heir

A F S H I N / E L D A R 29. changeling. prince of iskaldrik. reactive physiology.

[afshinxeldar]

THE HEIR

ABOUT ; SKELETON ; CONNECTIONS ; PINTEREST

AFSHIN | VISAGE ; PLAYLIST SIDE A ; CONVOS ; SELF PARA ELDAR | VISAGE ; PLAYLIST SIDE B ; CONVOS ; SELF PARA

[afshinxeldar]

[afshinxeldar]

[witchertorsten]

Torsten was a blademaster, however briefly, and in the end he hadn't been able to protect Afshin from anything. Witchers lived with a finite amount of time, for all his hopes, dreams, and ambition - it didn't seem likely that any of them would come to fruition. The prosthetic lay limp at his side as Torsten limped forward, his body trapped in a perpetual state of weakness.

Rest came at the fountain's edge, solace as Afshin came into view before the prince settled in beside him. Torsten didn't know what value he could possibly have to the other now: he'd failed (too many times) to ask after redemption, he could no longer swing a sword with any proficiency - let alone challenge the woman who'd taken his arm, and he would not live long enough to see Iskaldrik again.

It was here, in Eterna, where the Kingsguard was likely to live out whatever years he had left. Perhaps he'd take a pupil - or find some other way to distill meaning from the rest of his life. The hand he had left found Afshin's - threading through his fingers - because at least they might still have each other.

[afshinxeldar]

There was a lot in Afshin's life he could be thankful for, but he felt himself only gravitating towards one. When he had felt at his lowest on that ship, he had thought of only one. It felt like it would be the last time they could look at each other or even have his hand rest against the blademaster's neck. In all of their struggle since they had been here, it had felt like they could only have each other. Or at least Afshin would only have Torsten. And he wouldn't have ever chosen any other path for himself.

He didn't need someone to lift him up, but he wasn't ever going to reject it. Not from Torsten. As the other's hand threaded through his own, he let a long breath leave his mouth. Then he turned his head to gaze at the side of his Kingsguard's face before turning it back towards whatever was in front of him. Words didn't really need to be said between them. He felt like he knew what was going through the other's head and vice versa.

His head tilted to rest on Torsten's shoulder as he let out a sigh, eyes closing for a moment. Perhaps they would always be at each other's side. In this life and their next.

[chroniclerelris]

Who: @afshinxeldar When: a month or so after the kossith ship. Where: Eterna

Elris had never been to Iskaldrik in his years; he was afraid of what could happen to him. Maybe twenty years ago Elris would have survived it, but now... with his leg the way it was, he wouldn't have survived its mines. But the cane that had the very light of Laurelin flowing through it supported him as he walked closer.

Elris had expressed a frantic interest to Prince Ikaros a few months ago about several rings and their possible locations. Graciously, Ikaros had lent Elris his connection to set up a meeting in eterna as the chronicler believed it was harder to refuse an invitation from a prince than a noble in Avalon. To not misrepresent Ikaros, Elris was quick to bow as the prince entered the room "Thank you for your attendance at such a time, your highness."

[afshinxeldar]

Afshin wouldn't have really considered himself antisocial. He was really quite sociable, but the problem was always that he didn't speak to people with any sort of respect unless they had some sort of rank. Which wasn't really a problem to him, but it would become more of an issue if he wanted people to believe in him with his father gone. Maybe that was why he didn't mind meeting with someone he didn't really know. Connections and all that.

As the man bowed before him, a brow rose in response. Interesting. Nobody that wasn't Iskaran had done that in the time he had been here in Lysara. He slowly nodded his head, hands folding behind his back. "And why was my attendance required at all?"

