The Daemon's Tale Ch. 03

A brief description of Gabriel's world:

A few people have questioned some of the details in my story, which is entirely fair enough as although I am engaged in an ongoing roleplay with Gabriel and am therefore familiar with his world, you lovely readers are not -- yet. So here's a little information to guide your further reading of this story.

Gabriel's world is inhabited by four races: The Faeries, the Mortals, the Shapeshifters and the Daemons. Within each race exist four species. The Faeries include the Fairies (slight difference in spelling, you'll notice), the Elves, the Muses and the Changelings. The Mortals include the Humans, the Shamans, the Mages and the Sorcerers. The Shapeshifters include the Werebeasts, the Sprites, the Celestials and the Hunters. And the Daemons include the Demons (again a slight variation in spelling -- this is what Gabriel is), the Vampires, the Elementals and the Golems. Each creature in this world has access to a one specific kind of magic -- it might be elemental, for example, or it might be to do with craftsmanship, and so on. Gabriel's magic is known as Bardic and is related to charisma, influence, hypnotism and performance.

Furthermore each race has a different leadership style. The Faeries are ruled by a Council in which the most powerful magical being (Tiran, Chapter 2) is the leader. The Mortals are ruled by a royal family which works exactly as the British monarchy does. The Shapeshifters are ruled by an Alpha male and female, who fight for the title, and the Daemons are ruled by a single Daemon Lord -- Gabriel, and the title is also decided by fighting as I have hinted in the story so far.

Throughout this story we may come across many of the species I have described above, although probably not all. Hopefully with this basic knowledge you will understand the rest of my tale. Happy reading and as always, thanks so much for your interest. Remember that if you want to see something in the story I welcome suggestions and though I won't use every idea thrown my way I certainly gain inspiration from you guys sometimes.

~Archer~

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A timid knock on his door startled Gabriel from his moody reverie; she arrived at the exact same time as her previous visits though of course she had missed several days in order to avoid him at his most dangerous. The commotion had fallen quite silent sometime the previous night however and she must have judged it safe to return to her treatment schedule. Gabriel opened the door to find Vaern wearing a stern expression and her usual pale green robes but she brushed past him wordlessly, hauling her case of healing supplies behind her. The room she arrived to was entirely different to the one she had been in some days previously; it had been a clean, simple room then -- sparsely furnished but elegant and carefully suited to the Daemon Lord's tastes. It was no longer furnished at all.

If she hadn't seen the four-poster bed with her own eyes on her last visit Vaern would never have guessed there had been one. It was reduced to splinters, the chunks not even suitable for firewood, with the bedding too shredded beyond recognition. Even the chair was no longer intact and though one might guess it had indeed once been a chair it was well and truly broken, teetering precariously on the edge of collapse. The mirror that had adorned his wall was shattered and strewn over the floor and even the structure of the room hadn't been left untouched -- large chunks had been torn out of the walls. The destruction as single Daemon could cause when that Daemon was the undoubtedly powerful Daemon Lord was quite astounding.

Gabriel had the grace to look sheepish but Vaern ignored the scene of destruction; ever the healer, her focus was immediately on her patient. He looked weary now, his energy spent, the fight drained from him by his actions over the last few days. The shadows beneath his eyes were a heavy, bruised purple, all the more noticeable due to his otherwise pale complexion. He hadn't slept since she'd left him last and it showed, the fire in his eyes all but faded now. Though he didn't look as stricken as he had on the first day she had tended him he seemed to have sunk into moody contemplation after his bout of destructive fury. She frowned at him in a matronly way -- how could she heal him if he insisted on making his health worse whenever she left?

To Gabriel's relief she didn't tell him off for the alarming state of his room. The Elf was entirely focused on him but she didn't look happy and Gabriel could understand that, though again he was finding it difficult to muster the energy to care. She wasn't about to get any happier either.

"Come here, I need to check that shoulder," she instructed firmly, tugging the Daemon by the wrist to a height where she could more easily inspect it. As expected her frown deepened once she unwound the bandaging because during his exertions Gabriel had completely torn out the stitches -- the wound was clean, yes, but in terms of damage was worse than when he'd first arrived. Vaern wasn't best pleased.

