I am considering doing some small (small! hopefully! haha) pride art this month. I would like to do more than one character, but with Episode 4 development ongoing I don't have much time.
So! I am putting forth a poll—the winning character and their associated pride flag will be the chosen subject.
Which Wayfarer character should I draw for Pride 2026? 🎨
My main exchange piece for the @wayfarer-exchange! This piece is for @oncemoretoseayou, for their lovely Wayfarer, Levy Marcellis. I really enjoyed getting to know them and reading all the tidbits you've dropped about them over on the Discord server. I hope I did them justice!!
The whole piece is below the cut, but you can also read it here on AO3.
Summary: With Rona's climate, getting sick was inevitable. Levy is stuck in bed, bored and overthinking, until Aeran returns to their luxurious apartment for a delicious meal.
Rating: General
Characters: Aeran Kellis, Levy Marcellis, Rindan Cenric, other OCs
Tags: Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Family, Found Family, Secret Crush, Nightmares, Comfort Food, Pining, Love, Romantic Friendship, Trauma, Childhood Trauma
Words: 4,221
Of Gossamer and Steel
Levy held their breath as they peered through the crack between the ornate door and the hallway wall. Hunkered down to make themselves as small as possible, they tilted their head to the right to get a better view. Their mother was sitting at one end of the long dining table, a delicate glass of wine in her hand as she listened to the stranger sedately. Their father stood beside her, listening with his hands folded behind his back. His face had a distant look. Something about the tension in his body, about the way his jaw was set, made Levy's heart race in fear.
What's happening? Levy knows what's happening; they just don't want to admit it. Maybe, this time, it'll be different.
"The apprenticeship lasts for around eight to ten years, depending on the child and their aptitude," the stranger said. Levy twisted their head, shifting their weight and wincing at every tiny scuffle of feet that might reveal their snooping. The stranger was a dwarf, sitting at the opposite end of the table as though their parents wanted to keep him as far away from them as possible. He gestured as he spoke, going into detail about the mysterious apprenticeship they were discussing. Training regimes, lessons, even lodgings and travel.
Levy can't remember the words, but they know what they're saying all the same.
Their mother listened impassively, sipping on her wine now and then, giving a slight raise of an eyebrow in that disdainful way she did when she saw something she didn't approve of.
Levy crouched there, breathing shallowly, heart pounding as they struggled to fit the puzzle pieces together. It wasn't until they started discussing a price that everything became as clear as a bell ringing in their ears.
It was happening again. Again and again and again.
"So, you'll take them?" their mother asked.
"And... It'll be a good life for them?" their father added, which was met with a little tut of disapproval from their mother.
"Becoming a Wayfarer is one of the best options for Levy," the stranger said in their deep, gruff voice. Levy's heart skipped a beat, and their stomach flipped sickenly at the mention of their name. They'd been talking about them this whole time... All that about travelling, about training, about being far away from their family? Levy wanted to move, wanted to run away so their parents couldn't find them and they wouldn't have to go. But their legs suddenly felt like rocks, the weight dragging them over the edge of a cliff. The ground had fallen out from under them, they were plummeting and the dark waters were going to swallow them up.
'Please stop it,' Levy pleads with themself, 'don't let them do it again!'
"How much?" their mother asked, and Levy wanted to sob.
"I can give you 100 crowns," the stranger said.
"Ha!" their mother's voice cracked, smarting as surely as a slap to the face. "You said yourself that magiani are rare. You think I'd let them go for so little? I won't accept any less than 500 crowns."
The adults were haggling for Levy like they weren't even a person, like they were a particularly choice cut of meat at the market. Levy wanted to throw up. The threads that wove between them and their parents were thin at best, fragile as gossamer, tested and strained over the years. They knew that their mother never liked them, regarded them as a failure.
But their father... Their father was just going to stand there and say nothing as their mother sent them away for a few crowns? The betrayal was too much. It manifested as a stabbing pain in their chest that burned through their little body and became an all-consuming self-righteousness. Even as the stranger gave their counter-offer, Levy surged up, bursting through the door with balled fists.
