holiday traditions ♦ “where are you taking me”- Sage/Finn
the last entry for @yearoftheotpevent 2025
still Stolen Three - Esther attempts to break the deal to save the future firstborns from Dahlia, who keeps her word and returns for Finn and Elijah. The oldest three grow up together under Dahlia, it isn’t pleasant.
Finn managed to keep his curiosity at bay until after they left the town, his hand warm in hers as she led him to the top of the hill that overlooked the town.
The year they had met there had been a castle on it but in the years to him and centuries to her it had fallen and been reclaimed; by humans taking his stones to grow the town below and by nature itself.
“Where are you taking me?” he asks lightly, no concern as he follows her where she knows he can’t see. The canopy of the woods thick above them cutting the light of the stars , leaving him forced to trust her to lead him to safety on the uneven ground.
“Don’t you trust me?” she teased, as if the answer won’t cause her heart to miss a beat.
“Of course I do.” Finn replies without a second of hesitation as if the idea of not was never even an idea, Sage who had killed more people that can care to count, who hadn’t had that trust from anyone in life or death, sometimes she wonders how he’s real. “Always.”
All that power he holds, so intelligent and with a past that should have taught him not to trust anyone and yet he did, her. He believed in her unquestionably.
Yet she still had yet to find a way to free him from his aunt, from the invisible chains that dragged him away from her each time and kept their time short.
He had never asked or even expected anything of the like from her, just her time during his freedom, but she had the freedom to do it, the time, she had thought she would have found a way to save him by now.
“I just don't like surprises.” he continued, unaware of the guilt that had returned to her, she was unsurprised by the sentiment given his life outside of her.
The darkness of the wood ended before she manages to swallow the guilt.
“I know but we’re almost there.” she told him leaning closer as they broke out of the edge and continued on the short path to the collection of large stones, remains of the castle.
“Why here?” He asked looking around them,to the quiet empty wilderness and the small flickers of the lights from the town below.
“Sit down and wait, my love.” she led him to the stone
“It’s a little different from our normal new years.” he commented
True their normal holiday tradition for the beginning of a new year was to do it in the midst of the humans, pretending for a moment they were a normal couple celebrating the new start.
But this was different or rather one the future would be, Sage and Finn had lived in three millennia, both born in the 900s, meeting in the next, and yet they wouldn’t get to watch the year 2000 come in together.
“We’ll miss seeing the next millennium.” she explained as she circled him until his hand reached out and pulled her down beside him. “So I thought we should make our wishes now away from the noise of the crowd that few of them will remain of.”
Most of those humans weren’t going to live another 86 years other than the youngest of the crowd.
“Sage-” he was cut off by the first explosion and turned to look, Sage kepther eyes on him, watching the light dance across his features, she had many more years to watch fireworks, h was the rarity.
He watched as he closed his eyes for a moment.
Make a wish, her own voice filled her head
It wasn't so much a wish but an oath.
Next time this will be permanent, this will be the last year we count down to our parting.
