meryasek

[meryasek]

"Really? You used to hate it when I'd come here." They always had seen it differently. Mery had tried to gain back what little respect the world had left of the fey. He'd always brought up good points, he was always a good senator – he'd put his heart into it. Only for the tables to be turned and the idea that fey were out because of all the things they'd done. The world had taken them for granted, and now they were once more tethered to it. Meryasek leaned into the touch, the warmth of Dareth's skin enough to keep him content for the time being.

"Is that what you want now, old man?" He murmured the words with a hint of mirth, turning his blue gaze onto the other's dark and unruly hair. Mery looked away from the curls, to his strong features, and finally back to the sand and sea. Lupercalia was soon, they would have to have fun while they could, and then it was back to their world. "I'm done with this world for now," he admitted, thinking of the path that he was carving for himself and their children. Perhaps more, but he wasn't sure what would come of their months of isolation. Perhaps Soranus would know. "You know I wouldn't say no if you wished to live a nice housewife lifestyle. You could wear an apron, nothing underneath, I wouldn't mind."

wink wonk honky tonk

They would need to return to the normal world once again, their honeymoon would end eventually, but for now, Dareth was content to drift with Meryasek on the shores of the deserted island. They had started in the bedroom, moved towards the kitchen, the den, the porch, and had finished on the sands alongside the sea.

He ran his fingers through Meryasek's curls, unsure if the Chancellor and daemonfey could say the same. The man who was still confronting the parts of himself that were only recently uncovered, a father he'd never known, and a lineage that he had yet discovered. His mother's broken promises. Elves could not lie but that did not mean they could always live up to their word. Dareth wished he could make the other believe that he was so much more than whatever his parents had passed down to him, that walking away was just as valid a choice as following in the footsteps of Mars or Titania, perhaps more so.

"This world has its moments." Dareth had always been a stark hater of the realm that had chased them from its shores ages ago. Deep within its bones, the mortal world held remnants of the Dawn Court that had inhabited it long ago. A Court that Titania had once heralded from, the very same blood that had flown through Meryasek's veins flowed through the bedrock of this place as well. The paragons a distant cousin, the seas an old friend. Dareth had disliked his lover's fixation with this place, his determination to stand upon the senate and prove himself worthy. "I could be happy here as long as I was here with you." He knew Meryasek had his ambitions, grand designs of this, that, conquest, and more but there was a beauty in quiet simplicity.

[meryasek]

"I guess not," but it still made Meryasek feel...some sort of way. There was eternity before them, and Faren had decided against that. Six hundred and some change of years was nothing, and Mery wondered why Faren wished to leave him for a life that was over in a heartbeat. "What do you mean?" He couldn't read minds, and his brother was being weirdly vague. The daemonfey waited expectantly now, tilting his head, "Who are you speaking with?"

"Would it be so bad if it was?" He has his plans, his thoughts that keep him up at night when he feels hellbent on being discontent in one way or another. Time had once felt so vast, daunting even, and he'd felt happy to live in the moment at first. But he could see it in Mery's eyes, it was the same kind of look Aurora gave him every now and then. The worry, like they knew he was slipping through their fingers, the sand was moving through the hourglass faster now. Farenduil had all but switched places with Micah now, his son, his brothers, the object of his affection, they'd all outlive him like this and he doesn't know if he's strong enough to leave them in such a way, not really. "I have someone I need to speak with at Lupercalia, don't ready my plot in the cemetery just yet." He gives his younger brother a gentle nudge to the ribs, smiling softly before he gives a slight shake of his head.

[meryasek]

[meryasek]

Meryasek felt sorry for Soranus now, looking at the Dawn Elf who was so overjoyed every time a new eladrin had been brought into the world. The other was now combined with his revenant, and that was surely the reason Soranus no longer felt like he could. "One day, you might." Soranus didn't have to carry the child, anyway. Someone would take one for the team. "You'll have your hands full with Zahrya, anyway. One at a time."

"I spent a long time waiting for the right person," Soranus admitted; he knew it was occasionally possible for an elve to produce a child on their own... But that had not been the case for him, and certainly not as an eladrin. He'd been happy to raise Horus' child alongside the God, pleased for a time, anyways. "now though," Soranus thought about Justice and the body that was no longer his own. "it's no longer possible for me to have children of my own, so I'll take to helping others with theirs whenever I can."