"What are you doing ?" They yelled, their body quaking. All heads turned to them, a mixture of emotions cast toward them like stones. Their mother stood, glass abandoned as they crossed the space between the table and Levy. She towered over everyone in the room, her melusine height as catastrophic as a headsman's blade swinging down upon them.
Her face was like a summer storm, beauty twisted into vitriol as she looked down at Levy. Their father followed close on her heels, panicked, mouth agape, swallowed up by her shadow. Even the stranger stood, barely taller than Levy, glancing between the others in the room.
"Levy..." their father said gently, voice full of sadness.
"Daddy...?" Levy replied pitifully, pleading with him for the last time. He didn't reply, just closed his eyes and turned away, head bowed and brow furrowed. Somehow, that hurt more than anything else. Levy could feel tears burning at the corners of their eyes, but they forced them back. They refused to cry; they wouldn't show weakness, not now.
"Levy Marcellis," their mother said, taking a step to the left to block their father from their view, "go to you—"
" No! " Levy screamed, surprised by their courage. They'd never been so bold before, but what was the point of holding back now? "You're sending me away? Why ? What did I do ? Do you hate me that much?"
There's no changing it. It's done now. Levy can't go back.
"You will not raise your voice to me!" their mother shrieked, her lips curling into a grimace that revealed her fangs. Her long, cerise twists bounced about her face as she tossed her head. Her hands were turning into fists, balling up in her skirts. She bore down on them, looming over them like some undefeatable monster ready to swallow them whole. Levy stood in her path, but they weren't sure if it was fear or rage that made their hands shake and shivers tingle across their skin.
"Why not?" Levy demanded, "you're getting rid of me anyway!" they screamed, every ounce of resentment and pain that had built up over the years bubbling to the surface.
"Because I am your mother! " she shouted back, eyes blazing, almost snarling as she bared her fangs at them. Levy bared theirs right back as the delicate threads connecting them to their family finally snapped, falling in tatters around them.
"No, you're not! You never were!"
***
Levy blinked open their eyes, breathing heavily as the ghost of the nightmare raked its clawed fingers across the back of their mind. They pulled the covers over their head, cocooning themselves in rough fabric and blocking out the late-afternoon sun that glinted through the open window. Their entire body ached, and they were shivering violently despite the way the sheet stuck to their sweat-damp skin. This sickness was exhausting.
Levy turned onto their side, restless and uncomfortable. They normally relished extra hours in bed and would love the chance to laze until the afternoon. But memories swirled in their mind and threatened tears that Levy had thought were long since dried. How often had they experienced the same dream since leaving their birthhome? Too often. But they hadn't really thought about their family in years, having watched them float away like flotsam on the ocean. The Order had become their home, the Wayfarers their family. Now, that was all gone too, washed away in the rain that was the shitstorm of their life. Still, they had Aeran now... The one solid foundation through everything. The one thing that pulled them out of the hole they'd crawled into after The Spire.
They owed him everything.
Knowing Aeran was out there, working to keep them both fed and a roof over their head in this god's forsaken backwater whilst Levy was lying here useless... It left an ache in their gut like they'd swallowed a sharp stone. Still, he'd made it clear that he was happy to shoulder the burden while they were sick. He'd been insistent that Levy rest, even when Levy tried to protest that they could still work. Levy smiled in their little bedsheet cocoon, fingers inching out to twirl in the fabric idly. Despite everything, despite the grief and pain that Levy still carried, they couldn't help but feel a tiny mote of warmth in their chest whenever they thought of him.
With the dream finally fading from thought, Levy threw the blanket back, blinking as their eyes adjusted to the wan sunlight. They shuffled back, pushing themselves up on shaky arms until their back hit the wall. The room they were renting was sparse. Rona's finest, of course. Levy smiled ironically at the thought, shaking their head and immediately regretting it as the room spun around them.
Two pallets served as beds and took up most of the room. Aeran's was pushed up against the wall, the bedding piled on top in a feeble attempt to keep out bugs. Against the far wall was their paltry collection of medicinal herbs and dried food, half of which had been decimated on the days they couldn't find work. Above that, there was a small window with thick, wooden shutters, which were half-open at the moment to let in whatever passed for a breeze in this place.
