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nifaraswife · 2 months ago

Text

Tethered

Book: Blades of Light & Shadow

Characters: (F!Elf!MC) Reinys x Valax

Rating: T

Warnings: Fantasy violence, near-drowning

Length: 5.8k

Summary: Reinys and Valax navigate their way through the shadow realm after being bound to one another.

Tags: @mikaelsrose @watatsumi-island @steadycattaco @dutifullynuttywitch @luthorsxrojas @gaiuskamilah @niaerinisms @brycesgirl @harbingerofdespair @choicesficwriterscreations

A/N: Chapter 12-13 rewrite :)

Falling through the portal to the Shadow Realm had felt like stumbling into a dream.

She found that the landscape surrounding her was different than it had been when she first laid eyes on it for herself. Back then it was an infernal nightmare, with rivers of lava erupting into volcanic geysers and thick smoke so dense it obscured the horizon, concealing whatever horrors lied beyond it from view.

Now, it looked serene. Almost beautiful, even. The land still remained scorched black and felt rough beneath her hands like charcoal, and jagged rocks emerged from the surface in the distance to form sharp, unnatural cliff-faces at bent and uneven angles, but the sky above was illuminated with starlight. The hues melted from violet to indigo and then sapphire, adorned with stars shimmering like crystalline jewels among the celestial canopy high above.

She found herself struck with awe by the view, but that brief moment of peace didn’t last. Her companions soon tumbled onto the ground behind her, and she remembered where she was and who they were yet to face.

The Ash Princess.

Valax stepped through the portal behind them, her shadow panther snarling at her side and iron glaive wreathed in darkness. Her eyes locked onto Reinys like a wild animal about to seize its prey. The victim of another hunt, she had found herself caught in an endless chase across the realms, an eternal pursuit meant to end with her spilled blood.

Rage twisted Valax’s features, contorting her face into something sinister as her gaze burned through her, dangerously irate. At last, the huntress had reached her limit, finally weary of her target’s incessant toying.

“I’m growing tired of your games, Realm-walker.”

“And I’m sick of running from you.” Reinys scrambled to her feet as she reached for the chain at her hip fastened to her obsidian armour. “I won’t let you take my blood.”

The panther snarled from behind her and reared back as it prepared to strike, but she spun just in time to conjure an orb of Light in her hands. It seemed brighter in the darkness, almost blinding, and through strained vision she caught a brief glimpse of the panther’s pupils narrowing in fear before it hissed and went slinking off into the shadows.

Valax lunged to strike at her in retaliation before Tyril blocked her attack with his flame-wreathed sword. Reinys drew her blade, stabbing at a weak point in her armour until dark blood seeped from the wound that now marred her mottled skin and Valax whirled to glare at her. Nia moved to intervene but was thrown backwards into a nearby rock, clutching her head as she sunk to the ground.

“Nia!” Reinys moved to run to her, but her path was blocked as Valax continued to attack her companions. While the others kept her distracted with their weapons and magic, Reinys flung her chain forward, seizing Valax’s glaive. She pulled with all her strength until the pole was flung from the princess’s grasp, sailing through the air before embedding itself in the cracked ground several feet away.

“That’s it!” Valax snarled, and her body flared with darkness as tendrils of shadow emerged from her hands, reaching out towards them like vicious snakes. They wrapped themselves around her and her companions throats, forcing them off the ground as they struggled for air.

“Enough.” Nia rose from the ground, her skin turned grey and illuminated with the same dark energy Valax was wielding. She flicked her wrist and a bolt of shadow burst furth, circling around Reinys’s wrist and then Valax’s before forming what appeared to be a spectral chain. It snapped into place, creating a tether between the two of them before slowly fading from view.

“What is this?” Reinys asked as Valax watched on with unveiled contempt.

“I have bound her to you.” Nia said flatly. “If she tries to run or betray us, she’ll suffer like she has never suffered before.”

“Great,” Reinys sighed. “Because being bound to the murder princess is just what I need.” She tugged on the invisible chain just for the sake of it, and Valax speared her an irritated glare.

“You really think your meagre attempts at magic will stop me?” She sneered and attempted to send a blast of shadow towards Reinys, but fell to the ground as the chain pulled taut and she gripped her head in agony.

Nia nodded towards her crumpled form. “Now she has no choice but to help us.”

Reinys retrieved the glaive from out of the ground before kneeling down by her side, using the sharpened tip to lift Valax’s chin. She grinned and leant in closer, raven hair falling over her shoulder as she tilted her head. “Oh, I think I’ll be keeping this.”

Valax seethed and broiled with rage. “You—”

She turned back towards Nia and the others. “The next rift is in a place called Shroudwatch. This one will be leading us there.”

Reinys gestured to Valax, who scoffed at her words. “I would sooner lead you off a cliff.”

“Not if you want to make it back to your mother still in one piece.” She lifted her wrist to remind her of the chain. “You’re stuck with me, princess.”

Dawn had pierced the sky with pale light by the time they came across a worn-down village, the paths overrun with straggly weeds and nestled between buildings with cracked roof-tiles and walls of flaking paint. Not a soul was in sight, and Reinys felt a solemn sense of familiarity stirring deep within as she took in the town around her.

“This place, it can’t be…”

She noticed Valax was staring at her as if she had grown a second head. “You cannot possibly be familiar with this village.”

“It looks just like my hometown.” Reinys insisted. “Though it seems much worse for wear than…”

She trailed off as a strange-looking child came into view from around the corner, with ears akin to those of a sheep and a pair of antlers protruding from their head.

