delicate and ornate but small chandelier hung from the center of the room (a bit gaudy for Udo's taste, but seeing the way Yuna lit up when Aurora had gifted it to them as a "new house" present made the fey put it up almost immediately.
Their bedroom was...finally theirs. Yuna's paintings hanging from the walls, Udo's scrolls of Dark Fey culture and writings literally the lounges by the windows. Their belongings intermingling, the two of them coexisting...it was perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
The hallways of the second floor had been expanded, no longer narrow and straight but able to accommodate for Udo's large wings and equally as tall horns. Their bathroom was practically a communal sauna with how large it was, of course no one else besides Yuna and Udo would be using it together.
No longer was their just a tiny bathtub and small sink; Udo had managed to use his chlorokinesis to manipulate the very wood in the cottage's infrastructure to expand the bathroom enough to fit a large circular bath right in the center of it. It was practically a small pool from how big it was, and Udo had put in the personal touch just for Yuna;
The bath was similar to the saunas found on Miyagata (Udo was still slightly upset their visit had been cut short. He had to say he was quite eager to get into one of the steamy baths with Yuna), and Yuna nearly squealed with delight when Udo revealed it to her.
It benefited Udo as well; it was comfortable and large enough to not only move around in, but not squish his empowering wings.
They hadn't touched the spare bedrooms in the house yet, as there was no need or urgency to.
They didn't want three stories in their little cottage, it seemed too over the top, so they instead decided to expand the first and second floor to make the larger and accommodate for more.
Maybe one day they'd need a third story, but for now they were content. They hadn't gotten much done besides the bedroom, bathroom and hallways, but Udo and Yuna had many more plans.
Udo insisted on having an office for Yuna, and somewhere she could get away and simply paint. In turn, Yuna wanted Udo to have his own special room in the house; an area of all natural light, plants and nature. Somewhere the fey could meditate, exercise his magic and simply let his spirituality bask. All Feys loved being in the natural world, and while they already lived in the Moors, Yuna wanted to spoil Udo the same way he spoiled her.
They still had to update the kitchen and make it much bigger; same with the living room. Udo and Yuna wanted furniture unique to them and their story, personal knickknacks, nods to both of their cultures...
Gods, they'd been so excited to take this next step together. Now that'd already gotten started, they couldn't wait to see the finished project.
Unfortunately, it seemed that home improvement would have to wait... Azazel really was a bastard, wasn't he?
Yuna led them down the old stairs (also on the list to be renovated. Maybe taking some inspiration from the architecture of the northern states?), leading Udo outside.
While Udo was used to being barefoot, and didn't mind the cold grass crunching under his feet at all, he eyed Yuna's own bare feet and lack of warm clothing worryingly.
"You're going to make yourself sick again." He tugged back at her hand apprehensively, going to lead them back inside the house.
Yuna stood her ground firmly, not letting herself be dragged.
"Trust me." She insisted instead, locking eyes with Udo.
The calmness in her voice shocked through Udo, and his eyes momentarily widened. Slowly, he closed the cottage's door behind them.
"Alright then." He answered quietly.
Yuna smiled, and gently tugged at Udo until they fell into a relaxed walk side by side.
Udo realized that Yuna seemed to have a set destination in mind, and he gently let one of his arms wrap around her waist.
Stubborn as Yuna might be, Udo still refused to let her catch cold.
Udo decided not to question his heart, letting her lead the way as the couple entered into thick forests, crossed through shallow and cold streams and around the brilliant rock giants that dotted the Moors. The winter night was softly lit with the glow of sleeping faeries, the air filled with the rushing of water and the rustles of life.
They walked for a short while, only coming to a stop once Yuna trekked you a small incline of earth. Udo followed her, watching as the girl and space before him were overtaken with an iridescent and beautifully mysterious red and orange light.
Yuna smiled to him, and Udo's eyes widened.
"Tomb blooms." He stated, both a question and observation.
The ambience made Yuna look like a maiden of the Moors herself, and Udo's heart skipped a beat as the flowers only served to heighten her beauty.
