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When Stars Align

Book: Blades of Light and Shadow

Characters: (F!Elf!MC) Raine Nightbloom x Tyril Starfury

Rating: General

Warnings: None

Length: 1.6k

Summary: After Raine is caught in a flood, Tyril finds himself reminded of that painful year he spent trying to save her.

Tags: @liviusofpella @watatsumi-island @inlocusmads @petalouda85 @dutifullynuttywitch @thosehallowedhalls @stars-are-within-me @megas-choices @brycesgirl @sophie-summer @lilyoffandoms @choicesficwriterscreations

A/N: Helloooo I have returned from the void! Admittedly this is short and not the best so please know I spent months stuck on this fic only to somehow churn out around 80% of it at 12am for two nights in a row 😵‍💫

Twice he had failed her.

The small group of heroes strode horseback through the desolate plains of the shadow realm, and Tyril gripped the reigns tightly in his hands as they followed the river downstream, desperately trying to keep his racing mind steady while the floodwater grew shallower with each passing step.

The first time had been in Whitetower, when she was taken from him during what was supposed to be their victory feast. When he’d allowed her to be taken from him. He was so sure that if he was stronger, if he hadn’t been caught so off-guard during the attack then he would have stood a chance at keeping her safe.

It was a lesson he had learned well along his travels, during his pursuit to take down the Shadow Court; even a moment of respite could be a lone warrior’s undoing. He knew Raine would have chastised him at the thought. Their victory was well-earned and the two of them more than deserved the rest they had indulged in during the few days that followed the defeat of the Dreadlord, but that brief time spent together was supposed to have been the beginning of an era of peace, with both of them believing the threat to have finally passed.

How wrong they had been.

The attack had taken place the evening before their departure from the human capital, with preparations already made for them to return to Undermount together the following morning. Tyril found his mind wandering back to the last few moments of peace they had shared before everything went horribly wrong.

“Are you ready for our journey tomorrow?” He asked, his fingers brushing against hers before she entwined them with her own as they walked down the marble halls of the palace.

“Of course!” She beamed, and he caught hold of a mischievous glint in her violet eyes before she continued. “I believe someone promised me the ‘Grand Starfury Tour of Undermount’, after all.”

“I did not phrase it like that.” Tyril humphed, although he found that a smile lit up his face all the same. “But yes, I look forward to showing you Undermount as it is supposed to be, untainted by corruption and the lingering remnants of shadow.”

His gaze turned vacant for a moment as he stared out the windows in passing, brows furrowed in thought and cerulean eyes like frosted glass before he shook his head, as though coming back to himself. “Never mind, our city is filled with Light and magic and wonder once more, I hope you’ll return to see it has changed for the better.”

Our city. Raine’s heart fluttered at that, and she squeezed his hand. “Well with you standing up against Xenia the city is safe, the elves are no longer bound to those contracts and negotiations that only she benefited from, and Adrina will lead House Starfury while guiding Undermount towards a brighter future. I’ve no doubt it’s already become a better place because of you.”

Tyril smiled fondly, his expression alight with warmth. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Raine leant up to kiss his cheek, and his face flushed violet before he continued speaking. “Still, I can’t wait to show you all the beauty of the city, from the enchanted gardens and streams to the star spires that extend to just above the mountain peaks.”

Her own gaze turned starry-eyed in awe at the thought of it all. “That sounds beautiful.”

“It is,” he said, “and at certain times of the year even the fountains begin to emit a golden glow, making the water look like flowing Light, but there’ll be plenty of time to see it all tomorrow. I believe we have a feast to attend?”

The pair walked down several more corridors before they reached the same indoor gardens they had first seen after arriving in Whitetower weeks ago, finding a full table of food prepared for the heroes to feast on and ornate chairs occupied by familiar faces.

Everyone had sat down, talking and laughing and raising crystal glasses to toast their victory while immersed in the feeling of glory, but before anyone could take a sip, the portal appeared.

It carried a dark and ominous aura, electric purple energy swirling like a dangerous thunderstorm and crackling with lightning before the army swept through. They had all fought valiantly, but the enemy forces kept emerging from the portal, flooding the gardens and overwhelming the heroes.