“Visitors! Mama, papa! Come quickly!” Just as suddenly as the child had appeared, they vanished into a nearby house only to re-emerge accompanied by an even stranger man and woman.

“Oh, it is good to see travellers again! It has been far too long.” The man spoke kindly, with even larger horns jutting from his head and dark hair worn over his shoulders in two thick braids. “I am Mithar. This is my wife Aderyn, and our child, Ellinae.”

Aderyn beamed, and Reinys noticed the golden feathers sprouting from her skin. “What brings you here to Ironbreach?”

“Ironbreach?” She echoed before shaking her head. “We’re just looking to reach Shroudwatch, we were hoping to find some horses here.”

“Well, we do have a few, but…” Mithar exchanged a glance with his wife.

“Our village is in dire need of repair,” Aderyn frowned. “If we could trouble you to spend just a short while aiding us, then you are more than welcome to take anything that would help ease your journey.”

“We’d be happy to help.” Reinys said, and Mithar led them all to the town square to show them the areas that needed attention the most. Nia stalked off as Tyril went to assess the vegetable gardens, while Mal and Imtura took to fixing the broken windows and fences, leaving Reinys with Valax to repair an old wooden cart.

Reinys ran her hand along the edge of the wheel. “Some of the spokes are rotten, we’ll have to replace them.” She noticed the wood was an unusual colour, a faded grey that matched the bark of the decayed trees surrounding the village.

“And you expect me to take orders from you?” Valax scowled.

“I think I’m right in assuming you’ve never had to mend a cart before, princess.” She said as she rummaged through the spare parts Mithar had given her. “But you’re welcome to prove me wrong. These are your people you’re meant to be helping, after all.”

Valax seethed with rage and conceded to handing her a small spanner, and Reinys found herself silently indulging in the fact there was nothing the princess could do to retaliate against her.

“You did not have to help them,” Valax said slowly as Reinys began dismantling the wheel’s rim. “They are defenceless villagers. You could have simply chosen to steal their horses and they would have been unable to stop you.” She tilted her head, studying Reinys like a puzzle she didn’t know how to solve. “But you still stayed here to aid them. Why?”

Reinys busied herself with inspecting the rotten pieces of wood. The cart hadn’t moved for a long time, and water from excessive rainfall had deteriorated the wheel, corroding it and making an ideal home for the insects she found festering within. “You still doubt my motives?”

“These are my people, Reinys. I don’t find it intrusive to question your intentions with them.”

She sighed and laid the spanner back down in the dirt. “It’s just that Ironbreach reminds me of my hometown, Riverbend. The people there took me in when I was a child who had nothing.”

“These are not the same villagers you grew up with.”

“I know, but it doesn’t make a difference. Even if this place had nothing in common with Riverbend, I’m not stealing from innocent people. Especially not when they’re struggling to get by as it is.”

Valax pondered that for a moment before turning her gaze away. The two worked on replacing the spokes and reassembling the wheel in silence until finally Reinys stood.

“There,” she grinned and patted the side of the cart. “Good as new.”

Just as Valax hauled herself off the ground, the winds around them began to shift and howl, growing eerie and cold. The sky turned dark almost in an instant as blackened clouds coalesced into a twisted, menacing omen of destruction, illuminated with sinister sparks of shadow flickering from deep within.

Mithar rushed towards them, panic rising in his voice. “Storm coming in! We need to get inside!”

“What kind of storm is this?” Reinys asked as she ran after him, shielding her eyes as harsh rain assailed the village from above. There had been no signs of it earlier, as though it had simply materialised from nothing.

“A normal one, here.” Valax answered, almost too calmly. “Storms in the shadow realm are caused by rampant magic, when wild and unrestrained they can cause great chaos.”

Mithar led them towards the Ashen family’s home for shelter, but as they arrived at the door Aderyn burst out in a hurry, her gaze frantic. “Ellinae’s not here!”

Reinys turned to peer through the darkness, wet hair clinging to the side of her face as she assessed the town for their whereabouts. “I see them by the riverbank!”

“But it could flood any minute now—“ Mithar said in alarm.

“You two just stay here, we’ll get Ellinae!”

She and Valax tore off running towards the riverbank, the rain only growing harsher until they were forced to shout over the torrential downpour.

“I don’t see them!” Valax yelled in frustration, but then a small figure appeared in their range of view, obliviously singing and twirling in the rain as a wall of water crashed around the river-bend.

“Look out!” Reinys called, but Ellinae didn’t hear. She leapt into the riverbed and grabbed the child, using all her strength to toss them up to Valax who still stood on the edge of the bank.

“I’ve got them!” Valax said as she caught Ellinae, and Reinys stepped forward to join them. Before she could even react, a towering wave smashed into her, sweeping her up in the raging flood as she stood in its path where Ellinae had been only moments earlier.

Reinys felt water roaring in her ears as the maelstrom enveloped her, and she found the world turning dark and cold around her as she was dragged helplessly to the depths below.

Reinys managed to breach the surface of the river just long enough to gasp in a deep breath before another wave sent her crashing under once more. As strong of a swimmer as she was, even she couldn’t escape the pull of the flood, flailing her way through the water as branches and debris scraped viciously at her arms and legs.

The next time she emerged for air, she thought she saw another figure fighting their way through the current amidst the rain and water, but when she sunk under once more, they were gone.

