NSFS Prompt
Prompt: “A virgin, then? What a perfect sacrifice.” oooo uhhhhh romanxanxiety?
Chains rattled, reminding Virgil of the sound of alarms. They were blaring, screaming at him to run; but every time he moved, the chains only clanged louder. There was nowhere for him to run to, no way to escape. He was trapped in his fate, and it hadn’t been kind.
Virgil lived in a modest village. Not too big, but not too small; no overcrowding, but plenty of workers and plenty of jobs to do. It was a simple life mixed with the occasional excitement from travelers or happenstances in the woods, but Virgil knew well about the woods. He hadn’t been meant to go into them, no one under the age of eighteen was allowed out of the protective village walls; but when Virgil was a little younger, he ventured out.
What he saw out there no one would believe, certainly not his mother, whom he’d retold the story to only to have her pop his mouth and tell him to keep it shut. She’d been afraid, he knew that now. Still, why was she afraid? Those golden eyes he’d met in the forest had been so warm. He thought it to be nothing but a dream now, though. The dreams of a chimerical child with nothing to do but wander. The woods had once been so enticing. Today, they were haunting.
Virgil stared down at his chained wrists as the priest read from his book, words that poured meaninglessly into Virgil’s ears. His own heart was beating too loud to hear much. It was a simple village, yes, but that wasn’t the whole truth. Because something made this village special. There was a date every ten years, that a horrid, wicked witch would wreak hell upon the village, perhaps even more than this one. It was a scaled, towering beast, her screams and shrieks still echoed in the oldest buildings. Some time ago, though, long before Virgil’s birth, a protector rose up. None had ever seen him, None had ever lived to tell the tale. Because, every ten years, a sacrifice was tied to a certain tree in the forest and the summoning was read, witnessed by only a chosen special few from the village, and the sacrifice themselves.
Virgil hardly remembered the last sacrifice, a decade ago he’d been but eleven, not really interested in that sort of thing. Now, though, he was very interested…because the sacrifice was him. He didn’t understand why he’d been chosen, nothing about him was special or unique, and didn’t you have to be something great to be a sacrifice? Or did you only have to be expendable? Virgil swallowed at the thought and shut it down, trying not to remember his father’s pride or his mother’s tears. This was for the village…it didn’t matter how he felt about it. Suddenly, the priest snapped his book shut and lifted a goblet high, blessed wine for Virgil to drink. His last taste of the mortal world, they called it…bit macabre, if you asked him.
He drank, and he sat, watching the elder villagers as they walked away and left him alone. As their torches grew dimmer, then vanished, the darkness seemed to grow claws. Shadows lurched and reached for Virgil, and he had to shut his eyes tight, afraid. He wondered if the infamous dragon witch herself was going to be what got him, maybe she’d made the whole thing up to get easy sacrifices, it made sense didn’t—
“My, look at you,” a strange, melodic voice whispered. Virgil’s eyes popped open, and he gasped so hard he almost choked. When he opened his eyes, not only did he see a pair of glowing, terribly inhuman eyes in front of him, but the forest was gone. Instead, Virgil was in a pale gold room, and instead of dirt beneath him, there was a plush carpet. The…creature…man…the thing before Virgil laughed, the sound reminding Virgil of a bass instrument. “Quite jumpy. Not a bad change, though…”
Virgil wasn’t sure if he should speak. This was…their protector? He looked…well, he looked like Virgil. Human. His eyes, though, his eyes gave him away. Golden and slit, looking like melted treasure. As the being straightened, the sound of feathers rustling caught Virgil’s attention and he glanced at the golden wings folded behind the male’s back. Swallowing dryly, Virgil started to fiddle with the end of his shirt, and realized no chains were jingling. “I’m…I’m Virgil. My village sent me as this year’s sacrifice,” he explained, for a lack of anything else to say.
The creature smirked. “I gathered,” he said, mirth in his voice. Virgil flushed a bit.
“And your name?” Virgil asked. The creature arched a brow, but Virgil didn’t think it was such an odd question.
“No one’s ever asked,” said the creature, leaning back and appraising Virgil. “In your tongue, I suppose you can call me Roman.”
“Roman,” Virgil said, tasting the name. Roman hummed, something in his eyes darkening a bit before he was leaning close, too close. Virgil stumbled and fell backward from where he’d been on his knees, placing his palms on the floor to hold himself up. “Wh—what are you…?” Virgil asked, wondering if this was where Roman killed him.
Roman paused, a slow smirk overcoming his expression. “They didn’t tell you what a sacrifice entails?” Roman asked, cocking his head. “Unusual. Most come here already half-dressed.”
Half-dressed? Virgil scowled in confusion. “I just thought you would kill me, I don’t understand.”
Roman’s eyes widened and a surprised laugh burst from him. As he calmed, a grin still on his mouth, Virgil felt a little like he was being stared at like a piece of meat. “A virgin, then? What a perfect sacrifice,” Roman said, his voice melting and chasing a shiver down Virgil’s back.
Virgil flinched, opening his mouth to ask what in the hell Roman’s problem was, but he didn’t get the chance. Roman grasped Virgil’s chin and tilted his head up, pressing their mouths together in a kiss. Virgil’s hands pressed against Roman’s bare chest, where he could feel muscle tensing beneath his cool fingers. Virgil tried to pull away from the kiss, but even if he wanted to, he couldn’t bring himself to break it, like something was captivating him.
Roman slid his arms around Virgil’s waist and lifted him like he weighed nothing. Virgil, startled, clung to Roman’s shoulders until the winged man dropped him down onto a mattress. Virgil was breathless, staring up at the golden-eyed beast in front of him.
“You’ll be a fun addition.”
