#nuada x reader

"What do you mean he wants me with Hellboy? I don't go out on those missions," you question the agent, moving him to finally look at you, but only in annoyance at the fact that he has to speak any further on the memo he was given. The agent just shrugs and repeats what he says like it was final before leaving you to figure the rest out. The hall bustled around you with other agents in dark attire and scientists carting around paranormal species in slumber. You pitied them in this state, limp and unknowing, having no clue the only reason they were strapped to metal tables for experimentation was because they were not human. You snap out of your thoughts and head to the boardroom where you hoped to find the director. Lo and behold, Tom Manning stood at the front of the room with an exasperated look on his face as he spoke with someone. He catches you watching him and motions you inside.

"Agent! Get in, get in," Manning hisses at you until you shuffle in more awkwardly than you would like, gluing yourself to the wall while Manning shuts the door. Sure, you were an agent of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, and you could be directed to go on ground missions as you did receive tactical training like anybody else, but you were simply used to the paperwork end of things to the point of comfort. Manning then motions you to close in with the other two agents in the room around him. You peel yourself off the wall and do as he asks.

"You all must be wondering what caused this impromptu meeting between the director and some employees who hardly ever talk to me, well," Manning ducks his head down as he continues, "I want you three to be all eyes and ears for me, you hear me?" he now whispers frantically, "I don't trust Red OR Blue to stick to protocol anymore, they undermine me, they don't listen, they—" Manning restrains himself from going on his age old rant and pops a Tums in his mouth with a hand on his chest.

"Just report to me anything…that would seem against my judgement on this channel," for the rest of the secretive meeting, Manning demonstrates the radio channel to dial him on and gives a lengthy list of all of the things he deems not BPRD protocol. You glance at the other two agents frequently, expecting them to want to refuse Manning at some point. They were young, fresh-faced, and determined to please. You almost scoff at them, but then Manning finally dismisses the group and you quickly jump on the opportunity to weasel yourself out of this ordeal.

"Director Manning! Yeah, hi, so I'm guessing since you put me on this mission you have read my entire file," you begin, "I don't go out for these big things, with um, Hellboy and Abe. I've been on shorter jobs, like lower threat level missions..?" Manning looks at you like he didn't understand the issue you had with him pulling you out of the air to spy on his own special agents; you twist your hands together as he just chews his Tums with that confused look on his face.

"Yeah well, I'm not asking you to stand in the middle of a shootout; I just need you to lay low and um, watch Hellboy." You gape at him, and he takes the silence as an answer, slapping your shoulder with one hand and fleeing from the boardroom straight after. Hours earlier a special agent, who was more like a German ghost in an old diving suit, arrived at HQ to lead the supernaturals on their next mission to investigate some evil elf prince—Nuada— who was hellbent on annihilating humanity, and now you were being told you had to join that same mission. Shit.

***

"Just watch this perimeter for me okay?" Liz points to a street corner where she posted a couple of cameras, Manning meanwhile winks at you knowingly from the back of the Bureau van. You turn away to roll your eyes. Little did he know you intended on doing nothing about Hellboy. Liz had eased your anxiety over the ride to the bridge too after you aired out your grievances to her; never, and you meant never, have you had to join the special agents anywhere in your seven years at the Bureau. You spent the entire ride in the van glancing at Abe and Hellboy cautiously, then nearly burning up in embarrassment when Hellboy finally caught you rather irked. Those other two agents who were in the meeting with Manning held their chins up haughtily the entire ride.

They would shit their pants if they knew the shit BPRD had to deal with before sticking it in the lab. Hellboy, Abe, and Krauss now cross the street with gadgets you've never seen before strapped onto their heads, this Bureau got weirder everyday and you wondered why you stuck around so long. You pace around in small circles in your corner. You realize that you could clearly see the special agents from where you stood, but chose to keep the private channel on your radio off. You were no spy.

"Hanging in there?" Liz's voice comes from behind you and you spin towards her, trying not to look so much like some surprised puppy.

"Yeah, just keepin' my eye on things," you rock back and forth on your heels. Liz didn't make you feel awkward or inferior, so you manage to converse with her lightly; being two of the very small percent of women working in the BPRD helped too. Time flies with her, and the night seems almost pleasant. What were you worried about again?

"What was that?" one of the fresh faces asks as he crosses the street towards you and Liz.

"What was what?" she replies; then it happens. The ground rumbles violently, an earthquake in Brooklyn? You spin towards the last place you saw Hellboy and your eyes double in size as the concrete splits open into several deep crags. A large green stalk sprouts out from the earth causing chaos to erupt up and down the street. Pedestrians start shrieking left and right, cars honk at each other, then stop one after the other as drivers jump out of their cars entirely to make a run for it. You click into action and motion at the civilians to head towards the undisturbed streets. But more people keep appearing out of nowhere and you fall in with the panic in the air to the point of being caught in surprise at the monstrous plant out on the street. It towers over the buildings and its strange roar felt like drums beating in your head. You finally focus on a large red man jumping from car to car—Hellboy—and scaling the side of a building. The swarm of people were watching the scene too rather than fleeing, much to your annoyance, and both Krauss and Manning were shouting incoherently at Hellboy. You do all you can and yell at people to get further back, but a part of you wanted to watch the action too. You whip your head around to see Hellboy on top of a sign letter with a large gun in hand and a baby wrapped in his tail. You nearly smack your palm on your own face, talk about decreasing casualties.

"SHOOT IT!" Krauss shrieks from beside you. You glance at him and back to Hellboy and the plant monster. A small part of you hoped it would decide to turn away and submerge itself into the ocean or perhaps take a hike to the upstate. It shouldn't have to die. Someone else catches your eye too, a pale, glowing man on the rooftop speaking to Hellboy. The world seems to pause around you, people's voices and Manning's whining going into slow motion as you set your gaze upon the pale man. This must be the target. You felt ridiculous for thinking how attractive he was even from afar. Before you knew it, Hellboy blew a hole into the monster's head and the elf disappeared. The monster shrieks in agony, more in fear rather than anger, and stumbles backwards until it crashes into one building's side. You immediately focus back on the situation and urge the crowd of civilians to leave, but they would not listen. The aftermath was silence, then people kicked back up in a frenzy and threw slanderous words at Hellboy; blaming him for everything as if he weren't the one to eliminate the threat. You give up and choose to stare at the pavement as it was being carpeted rapidly by lush grass and delicate flowers from the monster's green blood.