[meryasek]

Meryasek tossed his head back and laughed for a moment, breaking the kiss so he could try to contain himself, "Three? Absolutely not. One perfect fey'ri, like me." He was sure perhaps he could have a baby, one more – only one. Three, then Meryasek would be happy enough to spoil them for eternity. His lips met Dareth's once more, the sure and strong body he was used to. The only one he'd willingly worship, anyway. His lips moved from the other's to Dareth's sharp jaw, to his neck where he could suck another mark into it. His lips followed down to Dareth's chest, down to his navel, and finally to the cum gutters. "You sure you can keep up with me," he murmured, though it was mostly rhetorical as he found the other hard and ready between soft thighs. His fingers trailed along Dareth's cock, sliding around the base so he could slide his mouth over the head, swallowing the other down in one go.

"We managed two last time, so are we going for three this time?" Two was enough, more than enough; Dareth had enough anxiety around the children, and the last thing he wanted was to start following in the Dawn Court's footsteps. But he wouldn't deny Mery, not when he loved him so brazenly; the daemonfey was tempestuous and challenging to deal with, but that was all but of the chancellor's charm. Enigmatic, magnetic, powerful, and completely devoted to their bond. Dareth leaned into the fingers that threaded through his hair as he draped the former king over him. "Vhenan," Dareth repeated the affectation, brushing his fingers alongside Meryasek's temple. The wedding had been perfect, but this was the sort of vacation that the two of them were owed. In their bed, they were removed from the politics, expectations, and trials that had bloomed within the new realm.

[meryasek]

Meryasek tilted his head now, though he smiled when the other laughed. He couldn't help it, Laer's excitement was contagious. The fey'ri leaned into the Pilgrim, grateful for the connection. There were few he found himself eager to see, or eager to even listen to, but Laer remained on his short list. The other had been through thousands of years of life, something he wouldn't let Laer forget, "Bold of you to assume Dareth would wish for anything but his former season. I've never known him be so demanding until he'd decided now was the time to do it."

"Bahahaha!" Exuberant laughter echoed from the base of Laer's chest as he took immense amusement at the chancellor's comment. The Sun Court had the most expansive domain of the five, the air above and the seas around them and below them; now was at last the time of the elves. It was their time to resurge, to come back, and to build something new at long last. Laer placed a hand on the daemon's cheek, "You're entitled to one day devoted entirely to yourself; if I seem glum, it's because you dared to choose the winter solstice for your nuptials instead of the summer." He winked, "Honestly, Meryasek, this season does not deserve you." Laer placed his arm around the other and gestured towards Laurelin, "Come, walk with me."

[meryasek]

"Obviously, Aegnor. I wouldn't just say you." VIP's were welcome first, of course, but he supposed he'd welcome the other's, too. Their Court would grow, it would become a home for those who didn't have one, or perhaps didn't feel like they belonged to each of the other ones. Either way, it was a perfect place for Aegnor. Plus, his brother had to listen to him. It was a win win. "Well, you in or what?"

It had been a long time since Aegnor had been treated to the younger sibling trait, and he couldn't quite prevent the smirk that edged itself onto his lips. Perhaps there was indeed hope for them yet. "No, but I am getting there," for there had been little chance for Aegnor to fully understand his brother. To know what he wanted of Meryasek. The war had certainly taken more from them than they realized. "I have others who follow me now. Will you give them space, as well?"

[meryasek]

"I know I didn't. I'm the best gift you're ever going to get," Mery teased, tilting his head now as he moved closer to the bed. The gift could wait, he had someone else to attend to. He came back onto the bed, his hands sliding up the side of the other's neck to his strong jaw, "The deal is we wouldn't leave here till you put another baby in me," he teased, pulling Dareth in for a strangely gentle kiss. Meryasek enjoyed the feel of the other's strong body beneath him, always would, and this little honeymoon was going to be no different. He'd wear the aasimar out if he had to. Mery tangled his fingers into Dareth's hair, the unruly curls that he loved so much, tugging lightly until Dareth sat up. His possessiveness over Dareth ran deep from the idea that he'd lost him too many times, and gone were the days of a winter warder chasing a spring prince around Rome for fun. Easier times, but ones that he hoped for their children whenever they found someone to love. He'd said this many times before, but the quietness of the moment was something he always chased, "Ar lath ma, vhenan."

