Candlelit Dance [Valac x Nimue]

“You’re doing quite well,” Valac told her, guiding her across the floor. Her dress swept with the sway of their bodies as she stepped left, then took an advance right step forward with him.

Nim’s eyes cast down as she laughed. “I’m getting better.” Nim told him confidently. “It’s hard to believe after a few years, but I’m getting a better grasp on the outside world.”

Valac frowned a little, worried she’d draw up the past as if it were her fault, but they seemed to keep pace with one another, dancing from one half of the floor to the next. “Is that so?” he asked her, attempting to verify his concern.

Her eyes lit up as they met and she scrunched her nose. “I get it,” Nim told him as she blinked away a few tears. “But I don’t mean that. I mean my ability to manage my emotions and well-” she blushed a little as they started to dance further and she looked away.

“What?” Valac asked.

“Don’t panic, but look at your feet.” Nim told him, nodding her head down. When he glanced down to realize they had danced around the empty ballroom till ice had traced under their feet, creating small platforms until they had managed to circle the room at new heights.

“You have gotten better.” he told her, impressed with her.

“It’s a lot better than me turning people to stone.” Nim shook her head, breathing out nervously as she laughed shyly. “I’m impressed at my talent, but sometimes I feel the ether grow larger as time passes. It’s definitely hard to say what my limits are. I’m sure it’ll be helpful soon enough.”

Valac’s smile faded hearing the end. So she was planning on attempting to leave again? “Do you think you’ll stay?”

“No.” Nim told him honestly, seeing his expression fade a little as she snuck closer to him till her chest was against his. She stared up at him. “I do think I’ll cause more trouble than live quietly. There’s no way my grandfather can keep this up and at this rate-”

“Why? The guards haven’t bothered you. The high elves are at war and you’re safer behind these walls.” Valac explained, but it was more of an excuse to keep her close.

“I’m only as welcome as the glamour holding my appearance together. If the King saw me, I’d be as good as dust. Especially with my magic. It’s a complete dead give away and at that-” Nim sighed heavily as she smiled at him bashfully before glancing away. “I’m not a Sky Elf no matter how hard I try to be.”

“You know that doesn’t matter to me.” Valac told her as he put his thumb to her chin before curling his fingers under to lift her head up to face him.

“Val, I need to go back and find the rest of the court and gather them together. I’m sure they scattered in the caves out of sight, but that’s no way for them to live either. My mother and Moira were the pillars of our whole kingdom. As tiny as it was. I can’t just leave it.”

The look on his face wasn’t convinced though and Nim could even see that, by the way her facial expression changed. “Val.” Nim softly protested.

“Don’t go.” Valac told her, pulling her hand to his lips as he kissed it. “Just stay here.”

“And do what?” Nim asked him, her voice quiet as she watched him with bated breath.

“Spend time with me.” he sighed, before glancing down at her.

“I will spend time with you. I’m doing that now.” Nim laughed softly, brushing her hand over his cheek as she leaned closer. “And I’ve grown closer to you, and gotten a little older at that. You can’t call me Sprout anymore.”

He smirked at that. “It’s because you’re so strong-willed and fiery.”

She shook her head at him, laughing slowly as a grin spread over her face. “You-” she stopped before glancing up at him, her glamoured blue eyes stared directly into his as he cupped her cheek and leaned in closer till their eyes cast over each other’s lips.

“I’m what?” he whispered back to her.

“Hopeless.” Nim smiled back before they kissed.

Valac pulled his arm around her lower back after letting go of her hand. He liked the feeling of her hands against his shoulders as his hand fell under her jaw line and back behind her ear, pushing strands of hair between his fingers.

In the distance of the two, a voice clearing their throat shook the two from their intimacy and Nim pushed Valac away instinctively, straightening up.

“I’m not interrupting, am I?” Malkor asked, raising a brow at them as the small icy steps started to dissipate into the air like dust.

“No, not at all.” Nim told him, putting her hands behind her back. She looked away. “We were just talking.” she breathed, looking down.

Valac stepped forward, pulling Nim close to him despite her obvious nervousness around Malkor. “What is it?” he asked him.

Malkor relaxed, sighing as he looked at Valac. “The tear in the Nieri fog is growing and there’s talk about the High Elves regrouping to try to build forces and march to our side of the forest to wage war to occupy the territory near the tear.” he told him.

“Then I should go.” Valac told him confidently.

“That’s exactly what I came to tell you. You’re not going to participate in this war effort.” he told him firmly.

“That’s not for you to decide. That’s my home land.” Valac jabbed back at him, a little irritated.

“It’s already been decided. I just wanted to clarify that with you since I was unsure if word had gotten to you yet.” Malkor told him before glancing at Nim with a raised brow. Obviously his effort to secure her safely out of sight was failing since Valac wasn’t deterred from seeking her out himself. His eyes caught Nim’s and they stared at each other for a long moment before Valac caught his attention again.

“If I go, that’s my decision.” Valac told him firmly, especially if it meant Nim was going to leave the castle’s walls again. He’d make sure she was safe.

[Thanks for reading. This one was made with me and Stonzi. It's just a snippet and never really made it into the actual chapter. It may or may not, but we're far from anywhere close to a scene like this in Mythic Dawn. Still, it was a fun revisit to remake our previous elven novel.

I wish I could find a better stock photo, but the Spanish Hall will do for now. It's not so much the hall, but the time of day. It's meant to be at night. Ah well. When I get better at drawing architecture I suppose.]

@Stonzi32 #StonziMorrigan #collaboration #coauthors