Flower Gleam and Glow

[Mariahya]

Scars go deep, but they can't find it... Flame so bright make the daylight look dark... Artigas Mari knew he could never truly understand what it was like growing up the way she had, but she was grateful that he would try to make sense of it. "How long will you be staying in your village now?" She looked out past the river where she knew a village lay behind hundreds of trees. Her village. Her people. Her Trishana. “Now with the news of my father and my training nearly finished, it is only time before they call me up to my position as Second.” She brought her eyes back to the man in front of her. “I will be staying here forever…” She smiled gently. There was no way that she could be missed if he came back. He would have to be able to find her because now she would be stationed back in Trishana. Hearing Artigas promise that she would never be hurt made her look down at her hands. She knew that he would never hurt her, but she wished he would be by her side to defend her honor…because him leaving hurt her too. “but he didn't lie about everything, you truly are extremely beautiful" Her cheeks flushed again and she looked back up to him. Mari watched him slip the scarf inside his armor and she smiled. She was glad that he would keep it with him. Even if they never met ever again, he would always have her. She would remember him…because no man had ever treated her the way he had. That was enough for her. "May your presence keep me safe" She smiled sadly and bowed her head to him graciously. She knew that he would be in battles and need protection. She could only hope that her tiny token of affection would be enough for him. She laughed softly at his reaction to her kissing his cheek. She knew it had been a big step forward, a bit brash, but she couldn’t help herself. She needed to show him somehow that she had feelings for him and that this couldn’t be the end. The idea of never seeing him again was literally tearing her up inside. Mari gasped as the tall man pulled her into a hug. She closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around his middle, as much as she could since he was so muscular, and laid her head against his chest. She smiled as she heard his heart beat loudly against his skin, she was sure hers was beating just as loud and fast. "I will find you". Mari’s eyes shot open and she smiled to herself, her pulse raced. She knew it was true. She knew that Artigas would find her again no matter how long it took. “Your heart…” she whispered “it’s beating so fast…” bringing a hand to place on his chest, still letting him hug her… …afraid to let go.

BY SKYLARK'S FOLLY AT ADOXOGRAPHY & CAUTION

[Artigas]

He smiled when she said that she would be staying in the village forever "at least now you'll have more people to talk to, you could make friends" he muttered, she wouldn't be lonely if she had people her own age to talk to. He just hoped that she wouldn't forget about him once he had left, because he knew that she would have to move on with her own life. "I hope that everything works out for you and that your people come to accept your ways" he told her with a dip of his head. He wondered about when he would next see her, what would have changed between them, how would she have changed and how would he have changed. No doubt by the time they next met, they would have both seen and done things that would change them.

Her laugh made the smile upon his face broaden, he loved her laugh, it sounded stupid in his head when he thought of it but he did. It was almost musical and he wondered if he would miss it when he was gone, if he'd miss the little things more than he'd miss the obvious details. He could feel his heart thumping in his chest as he heard her gasp as he drew her to him and for a second he thought that the contact was unwelcome, but she made no attempt to pull away and so he was just content to hug her like that, as long as she was comfortable with it.

A nervous chuckle escaped him as she commented on his heartbeat, in truth he had hoped that she wouldn't notice how fast his heart was racing, but of course she'd noticed. He didn't know how to explain it as his cheeks flushed with colour, he felt her hand on his chest and his arms tightened around her. He exhaled softly as he thought of what to say, how to explain why his heart was racing the way that it was "I don't know why... My heart just doesn't want to behave itself when you're around" he told her, his words sounded foolish in his own ears and he was internally kicking himself for saying such a thing.

Eventually he held her at arms length, the sad smile returning to his face "I have to go..." he muttered, looking up at the moon that was barely visible through the trees. At this rate he would never leave "I don't want to go..." he mumbled quietly, it wasn't fair that he'd finally met a girl that he could connect with and she was in a rival clan and they couldn't even be together. He knew that leaving her would hurt, more than any injury that he could sustain in battle, but wounds healed and the thought of one day seeing her again, gave him the strength that he needed to leave.