***

Your body hurt like hell. You drag your feet beneath you while you direct some BPRD men to clean up the debris of the night's events. Dawn was hours away, but the deep blue sky slowly blended into a lighter purple. Hellboy and the other supernaturals had left a while ago, along with Manning and his trained dogs. You on the other hand decided to stay on the ground to actually make a tangible difference. The whole street was in shambles, the pavement was blasted throughout and several buildings were caved in on, not to mention all of the flattened vehicles standing silently too. All of the stander-bys had their information collected and were told they would be compensated at some point. You sit on the curb and glare at two scientists in white suits scraping up the greenery that spilled out of the monster after it died. Another two were jabbing the monster's decaying body with more tools; scraping, pulling, sampling anything they could take.

"Are you proud of this?" a silver voice hisses at you and you look over your shoulder slowly, too tired to think twice, but then jump up off the curb when you spot the elf standing in the alley. Were you really that tired or was the literal point of this entire mission standing several feet away from you? You begin to tremble and shake your head no.

"I thought not, you people are poison, you know that? Poison," he sneers at you while you nod in agreement. What else were you going to do? He reaches his hand behind him and you finally bristle in alarm. You pull out your rubber baton as he unsheathes a blade. Was he really going to fight you now? There isn't a moment to think as he lunges at you, you dodge by nearly hurtling yourself into the stone wall. He grins like some wild hyena then lunges again, weapon ready to cut you down. You dodge him again and this time smack the blade away from you as it nearly slices into your arm. It was like a dance meant to tire you out, and it did, after the sixth round of dodging and blocking, you trip over trash bags on the floor into the alleyway. Your throat felt so constricted from hyper-vigilance that it only made you more voiceless, unable to call for help. The elf's eyes bear down into you like prey stalking his kill, but before he slices you open, you smash the blade to the floor with your baton one last time. The spear suddenly springs open from the force and the blade shoots into your right thigh. You gape at your leg in shock before shrieking at the pain sparking throughout your entire body. The blood pools around you quickly, it hit the major artery, making your head feel faint and sight turn blurry. Nuada nudges your leg with his foot, causing you to whimper in pain and lash towards him with your baton. He smacks the baton out of your hand and squats beside you. 

“Tch-tch, nobody’s here to help the little officer anymore,” Nuada grins wickedly over your now slumping body. Through groggy eyes you watch him seeming to wonder what to do with you, to let you die here in the street or…something else? As your senses begin to slip away, the last thing you recall is him picking you up with one arm under your legs and the other holding your back.

***

A dream—a nightmare—of the events that had just passed make you jolt wide awake into a wince. You try to look at your leg, which still throbbed in pain, but you were strapped to a metal table. Your head is fixed facing the ceiling, which was made of rough stone; the only light source was a dim and flickering one placed around you. It was as if you were in some kind of ancient dungeon or cave. You try to wriggle around but the straps on your forehead, chest, and limbs were very taut.

Fuck, fuck, fuck fuck fuck—

"Awake are we?" the elf's voice makes your panic stop and ramp back up again as he comes into eyesight. He looks down at you and you can finally see him clearly all at once. His eyes were large and yellow like that of a hawk's, his skin was etched with lines similar to tree bark, his complexion was pale, and hair paler. You naively wonder how someone so enchanting could be so evil, but the thought is snatched right out of you the moment Nuada presses his palm on your wounded leg. You cry out and cringe at the sensation, hot tears stream down your temples and into your hair. Nuada keeps pressing into your leg with his eyes fixed on yours. You reach the point of howling wildly, eyes rolling around in every direction. He finally pulls away and you let out several trembling breaths. Your thigh muscles spasm from the pain and only cause more pain to jolt down to your knee. He leaves your bedside, walking over to one end of the room until you hear him push a metal cart towards you, its' wheels scraping the stone floor. He begins picking up various items, inspecting one before placing it back down and moving on to the next.

"Please let me go…" you beg meekly. Nuada slams the scalpel in his hand down onto the metal tray and rushes over to your side, peering at you intently. The face you once thought beautiful now turned very eerie and haunting.

"What was that?" he asks almost excitedly.

"I said let me go please," you begin to blubber, "I didn't even do anything! I wasn't even supposed to be on this mission, I didn't even wanna be here, I—" you cry like an idiot to the elf and he simply smiles down at you without remorse.

"Of course that's all true, I'm sure, but anyone can just say that can't they? They didn't want to be here, they didn't mean for things to go this way, but they still participate in it don't they?" he begins in a mocking tone and ends with a menacing one, fury taking over him the more he thought about humans destroying his world. You stop your crying with a gulp and stare at Nuada now. There was not an inkling of mercy in him, so you begin to accept your fate in silence and shut your eyes.

"Uh-uh-uh, open your eyes for me," he sticks a finger inside your wound and you immediately yell at him to stop. He digs around in your open flesh, causing your wailing to stop and start sporadically. The pain makes you feel sick. Bouts of nausea and dizziness wave over you and you ball your hands into fists to the point of your palms stinging from your nails digging into the skin. He finally stops and you breathe out in deep gasps. You were beginning to sweat; you felt your hair sticking to your neck and forehead. You needed to just die at this point, the pain was unbearable and the room seemed sealed shut from the whole world.

"Now let's take a look…" Nuada walks over to the other side of the table you were strapped onto and turns a crank. You feel yourself tilting forward and finally see the room you're in now. It was in fact some sort of cave, but full of technology foreign to you. A row of tanks with floating specimen, plants of unusually dark shades of blue and purple, and other biomedical machines. With great difficulty you peer down at your leg and wince at the blood pouring out now that you're angled more upright. What made you even more prepared to die then was the trolley right beside you. It was stacked with various knives, saws, pliers, scissors, tubes, and other unpleasant things. Things you recalled being used back in BPRD on the paranormals. It seemed that you were paying humanity's karma alone. You almost begin to relax from the momentary release from torture, but the elf comes back into your peripheral view and your heart beats wildly. He taps on the metal table before him, drumming his fingers on it repeatedly to make the objects rattle. He then finally grabs needle and thread and returns to your side. Nuada slides a finger over your wound, making you hiss through your teeth; then, to your surprise, he begins to mend your leg, without painkillers of course. You groan as the needle slides through your skin, Nuada slowly criss-crosses the thread over the giant gash in your outer thigh. He uses his other hand to press the sides of the gash together as he goes further down, ignoring all of your winces and gasps. Nuada's breath grows ragged while he stares into his handiwork. He reaches down a couple of times to adjust his pants, accompanying the motion with a soft sound from his throat. The stitching stretches on for an eternity in your mind and you reach the point of fainting from the searing pain.

