The Fae Hunter and the Elf
Prompt: "Hello dear Fae Hunter."
"What are you?"
"Well, an elf obviously."
"But you are a male?"
"Well yes. Are you more concerned by the fact that we are both male or by the fact that you should be trying to kill me, my dear soulmate? Destiny has played us, let's face it."
Story: Oliver padded through Halitrie Wood seeking his prey. It had taken him years to find these woods and he knew that the elves lived here. He held the hilt of his short sword at his hip. He had heard great tales of the beauty of the elves and he had in mind to capture one and bring her to his home. A shiver ran down his spine as he thought about seeing an elf for the first time. The knife was merely for protection in the wood and for the threat to get her to come along with him. He entered a clearing where he saw a crystal clear lake. He saw a bent figure on the lakeshore. He slowed. Then the figure turned, and Oliver saw the figure’s face. A feeling that Oliver had never felt rushed through him. He tried to chide himself for the feeling, but it stayed. Oliver studied the figure closer, but then Oliver must have made a noise. The figure slid his eyes to look at him and said, “Hello dear Fae hunter.”
"What are you?"
"Well, an elf obviously."
"But you’re a male?"
"Well yes. Are you more concerned by the fact that we are both male or by the fact that you should be trying to kill me, my dear soulmate? Destiny has played us, let's face it."
Oliver’s mouth fell open, “Soulmate?”
Oliver dropped the knife. The elf came closer, his olive-green eyes locked on Oliver’s and asked, “Do you not feel it? The connection?”
Oliver looked at the elf again. His pale features were highlighted by the sunlight bouncing off the water. His cedar-colored hair was cut short but it made Oliver want to run his hands through it. It made him feel wrong. He turned and ran his fingers through his hair. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw the elf. His heart hammered in his chest. He gasped, but the elf put a finger to his lips, “Shush. I can see that you think that this that is between us is unnatural.”
Oliver’s eyebrows lowered, “Don’t you?”
The elf shook his head, “Elf culture is nothing like yours. It is nothing to find your soulmate in the same sex.”
Oliver felt his eyes begin to sparkle, “So we would be accepted by your people?”
The elf’s lips disappeared into a thin line and his head dipped, “I know not, for there has never been a human among my people.”
“What are we to do?”
“We do not even know one another yet,” the elf smiled amused.
Oliver turned a smile on the elf and hadn’t even realized they had not made introductions. He sighed, “I am sorry. I guess I just got ahead of myself and forgot to introduce myself. My name is Oliver Black.”
The elf raked his eyes over him and smiled, “Oliver… I like it. I am called Jassin Varen.”
Jassin then took Oliver by hand and pulled him closer. Warmth flooded him. Then Jassin placed a hand on Oliver’s face. Jassin’s olive-green eyes stared deeply into Oliver’s dark-blue eyes. Jassin was just a breath away but refused to move. He just stayed there holding Oliver. Oliver breathed heavily. He then took the first move and kissed Jassin. It was amazing. The feeling that Oliver had felt before cemented even deeper. He knew deep in his heart that Jassin was his heart. His soulmate. He didn’t understand it, but he didn’t have to at this moment. Oliver drew away and could somehow sense that Jassin felt the same. Jassin went back to Oliver’s question, “I know not what we will do, but we will do it together.”
Then they both tensed. Oliver whispered, “Did you hear that?”
“My ears are highly attuned, love. Of course, I heard that.”
Then they saw another figure enter the clearing. It was another male elf. This one was carrying a knife. As soon as he saw Oliver and Jassin he raised his knife and said, “Come away from the human, fellow elf, and I will make sure that you remain safe.”
When Jassin didn’t make a move the other elf came closer to him and grabbed his hand to pull him away. That made Oliver angry. He lashed out. He grabbed the hand that held the knife and spoke harshly to the other elf, “You won’t lay a hand on my soulmate!”
The other elf looked first at Oliver, then to Jassin, then back at Oliver. Then he asked in astonishment, “Soulmate?”
