O' Twisted Fates {Celvi}

[Celvi Gray]

Neither her gaze nor that of Chase was anything near of being called proper. Celvi knew that but she was in no mood to alter her behavior. She had come too far for that. This night was enchanted, she could very well act as if she was living a dream and would wake up soon without having to fear the consequences of anything she did tonight. These were dangerous thoughts indeed, as they made her daring. The lady read the silent wish in Chase’s eyes and found it to be her own. Yes, she wanted to go through with it, finish what they almost had come to in that one crisp morning underneath the old gnarled tree… oh yes she wanted it!

The moon behind her head made Chase’s whole silhouette glow in a ghostly and definitely unearthly light. And suddenly she knew who he was: Therandor! The demigod warrior Runnori – according to the legends of old – had chosen to be her own consort because of his skills and his undeniable beauty. Chase might not be a warrior by nature to deserve this name, but on this very spot he looked like glossed over with silvery moonlight, as if Runnori herself had touched him to make him more than human. Then she remembered her own disguise for this night: Runnori In Winter… wasn’t this almost a sign from the goddess? Why else would Celvi think of Therandor in this very moment if not because Runnori had given her this thought? Did that mean that whatever she did tonight was under the protection of the goddess? Or was she insane to even think that way, assume so much? Celvi knew a few people who surely would think so!

The tension between their two bodies had risen to an almost unbearable height again, when Chase suddenly broke the spell, letting go of both her gaze and her hand, even taking a step back! Celvi’s smile faded instantly, and instead her face adopted a quizzical expression, tinted with mild shock. What was wrong?! Had she misread the look in his eyes, had she misjudged everything that had passed between them? An ice cold fist seemed to collide with her stomach and Celvi had a hard time not to recoil and gasp. The beautiful night from one moment to the other was transferred into something bleak and chilly, barren and lonesome. Of course… she had aimed too high while reaching too far down… it was maybe best Chase was still in his right mind.

But then his words once again changed everything, as she watched his perfect face light up with an almost mischievous fire. How could she ever have resisted that, even if she knew it was wrong?
“Show me something?” she repeated, cocking her head like a curious sparrow. “You sure have a way to keep me in suspense, don’t you? Alright, show me then!” she encouraged him, surprised by her almost flirtatious tone. This night surely brought out more of herself than she ever would have known.

[Chase Cantwell]

Chase struggled to hold his mellow, nonchalant smile to his lips while he felt was quiet the opposite of what he felt. He felt like leaping in the air, shouting like a lunatic and celebrating this simple moment he was blessed to be sharing with Celvi. His heart was alive in his chest, thumping and bouncing against his ribcage like a rubber ball in a blender and causing such a racket he was certain the people in the ballroom we bound to hear him. As her smooth words floated along the crisp air, he nearly lost all his wits and composure but gracefully managed to let his smile crack into a lopsided grin momentarily before he snapped back into his ‘mischievously innocent’ smile. “It’s all in a days work to keep you on your toes, m’Lady” he teased with a shrug, his eyes glittering with the gleam of a child with a secret he was dying to tell someone and his chance had finally come to do so. “And I think you’ll enjoy it”.
he added lightly, reaching for her hand with his own that quaked ever so slightly with nerves.

He started toward the stairs of the balcony that led to the terrace below. His steps were springy and full of restraint energy as he struggled not to ruin his cool composure with his nerve. How could he be so blessed that Celvi had agreed to such a scandalous thing as taking a walk with a common bred boy when the chances of being discovered were so high and dangerous? Or was it rather like being cursed to have such feelings for a forbidden love that was doomed to fail if the relationship was exposed? Which ever option the goddess chose to fancy, he would play along with as long as he received time to spend alone with Celvi in the gardens.

Once on the terrace below and a few strides away from the garden’s entrance, he paused and turned toward her, his face taking on a bit of a serious tone. “Now my dear Celvi, is where you must put your complete trust in me for what I am about to show is a prized item of the Queen’s possessions and to get there is a very secrete matter in which a very small and select few know how to get to. I am one of those select and honored few and must protect the path that we must take and in order to do so, you are going to have to close your eyes trust in me to be yours for the time being until we reached our set destination.”