She felt her strength waning as the water chilled her to the bones and her muscles grew weak, struggling to stay afloat as mouthfuls of water invaded her lungs.

Just as she was sure she was going to drown, a familiar face carved her way through the water towards her, eyes brimmed with disdain. Valax gripped her by the arm and dragged her through the current, not releasing Reinys from her iron grip until the two of them had finally reached the shore.

Reinys collapsed onto the hard rock surface, barely conscious and unable to cough up the excess water. Valax loomed over her, face only inches from her own as her lungs burned and vision began to blur.

She gave a few quick, sharp prods to her chest until at last Reinys rolled over, expelling the water from her lungs as she heaved and gulped in her first deep breaths of precious air before lying flat on her back.

“That…feels better.” She spluttered, coughing.

“I would imagine so.” Valax said flatly. “Half the river came out of your lungs, after all.”

Slowly, Reinys hauled herself upright and leant against the stump of a fallen tree, head pounding. “How the hells did you just swim through a flood like it was nothing?”

Valax didn’t answer, refusing to meet her gaze as the river continued rushing.

“…Alright then, why did you rescue me?” Even after nearly drowning and now completely soaked, Reinys couldn’t conceal the smirk that curved her lips. “I thought you wanted me dead.”

“I do.” She snapped finally, raising her wrist where the shadow chain keeping them bound together was barely visible. “As you said, I’m stuck with you. If you die, I pay the price for it. Why else would I have dragged you from the water?”

“I don’t know,” Reinys grinned. “Maybe you’re starting to actually like me.”

“Ridiculous.” Valax scoffed. “You’re nothing but a nuisance to me, and have been ever since I started pursuing you.”

Her gaze softened slightly before she swiftly looked away. “Still, you saved an Ashen child. A life for a life, that is all.”

Surprised by the sincerity of her words, Reinys found herself speechless before they both shivered as the frigid winds around them froze their dampened skin.

“We need to seek shelter,” Valax said and stood to her feet, frowning as she glanced towards Reinys. “You don’t look well enough to travel, and we must make haste before the storm worsens.”

Before she could comprehend what was happening, Valax had hoisted her from the ground and tossed her over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes with ease.

From behind her, Reinys gaped. “What are you—”

“Don’t ask questions.” Valax snapped and briskly began walking uphill. “I won’t let you slow me down, and this whole ordeal would be a lot less taxing if someone hadn’t chased off my panther.”

“Yeah, you seemed pretty pissed about that.” Valax continued to carry her in silence, Reinys muttering under her breath the whole way until she was well enough to stand once more.

She followed Valax as she marched towards a series of jagged black rock pillars jutting viciously from the ground, surrounded by a copse of dead trees with skeletal branches and bark like charcoal, but Reinys nearly slammed into her back as the princess stopped abruptly in her tracks.

“Scorching suns.” She cursed lowly. “Shadestalker.”

“Aw, using pet names already, princess?”

“No, look.” She shoved Reinys forward so she could see the sinister shape emerging from the tree line. A monster of grey, scaled flesh, from which tendons and raw sinew were visible through ripped patches of skin beneath a mouth lined with several rows of sharp, deadly teeth.

“What the hells is that?” She whispered, almost too startled to speak.

“As I said, it’s a Shadestalker. This creature has been pursuing me across the Shadow Realm for the past year.”

“Sounds familiar.” She said, but Valax remained unamused. “And here I thought there was nothing you couldn’t beat.”

“I have defeated it countless times, but it always comes back. We need to leave.”

“Why not fight it together?” Reinys asked. “There are two of us, it’s outnumbered.”

Valax shook her head. “Perhaps the lack of oxygen you suffered is affecting your competence, but you are not fit to fight it in your current state. It will tear you apart before I can.”

“Alright then, let’s just…back away slowly…”

The two moved to step backwards, but the Shadestalker whirled as if already sensing its prey. The monster let out a bellowing roar that pierced the air around them, and even the winds trembled as Reinys clamped her hands down over her ears.

“Wait,” Valax tried to warn. “Don’t look at its—”

The golden eye in the centre of the Shadestalker’s chest began to pulse in time with her heartbeat as Reinys stared, entranced as it radiated a captivating, golden glow akin to warm sunlight. A beacon of light amidst the vicious storm, it emanated a gentle, lulling rhythm, one that filled her mind with beautiful music as it lured her under its control, calling her like a moth drawn to a flame.

She knew what she needed to do.

“Reinys? What are you—”

Her gaze turned towards Valax, irises lit up with an eerie, scarlet hue as she reached for the blade at her hip. “Oh, this will be fun.”

Reinys slashed at Valax, who narrowly sidestepped her attack, but she was far from finished. She struck again and again, with all the strength of the unrelenting storm that continued to assail them as lightning flashed each time she charged.

“Stop letting it control you!” Valax yelled over the torrent, deftly dodging another hit although several cuts now marred her arms.

Rainfall whipped at their skin and thunder shook the sky as Reinys thrust the knife forward, plunging it into her chest, but the princess barely reacted beyond exhibiting a short twinge of surprise.

She seized the chance to tackle Valax to the ground, and she clawed at Reinys’s arms as she struggled beneath her.

“Are you ready to meet your end, princess?” A terrifyingly malevolent grin lit up her face as she leered over her victim. “Will your mother be sad when she finds you torn to bloody pieces?”

“Reinys, snap out of it!” Valax grunted as she kicked and thrashed from below.

