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ships-and-saints · 7 years ago

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Pale Skin and Onyx Eyes [14]

~NEW CHAPTER~ 06/04/17

a/n: hellooo! how long has it been?! who's been counting!? i've had the craziest month and finally had some time to sit down and write. i'm hoping to finish this story by the time ToG6 comes out (Tower of Dawn), so i hope you stick with me~ thanks to the readers who checked up on me asking when the next chapter is coming out... well, it's here! and it's jam-packed - the chapter is ~4k words long, even though i cut it in half...! :) i can't wait for you all to get to know Meryllis... without further ado!

[Throne of Glass] [Elide x Lorcan] [W.I.P.] Chapter Word Count: 3261 words

Summary: Set after Empire of Storms, Elide Lochan and Lorcan Salvaterre are traveling with Rowan and Gavriel in search of Queen Aelin. Will Elide ever be able to forgive Lorcan for betraying her and her Queen? Where will they go next?

Part I: The Search - Ch. 1-8 Part II: The Journey - Ch. 9-15 Part III: The Mission - Ch. 16+

Chapters: [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ] [ 9 ] [ 10 ] [ 11 ] [ 12 ] [ 13 ] [ 14 ] [ 15 ] ... Read it on: [ fanfiction.net ] [ archive of our own ]

Elide

After her impromptu archery lessons, Elide resumed combat training with Lorcan until evening rolled around, and they finally stopped to have dinner. Lorcan spit-roasted several rabbits he had trapped earlier, arranging a sort of miniature feast for their last night in the plains.

He surprised Elide by making a sort of berry paste out of the assorted berries and vegetation he had collected, which turned out to be delicious paired with the juicy rabbit meat. Even the crunchy but palatable plants Elide was sick of eating tasted agreeable tonight.

Lorcan reminded her that this was the last meal they could have so casually, sitting around a fire like they were now. Shuddering, Elide recalled the creatures in Oakwald Forest that were attracted to fires.

After dinner, Elide began packing so that she would be ready to leave when dawn broke. At the bottom of one of her packs, she found a pair of clean clothes – a long, homespun skirt and a cream-colored t-shirt. She quickly changed into them, relishing in the coolness of the clothes as they kissed her sunburned skin.

We're crossing Adarlan's border tomorrow, Elide mused as she continued packing.

She shook her head, recalling just how far she had come. From meeting Manon and the Thirteen and then spending weeks lost in Oakwald's dense woods, to finding Lorcan and traveling with that gods-awful carnival troupe, to sailing to the Stone Marshes and finding the very much alive Queen Aelin with the rest of her court.

All after escaping Morath. And now she was headed back to that dreaded place, where it had all began. No, it had begun with her Uncle. With Vernon.

She tried to shake the gnawing thoughts of her childhood from her mind. Thinking about the past would do no good; she had to think about the future and how she could keep herself from getting caught. So that no other girls will be brought to Morath and forgotten, she reminded herself. That's what she had told Lorcan, too. So that one less girl will not have to go through what I did.

Lorcan came back into the cave with an armful of firewood. He tossed a few logs into the waning fire, which eagerly licked at the newly added logs. Elide watched him, knowing that he noticed her stare. She didn't care, he was always assessing her and correcting her day after day during training, after all. He couldn't blame her for noticing things about him when they were together pretty much all the time.

She cleared her throat, and Lorcan stilled.

"I've been curious," Elide started slowly, "All of the- the other Fae males, they seem to have animal forms… What's your form?"

Lorcan closed his eyes and internally sighed. Honestly, he had been expecting her to ask him for a while… And he did intend to answer. It was just that… it was more advantageous for him to keep his animal form hidden, especially since among the demi-Fae, animal forms were somewhat unexpected due to the sporadic distribution amongst their kind. Simply put, some demi-Fae's had animal forms, and some didn't.

Also, his animalistic side was often overwhelming when he shifted, causing his desire to kill and destroy to take over. But right now, he wasn't angry, or desperate, or commanded to kill anyone viciously…

So before her eyes, he transformed into an enormous, orange-reddish tiger with ancient, golden eyes.