"You're supposed to be healing, Gabriel, not exerting yourself like a cooped up animal. It's bleeding again, you infuriating Daemon. You make an awful patient you know." Scowling, she dabbed away the drying blood and peered attentively at the injury. Despite himself a lazy smile drifted across Gabriel's features and he rolled his good shoulder in a careless shrug.

"I didn't do it on purpose, believe it or not." Vaern sighed, acknowledging the truth of his words with a resigned nod.

"I know that, but I'm quite used to my patients actually wanting to get better. You're going to have a terrible scar now."

"War wounds. They're supposed to be impressive, aren't they?" Gabriel's quip was light and careless but the moment he actually thought about the words he clammed up all over again. War wounds were all well and good -- he had his share -- but he needed no reminder of the fateful night he'd gained this particular one. All he wanted to do was forget.

The Daemon abruptly darkened and Vaern could actually feel the change in the atmosphere as he did so. The man had presence -- each mood swing was impossible to miss by those anywhere near him, as though his emotions rolled off him in palpable waves. And never had she met someone as unpredictable as this Demon; he swung from calm to tense, from obliging to withdrawn, with little more than a wrong word or gesture. Though she didn't show it he made her uneasy because guessing what he might be feeling or doing from minute to minute was near impossible and not only did that make him enigmatic and volatile, it made him perilous to be around.

If she was afraid of him though, she hid it well. Vaern laid a hand on Gabriel's forearm, an instinctive gesture from someone of a helping profession that was meant to comfort and reassure. He watched it for a moment with an impassive teal gaze; her honey-coloured hand pretty against the silver-cream of his skin and delicate in its smallness when compared to the tensely corded muscle as he clenched his fist. But it worked; she caught his attention enough to drag his thoughts away from darkness and death by intriguing him with her actions and the motives behind them. Had he failed to notice the charms of the Faeries before because he was so infatuated with Katherine? It was not that he felt he was falling for Vaern but it had been a long time since he'd seen beauty in anything but his pale-haired mate and now he acknowledged that it did indeed exist. The knowledge was bittersweet and certainly not worth losing Katherine for but he found himself slightly soothed nonetheless. Perhaps he was still capable of thoughts that weren't clouded with misery and loss.

"There is somewhere I would like to take you, Gabriel."

Gabriel looked up and caught Vaern's gaze, finding warmth and openness in the dusky blue orbs. Had his gaze ever looked so welcoming and innocent, he wondered? He doubted it somehow. He didn't possess her goodness or openness of heart, not even before the tragedy that had torn his world apart. There had always been darkness in him and although he didn't think this was a bad thing because it defined him as a Daemon, he did find himself gravitating towards the goodness in the gentle Elf. Perhaps this was why he found her intriguing, he thought idly. He could never have that peace, even if he wasn't sure he wanted it.

"Where?"

"A healing place. It is some distance from here, though still in the Faerie stronghold. I think it will be good for you. We believe it can soothe both body and spirit."

What did he have to lose? Absolutely nothing anymore, Gabriel realised, so with a defeated sigh he nodded. They would no doubt like some time to fix his room and replace his furniture anyway, being ever the gracious hosts despite his terrible behaviour. And how much worse could this experience be than long, torturous hours pacing his room and thinking about Katherine? This had to be rock bottom. Only one way to go, and that was up.

"Okay. Take me there."

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They stepped lightly, this unlikely pair, leaping from moss-covered rock to fallen log with the ease and grace of elegant deer. Or at least Vaern did, with her long limbs and delicate steps. Gabriel could more accurately be described as cat-like with movements no less graceful and yet somehow almost predatory, each languorous stride unintentionally sensuous. It was impossible to trudge through this terrain and the Daemon found he was forced to adopt his more familiar posture and movement in order to follow and keep up with Vaern. She coaxed energy and grace from him with the unspoken challenge of keeping his word in going to her healing place, a feat that Gabriel had to acknowledge as quite significant. He hadn't believed himself capable of finding his old effortless grace once the lethargy of grief had settled in a suffocating blanket over his thoughts and emotions.

