The Demon and the Elf (Book 1)

Chapter Twenty Three pt 3

All that was seen in the near distance was the solitary tree basking in the sunlight dressed with the shadow of its own leaves. In the midst of Drokn's widening eyes and pulse that grew in pace, he noticed a little edge of a forest green fabric drifting in the light breeze behind the tree. And the next moment, a side of a familiar lovely face poking out from the same brown bark. Green eyes looked back in shock only to then glisten with a pair of lips stretching into a curl.

Eial had successfully teleported a greater distance than before.

In celebration, Eial pushed himself away from the tree and started to hop over to where the other two sat. Standing up, Vrona cheered at Eial's accomplishment with crescent eyes and bountiful words.

Meanwhile, Drokn...

Well, a part of his heart wanted to dance with Eial's. As for the other part—

In his inner battle, he hadn't noticed Eial had already closed the distance between them, his sparkling eyes eagerly looking into his own amber as he sat eye level with the other. The elf's sweet smile melted away all the demon's thoughts, almost forgetting any disgruntled emotion or turmoil.

Almost.

When the demon came to, he realized his palm had somehow found its way upon the elf's head. But, before he could gently stroke or pat his head, a knot tied in his chest and his eyebrows pinched close. He immediately jerked his hand away and pushed it against the rough ground, preparing to get up and leave.

However, the elf would not have it.

The elf immediately grabbed onto the demon's shoulder and suddenly, the two were surrounded by flora and greenery. The air was much cooler and saturated than the plains they were at just moments before. At their sudden arrival, small squirrels and rabbits hopped into hiding and birds echoed their flaps as they flew into the distance.

"Where are we? Why did you teleport me here?" the demon asked, standing up, mildly irked and avoiding all eye contact. After deafening silence, he took a large amount of effort to slide his gaze to the side to glance at the elf. The moment his eyes laid on the elf, he stood stunned. For what he saw was the elf whose fists grabbed tight onto his own cloak. Whose head faced down, but behind the lashes, one could see bright red cheeks and nose. Could see teeth pressing marks over the bottom lip.

Drokn's chest pierced sharp at the look Eial revealed as his head turned up to his. "What's wrong? Why are you upset?" Eial almost choked out the words.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm not upset," the demon, unsurprisingly, spit out and turned away, unable to face honest eyes.

"It was the black berries, wasn't it?"

Facial features contorted, Drokn slowly wandered his head back to Eial, perplexed by an unexpected turn of subject.

"I should have known you'd find out."

"What—"

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Eial guilt and sorrow would barely let Drokn speak.

"What are you talking about? What berries?"

"The ones I had saved for your snack! I knew they were your favorite, yet I—" Eial nearly sobbed.

"You what?" Had Eial done something so horrible to cry for with such a thing as berries?

"I felt a little hungry... and they were in arms reach... and I... I...," the elf's lips trembled, "I ate them all without telling you!"

With narrowed eyes, Drokn grew speechless, mouth agape.

"Oh what a selfish elf, I am!"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Drokn took a breath to collect himself. "I don't care about the berries!" Drokn said with his voice raised, looking down at the still-sitting elf.

"Oh." Eial's expression cleared immediately, only soon to be followed with another frown. "Then is it because I accidentally stepped on your cape while my boots were very muddy? I washed them well, I promise! I didn't think you'd find out..."

Suddenly, Drokn came to hearing a multitude of confessions from the elf, all of things that had barely mattered to him or that he hadn't noticed at all. Each confession he frantically denied to care about brought on a new confession from the elf. Until, finally, the demon's patience wore thin. He clawed his fingers through his hair and roared through his teeth. "That's not why I'm upset!"

"So you are upset."

Whether intentionally or not, Eial had made the demon lash out the truth at last, despite the truth already so transparent. Drokn wanted to be defiant at the elf's trickery, but by that point of their back and forth, the demon had grown weary to put any effort.

"Please tell me why. It makes me sad when you don't talk to me." Eial's voice finally calmed as his eyes stared hopefully up towards the demon.

The demon's heart warmed at the thought of the elf caring about his attention. Meanwhile, he was muddled in his own mind to notice he was hurting the elf. Graving a deep sigh, Drokn ruffled his hair before sitting down in front of the elf, his gaze yet again finding places away from the elf's own as he was filled muddy and vulnerable.

As thoughts of the matter came to surface again, the heat in his body rose. "Why are you helping Vrona when you should be helping me?" As the thoughts bursted out in a louder speech, suddenly, Drokn felt childish. He had yet to put his discomfort into words, yet when he did, it felt awfully shameful.

"I am helping you. And I'm helping her." Eial could not understand Drokn's concern, but he shuffled closer, lessening the space between them.

"I know, but— I don't like it. I don't know why, I just—" Drokn's eyes wandered, searching for words as Eial sat patiently, letting him process. "I feel like my goals are not important to you anymore. I'm not important to you anymore. You're just leaving me behind when you should be by my side. I'm your bond—"

By the time Drokn had finished his sentence, before he could spout out further, Eial's hands were cupped around his cheeks, forcing the demon to look the elf's way. Only inches away, Eial's green eyes delved deeply into his amber and the elf's warm, humid breath landed softly in washes over the demon's lips.

"No matter what, you are important to me. No matter if I do other things, help other people, you will always be the most important to me." Behind a solemn smile with unheard meaning, Eial inched closer to the demon with a whisper. "My heart will never leave you."