"Shh, it's over now, shh," Nuada seems to soothe himself more than you as you finally pant out in relief from the sharp torture ending. All that was left was a throbbing in your leg and dizziness in your head. Through your growing fatigue you keep a weary eye on Nuada's back. For a moment you think you see him suck your blood off of his fingers. You grimace as he lets out a soft groan from tasting the blood. Silence falls over the two of you and you wonder if you would just die anyway from the loss of blood. You blink in and out of consciousness and lose track of Nuada's movements in the room. He hooks something into your elbow crease and another into your thigh, and later rummages through your stuff he had stripped off of you and put in a bag at the far end of the room. The white gauzey cloth you were wrapped in was stained with sweat down the chest and stomach, the gross sensation now entering your awareness after the pain in your leg becomes more dull. At some point you finally fall asleep.

***

You wake up, regrettably, in a new room. It was well lit due to a wall of arched windows facing a hallway full of torches. Your mind was still fresh from the sickening procedure conducted in the cave and so you sat, to your surprise, upright in a low narrow bed. You yank the thin sheet off of you and inspect your thigh to suddenly gasp at what you find. It was a miracle. The once festering, dark gash in your thigh was nothing but a long, pink scar. You carefully poke and prod your own leg, bracing for any pain, and sigh when you feel nothing at all. You almost become too relieved and begin to swing your legs over to the side of the bed, but find your ankles chained to the ground.

"Do you see what I am holding?" Nuada's voice echoes into the room and you look around frantically to find him perched on the window sill. He was holding a slim vial of dark red liquid. Your blood. The color on your face drains and you simply stare at him.

"I am going to wash the earth with this," Nuada jumps into the room and shakes the vial in your face, "yours and all of mankinds. I will purify the land for the old ones." He awaits your reaction with a twisted gleefulness.

"Why haven't you killed me..?" you ask weakly, pulling the thin blanket right back over your legs. He breaks his stare away from the bottle of blood and narrows his yellow eyes at you like you were stupid.

"You are my hostage, do you understand? Those mortals have someone I want, so I will keep one of their own," you were going to live. A rushing sense of relief begins to calm you down and you slump into the bed which you now accepted as your prison cell. At least it was a bright and warm one.

"What do you want from the Bureau?" you ask him, nearly biting your tongue as his intense gaze continues to insult you in its own way. You had to know though, and you assumed the worst of it was over.

“Remember, Mr. Wink, we’re here for one thing,” Nuada remarks over his shoulder just as the troll's attention drifted towards a trolley full of caged pixies. Nuada’s yellow eyes dart around from beneath the cloak, scanning for any sign of the sorcerers he heard could see into the future. At the same time, a little ways down a quiet alley, a woman crowned in a pale blue veil slinks about inside an apothecary.

“Found anything you like miss?” the goblin running the shop inquires from behind you. You spin on your heel abruptly as you had been disturbed out of your thoughts, with a twinkling from the small silver bells on your ankles, and you squint in annoyance at the old creature before switching to a tight smile.

“Oh I’m coming along just fine, thank you,” you reply and with a faint flick of your wrist the goblin automatically turns back to tinkering away behind his register. You sigh and settle back into your thoughts. What you needed was no disturbance, but the raucous troll market was the only place that carried the magical herbs for your craft. The coven you resided in had also turned you into a bit of an errand-girl, not that you cared though since it let you venture outside of the stuffy manor full of an odd mix of witches and wizards.

“Ahem,” you cough and snap the goblin out of his mindless spell. He gives you a toothy, yellow grin as he rings you up and gives a small bow of his head while you turn to leave. You tuck the satchel under your arm and skip out of the apothecary. With your hands full and mind racing with new spells to try, you remain unaware of Nuada's attention on you as you shoulder past each other in the alleyway. But a couple seconds after passing him, you turn your head over your shoulder, suddenly irritated upon realizing someone is watching you. The cloaked prince hadn’t moved from his spot, but swiftly walks away after you return his attentive gaze. With your eyes following the cloaked figure in curiosity, you fail to move out of Mr. Wink’s way, and he being as large as he was meant he took up over half the alley. You cry out an angry “hey!” after he nearly crushes you against the grimey brick wall. Wink only shrugs in apology and keeps on his way.

“Brainless animal,” you mutter before returning to your way home. You take several winding turns, leaving the busier parts of the market behind. The sense of someone looming behind you returns though, and you quicken your pace to find the portal to the coven. The manor was not physically here in the market but elsewhere, but the way it was charmed was as if it were in the market, each window looking out into different streets. Finally, a small fountain of a woman pouring from a jug waits for you at the end of an alley. You were still being followed though, you make a turn elsewhere rather petrified.

“What the hell am I doing? I should show them who they’ve decided to pickpocket,” you turn a sharp corner and snap your fingers, turning into a light and wispy apparition, appearing like fog to the average eye. Nuada halts at the crossing where he last spotted you, spinning around toward every path in frustration.

“Go look for her!” he urges Wink down one way and heads towards the opposite way, but the fog settles before him and he slows his pace. He drops the head of his cloak to take a closer look and your heart drops. Before you stood the Nuada. The elf prince who swore to return from exile when his people needed him most. So, the prince of elves had been following you all this time. That couldn’t be good, had you done something to offend him? Why was he back? What did he want?

“Why are you following me?” you ask him, your voice like a whisper tickling his ear as you remain in the guise of mist. Nuada turns his head about, trying to pinpoint you in your transient form.

“I know what you are, come out into the light witch,” he nearly spat out that last word, much to your offense. But you laugh at this instead, your voice bouncing off of the walls all around him. He bares his teeth in annoyance like a growling dog.

“And why would I do that? I don’t owe any allegiance to you, little prince,” you knew better but you wanted to mess with him anyway, considering his apparent aversion to your own kind. Unbeknownst to you, Mr. Wink appears from behind and waves his metal hand around in your mist to clear the space before him. Your foggy form shudders and drifts to the side, meanwhile Nuada’s eyes slowly train to make you out.

“I need you to tell me if my…decision is right,” he continues, “what my fate is.”

“Fate!” What was it that made everyone think witches were just fortune-telling broom riders? You lash about in agitation then float above the two fae, Nuada’s eyes now carefully following you. You ponder for a moment.

“There’s going to be a price for that,” you say elusively.

“I will pay however I must, I just need to know.”

How easy was that, you could set any price and the prince would gladly oblige. Maybe this meant you could leave the dreary coven too. With a swoosh towards a shaded corner, you return to your physical form and approach Nuada in the lantern light. He looks at you curiously through your thin veil. Without a word, you hold out your hand with your palm face up. He looks down at your hand then back to you, hesitatingly resting his own hand into yours. With all the energy you have left, you travel to the manor without the aid of the portal. After what felt like several seconds of a whirlwind of blinding light and heat, you and Nuada stumble into a dimly lit foyer, leaving Wink behind in the troll market.