Oliver refused to let go of the elf’s arm. Jassin was afraid of what Oliver would do, so he answered, “Yes, you heard correctly. Fate has found my soulmate among humans.”
The other elf looked back to Jassin and asked, “Are you sure that some magic has not bewitched you?”
Oliver lost his cool, “Are you trying to say that we don’t know our own feelings?”
Jassin placed a hand on Oliver’s shoulder and his cheek on Oliver’s cheek before he spoke, “Calm, love. He means no harm. Elves are very powerful creatures. It would not be the first time that a love spell was used to force a connection.”
Oliver pulled his face away and looked at Jassin confused, “Do you think that is what happened here?”
Jassin kissed Oliver again, “Not at all. I would feel magic if it were to be used. What we have here is real.”
Oliver fell into Jassin’s embrace. He wanted to sob. This was all so sudden to him. Jassin patted Oliver’s back, shushing him. The other elf was just looking at this in disbelief. He then spoke quietly into the moment, “I think you must take this to the king.”
“The king?” Oliver asked.
“Yes, my love. The king of the fae,” Jassin informed him.
Oliver looked into Jassin’s olive-green eyes and instantly felt better, but he still asked, “What will happen? Will I be safe?”
Jassin engulfed Oliver in a hug and soothed Oliver, “Hush love. Of course, you will be safe. I would do anything to protect you, you should know that.”
The other elf just stared at the two of them, he didn’t know what to say. Jassin looked at his fellow elf. The other elf gave him a look. Jassin said quietly, “You will understand when you find your mate.”
Oliver looked up from Jassin’s shoulder and to the other elf and asked, “What is your name, sir? I’m sorry for not asking before.”
The other elf looked at Jassin amazed but Jassin was extremely happy with his mate. The other elf turned back to Oliver and said, “My name is Tyrael.”
Oliver held out his hand, “It’s good to meet you Tyrael.”
Tyrael shook Oliver’s hand. Tyrael then said, “I am sorry I thought you were trying to hurt my fellow elf. I did not know.”
“You couldn’t have,” Oliver said.
Jassin hugged Oliver to his side and kissed his cheek, “All is well now Ollie.”
Ollie turned toward Jassin with a strange look in his eye. Jassin buried his fingers in Oliver’s hair and asked, “Have I erred? Would you prefer me call you by your proper name?”
Oliver’s eyes grew softer and he leaned in and gave Jassin a quick soft kiss, “No. No, you didn’t make a mistake. I have never had a nickname. It makes me feel closer to you now that you’ve given me one,” Oliver cupped Jassin’s cheek, “Just so long as I can call you by one too.”
Jassin smiled and chuckled softly, “You can call me whatever you want, just so long as you call me yours.”
They shared another kiss. When they broke apart Oliver smiled at Jassin and said, “Of course, Jase.”
Tyrael cleared his throat, “I hate to break this apart, but we must get moving. I know it will take longer because the human is with us.”
Jassin pulled a knife on his fellow elf, “Do you have a problem with my mate?”
Tyrael pulled his hands up, “No, of course not. I just meant that he cannot travel nearly as fast as we can. That is all!”
Oliver put his hand on Jassin’s shoulder, “Put the knife away Jase, I don’t think Tyrael meant harm. If it’s true that elves move quickly, then it’s true I will slow you down.”
Jassin comforted his mate, “It matters not to me. We will travel as quickly as we can, within reason. I have you that is what matters to me. When we get to Elfilon then we will meet with King Wynryse Mirona,” Jassin sighed, “Then we will go from there. But never worry, you will never leave my side.”
Tyrael began to move through the wood. Jassin handed Oliver his knife. Oliver looked up at him. There was a silent conversation between them, and then they hurried to catch up with Tyrael. They walked rather silently through the woods for the rest of the day. Oliver and Jassin held hands, did other small things to show their affection for each other. Whenever Tyrael would catch it he would roll his eyes, but a small part of him was jealous. He was ready to find his soulmate too. As night fell Tyrael found a large tree with large branches and huge leaves that would do for their nesting grounds for the night. He looked at the two lovers but didn’t say anything before he scaled the tree with ease. Jassin sighed and looked at Oliver. “Can you climb, Ollie?”