Levy usually relished heat — a result of their Coverern blood — but Rona's sticky humidity and incessant rain were starting to lose their novelty. All in all, this place was thoroughly miserable. Still, Levy had been stuck in worse locations before. And being here with Aeran made it all a bit more tolerable.
Levy stretched out one of their long limbs, reaching for their pack and dragging it toward themselves. With nothing better to do, they could at least keep themselves entertained until Aeran got back. Levy rummaged in their bag, fingertips brushing up against various shapes as they hunted for their journal and a pencil that was rapidly becoming a stub.
Pulling the items from their pack, they settled their aching back against the wall once again, drawing their knees up toward their chest to become a makeshift table. They ran their hands over the smooth leather of the cover, fingertips catching the rough edges where the item was showing wear and tear from bouncing around in their bag for months.
They were only just getting back into journaling. Before... They would write often and fill little journals with drawings and notes. But they were gone now, and Levy's desire to write had died with them. But the last two years had changed things. They'd decided to get a new journal some time ago, and they were steadily filling it in, documenting their travels and experiences with Aeran. They flicked through the pages, reading their past thoughts with an idle interest, taking more joy in looking at the drawings of creatures they'd encountered or slain, of people they'd met. Aeran's face featured here more often than they'd like to admit... Gods, that was kind of embarrassing.
They hadn't written much since they'd arrived in Rona. They'd spent most of their days hustling for a few crowns just to eat in this place, no time for sitting still and thinking. Well, now was a better time than any. Picking up their pencil, they bent their throbbing head forward to start a new drawing. Slowly, a gruff-looking dwarf took form in the upper corner of the page, accompanied by some notes on the mannerisms of their grumpy landlord. He was always badgering them to pay their rent, using his dog as a threat if he had to. Levy sketched out Worm too, bigger than Oleander just because they liked his three-headed pup far more than the dwarf.
They stayed that way for a while, sketching and writing about the last few weeks, adding as much detail as they could remember but trying to keep it contained on as few pages as possible. They weren't sure how much time had passed by the time they were done, but when they surfaced and blinked out at the room, they suddenly realised how dark it had gotten. Dark and cold.
Levy shivered as they shoved their journal back into their bag and fumbled around in there for something to light the single lantern hanging from a hook on the wall. They kept the blanket wrapped around their shoulders as they stood on shaky legs, their entire body protesting at the movement. A wave of dizziness rushed through them, and they had to stand still until it passed, hand braced against the wall to stop themselves from collapsing.
With a small sigh, they readjusted the sheet and deftly struck their flint until a flame caught in the lantern and the room was bathed in a warm glow, thin as it was. Then, they shuffled over to the window where a misty rain was blanketing Rona. It drowned out the sunshine from earlier, steel grey clouds covering the sky and turning everything in sight into a muddy brown or grey-green.
This was the usual for Rona, though. Its citizens carried on their business in the streets below, passing between collapsing buildings on rotting walkways like this was a perfectly acceptable way to live. Levy usually loved light, warm rain in the middle of summer. But, gods, not here. Here, every kind of weather just seemed to highlight a different flaw.
As Levy stretched to close the shutters, they heard hurried footsteps on the walkway outside their door and, for a terrible second, they wanted to dive across the room for Lifeblood, their sword, which was lying on the ground next to the pallet. But no sooner than they began to move did the door open, Aeran shouldering his way into the room, a bundle covered by his cloak in his arms and rainwater dripping from his hair.
Levy stopped in the middle of the room, breathing a quiet sigh of relief as the anxiety in their chest slowly eased. Was it the dream that had gotten them so on edge? Their sick-fog mind? Or maybe it was just this place?
No... Nothing had really been the same since The Spire...
"Vye?" Aeran asked, concern obvious in his tone as he stood in the doorway, watching them, "what are you doing up?"
"Oh, you know, just waiting around to make you worried," Levy replied with a small shrug, throwing Aeran a forced smile as they clambered back onto their pallet. Aeran rolled his eyes and smiled back good-naturedly.
"Feeling any better?" he asked as he turned away to hook a foot behind the door. Levy appreciated that he didn't press the matter any further. They really didn't feel like talking about the Spire right now. And they knew Aeran sure didn't want to either. He'd been tight-lipped about it ever since they'd found each other again. But Levy didn't want to pry; some things were just too painful.
