#keldan

Kelda/Keldan's hands steady me, guiding me down to sit in front of them. The evening sun glints off the water, rippling like liquid gold across their features.

"Where are we going?" I ask, looking around for the oars.

The water ripples.

"Somewhere quiet," Kelda/Keldan says, amusement making their voice lighter than usual. "It's all in hand, Love."

I glance up. We're already many lengths away from the jetty, moving at speed that is less than an oar's stroke, but more than the drift of a current.

"Are you planning on bringing both me and the boat back before we're next needed?" I ask, casting my companion a sceptical smirk of my own.

Their left hand is in the water, drawing slow circles with their fingertips, caressing it into carrying us onwards.

"The fisher will have his boat by first light," they say, leaning back against the stern, the tiller redundant and used purely to rest their arm upon.

"And me?"

Kelda/Keldan hums. "I'm not sure when I'll 'return' you. After all, whose need am I to judge the time by? There's? Or mine?"

In attempts to keep my mind from those particular intricacies, and the way Kelda/Keldan's ice-blue eyes slide across my skin, I make a study of the marsh. The Mire stretches out before us, empty sky and endless reeds, aflame with the fading sun.

The evening chorus serenades our passage, the first wisps of mist coiling around the stumps of long fallen trees. Kelda/Keldan begins to hum, though I don't recall when the first note reached my ear. The melody is familiar, the words teasing the fringes of my thoughts.

Light sinks down into dusk, then twilight, and on we go, deeper, the forgotten melody swaying the reeds and calling forth the first stars.

The lightest pressure, near the base of my spine, draws me out of daydreams.

Kelda/Keldan's lips hush gently into my ear, their breath a rustle of grass, their touch dancing across my skin.

"You have to be quiet, Love," they whisper against my throat. "I brought you here for the peace of this place."

"Do you want me to be quiet?" I gasp. "Because you're not helping if so."

They chuckle, equal parts of their amusement coming to me through sound as through the thrum of their chest.

"I want you. Everything else can remain ashore."

"But-"

Their lips silence mine.

"Only you and only I," they say when we have parted. "All else remains ashore."

---

"Do you want to go home?" Kelda/Keldan asks, rising from their crouch over the rigging. It's open and honest, there's no blame, no accusation to the question, and I know they'll accept whatever answer I give.

The thought of the warm fire and a steaming mug of tea or chocolate is a cruel temptation, one that almost wins out. But this is important to them, so I shake my head, burrow deeper into my coat, and order myself to tough it out.

Rather than continue with the rope, Kelda/Keldan offers me their hand, palm up, fingers outstretched. I take it, and they help me into the boat.

"Here," they say, handing me a thermos that's toasty to the touch. "Pour one for me too?"

Of course, it's exactly what I'd imagined sipping around the fireplace at home, perfectly hot, beautifully warming as I sip. Kelda/Keldan spends a few more minutes on adjustments before we're finally underway, beneath their knowing hand, slipping gracefully away from the humming floodlights of the jetty and out into the marsh.

There's next to no wind tonight, still Kelda/Keldan manages to find what little remains, capturing in the boat's pale sails. I'm to point the torch forwards till we reach the lake, warning any other late sailors that there's another boat to be aware of.

Once we reach the open water, Kelda/Keldan secures the tiller, raises the sail, and drops the small weight that the tiny boat calls its anchor. We sit upon the deck side by side, our legs brushing against one another's, and just as I'm about to lean in closer, Kelda/Keldan asks me to close my eyes.

"Trust me," they say with a whisper they know plays havoc with my good sense.

When my eyes are closed, they take the torch from my hand and there's a sharp click. The silence washes over us with the dark. All is still, and were it not for the warmth of them at my side, I would feel terribly alone.

First their breath, then their lips ghost across my cheek. Their hand slides around my back, and even through the coat and the cold, I can feel the caress of each finger.

"Open your eyes," Kelda/Keldan whispers into my skin.

I do, and I find a sea of stars stretching beyond the horizon.

---

His hair flows around him in slow lazy coils. His face is formed of sharp divisions, his skin is pale to the point of illness, while his hair is pitch. High cheekbones cut inwards towards a pointed jaw, coming to a narrow chin that stands proud beneath his tightly controlled lips. And his eyes...