Oliver looked up at the tree that towered above him. He looked back at Jassin, “It used to be one of my favorite pastimes when I was a kid. Why do you ask, Jase?”
“When you would hunt, how would you typically pass the night in camp?” Jassin asked, genuinely interested.
“I’d make camp on the ground, near a river so that my back was covered. I would make a fire. I would stay awake as much as possible, watching everything around me. I would generally only get two or three hours of sleep at best,” Oliver answered.
Jassin nodded. He was glad that his mate understood how to take care of himself. Jassin looked up at the tree, “Elves on a hunt or mission sleep in trees. It keeps us out of sight and in hiding.”
Oliver thought about it. It made sense. Jassin got a mischievous look on his face, “Catch me if you can, love.”
Jassin then jumped on the truck of the tree and started scaling the tree, laughing. Oliver, not one to be bested, ran to the tree and started up after Jassin. Oliver could barely see Jassin through the branches of the tree but didn’t have a hard time keeping up with him. Jassin finally stopped and Oliver caught up with him. Jassin looked at him, his olive-green eyes looking darker in the foliage. Jassin held a hand up, “Stay where you are and let me prepare our bed.”
Oliver didn’t miss the ‘our’ in Jassin’s statement, but he couldn’t speak. He realized that this would be their first night together. It suddenly brought a lot of fear to his mind. He watched Jassin as he moved the huge leaves around in a way that made no sense to him. Suddenly Jassin seemed satisfied and came over to Oliver. Oliver’s heart started pounding in his chest in fear. It seemed that Jassin sensed Oliver’s feelings. Jassin brought Oliver’s form close to his own and soothed his fear by saying, “I will not push you to do anything that you are not comfortable with. This is all so new to you, I know. I was raised this way.” He pulled away and looked into Oliver’s eyes, “I will wait until you are ready.”
Oliver’s fear shattered. Jassin was so patient with him. What had he done to be paired thusly? Jassin held Oliver by the waist and led Oliver into what could only be described as a nest of leaves. They both lay down, neither wanting to let go of the other. Oliver, not wanting Jassin to feel that he had not gotten through Oliver pressed himself closer to Jassin and found himself making out with the other half of his soul. Time melted away. It was just the two of them that existed at this moment. Jassin finally pulled away, running his fingers across Oliver’s lips, “We must stop or I cannot be held responsible for what comes next.”
Jassin had a huge smile on his face. Oliver knew what he meant, and even though he was still a little scared, another part of him felt heat and excitement. Jassin settled onto his back and Oliver placed his head on Jassin’s chest. It was the calmest moment of the day. He went to sleep with the sound of his soulmate’s heart beating in perfect time to his own. Oliver woke to light scattering through the leaves of the tree and wrapped in Jassin’s arms. He had never felt more right in his life. He took that moment to study Jassin’s profile. The high arches of his cheekbones, the almost severe squareness of his jawline. The poutiness of his lower lip, in contrast to the upper. He had a roman nose. His brown hair shone in the spattering sunlight and even in its tousled state Oliver wanted to run his fingers through it. Looking down Oliver saw the almost delicate eyelashes that hid those expressive olive-green eyes from his view. He sighed happily. If this was to be what the rest of his life was to be then he could get used to it. He leaned down and placed a kiss on Jassin’s lips. Jassin stirred, brought his arms around Oliver, and pressed Oliver closer to him, returning the kiss. Once Jassin pulled away he smiled up at Oliver, “I believe I could get used to being awakened like that, love.”
There was that mischievous look in his eye again, but they didn’t have time to bask in their bond. From below them, they heard Tyrael say, “If you two lovebirds are ready I believe we could reach Elfilon before the noonday meal if we move quickly.”
Oliver felt something land in his hand. He looked down and saw Jassin’s knife. He looked up at Jassin, who had a large smile on his beautiful face. Jassin said smiling, “You think you can keep up with me today, Ollie?”
