#castor adonis

[childrenoflight-darkness-nothing]

castor tattoos: a thread

[clarissanoble]

imagine for a second that they got to grow up together and be happy.....

[childrenoflight-darkness-nothing]

Castor watched as Aliana waved a hand through Elise’s form. Where the lady’s hand should have come into contact with flesh and bone it was instead met with rippling smoke. Elise, or rather the projection of Elise, had looked completely solid only moments before.

A frown twisted over the witch’s features as xe blinked. “It’s rude to go sticking your hand through someone.”

“You’re not really here,” Aliana muttered; she crossed her arms over her chest with a toss of her shoulders before plopping back down into her seat. Unshamed and unaffected by Elise’s scolding.

Castor fought a smile as he watched the both of them.

Aliana sighed after a moment. “What is it you have to report?” she questioned with a raised eyebrow. “You were supposed to be here. In person. You’re no longer needed in Dreyn.”

“I’m not in Dreyn,” Elise started, but Aliana quickly cut xem off.

“Then where are you? If not here?”

“I had a prior commitment—“

“Your commitment is here,” Aliana said, once more rising from her seat. In her full height she towered over Elise, though it wasn’t her height but her stance the way she carried herself... the way she could command an entire room with nothing more than a look that set even Castor squirming slightly in his seat. “It always has been.”

Elise cut a glance in Castor’s direction, quick and barely perceptible. “I’ve found something that might turn the tides in this war you’re planning. I have to see it through.”

Aliana squinted slightly, her annoyance melting away into interest. “What did you find?”

“I will not say, for how do we know where my words will end up?”

“Honestly, Elise,” Aliana scoffed, laughing a little as she shook her head. “Just who do you think might be listening that we can’t trust? What have you found? Tell me.”

Elise turned xir gaze to Castor again, only this time xir eyes didn’t flick away in an instant. No, xe held his gaze as xe spoke; slow and deliberate. “And do we trust him? Fully? Do we trust that everything we say will not be reported back to his uncle? You may. And you may let your dear prince listen in to whatever meetings, or whatever secrets you keep... But I will not.”

It was a long while before anyone spoke again, Castor’s gaze still caught in the steel grey of xir own. The room quiet aside from the crackling of the fireplace, and Castor’s own racing heart.

He wouldn’t cower under xir scrutiny, too much of his life had been spent doing just that beneath the shadow of his uncle. And he had nothing himself to prove...

With time he could earn xir trust; would ensure he did whatever would be needed. But there was nothing for him to do tonight.

Rising to his own defense would only raise suspicion.

And whatever Elise had found...

Well, he didn’t really need to know. Even if he had to admit his own interest was piqued.

“I will check in with you, on occasion my lady,” Elise finally spoke up. Xir tone turned polite... almost demure. But there was still steel in xir gaze. A defiance as xe turned back to Aliana. “But I will not inform you of my doings, or my location. Not until I’m sure.”

[childrenoflight-darkness-nothing]

Brother, Brother!

It was in fact about time I wrote something for my latest obsession... So here we are with 1418 words featuring The Lost Boys and some modified Ed Sheeran lyrics... Enjoy!

Keep careful watch of my brothers’ souls, and should the sky be filled with fire and smoke… keep watching over…

Castor sucked in a breath as the air moved around him. Everything seemed to be still, or moving entirely too fast as he tried to get his bearings. His chest ached as he coughed on my smoke. He blinked.

Once. Twice.

The air around him dry and his face burned as his thoughts came together. “Addie!” he screamed, or tried to. His mouth too thick with smoke, with soot, to make much more of a sound than a hoarse whisper. “Addie!” Castor tried again, his thoughts frantic. Right here, he was right here!

If this is to end in fire, then we shall all burn together. Watch the flames climb higher into the night…

Adair had been right beside his older brother when the bomb went off, the two of them and Ewan on a Renegade mission. Castor reached a hand out in the direction his brother should have been. Grunting from the effort to move at all his bloodied hands traced over the rubble until he found a scrap of Adair’s jacket, and from there a hand.

“Addie,” Castor called again, his voice a little stronger as he forced his body to move. The edges of his vision blackened as he shoved a beam off of his chest. Rubble cascaded down around him as he took another breath, an attempt to keep himself alert. “Come on,” he grunted. “Come on, Addie. Wake up. You’re not allowed to die on me. Not you too.”