Now, though, he revelled in it and the blanket lifted ever so slightly. For just a little while he could breathe again as he focused on the exertion of flexing muscles and exercising balance rather than on the loss that defined so many of his waking minutes. He could almost say he was enjoying himself although he didn't examine this relief too closely. He feared in doing so the guilt might overwhelm him; it was a growing emotion to add to the other unwanted ones because he had survived and Katherine, helplessly placing her trust in his protection, had died. No, best not to think about that right now.

Fortunately the hours stretched out with ease as Vaern led him wordlessly over hills and up sheer, craggy cliff-faces, through weeping willow trees and melancholy swamps. He focused on the ease with which she picked her path, an ease presumably borne of close familiarity. He noticed how a faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips as they drew closer to their destination. He followed her in picking up the pace when the sound of gurgling water reached their ears. He caught the same fresh, cold scent as her and even smiled at the expression of peace it encouraged in the Elf. Her presence was fast becoming another crutch against his grief and Gabriel found he was powerless to do anything about that -- when relief, however uncertain, was offered, how could he do anything but take it?

She had been speaking the truth when she said the healing place was some distance away, for Gabriel's skin was covered in a thin sheen of sweat by the time they arrived. He'd welcomed the physical exertion though and any difficulty in mustering the energy to get here was forgotten when he saw Vaern's sanctuary; Faerie beauty drenched the place and he found himself instantly enchanted.

It was a small fresh water spring located in the centre of a stand of mahogany-barked trees. Exotic flowers he couldn't name grew thickly around its edges and willows trailed their branches lazily over the azure surface. He'd heard the Forest of the Faeries was far more alive than trees were elsewhere, coaxed into life by their whimsical magic and lively natures. And here, in this small island of peace that was seemingly insulated against the harsh reality of the rest of his world, Gabriel could believe those stories.

While lost in that enchantment the Daemon didn't move for some time. His gaze followed the journeys of small, brightly coloured birds that danced in airborne troupes over the still water and sipped the nectar from unruly wildflowers. He drew in slow, deep breaths that smelt of life and healing. And Vaern couldn't help but be entranced in turn by the Daemon Lord coming slowly back to life; in these few precious moments she caught a glimpse of the man he'd once been -- arrogant, charismatic, striking and hypnotic. She'd never met anyone anything like him, she mused. She could imagine him before the tragedy now; potently charming, devastatingly beautiful, utterly confident. And despite his terrible loss she hoped that she could find the ability to restore him to that unique, powerful individual.

"Wonderful, isn't it?"

Gabriel nodded wordlessly though Vaern's softly spoken statement tugged him closer to reality, if not entirely back to it, lessening the potent hold the enchantment of the place exacted over him. It hardly dimmed the lustre of the spring though and the Daemon made no protest when Vaern took his hand and tugged him gently but insistently through the thick, sweet-scented foliage to the edge of the water.

"The Faeries believe this is one of the places where our magic connects with the land. Bathing in the water is soothing and healing, and although only my kind is supposed to do so the Council granted me permission to bring you here."

Gabriel turned to watch Vaern as she spoke to him in her soft, almost musical voice. She fitted so well here, he noticed -- peaceful and calming in nature and yet he could sense the potency of her healing magic; see it simmering behind her dusky blue eyes.

"They wish the Daemon Lord to return to strength and retain his power, you see. So many of your kind lack your diplomacy and charm and though they may be an effective leader of the Daemons they do not effectively cooperate and interact with the other species. We have seen violent, impatient Lords before you Gabriel, and although you are far from faultless we do not want to lose you."

So much so that she'd brought him to one of their most sacred places, Gabriel mused. And though he was grateful for their concern and the lengths they were willing to go to in order to help him remain Lord, he couldn't even contemplate turning his mind to his political duties now. Pain, still fresh and raw, limited his thought processes to the here and now -- to the beautiful spring and the kind Elf who was surely going above and beyond her call of duty.

