'Fool,' chanted his father's voice in Elvin's mind as he gazed at caramel eyes.

Those dazzling pools of burning fire and bravery had the power to pull him from the maddening hold of the Mahart tattoos. Dangerous they were.

"I'm sorry," Aria whispered earnestly under her breath. The moonlight danced around the dried trails of her tears.

Elvin closed his eyes and stood, turning from her in fear that he might be tempted to forgive her. That he might justify himself for failing to protect his kingdom. Years of training to withstand torture, hunger, and wild instincts, and his focus was broken with just one look. One plead. One tear. When had he become so weak?

He clicked his tongue in the direction of the forest. The distant, faint cry of his avealis traveled through the tall trees and reached his pointed ears in response.

"Elvin."

He ignored her calls and focused his nature magic at his fingertips. Three singing butterflies flapped their wings in the night as they followed the sweet scent of magic. They fluttered to his hands, sucking the fabric of the spell. Their wings lit up in bright green light as they ate to their heart's content. He whispered to them, engraving his words into their songs. With the wave of his hand, he released them from his hold and sent them to reach the scouts. To let them know he had recovered Aria and that one of the infiltrators had gotten away.

His avealis cawed from the treelines, waiting for its next command like it was trained. "I will leave you with the avealis. It will protect you. I must try to track the intruder down before he crosses the territory lines." He instructed, armored back still turned to Aria.

Leather boots ruffled in broken steps as she edged closer. Whatever the previous spell that had hid her was wearing off, and at least now, he could hear her. The wind howled against the trees as soft fingers gently brushed his arm. "Will you.. not even look at me?" Aria asked.

That was the first mistake he had made. The second was allowing those eyes to make him falter in his responsibility. Elvin turned, stomach ripe with anger at himself. Aria jumped back, startled by the sudden motion.

"Why should I look upon you? So that you can endanger my kingdom again." He grumbled as he stepped forward, using his size to tower over her. She was just a human girl. He shouldn't have allowed her to have affected him as such.

"I.. I.." the words died in those rosy lips.

"Where will the knife come from this time? From your own hands?" Her magic had healed the worst of it, but he could still feel the phantom edge of the blade cutting his insides.

Aria's lower lips trembled as shame flickered across her eyes. It eased Elvin's guilt and wounded honor to see it. For he felt a thousand times worse. He had failed at his one duty.

"I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I just..."

"Just what?" Elvin bared his teeth as if his canine were still elongated. But he knew the action held no bite. "For him to escape? Our secrecy gave us protection. Now he leaves with knowledge of our territory, of how to evade our defenses. Did you perhaps mean to endanger my people?"

Aria's feet caught on a rock, and she tumbled backward. A scream of pain broke into his eardrum as she held her right leg. She flinched as she lifted her hand. It was painted in crimson red.

"You are hurt?" With those words, his anger deflated. Elvin was at her feet in a second. His hand took her feet and gently pulled at her leather boots.

She grunted in pain as the fabric graced a gaping wound. Guilt. He felt it again when he saw the gently fibrous marks of lightning on her feet. A large slash bled from her ankle to her shin. Another thing he had failed at.

His memories were always cloudy when under the Mahart tattoos' influence, but he could never forget the emotions. The rage he had stricken the ground with as the lightning stopped the infiltrator's escape. The Mahart tattoos were his greatest source of pride and shame. He had lost control while under their magic and hurt her.

"Can you heal it?" Elvin asked, keeping his gaze low.

Her hand hovered over the wound, and sparks of light zizzled at her fingertips. A wave of emotions rushed into Elvin that weren't his own. Shame. Guilt. An immense sadness that threatened to swallow him whole. Before he could linger on it, it was all gone.

"I'm sorry. I think I am spent." Aria's voice was dried and horse. The burden of the night was beginning to show on her face.

Elvin grunted internally and stood. He clicked his tongue again, and the avealis crossed the edge of the tree's darkness. He reached into the small pouch that was strapped around its neck and pulled healing balm and bandages.

He rushed back to Aria and kneeled once again. "I'll tend to it the best I can, but we must get you to a healer before you lose too much blood."

"You are not leaving?"

"I can't. You are hurt." Elvin poured fermented drink into the wound and held the foot steady as Aria struggled in pain.

When the burning seized, he began to apply the healing salve on the open injury. His stomach twisted as his fingers traced the lightning marks.

"Elvin."

He ignored her call and continued to spread the balm gently, trying not to worsen the wound.

"Even if you can never look at me the same, please listen. I loved him greatly once. My first love. When my brother found out, he tortured him until he broke. All I could do was watch as the man I loved died in front of my eyes. Someone much darker, hateful was born that day. I could not stand by to watch him die again. He deserves a chance to overcome that hate." Her voice cracked as tears began to stain her rosy cheeks once more.

"I am sorry. I feel terrible that you got hurt. But I have to believe that he can change. That he can find himself again. For that can be my only redemption for being... being so weak..."

Elvin did not need the bond for his heart to twist at her words. He reached forward and brushed a finger against her cheek, drying those salty tears. "You are not weak. It takes great strength to stand up for what one believes is right. Especially against a friend."

Her cheeks pressed into his hand, redwood hair cascading around it, and he couldn't help but think how well it seemed to fit.