She beckoned for Udo to follow her, entering into a small clearing in the center of the faerie graves and rich red glowing flowers.
Udo at her side, Yuna dropped to her knees and clasped her hands together in a quiet prayer. Matching her, Udo bowed his own head, eyes closed.
He prayed not only those already lost, those who were buried there...but also those he had to lay to rest in the peninsula.
For the little nymph children who didn't get to experience life...for the parents who wanted to protect them more than anything.
Udo sucked in a sharp breath as the memory hit him, and he had to scrunch his eyes shut even tighter to avoid any tears from forming.
Still kneeling, Yuna spoke quietly.
"Tell me what troubles you, Udo." She whispered. Yuna rose slowly, the tomb blooms around them giving the space in the Moors an intimate and serene feel.
"Back in the bedroom...I know that something else is on your mind."
Udo didn't even try to fight the accusation. He couldn't deny it, because it was Yuna. His heart clenched in his chest, and his head fell into his hands.
"I'm just not cut out to lead the dark feys, Yuna." He whispered.
Yuna remained calm, her hands finding their way to Udo's shoulders in a side embrace.
She leaned against him, eyes scanning the flowers before them.
"Certainly you are." She retorted gently.
"More so than anyone else. Conall passed this torch to you for a reason, Udo."
"Well Conall was wrong." Udo cut in sharply, looming away from Yuna almost like it hurt.
Yuna kept her expression and voice soft.
"You're only saying all of this because of what happened...you're feeling helpless." Yuna hushed Udo, frowning when she saw his forehead crease.
"Conall wasn't wrong. What happened was inevitable, Udo. It wasn't your fault."
A sadness began to grip at Yuna as she spoke; she didn't like seeing Udo like this. Seeing Udo doubt himself and think such horrible things wanted to make Yuna smother him with never ending affection and praises; it just simply wasn't true.
Udo was the best of the best, certainly he couldn't be so blind that he didn't see that, right?
"Conall would've found some way of preventing it. He probably would have already figured out Azazel's motives by now; would already have figured out a way to settle all of this with no casualties." Udo's hand dropped from his face, despair swarming in his irises.
"I'm not Conall, Yuna. I can't lead like him, protect like him. I can't even stop a few water nymphs from dying, let alone figured out how they even passed in the first place." Udo shook his head, almost like he were scolding himself.
He finally looked down at Yuna, sorrowful and brows knit with frustration.
"How am I supposed to protect the Dark Fey then? The Moors?"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"How am I supposed to protect you?"
Yuna caught his face, holding it in place so that Udo had no means of escaping. Her eyes were set firmly, as was her expression, and she shook her head slowly.
"Enough of that kind of talk." Yuna whispered softly by strictly, eyes meeting Udo's.
"You're right. You're not Conall, and you'll never be Conall."
Udo's eyes flashed with hurt as Yuna said that, expression faltering as he threaten to just completely crumble then and there.
Then, Yuna continued.
"You're Udo. You're the fey that protects, provides, nurtures and leads... you're you, Udo. That is so much more than Conall could've ever hoped for."
Udo's eyes widened, and he sucked a sharp breath of air in.
Yuna smiled at him.
"You helped bridge the gap between fey and hume, just like Conall wanted. You protect and practically raise the young; making sure they have as normal a childhood as possible. Whenever the Dark Fey have a gathering, you make sure everyone has eaten before you. If you see someone upset or beaten down, you do everything you can to raise them up. You never let people feel alone or unwanted Udo."
Udo's lip threatened to quiver as Yuna continued, and her expression looked to Udo like he were everything.
"You've been protecting the fey since you were just a teenager; you've been protecting me all this time. The fey respect and adore you, Udo; and I could never be prouder than to have someone like you by my side. You're a good fey, Udo; a good man."
Yuna's ring brushed against Udo's jaw, and he suddenly realized that his vision was beginning to blur.
This was what it felt like to be loved, Udo realized.
With Yuna he realized it again and again and again...every moment of every day.
"I love you." Yuna finished in a whisper.
