The Arcana - Muriel Fanfics!

XVI - The Tower

The sunlight's barely skimming the horizon, the early morning sky the colour of a bruise. 

I dig my nails into the sides of the rickety bucket.

 I grit my teeth. Curled in the darkness. Hunched over a bucket. Sweat staining my nightclothes. 

The stench of bile clings to me, and I groan as the next wave of nausea hits me. 

Retching, spluttering, heaving...but nothing comes up. A large, familiar figure swims queasily into my vision as I peer miserably over the rim of the bucket. 

Hovering above me, Muriel's worry is almost as overpowering as the smell of bile. Almost. Another wave of nausea forces back into the bucket. 

"...Val...c-c-can you...m-move?" Muriel  asks. He rests a shaky hand across my curled shoulders. Oh, Muriel, I think, heaving relentlessly. He's trembling worse than me. Sure enough, when I'd rolled out of bed retching, Muriel had completely frozen up. 

I shake my head, sweat-matted hair flying wildly. Muriel kneels, still shaking, and begins to rub his hand slowly down my back. Warm hands push my drenched hair back from my eyes. The early morning obscures most of his features in shadow, but his eyes are still bright. Searching my face hopelessly. 

"...I...I'm s-sorry, I d-don't...I don't know...w-what t-t-to do," he whispers, wiping sweat from my forehead. For a moment, the nausea seems to disappear and it's just us...

...before I double over, retching so hard the bucket knocks into my teeth. 

Birds begin to chirp outside. A breeze picks up, I can feel its energy. I close my eyes, reaching out to the forest through the sickness. The tranquil energy fills me up as I breathe. 

"...Maybe...y-you should...get some fresh air. Maybe," Muriel mumbles, somehow sensing exactly what I want most. I smile blearily, and Muriel snorts. "You. Sick as a dog...but still smiling, somehow," he says, affection burning through his anxiety. Slowly, gently, like I'm made of glass, Muriel scoops me up. I curl into his chest, the smell of myrrh enveloping me like a blanket. 

Muriel's shakiness subsides once he's holding me. With steady steps, he shoulders his way out the door. 

Instantly, the nauseating dizziness dissipates, the breeze cooling the sweat on my brow. The birdsong becomes clearer, and I can hear the trees swaying. Slowly, Muriel lowers himself and I to the ground. I wriggle around until my head's laying in his lap. Blushing slightly, Muriel resumes pushing hair from my face. I grin up at him. He smiles softly down at me. "...Better?" 

I sigh. The waves of nausea are gone, but tinges of faint ickiness still lingers. "Yeah. Thanks, love."  

Suddenly, a long, pale face pops up from behind Muriel's shoulder, peering down at me with one eye. 

"Valeera, dear, you look dreadful," Julian says. 

Muriel lurches with a start, whirling in place. Julian steps back, hands raised in mock surrrender. 

Annoyance flicks over Muriel's features, tension in his shoulders. "...Don't sneak up on people." 

Julian grins guiltily. "Ah. Sorry about that." Inanna appears beside him, nuzzling her way in. 

"Well, your wolf snuck up on me in the dark, and I wasn't entirely sober, so consider us equal."

Kneeling beside Muriel, Julian slips off one black glove to reveal long, bony fingers. Laying a palm to my forehead, Julian gestures toward Muriel. 

"Good thinking, taking her outside," Julian says distractedly, slipping his glove back on. Muriel fidgets with my hair nervously. "...I...I didn't know...I j-just didn't want her...to be in pain, or...I don't know..." he trails off, flushed. 

"Yes, yes...well, it doesn't seem like anything major," Julian says, sitting back. He tilts his head, watching me carefully. 

"Erm...Valeera?" 

Curiously, I quirk my eyebrows in question. Julian scratches his hair nervously. 

"For entirely medicinal reasons...I uh, I wonder...when was the last time, you uh...you know, uh...bled? You know I've lived with Pasha and Mazelinka, so, erm...you know what type of bleeding I mean," Julian says, a little too quickly. 

Inanna huffs in judgement. Muriel throws him a look of pure incredulous exasperation. Julian pointedly avoids his gaze. "Again, erm...entirely professional reasons, of course." I have to supress my laughter. 

"Hmm...maybe six or  seven weeks ago?" I say hoarsely, exhausted from retching. "I'm...I'm two weeks late." But even as I say it, something between dread and mad excitement blossom in my chest. Julian taps his chin thoughtfully. 

"Ah. Interesting." 

But there's a knowing glint in his eye, and the shadow of a smirk tugs on his lips. Muriel frowns. "...What is it."

Julian throws his hands behind his head, the smirk appearing in full force. "Oh, uh...nothing. Say...lovely morning, don't you think?" Julian says, winking. Muriel just stares at him. "...What are you talking about?" Mad excitement takes over, and I start smiling with him. I reach up to touch Muriel's face, knowing what this sickness means. 

Julian wiggles his eyebrows, smirk spreading into a full grin. "My, Valeera! You're positively glowing," he says, nudging Muriel in the ribs. "Wouldn't you agree, Muriel?" Muriel looks between me and Julian like we've both just told him Lucio was a wise and noble Count. 

And then it dawns on him.

Muriel's eyes widen, terror, shock and pure, unbridled happiness flashing over his eyes. 

He looks down at me. 

Gapes up at Julian. 

Looks back at me, completely astounded. 

I feel tears stinging my eyes as the sun rises fully. I begin to giggle. I giggle and giggle and giggle, before bursting into mad, raucous laughter. Reaching up to cup Muriel's face, still shocked, I draw him down and kiss him.

Julian stands up and stretches, patting Muriel somewhat awkwardly on the back. "I'll, uh...leave you to it," he says, giving Inanna a wide berth as he starts towards the hut. "Congratulations," he finishes, smiling warmly before disappearing inside.

Muriel is frozen still. Slowly, he reaches out to touch my face. He traces my ear. Touches my hair. Giddy with happiness and laughing uncontrollably, I catch his hand and press it to my abdomen.

And that's all it takes. A wide grin spreads over his face, and soon he's shaking with laughter, too. He pulls me up, and I shriek with laughter as he picks me up by the waist and spins me around. Tears glisten in his eyes, eyes that are usually so tired, so haunted. But now, there's only energy, gleeful happiness in that green gaze of his. Lowering me gently back to the ground, I twine my fingers through his and press both our hands back to my stomach.