“It’s…” She came back to herself for a brief moment. “It’s not me!”

She felt that same, powerful force begin to take over once more, flooding her mind with visions of destruction and death until a sharp bolt of pain pulsated from her temple. When she opened her eyes there was blood trickling down the side of her face, and Valax was lying beneath her with a jagged, bloodied rock upturned in her hand.

“Ow,” Reinys groaned, feeling dazed as the scarlet hue faded from her eyes like mist. “That hurt, but it worked.”

“Good. Now get off of me.”

Reinys felt her cheeks grow warm as she realised she was straddling her torso, knife still raised above her throat. “Ah, right.”

They both scrambled to their feet as the Shadestalker approached them, and it snarled as it lashed at them with clawed hands and razor-like teeth. Reinys reached for her chain and flung it forward until it ensnared the monster, deadly steel blades embedding themselves painfully in its scaled flesh.

She held the creature in place until Valax plunged her shadow-wreathed glaive straight through its glowing, golden eye, and a sickly river of ichor ran down the Shadestalker’s chest before it teetered and fell to the ground, dissolving into a pile of blackened ash.

“It’s gone.” Reinys murmured, re-coiling the chain before fastening it back to her belt.

Valax stared down at it with disdain. “It will be back.”

The two turned towards the outcropping once more, wordlessly continuing their search for shelter as darkness shrouded the world around them.

The further they walked, the worse the storm became, and dark sparks and wisps of shadow streaked the air around them, flickering amid the wind and rain.

Reinys swore she could hear the distressed wails of what sounded like a small creature, the noise barely audible over the downpour cascading all around them. She glanced around the darkness until she found it, an owlbear cub huddled beneath a small, narrow overhang of obsidian-like rocks. The cub’s feathers were matted together, and he held his paws over his large, round eyes as he trembled in terror.

“Poor little guy, she murmured, turning to Valax. “Where’s his mother?”

“Owlbears don’t leave their cubs alone.” She said, and for the first time Reinys saw her eyes tinged with sadness. “She likely died defending him.”

Memories flashed across her vision as she thought back to her own parents, sacrificing their lives to save her own.

“I’m not leaving him here.” Before Valax could say anything, Reinys had vanished into the rain, realm-walking toward the rocks in favour of pushing against the winds.

“Hey, little guy.” She crooned as she knelt gently by his side. The owlbear cub shrunk back, feathers quivering, and she slowly held out her hand for him to sniff. Several minutes passed before he inched closer, cautiously clacking his beak before allowing her to stroke his soft head. “I’m Reinys. Wanna get out of this storm?”

“Quickly, I’ve found a cave!” Valax’s voice echoed over the winds, her silhouette barely visible through the dense fog. Reinys scooped the owlbear up lightly in her arms, causing him to emit a confused squawk before he nestled his head against her chest.

She followed Valax into a deep cavern just as bolts of shadow magic began to strike at the ground outside. “What the hells are those?” Reinys asked, and the cub tried to bury himself deeper into her embrace.

“Shadow missiles.” Valax said, a little too casually. “It is a good thing we found this place when we did.”

She shifted her gaze towards the owlbear cub Reinys still held in her arms. “If you are to keep him, he will need a name. That’s what parents do, give you a name and purpose.”

“I think his purpose is to be cute.” She booped the base of his beak. “And he’s doing a very good job of it.”

Valax scoffed. “You are impossible to understand.”

Reinys sat down against the cold cavern wall, running her fingers through the cub’s soft feathers thoughtfully. “What if I named you…Nox?” She watched him as he curled up in her lap, and he tilted his head to look up at her with large, shining eyes. “Would you like that?”

The owlbear chirruped happily, and Valax stared at her in confusion. “You would name him after darkness?”

Reinys shrugged. “He was born here, it suits him.”

Valax began scouting out the depths of the cave as Nox drifted off to sleep, but when she returned, she appeared displeased. “There is no wood here to start a fire, without one we’ll freeze to death.”

Reinys lifted her hand, conjuring an orb of Light that drifted into the air like a small sun, gently illuminating the cavern and offering a pleasant wave of warmth. Valax physically recoiled as her eyes widened, and she took an abrupt step back.

“You don’t have to be scared of it, you know.”

“I am not scared.” Valax’s expression twisted into one of contempt as she eyed the orb warily. “I merely know what that power is capable of. You are a fool for not feeling the same.”

Reinys was silent for a moment. “Power can be capable of anything, it just depends who’s wielding it.” She said eventually, after careful thought. “I’ve believed the same about Shadow for a long time.”

“And I’m supposed to believe this power is safe in your hands?”

She noticed Valax still hadn’t moved. “Well, you can either come sit here in the warmth or continue to freeze. It’s your choice.”

The princess glowered at her from where she stood on the opposite side of the cave before she begrudgingly moved to sit closer.

“You know,” Reinys continued, “I couldn’t help but notice that you rescued me again back there.”

“I’ve already said, you’re no use to me dead.”

“If that’s what you need to tell yourself.” She said smugly.

Valax scowled, dark lips curling into a scornful frown. “You get more infuriating each moment I spend with you. Not to mention you stabbed me twice.”

“One of those was an accident!” She said. “Besides, you spent fourteen days draining my blood, you don’t get to say anything.”

Reinys found her gaze flickering down towards Valax’s torso where dried blood surrounded the wounds she had inflicted, and glanced back to her face guiltily. “I suppose…I could heal them for you.”