Udo engulfed Yuna at that, holding her face against his chest.
"I love you too." He shuddered out, evidently on the brink of tears from how his voice shook.
Yuna embraced Udo fully, smiling greatly.
"No more putting yourself down. Whatever is going on, no matter what Azazel is planning, we'll stop him together. No dying, no casualties; only justice."
Udo nodded, taking a moment as his lip quivered.
"I just don't want to let everyone down. Everyone is watching me, Yuna. You're watching me. Every decision I make, every action I take... I don't want to fail."
At Udo's confession, Yuna clutched his robes tightly.
A gentle and cold breeze swept past them, the winter earth cool beneath their bare feet.
"You won't, Udo. Whenever you feel like you can't do it...hear my voice telling you that you can." She shushed him.
A sigh shuddered through Udo, his hand wiping at his pointed eyes.
"I don't know what I did to deserve you. I'll never, never know what I-"
Udo was silenced for a second time that night as Yuna kissed his tenderly, her breathing coming in short huffs.
"You did everything. Everything, Udo."
Udo finally managed to quell his turmoil, eyes watering from happiness and joy this time, and he smirked before diving right back in to kiss Yuna.
His lips dragged over her cheek, then behind her ear, and Yuna giggled.
"That tickles." She sighed.
Udo kissed the skin their again, prompting Yuna to turn her head to the side.
She hummed under the attention, Udo's kisses loving and gentle as her eyes fluttered over the tomb blooms.
They sparkled extra bright, emitted a light more beautifully than before...almost as if it were Conall's way of thanking her.
Yuna smiled at them,
'You're welcome.' She thought of the fey she'd seen in her divination, the leader before Udo... the fey who let her stay with the Dark Fey to heal and who helped take care of her.
'I'll be with him every step of the way. He'll make you proud, Conall...though I think he may have done that already.'
Udo pressed one last lingering kiss to Yuna's ear, before gently pulling away.
"This past week had been horrible without you." He confessed quietly. "I missed you terribly, and I worried about you being all alone in the cottage..."
Udo went to embrace her again.
Yuna rubbed the back of Udo's head, the sentiment the same for her.
"I missed you too." She whispered.
"I'm happy your home. I was scared something would happen to you...that Azazel would be there."
Udo rubbed his hand up her back.
"I'm right here." He responded softly.
"I fear that I may become even more busy after this point; if faeries are beginning to die from seemingly no cause... then Azazel may be putting his plan into motion." Udo sighed.
"I'm sorry if it makes you feel pushed aside...let's go back to Miyagata after this, okay? Have a proper visit, and trip. Make up for all the time we've had to spend away from each other. Just you and me."
Yuna chuckled.
"I'll have to hold you to that." Her eyes softened. "I won't feel pushed aside. We all have our own duties, don't we?"
As soon as Yuna asked the question, she stiffened.
'Well...everyone but me, I suppose.'
Udo sensed this (of course he did), and immediately pulled away. His eyes scanned Yuna's face intently, not quite with concern but definitely intrigue.
"Why do you say it like that?" He prompted carefully.
The tomb blooms rustling about their feet, Yuna sighed.
Great, now was it her turn to air out her insecurities?
"I'm kind of useless in the midst of all this." Yuna shrugged, keeping her voice quiet.
Udo's brow furrowed; useless? Yuna? Never.
"You're in no way useless." Udo firmly corrected.
Suddenly, the detailing on Udo's night robes were exceptionally interesting, and Yuna refused to look at anything else but the threading.
"Everyone has a job here but me. The faeries have their role, Philip, Aurora and Percival have their own with the crown. I'm just an herbalist...I can't really help anyone or anything. I'm just taking up space." Yuna sighed, the corner of her lip pulling down.
"I'm not depressed about it or anything. It's just...I feel kind of weird, I guess. Upset, maybe?"
Yuna's brow creased as she tried to find the right words.
"My own little sister had set off on her own quest to take down Azazel and find Leo...and I can't even help with that. I can't even help find my brother; isn't that rich?" Yuna chuckled dryly.
