Episode 156 Elf Prince
Elf Prince
Tharios grits his teeth as he holds his air currents in place.
He shouldn’t have grown distracted. No one should have taken an arrow tonight.
And no one should have been forced into a heartbinding under his watch.
He was in no condition to leave Windhaven while rebels roam these woods. But like an idiot, he pushed through. Hid the exhaustion. Attempted to be everything for everyone.
Focus. He needs to focus now before someone else gets hurt. Or worse.
He sends feelers out with his life magic again.
Then he frowns. Either his magic is weak, or the elves provoking them are fleeing.
If he’d been at his best, he could have contained them with his air magic. But his magic was overwhelming in his weakened state. He couldn’t keep the thought separation.
It’s a wonder no one questioned why he couldn’t hold the shield and heal Jonas at the same time.
Though Elowyn’s brows wrinkled.
She must suspect. She hovers as near as she probably dares while still attempting to protect Rominy.
“Tharios,” she whispers. “Are you all right?”
He clenches his teeth. And shakes his head.
“I’ve got your back.”
The fight goes out of him. “Thank you.”
“It’s been quiet. Do you still sense them?”
“Their magic grows fainter. But I don’t know if it’s their magic fading...or mine.”
“Tell Viala. Let her help you.”
He glances down at Viala. She gazes at him with confusion in her eyes. Whistling wind. How much of that did she hear?
She’s still struggling to catch her breath. Awe fills him once again at the way she stepped into his place. Took hold of his magic and held it for him.
He owes her the truth.
“I need help,” he whispers. He keeps his gaze locked on hers. “My magic—I wasn’t ready for this. I—”
“I’m here, Tharios. Tell me what you need.”
Relief sweeps over him. Surely she’s angry. Again.
But she loves him.
“I need touch. My life magic isn’t fully healed, and I’m exhausted.”
She nods as Rominy helps her find her feet. “How much touch?”
“A normal amount.”
After pushing her sleeves past her elbows, she slides her hands beneath his ayervadi leathers, pressing her forearms to his back.
The relief is immediate, and he struggles not to groan.
“Do you still sense them?” Elowyn asks.
He sends out his magic once more, bolstered by Viala’s touch this time. She makes him stronger. He should have told her from the start.
“They’re gone,” he says. And he lets his air magic go.
“Elowyn and I will stand watch while you heal that young man,” Grandmera says, and guilt knifes through Tharios at the knowing look in her eyes.
This is his fault. Taliel and Jonas are now linked for life because he was too busy being the hero to admit his weaknesses tonight. To let someone else be the hero.
“Someday, you will be a king, Tharios,” Grandmera says. “And you will make better decisions than you made tonight.”
Will he?
Now’s not the time to wallow in his mistakes. He needs to heal Jonas.
He lowers himself to the ground beside Jonas and Taliel, and Viala keeps her arms pressed to his back.
“Are you well enough for this?” Rominy asks in Elvish.
Is he?
“The truth, Tharios,” Viala says. “You have nothing to prove to any of us.”
He looks around at each of their faces. Then he reaches deep to test his life magic. With Viala’s touch, it feels stronger already.
“I believe I can do this, but I’ll rest if I need to.”
Rominy relaxes. “Thank you for helping him.”
It feels like too little, too late, but Tharios nods.
Removing the arrow without nicking Jonas’s heart will be the hardest part. After that, healing him should be a simple matter.
Jonas’s heartbeat is steady.
Taliel’s heart beats for him now.
Tharios checks her pulse along with Jonas’s. They pound in perfect rhythm.
“Rominy, can you keep your finger right here?” Tharios positions Rominy’s hand on Taliel’s wrist. “If her pulse changes at all, I wish to know.”
Rominy nods. “Of course.”
“I would monitor her with my magic, but I don’t wish to split my focus.”
“A wise choice,” Grandmera says. “There’s no shame in asking for help when you need it.”
The lesson has been learned.
At a great price.
Carefully, Tharios dislodges the arrow. “How is she doing?”
“Steady as a metronome,” Rominy says.
“A metronome?” Tharios frowns.
“Sorry. It’s a musical term. She’s doing great.”
Tharios nods as he staunches the bleeding once the arrow is gone. “That was the worst part. The rest should be simple.”
He works to clean the wound, mend the flesh, and repair the damaged tissue. There are no surprises, though it’s slow going. Eventually, he sits back. “Done.” Tharios glances at Rominy. “Thank you. You can let go now.”
Rominy pulls his hand back, but not before Tharios spots Elowyn’s name written in faded ink on Rominy’s wrist.
“I can make that permanent,” Tharios says with a grin.
Rominy clears his throat. “I’d like that. Maybe tomorrow, though. When you’re not in danger of doing it wrong.”
Tharios laughs. That was just what he needed. “Fair enough.”
“Should we wake them or let them sleep?” Viala asks.
“We can’t remain here,” Grandmera says. “If it’s safe for Jonas to ride, we should wake them.”
“I agree.” Tharios lays a hand on each of their shoulders, using his magic to rouse them. He shoves his dread at facing them aside.
“What’s done is done, Tharios,” Grandmera says as if reading his mind. “What happens next is where your focus needs to be. They’ll need support in this new reality, and we willl provide it to them.”