“Who is it? Is that you? Did you bring my stuff? Ah, yes you did,” an old gray-bearded man in velvety robes pads swiftly across the wooden floors to snatch away the satchel from you, completely oblivious to Nuada towering mere inches behind you.

“Sir, I was going to use the silver room if you don’t mi-“ you begin but the old man waves you away and heads upstairs without a word. Feeling slightly foolish at the moment, you turn to face Nuada with as much of an air of importance. You pull your veil up and over your head, it dissipates in the air to fully reveal you. Your hair is long, soft, and well-kept, some strands twinkling like starlight. Your face is also radiant; mischief and curiosity dance about in your glowing eyes. Nuada takes you in all at once in more pleasure than he would ever admit. He knew you were above the average human due to your powers, but he couldn’t help feeling drawn to your physical form as well; an odd sense of trust and safety filled his heart which only then alarmed him.

“Follow me,” you turn away from Nuada and walk to the back kitchen. The stoney room is filled with the scent of cinnamon and cloves and a fire from the hearth roars under a large cauldron. You lead him to the side of the room where a staircase leads into the cellar. Another quiet trek in the cellar between shelves of potions and concoctions and you finally reach an arched doorway. Inside is an octagonal room, each wall is a mirror, so too the ceiling. A faint blue glow emits from an unknown source, keeping the room well-lit but not too bright. You walk into the middle of the room, light bounces from all the mirrors onto you. Nuada stands dumbfounded at the archway, gazing into each panel on the wall before finally stepping towards you cautiously. You point to a bird fountain in the center of the room. In it is a pool of silvery water so motionless that it seemed to be solid glass like the walls.

“What is this?” Nuada asks in annoyance after only catching a glance of his reflection in the sink. You roll your eyes.

“Think long and hard what it is you’re asking, then dip your face into the water,” you reply. He gives you a distrustful look before sighing and doing as you say. He closes his eyes, pictures himself taking the crown pieces, controlling the golden army, and annihilating the entire human race. Simple enough. He slowly lowers his face closer and closer to the water. He hesitates again for a moment, but catches you looking at him curiously in the reflection, then sinks his face in entirely. He first sees nothing but a soft light, as if he were at the bottom of a pool and the sun was shining through weak rays of light. All at once, the world around him comes to life in vivid colors. He watches himself secure the crown and successfully claim all three pieces, but a dreadful feeling looms over him throughout the entire vision. Nuada suddenly reels through spurts of visions of his father and sister and a red demon and more, these snippets of moments horrify him without him even fully grasping why. With a gasp, he backs away from the fountain and stumbles to his knees. He catches his breath then jumps up to his feet.

“I need to see that again,” he shoots towards you only to see a rickety wooden table in place of the water fountain. You click your tongue.

“Where is it?” he asks bewildered. He circles the entire room as if it would summon the looking glass again.

“Only one vision per person, sorry,” you step towards the exit but Nuada blocks you. His yellow eyes, at first looking to you in anguish, now burn with rage.

“Show it to me again, witch,” his hand begins cupping the hilt of his blade. Your eyes dart down and back up into his, you let out a tut-tut.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” you warn as you step back. Nuada only steps closer to you, much to your annoyance.

“If you do not do as I ask you,” Nuada’s voice drops dangerously low as he corners you, “then I will cut through your entire infested den until you obey.” With this you haughtily push forward. He begins to draw his blade and you thrust your hands towards him.

“Get out!” you shout, sending Nuada into a portal, before sinking to the ground in exhaustion. Hopefully you sent him back to the troll market. Wait. Why did it matter where he went? He was threatening to kill your people over a stupid vision. It was a shame you couldn’t see what he had seen. Curiosity beating your better judgement, you flick your hand at a mirror closest to you to observe Nuada. You sigh in relief after recognizing the place he had landed in. You watch him now snatch his cloak from Mr. Wink who scratched his own big scaly head in confusion.

In that dark alleyway where he first found you, Nuada swings his blade at the stone walls with a roar. After finding himself back in the troll market, he called for Mr. Wink to track down every witch who donned a veil. He wanted answers, and you gave them to him, but now he only bubbled with more.

***

"Let this remind you why you once feared the dark," a wicked grin spreads across Nuada's face as he watches the fairies devour the flesh off of the humans. He raises the crown piece up to his face, his eyes enchanted by the meticulous work of gold. Screams and gurgling noises fill the auction room.

"Why are you watching that elf?" you jump out of your skin and wave away the horrifying vision in the mirror before facing the speaker. A witch, not much older than you, taps her foot questioningly.

"I...got curious," you falter at making an excuse and creep up to the doorway, your hands clasped behind your back. The witch arches an eyebrow, she wasn't convinced. You feel her begin to pry into your mind, but you only boot her out in frustration. She narrows her eyes at you in distrust.

"It’s been going on for weeks now, you don’t think we all know?" she goes on, "I'm starting to think you like that little elf." At this she laughs, "but really, if you don't get a grip, I don't think I can help you stay here much longer." She doesn’t give you a chance to reply and stalks away, leaving you fuming. That wicked viper always acted like she was second in command in this down-trodden coven. As if getting kicked out was even such a bad thing. Anger bubbles up inside of you, but you recall the other thing she had said. "Like" was an understatement; you were infatuated with Nuada. His strength was like no other and it perplexed you when any witch mocked him. What were your spells and tonics to his ancient power? You sigh with a heavy heart and return upstairs to the stuffy, candlelit sitting room.

You glance at the softly ticking clock on the mantel then melt into a velvet sofa to stare into the fireplace before you. Murmurs in the background lull you into a mindless contemplation. Your eyelids grow heavy but you keep your eyes fixed on the flames. The fire suddenly flickers wildly and takes shape into two figures. One flame resembles Nuada with a crown upon his silver head; the other flame is a much larger man or beast, with horns that have been shaved down to stumps. Suddenly, the beast beats Nuada to the ground, only then do you jump towards the fire with a loud "no!" escaping your lips. A pair of witches in the room give you a troubled look before shuffling away to a different room. Feeling flustered, you watch them leave but quickly turn back to the fireplace. You felt deep within your soul that what you had seen was the truth.

***

With one piece of the crown tucked into his robe, Nuada walks with a lighter conscience and glowering pride. He knew now he had to return to his people’s kingdom to finish the crown. He pats the place where he hid the piece and recalls the witch, the gazing mirror, and what transpired in his visions. When he watched himself finish the crown he felt debilitating guilt, but now with one piece in his possession he only felt confident.

She was wrong. I will not fail. Nuada pushes the doubt out of his mind and enters the troll market. He preferred this place over the cold halls that the elves had turned into their home, out of sight from human eyes. His mind wanders back to you as he walks idlely. He only now realizes what you reminded him of: starlight. Back when elves could roam outdoors without worry and the sky was as clear as ever, free from light pollution from manmade cities, the stars blazed the sky in sheer brilliance. That night he first met you you shone the same way as those stars had in the old world. His heart leaps and he curses himself. You were not a star, you were a human who played with magic. Still, he ponders. He had heard of people who were gifted, who really did have more good in them, who had been persecuted by their own kind for having those gifts.

A clattering noise removes him from his thoughts and Nuada whips his head towards it. Mr. Wink, his ever so loyal companion, had knocked someone and all their belongings over. The troll apologizes in his own unintelligible language and tries picking the things up, but his large and few-fingered hands keep dropping them back down again.

"Oh leave it! Leave it!" you swat the troll's hands away and rise from the ground. With you, your things float up into your large bag.

“See?" you tell the troll and turn away haughtily to leave.

"You?" Nuada's voice freezes you over.

"Oh no," you begin to snap your fingers, but the prince had already snatched your hand midair, reaching your side swiftly. You look at him in panic as he brings your hands between you.

"Don't run, I want to talk," Nuada grits his teeth as he struggles to keep your hand in his, you squirm in defiance.

"Last time we spoke you pulled out your sword, not very conversational if you ask me," you finally give up as his grip tightens. You look up at him fearfully, but he didn't seem angry. You soften as his yellow eyes seem to search back into yours.

"I am sorry but I just need a moment, and besides, I never paid you." You think it over, or at least pretend to. There wasn't anything special waiting for you back home.

"Alright, but just a few minutes," you return Nuada's gaze again and he releases you from his iron grip. He nearly smiles, then nods his head towards a large fountain in the midst of the market. You sit on the edge of the fountain, eyeing Nuada warily as he settles next to you. The two of you make a brief glance at the deadly creatures slithering at the bottom of the marble fountain. Nuada adjusts his sword on his back and motions at Mr. Wink to stand guard.

"I wanted to say that what you showed me that day was wrong," you look at Nuada incredulously.

"I didn't show you anything, the mirror showed you something you asked to see," you begin, "and please spare me the insults about witches and their tricks." Nuada narrows his eyes at you, but falters into a somber look as he loses himself in your beauty. You were wearing a light grey gown this time with strands of glittering stones atop your head. You glimmered like the Venusian star at the last hour of the night. You didn’t know what made you more uncomfortable then, the silence or Nuada seeming to just stare at you with nearly squinting eyes. You think of what to say next to end this silence.

"I saw something too…recently," you recall, "in a fire, I saw you." Nuada focuses again and tilts his head slightly in confusion.

"So now you're going to tell me that you can see my fate and not some puddle?” Did he want to sting you with his words? You shrug.

"I didn't think I could, okay? But I was gazing into a fireplace, and suddenly it came to life. I wasn't dreaming or anything, I know what I saw I-," you hesitate and lower your voice, "I saw you lose in combat." Nuada sits up straighter.

"What did he look like? Like a demon? Was he a big red thing?" Nuada suddenly pours out. You look at him stunned.

"Yes, only his horns were shaved off…" the two of you stare at each other warily, realizing you shared the same vision as him. Nuada's fears return and he rises from his seat, you follow.

"I must go, I'm sure you'll be glad to be free from me now," Nuada begins to stalk away but you grab his arm, a light gasp escapes his lips as you tug him back.

"Do not finish this crown," you hiss so as to not be heard by passerbys, "we both saw it, you will die in the end of all this." Nuada doesn't move for several seconds, his chest rises in deep breaths. He then shrugs your hand off and storms away with Mr. Wink trailing behind. You stand at the fountain in disbelief then huff.

Let him see for himself! A heaviness toils in your mind though as you sweep up your belongings and go your own way. You glance into your bag to double check only to find a coin of gold added to your things.

***

It was done. Nuada retrieved the second crown piece, his eyes welled with tears once he found a moment of solitude. He had sent Mr. Wink after Nuala for the final piece, and he remained behind to grieve his father who he had no choice but to kill for the crown. Nuada stumbles down a hallway, gripping the wall to steady himself. He began to panic as the prophecy unfolded in his mind once more. What once seemed like meaningless fragments now pieced together. Your face flashes across his mind. He balls his hand into a fist and smashes it against the wall.

***

He had to find you, he needed to find you. The purpose of this mission he wasn’t entirely clear on, but surely you could cheat destiny? Anything to aid him. Anything at all. Nuala was now long out of Nuada’s reach. Mr. Wink failed to capture her, losing his life in the process. A small creature had just left Nuada with the news of his friend’s tragic end. He rose from his place beneath the bridge and searched for you across the market in wild desperation. He was alone now, so alone.

Several days had gone by since your last meeting with the elf prince, and you assumed he was done with you once and for all now that he had paid you as well. The troll market has grown more frenzied than usual due to recent events much to your annoyance. You were horror struck when just moments ago a fight broke out in which a demon, the demon from your visions at that, killed Mr. Wink right before your eyes.

“I’m leaving this place,” you mumble to yourself as you lug yet another delivery for the mages back at the coven, “I don’t like the feeling of any of this, and who knows, maybe everyone connected to this elf prince will die just because they talked to the damn guy.” Just then fate plays you like a fiddle and you slam into Nuada’s frozen body. You stumble back in several steps as he remains solid like a wall before you.

“I need you,” he says. You gawk at him and shake your head angrily.

“No! I won’t have any part in this,” you put your hands on your hips and raise your voice in agitation, “it was you who called me a liar anyways.” Nuada hesitates. He casts his eyes down onto the stone floor beneath him, his eyes glistening ever so slightly. He looks back up to you and steps forward.

“I know now I’ve been wrong, but I need to finish this and I cannot afford any more loss,” he begins. You squint in suspicion, you couldn’t guess what this was leading up to in the slightest.

“Perhaps the visions haven’t accounted for any interference of magic, you could cast some protection on me, couldn’t you? I’ll pay you double I’ll-“

“Stop, just stop.” Your head spins at the thought. What has been written cannot be challenged, you couldn’t change his fate. But he seemed to just threaten his way into getting what he wanted. Nuada’s face grew angrier, and you were afraid he would cut you down right then and there.

“I mean…there is no guaranteeing that it’ll change the end result, that much power is out of my hands, hell it’s even out of my mentor’s hands.” You measure your words to assuage him.

“So you’ll do it? Help me finish the crown?” Nuada stares at you excitedly. How he enraptured you with those yellow eyes. You close your eyes in a half prayer that the gods would help you and nod. Nuada steals your hand immediately and drags you out of the market, across the city, and to his dominion.

***

The outside of his kingdom had at first frightened you as it looked like an abandoned factory, then the golden light that filled the inside inspired awe in you. But you don’t have much time to absorb everything as Nuada was still dragging you further inside.

“Wait a minute, Nuada, wait!” You steal your hand back and nearly tumble forward. He flashes an annoyed look at you as you sooth your wrist in your other hand.

“You’ve dragged me across half the city to this place, there’s things I need to be able to do this,” you look around in your sack of packages, “I need to go back, I need-“

“You will find everything you need here I’m sure,” Nuada rolls his eyes at you and struts down one hall, he turns and urges you to come. He leads you down several corridors before stopping at a pair of ancient bronze doors. He watches your face as he pushes the doors open to reveal a highly advanced laboratory, your eyes widen in curiosity. You step in hesitatingly, then lunge at a book you recognized.

“How is this possible! This was said to be destroyed,” that old yearning student in you returns after so long and you circle the room repeatedly to observe all of the magical artefacts. You return to Nuada, smiling at him as if he had gifted you with something just for showing you the room. The corners of his lips turn upward, but he feels the weight of the crown on his body and turns solemn again.

“So will you do it? Protect me so I can finish this?” Your smile falters, the memory of the vision in the fire returns to you. He seemed so desperate beneath all that bravado he put on before you. Your heart ached but you knew you were partially under his mercy at this point. He seemed to always find you anyway. And something even deeper inside of you wanted him to need you.

“I will.”

***

“Drink this,” you hand Nuada a vial full of inky black liquid. You poured your entire self into it. You referred to texts you’d only ever dreamed of reading and petitioned with beings from other worlds. But none of them would help you, their reason all being the same: Nuada was ultimately going to die and there was no point in trying to play with time.

Any frustration you felt you hid with guilt because Nuada watched you intently as you worked. He was mesmerized by the way you, a human, manipulated energy for your own kind of magic. Now spent from all physical and mental energy, you lean with one hand on the stone table and rest the other on your hip, eager for Nuada to speak. He observes the vial and grimaces at the crackling fumes.

“Well?” You tilt your head to the side, trying to stifle a yawn. Nuada glances at you and lurches forward to grab your waist as you sway too suddenly to the side.

“I’m fine, just drink it,” you stiffen upright in embarrassment and feel yourself blush. You walk around the table with your back to him. Nuada sighs and takes another look into the bottle. Seeing that you weren’t going to acknowledge him, he tilts his head back and swallows it whole. His throat burns for a moment, his eyes and ears searing hot, before an icy sensation follows. Nuada lets out a fit of coughs, dropping the vial to the floor. You wince at every sound he makes, knowing it probably hurt, then finally turn around when he falls silent.

“How do you feel?” you ask. He looks at you a little irked, his chest rising and falling in shaky breaths. You see the liquid begin its effects as Nuada searches for his answer; black swirls blossom on his neck and hands, snaking around his skin like a spiderweb before dissolving. He glances at his hands just as the webs fade and he chuckles lightly.

“Come, you are tired, I can see it,” he beckons you to him and out of the lab without a word about the potion.

***

When he first brought you here, he was mercilessly dragging you across the halls, now the two of you drifted slowly back the way you came. He leads you to a small, quiet room with a few bookshelves on one side and a daybed by two long arched windows on the other. You plop down onto the chaise, finally releasing a yawn and stretching your arms up to the ceiling. Nuada sits at the edge of the daybed by your feet, looking solemnly at the side of your face as you peer out into the courtyard where pairs of elves whisk back and forth. Your smile falters after you turn to him. The rays of the setting sun pour into the room now.

“What’s wrong?” You scoot an inch closer to him and clasp your hands onto your knees.

“I cannot stop the doubt I harbor inside over this, the losses I’ve already been dealt…but I cannot stop or it will all have been for nothing,” Nuada says defeatedly. Your stomach drops at the thought of the cursed vision.

“Maybe this uncontrollable feeling you have is simply fate toying with you,” you hesitate to not stoke his ego, “I mean, do you really think you would intentionally sacrifice your friend, all of your own volition? Don't you think you can turn back and stop from making things worse?”

“Stop,” Nuada sneers and rises from the daybed. You jump up after him, suddenly feeling defiant.

“Nuada,” He turns back to you, you walked up behind him so quickly that the both of you gasp in synchronicity. You stand quietly for a moment, feeling the air between each other as if your souls were deciphering one another. You’re so close to him that you feel Nuada’s breath on your cheek.

“I…do this for my people, it is not for some personal gain,” he says shakily, “our lands, our kind, it is all for them.” Your eyes trail up from where they were fixated on his chest to his lips and then his eyes. He was fighting something internally, you could easily tell.

“At the cost of your loved ones?” you reply quietly. His eyes gleam, you knew that if you got him while he was so conflicted that you could end his vengeance against humanity and prevent his death entirely. You slide your hand slowly into his, he shudders at your touch, but allows you to interlock your fingers together.

He softens at the warmth of your hands, you were like a fire in an inviting hearth. You were so lovely in that moment, Nuada’s eyes traced your delicate features. He wanted to stay with you, let you comfort him, tell him he wasn’t at fault for the bad things that had happened in the past several days.

Please, please, please, please. You plead in your head over and over again, seeming to affect him little by little. Nuada takes a step into you, his entire body suddenly hungry for your light. The scent of petrol wafts into the room suddenly, snapping Nuada out of his daze. He drops your hand, his face now beyond furious. The only thing that filled his mind now was the rage he felt for humans whom destroyed the planet. You feel his energy shift and back away from him nervously.

“You are tired, I will let you rest,” he spins and leaves the room, almost entirely disappearing from the corridor as well. Internally panicking, you circle around the room. You didn’t know your way around this place, there wasn’t a soul outside, and you were too tired to think straight anymore. You sink into the daybed once more, your mind flaring with anxiety over Nuada’s whereabouts. You drift into an uneasy sleep.

***

“You may have mused in the past: am I mortal?” Nuada plunges his spear into Hellboy’s heart, “you are now.” The demon collapses to the floor and Nuada swiftly drags his sister to his side as everyone scrambles towards him. He threatens the fish-man, Abe, to bring him the final piece of the crown if he wanted to see Nuala again, then disappears from the room.

He returns to the elven throne room, dropping Nuala’s arm down in disgust, before having two guards keep her in her quarters until their departure for the entrance to the golden army. Nuada looks at his hands, watching the black liquid ripple beneath the surface of his skin. His mind jumps to you and he races down the hallway, a glimmer of hope in his heart that you were still tucked away in that small room. He slows his pace before the door and slides in quietly. You are nowhere to be found. In a fit of rage, Nuada unsheathes his spear and stabs the daybed mattress, causing plumes of feathers to burst out. As the feathers clear from the air, settling around Nuada in a white ring, he fixes his eyes outside the arched windows. There are elves promenading as usual, but he catches a head of hair distinct from the others. He watches you intently, you seem to be measuring up the courtyard. Nuada lets out a small huff of amusement, then collects himself to meet you.

"I thought I left you in that room," you were in fact attempting to measure how high the stone walls of the courtyard were when Nuada's voice surprises you from behind.

"I didn't know I was following any orders," you clasp your hands at your back. The prince eyes you up, seeming to fight a smile as well.

"That's not what I meant, forgive me," Nuada replies, "What were you doing here anyway? Does a witch like you need to climb a wall to escape from here?" Your face flushes.

"Well no I'm just amazed at how high the walls are here, I um, thought that if somebody were to scale it, you know," you trail off and wander towards the center of the courtyard. Nuada remains close on your heels.

"Come with me to the golden army," he blurts out. You whip around, the perplexed look on your face so fierce that Nuada looks away.

"Why? What for?" He doesn't answer, the wind picks up and his icy blond hair lashes about.

"I feel that when you are near..." he hesitates, the wind obscures his words so you step closer, "that I am more confident in my capabilities."

"That's not true, you just think that way because of the potion," you reason. He shakes his head and faces you again. You were like his guiding star, but he couldn't say that. He wished you could read his heart and make it easier for him, the way his sister could read his feelings and pain. The crackle of lightning chases the two of you back inside. You stare out into the now drizzling courtyard. You could feel the heat of Nuada's body emanating dangerously close to you, so you feign not noticing him. Obviously you wanted him to take you away, but what good would it do to go visit the place he was going to die in? No. You would stay put and forget the past several days had ever happened.

"I have no one else," he steps closer, you try backing away but your back hits a pillar and you look up at him. His large, hawklike eyes spoke more than he ever could.

"I can’t go with you Nuada..."

"Why not?" he snaps almost childishly. You frown and shrug your shoulders.

"Say you die there, what the hell will I be doing stranded in a place full of your enemies?" he looks down then back up, as if an idea popped into his mind.

"Why would I die? I will not fail to awaken the golden army. You can stay by my side during the war, I won't let any harm come to you-"

"But I am human," you cut him off, "what will I do in a world without anyone like me left in it?" Sure, people were shit to deal with, witches and normies alike, but in what world was genocide the answer? Nuada huffs in frustration. Slowly, you take a step towards him, he watches you eagerly. You raise a hand hesitatingly and hover it over his cheek. He leans into your palm absentmindedly, closing his eyes at the warmth of your skin.

Can he make this any harder? You bring your lips close to the other side of his face and plant a soft kiss above his jaw near his ear.

"I wish you luck, little prince," you whisper and step away quickly, using all of your energy to transport yourself outside of the elves' dwelling. You fly up and through the courtyard then back down to a quiet street. Between several gulping breaths you grab onto a nearby lamp post.

Please forgive me.

***

"If we die, then the world will be poorer for it," Nuada strains out his last words in pain. The wound in his chest pierced his heart, golden blood spilling out onto his clothes. Hellboy held him as he spoke, the demon looking regrettably at the prince's face. Nuala had sacrificed herself to stop her brother, now the two of them withered away in the golden army's chamber. The prince pushes himself away from Hellboy and stumbles towards his sister. Before he says anything more, he falls to his knees.

***

A soft light filters through Nuada's eyelids. He opens as the light grows stronger. What was this? He finds himself in an empty field. Soft warm wind blows over the long blades of grass and thousands of stars shine brightly above him. The edge of the eastern horizon was pink, soon the sun would rise. Nuada rises from the ground and gazes above in awe. There was such peace in his heart, the memories from before seemed trivial now as they drained away from his mind.

"Nuada," he whips his head towards your familiar voice. You stood before him, twinkling ever so slightly like the sky above.

"Is this real?" he asks as his hand grazes your hair.

"Yes, I'm sorry I wasn't there, but I don’t think I could have stopped it from even happening, I'm so sorry," your eyes begin to well up with tears. You had watched Nuada die through the gazing mirrors, and in grief you shattered the entire silver room into bits of glass, then were asked to leave the coven.

"Do not fret. None of that matters now," Nuada replies in a cooing manner, "tell me this instead, how is it possible that we are both here?" He wipes your tears from your cheeks.

"Well, I’m only dreaming, but you really are here, forever, and later you may find your father and sister, and maybe Mr. Wink," you laugh a little at the thought of the troll in this serene afterlife and wipe the remaining tears from your eyes. Another warm wind passes and Nuada takes a deep breath in. He seemed so different to you now. That once prideful and angry prince was gone, even the deep forehead ridges he had when he was alive were softer now. The sun was slowly breaking through the horizon, an orange glow filling half of the sky.

"I wish I could have known you in the past," Nuada says reluctantly. He knew since he was dead that seeing you would be next to rare now. You smile and step towards him, the two of you seeming to intertwine in each others arms like branches.

---

Being a water witch, you had no idea what the future had in store for you. 

It’s why battles were so scary...why you tried so hard.

Why you fought for the people you loved. 

So when Nuada and Nuala joined your small and disjointed family you learnt one thing. Protect both of them at all costs. 

That night you had a nightmare, a horrifying yet somehow true one. 

Nuala took her life just to save the rest of the world from Nuada’s tyranny. 

It was poetic. 

But it scared the ever living shit out of you. 

---

“Y/N PLEASE WAKE UP!”

So when you awoke to Nuada practically shouting your name...you didn’t know what to think. 

“...are you alright?” Maybe it was the way he phrased it or how much you wanted to hear his voice. But you were in pieces the moment you opened your eyes. 

As you cried yourself to sleep all you could hear were his kind words as he wrapped around you in the softest kind of way. Despite what everyone believed, when he wanted to be...he was a total softy 

Especially for you…

---

You weren’t entirely sure what the dream was about now. 

Yet somehow...all of that had led to this.

“You really stayed with me all night?” Confusion laced your tone.

“Of course.” his eyebrows scrunched together like it was the most simple answer in the world. As if he would ever choose to do the opposite. The notion caused your chest to fill with a warmth you had never known before. You were acutely aware of the feelings that had been bubbling to the surface, whether they were mutual was a whole other thing. 

Although a friend would stay until you fell asleep. Nuada had stayed with you all night, even when you were asleep, protecting you from the constant fear of nightmares that plagued your psyche. 

He was something you had never known. Eyes fluttering shut, you savored the feeling that crept into your heart. The prince must have assumed you had fallen back asleep because soon afterwards he placed a chaste kiss upon your brow. You couldn’t help the soft gasp that escaped your lips. He stilled beside you, tense and dare you say, afraid? 