[steadythora]

Thora knew the importance of action, but she also appreciated her capacity for forethought now. She had rushed ahead when the Kossith first appeared outside of Haven and she had gotten herself captured. She would not make the same misstep again. Thora didn't start exploring or planning immediately when her chains were removed, instead she centered herself. All her pain, all her loss, and all her feelings of inadequacy following having her personhood stripped in the worst way was given to the flame in her mind. She became one with the void again, a clearheaded warrior capable of breaking through the insurmountable obstacle of her capture.   When liberation came, Thora moved with clear and unbridled intention. The Kossith could take her braid and her sword, but she would not let them have any more parts of her. She refused. She took what makeshift weapons she could get her hands on before her exodus from the Kossith ship. Thora was prepared to go, but she felt his weave before her eyes recognized his approach.   There was a sharp breath as his arms raised. Thora's shoulders tightened slightly, weeks of captivity having shed what quiet parts of her had come to relax at his proximity. One more thing the Kossith took. She couldn't even raise her eyes to look into his. "No, of course not," she responded with a sharp, sardonic, bark of a laugh and a curled lip. "But I'm alive and I can still fight if I have to. For now, that has to be enough." Thora flexed her battered knuckles a few times before reaching out to touch Eldar, but like him she never made contact either. She probably would've laughed at the ridiculousness if seeing him again wasn't so difficult. "I'm sorry I failed you, Eldar. But if I can get you back in one piece, that'll be a step toward making things right."

[afshinxeldar]

To be honest, he shouldn't have expected her to somehow reach out and hug him. After everything that had happened, he probably would have flinched at the thought of the same. As soon as he had tried to hold onto her, he had immediately stopped to put a bit of space between them. He didn't step away though because he still wanted to stay close to her. Eldar had to stay close to her. If he lost Thora...well, he wasn't sure what he would do. She was one of only a few people that he had. It was the way he liked it, but the thought of not having her near or even far broke him more than the Kossith ever could.

There wasn't enough time for him to respond to her not being okay because she was soon continuing. Her hand lifted as well towards him and his breath held for only a moment before she dropped it. Then the breath fell out and he couldn't help but furrow his brows at her words. It was the most ludicrous thing he had ever heard her say and he never really thought her opinions were anything other than right.

A short sardonic laugh of his own left his mouth as he shook his head. "You could never fail me, Thora." It was impossible, but he wasn't surprised that she would think that was the case. The weight of the world was something she always placed upon her own shoulders. That was why Eldar tried so hard to carry it for her. He wanted to if she would just let him. "You don't just carry me. We carry each other. If you want to make things right, which you don't need to, then promise me that you'll give me some of that weight."

[afshinxeldar]

open starter location: lysara note: this gif is funny to me

After everything that had happened in that prison they had been held in, Afshin had wanted to simply crawl into a hole and stay there until Iskaldrik was up and running again. That was highly unlike him though. As much as he hated to admit it, his fear would never prevent him from getting back up. He could just put on a mask to get people to think he was perfectly fine when he wasn’t. The easy solution would have been to just let Eldar be that mask. That was the easy solution though and he didn’t want to take the easy way out. Not if he had the blood of kings running through his veins. What king crumbled at the first sign of conflict? No, that wouldn’t be him. It could never be him.

Not sure how long he had been staring into nothing, he noticed what he was looking at. That damn fountain. Eldar had tried to drown himself in it and Afshin couldn’t do anything to help. He wasn’t sure if the elvhen part of him was still having those thoughts, but he really hoped that wasn’t the case. Nevertheless, he sat down next to someone and looked down at his hands. “Hope you don’t mind the company.” Not that he would move if they did.

[freydis-freydat]

The clock was running down faster than Freydis could scramble for ideas of what to explore or attempt next. Nothing she had done up until this point had yielded results, nor had the efforts of others she spoke with. She had stolen away for a few moments of silent and tried to think of which stones had been left unturned, but her mind continued to drift further and dredge up the memories of what had transpired during the time the Kossith had been able to will their prisoners to complete their bidding. 

Someone approached her, and it appeared the unpleasant memories had permeated her body language. A quick glance to the side confirmed to her that this face was unfamiliar, but it wasn’t necessarily unusual that someone she had not met before knew her name. “And who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?” she asked, turning to face him a bit more directly. She stood upright, her spine straightening as if on command at the world Jarl, but her weariness was evident. “We don’t have the luxury of fear right now,” she responded. It was a non-answer. She was afraid, but her sense of duty allowed her to move past fear causing paralysis. She moved with her fear, through her fear, especially when others were looking. Otherwise, she worried they would likely just find disappointment in what they found compared to what they expected.

