This is the second chapter in the second story about Elowen and Thalion. It should stand alone, but if you're interested in what came before, here are the links to the previous Elowen and Thalion story: One: A Forced Union:
https://www.literotica.com/s/a-forced-union
, Two: Shadows of Obligation:
https://www.literotica.com/s/shadows-of-obligation
, Three: A Moonlit Pact:
https://literotica.com/s/a-moonlit-pact-elowen-and-thalion-3
Four: A Lover's Dance:
https://literotica.com/s/a-lovers-dance-elowen-and-thalion
First chapter of this story:
https://literotica.com/s/elowen-and-thalion-pt-02-ch-01
Chapter Two: A Passionate Hunt
Elowen sat at the long wooden table in the great hall of Pyreheart castle, its obsidian arches reflecting the early morning light. A fire blazed in the hearth, echoing the harsh beauty of the red stone of the castle. Despite the months spent between these walls, she still sometimes startled at the crimson color.
Banners and tapestries softened the unrelenting shade--Thalion's silver lily, scenes of Gods, and a giant rendering of the fortress itself, looming on the cliffs of the western sea. So it had been in her girlhood home of Aurelian, though colors and scenes had been markedly different. A gentle pang of homesickness brushed across her, and she looked away from the fire.
Aurelian also lacked the muffled roar of the ocean, the briny scent intertwined with the aroma of baking from the kitchen below.
I wonder how Lysander is. Elowen smiled at the thought of her brother in his castle, probably eating breakfast as well. She tore a hunk of bread from a rye loaf and smothered it in berry jam, the sweet aroma making her mouth water.
She had lived in Pyreheart all winter, her marriage sealed by Brehon Law and Fairy Power. And somehow, it had become home. Though she missed her brother, she doubted he would understand her life and desires now.
Opposite her, Thalion picked out slices of smoked fish, and offered the platter to Diarmuid, the sidhe priest who broke his fast with them this morning. His midnight black skin absorbed the surrounding light, lending him an otherworldly aura. Crystalline blue eyes reflected a kindly wisdom older than stones of the castle. He'd given Elowen good advice more than once, and she smiled at him across the table. The blue glow of his gaze mirrored the shiny silver cauldron necklace that dangled from his neck--a symbol of his devotion to Cerridwen. He declined the fish, returning Elowen's smile and sipping at his mead cup instead.
Thalion swallowed a bite of breakfast. "Is everything in the village in order?"
"Yes, my lord." Diarmuid inclined his head in a seated bow. "Whatever Lord Ferin is here for, he'll find nothing amiss and no hint of weakness among our people."
"Good." Thalion tapped his mug, and a servant poured mead.
Elowen gasped as a swirl of color burst into the room, interrupting further conversation. Bloomfae--the tiny fairies that lived among the wildflowers--swarmed around the table. Their iridescent wings caught the morning light and refracted sunbeams that danced around the room in agitated rainbows.
Thalion exchanged a startled glance with Diarmuid, their eyes stretching wide.
Barely larger than a hummingbird, the tiny fairies' bodies resembled the sidhe in miniature--though suspended between giant dragonfly wings.
Fairy dust scattered from them and turned the air dense with power.
Elowen folded her hands together, nails biting into her palms. The substance was a physical manifestation of bloomfay lust and they never wasted it. Her shoulders drew a tense line.
An older fairy with wings like tarnished silver flittered towards Thalion. He bowed in midair, his voice like the jingling of tiny bells. "My lord Thalion Moonsong of Pyreheart, I am Kernow."
Thalion held out his hand. "Good morrow to you, Kernow. What is the meaning of this?"
The little bloomfay alighted on Thalion's palm. "My lord, we are from Foxglove Meadow." The hollow in his throat deepened, and he bowed again, a jerky motion that lacked the grace normal to bloomfae. "A dark fire has arisen from the earth, my lord. It consumes our grove, and despite our efforts, we've not been able to stop it."
Elowen gasped, covering her mouth. The bloomfae made fairy dust. Without their bowers, magic would not be possible. Without their presence, the life of fairyland would fade.
Kernow's gaze flickered to her, his fear reflecting her own.
Thalion held up a finger. "Is the fire growing even now?"
"No, my lord." Kernow held out tiny hands, palms outward. "We've drawn a circle around the incursion using fairy dust. It is contained, but still it burns the earth, leaching all that brings life." The swirling colors in his eyes darkened and he stared at his bare feet, toes scrunching on Thalion's hand. "The circle consumed all our tribute, my lord."