To the Daemon's surprise Vaern shrugged off her light green robe and then unselfconsciously stepped out of the simple cream dress she wore beneath it. For all the creatures of this world except the Mortals this was normal behaviour; clothing was used to signify status or protect against the elements but the concept of modesty did not exist among the trees. Gabriel himself only ever wore light cotton pants, opting for bare feet and a bare chest, because Daemons had a high natural body temperature and didn't need the barrier against the cold. However something about the intimacy of the setting made him slightly uncomfortable; perhaps it was the continued images of Katherine which dominated his thoughts, and the fact that this felt somehow like he was betraying her. He knew it was ridiculous but still he hesitated as Vaern waded slowly into the spring.

She was certainly attractive, he thought idly as he watched her. She was tall and lean with long, elegant limbs, toned from travels through the forest and the Faerie realm. Light golden skin offset the caramel hue of her hair and provided a pretty backdrop for her warm blue eyes, and like all Elves her bone structure was delicate and aristocratic. The light sprinkling of freckles across her nose might have been considered a flaw by some but for Gabriel they enhanced rather than detracted from her beauty, making her seem down-to-earth and friendly at first glance. That impression was an accurate one of course for rarely had Gabriel come across such a compassionate soul, and being able to read her so easily only made him more comfortable around her.

Once she was submerged up to her shoulders Vaern turned and beckoned silently to Gabriel, inviting him to join her. Ordinarily he probably wouldn't have, far too consumed by guilt and confusion to do anything but lose his temper, but the enchantment of this place and this person still held. Gabriel stripped off and warily stepped into the shallows.

The spring was pleasantly cool though certainly not cold and the Daemon waded slowly deeper, relishing the velvet silkiness of the water against his overheated skin. His eyes slid shut in relaxed delight and he noticed the subtle smell of lavender coming off the water. Vaern stood still and watched Gabriel with a faint smile -- she'd been right to bring him here. He looked much better already.

"Come here."

Gabriel's eyes flickered open and he complied, drifting lazily in Vaern's direction. Though he felt his vitality had been somewhat restored by the journey here the water had an easing effect on his muscles and he felt no desire to overexert himself. It had been years since he'd felt so calm, he decided. Not since long before he'd become the Daemon Lord over a century before.

Vaern cupped her hands to capture some of the water and poured it carefully over Gabriel's injured shoulder once he stood in front of her. She'd also gathered a handful of herbs which she crushed and rubbed gently over the injury, causing the Daemon Lord to hiss at the stinging pain she created. Only moments later though it seemed to go numb, the constant ache he hadn't realised was there easing, and Vaern swum easily around to stand behind him.

"Relax, Daemon Lord. I can help you heal."

Gabriel did as he was told and the Elf ran her deft hands over the back of his neck and along the tightly corded muscles of his back. Her fingers laboured carefully but skilfully to loosen the knots of tension in his muscles and work away the stresses of not only Katherine's death, but also his responsibilities as the Lord of the Daemons. Gabriel melted helplessly under her touch, almost purring in ecstasy. Had it been so long since he'd stopped to consider his own wellbeing that he'd failed to realise how stressed he'd been? Even when he'd had Katherine he must have been constantly occupied with daily worries, never able to fully let go. Somehow Vaern was doing more than restoring him to the man he'd been before Katherine's death -- she was improving on that man, healing parts of him he hadn't even realised were unwell.

"Thank you," he murmured distractedly and Vaern smiled, her fingers sliding through Gabriel's dark hair before resting lightly on his temples, where she resumed the massage. He sank further into the cool water to soothe the flush the Elf was bringing to his silver skin with her talented attentions and to allow her to reach him more easily; though she was taller than most women Gabriel still stood a head over her. No muscle of his upper body was spared her careful ministrations until she finally finished with his hands, having fully examined the elegant bone structure supporting many silver rings set the precious stones, and the shortened but ever-present claws that marked him as a Daemon. Vaern drifted lazily back around in front of him and cupped his face in her hands.

"Better, Gabriel?"

"Yes," he replied honestly, eyes half-lidded in blissful relaxation and growing weariness. He felt as though he could sleep for days after all the energy he had exerted destroying his room and then travelling to the Faerie spring. The pain of loss was still there -- Vaern couldn't relieve him of that -- but rather than sending rage coursing through his veins and thoughts crashing through his mind the grief was contained in a ball somewhere deep in his chest, aching but bearable and no longer taking over his every reflection and action. The weight that had pressed so heavily on both body and heart became, for now, manageable.