Valax raised an eyebrow, her voice still tentative. “Heal? With the Light?”

“You were going to make a fire.” Reinys pointed out. “Aren’t they the same? They both have the power to keep you alive or destroy you. Unless you would rather bleed to death?”

Valax snorted. “That won’t happen.”

“You sound awfully confident for someone who was just complaining about being stabbed.”

She was silent as several seconds passed, before a strange flicker of vulnerability wavered across her features, illuminated by the orb of Light. “You asked earlier how I was able to swim through the flood when you could not.”

“Yes. You weren’t very subtle about brushing me off either, by the way.”

“I wasn’t trying to be.” Valax snapped. “I was able to do so because I am a construct. I’m not bound by mortal frailty as you are. I am my mother’s will incarnate.”

“Woah,” Reinys managed, unsure how to react. “So you’re, what, immortal?”

“I was designed to be infallible, yes.” She said, though her patience was beginning to strain.

“I guess that’s why it feels like you never stop hunting me.”

“Indeed. You can run all you like, Reinys, but there is nowhere in all the realms I won’t find you. You cannot outlast me forever.”

The words should have struck a chord of terror deep within her, but Reinys found her attention drawn back towards the princess’s wounds. “So your injuries are…”

Valax waved a hand. “Merely an inconvenience.”

“I still can’t imagine they’re particularly comfortable.” Reinys reached outwards to the exposed, firm muscle of her upper stomach, fingers gentle as they brushed against Valax’s damp, mauve skin.

“What are you—” Valax elicited a light gasp at the coolness of the sensation and found that her breathing grew shallower at her touch, watching entranced as Reinys began to imbue her fingers with Light. A delicate warmth danced across Valax’s skin as the wounds seemed to slowly knit themselves back together before her very eyes.

“Returning the favour,” Reinys said curtly before she gingerly withdrew her touch. “Not that you see it that way.”

Valax’s dark, sodden hair still clung to her temple, the faint white streak piercing through like a bolt of lightning against a storm-strewn sky. She pressed her back against the cavern wall and cleared her throat. “You are ridiculous.” Her voice grew soft as she glanced downward, avoiding her gaze. “But…thank you.”

Valax stared at her hands for a moment, as though uncertain what to do with them without a weapon in her hold. “You…seem less hesitant in the presence of Shadow than your companions, but yet you still wield the Light. Why?”

Reinys paused to run her fingers through Nox’s raven-blue feathers. “I was raised by a witch.”

“A witch?” She asked, unable to hide her intrigue.

“A rogue acolyte from the Temple of Light. She witnessed the horrors their priests deemed ‘righteousness’ and chose to flee.” Reinys mused. “Almost everything I know, I learnt from her.”

Valax’s brows furrowed. “Then why continue to wield the same power as her oppressors?”

Reinys found that the corners of her mouth curved upward slightly at the memory. “Defiance, mostly. She had spent most of her life being told how to use her power, so once she had her freedom she wished to take control of it for herself, even if that meant living outside of the law.”

“And what happened to her?” Valax asked.

“Eventually her Light ran out.” She answered. “Though she lived to be old. Normally that’s a feat within the temple only high priests get to obtain, hoarding their Light while forcing those beneath them to expend their own.”

“…My condolences.”

“It’s alright.” Reinys said. “She always said she’d prefer a natural death over being hanged in the city square.”

The Ashen princess scoffed. “You Daywalkers are as barbaric as I’ve always believed.”

“And what does your mother do with her insubordinates?”

Reinys looked at her pointedly, and Valax gave a defeated sigh. “She has them thrown into the moat.”

“Hang on, the moat of lava? Gods…”

From outside, the howling winds formed a haunting melody, and Valax was silent for a moment in thought, staring outside wistfully before she spoke once more. “Mother calls this ‘chaos’.”

Reinys glanced towards the cavern entrance, where darkness assailed the land beyond, and blasts of shadow magic fell swiftly like rain. “Certainly looks chaotic.”

“Storms like these are where chaos thrives. Shadow feeds on it, which is why overexposure corrupts the mind.” She continued speaking even as thunder shook the cave. “It’s a power that lurks deep within, often found within memories as a result.”

“Memories?” Reinys asked.

“Shadow is a tempest, chaotic and unrestrained. Memories are the greatest form of chaos, a shifting whirlwind of times long since passed.” Valax was quiet for a moment before she spoke once more. “Navigating them is often like trying to find your way through a storm. Do you not find your mind clouded by them in the same way?”

“Sometimes.” She admitted.

“The power to search through another person’s mind, their memories, is an ulterior form of shadow magic that we deem advantageous. If you know your enemy’s mind, you know how to break them.”

“Ominous.” Reinys muttered. “But I understand what you mean.” She looked back towards the cavern entrance. For a moment the passing shadows appeared utterly still, like darkened water unperturbed, before the maelstrom resumed devouring any remnants of tranquility still lying in its path. “And I see why you’re so fond of this chaos.”

“It’s the only beauty I have known.” Valax murmured. “Until I met you.”

Reinys assumed Valax spoke of the brief glimpses she had seen of the Light Realm between their sporadic hunts, but she still couldn’t resist the chance to tease her.

“Oh?” Reinys propped a hand under her chin, leaning forward with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “So when you were chasing me through the Whimsywood, you thought I was pretty?”

“Hm,” Valax pondered, though her cheeks began to turn a deep shade of purple. “You are not completely repulsive.”

“How charming.”

