the ever-fixed mark shall not be shaken

Despite the dangers, Kiara could not help but be drawn to the wall; her magic encouraged her, dancing under her skin as she stepped closer and closer. She had always been desperate for an explanation for her strange abilities, for why magic flooded through her human veins, and the only place an answer might be found would surely be in the Fae realm.

But she hadn't meant to walk through a gap in the crumbling wall; so enthralled by her own magic, she was hardly aware of what she had done until a figure appeared in front of her.

A figure that was decidedly not human.

"I - I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to intrude...I'll just - go back..." she stumbled out. In her fear, she lost her tentative control over her rebellious powers, and vines with threateningly sharp thorns wrapped themselves around her arms, as her magic seemingly tried to protect her.

Getting away from his family had been the only thing to keep him sane, until they were cruelly ripped away from him. He’d never thought it could be possible that he would miss Casimir, former High Lord of Spring, but parts of him did. The proud gaze from afar had sometimes been enough to remind Tamlin that his home may not always be the what he needed, but it was his and that was enough. Wasn’t it?

Isn’t it? He wondered. Home is where the heart is, they all said. If that were the case, Tamlin’s home was here, in the forest. He belonged to the wilderness, to the trees, and the wide open sky. They never questioned his presence, let alone his appearance, existence, or beliefs. His actions were his alone and he did not have to prove himself to anyone.

The High Lord paced along the wall, letting his horse follow behind him at her own pace. He never used a saddle or bridle. The mare deserved to be as free of restraint as possible. Cauldron knew that he’d hate to be trapped in chains. Wearing clothing was bad enough. Reaching down, he removed his boots and let his feet sink into the moss on the forest floor. Much better.

He waved his hand across his head and let a pair of antlers grow from his temples, proud and strong, like a crown. He might be trapped behind a mask, but he still had his own small ways of rebelling. Micro-shifting was his favorite.

The deer in the distance gave him respectful bows of affection as he passed and a slight smile tilted Tamlin’s lips. He wasn’t supposed to be here, but it was early enough in the morning that he hoped his sentries would sleep through his absence in the manor.

Afterall, if no one knew here he was…no one would could say anything about it.

He continued his walk, entranced by the scenery — so much so that he didn’t notice the figure of a young woman slip past the broken down bricks facing the eastern edge of the barrier. The sun rise split through the sky and obscured his vision. He stepped towards. “Hello?”

She was small. Very small. The closer he got, the further she shrank away.

Tamlin stopped, watching her quiver quietly to herself. “I meant no harm.”

He glanced her over again. She carried no visible weapons, but he knew better than to believe that meant she wasn’t dangerous. There was a soft green glow emanating from her palms and ivy crept up her arms.

Humans cannot posses magic…can they?

He tilted his head. “You should be wary of these woods, little one. They house more dangerous animals than you’d think.”

Art by hmmr.art and j.sgrey.

✧ "I—are you... crying? No, hey, it's okay. I'm not leaving."

✧ "Why didn’t you wake me up? I would've listened. I always listen."

✧ "You don’t have to do this alone, you know that, right?"

✧ "Did something happen, or is it just... everything?"

✧ "Is this the part where you tell me you’re 'fine'? 'Cause you're literally shaking."

✧ "You scared me. Just—sitting here. In the dark. Alone."

✧ "Talk to me. Yell at me. Cry into a pillow. I don’t care what it is—just do something."

✧ "You didn’t even turn the lights on. How long have you been like this?"

✧ "Hey. No. Don’t apologize. You’re allowed to break down. You’re supposed to break down sometimes."

✧ "Was it a nightmare? Or one of those waking ones your brain likes to loop at 2AM?"

✧ "You're not weak for crying. You're human. And frankly, overdue for a cry, if you ask me."

✧ "I’ll sit here. As long as you need. You don’t have to say anything."

✧ "...You want a hug or should I pretend I didn’t ask and awkwardly hover until you give in?"

✧ "You always take care of everyone else. Let someone take care of you for once."

⋆｡‧˚ʚ💋ɞ˚‧｡⋆ 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲

send ‘reverse’ for the sender and receiver to swap. adjust wording as needed!

[ ghosted ] sender leans in close but doesn’t kiss, their breath brushes over receiver’s lips instead

[ shared air ] sender presses their forehead to receiver’s, their breath warm between them as they both go quiet

[ almost kiss ] sender cups receiver’s jaw and leans in, letting their breath linger. waiting for receiver to close the space

[ sleep-close ] reciever wakes up to the sound and feel of sender's soft breathing against their neck

[ held stare ] neither of them says anything. sender just leans closer until they can feel every breath between words

[ whispered secret ] sender speaks directly against receiver’s ear, their breath warm and slow

[ slow lean ] as receiver talks, sender gets closer… and closer… until their breath brushes over receiver’s words

[ exhale ] in the middle of a hug, sender exhales slowly against receiver’s neck and doesn’t pull away

[ back of the neck ] sender leans in behind receiver and their breath hits the back of their neck before they speak

[ silence ] in the middle of an argument, everything falls quiet. their breath is the only thing filling the gap between them