When Magic Speaks - NaNoWriMo 2020✔️

15

Cicadas. The sound of rushing water. Chickadees chirping. A common earthy ensemble but a rare wake-up call...at least for Wiss. The young Quilm felt a burning glow radiating on her face. At first she'd assumed it was her magic but...this warmth bore no chaos. Wiss slowly opened her eyes, squinting as the sun shone down on her. The towering maples didn't help much when it came to sheltering the young girl but she didn't mind it. As Wiss continued to stir, she finally realized something...she wasn't in the cottage. In fact, she wasn't even close to it. Wiss slowly lifted her head, her hand immediately submerging in a spongey substance. Looking down, she determined the culprit - mud. 

And then she looked around some more and saw legs. Long, dark-cloaked legs drooping on either side of her. Her eyes shot open immediately as she whipped her head around, coming face to face with the unconscious face of Kitt. Wiss's face burned with colour as she rose from his lap, tucking her hair behind her ears as she looked at him. He was well asleep, lost in his dreams, his lips parted ever so slightly, the rays of the sun shimmering onto his skin like fairy dust. He was at peace...he was beautiful. Though it couldn't be all too comfortable slumping against a tree like that - had they been there all night? Wiss couldn't really remember anything after leaving Hural. She'd felt so exhausted, she must've passed out. Rubbing her head, Wiss glanced around at the landscape before them. She watched the rippling stream, the breeze pulling through the trees, the orchestra of wildlife welcoming them to this whimsical overgrown forest. It was beautiful in here, stunning even. Wiss had assumed the forest beyond the tower was the most visually stunning she'd seen but it couldn't hold a candle to this. She grinned as she looked high above their heads at the trees, at the highway of wood and leaves and twigs that seemed to go on for miles. 

"Enchanting, isn't it?"

Wiss quickly whipped her head around, catching Kitt's groggy but conscious gaze. His eyes were soft, heavy with sleep. He didn't move his position but he did smile that sweet smile like maple syrup. Wiss couldn't help but smile back. "Were we here all night?"

Kitt finally sat up now as he brought his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around his knees. He nodded softly. "You nodded off moments after we left. I thought this would be a comforting sight to wake up to."

As she listened, Wiss's mind began to wander. All she could picture now was her and Kitt cuddling up against this tree, entangled like a pretzel in order to maintain a comfortable body temperature. Or, just cuddling for the heck of it. Her cheeks burned again. No wonder all she could smell was red apples. 

"You know," she began, leaning back on her hand. Kitt looked more alert now though his gaze remained soft and inviting. "When I said 'take me away', I was asking you to take me to your home."

It was Kitt's turn to blush now. His tongue pushed against the inside of his mouth as he grinned. "I was going to but...waking up here would've been much less alarming than waking up where I live."

Wiss curled one brow as she leaned forward. "It can't be that bad. Your home."

Kitt smiled as he too leaned forward. "It's not...it's just a stark difference compared to Hural."

"Anything is better than Hural," Wiss shrugged. Kitt's eyes watched her as she spoke - he was reading her, searching for an unspoken answer to an unspoken question. Wiss noticed it immediately, this gaze. "What?"

He softly brushed his hand along his neck as he thought, his brows low. "You're not...angry with me?"

Well the answer to that question was simple. Wiss rose to her feet as she answered, "I am. I'm angry that you kept this incredibly important secret from me but...who hasn't? I'm angry that you felt you couldn't trust me, that you thought my view of you would change once I knew the truth. But you're my person, whether the feeling is mutual or not. I fancy you and...you're all I have left. And now that I know, I can work towards forgiving you." Wiss stretched her hand down to Kitt and as he took it, a sparkling sensation spread across their fingertips. They'd both felt it before but every time it came as a surprise. They both kept their grip on one another as Kitt rose to his feet, the light now twinkling perfectly into his alluring eyes. His coattail was now scuffed with dirt and grass stains but besides that, one wouldn't have guessed he'd spent the night in the forest. She couldn't help but draw a little closer, completely enthralled. "You're very beautiful, you know."