Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Elves of All Kinds (1x1)

"They are quite vicious... Their bites aren't exactly a nip." Saelhil sat down in the sand, looking where the baby turtles played in the foam left on the sand by the tide. He chuckled a bit. "But you're right. The little ones certainly are adorable."

Raeliel sat down beside him and watched as well, observing everything that the little turtles did. "You know...a week or two ago, I would have scoffed at the idea of sitting in the sand without a blanket or something." She sighed. "..it's strange. I thought I was going to change you...but it seems like you're changing me." She paused and looked at him for a long moment. Then, quite suddenly, she spoke up. "Tell me you don't love Mirwen." It was nearly a commanding tone. But she wanted him to say it honestly. Why? She didn't want to think about the reason why.

Saelhil chuckled. "Things never really turn out the way we plan, do they?" He leaned back, but jumped slightly at her sudden command. "What?" he retaliated rather quickly, very surprised she would ask him to do such a thing. "Why?...are you worried I'm... I'm going to have an affair?" He looked at her, his face full of disbelief, confusion, and slight discomfort.

Raeliel shook her head a little. "No, they never do." When he was so surprised, she glanced at him. At his question, she looked away and frowned. "Just say it. And be honest. And if you can't say it and be honest, then just say you do love her!" The last bit held a hint of bitterness and hurt. But just a slight hint.

Saelhil was silent for a few moments, before he looked away towards the ocean. "...I do not love Mirwen." His voice was quiet, but he was telling the truth... Wasn't he? He wanted it to be true, at least. He didn't really know if he still loved her or not... He hadn't seen her in a long while, and his feelings for her had been over fifty years in the making. His feelings for Raeliel had only just begun... How could they compete?

Raeliel was quiet for a few long moments. Now that he said it, she felt like a terrible person. She suddenly stood. "I need some air." Which....didn't make sense, because they were outside. But she turned and started walking back to the house. Quickly. In fact, she started to run. She needed to get away. Just...anywhere. So she went to town. She reached the house and got on the horse, riding into town. Once she was there, she...wasn't sure what to do. So she got off and just walked around. Why did she feel so terrible? That was what she wanted, wasn't it? For him to not love Mirwen? But hearing him say it made her realize what a horrible person she was. A stuck up, snobby, spoiled princess. A spoiled princess who tore two lovers apart.
Maybe it was coincidence, maybe it was just bad luck, that the human man from earlier spotted her and came over to talk. Raeliel wasn't feeling much for conversation at the moment, but he convinced her to get some cider with him and sit down, since she seemed rather upset.

Saelhil was taken off-guard at her sudden running off, and he began to run after her, calling her name. But it was obvious she was upset at something, and talking to him would do no good. So he slowed down and just walked home. He saw one of the horses was gone, but her things were still in the house, so he guessed she didn't just run off. He hoped he went to the village, or back to his village. And not just in some random direction. He decided to wait until an hour or two before sunset to set out for her, so for now he just climbed up the vines growing along one wall to sit on top of the villa's roof and watch the sea for a while. If she didn't come back in a few hours, he would go searching for her. But for now, he would let her do as she pleased.

Raeliel sat with the human and let him talk. She didn't say much herself, just letting him talk at her, tell her about himself, all the things he was doing. She didn't notice he was trying to flirt with her again until he touched her hand. She would yank it away quickly and suddenly splash the rest of her cider into his face. Well...needless to say, he was not so fond of that. While she was still gaping at what he'd done, he suddenly grabbed onto her hair and started screaming at her. It seemed the big, handsome man had a short temper when things didn't go his way. A crowd was gathering, but no one interferred, too afraid that helping one side might upset the other side, and destroy their peace. Raeliel struggled against him, but he had her hair balled around his fist.
So Raeliel did something surprising. She smashed her cup against the table they were at and used the jagged edges to...cut her hair. She sliced it right off where he was holding it. She nearly toppled backwards, but she managed to run out the door and climb onto the horse. From there on, she was free. But not happy. She leaned against the horse and started crying. And that's how Saelhil would find her. Her face buried in the neck of the horse, her hair cut haphazardly, crying.