Back home, the sitter probably had their hands full; after this getaway together, it was likely that they'd have even more to take care of in a few months. Dareth wondered what sort of offspring would come from this union of theirs, though that was a question best reserved for the Dawn Court's self-proclaimed chancellor and God of fertility. The wedding itself had been without equal; every significant person had been there, and the wedded couple had been lavished with gifts and praises. So many gifts, too many gifts, and here was Meryasek with another.

"It's beautiful, but you didn't have to get me anything," Dareth said as Meryasek presented the cloak. The thought was excellent; it was clear that the chancellor had gone to some lengths to make the object. Dareth knew that Meryasek still longed for their closeness, bond, and alignment in their ideals. He knew he could never honestly know what the chancellor was going through, what Meryasek felt, and how Dareth could help. In the interim, he looked forward to spending the rest of their considerable lives together, seeing what Meryasek would do, and living his own life simultaneously. "come back to bed." They had an agreement and the fact that Meryasek was holding any materials at all was going back on that deal.

[meryasek]

"I'm not, and you didn't even answer half my questions." Mery tilted his head now, looking at Farenduil expectantly. This was a big deal – an archfiend around, his father, and he had to avoid everyone else in the meantime. His wedding – he was sure Faren was jealous, that had to be the reason he didn't answer him. Looking at his very human brother, he stopped in front of him. "I made a beach here, one you can visit. But I know you want something....simple. Human. Mortal. Look at you, Faren. Is this what you really want?"

He chuckles at the idea of Mery passing said crown to him, gives a shake of his head. Because they both know that's far behind him now. Instead he focuses on what his younger sibling is saying, what he's worried about. They're both suffering a bit of an identity crisis, it would seem. Things are so different now, but Farenduil can't shake that they're the same still, the two of them, at their core. "You're being too hard on yourself. One day at a time." He nods to affirm the statement, it's one he's told himself in the mirror over and over again the last few weeks. It's simple, but it's doing something for him, maybe it'll help Mery, too.

[meryasek]

"No, no help. I've got it." Meryasek thought it was nice of Cloud to ask, but it wasn't like the other could do something that he needed at the moment. "All you can do – make yourself at home. This place is for you, too. Elves like us." He wanted to know what Cloud wanted, anyway. What their plans were. His friend was always a bit unsettled, something of a shield that constantly stood up. Constantly put themselves in harms way. Yet they always came out the other side. Many warders couldn't say the same thing. "What do you want to do with your life, here?"

Cloud was thankful for people like Meryasek in their life. It had felt like they'd only had two friends that weren't familial all their life. Mery and Laer were those two and they were the only people that the elf had really found themself around in the past few months. If they went outside the forest, they feared they would hurt someone. It wasn't something they wanted to do, but it was clear that they didn't have as much control as they would have liked to have. The craving for blood was much more intolerable than they had originally anticipated. Still, Mery had invited them here and they weren't about to ignore the invitation no matter how much they wished to stay in solitude most of the time. "It's great. You did a great job." They closed their eyes for a moment to gather themself before looking around again. "Do you need help with anything?"

[meryasek]

"You do not need to do this," he mocked, in some really deep lilted drow accent. "Please, I wouldn't if I didn't want to. It's like you don't even know me." Meryasek hardly did anything he didn't want, that was the whole problem, most of the time. Dareth told him no once, everything in the Spring Court had probably died for a few seconds. "It's because we're the largest. Beneath all four." The stars masked the fact that there was no sky, but who needed an illusion when he had the real thing within? "Anyway, what do you say?"

Yes, Aegnor had taken some time to arrive at the court after he had received his brother's invitation. For a small part of him did not expect to find a place within it. The brothers had been raised differently, and now, they had found themselves upon different paths. Meryasek had become something else, as had Aegnor. When once they had been different, now they were infinitely so once more. "Your court is further than I remember," he stated, his own grin settled upon his features. Though they had their differences, Aegnor had wanted to know more of his younger brother. It seemed he would be getting his wish as the other's words settled in, "You do not need to do this simply because we are brothers." For Aegnor wondered if this was only because of their mother, of the sacrifice she had made. Even now, he could recall the notion of the shadow he had created, of the one that Meryasek had lived in for far too long.

