Fae and Folklore

Introduction Pt. 2

I could feel it, the moment something inside him shifted. The exact moment he decided to trust me. Suddenly, the man in front of me didn't seem so strong, and I wondered how I hadn't noticed the way his shoulders subtly curve forward, making him appear smaller than he is.

"So, I was right?" I felt my eyes soften, my power racing through them, out of my soul, and into his. When he returned his gaze to mine, I saw the well of tears he'd never felt like he was allowed to shed. I refused to drop his gaze, trying desperately to communicate without speaking. 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘉𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶.

I felt him push back, just a little, ​̲𝘏​̲𝘰​̲𝘸​̲ ​̲𝘤​̲𝘢​̲𝘯​̲ ​̲𝘐​̲ ​̲𝘬​̲𝘯​̲𝘰​̲𝘸​̲ ​̲𝘐​̲'​̲𝘮​̲ ​̲𝘳​̲𝘦​̲𝘢​̲𝘭​̲𝘭​̲𝘺​̲ ​̲𝘴​̲𝘢​̲𝘧​̲𝘦​̲? 

I knew then that the world had not been kind to the human in front of me; that no one had shown him even an ounce of generosity. Life had been hard for him. It hadn't treated him well.

I walked toward him, very slowly, and wrapped my arms around him. He was shorter than I but twice as wide; his energy felt strong and kind, and yeah, sad. Endless, bottomless sorrow. An ache so deep, and raw, that it actually caught me off guard. I felt him tremble within the protective cage I'd created out of my own flesh and bone, and I felt decades-old tears run from his eyes, and onto my chest, above where my shirt covered my hearts. 

"You have been hurting for so long Alfric. Please, allow me to at least try to ease your suffering." At this he pulled away slightly, looking up into my eyes, forgetting to be ashamed of his tear-streaked face. That was fine by me. He was beautiful, even by my standards. Smooth dark skin, over firm muscle, covered in a layer of softness. Soft, black curls, tousled by the wind, cascaded gently over his forehead. The eyes staring into mine were the deep brown of ancient times long forgotten, of freshly turned earth as the first animal stepped out of the blue of the sea, and onto land for the first time. Yet, underneath it all was an ember that, if sparked, could turn into a maelstrom of fury and fire.

"How do you know my name? Are you an angel?" His voice was deep, and a little hoarse with tears.

"No, I'm not an angel. I'm just someone who wants to help you."

"Okay."

                                                              𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘥...