#lercey

@Tiravi https://tiravi.tumblr.com/ made me the most perfect art for one of the Guardians of Las couples, Lerki and Zercey, and here’s a small extract from one of the books in the series by @illthdar that fits the pose!! For the other couple’s piece, Scyeth, hit up this link https://silver-wield.tumblr.com/post/178247041576/too-hot-to-handle Enjoy ^=^

Cloistered away in Nyima’s hut, Zercey was roused by something brushing her hair, her face contorting when subtle hushing paradoxically joined the motion. She sat up. “Wh -- ” A gloved hand covered her mouth and she squinted in the dim light at its owner. Lerki. She pulled a blanket around herself before following him outside. The door flap dropped behind them, she addressed him once again. “What’s going on?” Her lips lifted with amusement as she questioned, “What are you up to?”

“They’ll come soon,” he said, taking her hand and leading her to sit before the dying embers of the campfire. “Sit with me this way,” he instructed, pulling her neatly to nestle between his bent knees. “It is best like this,” he excused the position when she shot him a dubious glance. The Gewp'ake was curled up to sleep at their side, its stubby golden antlers glittering with the glow of its own light, even at rest.

Zercey rubbed her eyes, the lashes weighed down heavily with sleep as she questioned, “Who is coming?”

“Fairies -- Thimble-Fae,” he replied simply, hushing her once more, his voice little more than a soft murmur as he rested her head against his chest. “They do not like noises.”

Before she could comment further, he raised a gloved hand to point towards a tightly clustered group of trees. At first, she saw nothing. Then, small bouncing orbs of light emerged from the darkness. Swirling and spinning in and around each other, the tiny glowing balls tapped and touched the frozen ground and dormant plant life. Their colours were numerous: reds, yellows, greens and blues were bounding hither and yonder, first melting the snow away, then sprouting the smallest of sprouts which were set aglow with fine coatings of the fairies’ magic dust.

The Italian’s hands lifted to cover her mouth, holding back the gasps of astonishment and wonder that threatened to spill from her lips. The small beings had translucent wings and, with exception of the colours they glowed, were indistinguishable from one another.

Yet, as she sat transfixed, her brows pinched as a glimmer of a memory tugged at her mind, playing with her perceptions. Where have I seen this before? A tune bubbled up, soft and plucky that she swore she recognised -- on the television at many a Christmas.

Just when she thought she would have to resign herself to being ignorant, she observed one fairy set drops of dew, shimmering silver across an abandoned spider web and it clicked. Zercey’s lips stretched into a smile. Nothing was without Illthdar’s influence, it seemed.

There had to be Faeries on Earth, subtly weaving their homeland into every form of entertainment that Humans had. It couldn’t have been Half-bloods, she was sure they wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret. She was pulled from her thoughts when Lerki’s hand caught her chin, urging her to face him. With his fingertips he caressed the edge of her jaw and lower lip.

The light of the fairies dancing in his richly toned eyes, she tried to decipher what his thoughts were. She scolded him harshly, rightly so, for not knowing her. However, as she took in this new, but no less breathtaking view, the myriad of lights swirling around them, she realised there was very little she knew about him, either. She had Yew’s version of him in her head; a childhood friend of the Half-blood daughter of Sancata Zercey of Willow. The more he said, the more she learned, and the more certain she was it had been a rose-tinted variation.

While the Fairies hastened the coming of spring, celebrating it in their tender hearts, he asked a question without words or voice. The look in his eyes begged her to kiss him once again.

Zercey breathed in his scent slow and deep, recognising it as eucalyptus -- slightly sweet, minty almost and a touch medicinal. It mingled with her own and she breathed a laugh. Only a Faerie could spend a month and a half not bathing and still smell nice. What she smelled like she dared not contemplate. She doubted it was anything attractive, though he didn’t appear to be repulsed by it.

Lerki was selfish, greedy and lonely more times than not. His hand trembled as he held himself back, all the same. For reasons she couldn’t comprehend, he was insecure; both wanting and needing her to reach for him.

He is such a paradox…