In that time, Raine had been taken captive, and Tyril tried to lunge forward and reach for her, but the soldiers crossed his path with drawn swords and he was still too far away from her.

He didn’t understand, they had defeated the Dreadlord, the battle was supposed to be over. Tyril hurled flaming balls of fire and struck with his sword relentlessly but just as quickly as they had arrived, the soldiers retreated, and Raine was gone.

The sun set over the hills as the portal drew closed, as though even the sky itself was darker without her presence in the world.

And a year would pass before he saw her once more.

As for the second time, he could not fight against nature’s strongest forces.

This time she had been swept away by a ruthless flood, and the storm was preventing them from following in pursuit, something Tyril berated the others for. He wouldn’t have let a storm dissuade him from searching for her, not even one whirling with shadow magic and tumultuous darkness.

But as the weather grew more turbulent, the rain fell so harshly they could barely see what lie ahead of them, and the thunder obscured any sound they heard. It was Imtura who placed a hand on his shoulder and said they would wait out the storm, that they would have a better chance at finding Raine once it had lightened.

And so Tyril had turned his back on Raine, and despised himself for it. She was in danger and every step he took towards Ironbreach led him further from her. As he sat and waited for the storm to ease, his loathing towards himself only continued to simmer, until finally the worst of it passed and the group rode horseback towards the river once more.

His mind kept drawing itself back to the riverbank, helplessly watching her be swept away by the torrents, and it had felt as though his heart had been ripped from his chest and plunged into the icy waters alongside her.

Tyril’s grip on the reigns tightened as the water grew shallower and their chances of finding her alive were beginning to slim, his sharp gaze scanned the unnatural landscape scrutinisingly where the dark mountains jutted from the devastated ground at bent, jagged angles. Shadows began to shift and coalesce into unfamiliar shapes from the corners of his eyes, none of which resembled her.

Panic seized his chest more tightly the further they walked, and the lingering fear he had lived with every day for that painful year returned as he wondered if he would ever hold her in his arms again, if he would feel her warmth or see the brightness of her smile light up the world once more.

He had held faith in her during the year she remained trapped, and he knew he must do the same now.

After what felt like an unending eternity, a figure emerged in the distance, like the sun rising over the horizon at dawn.

Raine.

“Well, if it isn’t the four horsemen,” she beamed, and he supposed the group must have looked like an omen of despair striding through the shadow realm in the aftermath of the storm, faces sullen and bodies completely soaked.

A bundle of feathers toppled out of her arms and onto the ground below with a chirp, then promptly began pecking at the tips of Mal’s boots.

“Uh,” the rogue said as he cautiously tried to nudge the creature off of his shoe with his heel, “watcha got there, kit?”

“That’s Peri!” She said proudly. “He’s an owlbear cub I found alone in the storm.”

As the group fawned over the owlbear, Tyril found himself unable to hear a word of the conversation. His eyes were fixed solely on her, relieved to see her safe and yet afraid it was all a dream, that she would disappear if he got too close to her like all those times before.

Raine caught his gaze and handed off the cub to the others before she walked over to him. She took one of his hands in her own, tracing the smooth skin of his wrist with her fingers as she frowned. “Are you alright?”

As though her touch had lifted a spell, he pulled her into his embrace, arms wrapped around her tightly and she returned the gesture just as strongly.

“I’m sorry,” his voice cracked as he whispered into her hair, and he didn’t know if his eyes were blurred with tears or rainfall. “I should have—”

“It’s okay,” she clung to him tighter, “I’m okay.”

After a long time, he took a deep breath and pulled back, still holding her hands.

“I didn’t protect you,” he said. “Just like last time. It was all just like last time, not knowing where you were, if you were safe.”

He sighed and wrapped his arms around her once again, fingers running through her fair hair, the strands soft and silky. He could feel her heart beating against his own chest, and the rainfall began to settle as he held her close, finding comfort in her warmth while knowing she was alive and safe.

“You came back to me.”

Raine smiled, and he found himself breathless as her eyes lit up with the brightness of a thousand starlit galaxies. “I’ll always find my way back to you.”

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