A Land of Flowers and Fae

The Wood

Elina woke along with the sun again. She opened her eyes to see cool morning light shining through the open side of her tent. Lavan was still asleep. Deeply too if his even breathing was any indication. She watched him for a moment, as birds chirped in the distance and wind danced through the boughs of the redwoods around them. It was peaceful. Lovely.

His arm was still slung around her waist, his warmth keeping the early morning chill away.She studied him for a moment. The closer they got to each other the more she found she liked about him. Her memories from the moon haze had given her the impression of refinement. Everything from his face to his body was sharp, strong, overwhelming. But now, she found herself remembering how his eyes crinkled at the edges when he smiled. How it felt when he gave one of his low chuckles and it sent a wave of joy mixed with desire screaming through her. How he'd unconsciously pull her against his chest as they flew and she had to resist the urge to rub a hand along his thigh or press herself a little deeper into his embrace. She skated her fingers down his side. He was tall and solid. A bit broader through the shoulders than most male fairies. You could see that even through the baggy borrowed clothes from Azura's house. The arm curled around her was all corded muscle. The hand large and callused. He shifted in his sleep and drew her a bit closer. She felt his chest press against hers, their legs tangling together. Her heart thudded oddly.

"I think I might be falling in love with you. Or I already am. I'm not really sure, I've never done this before" She murmured. Her voice hardly louder than the breeze outside "But either way, living without you doesn't seem like an option anymore" He didn't answer, but that was fine. She felt she needed practice before she'd have the guts to say that with those eyes open. She patted his chest once, then lifted his arm so she could wiggle out of the tent.

She needed to practice. Because Dahlia's forces were closing in. She felt it in her bones. And she didn't want to have to stand by like she had with Azura.

She moved to the end of the branch, marveling at the redwood forest in the crisp morning light. Mist hung at the base of the trees, and she couldn't see even a sliver of the sky above. The dark canopy of leaves was so thick, the sunlight was tinted green.

The birds were louder out here. Their calls echoing throughout the forest. Though they themselves were invisible.

She let out a long exhale and settled her shoulders. First she'd try for a few sleep spells. Silvery magic exploded from her palm. Silent, and only about half as brilliant in the light of day. Decent distance. She loosed several more.

Then she encouraged the creepers growing along the ancient trees to extend downwards, grab a narrow branch. Then she pelted the branch with a sleep spell.

"Its probably harder when the target is moving. But I don't really have anything to practice on" She muttered.

She kept slinging spells. Trying to increase her distance, then the power of the spell. Then she tried pelting individual sticks of the trees, for accuracy.

After about an hour she heard shuffling behind her. She whipped around to see Lavan sitting in the mouth of the tent. One eyebrow raised.

"You're a pretty good shot" he called.

"I play catcher against flower sprites. They're cutthroat" she answered, slinging her final spell and snapping a dead branch loose. It fell to the ground below. Falling so far, she couldn't even hear it hit the ground.

She turned back to see the fairy lord was already standing, attempting to wake Pyrrah from the ball she had curled herself into overnight. Bibble was at the center, likely stealing the heat that was drifting lazily from the firebird.