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The prison cell was dark, cold, and stinky. Of the three, the stench was the least aggravating – with time, one simply grew accustomed to it. For darkness and cold, Viren had no choice but to beg the guards for a candle and a blanket. They eventually tossed him the latter – apparently they were too worried what he might do with a candle..
If he had more patience or less pride, perhaps he would have explained that he wouldn’t be able to do much without any of his ingredients, and these had all been stripped away during the search. His robe was gone, swapped for some rags, and so were his boots, which had been discovered to have hidden pockets. Nothing even remotely magical-looking had been spared, and Viren really hated how efficient the guards had turned out at that task despite otherwise being short-sighted fools, just like Opeli and her camaraderie.
The only thing they had missed was that glimmery bastard’s bug, which had crawled into his ear. At this point, Viren would rather not imagine where the worm was.
I’ll stay with you , Aaravos had said. But he didn’t, really; instead, both of them were locked up in their respective prisons. Was this what the elf had wanted to achieve? It seemed unlikely, and yet there Viren was, wrapped in rags and a blanket, and trying to sleep.
He should’ve never trusted the bastard… But then, his earlier spell succeeded. It should push the kingdoms into unison against the elven force gathering at the border. So Viren’s personal stance was worse, but humanity was closer to perseverance than before. Strange – from an elf, he would’ve expected the opposite.
He drifted away eventually, wondering how his children were doing (hopefully better than him), and he found himself standing upon a vast hill covered in long glass, wind tugging at his robes and hair. He recognized the terrain – this place was close to the Winter Lodge. A village stood nearby; even though Viren couldn’t see anyone, the buildings had clearly been raised by human hands. A pair of magical creatures flew past him, carried by the wind, and he realized – this wasn’t real. It was a vision of sorts… a dream, since he remembered lying down. But how could it feel so real?
“It’s been too long since I were out,” Aaravos said behind Viren’s back.
“You can go out.” Viren turned to glare at the elf. “I saw you go out.”
Aaravos waved a hand. “Just because my prison is bigger than yours, doesn’t make it any less of a prison.”
Viren shook his head. What was he doing, talking to the elf? Although attacking him would be futile, he should at least try to get away, wake up. And yet… He couldn’t quite force himself to try. Making a dream as real as this, or communicating with another sleeping person – it was quite a feat of magic, the kind that tugged at Viren’s strings, made him insufferably curious. How? How was it done?
If only he could trust Aaravos…
“Do you want to hit me?” The elf stalked in closer, smirking as he tilted his head to examine Viren’s face. “Why?”
“Why?” Viren snorted. “I ended up in a prison cell because of you!”
“It’s a temporary predicament,” Aaravos said. “Did I not do enough to earn your trust?”
Trust? Trust? That sounded too close to home. Viren laughed. “What trust? I should’ve realized sooner that there can be no such thing. A war with the sunfire armies is coming, and you’re an elf as well. Of course you’ll side with your kin.”
It’s only natural, he wanted to add, but the sudden hardness in Aaravos’s eyes made him stop.
“And just who do you think it was,” the elf said slowly, his deep voice echoing across the suddenly dark plain, “that put me into that mirror, placed countless spells to prevent others from even just seeing me?”
Viren’s breath caught in his chest. The answer was clear – the mirror had been in the dragon king’s lair, and there was only one species capable of such feats of magic in the first place. The elf, Runaan, had recognized the mirror, while there had been no mention of it in any human book.
Perhaps they had a common enemy after all.
“It appears that I spoke rashly,” Viren said.
Aaravos waved a hand, and the darkness around subsided. The lazy afternoon returned: the sun warm against Viren’s skin, the comfortable breeze, and the creatures that should only be found in Xadia.
“Where are we?” Viren asked.
“My memory.” Aaravos shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.” He reached out, and his hand brushed against Viren’s cheek.
The touch felt so real – too real, or maybe it was that it had been too long since Viren was last touched in such a manner. It was not unpleasant, precisely, so he didn’t move away.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Savoring the moment.” Aaravos smiled. “It’s been too long since I touched another person…” His fingers trailed down Viren’s jawline, straying close to his lips.
This was decidedly getting too strange. Viren put his hand on the elf’s hand. “This is only a dream.”
“But doesn’t it feel real?” Aaravos’s smile turned into a smirk. “A moonshadow elf would’ve been completely satisfied with this. I… take what I can get.” He cupped Viren’s face.
Viren had only a moment to realize what was going on before the elf’s lips touched his. Soft at first, the kiss swiftly turned greedy, forceful. It felt real – the heat, the elf’s hand that Viren clenched as he took a step back, his knees going weak.
“W-wait,” Viren managed to break free, though he still clenched the other man’s hand. “I’m… not doing anything weird in my cell, am I?”
Aaravos tilted his head. “From my observation, when humans sleep, their body does not move, except for the eyes. Unless you… sleepwalk?”
“No… I don’t sleepwalk.” Viren paused. It was a dream, and yet he could almost feel his heart racing. As unexpected as this situation was, he sure felt… flattered.
Besides, it had been a long time for him, too.
“Fine,” he said. He loosened his grip, and slipped his fingers in between the elf’s; strangely enough, the stars on Aaravos’s skin were rough. “Do as you wish, within reason.”
Aaravos raised his eyebrow, as if to say, ‘Define reason’, but he simply leaned in to kiss again. Viren responded in kind, searching for the elf’s waist and thighs. He knew what to do.
He tried not to think too much when they lay down on the grass. After all, it was only just a dream.