Those golden eyes watched her shocked expression unblinkingly. They were so unlike his usual, onyx eyes, but yet… still Lorcan.

"You– you're a big cat!" Elide's eyes were wide, and she laughed from shock. The tiger's head tilted as if to ask her, what's so funny?

"Well, Gavriel's a mountain lion–" Lorcan's tiger eyes rolled at the mention of Gavriel, which she ignored, "Rowan's a hawk, Fenrys is a… wolf, and you're a tiger. I guess it all makes sense, since you're all predators." She ticked their names off her fingers, and since she didn't know Vaughn or Connall, it made sense that they weren't included. Lorcan approximated a shrug, ruffling his fur slightly.

"I've never seen a tiger before," Elide mused out loud, subconsciously reaching a hand out towards his fur. Lorcan padded over to her on four giant paws, and to her surprise, he leaned into her touch. She marveled at the beautiful orange and black-striped fur. His fur wasn't soft like a domestic cat's, but it wasn't rough or coarse, either. She gently stroked the fur along his neck and chest.

Lorcan's tiger form let out a low, steady groan, like a cat purring. It was soft at first, but gradually the rumbling grew louder. And he seemed slightly embarrassed by it, because his eyes rolled slightly and he huffed air out of his nose.

"It's okay," she said quietly, "You can be yourself around me."

But he knew that already; it was why he had decided to shift in the first place – to show her, to answer her question…

Lorcan's eyes assessed her carefully for a moment before shutting his eyelids, continuing to make rumbling sounds as Elide scratched behind his ear and the soft fur atop his head.

"Good kitty," she joked. Lorcan snorted at that, which blew Elide's skirt up and caused her to shriek.

"Lorcan!" She exclaimed, swatting at him playfully. The tiger lithely rolled his head to avoid her hand, and she could still read the slight amusement in his eyes. She curled up beside him, letting the warmth of his tiger form envelope her. She could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest and hear his powerful breath, and Lorcan's golden eyes slid closed.

She recalled that both Rowan and Gavriel had shifted between their Fae forms without a second thought, but Lorcan hadn't shifted once in all their weeks traveling and searching for Aelin. She wondered why he had never shifted…

He's so guarded, she thought absentmindedly, his mental walls are like a towering, stone fortress…

Elide was still absentmindedly patting his fur, and she smiled at his tiger form, whose eyes were still closed. They sat in companionable silence for a while.

Afterwards, they finished packing their belongings and readying for the next morning. Elide could feel the anticipation and dread building in her stomach, making her magical energy stir restlessly, and she wished they could have just stayed in the cave forever even though she knew that was a silly, errant thought.

After all, Elide Lochan was the Lady of Perranth. She was going to take back what she was owed. She was going to find her Queen. She was going to see Terrasen again. And she would not be afraid.

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The next morning, Elide and Lorcan played the part of a wedded couple as they talked their way across Adarlan's border, claiming a story about visiting Lorcan's family in the Fangs as his father had fallen seriously ill and passed away.

Elide had been discrete and demure, but Lorcan sensed the confidence that oozed from her even as she lied through her pretty teeth. She's more confident, he noted. A good thing.

As soon as they passed the border patrol, they stopped by the nearest town to restock on the essentials. Even though they wore dark hooded cloaks, some of the townspeople still gaped at the warrior's hulking figure, although none of them were brave enough to approach them.

After stocking up on food at the marketplace and purchasing other items that snagged Lorcan's gaze, they wandered into a general store. The door jingled and slammed shut behind them, and Elide's eyes adjusted to the lack of sunlight, taking in the musty appearance of the shelves and the dingy lights hanging forlornly above them. At least all of the products on the shelves looked fine, although some of the shelves were sparsely stocked.

Save for the shopkeeper, there was nobody else in the store… Except for someone wearing a hood in the back corner, checking out bottled drinks on a shelf. Elide ducked her head and wandered the few aisles with Lorcan; they weren't looking for any trouble after all, just needed to get in and out of town.