Introduce yourself

🎤 I'm a hobbyist artist. Wander around the Fire Emblem fanbase mostly. Social media: https://twitter.com/KeldanCon 🥁 Hi there! I’m a 19 year old hobby artist with a passion for designing OCs and fantasy/sci-fi characters. I’ve been drawing seriously for the past three years, but only got into digital art in September 2018. I’m active on Twitter (@KentuckyTheFry) 🎷 I’m a commission artist with a media background. I enjoy drawing cats, plants and lgbt+ topics. You can find my art on my website at juliusjoki.com, on instagram at @kissegram or on twitter at @kissecatte. 🎸 Hey there! Im an art student, I draw on both digital and traditionnal, mainly fandom stuff~ You can find me on twitter and insta @Licoriceroll , and tumblr @lico-arts :) 🎻 Hi, I’m Linkyu; I am here as a digital artist, but I’m also an independent game developer at Duality Workshop. My favourite genre is Sci-Fi, closely followed by Fantasy. I like to write dark themed stories, but most of the time I’ll make sure to make them hopeful. I don’t like sad endings. I'm currently most active on twitter, where you can find most of my recent art here: https://twitter.com/search?q=from%3ALinkyuTL%20%F0%9F%8E%A8&src=typed_query&f=live

Do you do commissions post? Where can we find the info?

🥁 My comms are always open and available right here: https://twitter.com/kentuckythefry/status/1171914175028875270 🎷 http://teaspionage.com/blog/work-and-commissions/ 🎸 https://twitter.com/LicoriceRoll/status/1151212909067931649 🎻 I do, actually; it's the pinned post of my twitter: https://twitter.com/LinkyuTL/status/1197969362096992257

Do you listen to music (or tv shows/films/anything else) when drawing?

🎤 Between music and contingency podcasts. 🥁 All the time! I actually find it hard to draw WITHOUT something in the background. I usually listen to music, but if I’m in a particularly good headspace and have a ton of work to do, I’ll listen to episodes of Critical Role ~ 🎷 I listen to music almost all the time and spotify is my best friend. I also watch a lot of documentaries while I draw. 🎸 I never do anything without music playing, silence gets too lonely ._. 🎻 Yes, although I tend to avoid lyrical songs because otherwise I end up distracting myself singing along and… not … drawing,,,

What’s your favorite music artist/band? If you could ask your favorite band/music artist one question, what would it be?

🎤 Nightwish. Are you ever gonna make a recorded concert with a full orchestra? 🥁 Right now my favorite artist is Aurora, and if I got the chance I would ask her for a hug - she strikes me as he type of person who would give good hugs xD 🎷 I don’t have a single favourite but I’ve been listening to a lot of Japanese rock music and city pop recently. Right now I’d like to know what art styles the members of BUCK-TICK find the most inspiring. 🎸 My favorite band is BBHF (ex Galileo Galilei) 🎻 Dave Grohl, by far. He is the musical embodiment of the philosophy that I adhere to.

Do you play an instrument? If not would you like to play one? Which one?

🎤 Guitar and keyboard. 🥁 I’ve been playing guitar for twelve years and violin for ten! If I got the chance I’d love to learn cello or harp. 🎷 I used to play the violin before I lost my instrument. I’m also interested in the bass guitar. 🎸 I never took actual classes but a friends taught me the basics of ukulele and piano. Outside of that I just sing a lot~ 🎻 I've played a fair amount of bass guitar, and some normal guitar too. I've started picking up the keyboard again for composition too, and I'd like to do some drums too in the future, actually.

Which song(s) are you going to draw?

🎤 Children of Bodom - All Twisted 🥁 I’m drawing Godhunter by Aviators! (It’s a BOP, highly recommend) 🎷 Morning Hangover by King Quartz 🎸 Im drawing Tsugi no Hi from BBHF 🎻 Definitely Hail to the King, from Avenged Sevenfold. Maybe more?

What do you expect from this zine?

🎤 Keep improving my art skills and find some interesting fellow artists to follow. 🥁 I’m challenging myself, in a sense! I always tell myself I’m gonna draw something based on one of my favorite songs but I never do, so this zine was a great opportunity to just sit down and say “yes! I’m drawing this!” ~ 🎷 I’m excited for creating original work and illustrating music as well as looking at how other people have interpreted songs that I know. 🎸 I think it's great to step ouf of my confort zone when it comes to illustrations: drawing for a song can be a lot more abstract than drawing for a specific character. Being more loose with the interpretation is pleasantly freeing ^^ 🎻 I'm mostly in it for more incentive to draw. I don't get commissioned very often, and I tend to neglect my art for other hobbies instead, so participating in zines forces me to keep the pen moving, you know what I mean? Besides, I get to see some nice art and the DotZine community has been great, so, it's also a nice ride.

Anything else you want to add?