Tiyan and Lorian Story #2

Commissioned by: winter-unseelie

Written by: Danni Lynn

Date: October 17th, 2023

Word Count: 1,700 words

Synopsis: Tiyan follows the Fae King, Lorian into a dark, wintery forest to find a Fae God but a few dangers stand in their way.

CW: Action, fantasy violence

Series List: Destiny in the Fae Court, Tiyan and Lorian Story

Heavy snow covered the boreal forest with blankets of rolling drifts, and long teeth-like icicles that hung from open boughs. A soft sprinkle of snowflakes dripped down from the dark sky as two figures made their way through the snow.

In the lead was the tall fae lord, Lorian. The silky curls of his black hair were slick against his forehead as perspiration and a mix of powdered snow crowded his brow. His silver coronet was visible just under the peak of his hood and his dark eyes reflected the blue and gray nighttime shadows circled the piled snow around them.

Tiyan followed in Lorian’s footsteps, carefully stepping in the path he broke through the fresh snow, to save the effort of trudging through the deep drifts himself. Burdened by a backpack and wrapped up in a warm coat, Tiyan eyed the surrounding forest, checking over his shoulder every few steps. He followed Lorian without hesitation, a feeling he never imagined he would have, but at this point he would follow the fae lord anywhere knowing that his efforts were to save his people and the world as a whole.

It was prophesized that the first creatures in the world, the fae gods, who had reached divinity after gaining powers were linked to these mountains where their mortal remains were buried. The fae gods’ have fed off the power of magic and magical creatures for centuries but as that magic had begun to spread to humans, like Tiyan, the gods’ tastes had only grown.

Tiyan stumbled and tried to keep up with Lorian, whose stride was much longer than his own. An icy wind tore at the scarf around his face and teased his red, dripping, nose.

“How much farther do we need to go?” Tiyan asked, shouting above the wind. He wasn’t sure they were even going in a particular direction. Every gray trunk looked the same and the surrounding mountains and hills stretched endlessly into the wintery air. “Do you even know where you are going?!”

Lorian stopped in his tracks and turned around with a small smile. He seemed to be unbothered by the snow, unlike his human counterpart. His smile grew, as if he enjoyed seeing the worry in Tiyan’s eyes, and the strain on his body.

“Why, do you doubt my direction? Have you gotten cold?”

“You said only the distant ancestors of the fae knew where these gods’ remains were. But we’ve been out here for days! Do you really know anything about them?” Tiyan rubbed his hands together and glared at Lorian. He was willing to come along and help with this journey, for the greater good, but he wished it would go a lot faster than this.

“I would be there already if a puny human wasn’t slowing me down. If you walk a little faster, this will be less painless for you,” Lorian countered.

Tiyan frowned. “You should be grateful that I came.”

“As if you had a choice.”

Long ago, since Tiyan’s first appearance in Lorian’s court, he never imagined he would give into serving Lorian, as his pact and now the ongoing prophecy made him. Together, a magic-touched human, and a High Kilyan Fae could make a blood offering to seal the fae god in his mortal remains, halting his spreading powers. Lorian was the only one with this knowledge, as was the burden of royalty, and as a magic-bound servant with a debt, Tiyan had no choice but to go.

Time was also against them. If the fae god awoke fully, as his growing powers signaled, all would be doomed in his hunger and destruction.

Tramping over the next hill, Lorian and Tiyan entered a sloping valley where large craggy rocks covered one wall, exposed to the air by the cutting winds. Lorian entered the slope first but put a hand up to stop Tiyan’s approach. A chill, deeper than the cold he was already feeling, tickled the back of Tiyan’s neck and trickled deep into his bones.

Something was watching them.

Suddenly, a howl pierced the night and a large body collided with Tiyan from behind. Lorian jumped to the side as an explosion of snow was hurled into the air and Tiyan screamed, choking on snow and spit. Tiyan tumbled down the slope and caught himself on a rock as a large creature leapt up to stand over him. It was a beast covered in thick fur, a barrel-chest, and stocky four-legs. Long horns stretched from its head, but the face was unrecognizable.

As if he was staring at a blurry reflection, the face shifted and changed like an agitated pool of water. The face showed a cat, a wolf, and even a large beak spouted from its nose as a bird took over for the flash of second.

Tiyan sat up and scooted back, clawing at the snow around him. The creature rose on its hindlegs.

“Tiyan!” Lorian yelled. He skidded down the hill and stumbled between the two. “Stay back!”