As they approached the counter to pay for the wares in the basket Lorcan was holding, the hooded figure approached them. Elide glanced towards the counter, but the shopkeeper was nowhere in sight. Judging by the heavy smell of tobacco in the shop, he had probably stepped outside for a smoke.

The stranger approached them with a sure, confident gait. A woman. She had a young, pretty face with a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and her high cheekbones. She was of similar height to Elide, and cropped, reddish-brown hair peeked out from her hood and from the collar of her jacket.

"Hey," she said easily, her light, hazel eyes glinting.

Elide paused. "Hey," she replied, scanning the woman. The hazel-eyed woman wore a dark, hooded cape and a long, tan coat underneath. She wore laced sandals, but they were fur-lined. Fur in the summer? Elide's brow furrowed slightly.

The hazel-eyed woman flicked her gaze up and down, as if she were sizing Elide up as well. Then her curious eyes flickered to Lorcan, who coolly met her gaze.

"Can we help you?" Elide kept her voice polite, even-toned.

The woman chucked her chin at them and placed a hand on her hip. "You both from out of town?" She spoke with an accent that Elide had never heard before, but that she vaguely recognized as Northern. That explained the fur-lined sandals, since it was chilly in the North even during the summer.

Elide waited two heartbeats before answering. "The Fangs. We're headed back for a funeral. My father-in-law passed away from a heart attack." She gestured towards Lorcan, who nodded solemnly.

The woman glanced at Lorcan, taking in his hardened features and his towering stance, and then looked back at Elide. A shadow of a smile was on her face.

"So… I'm also headed that way. Mind if I tag along? I heard it's dangerous traveling alone out here." She raised her brows at them, expecting them to agree.

"I don't really think that's a good idea," Lorcan finally spoke. The woman's hazel eyes snapped to his face, and Lorcan stared her down.

"Why not? We're both headed that direction. I'll split from you guys once we get across the Acanthus River. I'll even throw in a couple o' coins for good luck." She winked. "All I'm asking for is some protection while I sleep. Other than that, I'll keep out of your way. How's that sound?"

Elide exchanged glances with Lorcan. Let's hear her out, she said with her eyes. Let me deal with it. Besides, Anneith hadn't set off any alarm bells in her head. In fact, she seemed to… approve of the woman. Did that mean the stranger was honest?

The tension in Lorcan's eyes lessened. Fine.

Elide returned her attention to the woman standing in front of her, and a door swung open somewhere in the back of the store. The shopkeeper, Elide thought.

"What's your name?" Elide asked, straightening her back.

The hazel-eyed woman smiled, crow's feet wrinkling around her eyes. "Meryllis."

"Meryllis," Elide repeated, smiling back, "Nice to meet you, I'm Marion." She looked expectantly at Lorcan.

"Logan," he said gruffly. "Nice to meet you." Elide refrained from rolling her eyes at his obvious displeasure.

"Meet us out front. We'll hear you out after we pay for our stuff." Elide gestured towards the basket.

Meryllis nodded. "Gotcha." She swiped a bottled drink off the shelf and vanished out the front door.

The shopkeeper emerged from a side door, stomping his boots and mumbling to himself. "Sorry 'bout that," he muttered at them, running a hand through his wavy, black hair. He rang them up, and Elide counted out the coins for their purchase.

"Hey, did that other lady wanna buy anything?" he rasped.

"Nope," Elide answered, declining to mention the bottle Meryllis had swiped. She dropped the coins into his large, calloused hand. He nodded and handed back her change. "Thanks."

"Yep." He coughed into his hand and waved at them as they left the shop.

Meryllis was leaning against the side of the store, drinking from the stolen bottle.

"Walk and talk," Elide instructed. Meryllis immediately fell into step alongside Elide. "If anyone asks, you're…" Elide looked her up and down and then at Lorcan. Meryllis looked to be about the same age as her, but she didn't look like she was related to either of them. She sighed. "Well, why don't you tell me why you're here?"

