An Eternal Flame | Druig Fanfic ( UPDATES on Fridays )

The Emerald Isle

Druig looked ahead to see a strip of blazing green resting on the horizon's edge, beckoning to him.

He had said his goodbyes to the family who had taken care of him and all of the neighbors who had accepted him so quickly and with as much love as they gave to their beloved sons and daughters. It was something he detested despite the hundreds of times he'd been forced to say goodbye before — they were human, and he didn't have the power to change that. No one did. He wanted to bar himself away from humanity sometimes, so he wouldn't have to carry the weight of another life gone so quickly, but he loved them all too much. It never became easier for him, this cycle. He was thankful, at least, the Eternals were a constant in the millennia of his life. Still, he was pained by each goodbye. He knew he'd outlive everyone he met along the way with his Eternal family bearing that pain with him, though he thought some didn't feel that pain the same.

"We're nearly an hour out, lads," a young man with slim shoulders and a dark pleated beard announced, his voice hoarse from taste of the salty air. Men scattered about on deck going about their jobs, managing the sails and tending to long chords of thick rope.

Druig walked over to the bow of the ship, leaning over and resting his crossed arms on the railing. He closed his eyes and let the morning mist fall softly against his skin. He was anxious to get to this new land. People on board all called it the Emerald Isle or something akin to it in their own languages. The Celts of Europe had all been traveling to find their own lands in lieu of the Roman Empire's expanse. Druig found the Celts he was traveling with to be homely and inviting. Sometimes, they were a bit rough, but all in good spirit and good company.

As they approached the shore line, Druig marveled at the cliffs. They stood tall as the waves rushed in against them, peaks of bright green grass lining their edges almost waving hello. A sailor stood by him and pointed up, speaking his Celtic tongue. Druig listened into the man's mind to hear him exclaiming how the great cliffs stood like gates to the new country, "A new home for us all, my traveling friend. Why've you come here?"

Druig shifted his stance, unsure of how to answer. He didn't have to give an answer to the man. He could have easily dismissed the man, tricking his mind to carry him elsewhere, perhaps to help a sailor struggling to make a proper knot, so Druig could sit in quiet. Somehow, the quiet was pestering him, so he welcomed the man's conversation, "To find where I'm going I reckon."

The man scoffed jokingly, "Have you come to find the magic then?"

"Magic?" Druig replied curiously.

The man bellowed a loud laugh and patted Druig on the shoulder, "You've not yet heard the legends? The stories? They've reached ears as far as the Mediterranean Sea! This land is blessed with magical beings, some kind and some more devious than the others."

"Is that so?" Druig half-smiled at the man's unwavering delight in man's myth.

"We travelers have embarked to find them. Some have healing powers, and I've heard to merely see others is to be blessed until the end of your days. Maybe giving some of us a few more days than we were meant." Druig looked back to the cliffs once more, wondering what could lie beyond their sheer height. "So, what've you come here for then? If not magic, then what drew you here?"

Druig hummed in thought. What would make sense to a human? "To find a place I can belong for now," he answered.

"If ever there was a place, I hope this is it for you. My family will sail in a few weeks past today, and then they'll be here with me. We'd already felt the calling of home here in the last year, and now our time is here to come home. I can't wait to hold my lover in my arms once more," the man grinned sheepishly. "You've family too? They on the boat or coming later on?"

Druig shook his head as the man glanced about the ship's deck, "I'm here on me own."

"Hopefully, you can find a family here or perhaps make your own. I'd invite you to join my own, but you look like you're on a mission to find something," the man peered at Druig whose eyes were fixed on the cliffs still. Druig remained quiet except for a small laugh, so the man stood tall, "Well, I'll leave you to it then. If we ever cross paths again, my name is Fionn. Beannachtaí duit, sir."

He thought a moment before giving his name, "My name is Druig. I hope to see you again one day, Fionn."

Druig nodded at the man who walked away to what looked like a brother. The Eternals were his family, but he hadn't truly felt a part of that family for centuries. Too often, he felt as if he were in their shadows waltzing through time, ostracized and criticized for how he wished to use his powers. He'd followed Ajak's leadership for so long that he felt he had lost himself somewhere along the way. He hoped this venture would allow him to feel different. He walked over to the starboard side, waiting as a small docking port came closer and closer.

When the ship came close enough, he jumped onto the wooden dock with a satchel at his side. The men paid no attention to him as he walked away, their minds swept of any thought of the Eternal they'd had aboard their ship. Druig's eyes faded back from their golden hue, and he breathed in deeply, his feet carrying him down the dock to the shore.