And if we should die tonight, then we should all die together. Watch the flames burn on and on, desolation comes across the sky…

Castor was still halfway pinned under the rubble, but he’d managed to free himself enough to reach his brother. Scraping soot and debris out of Adair’s whole he checked for whatever injuries he could reach. His mind of course jumping to the worst of conclusions as he took in Adair’s limp form. Blood trickled from a cut on the teens forehead, but from what he could reach… What he could see… there was nothing seriously wrong.

“Addie.”

The younger boy groaned as he came to. His eyes fluttered open, unseeing but he grew more aware of his surroundings as the seconds passed.

“Addie, come on that’s it,” Castor urged, the last of his strength leaving him as he fell back into the rubble. Flames ate at what was left of the building around them, sparks and embers falling down around them as the brothers breathed in the smoke. “Come on—you got to… got to get yourself… out of here. And find Ewan.”

Now I see fire, burning the trees. And I see fire, hollowing souls. And I see fire, blood in the breeze. And I hope that you’ll remember me…

“You’re coming with me, Cas,” Adair said around a series of coughs. His brown eyes held a note of defiant determination as he pushed himself up and faced Castor.

Cas forced his head to turn. Side to side. The movement, barely perceptible. “No, Addie. I’m pinned. We have no idea what condition I’m in under those beams, if we could even get them moved. Or if I’d just bleed out anyways. Go find Ewan and get yourselves out of here.”

His voice was strong. Stronger than it’d been even just a moment ago as he forced his words to come out steady. As he leveled Adair with an unyielding gaze that begged no argument. No question. Cas had known as soon as he’d woken up and been able to assess the situation that it wasn’t likely for him to get out. In those few seconds that he’d urged Adair awake--those few seconds that of themselves had felt like hours--Castor had even come to peace with it. As long as Adair got out… As long as Ewan…

They still had no idea where Ewan was.

Castor could only hope he hadn’t gotten caught in the same blast they had. That he’d been far enough away. And it’d just take Adair a quick search as he made his way out of the rubble. Out of the smoke and the flames.

Oh, should my brothers fall, then surely I’ll do the same. Confined in mountain halls, we got too close to the flame. Calling out… hold fast and we will, watch the flames burn on and on…

Castor had taken the worst of the blast. His body taking the quick second it had had to shield Adair as best he could in the space between the sound of the explosion and the flames and shrapnel reaching them. The smell of burnt flesh met his nose around the smoke, and as the adrenaline wore off he could feel his skin burning. His arm white and hot. His legs--or what he could feel of them--searing beneath the rubble.

“You’re not asking me to leave you,” Adair’s voice cut in and Castor’s eyes flicked to him trying to bring the younger boy into focus.

“You’re right, I’m not asking,” he said, his own words sounding like he was underwater. Barely there in his mind as his thoughts swirled in smoke and embers.

“No, I’m not. You’re not. You’re not having me do that. Cas. You’re not having me lose more family. You’re not.”

And if the night is burning, I will cover my eyes. For if the dark returns then my brothers will die. And as the sky’s falling down, it crashed into this lonely town… I hear my brothers screaming out…

“Addie! Cas!”

“Castor, come on.”

“Over here! We’re here!”

“I’ll lift, you pull him out.”

Scattered words filtered in and out, each own without a voice or a body as Castor tried to force his eyes to stay open. Stars danced as arms gripped his shoulders. One shove. Two. And the weight was lifted from the lower half of his body. But with his release came a string of curses from one of the twins, and a flood of searing pain. Needles seemed to prick every inch of his skin.

“C’mon Cas. Dùisg.”

“Fuirich còmhla rium.”

“They’re not going to be able to save his leg--”

“We have to get him back to base first before we worry with that.”

Now I see fire, burning the trees. And I see fire, hollowing souls. And I see fire, blood in the breeze.

He drifted in and out. Voices and gentle hands seemed to float around him in the moments he spent where everything wasn’t faded to black. In the moments where everything wasn’t dark and the only thing he could hear was a ringing in his ear.

Castor came to most when they lifted him, one arm swung around each boy's shoulders as the twins both bore his weight. His feet slid useless against the rocks as he tried to move them. Tried to take some of the burden off. But he tripped and slid leaving a trail of blood in his wake. And a series of groans as his limbs hung uselessly. Everything out of his control as he was pulled from the rubble.

I see fire, oh you know I saw a city burning. And I see fire, feel the heat upon my skin. And I see fire…

He didn’t register the coughing. Or the jarring of his ribs and his lungs when one of the brothers tripped. Their own feet barely making the path to safety. Each of them with injuries of their own. A ringing in their ears as they struggled beneath the weight of the fallen.