Meryllis smiled grimly, but her face darkened. "Well, if you're trying to think of a good cover story, we probably won't need one." What? Confusion flashed across her face, and even Lorcan seemed to carefully consider her statement. "But that explanation will come with time. I guess I have no choice but to tell the truth if I'm to travel with you guys."

As they walked towards the stable where Lorcan had paid to keep their horses, Meryllis told her story.

"As you may have guessed, I'm from the North. North of Terrasen." A half-smile appeared on her face as she had confirmed Elide's suspicions. "I come from a small village in the mountain range north of Terrasen, the Tuathian Mountains." Technically, the mountains were still considered part of Terrasen, but for the most part, all of the villages were self-governed as long as they were peaceful.

The Tuathian Mountains? Elide had never been that far North, but she had heard stories about the mountain range from her nursemaid Finnula. Folklore about the Children of the North, but the lore had been nothing but children's bedtime stories for centuries.

From what she recalled, the Children were tiny, only inches tall like the Little Folk, and the legends said that they came from the Great Goddess herself. The Little Folk were made of glass, with jeweled eyes and gold-spun hair. They were shy but attracted to shiny things, even invaluable objects like rocks or fake jewels, so one could potentially trap one… If any even remained. Like the Little Folk, not much was known about them – just that they maintained the land and occasionally came to the help of those who needed it. But they had only ever been seen in the northern parts of Terrasen.

Meryllis continued, "My younger sister… She was born with ice-blue eyes and golden hair, like the color of wheat. My parents were in awe; she didn't look anything like the rest of us even with her pale white skin, and the people in the village whispered that she looked like one of the ancient Children of the North." Meryllis's eyes were guarded as she anticipated Elide's response.

Elide licked her lips to wet them. "I've heard… the folklore, about the Children of the North. My nanny used to tell me all the stories she knew at bedtime, so I know them all by heart. But that's what I've thought, up until now – that they're just bedtime stories."

Meryllis nodded, somewhat gravely. "Well, it's true. The Children of the North haven't been sighted for years now. It hasn't been… centuries, like people say, but…" She lowered her voice and stepped closer to them. "We believe they've gone into hiding. Because of the sickness that has spread across the land here, and they are magical creatures after all…"

Elide could sense the fear underlying Meryllis's words as she waited for Elide to confirm or deny.

"We're from the Fangs." Elide lowered her voice as well, letting a chill frost her words. "And we've noticed. It's true. There's a sickness coming from the mountains… From Morath." Elide smoothed her expression and carefully watched Meryllis's reaction.

A spasm of pain shot across her face, and Elide almost instinctually reached out and asked if she was okay. Instead, she slowed her steps and waited.

"My sister, Beryl…" Meryllis's voice softened. "Even though she's probably not a true… Child of the North, she inherited a beautiful and kind spirit. A free spirit. But she didn't like living out in the mountains, in the forests. She learned to hunt and trap like the rest of us, but she loved reading books and tending to the gardens and animals best."

"My parents loved her and wanted the best for her, but then she got into her head that she wanted to live in a city, learn what life was like outside of our village. She wanted to go out and see the world, see new things other than what she saw every day looking out the window. It's beautiful and peaceful out where we live, but everything is usually covered in snow," she chuckled, shaking her head.

"So one night, she snuck out on her own… I was camping out overnight on the mountain after being caught out by a snowstorm, and by the time I got back, she was already gone. My mom was throwing a fit, and my father said to just let her be, that she was of that age to rebel, but my mother was insistent that we send someone after her."

Meryllis was quiet for a few breaths. Elide could see the stable in the distance.

"I didn't know what to do, but I thought about it while my mom and dad fought. At first, I thought I agreed with my dad. Once Berry realizes how hard life is outside of the village, she'll wanna come home. But then I realized… She's not like me. She's smart and kind, but she's inherently good and the world is bad, at least right now. And going South is almost sure death for our people." Meryllis shuddered slightly.