“Don’t patronise me.”

Reinys leant back, grinning. “Wouldn’t dream of it, princess.”

The smile began to fade from her face as a heavy gust of wind surged into the cavern, bringing with it a biting chill that numbed her skin. With her strength fading, the orb of Light began to flicker and dim, taking the last remnants of warmth as it barely remained hovering in the air.

“What’s wrong with it?” Valax asked.

“It’s too cold here for me to keep it lit.” Reinys said. “We’ll have to huddle for warmth.”

Valax frowned. “I do not huddle.”

“Well, it sure would be a shame if I died here and all my blood went to waste before you could use it.”

“Fine.” She snapped, and begrudgingly inched herself closer, her arm barely brushing against Reinys’s own.

“You’re not very good at this, are you?”

“I’ve never needed to huddle because I’m not a frail mortal who could not even withstand a single storm.” Valax goaded.

Reinys began to sulk, but another gust of wind sent them both shivering, and they leant towards each other instinctively.

“Not a word of this to anyone.” Valax warned.

Reinys smirked. “Don’t want your generals thinking you’ve turned soft?”

“That is one reason, yes.” She shifted a little, seeming agitated by the close proximity. “But I cannot have anyone knowing I’m fraternising with an enemy of the empire like this.”

“Interesting way of putting it,” Reinys said. “But your secret’s safe with me.”

She looked back down at her lap, where Nox emitted occasional soft hoots as he slept, before returning her attention towards Valax once more. “You realise this only works if we’re actually close enough to warm each other up, right?”

Valax scowled. “I thought this was sufficient.”

“Sure, if you want to become an icicle by sundown.” Reinys tilted her head. “Unless…are you afraid?”

“You don’t know what nonsense you speak. There are far more terrifying creatures in this world than you.”

“Ah, like our creepy stalker friend.” She watched as Valax refused to meet her gaze. “You know…you don’t have to pretend you’ve never felt fear before.”

“I’ve already told you, I am not scared.” Her eyes burned with ire, but behind it she swore she glimpsed a tinge of apprehension.

“Not even of this?” Reinys reached over to skim her fingers lightly along Valax’s arm, the skin like lavender marble mottled with shadow, but she pulled back when Valax stiffened.

Instead, she settled down and wrapped an arm around her back, surprised when the princess slowly began to melt into her touch as several minutes passed.

“Fear is a weakness.” She said eventually, her voice soft but laced with sorrow. “One it seems even I am not exempt from.”

Reinys didn’t dare speak further, the atmosphere already far too brittle to risk interrupting the fragility of their embrace by enkindling the princess’s temper, a skill she seemed to have mastered as of late.

Valax leant her head on her shoulder, eyes blinking slowly, and Reinys found herself doing the same as her weariness finally caught up to her.

“I don’t trust you.” Valax whispered into the darkness.

“I know.”

“I’m still going to rend your limbs from your body.”

“If you say so.”

Reinys smiled softly as Valax yawned, their heads resting against each other as the wind and rain swirled in a destructive dance far beyond, until finally they found themselves lulled to sleep by the melodic song of the storm.

#this was way longer than expected 🥲#blades of light and shadow #playchoices #choices stories you play #cfwc fics of the week #valax #princess valax #valax x mc #choices fanfic

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nifaraswife · 5 days ago

Text

Prey

Book: Blades of Light & Shadow

Characters: (F!Elf!MC) Reinys x Valax

Rating: T

Warnings: Fantasy Violence, Death

Length: 2.4k

Summary: Valax and Reinys share a dance in Shroudwatch.

Tags: @mikaelsrose @watatsumi-island @lilyoffandoms @rice-wiife @steadycattaco @dutifullynuttywitch @luthorsxrojas @gaiuskamilah @niaerinisms @brycesgirl @harbingerofdespair @choicesficwriterscreations

A/N: Second part to Tethered + alternate Shroudwatch ending. Heavily based on this video. Hope you like it! 🫶

Shroudwatch was host to all manner of nobility by the time they arrived, sneaking through the castle halls long after the surrounding mountains had been drowned out by nightfall.

The Ashen hovered around a luxurious, dark gothic ballroom beneath high vaulted ceilings and stained glass murals in half-formed cliques as fragments of trivial gossip and idle chatter drifted through the air. Those whose appearances had been warped by an overexposure of Shadow lingered to the sides, clothed in black robes embedded with vibrant jewels so as to flaunt their status with the beauty they felt their true forms lacked.

Any nobles remaining unmarred by the effects of wild magic were found in the heart of the ballroom, draped in gilded finery as they danced in pairs, performing their movements with effortless fluidity and grace.

Reinys followed Valax’s lead as the princess wove her way through the crowd. The two had split from the rest of the group, chained as they were, to investigate the ballroom more efficiently.

She tugged on the fabric of her dress, a raven gown she had stolen from one of the castle’s many spare rooms in an effort to better blend in. The bodice was studded with shimmering brass beads and adorned with black lace embellishments, finer in quality than anything she’d ever been allowed to touch. With the room she had taken it from lined with racks of similar dresses, she suspected no one would miss it.

Valax held her chin high as she walked, but with her sharp elven eyesight Reinys noticed the strained rigidity in her posture, muscles tense and expression creased with agitation as she went out of her way to steer clear of certain nobles.

“You look rather uncomfortable, princess.” Reinys remarked. “I take it parties aren’t to your liking?”