“You have my word,” Tharios says, though it hardly feels like enough.
A moment later, Taliel’s eyes blink open, and Jonas soon wakes as well.
“If you’re dizzy, that’s normal,” Rominy tells them. “Just wait for it to pass.”
“I’m glad to hear your voice, Your Highness,” Jonas murmurs.
“Rominy. Call me Rominy. Please. Both of you.”
“How’s your pain level?” Tharios asks Jonas.
“Barely noticeable.”
“What was that you said?” Taliel asks. “Could you say it again?”
Jonas chuckles and then winces. “Very funny.”
Taliel doesn’t laugh. “Answer the question.”
“All right. If I’m being honest, it’s a bit distracting.”
“If I dull the pain more, it may dull your other senses. The choice is yours,” Tharios says.
“No. I’ll be fine.” He looks at Taliel. “I’ll be fine.”
“Let me know if you change your mind,” Tharios says. “How are you otherwise? I know this isn’t what you signed up for.”
“I signed up for the adventure. I guess I found it.”
“Whatever you need is yours for the asking,” Tharios says. “Both of you. I mean that.”
“That goes for me, too,” Rominy says. “Here or in Nunia.”
“I’m still working through my shock at the moment,” Jonas says. “But thank you.”
They must not have been in the heartlanding for long.
“And you, Taliel?” Tharios asks. “How are you doing?”
“Remarkably well. The heartlanding was...enlightening.”
Jonas laughs, but neither of them says more, and no one pushes them.
“As soon as you’re able, we need to continue our journey,” Tharios says. “It’s not safe to linger here.”
Jonas groans as he pushes himself to a sitting position, and Rominy helps him.
“I’m fine.” Jonas looks at Taliel again. “I’m fine.”
“It’s my prerogative to worry about your well-being now,” Taliel says as she looks from Elowyn to Viala and Grandmera. “Is it not?”
Elowyn laughs, and Grandmera smiles as Viala rests her head against Tharios’s back. He translates the Nunian words over his shoulder for her, and she wraps her arms around him. He needs to do a better job of ensuring she isn’t left out of conversations.
“It is indeed, young one,” Grandmera tells Taliel.
“Then I intend to do a proper job of it, Jonas. You will simply have to adjust.” She stands and brushes herself off. “Someone give me a report.”
Elowyn quickly fills her in, and Tharios doesn’t miss the way Jonas watches Taliel.
Perhaps they were in the heartlanding longer than Tharios thought.
Hopefully, they’ll find happiness together. Love.
If Cerian can fall in love with a stranger, anything is possible.
“Has anyone checked the horses?” Jonas asks as he struggles to his feet. Rominy offers him a hand, but Taliel ducks under Jonas’s shoulder, wrapping her arm around his waist.
Jonas stiffens. It’s unmistakable. But he soon relaxes against her.
He’s handling this well. Better than most people probably would.
The horses look terrified, but they’re all still there with no injuries Tharios can detect. Thank the fates.
“I’ll ride with you,” Viala says to Tharios as she reclaims her arms and stands at his side.
He turns toward her. A world of emotion fills her beautiful blue eyes, illuminated by the golden glow of the lights Elowyn tossed around them after the fighting ended.
“I am sorry,” he whispers. “I—”
“Tharios.” Forgiveness. Love. All contained within that simple word.
“Let me finish.” He trails a finger down her silky cheek.
“I failed tonight. I did so many things wrong. But you were there to be strong when I was weak. To hold my magic when I couldn’t.
And I know I don’t deserve you. I try to be strong.
To pretend I can do everything. But I can’t.
Not alone. And I should have told you. You deserve better from me, and I’m sorry. ”
She tucks a loose hair behind his ear, her fingers grazing the tip, and he sucks in a breath. Then she traces his cheekbone and his jaw before sliding her hand around his neck and pulling him into a kiss.
The others give them space, though everyone probably heard his whispered words.
Everyone with elf ears, at any rate.
When Viala pulls away from their kiss, she wraps her arms around him, and he clings to her.
“How’s your magic?” he whispers.
“I’m managing. I don’t know how you harness the wind like you do, my love. I felt the air being sucked from my lungs.”
He chuckles. “Practice. You’ll get there.”
Whether she believes him or not, she doesn’t argue, and soon they turn toward the horses. Someone tied Erlos to Nebula’s saddle already, and Viala mounts behind Tharios. She slips her arms beneath his leathers as she wraps them around his waist, and warmth fills him.
“I love you, Viala.”
“And I love you, elf prince.”
Tharios glances around until he spots Jonas already on his horse.
“How are you doing, Jonas?” Tharios asks. “Tell Taliel.”
That earns him a laugh from the others.
“I’m managing,” Jonas says as he looks at Taliel. “The pain is bearable, and I’m ready to ride.”
“Let me know if that changes,” Tharios says. “You don’t need to pretend to be strong for anyone here.”
Viala’s arms tighten around Tharios, and Jonas nods.
Only a few more hours to the waypoint shelter.
Then he’ll have to explain everything to his parents. Admit his failings. Take responsibility for what happened tonight.
Explain to Rafelis why Taliel is now heartbound to a human.
That may be the conversation he dreads the most.