Pairings: Mal Volari x Daenarya [Blades of Light & Shadow (Book 2, Chapter 4)]
Word Count: ~ 650
Rating/Warnings: General, angst, hurt/comfort, mentions of (but not in graphic description) canon injuries, bruises, choking, blood
Synopsis: After barely surviving Valax’s attack, Mal and Daenarya cling to a fragile moment of peace.
A/N: Can we just stop and stare and gaze in awe of this incredible masterpiece by @oh-so-youre-a-nerd. It took my breath away! This drabble was not what I planned when I commissioned this art, but the minute I saw the final piece, this idea popped in my head and I had to get it out! No edits. No revisions. Just a raw piece to match how raw and tender this feels.
The river turned pink beneath their hands as they washed their wounds.
They shared a quiet understanding in their weary gaze. His mouth opened to speak, but she shook her head once.
What was there to say?
They were no match for her. They were foolish to think that being a team would save them. The Shadow Court had never left them this... defeated. There was a pause when Nia was taken, but it had only strengthened their resolve. Now?
Now, they were unraveling.
After one fight. One fight. And they were barely breathing.
No. It was more than that.
Physically beaten down, they could come back from. This was something else. Something worse.
Hopelessness.
The river swallowed the evidence of their injuries. The ribbons of pink that surrounded them drifted downstream in the darkness.
His rough hands grazed over her back with restrained tenderness, letting the water drift over her injuries from when her body had cracked against the tree.
Her body trembled beneath him, the memory threatening to rise again.
His touch stilled.
"Daenarya."
Her eyes closed as he whispered her name.
It was softer now.
Safer.
Unlike the last time.
Her eyes squeezed together, a vile taste rising in her throat.
He screamed her name as Valax held her by the throat, dangling above the ground like she was nothing.
Her fingers reached for her neck. Her breathing became ragged.
"I can't—"
Mal shifted in front of her, taking her hands in his own. "It's okay. You're safe. It's okay."
"It's not." She choked to catch a breath. "We can't beat her."
Again, he opened his mouth, but no reassurance came.
No clever remark to make her laugh.
No promise of comfort.
Only silence. A silence that he felt just as she did.
His head dipped a moment. He wasn't used to words failing.
Daenarya tried not to think about fingers crushing against her throat. About how her vision blurred as her breath left her. About the way she heard Mal shouting her name as if from somewhere impossibly far away.
The water shifted softly around them.
Mal reached for her slowly, pushing a strand of hair away from her face.
She flinched, but she didn't pull away.
He rested his forehead on hers, holding her as her breath began to shallow. His lips drifted down, brushing kisses over her eyes, her nose, her lips, down to her throat. His lips paused, hovering over the skin that had yet to bruise from Valax's grasp. Gently, he pressed a kiss to her neck.
Valax could not have any part of her.
She inhaled sharply. The memories threatened to pull her back. She wrapped an arm around him, holding him there with him. Even in the pain. Even with the fear. Even in the hopelessness, he was there. They were together. And even if it could only last a moment, it was a moment she needed to hold on to. Without it, the current would pull her down, extinguishing the last embers of light in her.
She nodded slightly, encouraging him to continue.
His hand cradled the back of her neck as he tilted her head, giving him more room. He kissed her throat again.
Not in hunger.
Not in desperation.
Something softer. Something fragile. Something he was terrified to lose.
His kisses slowed, letting her pulse beat against the warmth of his lips. A reminder that she was still there.
The fear did not disappear, but beneath Mal’s touch, it loosened enough for her to breathe again. It wouldn't replace the nightmares or the bruises that would darken her skin by morning, but in the moment, it was enough. It was her anchor. It would keep her from drifting.
The darkness still waited for her, but tonight, she was not facing it alone. Neither of them was.
A/N #2: I haven't replayed Blades 2 since right before Blades 3 so my memory isn't perfect, but I think this fits the battle with Valax from Chapter 4.
Daenarya is pregnant here but she still doesn't know it. This isn't that long after she returns from the other side and since in my AU time works differently, she was only gone a week (for her) but a year for everyone else. So she's about 6 weeks pregnant maybe.
A/N #3: Again this was written without any rewrites and literly just word vomiting from my head so forgive any typos or things that don't make sense with canon.
A/N#4 that art is so freaking stunning. I am just so so overwhelmed with the emotion in it! I hope this drabble comes even slightly close to matching that love and devotion!
lied in my last few posts i actually was just gonna draw tyril
(yes that is the copy and pasted choices background idk how to draw backgrounds and i just like having fun)
Starting BOLAS 2 again, so here's Solace's book 2 main outfit!:
I made it real! And my gawwwwwd...
He's so FINE... Imagine you lose your bf for a whole year, then he comes back looking like THIS???? The lace-up thigh high stilettos? The DRESS? His longer hair? The fact you can ACTUALLY see his face markings properly?
... Everybody dropping to their knees at Costco ig.
can confirm that staying in the shadow realm is the most heartbreaking ending!
the goblins die out, elves actually start to age meaning tyril is getting old, kade spends the rest of his days looking for you, and mal’s family misses him