[meryasek]

Soranus' excitement only made Mery wrinkle his nose to hide a laugh, "No, no." He waved his hand now, "Been there, done that. Maybe another. But I don't know if that's possible." Perhaps he could have another fey'ri, one like him. The hollowborn twins were in good hands, growing every day and having the run of all the courts. It was all they'd deserved and more. Soranus' love for children reminded him of Zahrya, and that maybe one day he'd have another. "I don't even know if I can." Meryasek considered the other for a moment, "And you? No one would probably make a better parent."

Few people rarely did, change was always painful, but Soranus wasn't sure he could entirely relate. He wished he could be someone who saw this world as half full, but even in this realm he saw the cracks beneath the surface. "Why?" Soranus' smile broadened, "Are you expecting again?" It would so fill his heart with joy once more and perhaps even cure this perpetual state of melancholia if he could attend by the other's side and help him deliver more children into this world.

[meryasek]

Meryasek hummed, though he was watching Laer's cool and collected features. He loved the Pilgrim, would always find himself in the Sun Court. The heat didn't bother him, he relished in it, and this court would be no different. "Yes, because you've hardly talked about yourself in the past five minutes. I know it's my wedding, but it hasn't stopped you before." He was only slightly teasing, curious about Laer's endeavors and all of that. He was sure the elf would have something to say about everything. Or even about what Meryasek had become, too. He barely knew, and he had waited for Laer to tell him something – anything, really. "Thank you for the gifts. My children are lucky to have you watching out for them."

"Such is the way with most weddings, I think." Laer had enjoyed himself and he was grateful that the former king appreciated the offerings brought forth by the Sun court. Meryasek's happiness would forever mean a great deal to him, the other was not of his court, but many of the young fey who once clung onto his every word had not been. It was with immense pride that he looked at the daemonfey now, certainly a plot twists, but that made for an even more interesting story that he was sure Meryasek would someday tell with pride. The question caught him off guard though, with a smile Laer answered in predictable fashion, "Have I given you any reason to believe otherwise?"

[meryasek]

@darethxshiral Location: a honeymoon period

Escaping the fanfare when he knew it was enough was perhaps the best thing he could have done. Mery knew it was a great day, a grand day even, no one would ever best it. It lived on, in the memories of the great tree, so that anyone who ever wanted a wedding in the future could see how theirs would never live up to the one of Mery and Dareth. Sorrows sorrows, prayers for them.

Meryasek had dragged Dareth away plenty of times, whatever argument they'd had over swatches and unhappiness and trauma floated away, waiting to come back another time if Meryasek could ever process it and discuss it. Seemed like less of a topic for a honeymoon, however, and while Mery had been in love with Dareth for so long now, it felt almost cheap to ruin their moment by sharing his new husband with everyone else in the elven world.

Either way, Meryasek had worked hard on his gift to Dareth. His song mixed with his newfound hellfire had made something that he thought would be fitting. He knew how good Dareth looked in shadow armor, and now his new form was just as aesthetically pleasing. Meryasek wished for the other to hold on to him again, even though their warder bond was broken again, for the however many time, it would be something the other could use. While he knew that the other no longer wished to die for causes, and that was how everyone felt Mery was sure, the cloak he'd made was there as a source of power, anyway. Connected to Mery's magic just in case. "I already got you a ring, I figured something else was necessary. It holds the sky that you love so much."

[meryasek]

"Laer," Meryasek couldn't hide his glee. It had been too long since a smile had reached his eyes, since he could remember how it felt to know joy and happiness, to remember that there was more to life than standing on a precipice of war. He threw his arms around Laer in a welcome hug, the gifts from the Summer Court as glorious as he could dream they would be. His children would wear them with pride, designed to grow in age with them, the armor would be a nice call out to one of their godfathers.

"I'm just glad no one messed up. It was nearly a funeral as opposed to a wedding." Dareth had only managed to irk him once, and Meryasek had tried to make sure his husband's big day had gone off without a hitch. It was nice enough to remember what he'd chosen, and to show it off in front of all the courts? Mery couldn't have hoped for anything better. Now was a time of love and hope, joy that he would hold on to for as long as possible.

"Are you happy, Laer?" It had been a question that Meryasek had wished to ask for months now; the other's chosen devotion to a mortal, to things that used to be impossible, but he hadn't gotten to speak to the Chancellor. Not like they used to. And for now, he waited expectantly, hoping that Laer could once again find a joy that perhaps he'd missed while being gone from the Courts for so long.