Valax turned to look her up and down with clear irritation, pausing as her gaze lingered a little too long on the lace neckpiece she wore where an onyx pendant shaped like a teardrop was fastened below. Reinys held her stare throughout it all, but Valax frowned when she reached her face.

“And you look out of place. Your demeanour is too benevolent to convince the others you are truly Ashen. You should try scowling more.”

Reinys arched a dark brow with an amused smirk. “You mean like you?”

“If that’s what it takes for you to wipe that foolish grin off your face then yes, like me.” Valax snapped, but she found that her words had only made the elf laugh. What infuriated her further was the desire to hear it again.

“Alright then,” Reinys pressed her lips into a haughty pout, painted the colour of rich mulled wine. “Is this better?”

Valax tilted her head in faint approval. “Now you look more like my mother’s subordinates.”

“Well, now that I pass as an Ashen noble, we should get back to looking for the head of staff.” Her eyes lit up as a masked servant passed by, carrying a gilded tray of goblets filled with wine. “But first…”

“You cannot be serious.” Valax scolded and swatted at her hand as she moved to reach for one. “I’m not dragging you to safety if this plan is jeopardised by your own insobriety. We have a mission to focus on.”

“We?” Reinys frowned. “Last I recall, you wanted nothing to do with this plan. Not to mention I haven’t been to a party in a year and you crashed the last one I was attending, so I think I’ll enjoy myself however I—”

Valax opened her mouth to interrupt, but a deep voice echoing from beside the balusters of the grand staircase made them both freeze in place.

“…Announcing our most esteemed guest, the Ash Empress!”

Reinys swore her heart stopped beating for a moment as she spun to face the front of the ballroom. It was one of the lord’s attendants who had spoken as he gestured towards the final figure to descend the stairs, her appearance tall and lethal. An amber glow illuminated her greyed skin as though lava ran through her veins, and her glassy eyes barely glanced over the hall below as Shadow rolled off her body in waves of dense, volcanic smoke.

“Valax.” Reinys hissed under her breath. “I thought your mother wasn’t supposed to be here!”

“She’s not.” The Ash Princess whirled on her heel to face her, fury blazing in her eyes. “Do you take me for a liar?”

“Then what is she—” Reinys cut herself off with a frustrated sigh and grabbed Valax by the wrist, all but dragging her towards the far back of the ballroom where the two could hide among the crowd.

“This decreases your mission’s chances of success significantly. If my mother learns you are here, well…her wrath is far greater than mine.” Valax’s voice carried a taunting edge, and Reinys glared at her. “But you needn’t be so worried about her seeing you. So long as we don’t draw attention to ourselves, she won’t take any notice of us.”

Reinys closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, trying to regain her composure as clarity slowly returned to her senses. She looked around the ballroom and noticed the Ash Empress paid no heed to the splendour around her, keeping her back faced towards the guests as her subordinates vied for her attention. “Yes, you’re right.”

Nearby, the cluster of dancers were slowing down their movements as the song came to an end, and Reinys watched as they began to switch partners, an idea coming to light in her mind.

“How about a dance?”

Her proposal came with several advantages, with the first being to remain undetected beyond the Empress’s line of sight, but she wished to claim the opportunity to lower Valax’s guard while it stood as well.

There was also, of course, her own selfish desires.

Valax eyed her warily and, finding herself amused by the princess’s reluctance, Reinys arched an eyebrow as a playful smirk curved her lips. “Don’t tell me you don’t know how to dance?”

“Of course I do,” Valax snapped. “It is not dissimilar to the art of combat, with both forms meant to display superior strength and agility over your opponent.” She lifted her chin with an air of pride. “As a weapon meant for war, I’m expected to be proficient.”

“I’m not sure that’s how I would describe it,” Reinys sighed, “but by ‘opponent’ I assume you mean ‘dance partner’. Must even the ballroom be a battleground to you?”

“Enemies can attack from anywhere, Reinys.” Valax’s expression remained impassive, having missed the exasperation in her voice. “A cobra does not care for its surroundings, it merely seizes the moment to strike.”

Reinys extended a twilight-hued hand, a wicked gleam sparkling in her viridian eyes. “Well then, princess, impress me.”

To her surprise, Valax accepted the invitation, hesitantly lining her fingers up with her own. She found the scaled flesh unexpectedly soft to the touch, and despite the confidence of Valax’s remarks, a brief flicker of uncertainty pierced her ever-stolid expression as her earlier show of bravado begun to fade.

“With all that said,” she admitted, cheeks flushing a deep shade of mauve, “I may be several centuries out of practice.”

Reinys placed her other hand lightly against Valax’s upper back, stepping forward as her voice dropped to a murmur that scarcely brushed against her lips. “Then allow me to lead.”

The orchestra opened with a mournful melody, a lament equal parts grand and haunting as the choir of violins began to sing, their symphony resounding through the castle’s ornate halls. High above, diamond chandeliers were strung like stars, bathing the polished onyx tiles of the ballroom in opalescent light and casting a soft, ethereal glow upon Valax’s regal features.

Reinys began to guide her through the steps, unsurprised to find that Valax’s stance remained just as firm as it was in battle, though her muscles trembled slightly beneath the close proximity like a skittish animal. Despite her evident reluctance, she performed each movement with all the grace expected of nobility, elegant and fluid as silk.