"If I die, promise not to bury me in the swamp?" Levy shot back, pulling the blanket tight around their shoulders and wiggling on the pallet to try to find any form of small comfort.
"It'd be rude to ignore the local customs, Vye," Aeran replied as he shoved the door closed with his foot and began to make his way across the room. He carefully settled the bundle down on the floor before pulling off his pack and bow.
"What have you got there?" Levy asked, changing the subject from death and decay to something, hopefully, a little lighter. Levy crossed their legs, pulling them back obligingly to make space for Aeran as he sat down on the end of Levy's pallet.
This close proximity was normal. They'd slept practically back-to-back in rooms smaller than this over the last two years. And, yet, Levy's heart fluttered as Aeran shuffled toward them and closed the space until their knees were almost touching.
"Brought you something to eat," Aeran said simply, seemingly unfazed, as he pulled the cloak away and folded it up neatly, laying it on the dusty floor.
"Oh wow, how did you know I like my soup extra watery?" Levy asked sarcastically, eyeing the two wooden bowls Aeran had revealed.
"It's the best soup in Rona, judging by the queue to get any," Aeran said, leaning forward to pick up one of the bowls and press it into Levy's hands. Honestly, they could barely stomach the idea of eating right now, but Aeran had obviously waited in the rain for a while. The line for the soup kitchen was always long, even though the slop they gave out barely passed for food. But it was all they could afford these days. And he'd walked all the way back here without a cloak just to keep the soup warm and rain-free. Not that there was much point, judging by how thin the broth was already.
"Thank you," Levy said, truly meaning it, lifting the soup to their mouth and taking a tentative sip. "Ah, my favourite: hint of nothing," they concluded. Honestly, a little rainwater might have added some actual flavour.
"Bland is better than disgusting," Aeran replied mildly. Levy screwed up their nose, reminded of all the times they'd both choked down the most despicable meals just for the sake of having something in their stomachs.
"I'll take the small wins," Levy said with a nod.
"Just wait," Aeran said, pulling a brown paper pouch tied with a string out of his pack and handing it over, "I got you a treat."
Levy frowned, putting the bowl down on the ground to take the bundle. A treat? What could possibly count as a treat in this place? Opening the pouch to peer inside, they saw many light brown strands, like fibres mixed together. Anyone might be forgiven for thinking it was some kind of herb or medicine, but Levy recognised it immediately.
They glanced up at Aeran who was smiling at them nervously now, on the edge of anticipation, waiting for their response. Surely, this wasn't what Levy thought it was, right? Levy bent their neck forward, drawing the item up to their nose and giving it a cursory sniff. Gods, it was .
"Dried squid?" Levy asked incredulously, "where did you find this? How did you even pay for it?" Levy had been craving squid for weeks now, missing the food of their homeland. But, whilst Rona was next to the ocean, they didn't actually have much in the way of cuisine. Plenty of fish, but well-seasoned squid was a rarity. And certainly not cheap either.
"You don't wanna know," Aeran said with a small grin, finally picking up his own bowl and taking a spoonful. Levy levelled him with a steady gaze, but Aeran didn't break, just smiled placidly at them. Levy shook their head, dropping a handful of the squid into their soup. If he wasn't going to talk, Levy wasn't going to push. They knew what kind of work was available around Rona, and almost none of it was pleasant. Something small and vulnerable deep in Levy's core grew warm and tight at the thought of Aeran working hard just to get them something nice to eat.
"Here," Levy said, offering the pouch back over to Aeran, "share with me?"
"Sure," Aeran said, holding his bowl out for a handful of the dried strips. Levy watched as the squid slowly soaked up the soup, rehydrating. They were half-concerned that they were wasting the snack, but once they took a tentative first bite, all their worries melted away.
The squid was deliciously tender, the seasoning seeping into the rest of the soup and actually making it taste like something. Finally, some flavour. It was hot and comforting, soothing their raw throat and lending some much-needed heat to their core as it settled in their empty stomach.
The two of them ate mostly in silence, both of them too tired to talk, but it was a companionable silence. They knew each other well enough that there was no need for words, no need to fill the air with pointless noise. Just being close to each other was enough.