@meryasek location: ur wedding, duh. Audule notes: kiss kiss

Without question the ceremony had been without equal, a thousand songbirds had heralded the arrival of the lovely couple, and ten thousand swans had danced an orchestrated routine through the clouds above. Very clear and very obvious dictations had taken place, it was no wonder that the couple had gone to such extremes. In no lifetime of the elves present had there been a wedding between a royal-blooded elf and another. Titania had never wed, and if she had the fanfare would have been equal to what Meryasek and Dareth commanded now.

It was with no small measure of pride that he watched the clear devotion that rang between them, the love and the symmetry that echoed between the two that had endured trials that would have broken others. Winter to drow to something else entirely; spring to king to another force. Laer had proudly backed Meryasek's place as King, and he would have followed him still, but it was with absolute respect that he watched as the daemonfey took up a new mantle instead.

Love, a court, and family. Three things that people like them rarely got to choose, destiny did not care for wants, only deeds. Meryasek had inherited a title when there was no one left willing to take it, but in his decision he showed them all that the courts were sturdy enough to stand on their own. For too long Laer had given up on learning anything new, and yet here he was watching the old be reborn once more. It seemed he too had a long way to go, and that was very exciting to the Pilgrim.

Three gifts Laer had brought for the couple, the first was the boon of the skies above. The clouds of Audule had parted to reveal the stars through the branches of the great, golden Laurelin. Above them the Sun Elves had rearranged a set to inscribe Meryasek and Dareth's place among them.

The second was the lended songs of the elves who'd attended the ceremony, who shared all that they had seen and enjoyed so that the moment could be recreated at any time. A commemoration to be placed within the heart of the Laurelin, melded with the joy of Sune in a budding hall of memories. The sights, the sounds, the scents, the feeling, and even the tastes of this day would stand for an eternity.

The third was brought from the deepest trenches of the earth's ocean, drenched by the elves of the sea in a place that toed the line between the mortal realm and the Otherworld. Through the veins of the paragons themselves Laer had his court retrieve a horn of captured bedrock, a paragon's hide, just enough that the forges of the giants had been conscripted to work over a set of impenetrable armor for the hollowborn twins.

Something old, something borrowed, and something new.

"Congratulations Mery," Laer had watched the boy grow from a child, to a young man, through stubbornness to strength, and it was an honour to stand for him now. "the ceremony was beautiful, you must be pleased."

[meryasek]

Meryasek, perhaps, would allow hugs from few people. As Soranus embraced him, he melted into it for a moment. "I don't miss who I was," he said finally, though it was the only time he would ever admit to such a thing. The words would be ignored, he would pretend he never said them, as he embraced the other he finally pulled away, "You're always welcome. No matter what happens. I'd have you here, if I could."

"None of us did." Though there were distractions, hope, and the springing of newfound life... There was grief beneath it all. Wailing in the night, flowers at her monuments. The courts remembered, some held regrets, but with any loss that was inevitable. "And there's never enough time with the people we love." Soranus moved to embrace the young fey'ri, the prince who'd already been through more than any creature his age ought to. Age wore heavier on Meryasek now, Soranus could see how loss and life had changed him even in the short time that the elf had been gone. "Then here is where you ought to be."

[meryasek]

The fey'ri was suspicious of almost everyone; a hard barrier to crack as the last time they'd had celebrations, his heart had been outside of his chest. Luckily enough, that wasn't a problem anymore. He'd carve it out of his chest and hand it to whomever – that wouldn't kill him this time. He was dressed as glorious as always, shining black cape that held the stars within its very fabric, galaxies swirled in response, and Meryasek tilted his head towards the stranger that had decided to join, "Mm thank you. It is amazing, isn't it? Best wedding this world has ever seen. And you are?"

who?@meryasek where? the wedding reception

Staring is far too rude, and she had been raised with better manners and more cunning to make her interest as noticeable as that. She doesn’t doubt that Mars’ son knows of her glances, the high elf’s clairvoyance likely alerting them of it, but she keeps them subtle enough that as she weaves through the crowds, he will likely not be able to identify who the gaze is coming from until she stands before him. For a long moment, she considers not doing so, for she still does not know enough about his relationship with her sire, but cowardice is not one of her vices, and in this case a direct approach might work better than her games. At the end, she settles next to the Chancellor of the Daemonfey and inclines her head in greeting. “Congratulations on your nuptials.”