20tober Day 4 and 5: Poison and Time
Again, this one is a bit of a stretch and became more of a personal experiment. I had a plan for the ‘time’ prompt, but I just can’t get these new characters out of my mind and I just want to figure out their story more. Sorry that I haven’t been making any stand-alone scenes! Hopefully I’ll be making quick fic oneshots in the future. I just am….obsessed right now.
Roderick was running faster than he ever had before. He fled down unfamiliar, mysterious corridors and halls of the elven castle, trying to find a way to escape. The sounds of angry guards echoed behind him, drawing ever closer.
In his arms was the elves’ future ruler and his former lover, Emlin Highsong. Emlin jostled around in his arms as he ran, their eyes closed in a deep slumber and their dark coily hair stuck to their sweaty forehead.
The human prince’s breaths felt like smoke and his heart felt as if it was on fire as he ran. He was never a fast runner. He wasn’t going to make it.
Hot tears stung the edges of his eyelids.
“I can’t believe you made me do that to them,” Roderick cried out to the fae that hid in his shadow. “I can’t believe that you…” he was unable to finish his sentence and only let out a harsh, rapid hiccup-like breath.
“Oh, come on,” the tiny little dryad said as she crawled out of his shadow and floated in the air beside him as he sprinted. “I didn’t make you do anything. You couldn’t have done it if there wasn’t a part of you that wanted to.”
Roderick turned his head to Erythi, his forest green eyes wild with rage. “I would never poison Emlin of my own volition! You tricked me, you demon!”
Erythi rolled her eyes at him and smirked. “It’s not very nice to call a fae a demon, you know.” The elven guard’s yells and footsteps grew closer in the halls behind them, making the fae turn her head around, whipping her flora hair, to look behind her. “You should hurry. They’re gaining on you.”
Roderick bit his lip so hard that it bled. He lost control of his breathing as he fell into a state of panic and he started to stagger in his steps. “No. No. No. This isn’t what I wanted. This isn’t what I wanted,” he cried out between raspy breaths.
“Stop your whining,” Erythi scolded, a smirk still on her face. “Gods, you humans are so pathetic.” She moved and floated in front of the man, her smirk darkening into something else. “They’re going to kill you as soon as they catch up, Roderick.”
“You think I don’t know that, fae?!” Roderick screamed, his voice hoarse.
Erythi brought a finger to her face and tapped at her chin innocently. “You know, there’s a way that I can get you out of this.”
The human man’s eyes flicked up to the dryad, and his eyes were dark in a dangerous desperation.
“Remember when I first asked you to make a pact with me?” she snickered.
“I am not going to make a pact with you!” Roderick shouted. “Doing so will damn my soul to hell! I would rather die a violent death than burn in the depths of hell for all eternity.”
“You humans really believe that?” Erythi rose her eyebrows at him. “I promise you that you will not be sent to hell.” With a tiny finger, she pointed at the elf in Roderick’s arms. “And I can also promise that you’ll be able to be with Emlin.”
Roderick’s heart stopped.
“Just like you always wanted.”
The human prince gulped and looked at his feet as he continued to sprint.
After a moment of silence, he whispered underneath raspy breaths, “I...I will do as you wish.”
Erythi’s lips widened into a massive, crooked smile that was too big for her face. It revealed long, sharp, monstrous teeth. “Good!” she cheered before reaching out and grabbing Roderick’s collar with strength too big for her little body. She slammed him into the wall of the hallway, holding him still with one arm as she used the other to claw at it, leaving behind a deep scratch. It seeped with blood, and she held it up to Roderick’s face, whose eyes grew large in terror. “Now, quickly. Drink my blood and my power will be all yours, Roderick Silversteed.”