Elide wondered why. Was it because their bodies were so used to the cold? Or maybe they didn't adapt well to the ways of the city and city life…? So why are you here? Elide wanted to ask, but she had a feeling the answer would come soon.

Meryllis had a faraway look in her eyes, like she was in a memory. "It's not like the time when… I got so angry that I headed North for three days, as far as I could, just to see what was out there. My father warned me that it only got colder once I crossed beyond the forests at the outskirts of the village borders, and that there was nothing waiting out there for me except death. But still, I was angry. And curious. It was balls-gripping cold and scary as gods-damned Hellas himself out there, but I made it back alive! My mom had been scared half to death, shaking and sobbing in happiness, and my father just told me never to do that again or he'd kill me himself." She laughed, and Elide didn't know whether to laugh along or continue listening in mute fascination.

"But anyway, I digress… Like I said, Beryl learned to hunt and trap with the rest of us kids, so she wasn’t useless in the wild. A few weeks ago, she went South, to Terrasen. She wanted to go to Orynth, you know, the city of learning or knowledge or something. I don't know how she heard about it." Meryllis shook her head sadly. "To cut a long sob story short, I found out she was captured in some tavern or inn and taken even farther South. Sounds like they're looking for witches and magic users."

Elide nearly came to a stop. "In Terrasen?" Lorcan reached out and lightly placed his hand on her back.

Witches and magic users? Guilt flooded through her. How many had been taken? Hadn't she promised that no other girls would be taken? Was she doing too little, too late? Elide tried to steady her hammering heart as she continued walking, tried not to let the guilt and anxiety and bewilderment overwhelm her.

"Yeah, Terrasen." Meryllis glanced sidelong at her. "You know something about it?"

She swallowed down her concern and her deepening guilt, and shrugged her shoulders, facing toward the stable. She would have plenty of time to feel guilty later, and it shouldn't have surprised her; her uncle was vicious and ruthless, and he bet that she would eventually return to Terrasen. To reclaim her seat as the rightful Lady of Perranth. "Nope, just seems… odd. Suspicious."

Meryllis narrowed her eyes, but looked forward as well. "Yeah. I agree… Anyway, when Berry left my dad convinced my mom and me to sit tight for at least a day or two. So we did. On the third day, we finally got a note from her, but all it said was that she was fine on her own and not to worry… And then at the end of the week, we got another note saying she finally reached civilization, but that was the last we heard of her. So I set out after we didn't hear from her for another week." She paused to take a sip of water from her canteen. "After traveling down this way, my conclusion is that Berry was taken to Morath. So it's funny that you mentioned the place before. Maybe you can tell me more about it." Her hazel eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

Lorcan tensed beside her, but Elide brushed her hand against his, warning him to relax.

Calmly, Elide asked, "You think your sister is there?"

"Where else would she be?"

Good point. Morath was definitely the evilest place around. And Elide knew what they were taking witches and female magic users for. She repressed the memories to keep the bile from rising in her throat.

They had nearly reached the stables, though… She could stall from revealing anything a bit longer, but she said something that wasn't a lie. "I'll be happy to let you know that you don't want to go there, Meryllis. It's not exactly a nice place for a vacation." Lorcan grunted his agreement.

"I know. But I have to get my sister back. It's not fair, it's just – it's just not fair, this shouldn't have happened, I mean she's only 16… She was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time…" Meryllis trailed off, but Elide wasn't sure if she was still speaking to her or simply muttering to herself.

Lorcan cleared his throat and spoke up. "We're behind schedule, so we'll have to save the chatting for later. For now, we'll ride west. I assume you have a horse of your own?" He directed his question at Meryllis.

Her agitated expression vanished, replaced with a grin. "Fortunately, she's tied up here in this stable as well." Elide honestly couldn't tell if Meryllis was telling the truth or if she was planning to steal a horse when they weren't looking. "I'll go saddle up now."

#pale skin and onyx eyes #PSaOE #elorcan #elorcan fic #elide x lorcan #meryllis OC #beryl OC #rowan whitethorn #aelin galathynius #queen maeve #i am elorcan trash #katnip writes

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