[afshinxeldar]

Who was she speaking to? That felt like both a loaded question and an easy one at the same time. The short answer would be to just say his name. The long answer would be to explain how he knew far too much about her than she would realize. He figured that it would be best to stick to the former though. It would be better for now. In the long run though? Well, that wouldn't be his problem to deal with unless the situation absolutely called for it. So he let out a sigh and answered her.

"Eldar." He held a hand out towards her for a shake. They would be talking for quite some time until his other half felt the need to make his appearance known again. Fear seemed to be crippling Afshin more than either of them wanted to admit. Poor prince. Eldar couldn't help but inwardly roll his eyes. The other would get over it soon, he was sure of it. In the meantime, the elvhen would deal with his affairs. Even if said person knew nothing about him. "I'm not all that surprised you don't recognize me. I have a habit of disappearing and reappearing when a situation calls for it. I guess I'm nobody important though." All truths he wasn't really ashamed to say. He was also very aware of how cryptic he probably sounded so he could only hope that didn't raise any alarms for her.

[eivorx]

There was a joke in there, somewhere. Something about a quick fuck and a lot of blood, Eivor was always game – but Eldar looked like shit. Which was a weird way to flirt, but the dragon understood. "If you tried harder to find your friends, maybe we would stop." It was said with little heat, he was always hard to find, and even harder to befriend.

The dragon was sitting with his feet propped up, tilting his head as he saw the familiar face, "You think this is a time to joke about my shit past?" he growled, though it melted after a moment. Sarcasm, he was getting so good at this. "Eldar. I'm glad to see you're not dead."

[afshinxeldar]

"Friends?" Right. That was what they should have been considering each other after everything. All of their deepest, darkest secrets were out there on display for...well, a few choice guys to know. Somehow though, he thought that neither of them were the type to really call someone a friend so he was surprised by the fact that Eivor even alluded to it. Nevertheless, he shook his head and breathed out a hint of a chuckle. His body felt broken and worn down, but he could still use every bit of air in his lungs to talk as much shit as possible. "It's the perfect time. Why would I not?" A brow rose before he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Glad to see you're not dead either. Who knows how much I may have broken down if you were? I could have been devastated."

[afshinxeldar]

[afshinxeldar]

[ethanagain2]

[afshinxeldar]

[afshinxeldar]

closed starter for @eivorx location: middle of da ocean note: wink wonk honky tonk give the dragon a bone

The two of them knew a lot about each other given their endeavor into that mystery box. There was a difference between the two of them though. Where Eldar could not remember his blighted trauma from when he was just a baby, Eivor seemed to have memories of a mountain of trauma. Unfortunately, neither of them were the type to offer comfort of any sort. Any relationship they had before those events had been merely physical. They didn't need to delve into anything emotional lest they fucking explode. Still, here they were in another predicament together.

"We've got to stop meeting like this." Not that they had any choice in the matter in any of the three times they had been in some shitty situation. "I can't imagine any of this was fun for you." Not that it was fun for anyone.

[afshinxeldar]

closed starter for @steadythora location: the middle of the ocean note: uwu

The grueling pain he saw Afshin go through was enough for Eldar to try and take the pain for himself. Ever since they had gotten to this place, to Lysara, he had experienced more pain than he was ever used to. His body had always adapted, always tried to mend itself from any bruising or beatings he may have to experience. They had forced him to do the exact opposite. It was always hard to unlearn something that he had been doing all his life. Every time he got hit, he subconsciously absorbed the blow. It didn't take a thought. It was merely a kneejerk reaction.

When the Kossith had been forced back and they were free from their chains, Eldar had taken the opportunity to keep the reins. From what Afshin had experienced, he was sure that the prince was more than willing to keep it that way for the time being. More than anything though, he wanted to make sure that Thora was okay. He had only really seen her in passing. Or, well, Afshin had and told him about it. The point remained thought hat he wanted to be around her more than anything right now. So, when he saw her, he couldn't have moved towards her fast enough.

"Thora," he breathed out as he almost wrapped his arms around her. He stopped himself as soon as his arms lifted though. "Are you okay?"