The gardens in which he had chosen to show her, were in fact one those belonging to the Queen’s private set. It was small in comparison to the rest of the gardens both public and private alike. But it was Chase’s opinion the garden with the most character and charm. It was special for it’s own reasons and kept secluded for others. And for all those reasons played a part in the decision to show Celvi their hidden secretes.

[Celvi Gray]

Maybe it would be better to regard this all truly as a dream. In a dream you could do anything, nothing was considered improper as even the most outrageous things made sense in a dream universe. Then again, never before had Celvi wishes with all her heart for something to be real than this moment. She had never talked to anyone in her life with such a lighthearted manner before, as she had always lacked the closeness of friends. With her father she only remembered silly childhood talk and the fond formality of letters, with Dagmara such things were out of question anyway, and with her fellow ladies she never exchanged words beyond the usual bromides and reluctant court gossip. Chase was the nearest to a fellow soul she had ever known, and she enjoyed this banter beyond belief and imagination and yearned to keep it going.

“I hope for you I will”, she chaffed but eased her words with a mischievous smile. “Good thing I didn’t pay in advance, or else I might have to demand it back if I am displeased with the outcome.” Merchant’s talk, another unseemly thing to leave a lady’s mouth. In the airhead minds of those who set up the rules of ‘right and proper’ someone of her status ought not even to know what money looked like. Sums and anything beyond that were too much of a load for a dainty head such as that of a proper court lady. Not that Celvi had ever bothered before, though, she had never been one known for public rebellion or demands on female rights. Keep in the shadow and try to live through until your next ‘fey moment’ had always been her motto. But not tonight. Tonight her eyes added a wordless reassurance to her comment that she was all but sure the outcome would be more than pleasing.

As they reached the lower level of the terrace and the public gardens, Celvi’s breath caught in her throat for a moment, reflecting on Chase’s suggestion. Was he really aiming for what she thought he aimed? The forbidden gardens, as the ladies called them? The part only reserved for the queen? A little prick of jealousy and unease found its way to Celvi as she thought about the reason for Chase being allowed there. Everyone knew he was favored by the queen, but favored to THIS extent? But no, she didn’t want to think about this now, it would only spoil the moment. And if she trusted him had never been questioned in her mind, jealousy or not. She would trust him with her life.
“I’ll never let you live it down if I trip”, she threatened teasingly, before she placed her hand in his again and compliantly closed her eyes. “And you know I am yours”, she added quietly, unable to stop the afterthought from bursting out, however murmured.

She could feel her cheeks blush bright crimson and suddenly was glad she didn’t have to look at him and had the excuse of closed eyes. Truly, had she drunk too much ice wine to be so bold?

[Chase Cantwell]

“I wouldn’t dream of letting you do so” he mused softly, stepping behind her so the arm of the hand she held, wrapped protectively around her waist. The move was so bold and so preposterous it caused his already heightened pulse to raise even more with excitement. He was laying claim to a creature he swore himself to with an unbreakable sense of duty, he would do anything for her good; even if it meant putting his neck out on the chopping block with such actions reserved only for lovers in the cloak of night. Her next words took him off guard with such a pleasant amount of surprised shock. Those six simple words placed together to form such a sentence he had only dreamed of ever leaving her lips. His heart sputtered and kicked around and he struggled to voice a response and gratitude for wearing his mask grew with the flush of color in his face. His tongue refused to form words or simple sounds for that matter, leaving him speechless as a love struck boy who had just experienced his first encounter with the opposite sex. All he could manage to do was grin like a fool and gently squeeze her waist with his arm. “No peeking” he warned, his voice merely a whisper as he took a step forward, guiding his love along a path chosen carefully to ensure that she in fact did not trip.
The path they took wound gently through the heart of the public gardens, before turning sharply behind one of the many wall-like shrubs. The path narrowed from the wide and well worn of the highly used public paths, to a narrow less used one the snaked between two barrier shrubs. The path ended at the base of a tired looking and weathered statue of an philosopher whose name had been lost with time. He stood proudly, arm outreached with book in hand and the other tucked at his side in a cloak pocket. It was as if he had been frozen while teaching his works, left to stand guard for the rest of eternity.
He stopped just before the stone human and released his hold on Celvi’s waist but still grasped her hand. He stepped ahead before turning back to her with his back to the entrance where he grabbed her other hand in his. " Watch your head" he warned walking backward, leading her under the statue’s elbow and into the Queen’s garden.

