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The stars that night, you would later recall to me afterwards, were breathtaking, and perhaps you admitted, that was why he had such an effect on you.
After so long in the ever-burning sky, the blanket of ink dyed fabric laid so snug around you that you found yourself struggling to take your eyes off them. Not that you or your companions minded, as even the locals found themselves staring and celebrating the return of the night in the Greatwood for the first time in a century.
“Stargazing again?” His voice flowed over to you, wine waves against the bejewelled sky. Nodding your head, you could only grin, almost seeming that if you were to speak, the sky would return to its ever-light. You heard him give a small none committal hum before stepping closer, the wood under his feet drinking it the noise, or perhaps it was his way.
Taking your eyes from the sky, you turned, looking him in the face, examining him, while his own eyes tracked yours. Licking your lips, you took a breath, “I- I wanted to thank you, for bringing Y'stola back to us.” He gave a slight frown, “Come now, it was a trifling matter. When you have eternity, you need to shake things up to make it more interesting.” Pausing to examine your face, he nodded his head, beaming at your quizzed expression. “It means that you are, in fact, welcome, Hero.”
Giving a gentle grin, you turned back to the skies, watching the dance of the cosmos as it twirled in front of you, he hummed once more and moved to your side, joining you, though not breaking the silence. For a time, you breathed in sync, there was no movement, bar the wind in the trees, and the silence was comforting after so much running, shouting and fighting.
“You mortals were ever fascinated with the sky.” he murmured, breaking the silence, and you watched to him, examining his face yet again. “Not that we blame you, your lives are so short compared to our own, but after millennia of looking, you forget to see it for what it is. How I envy your ignorance.” Observing him, you tilted your head to the side, trying to find an answer to his words even as he moved closer to you.
“Long has it been since we stopped looking at them, our Lord taking the place that the skies once held in our hearts, though I find myself drawn to more interesting beings.” Dipping his head, he shut his eyes for but an instant, before shaking his head and turning away, even as the diamonds above him continued to waltz. “A fool’s errand.”
“Why?” The words came unbidden into your throat, surprising even yourself as they clawed the way out of your mouth. “Why did you do it? Why did you help us?”, you gulped, raising a hand to your mouth, your eyes widening even as you started to regret them. He gave you a humourless chortle, almost troubled, before glancing back to you.
“Does it really escape you so? Even after all,” A sweep of his hand, motioning at the surroundings, “Of This?” For a time, you did nothing, but then you lifted your hand to your chest in that way you do, and returned with a voice not as shaky as you must have felt, “But why? Why risk it all to help us?”
“I was bored.” His answer hit you like a punch to the gut, even as he bowed to you, a mere mortal, a fighter, a hero? You shook your head, your own arms coming to hug your chest, seeking refuge inside your own circle of arms. He stepped even closer, close enough you could feel his breath ruffle your hair as he drew it, and you watched to his face, emotions laid bare for all to see, and he gave a faint smile, one that made your heart flutter at the sight of it.
“Tell me, Hero,” His voice seemed to mock your very existence, though his smile did not fall, “Did you really expect otherwise? That I would really risk all for you?” His words were cold, even as he elevated a hand to your chin, forcing you to look at those yellow pools, your puff of breath stuttering at his mere touch.
“Well, I had hoped-” You hesitated, seemingly lost in his gaze as his fingers gripped your chin harder, with enough strength to bruise, though it did not show till later; by which point you played it off as battle marks, though I knew otherwise; and you gulped as his thumb dared to take steps on your lower lip, as though he had any right to be touching you at all.
“Hoped for what, Hero?” He pushed, his voice like honey, trying to extract your words from you, such as how you would extract a particularly shiny insect from a flower, and though you held your tongue for as long as you could, soon enough, too soon, you later told me, his extraction methods worked, whether it was because of the smirk he wore or the words he used as a weapon, you knew not.
“…-The truth.” You murmured feebly, the wind seemingly blown from your proverbial sails, and even as you spoke, his hand vacated itself from its position on your chin to one of your cheeks, and this time, it was his turn to be bewildered, or at least, appear so, and for a split second, his smirk faded, before a more cruel one took its place, even as dark laughter built up inside of him.
“And there we have the crux of the matter, Hero. Do you trust me enough to take my words for truth?” You nodded, trying to shake free of his hand, though it would not be deterred from its location, and even as you tried, his hand stood firm against your flesh. Locking eyes with him, you saw his dark smirk unfreeze, becoming softer, kinder and almost more sincere, even as your breath froze, even as your pulse quickened.
Lowering his head, you felt his lips brush the top of yours, and the world seemed to freeze around you, becoming silent and still, as he whispered into your hair, “Tell me, Hero, did you really think I would give it so easily?” and you gasped, the world suddenly snapping back to its normal speed, even as he snickered, fading into the orb of shade, as was his want, leaving you yearning for more, even as you cursed his name and his damnable god.