Oliver grinned, “Is that a challenge, Jase?”
Oliver jumped up and clambered down from the tree as quickly as he could. No sooner had he looked at Tyrael with a smile than Tyrael looked to his right with a smirk. Oliver followed Tyrael’s line of sight and saw Jassin standing not 3 feet away with a satisfied smirk on his face. Jassin quipped, “Not bad love. You almost had me.”
Oliver folded his arms, looked at Tyrael, and asked, “Is he joshing me?”
Tyrael’s eyebrows furrowed, “What did you just ask?”
Oliver sighed, “Is Jassin making a joke at my expense?”
Jassin came up behind Oliver, putting his hands around Oliver’s waist, “I am right here love. You can ask me.”
Oliver ignored him and peered intently at Tyrael. Tyrael withered under the scrutiny, “Nay Oliver. Jassin is far too noble for such pursuits. If he says something, he means it.”
Oliver glanced back at Jassin giving him a small smile. Oliver turned around and asked tentatively, “So… you truly meant that I almost beat you down the tree?”
“Was that your worry?” Jassin encased Oliver in an almost crushing hug, “Please know that I would never speak falsehoods to you, and I pray that you would endeavor to do the same to me.”
Oliver stared at Jassin and promised, “I promise to try with all my heart, Jase.”
Jassin patted Oliver’s cheek and said with a smile, “Are you ready to try to keep up with me to today?”
“Wild horses couldn’t keep me away, babe.”
Tyrael started running and Oliver took off after him. Jassin let them get a head start before he caught up with them. Jassin and Oliver broke into laughter. The day was spent running through the rest of the wood. When they came out of the wood Oliver saw a small village. He moved closer to Jassin because as they moved further into the village more and more elves came out. It made Oliver feel uncomfortable. The company made it into the center of the town where there was an imposing elf on a throne. He had a regal bearing and immediately Oliver knew this had to be the king of the fae. He didn’t look old but he had long silver hair held back by a golden circlet. Oliver saw Tyrael and Jassin go down on one knee a respectful distance from the throne, but he didn’t know the protocol. Was he expected to bow in this man’s presence? The other two elves rose and Jassin entwined his fingers in Oliver’s. It was just the assurance he needed. He knew Jassin was there for him, no matter what. The man on the throne’s arctic blue eyes flicked to him and it was like they could see right through him. Jassin squeezed his hand and brought him back down to Earth. Then the king slid his gaze to Jassin, “Master Varen, of the hunt, what of you brought into my kingdom? I was worried when you did not return when you had aught, that is why I sent Master Norric, tracker, after you.”
Oliver could tell the respect that Jassin had for this man by the tone of his voice, “I apologize for worrying you, your majesty. It seems I was held up.”
The king looked at Oliver and said, “And is this what held you up, Master Veren?”
Jassin looked at Oliver as he spoke, “I know it may seem a little unorthodox King Mirona, but this is my mate.”
Oliver was so busy staring at Jassin’s look of love he barely heard the king say, “This is most strange. Never before has an elf and a human been mated.”
Jassin tore his gaze away from Oliver to look at the king, “Just because we have never seen or heard of it before, does that mean it would never happen, your majesty?”
The king looked deep in thought for a moment, with a finger next to his lip. Then he said, “I see your logic, Master Veren.” He looked at Oliver, “And what is your name, human?”
Oliver’s throat went dry, but Jassin gripped his hand tightly and Oliver took a deep breath and answered, “Oliver Black, your majesty.”
The king then said, “Will both of you come forward?”
Jassin almost had to drag Oliver forward. They stood in front of the king. King Mirona rose from his throne and placed a hand on both of their heads. He closed his eyes. He seemed deep in thought for a moment. When he opened his eyes he said, “You are truly mated, heart and soul.”
Oliver and Jassin shared a look but immediately were drawn back to the king when he said, “Would you like to be mated by word and law?”
Jassin looked at Oliver and said, “Then we would be truly mated in all ways. What say you, Ollie?”
