I stand upon the jetty, my torch in hand, and try and burrow myself deeper into my coat.
"Does it have to be tonight?" I ask. It's an effort to keep my teeth from chattering.
Kelda/Keldan doesn't look up. "Yes."
They're adjusting something to do with the rigging, a winch or pulley or something around which the heavy rope is secured. The beam from my torch trembles as the damp cold of the marsh seeps into my fingers.
That draws their attention. They take in my miserable form, bundled up in a winter coat so thick that it makes turning my head a cumbersome negotiation, my nose and eyes already streaming as the icy night air digs in.
They've been planning this for a while, checking reports and conditions every morning and every evening, tutting and muttering to themselves as they disapprove of what nature has thrown our way.
It has to be tonight.
"Do you want to go home?" Kelda/Keldan asks, rising from their crouch over the rigging. It's open and honest, there's no blame, no accusation to the question, and I know they'll accept whatever answer I give.
The thought of the warm fire and a steaming mug of tea or chocolate is a cruel temptation, one that almost wins out. But this is important to them, so I shake my head, burrow deeper into my coat, and order myself to tough it out.
Rather than continue with the rope, Kelda/Keldan offers me their hand, palm up, fingers outstretched. I take it, and they help me into the boat.
"Here," they say, handing me a thermos that's toasty to the touch. "Pour one for me too?"
Of course, it's exactly what I'd imagined sipping around the fireplace at home, perfectly hot, beautifully warming as I sip. Kelda/Keldan spends a few more minutes on adjustments before we're finally underway, beneath their knowing hand, slipping gracefully away from the humming floodlights of the jetty and out into the marsh.
There's next to no wind tonight, still Kelda/Keldan manages to find what little remains, capturing in the boat's pale sails. I'm to point the torch forwards till we reach the lake, warning any other late sailors that there's another boat to be aware of.
Once we reach the open water, Kelda/Keldan secures the tiller, raises the sail, and drops the small weight that the tiny boat calls its anchor. We sit upon the deck side by side, our legs brushing against one another's, and just as I'm about to lean in closer, Kelda/Keldan asks me to close my eyes.
"Trust me," they say with a whisper they know plays havoc with my good sense.
When my eyes are closed, they take the torch from my hand and there's a sharp click. The silence washes over us with the dark. All is still, and were it not for the warmth of them at my side, I would feel terribly alone.
First their breath, then their lips ghost across my cheek. Their hand slides around my back, and even through the coat and the cold, I can feel the caress of each finger.
"Open your eyes," Kelda/Keldan whispers into my skin.
I do, and I find a sea of stars stretching beyond the horizon.
Kelda/Keldan looks up at me from the familiar little fishing boat.
"Would it matter if I didn't?"
"Of course it would. He's very adept at paying slights back, you know."
They smirk. "He can try."
"Kelda/Keldan..."
"I asked him, and he agreed."
"Really?"
Rather than answer me directly, Kelda/Keldan slinks down deeper into the boat, crooking a finger in my direction to beckon me forth. I sigh, but follow, a little unsteady as the much loved little vessel rocks beneath my weight.
Kelda/Keldan's hands steady me, guiding me down to sit in front of them. The evening sun glints off the water, rippling like liquid gold across their features.
"Where are we going?" I ask, looking around for the oars.
The water ripples.
"Somewhere quiet," Kelda/Keldan says, amusement making their voice lighter than usual. "It's all in hand, Love."
I glance up. We're already many lengths away from the jetty, moving at speed that is less than an oar's stroke, but more than the drift of a current.
"Are you planning on bringing both me and the boat back before we're next needed?" I ask, casting my companion a sceptical smirk of my own.
Their left hand is in the water, drawing slow circles with their fingertips, caressing it into carrying us onwards.
"The fisher will have his boat by first light," they say, leaning back against the stern, the tiller redundant and used purely to rest their arm upon.
"And me?"
Kelda/Keldan hums. "I'm not sure when I'll 'return' you. After all, whose need am I to judge the time by? There's? Or mine?"
In attempts to keep my mind from those particular intricacies, and the way Kelda/Keldan's ice-blue eyes slide across my skin, I make a study of the marsh. The Mire stretches out before us, empty sky and endless reeds, aflame with the fading sun.
The evening chorus serenades our passage, the first wisps of mist coiling around the stumps of long fallen trees. Kelda/Keldan begins to hum, though I don't recall when the first note reached my ear. The melody is familiar, the words teasing the fringes of my thoughts.
Light sinks down into dusk, then twilight, and on we go, deeper, the forgotten melody swaying the reeds and calling forth the first stars.
The lightest pressure, near the base of my spine, draws me out of daydreams.
Kelda/Keldan's lips hush gently into my ear, their breath a rustle of grass, their touch dancing across my skin.
"You have to be quiet, Love," they whisper against my throat. "I brought you here for the peace of this place."
"Do you want me to be quiet?" I gasp. "Because you're not helping if so."
They chuckle, equal parts of their amusement coming to me through sound as through the thrum of their chest.
"I want you. Everything else can remain ashore."
"But-"
Their lips silence mine.
"Only you and only I," they say when we have parted. "All else remains ashore."
Oh my gad! That little snippet with K was sooooo GOOD!!! Thank you for blessing me not a crumb, but a whole loaf of bread! Love ya dear author! 🧡
You are most welcome!
K hasn't got as much screen/page time as the others so far, and their entire story is spoiler dense, so there's rarely the opportunity to elaborate in asks. It's genuinely lovely to give the mysterious little oddity some texture now and then.
Hello love your WIP! Just wanted to ask a question to settle a debate. Would you consider K's romance to fall under the monster f***er umbrella? My gf and I were debating this yesterday and couldn't come to a definitive answer. I know this ask is a little weird, so feel free to skip it lol
Thank you so much, first and foremost! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story.
As for Keldan and Kelda, it really depends on how you define monster.
Possible Spoilers Below:
Without breaking out all the definitions for 'monster', most of which vary depending on the dictionary you happen to be referencing, let's instead start with what Keldan and Kelda's route is not.
It is not a 'The Shape of Water' style story. They are not going to break out a set of gills or attractive fish frills to scare/intrigue the Main Character.
So, to quote the troupe, this is not a Beauty and the Beast kind of tale. Keldan and Kelda will 95% of the time be physically cynn (human). Sorry to those of you inclined towards the preferences this rules out, it just wasn't what I wanted for the character.
Keldan and Kelda are not cynn though. They are Uncuþ.
A thing does not need to be physically different to be monstrous.
Love the update!!! You write the whole thing so well and did a really good job on making it feel so intense for some reason(to me anyway)! And while i will try to play everyone's route later but i've only read P's route so far and i gotta say P being so protective of the MC and wanting to beat the shit out of K is just *chef's kiss*. But i really love Leir and L and A too ofcourse! All in all your writing is a fucking masterpiece (as always!), something about your writting style is just so GOOD!
Thank you so much!
It's always difficult to gauge the tension or scariness of a scene when you're the one who wrote it. There's no surprise. I know what's coming, I know what everything means, I know what's (roughly) going on in everyone's heads. So it's a huge relief to hear that the writing is hitting the right tone.
P and K have some issues to work through, that's for certain. Not that either of them seem interested in working through anything right now. I'd say P is interested in asserting their feelings on the matter quite firmly, and K is interested in how far they can push P before they crack.