[afshinxeldar]

closed starter for @freydis-freydat location: middle of the ocean note: bark bark

A conversation had never been had between the two of them, but he couldn't say he didn't know anything about her. Who didn't after all? Eldar was just lucky enough to be privy to much more than what was on the surface. His other half had vivid dreams when he was younger so there was also that, too. Nevertheless, all of them were stuck here together. Eldar always made a wide berth around Torsten for the simple fact that the witcher seemed to hate him and, well, he didn't exactly like the other either. But that was only because he was awfully protective. Getting close to people only ended in disappointment. If only he could tell himself that.

Pretending to not have a care in the world, he walked up towards her, hands resting at his sides. "Jarl Freydis." He tilted his head towards her. Thora seemed to like her, too. "Don't tell me you're scared, too." He couldn't tell from the look on her face, but there were definitely others that seemed to be in much worse spirits. Then again, as much as he claimed to know about her, he didn't really know her.

[witchertorsten]

@afshinxeldar location: the brig (sad) notes: kiss kiss, can transition to eldar or wtv just sad lovey vibes

Torsten waited until the ship had groaned into a lull, its moaning steel coming like the breath of a creature dying the slowest, most painful of deaths.  like the breath of something dying slowly. Torsten should have been resting - Yhane had said as much, with the sickly sweetness of silk-wrapped daggers. But rest had become a cruelty of its own. The bunks were little more than cages lined with rot-soft dreams, and Torsten hadn’t slept since the last relic cracked like thunder in his palm.

The scent of burnt flesh still clung to his skin. Smoke that didn’t rise. Pain that didn’t scream. It was familiar, suffering, it seemed, was the most familiar. They had parted in Eterna, reunited in Aventia, but any celebration was short-lived. 

But that wasn’t true. Hadn’t been for days.

He found Afshin by the porthole slit, lying still but not asleep. The prince’s breath was too measured, too deliberate. Torsten stood there too long before speaking. Silence had become a second skin under Yhane's hand, and the habit of not saying things was hard to break. The door groaned behind him as Torsten let the metal close against metal, then crept forward and moved to wrap himself around Afshin, to sink his face into him - to forget the things he could never leave behind. 

They renamed him. Both of them - Zor’kaat the Kossith kept saying and already it was too familiar. 

Into the quiet groan of the boat, the darkness, and the misery of the dank room. Torsten whispered and a tear ran down his cheek, 

“I’m sorry.”

[afshinxeldar]

Time and time again, they stripped him of everything he was. His thoughts had turned out to be true. Nothing he had was anything they actually wanted. The only thing that was important to them was getting to Eldar. And, as much as Afshin liked the quiet that came from not hearing the elvhen's voice, he didn't want anything to happen to him. They were tethered together no matter what and he knew that Eldar would bend over backwards to protect him.

Whatever pain he felt, he was sure it was worse for the other part of him. Eldar wasn't used to feeling pain if he didn't want to feel it. Now? He had to because that was what they wanted. This small moment of quiet was all Afshin could have before they dragged him back out there to make him feel lesser.

He supposed he understood the feeling now of what it meant to be a Witcher. In some capacity. His arms curled around himself as he lay there, making himself small enough that they hopefully left him alone. They were sure not to, but he wanted to try anything. Looking down at his finger, the ring that his father once held was no longer there. Well, it was, but it also wasn't. The only thing that pulled him out of looking at it was the shuffling he heard.

Body tensing, he closed his eyes and hoped that they weren't here again to torture him or Eldar. Instead, he felt an arm wrap around him that he was so familiar with now. It was the only comfort he felt that he had had in what felt like too long. Words fell from Torsten's lips and he could only shake his head.

"Don't do that." His fingers lifted from where they were to curl into Torsten's own. A shaky breath fell from his lips as he spoke again. "I wish I could say I'm glad you're here with me, but I don't want either of us to be here." Finally, he turned his body to face his Kingsguard. The tear on Torsten's cheek caused his own to fall. But he still lifted his hand to brush it away from the Witcher's face, finger still lingering there as he did. "I love you, you know. And I know you'd do anything to protect me. You have nothing to be sorry for. Nothing at all."