Mariahya

[Mariahya]

Scars go deep, but they can't find it... Flame so bright make the daylight look dark... Artigas Mari closed her eyes again when his arms tightened around her small frame. Being this close to him made everything seem more real….it made time stop for just a moment where it was just she and him. There was nothing to stop them from being together. The only witness to their connection was the moon and she certainly wasn’t going to tell anyone their secret. "I don't know why... My heart just doesn't want to behave itself when you're around" Mari smiled against his chest, her cheeks turning warm once again. “It seems you do the same to mine…” She said looking up at him and taking his hand and placed it over her heart, keeping her eyes locked on his. She knew that it was time. There was nothing else they could do to stop time. In a few hours the sun would rise and Artigas needed to be back to his village in time or else his parents would never let him leave their sight again. She wanted every opportunity to see him again, so she didn’t want to harm their chances now. This would certainly be the hardest goodbye she could ever imagine. When Artigas pulled her away from his body, holding her in front of him, she returned his sad smile. "I have to go..." She nodded her head sadly. She knew it to be true. This was it. "I don't want to go..." Mari let another sad smile find her lips. “I don’t want you to go either…but you must if we have any chance of finding each other again.” She let her small hand find his cheek and she just looked up into his eyes. She leaned up on her tip toes once more, her lips by his ear. “Until you find me once more, Artigas kom Trikru….” She whispered and then kissed his cheek, hugged him once more, afraid to let go, but finally did, letting her hand sit in his until he would start to walk away from her, leaving her alone in the moonlight.

BY SKYLARK'S FOLLY AT ADOXOGRAPHY & CAUTION

[Artigas]

As she placed his hand on her chest his smile broadened as he felt her heart keeping pace with his and he suddenly wasn't as embarrassed as he was before. "They match" he breathed, a small smirk played on his lips as his gaze locked with hers and he found that he didn't want to look away. They were so different, from two different worlds it seemed and yet he'd managed to fall for the one girl he couldn't have, the one girl that he had to leave behind. The one girl that his parents would never approve of, he was sure that all his parents wanted was for him to be happy, but he doubted that they'd be willing to approve of a relationship between himself and a girl from a rival clan.

Nodding sadly in acceptance the boy looked at the ground "I will return one day..." he vowed, knowing that he had every intention of keeping his promise. As she reached up on her tip-toes once again to whisper in his ear and to kiss his cheek again, the boy bit his lip. This goodbye was turning out to be much harder than he had originally anticipated and he felt that familiar ache in his chest. This time when she kissed him he didn't freeze as he had previously, he was now accustomed to the affection that she showed him and he felt a lump forming in his throat as she bid him farewell.

Releasing his hold on her, he retrieved his spear from the ground and gripped it firmly in his hand, this was not a battle he could fight with his weapons, the pain in his heart would not cease until he finally reunited with Mariahya. The wound would not heal, not yet, not until they met again. "As long as you believe that you will see me again, there is nothing to stop it from coming true" he whispered to her as he took a step towards her. Leaning forwards he kissed her cheek softly "I'll see you soon" the words were a promise, goodbyes were final, he wouldn't say goodbye, not to her. He turned to leave and with one final glance over his shoulder he held his breath and strode away, allowing the shadows to consume him knowing that if he risked another glance, he would never find the strength to leave.

Mariahya

[Mariahya]

Scars go deep, but they can't find it... Flame so bright make the daylight look dark... Artigas Mari closed her eyes as Artigas kissed her cheek. When his lips left her skin, she placed her hand where they had just been, not wanting the feeling to go away. She opened her eyes "I'll see you soon". She nodded her head sadly and watched as he walked away, taking one last glance over his shoulder. She couldn't bring herself to say anything more for fear she would not be able to hold herself together. She kept her eyes on him until he was swallowed by the shadows. Takin ga deep breath, she looked up at the moon and smiled. Their secret affections were just that...and until they meet again, no one would no about them...no one but she, Artigas and the moon. Mari grabbed her dress and pulled it back over her head, securing her knife back at her hip. Back to her ways...to the only way she knew. She took one last look at the waterfall, bowed her head towards the graves, and bit her lip as she thought back on the last moments she had had tonight with the man. Turning on her heel, she picked up her shoes and made her way back to camp. She saw a light in the distance and knew that Hartley was still awake. She dropped her shoes by her blanket and laid out under the stars not wanting the shelter of tents tonight. Hartley would no doubt keep watch until morning, his usual duty. She heard him shuffle in the darkness upon hearing her return. "Are you going to tell me who he was?" He asked, concern etched on his face and yet a small smirk at the same time. Mari lifted her eyes to her older brother. She wasn't surprised to hear that Hartley had been spying on her. It made sense as to why he never came looking for her...he was checking in from time to time. Mari sighed.  "Someone kind...someone too good for me...someone I can't have...someone I'll never see again." She wrapped her arms around her knees and looking back up at the moon. She felt the blanket shift as Hartley sat next to her. "I have never seen you so happy Mariahya...I could hear your laughter from here..." Mari met his eyes and he wrapped his arm around his little sister's shoulders. "Love is not something you can fight Mariahya...don't let it get away." Mari bit her lip and leaned her head on his shoulder, knowing that she could never tell Hartley who that man truly was...and she didn't have the heart to tell him that she could never openly love Artigas either....she was doomed to heartbreak.

BY SKYLARK'S FOLLY AT ADOXOGRAPHY & CAUTION