Castor couldn’t even muster the strength to tell them to leave him. As the building shifted around them the order did not leave his lips. Nothing did but the laboured breaths, or the occasional groan as he found a brief moment of awareness. It would have been a waste of breath, even if it had.

Keep careful watch of my brothers’ souls… And should the sky be filled with fire and gold…

Hands lifted him into the back of a vehicle. Reassurances were whispered as a weight tightened around his leg, and a hand held pressure on his stomach. And Castor felt the last of himself leave him. Eyes fluttering closed as an engine was started, and he was urged to stay awake. To keep his eyes open.

Castor wished he could, as he fell away from himself. From the world.

Keep watching over...

[childrenoflight-darkness-nothing]

“We seen you…” the oldest boy whispers setting wide eyes on my brother. “You were in the dungeon. They killed you.”

“They tried. A friend got me out. By the time I realized what was happening it was too late to go back for you. I’m sorry….” Castor appears genuinely guilty but also relieved to find them all safe and sound. “Did you happen to find another?” He directs his next question to me. “A girl around your age? Aislin?”

I shake my head. “There was no one else.”

“She’s dead then…”

[childrenoflight-darkness-nothing]

Castor Fane Adonis // Child of Nothing

“I’m not a prince. I’m… I’m just like the rest of you. Just a man. Just—just a man fighting to try and better things. I’m no different than the rest of you.”

[childrenoflight-darkness-nothing]

“Do you even hear yourself?” Castor’s voice was sharp as he spoke. Shrill and incredulous as he stared wide eyed at his boyfriend before him. “No. What gives you the impression that that is even vaguely a good idea. No. You're not.”

“We both know I’m one of the least important people here, Cas… You can fight. You’re strong. You’re a leader. They need that.” Tyde gestured towards the house. Towards their friends and family sleeping inside. “And the rest of them? Gifted. Each and everyone of them. You all have something to offer. Something to bring to the table. And maybe I can fight. Hold my own at least. But you don’t need that. Not really.

“And someone… someone has to.”

“Not you.”

“And who would you send instead? Who in there, our friends…. our family? Which one would you rather send? It’s a suicide mission either way, Cas.”

“Not you,” Castor repeated, hands and body shaking as he tried so hard to tighten down on his emotions. His mouth was dry and he couldn’t stop the way his heart had fallen into the pit of his stomach as soon as he’d caught Tyde trying to sneak out of the house. He couldn’t help the way his blood had run ice cold at Tyde’s words. How he’d been determined to leave without even a goodbye.

I’m going on the mission. I’m the only one we can afford to lose. It has to be me.

“You can’t. Someone else.”

Please it has to be someone else.

“Who else, Cas?” Tyde looked up at him with sad eyes that Castor could barely see.

Castor didn’t know when he’d started crying. Just a few tears finding their escape as they trailed down his cheeks. “Someone—I don’t… Not you. You can’t—I can’t, Tyde. Please. I’ll go. I’ll do it. Just not you, they don’t need me, not like you say. Just please, not you.”

Tyde shook his head. “Your sisters need you. And your people will need you when we ever win this war. And we will. You will. You have people who need you, who rely on you. I don’t. Just let me do this. This one thing, this one way that I can make a difference.”

“I do. Tyde, I need you.”

[childrenoflight-darkness-nothing]

“Okay listen, I know this seems bad, but I promise, it’s not what it looks like,” Tyde urged, holding up a blood covered hand as he spoke. A show of surrender or Tyde trying to keep his boyfriend calm… Castor wasn’t entirely sure.

All he knew was that he’d found Tyde covered in blood and holding a—now discarded—dagger hidden away in a store room. It was the smile that sent Castor’s eyes narrowing in suspicion. That smile… so carefree and seemingly innocent and so… so very much Tyde. Look at me, nothings wrong! See!

“Really?” Castor started, his brow knitted together as he tried to make sense of the situation. His boyfriend… covered in blood. Castor would think he was injured if not for the fact that he was nearly covered in the substance. Once white tunic stained scarlet. It was even smeared across his face. “Because it looks like you just murdered someone… and that you’re going to have a hard time hiding it.”

“Yeah! See! Not at all what it looks like then,” Tyde said, a weak grin overtaking his features. “I was actually stabbed! You should probably catch me before I pass out.”