The garden wasn’t massive in size but moderately small compared to its public counterparts. The high brushy shrubs masked an old and forgotten iron fence that peaked through in spots marking an impenetrable, octagonal boundary of the area. There was a smoothed stone path that wove along the perimeter and cut diagonally towards the center of the garden where an intricately carved fountain sat, bubbling water from it’s highest tier downward to the ground level where is lazily swirled in its stone basin.
Flowers and decorative bushes dotted along old willow trees that stood on seven of the eight sides of the garden, casting ghost like shadows on the ground that danced with the breeze.

Chase continued to walk backward, leading Celvi towards the center of the garden before stopping and releasing both her hands from his own. He stood facing her with a lopside grin, his eyes glittering with his own personal excitement. “Open you eyes.”

[Celvi Gray]

His answer was a bit cryptic to her, did he mean he would never let her pay or he never would let her demand it back? Oh well, it was probably her brain ceasing to function after all that she put it through right now, Celvi would not be surprised. She simply chose to let it go and resumed a silence that was at ease and at the same time loaded with some strange tension that had nothing to do with animosity. No indeed, rather the opposite…
Chase didn’t reply to her bold statement, but he didn’t have to, his body reaction was enough. The closeness and intimacy, something she had never experienced before, sent hot and cold shivers down her spine. It was scandalous, it might even be wrong, but she didn’t want it to end. She yearned for every new touch Chase was giving her, and she felt totally safe and at home in his arms, never fearing once he might mislead her. As curious as she was for the forbidden gardens, this slow walk, them entwined like true lovers, was something she never wished to end.

“I won’t peek, I promise”, she chuckles lowly, lightly smacking his arm where she could reach it. “I always keep true to my word, remember that!”
Minding his words she ducked her head a little and felt leaves brushing against her hair. Already she had lost all sense of direction, which probably was the purpose of this whole act. Whatever Chase’s reasons were for knowing this place at all, he certainly kept true to his given word not to betray the entrance, and Celvi could only admire him for it. Why on earth had he not been born a noble? It was a not a stain in the lady’s eyes, she had long since worked past such thoughts, it simply was a twist of fate. If he was of respectable birth, she could have asked her father for his hand in marriage, and he would have considered it for sure.

They were now in the little enclosure, Celvi felt the change of the breeze, biting less cold into her masked cheeks and before she reluctantly opened her eyes at his command, she tried to guess what she would see. But what she actually saw made her wildest dreams seem shale and lifeless. She had imagined something neat and proper, something that resembled the queen’s usual state of mind, not this overgrown shrine of secrecy and wild harmony! The very instant Celvi’s eyes fell on the overgrown shrub, the little pathway and the fountain, she irrevocably fell in love with it. Pivoting slowly on her heels, she tried to make out as much of it as she could in the dim light, imagining how the sun would sneak its way through the brush and over the crumbled walls. Her lips stood slightly apart in silent awe while she tried to take everything in at once.
This place was mythical, it was almost—“…Magical”, she whispered, finally turning to Chase. “It makes you believe that fairies and pixies inhabitate it and only show themselves to those who are worthy of their trust”, she suggested with a little laugh, her own fairy eyes gleaming.

[Chase Cantwell]

Chase stood, grinning like an idiot as he watched her take in the sights of the garden. Her reaction was exactly one he hopped for; a genuine appreciation of something as simple as the beauty of a garden. His eyes scanned her expression for any false emotions or an act of how she enjoyed this little secrete he dared share with her. The moonlight danced on her porcelain skin and melted against her hair in an almost surreal glow. Her eyes glittered like the finest cut diamonds in the sky, as she turned back towards him bringing an even larger smile to his lips. “Who says they don’t exist” he mused with a playfully innocent shrug as his grin mellowed,

“Who says There was not a time when magic ruled the world,
When the desires of maidens were bought
With fairy thimbles and unicorn horns,
Dipped into deep pools of ever-blue streams.
When mortals could walk without fear, even to
The darkest forests; chorus of lovers beneath
Silken moons, spinning whispered words of
Promises into the sweetest of love songs.”