Tiyan got up to pull at Lorian’s cloak, to get him to run, but Lorian pushed him back into the snow drift. The creature, in this momentary lapse of focus, locked in on its new target and lunged, claws first.

Tiyan jumped, leaping to pull Lorian out of the way when suddenly, Lorian’s body jerked—his head rolled back, and mist rose from him. Before Tiyan now stood a tall black figure with pointed ears, long teeth, and blood-red eyes. What had been Lorian was now a monster. His hair rose into the air like black flames and long teeth protruded from his mouth.

Lorian lifted his arms and matched the monster’s attack, grasping its large paws with his hands. The impact of the two forces colliding sent tremors into the ground. Tiyan yelped and scrambled away, half stumbling, and half falling down the hillside and into the valley below. Above, otherworldly screams echoed as the two creatures fought.

The monster with changing faces tried to pull away from Lorian, but Lorian’s hands closed around the paws like vices as he tugged with all his strength, pulling the monster down onto all fours. Lorian kicked the beast and then let go before plunging his own clawed hands into the creature’s body without hesitation. The monster barely fell still when three more bounded out of the woods and launched themselves at Lorian.

Tiyan jumped up and tried to push himself through the snow to go to Lorian’s aid. He didn’t know what he could do, or how he could stand against such creatures of monstrous proportions, but as Lorian’s body disappeared under a mass of fur, teeth, and flickering faces, Tiyan hurried over, fearing the worst. Picking up an icicle, Tiyan raised his arms to plunge it into the backside of the nearest monster, but Lorian stood up, knocking the three beasts aside. His eyes burned like a forest fire and his mouth sputtered an ancient string of inconceivable curses and rage. Lorian lunged, moving faster than a flurry of snow, and sliced his claws into each beast, howling along with their dying cries.

As soon as it had all started, the forest fell silent again. Tiyan stood in the snow with his wind-stung cheeks and the icicle in his hand. Puffs of white air escaped his lips as he looked around frantically. The monsters’ bodies turned into white light and suddenly burst into a firework of shimmering beauty. In the middle of it all, Lorian, back to his normal self, knelt naked in the snow.

“Lorian?! Lorian!!” Tiyan yelled. He dropped his makeshift weapon and scurried over to the lord’s side. “What happened to you? Are you okay? How did you do that?!”

Leaning with the weight of exhaustion upon his shoulders, a pale Lorian looked up at Tiyan’s sputtering exclamations. The fae lord chuckled.

“I have a few tricks up my sleeves…” Lorian murmured. “Can you retrieve your pack? I put a spare change of clothes in there for myself… in case this happened.”

Tiyan turned to where his backpack had fallen into the snow at some point during the attack. He hurried over and retrieved it skeptically.

“When did you put your clothes in here?” He opened the back and sure enough, a tight bundle of a cloak, trousers, boots, and sweaters greeted him. Carefully pulling them out, he handed them over to Lorian. Lorian stood and began to dress.

“What were those things?” Tiyan asked.

“We call them Hellbound Souls. The fae gods feed on the magic and souls of my people. When he wakes up, he devours these fae souls. When he is asleep, he sends out the Hellbound Souls; monsters that are fragments of his own heart, to protect his slumber.”

Tiyan winced, reimagining the huge monster that had stood before him only moments before. He was lucky to be alive and to have escaped mostly unscathed… As Lorian pulled on his shirt and began to wrestle on another layer of clothing, Tiyan watched, half amazed, and half disbelieving. Why did Lorian risk saving him?

“Did you save me because you need me to fulfill the prophecy?” Tiyan asked, emboldened by his near-death experience. He was a key asset to saving Lorian’s people and the world. Maybe his inability to protect himself was only a nuisance in the eyes of the fae lord.

Lorian clasped his cloak around his neck and pulled up its plush hood. His eyes lingered on Tiyan, not possessive or in the cold way he was used to. They traced over his form, from his forehead and down his nose, and across his body. It was as if he was seeking any injury, to make sure he was okay. Tiyan swallowed and looked away, suddenly uncomfortable under his attentive scrutiny.

Lorian smiled in his old, tight-lipped icy way and banished any emotion from his features. “Of course. I can’t face this god without you. Be more careful, okay? I don’t think I have enough energy to save you again.”

Tiyan nodded, slightly peeved at the remark. He shouldered his backpack and turned to face the valley and deepening woods before them. It was all the same as before but now the journey felt different. Something between them was different.

“Onward?”

“Let’s continue.”