Elowen's breath caught, and her gaze flickered to her husband. The bloomfae owed him tribute in fairy dust for living under his protection. If they could not pay... She leaned forward and touched his hand. "My lord, surely it is not--"
His fingers closed hard on hers, grinding the little bones together, and she bit her lip to keep from crying out. "We shall see. Kernow, you will guide us to Foxglove Meadow."
The bloomfay's eyes flickered to Elowen, but he bowed in submission. "Yes, my lord."
###
Elowen shifted on the slight leather pad of her skydancer as Kernow led them to Foxglove Meadow. Beside her, Thalion rode in silence, his expression stern and set. Elowen half turned to meet Diarmuid's eyes. The priest gave her a reassuring smile, but Thalion's silence since the breakfast table offset that scant comfort. She stared ahead, ignoring the guards who trailed behind them.
The road curved through a long finger of wild forest, and Kernow beckoned. "Just around here, my lord, my lady."
As the curtain of emerald-green leaves parted, a breathtaking dreamscape unfolded before them. It was easy, ensconced in the banality of the castle, to forget she dwelt in the heart of fairy. But Foxglove Meadow, bathed in the soft, warm hues of the setting sun, dispelled all thoughts of the human world she had left behind.
A riot of wildflowers grew in the meadow, their vibrant colors streaking the landscape with the brushstrokes of a mad painter. Foxgloves towered over the rest, their bell-shaped blossoms of purple and pink a stark contrast against the surrounding verdant greens. A sweet, intoxicating perfume laced the air, mingling with the crisp scent of dew-soaked grass.
But the promise of tranquility was a lie.
An orange pit crackling with darkness yawned wide in the center of the meadow, an ominous vortex of malevolent fire. It bubbled and pulsated, radiating a menacing aura of heat and death. Around it, all life had withered, and stark skeletons of dead plants stood sentinel within a circle of fairy dust.
Elowen gulped, fear fluttering through her like the beating of crow wings. The slender golden dome seemed a very slight defense against the malevolence of the pit. Her eyes darted sideways to Thalion's stern face. "My lord, what would cause this?"
Fine muscles feathered along his jaw. "A mingling of earth and fire, fed on stolen power and blood." He reined in the skydancer at the edge of the dome and dismounted in a single fluid motion.
Elowen followed him down, grabbing the reins of his skydancer as he stepped right up to the edge of the fairy ring.
Thalion's eyes narrowed on the corrupted pit, a spark of fierce determination igniting in his gaze. His hand clenched around his ogham rune, and otherworldly firelight sprayed through his fingers as he called upon his magic.
Elowen held her breath, her senses attuned to the shifting currents of elemental energy. Power sang through the air. She hugged herself. If he grew unbalanced, she had to be ready. The acrid taste of terror burned on her tongue even as her womanhood rippled.
Thalion raised his hands, tendrils of living flame curling from his fingertips, snaking their way towards the dark pit in the heart of the meadow. His fire shone with a deadly intensity, calling forth dark shadows from the woodland edges.
A snap of his fingers sent the tendrils diving into the pit. Black and orange energy seethed with magical fury as the crimson blaze lashed into it. The roiling madness in the ground hissed with fury as the fire fought the unnatural darkness.
The malevolent power burbled like a tar pit and gave way before Thalion's cleansing heat. Clenched muscles in Elowen's gut relaxed. He would sear away this horror and they would prepare for Lord Ferin's visit.
But relief came too soon.
The sides of the vile pit folded inward, and it ate the cherry-colored flame, like some foul-mouthed creature feeding on the living. Elowen sucked her head lower, shoulders drawing protectively up to her ears. Her heart beat a fearful tattoo against her ribs.
He was using so much power.
A growl of frustration escaped his lips as he fed more power into his spell. His feet sank into the soft ground, the ogham rune flaring brighter as he pushed fire from his spread palms. But the pit gobbled up his magic, the flames disappearing down the monstrous maw.
Elowen sucked her breath in as his complexion turned paler, his usually vibrant eyes dimming. A chill radiated from him, replacing the heat she always associated with her fiery lord. As if in a mirror image of her lesson, water filled him, drowning out his fire. The elemental balance shifted and pushed his magic out of alignment.
Thalion staggered back, haggard lines radiating from his mouth. The ogham rune around his neck faded to a dull ember, the fiery glow extinguished.
"My lord!" Elowen leaped forward, her stomach dropping. She wrapped her arms around him, bracing him before he fell. Goosebumps rippled across him, his body cool under her hand.
Bloomfae flittered around them in agitation, their wings buzzing through the air.