The last words he spoke of his favored poem, hung off his lips sweetly as he stepped closer to the girl he dared to love beyond the boundaries considered decent. His face lost its love struck and solemn looks as he flung his gaze to the ground, color heating up his cheeks and leaving him once again thankful of his mask that cloaked his loss of self control. ‘Oh goddess, I must sound like a loony sap’ he groaned silently to himself before raising his eyes to meet again with her with an expression of sheer embarrassment at his sudden urge to recite an old poem that spoke of items of child’s tales.

“I’m sorry, it must be the fairy dust getting to me” he laughed, trying to shake off his embarrassment with a bit of forced humor. He ran his hand through his hair, letting his gaze drift away from her face to avoid confronting the sudden urge he felt to complete. The situation was perfect for it: no one around to interrupt or interject. No one to raise alarm to the relationship forbidden by social classes and absolutely any one around to judge except for the Goddess but even tonight she seemed to approve. Could he dare that a kiss be shared tonight? Or was he asking to much of something that could so easily be ripped away from underneath his love-sick heart.

note:: poem found here www.fairiesworld.com/poems/?p=1225

[Celvi Gray]

Celvi had been prepared for a few things. That he would laugh at her, maybe not with scorn, but surely with amusement. That he would politely change the subject so he would not have to talk about a silly child’s fantasies. But she had definitely NOT been prepared for this: That he would not only agree, but even answer with reciting a poem she knew all too well.
On of their Lamoran ancestors must have written it in the height of Lamoran’s literary bloom, probably during the reign of Queen Glorana The Great, Celvi couldn’t quite recall. All she knew was that she had cherished it ever since she could remember and found herself in absolute awe that Chase would not only know it, but recite it from the heart.

Listening with bated breath, she watched the beloved verses come alive in these enchanted surroundings and a thought crossed her mind: Had this poem been written right here, had it been made in and for this garden? It was not far-fetched by any means!
But what caught Celvi most was not the words, it was how the reciting of the poem transformed Chase. He had looked mysterious and handsome before with the mask her wore, but now the moonlight, the magical surrounding of this garden and the words he spoke transformed him into something otherworldly, and she was captured by him like never before, her heart aching with the exuberant love and longing she felt.

Not even realizing his unease, she seamlessly continued with the next verse where he had left of.
“Fragile threads of dreams woven into seemly
Cloaks of protection, respecting the night and
Its elements. Star fire above, bonfire below.
Spectacular show in which all could partake.”

Her breath catching in her throat, she suddenly realized however what must have crossed his mind before, that this poem was not only a perfect description of this enchanted place, it also matched almost creepily with their own situation, their forbidden bond that seemed now stronger than ever. That was why her voice was slightly shaky when she now looked at him, a challenging gleaming lighting up her eyes, she spoke the next words deliberately:

“Forsaking night as, departure from tradition,”

Oh yes, what they were doing was a definite trespass from tradition, but like the following verses would show, this was how it was meant to be!

“An expedition snakes its way around paths
Of intricate design; sacred walkways of
Ancient ones whose hums can still be heard.”

The physical tension between them had risen to an almost unbearable height again, but though Celvi read his dearest wish, mirroring her own, in his eyes, he was not acting on it. What was keeping him? Did he fear she would not agree?
His eyes were turned away so she could not even lock his gaze to tell him with a single glance what words could never say. So Celvi hesitantly lifted her hand, placed it under his chin and gently turned his face around to her again so he could no longer hide. She would have to give him permission, she realized, he was just too much of a gentleman to simply take what he desired.
But what to say? When she opened her mouth, suddenly the last stanza of the ancient poem filled the void in her head and left her lips with a soft, reassuring tone, like it had just been meant for this moment.

“Absurd?” she shook her head with a smile and whispered:
“ Listen. Invisible lanterns glisten,
Marking unseen places only dreamd about
In the secret reaches of things remembered;
A labyrinth where ancient feet once tread
In a time before magic was dead.”

Still holding his chin with her hand, she now slowly uncoiled her fingers so they were cupping his cheek. Then she waited, again with bated breath and a hammering heart.