"Everyone has something to bring to the table. Knowledge of war, battle, leadership, tactics, strategies...I don't know any of that. I'm just an herbalist, stuck in the middle of all of this while my friends and family all work tirelessly to take down Azazel..."
Yuna bit into her lip.
"I just want to help everyone; I don't want to be a burden. I need to pull my weight here; we're getting ready to announce all of this to the public and my not helping the advancement of any of this. I'm just essentially playing tag along in all of these war meetings; I can't do anything. What am I supposed to do, make an ointment that'll magically stop Azazel?"
Yuna's fingers gripped into Udo's robes.
"I just want to help. I want everyone to be okay and I want...I want..." Yuna released a staggered breath.
She finally looked up to Udo, barely registering his saddened expression.
"I want to find my brother, Udo! I want Leo back, and I want Mina here too!"
Yuna instantly calmed as Udo pressed his lips to her forehead, still holding her close. His magic envelopes them, his wonderful ability of chlorokinesis causing roots to pulse at their feet.
Finally saying all of that was already like a weight removed from Yuna's shoulders, and Udo held her with pure reassurance.
"Your desire to protect others is what you contribute, Yuna." He whispered.
"That is perhaps the most amazing, important role here; the sheer love and devotion you hold is what keeps everyone going. You're anything but useless; we'd be lost without you. I would be lost without you."
Yuna nodded along to his words, Udo kissing her forehead once more.
"Your intelligent beyond words, your dedicated and loyal to a fault. You don't have to be leading troops and bashing heads in to be contributing in the evasion of an all out war, my heart." Udo chuckled, thought it didn't sound too amused.
"I'm actually quite grateful you're away from the frontlines. Here is your fortress and home; you don't need to be anywhere else but here."
Yuna's expression softened as she relaxed; Udo always knew the right things to say, didn't he?
Udo looked her square in the eye, jaw set.
"We will find Leo. Even if I need to fly all over the world to find him, he will come home, Yuna."
Yuna nodded once more, heart rate increasing. She knew Udo meant it, too.
"Then we can all be together. You, me, Leo and Mina...our friends in both the Moors and Ulstead...everything will work out. I promise."
One of Udo's vines, thin and leafy, twirled up to Yuna at that. From its tip, a delicate and rich red rose bloomed. Udo plucked it swiftly, handing it to Yuna with a loving smile.
Yuna stared at the rose in wonder, Udo's magic never ceasing to amaze her. She giggled lightly as she accepted it, smiling up to Udo with gratitude and a fond appreciation.
"Then I'll keep on doing exactly what I've always been." She cocked her head.
Udo's smile was soft.
"You better." He whispered.
That helplessness Yuna had felt all week vanished within a split second, and she felt so light and free.
'Udo...' Her smile turned fond.
'I'm so lucky...'
Yuna blinked as Udo's fingers came to pinch at the thin hair of her bangs, slightly startled.
Rose still in her grip, she eyed her nervously.
"What are you-"
Udo brought his fingers down so Yuna could look.
A little white flake.
Yuna's eyes widened, and she followed Udo's gaze up into the stars.
Snow. It was snowing.
"Guess we're finally in December, hm?" She wondered aloud.
Udo looked back to Yuna. The white snow was a direct contrast to her dark hair, the little flakes dotting her tresses and nose cutely. Yuna shook her head to get them out of her hair, and Udo watched fondly.
"I guess so." He agreed.
Unable to stand it any longer, the tundra fey pulled Yuna into another embrace.
The tomb blooms brilliantly glowing, the Moors dusting with a light snow, and the scarlet rose nestled between them, the couple held each other for a few quiet moments.
At least there, in their own little world, for a brief time; all their troubles seemed to melt away like the snow beginning to litter around them.
It was all Udo and Yuna needed.
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Yaaaaay new chapter!
I definitely needed some Udo and Yuna fluff 💗 With the plot moving along, I'm excited to advance the story more. I can't wait for you guys to read it!
Please let me know what you thought, and I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter will be out soon, please look forward to it!!
I'll see you in the next chapter!
~Akahana