'Fool,' his father's voice echoed again.

"I am so sorry," she choked between sobs.

"I know," he whispered as he scooped her up in his arms. He walked towards the avealis and settled her on top of it. He mounted the creature, and with a click of his tongue, it soared into the sky.

'I am a fool,' he thought.

Elvin's chest felt like night tree roots were strangling it under their weight as the avealis landed at the royal palace doorsteps. The beige quartz stone steps extended endlessly upwards -- a long and dreaded walk. He turned from the gates, and his gaze fell on Aria. Red tinted her eyes and nose. She had cried in his arm the whole flight home. He wanted to comfort her, but he knew he shouldn't -- couldn't. The dirt on her fabric rubbed against the rough skin as he held her waist. Careful of her wounded feet, he held her steady as she jumped from the avealis.

He turned before he could linger longer on her sadden caramel eyes. "Call a healer to Aria's chamber."

"My prince," the high fae guard bowed his head. Through night hair, he spoke, "his highness requests your and the maiden Aria's presence immediately upon your arrival."

"I will go myself. She needs a healer."

"My apologies, Prince Elvin, those were strict orders from the king."

Elvin's nose flared, and he walked up to the uncomfortable guard, making sure his annoyance radiated over him. "You will take her to a healer and then you will bring her to the throne room. I think the king will understand. Am I understood?"

The soldier's eyes shifted to his brown hair companion guard, unsure of what to do. Brown eyes stayed to the side, avoiding contradicting either side. Abandoned, the dark hair guard bowed his head in submission, "it shall be done."

Elvin turned to Aria, but his tongue held no words. When had he become this tongue-tied? It was as if he were to speak, he would be admitting to his moment of weakness. Extending it, until it was a moment no longer. Instead, he recoiled back like a scared snake and began to walk up the endless stairs.

The Alchadian kingdom banners stood high and mighty, outlining his ascend. Silver gates gave way to elegant hallways decorated with portraits of the previous kings and queens. A long line of dark and red-haired high fae royalty stopped with the silver of his father. A vast empty space was there for him, for the king Elvin was to be. He had already betrayed the trust his people had put in him by putting Aria over them. He was better suited as a warrior than a fool of a king.

The throne room felt more enormous than ever. Despite how the marble stone glistened in the moonlight, a dark aura hovered over the palace. The king grumbled from the throne room. His mouth line twisted into a frown as he saw his son approach.

"Fath—" Elvin began to bow his head.

"Where is the human girl? Did I not request her presence?" Ollen rumbled from the throne.

Elvin straightened, and with a steady voice, answered, "she is being tended to and shall arrive shortly."

The king's silver's eyebrows furrowed further. "I expect my request to be met."

"She was wounded."

"She needs to be questioned. Or is her comfort more important than the kingdom?"

Elvin quieted, and the king had won the argument with a single question. Ollen leaned back. The carved leaves of the white throne framed his agitated face. "The scouts have sent word that one of the infiltrators has escaped into human territory. Do you care to explain how that came to be?"

Elvin chose his next words with care. "The human's somehow managed to mask themselves. One of them had an Elvish sword that was able to pierce my spider silk armor. I was careless." He should have been casting his head down in shame for lying to his father, but he feared what he would do if he were to know that Aria abetted the enemies escape.

"Careless, you say. How unlike you..." The words lingered on his tongue accusingly. A dark cloud fell over the king as if he could smell his son's lies. "Have you found out why the human girl was taken yet?"

"No," Elvin answered. It had been years since he had met the blank disappointed face of his father. An uneasy feeling washed over him, like when he failed to wield the sword to his father's expectations. The warrior prince, the conqueror of the Alchadian Kingdom and the silver god of the sky, felt like a failure.

The king leaned back against the throne. His silver eyes turned away from Elvin -- a signal he was done. "Call for General Elora," he barked at a palace guard.

It wasn't long before the ebony-skinned general marched through the grand door. "My king, my prince," General Elora greeted.

"General Elora, from today on, you will take control of the military. The prince needs to take some time from any army related activities."

The general's dark eyes widened, "I beg your pardon."

"That's unnecessary," Elvin angrily growled like a threatened wolf. His father could not take this from him. Not after everything that he had done-- whom he had become for him. To be a warrior was his one purpose. He would be nothing without it.

"I can make the choices needed of me, son. Something I can no longer trust you to do." There was a sense of sadness and guilt behind King Ollen's words.

Elvin's words thundered across the white marble floor. "I have always done what is necessary." If anything, that is all he had done.

The king stood from his throne and descended down the steps. His emerald cape brushed the steps as he approached Elvin and met him face to face. "Then do it." A challenge. A Test. "Have Nessa question the girl of why she was taken."

Fear festered in Elvin's stomach. He had seen the reach of Nessa's power. How she had used them during the war to break their enemies' minds in search of information. Their scream's still haunted him at night.

The large stone door creaked open, and Aria walked in, a limp to her step.

"Perfect timing," the king turned from Elvin and walked back to his throne. "Well..." he edged his son with his hand.

"No."

"Then you have made your choice," the king spoke. "Listen, girl, and listen well. You have one chance to be truthful. Who are you?"

--.--

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