Once they were done eating, Aeran set the bowls next to the door. No doubt they'd be taking them back to the soup kitchen tomorrow if they wanted to eat. Still, there was enough squid left over for at least one more delicious meal. Levy carefully folded up the paper pouch, making sure it was properly sealed with the string before putting it into their pack. They'd save it for a special day, or maybe a particularly bad day.
"Here," Aeran said, pulling a tiny jar from his pack and handing it to Levy. Levy took it with a soft frown. Was this another gift?
"What is this?" Levy asked, holding the jar up toward the light of the lantern to peer through the dark glass. There was some kind of syrupy liquid inside, moving sluggishly as they turned the jar one way or the other.
"It's medicine," Aeran said casually, pulling his pallet down to set up his bed for the night, "Emari said it should help with the fever."
"Aeran..." Levy breathed through a suddenly tight throat, hot tears gathering at the corners of their eyes. They cuffed at their face whilst Aeran's back was still turned.
"What?" Aeran asked as he finished laying out his bedding and plopped down onto the pallet. The room was so small that it butted up against Levy's and when Aeran stretched out, propped up on one elbow, he was less an a foot away from them.
"How many crowns did you spend on me today?"
"Don't worry about it, Levy," Aeran said, rolling onto his back and shuffling down under his blanket. How could they not worry about it? Every day here, they were fighting to get enough gold just to eat, just to pay rent. Every day, it seemed like getting out of this town was further and further away. But Aeran was willing to waste crowns on them? On medicine for a fever, on squid just to make them feel better?
Aeran was never a man of many words, never great at expressing his emotions. But the way he was looking after them, the things he did to show he cared, it filled Levy with more love than they knew what to do with.
"Vye," Aeran said into the silence that was stretching between them. He reached out a hand, laying it lightly on Levy's knee through the blanket. It was just a few seconds, just a moment of touch to get Levy's attention, but it made Levy's heart beat faster, and their palms suddenly became sweaty.
"You're sick, it's okay. Just take the medicine and get some rest." Aeran insisted, his face serious as he looked up at them, sandy brown curls haloing his face. Levy wanted to grab that face and kiss it. But they wouldn't. They couldn't. Not now, not yet. Not til they were sure he felt the same way...
Levy forced a small smile, unstoppering the jar to take a tentative sip. The medicine was bitter and thick, coating the back of their throat. They took a deeper draught, hoping it would help them sleep soundly. Afterwards, they stoppered the bottle and set it down on top of their pack. Aeran closed his eyes then, shifting his head left and right on the pallet to get comfortable.
Levy lay on their side under the blanket, watching Aeran quietly. He looked as exhausted as they felt, dark circles under his eyes and his breathing growing deeper already. He hadn't even bothered to remove his leather armour. He lay on his back, one bare arm under his neck, and the blanket pulled haphazardly over his chest.
Levy couldn't help but smile as they looked at him. They felt guilty for all the work he'd been putting in whilst they lounged around but, despite that, there was something else smouldering in their chest. A kind of warmth that wasn't from the soup, or even Aeran's body heat in the small space.
It was gratitude and longing and joy all at once. It was an intense kind of happiness that made them want to grab Aeran by the hand and dance, even in this dingy little room. They wanted to experience everything with him at their side. All the good and bad of life. They knew that, with him, they could face anything.
Tentatively, Levy pushed a shaky hand out until their fingers brushed up against the side of Aeran's arm. The feeling of his smooth skin under their fingertips was almost paralysing, blood wooshing in their ears and a jolt of adrenaline rushing through their veins. Aeren hummed a small noise in the back of his throat, and Levy almost yanked their hand away in panic. But Aeran pulled his other arm out from under his head to lay his hand over Levy's, trapping it, wordlessly, between the warmth of his hand and arm.
Levy breathed shakily, shivering from fever and exhilaration. This thing between them was unvoiced, unnamed. It was special, precious and delicate. But it was as strong as alassar steel, unbreakable. As they slowly fell asleep beside Aeran, Levy knew that, together, they were family. Not by blood, perhaps, but they were the kind of family that truly mattered: one bound by love.