“I will do anything as long as it means I can be with you, Jase.”
They looked back at the king who was watching them with a look of happiness. He led them in a short ceremony that would bind them together as mates through the law of Elfilon. After the ceremony, the king sat down and ushered them back a few paces. He then said, “Now Mr. Black you should know now that you have bound your life, heart, and soul to Master Veren that your lifespan will be much closer to an elf's than a human’s. I do hope that does not disturb you.”
“Not at all, your majesty,” Oliver said.
“What skills do you have Mr. Black?”
“I can track. I’m quite a good hunter. As a matter of fact, that’s how I came across Jase. I was hunting,” Oliver explained.
The king rubbed his chin, then said, “I declare you Master Black, of the hunt.”
“You flatter me, your majesty.”
“Tyrael, thank you for bringing them to me, but I need to talk to them alone. You may go.”
When the three of them were alone the king said, “I have a pressing matter to discuss with the two of you. I know that you just got mated but this is a serious matter.”
“We are listening, your majesty,” Jassin said.
“Just yesterday we found two orphaned elves. Master Veren, you know what we typically do when this happens. Would you and your mate think about taking them in? I will let you discuss this.”
Jassin and Oliver stepped away. Jassin said, “What do you say, my love? I would like nothing more than to start a family with you. Sooner… later… makes no difference to me. However, the king does not do this often. He must trust us both immensely.”
Oliver thought about what Jassin was saying. He understood it. He said, “Let’s do it.”
They shared a brief kiss before going before the king. Oliver spoke for the two of them, “We accept the offer, your majesty. Thank you for the opportunity.”
The king called for someone. Then it was a matter of a few moments before a small toddler and baby were brought to them. The toddler was a boy and the baby was a girl. Jassin picked up the toddler who immediately cuddled into Jassin’s chest, sucking his thumb. The baby was handed to Oliver. Oliver stared at the little girl and fell immediately in love with her. The king got their attention by saying, “Their belongings are already being moved to your home Master Veren.”
“Thank you, your majesty,” Jassin said.
“I have a question, your majesty,” Oliver asked.
“Yes, Master Black.”
“Do these children already have names?”
“I’m sure they do, but they are young enough that if you and your mate rename them they will respond to them.”
“Thank you, your majesty.”
They spoke for a little while longer. Long enough for the toddler to fall asleep. Once the king saw that he dismissed them. Jassin led the way. Once Oliver saw the house that Jassin lived in he knew he would be happy here. They walked in and saw all the things that belonged to the children. Their children. Oliver still couldn’t wrap his head around that thought. Jassin lay the toddler in his bed and the little boy sighed happily and tucked his arm under his head. Then Oliver lay the baby down in the crib, who wiggled a little, but then settled back down into a peaceful sleep. Oliver looked between the two children and couldn’t be happier. Jassin grabbed Oliver’s hand and drew him into their room. When they lay in the bed Oliver asked, “Do you have any thoughts about names for our kids?”
Jassin kissed Oliver’s cheek, “Say that again, love.”
“What?”
“Our children.”
Oliver’s breath quickened, “Our… children.”
Jassin dipped down and began attacking Oliver’s lips. Then things got steamy. Hours later they lay patting and sated from the night’s activities. Jassin said innocently, “What was the question again?”
“Did you have any thoughts for the names for the kids. I don’t know anything about naming elves.”
Jassin said, “I love that you are so thoughtful. I think we should call the boy Kyric and the girl Ashryn. What do you think?”
Oliver smiled, “I love the names.”
Their little bubble of happiness was shattered when they heard Ashryn start crying. Oliver smiled and asked, “Rock, paper, scissors to see who gets up with her?”
Jassin looked at him confused, “What?”
Oliver rolled his eyes and explained the game. They played three rounds and it turned out that Jassin had to get up with her this time. Oliver thought back over the last couple of days since he had been hunting in the woods. Never had he thought he would be here with his soulmate with a family. He smiled. He was at peace. He loved Jassin and couldn’t wait to see what the future would bring.
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