It felt like the atmosphere had drastically changed from soft and comforting to something charged with unknown answers. A question pressed into your tongue, begging to be asked. 

“Nuada...do you care about me?” It wasn’t what you wanted to say but it was the closest you were going to get. 

“...yes.” His hesitance was obvious but you weren’t going to point it out. 

“Good...I care about you too.” You had to see the look on his face, but nuzzling into his neck just made the whole scenario more warm. Everything just felt right.

“Y/N?” A moment of silence passed before you hummed against his throat. “I think...I think I’m falling in love with you.”

It was your turn to still, your breathing ceased at the confession. Was this real? Maybe last night you had been killed in your sleep and this was some form of heaven. This was so unexpected...gods above, you haven’t said anything!!!

“Nuada-” you started, raising yourself onto your forearms, glancing into his eyes before he turned away from you.

“It’s alright if you don’t feel the same. I just- wanted you to know. It’s been weighing on me...I’ve never felt so deeply for someone before and it...it scared me.” Another confession, although this one made your heart still with empathy. You knew what he had been feeling because you had been going through the same thing all this time!

You knew you had to say something before he retreated to his quarters. Lifting a hand, you rested it against his back, only barely feeling the jittery heartbeat through his undershirt. 

“Nuada...I’m falling in love with you too.” You breathed. So certain and yet so fearful.

It was a fragile walk over a tightrope. You were on the verge of steadiness or falling.

But falling into what exactly?

Nuada moved, your eyes fluttered as you met his gaze. He was staring right into your soul, you felt him looking at every single part of yourself. The warmth spread from your chest, down through your arms and legs. You felt like you’d just drank hot chocolate. Was he really capable of making you feel all this with one look? 

Yes.

This time, it was you who moved closer, hoping he understood your intentions. Your gaze formed a question. His brow softened and his breath stuttered in his chest. Was Nuada…nervous? 

Your hand fell to rest against his heart, it was thundering away. He was a nebula alright, but even that nebula held its own astrology of emotion. It went without saying that you had to be gentle with one another. 

“Nuada?” Breaking the silence felt so right…you wanted to hear his voice. 

“Yes, my starlight?” 

Starlight.

“Can I-” the sentence died in your throat.

His expression gave away that he was on the edge of his seat, eagerly awaiting your question. 

“Can I kiss you?” 

There. You asked him. 

“I…I would be honored. Yes.” You beamed, Nuada smiled in response. His smile was so beautiful. You yearned to cause every different kind of smile upon his face. 

Leaning in, you let out an airy laugh as his grin matched your own. You had never seen him smile so widely and freely before. 

It was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen. 

Taking the final leap, your lips met his and you melted into his embrace. His lips glided against yours, shy as he pressed into you. Being bold you decided to open your mouth slightly and let his bottom lip fall between yours, gently sucking it into your mouth. 

He groaned in response. 

Your heart practically stopped at the sound. 

Quickly, you climbed on top of him, invested in giving him all of your attention and affection. 

He broke the kiss for a split second as he took in your position on his lap. He seemed startled before he reached out for your lips once more. 

The kiss grew heated as you practically devoured him. He had become your oxygen, he was far more addictive than oxygen anyway. 

“I love you.” 

Even though Nuada had confessed his affections for you, your heart stilled again as you awaited his response. It had slipped out in the heat of the moment and you felt regret for not waiting longer…but then

“I love you too Starlight.”

Tears filled your eyes at the sight of his honest smile, he was the happiest you had ever seen him. Because of you. 

“Nuada…you’re killing me.” you laughed, pressing your lips to his once more.

“My love, I need you to know right now…if I begin courting you I have every intention of spending the rest of my life with you.” 

You pulled away from him. 

“Nuada…you can’t spend the rest of your life with me.” Your heart practically broke as you said this. 

“Why not?” His brow scrunched.

Did he…did he honestly forget?

“Nuada…I’m mortal, remember?” The tears began to spill from your eyes for a completely different reason now. 

His face fell as his heart caught up with his mind…the reality of what you two had fallen into. 

Nuada had fallen in love with a human. One who could easily spend the rest of her life with him, but he could not do the same. 

“Nuada…I would be honored to become your spouse one day, don’t get me wrong. I understand if this puts you off being with me…the fact that I will die one day and you will just keep going. But if I’m being completely honest, I want you to keep going.” You smiled softly, placing a hand on his cheek. 

Your heart broke when you saw the tears filling his eyes. 

“Why?”

You gave him an honest yet pained smile in return. 

“Because if we had children you’d be able to stick around for them when I can’t.” 

You watched in awe as hope filled his eyes once more. 

“You…would wish to have children with me?” He asked tentatively, unsure of your answer. 

“Of course…I love you Nuada, I want to be with you always and raise a family with you if you are willing?”

The smile on his face was all the answer you needed as he spun you back onto the bed, covering your face and neck in feather-light kisses. 

“Y/N, I would be honored not only to become your spouse but also the father of your children…I wish for nothing less.” 

Your heart mended itself before it burst. You couldn’t remember if you had ever been this happy. 

“Nuada, my heart is yours. Forever.” You declared. 

“Forever? Forever is a mighty long time my love.” He advised, clearly well versed in how long ‘forever’ felt. 

“My heart is yours for as long as you shall live…and forever after that.” You sighed, skimming your hand down his face. 

“...my heart will always be with you Y/N.” Nuada confessed before leaning down, sealing his promise with a soul melting kiss. 

Nuada wasn’t expecting to have kids. He was one of the few of his species that was left. He didn’t think he would find someone to love. He was determined to kill all of the humans as punishment for their terrible ways. Yet you never bothered to stop him; you helped him in any way that you could. You didn’t want him to be alone. It was after a few years that you both eventually had a child. He didn’t know how to raise a child; he didn’t know what to do, and he was afraid of failing. He didn’t want the child to suffer like he had. He didn’t want his child to know the cruelty of the world as he had known.

Nuada would take the time out of his day to help teach his child. He wanted his child to know the same language that Nuada did. He didn’t want his language to die out. He taught his child all that he knew. If he had a son, he would teach him how to fight in order to protect himself and you. If he had a daughter, he would teach her how to defend herself in a fight—but maybe not fighting. Simply because he was raised in a time where women do not fight. However, he doesn’t want her to be helpless and still able to defend herself.

He kept you safe and well protected, never letting anyone hurt you, whether it be physically or verbally. He also made sure you were well taken care of, and that was before you had children. He stayed the same after having kids, but instead, he also did the same to them. They were well taken care of, and he actually grew to like being a father once he found he was doing the right thing. He never showed favorites and treated them both the same.

© SUVIDRACHE — do not copy, translate, modify, or plagiarize my work. reblogs are appreciated!