[Chase Cantwell]

His uncertainty quickly turned to utter amazement as her sweet voice rang clear in the air with the following verses. Each word left her lips and hit him with such power he felt the need to bow to her glory. Surely this creature was not of mortal blood but a divine creature who had fallen from the heavens just to sweep him of his feet. His eyes widened with each line as he silently watched in awe, his heart pounding wildly in his heart at the realization that not only was this poem a masterpiece of its time but an mirrored tale of their own lives.
Had the author been subjected to this torment of not being able to love the one they wanted and in turn put their agony to parchment to entertain generation to come with this ‘playful’ story of fairies and ancient wonders. Had this being and their lover, lived a life of secrecy only suitable to become lost to the myths of time. Or was this simply a tale dreamed by a struggling poet to earn bread from its popularity amongst nobles who mused politely over its beautifully expressed subject that was only suitable for tale and not for an actual life.

When her gentle hand met with his chin, his heart stopped its struggle for room to beat in his chest. He stood dumbly, not knowing what move to make as he met her gaze that held a silent message only discussed between lovers. There was the answer he had awaited his life to see in the eye of a girl he swore to love for eternity and back. Never had he dreamt that it would be the eyes of a Noble Lady, but it made the love that much sweeter. It was a testimony to his feelings that he dared risk his own life for something so easily spoken about in myths and stories of old.
Chase struggled to make his limbs respond to his brain as he mapped out his situation. His voice was lost in his throat as he gasped for some sound to escape to voice his love for her. She beat him to it by reciting the last stanza, soothing his nerves with her voice as he finalized his decision. Tonight was the night and there was no doubt in it.

He cupped his left hand in the grove behind her ear, his hand cradling her head gently. He stepped in closer and wrapped his free arm around her waist then brought his lips against her in the embrace of lovers. The movement was so simple yet so powerful in its meaning. His heart fired back up in his chest but not in the frantic nervous beat it had been stuck in all night, but the smooth, rhythmic beat of a heart embraced in young love.

{{note:: urg, rough ending. if you want me to change it, I'll be happy to do so. }}

[Celvi Gray]

There was no turning back now. She knew she had crossed the line, finally, irrevocably. Only time would tell what would come out of this decision to give in to her secret desires, but for now, Celvi chose not to care. She would go to the moon and back for Chase, and she just could not deny the feelings for him any longer. Any backing out now would rip her apart, she was sure of that!
But neither her nor Chase seemed to see stepping down from the chosen path as an option any longer. He did not shy back from her touch, which momentarily sent her head on a loop, and before she could catch herself again, he stepped closer, his eyes finally losing the veil of doubt that had been cast over them for so long.

No further words were spoken as none were needed. Though it all must have happened quickly in reality, the split seconds between Chase touching the back of her neck, cuppin her face like she did his, and actually leaning in seemed like a lifetime for Celvi, a lifetime filled with the sweet ache of longing and memories of how they first had met properly, talking in the marketplace. Who would have thought that her silent daydreams ever would come true? That she would have the daring to fulfil them, putting all reason and proper behaviour aside?
But then, when their lips finally met, all thoughts simply vanished from Celvi’s head. She only felt, felt the sizzling energy that seemed to spark from their touching lips, felt his hands like burning tongs on her waist, but in now way unpleasant. On the contrary, every sensation was almost too pleasant to bear!

Moving her lips against his, savoring their velvet touch and the sweetness of the taste, she put her arm around him too, wanting him closest as could be. This was where she wanted to be, nowhere else in the world but in his arms. It might sound cheesy as some stories, but Celvi couldn’t care less. For once in her life she experienced a great calm, a feeling of utmost belonging, along with the fire that seemed to roar through her body without consuming her, just keeping her warm and safe for the time being.
With a little stab of annoyance in her guts, she realised how his and her mask where getting in the way, and so she lifted her hand from his back again to angrily tear at it, while trying the impossible and not break away from his lips during that moment. She just didn’t want to let go, fearing that as soon as the contact broke, it would all vanish into thin air, Chase, the garden, this embrace and kiss – and that she would find it had been nothing but a dream.


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[Yours was amazing, this however is a little awkward... sorry I'm not very imaginative with these things ]