The couple glided across the ballroom, with Reinys sending her into a slow twirl that caused Valax’s waist-cape to flare outwards before drawing herself up from behind, smiling coyly all the while. Her lavender fingers reached forth to gently caress the princess’s chin as her other hand moved to rest briefly against her hip, revelling in the shiver that ran through Valax’s body before lowering her into a careful dip.

With each step, she could feel Valax’s reticence slowly breaking apart, following Reinys’s lead with ease as the pair swivelled in a crescent-moon fashion, like two halves of an eclipse drowning the world in night. Reinys found part of herself had longed to be closer to Valax ever since the flood after the night they spent in that cavern, where she had seen for herself how the princess possessed all the strength and allure of a storm.

Beautiful. Enchanting. Dangerous.

Reinys felt the danger only made the thrill all the more enticing, continuing to guide Valax around the ballroom while taking care to remain out of sight in the shadows. The night was still young and ripe with peril, but for tonight, for this dance, she was hers.

Valax had taught her how to wield Shadow before they reached Shroudwatch, claiming she would need it if she wanted to seal the rift and survive. Unable to pass on such a fortuitous gamble, she found the words Valax had spoken back in the cave echoing across her memory.

“If you know your enemy’s mind, you know how to break them.”

Not that her plans for the princess were as grim as Valax’s were for her, but she had been chained to Reinys against her will and was no doubt plotting her next move. If she could catch even a glimpse into the workings of her inner mind, she would be able to learn what Valax was scheming and plan accordingly for how to counteract her escape attempt when the time inevitably came.

Reinys spun Valax around once more before she pulled her back in close, leaning forward to place a gentle, tantalising kiss to the top of her hand. Shadow sparked to life in her fingertips like dark lightning, surging up Valax’s arm unnoticed as threads of her thoughts and memories began to weave themselves together hazily before her very eyes, thousands of strands intertwining in a grand, rippling tapestry.

Their heels clicked against the floor with each step as the music increased in tempo, building in cadence with their beating hearts as the pair danced perfectly in sync, now moving as one. A shared breath, a passing pulse. Reinys sifted through the threads of Valax’s mind until finally she found what she was after.

She let Valax go, her shoulders pulled back and chin held high as she smiled, triumphant. The two circled each other like two lionesses preparing to strike until Reinys gripped her by the torso and leant in close, her words slow and laced with cunning. “What are you planning, princess?”

Reinys followed the thread further, and perhaps this was her first mistake, because it was then that she felt the world begin to shift around her as the ballroom melted into a maelstrom of shadow, dark clouds forming a roiling tempest.

“Your imminent downfall.” Valax answered, sharp talons dragging up her arms as she seized Reinys like an animal meant to be speared.

“What are you doing?” She seethed. “You can’t hurt me.”

The chain pulled taut.

And nothing happened.

Reinys found a horrifying realisation dawning over her, the princess had never been under her command.

She was the one chained to Valax.

And now she was trapped within her mind, at the mercy of a woman who wanted her dead.

“Shadow is only as strong as the wielder’s will.” Valax stated. “And mine is unbreakable.” She lifted Reinys’s chin with her fingernail, piercing the flesh enough to draw a sliver of blood that trickled down her neck before grabbing her by the throat. “You thought you could play at being a huntress. But I’ve told you before, you cannot outlast me forever.”

“You…you lured me here.” Reinys gasped, struggling for breath. “You were never under Nia’s spell.”

“I had mastered Shadow long before your priestess was even born. Understanding how to counteract the spell was only a matter of time. Breaking it was merely child’s play.” She tossed Reinys aside like a discarded doll, summoning her glaive in hand as she stood over her crumpled form. “As for the pain, it was nothing compared to what I’ve endured before.”

“Then why go to all the effort of pretending? Why not just kill us when you had the chance?”

“In order to capture your prey, you must study it closely. I merely saw an opportunity and chose to seize it.” Valax’s words were firm, but a forlorn pang in her chest made her eyes soften.

A lie.

Reinys thought of how Valax could have let her drown in the river but chose not to. Still, it didn’t stop her from pointing the glaive at her heart.

A lie?

“This is for my people.” Valax said, the iron resolve Reinys recognised filling her stare once more. “But you came here for a reason, and having you die before our Empire can rise will be a shame. Why don’t you see our impending glory for yourself?”

The vision twisted as Reinys was dragged deeper into Valax’s mind, now seeing the world through her eyes, a world that had not yet come to pass. She watched as Valax plunged the glaive into her chest, cleaving open her torso as her blood spilled forth and soiled the charred earth below.

The Ash Empire’s armies swarmed the Light Realm, slaying everyone Reinys held dear. She heard the roar of a dragon and the Empress’s wicked laughter as she watched her world burn, the land drowning in waves of cinders.

Screams of agony pierced the air, Reinys’s own among them as she plummeted through Valax’s mind, falling through endless darkness like a star being swallowed by a black hole until finally she was able to open her eyes once more.

She was back in the ballroom, her chest heaving as she gazed up at Valax, finding herself held by strong arms and lowered into a dip deep enough for her raven hair to sweep against the floor.

The music had come to an end, the halls now filled with the sound of the guests laughter as they swapped partners again, an eerie contrast to the horrors she had witnessed first-hand only seconds earlier.

A shadow approached from behind, an embodiment of fire and smoke who spoke with a voice both clear and cruel.

“There you are, Realmwalker.”

#reinys ‘fuck around and find out’ nightbloom everyone #choices fic writers creations #cfwc fics of the week #blades of light and shadow #valax #princess valax #valax x mc #playchoices #choices stories you play

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