The Elven Curse

Chapter 21

He didn't sleep that night.

Every time his eyes felt heavy and his eye lids dropped, his mind would become alerted and force a weird feeling of pain push against his chest.

He almost fell asleep many times, but the same feeling would return and slap his mind awake.

It was until the first sun rays started to escape from the horizon that he fell sleep.

A chilly air invaded his body, his eyelids fell and his lashes touched his cheeks. He breathed in but no air came out from his mouth after.

The thumping noise that had suddenly become so loud in his head stopped and a new day was born.

***

He felt as if he was underwater. He couldn't move but  he could feel everything around him.

The deep void that overtook his mind was suddenly broken by a red color. Something was approaching, no, someone, but when they were just about to turn around his eyes opened.

He breathed between coughs, he felt as if he had stopped breathing and now air was forcing itself into his lungs.

He felt as if he hadn't been alive before, like something was now part of him and made him feel like someone else.

He frowned.

His chest still heaved violently and his head turned around when someone drew the curtains that worked as a door.

A large figured entered, Rowan.

Aerin's eyes dropped to look at his lap, where his fingers were now interlaced.

He forgot what had happened for a moment, his heart, which had stopped beating for unknown reasons was now louder than ever.

"Hey", Rowan said.

When Aerin didn't answer he sighed.

"I'm sorry, I really am. But-"

"It's not your fault so stop saying you're sorry", Aerin interrupted him.

It was mine. He confessed to himself.

Rowan put his hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?", he asked Aerin, who was looking at him with a dumbfounded look.

Aerin nodded, stiffness evident in the movement. Rowan frowned but nodded in return.

"Would you like to walk with me?", he then asked.

Aerin could hear the slight nervousness laced in Rowan's voice, deceiving the forced confidence he'd used to ask.

Aerin suppressed a smile and walked pass Rowan. His back was facing Rowan so the man wouldn't notice his chest trembling with his drowning laughter.

He didn't hear steps behind him, so he turned around and saw Rowan staring at the ground with a disappointed face.

Aerin tilted his head.

"Are you coming?", he asked, a playful tone taking over his voice.

Rowan looked up with a hopeful face.

Aerin smirked.

Rowan still sent him a confused look and Aerin snorted, gesturing with his hand for Rowan to follow him.

He couldn't even remember if there'd been a time when he'd been cautious around Rowan.

There was just something about him that made him feel like he'd known him even before this life, weird.

Rowan jogged towards him, his tail wagging excitedly.

Aerin kept walking but slowed down a bit when Rowan settled beside him.

"We'll be leaving soon", Rowan said.

"I see".

"Would you like to go somewhere?", Rowan asked.

Aerin shook his head.

"I don't know somewhere", Aerin stated, "I only know the castle and the names of places I've never been in".

Rowan pursed his lips, clearly regretting what he'd asked.

"Would you like me to show you somewhere?", he asked, his eyebrows raising in question.

Aerin gave him a half smile. He looked at his moving feet and the dry leaves that they stepped on.

"I would", he said,"and what is the name?".

Rowan hummed.

"There will be many names" Rowan smirked and bumped his shoulder with Aerin's, "and perhaps you won't even remember all of them".

Aerin bumped his arm in return, a bit harder while narrowing his eyes.

"Well... I have a great memory".

"Do you?".

"Yes".

"Right".

"You don't believe me?", Aerin scoffed.

"I didn't say that", Rowan kept looking ahead and bumped his shoulder.

"But you implied it", Aerin took a few steps to the right and slammed his shoulder on Rowan's arm, not being able to reach the shoulder that was located at the level of his nose.

"I certainly did not", Rowan held his arm with an exaggerated pained look.

"You did!", Aerin was about to repeat his previous action, but this time, as he stepped to the right, his foot fell into a muddy pit.

As his foot fell into the unexpected hole, so did his balance, his whole body fell to the right and he was soon dripping with the brown and smelly texture of the mud.

Rowan couldn't help but laugh, his stomach constricting painfully as he struggled to breathe between laughs.

"I hate you", Aerin said, he would've continued, but he quickly closed his mouth and wiped it with his hand, trying to avoid the mud that could sneak into his mouth.

"S-sorry", Rowan said, although he kept laughing silently. He offered his hand and Aerin took it, when he was finally on stable ground, he smeared his hands on Rowan's clothes, tainting the white shirt.

Rowan's mouth opened dramatically.

"You-", Rowan started, but a muddy hand was quick to make its way over his mouth, mud splattered disastrously all over Rowan's face.

"It's revenge", Aerin said, laughing at the look Rowan was giving him,"everything is fair in war".

"This is not war!", Rowan said,"but now there is".

Aerin screamed and ran for his life, Rowan following behind him with mud in his cupped hands.

For a moment, he felt like everything was going to be fine.