Children of Fire and Sun: The Rebellion (Updates Resume From July 2024)

Chapter 7: Remus (Æscford)

"Oh dear friend, your touch unravels me."
— Daye Ignis, a courtesan.
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Remus found Maysa sitting near the fire, on a fallen log, a sullen expression on her face.

The night in the woods was alive with the chittering of insects and smaller beings. One could hear the distant calls of the nocturnal creatures who rose from their slumber. Cicadas buzzed somewhat in the dark. Despite being far away from any human settlement, the night here promised to be far from quiet.

They had set up their tents at a distance to that of Edmund Eni and Janus Trellis’s encampment, a subtle hint of the fight that had broken out only moments ago at twilight. It was for the best that they stayed at least a little apart. To force camaraderie, Remus did not want the situation to worsen.

If truth be told, he was rather apprehensive about Edmund ambushing them in the middle of the night. He would not be surprised if that bear of a man did that. A man with a wounded vanity could stop at any levels, a notion Remus was well aware of.

Let us hope that Lord Trellis will stop him if he gives into his madness, Remus sighed. A low throb at the corners of his forehead told him he was soon going to be having a headache soon.

Dried leaves crunched underneath his feet as he walked towards Maysa. Yet she was so engrossed in her thoughts that she did not even hear him standing behind her. From his vantage point, Remus could see that she bit on her lower lip with a rabid ferocity. It was all bloodied with the skin tattered, yet she seemed to be immune to the pain.

"Do not do that," he gently held her wrist. "You will not be able to eat anything, my sweet, if you keep biting your lips like that."

Maysa extricated her wrist from his grip, refusing to meet his gaze. "I have no appetite. Besides, why do you care?"

Undeterred by her icy demeanour or the edge in her words, Remus sat beside her. He took her hand in his and this time she did not remove it. Her lips, however, were still thrust out, evidence of her gloomy mood.

"Are you angry with me?" Remus asked, his voice a soothing caress. "What did I do wrong, my sweet?"

Maysa grunted. "Why did you stop me?"

Oh, that is why. A smile graced his lips. "You would have regretted it had I not stopped you then. It is not a wise decision to engage in a duel of any kind with Edmund Eni, especially now."

Maysa turned to face him, the brilliance of the fire paling compared to the flames in her glare. "Why? Is it because you believe I am weak due to me being a woman? I will let you know, Remus, that I am more than capable of holding my own against the likes of Eni."

"I do not underestimate the fire in your veins," Remus shook his head and chuckled. "But sometimes that fire needs to be quelled. This is not the time to escalate things. Besides, I think it is useless to waste your time and wrath on a man like him."

She stayed silent for a while, gazing at the darkness in between the groves of trees. "I loathe it when someone tries to insult you. It makes my blood boil."

He leaned down to meet her gaze, a softness pervading his own. "Does it now?" He teased.

"Of course it does. You know that all too well, now do you not?" Maysa tried to laugh, but it was a mere croak. A sob choked in her throat. "I…I love you a lot, Remus. You are all I have left in this world. I am lost without you."

His eyes, too, shimmered with tears. "And I love you too, my sweet. More than you will ever know."

Their faces were nestled against each other, two pieces of a puzzle coming together after being parted for aeons. The susurrations of the night breeze were a symphony that played in their ears. The silver and brown of their hairs intermingled with each other, parched earth being soothed by the waves of a moonlit stream. Remus ran a finger down her cheeks, wiping off a stray tear that escaped her eyes.

"Please don't cry, Maysa. It hurts me to see you cry." He traced the outline of her bruised lips with his thumb. "Do you know that my heart stopped today when he put that scimitar against your neck? I feared I would lose you."

Maysa sniffled. "It was like a dagger being pierced through my heart, you know? When Edmund was trying to hint that there is something illicit about our relationship."

"It doesn't matter, you know?" Remus replied. "Let them talk and make their assumption. Our truth is something beyond their understanding, something they will never have in their lives. A gift from the gods, this is, my sweet, this bond that tethers us to each other."

Maysa's lips quivered. Whatever she wanted to say was still stuck in her throat. She gripped his hand with all the strength this fragile state of mind allowed her. She moved closer to him, to bridge any distance they might have between them. This time, he allowed her to be this close. He could see how vulnerable she was, how much in need of comfort that perhaps transcended the bounds of mere companionship.

What do I do now, my sweet? Why are you doing this to me? He wondered to himself, as those liquid pools of golden amber made him go weak in the knees. He did not want to ruin this beautiful bond they had shared for so long. No, he did not want to lure her into commitments during moments of vulnerability like this. He could never forgive himself if he did that.

Yet the touch of her clammy hands against his was enough to set his heart aflutter. Sprites seemed to swirl and twirling within his abdomen, for it tingled with a sensation that was both foreign and familiar. Thus, in a surge of courage, he pressed his lips against hers as the moon rose to the zenith in the heavens above.

A soft, almost inaudible gasp escaped her lips. Then she parted her lips a little, a gentle admittance for him to explore. Remus cupped her cheeks with both hands, letting the world fade away around them. In that moment, nothing mattered more than the texture and touch of their lips against the other.

You taste like honey and roses, my sweet. His hands shifted from her cheeks, trailing down her neck and down the small of her back before resting on her waist. Remus pulled her closer, his grip causing the fabric of her tunic to crumple. His tongue probed at the entrance of Maysa's mouth. With her cheeks ablaze, she let him in to explore the warmth of her mouth.

When they parted after what felt like an eternity, both were flushed and breathless.

"What…wh-at did we do?" Maysa stammered.

"Nothing. Nothing at all. It was just a momentary lapse in my judgement." Remus could no longer meet her gaze.

He removed himself from their proximity, his entire being flushed with shame. How could he do this? Was this not everything he had tried so hard to not do? Maysa did not deserve this — the confusion, this added vulnerability. He should not have done this to her, should not have let a transient desire cause him to make this blunder. It was unfair to them both.

"I-I am sorry." He stood up. "I should not have done that."

Saying that, he turned away from her and walked towards the ends of their encampment as his heart raced faster than a galloping horse. His mind was a muddle of thoughts. A muddle that nothing seemed to clear. Not even the moon, who had guided the crown prince for a long time with its benign rays.

Remus did not hear the sobs of Maysa, as she sat beside the dying fire and wept for no fault of her own.

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