Saelhil looked back back he heard a horse approaching. Ah, so she had returned on her own. He took a bother moment to realise that she was hunched over on th horse, her long, beautiful blonde hair now short and jagged. He immediately became overcome with worry and climbed down. "Raeliel!" He ran to her, moving to help her off the horse. "Raeliel! What happened!? Are you hurt?" He kept a firm grip on her in case she tried to run or turn away, but tried to stay as gentle as he could, as he was only concerned for her.

Raeliel did not try to run away. She couldn't even tell him what happnened yet. She hid her face against him and cried softly. That had been the closest she'd ever come to someone actually trying to hurt her. Finally, when she got calmed down enough, she explained what happened. "I...I don't even know why I did it. H-he touched my hand, and I just...I threw my drink right in his face. I don't know why, it wasn't like me at all...b-but then he...he grabbed my hair. H-he was pulling on it, and...and screaming at me. I-I couldn't get away, I had to..." She touched the jagged ends of her hair and hid her face in her hands to start crying once more.

Saelhil's gaze softened, and he immediately pulled her into a tight embrace. He didn't know who "he" was, but Saelhil had a pretty good guess who it could have been. But he asked no questions, only vowed to make sure that man got what was coming to him, and soon. But for now, he just quietly held her close, gently shushing her crying with soft words of comfort. He pressed his hand against the back of her head, stroking her shortened hair. Inside him, a bit of fury began to form towards the man... Oh yes, that human would definitely pay for not only flirting with Raeliel, but also hurting her both physically and emotionally.

{How short is her hair now? :o}

(I'd say about shoulder-length, 'cause he would reach out and grab for what was closest, so if she cut it off above where he had grabbed, it would be around shoulder-length, don't you think?)

Raeliel was mortified. Her long hair had been her pride, nearly every elf had hair that was long and luxurious. And hers wasn't even cut straight, giving how she had cut it in the first place. It was messed and jagged. She felt hideous. "I...I feel like THEM. Like those horrid, terrible, cruel humans!"

Saelhil pulled back a bit and lifted her chin so he could see her. "All because of your hair?" he asked seriously. "Raeliel... You are nothing like those humans. Your hair could be shaved and even a blind man would know you are a beautiful, divine elf." He looked at her hair, noting how someone would have to cut it again to make sure it grew out evenly. He felt his stomach churn, and he suddenly wished he could cut his own hair, if only Raeliel could have her own.

Raeliel sniffled and looked away. "It's horrible. It's disgusting. We're going to get back to me and everyone is going to stare and look down on me..." She rubbed at her eyes. "I just wanted to get away for a little, to collect myself... I never wanted this to happen... I was just sitting down and having cider with someone..." Still...she blamed this all on herself. It all went back to her forcing Saelhil to tell her he doesn't love Mirwen. "...I've never felt so scared. I always had Miralin or a guard beside me...I was never afraid of anything. But...nobody was there when he grabbed me. The people around, they didn't do anything..." They probably would have, if things had escalated. It was a good thing Raeliel acted before it did.

Saelhil sighed and put his hand on her cheek. "No one is going to think any less of you because of your hair," he told her quietly. "If anything, they'll blame me. I should have been there to prevent it... to protect you... I'm sorry, Raeliel..." He gently kissed her forehead, as if that was any apology for the terrible trauma of having to cut one's own hair so short.

Raeliel looked at him as he touched her cheek. She closed her eyes when he kissed her forehead, and leaned against him. "It's my fault, Saelhil...I ran off like that..." She sighed and sniffled a little. "...I'm...going to take a bath... When I'm out..." She looked up at him, her eyes sad. "...can you even it out...?" Just saying it hurt. She didn't want for an answer, she just left him to go start the water and wash up.

Saelhil sighed and watched her leave. Poor thing... He shook his head and went to find some shears to cut her hair with, searching through the bedroom drawers. He only hoped that her hair would grow quickly, not for looks' sake, but for her sake. She said he had changed her? Now her appearance was even changed.

Raeliel washed up and got changed, then came back down. She was very somber, and for a good reason. She sat down and closed her eyes. "Just...try to be fast." She waited, and tried to stay still in her seat while he was cutting her hair. "...I'm a pretty troublesome wife, aren't I?" She sighed. She felt like she was always being trouble. First the storm, now this. And before all that, getting flirted with by 'him'. This probably wasn't the kind of person he wanted as a wife.

Saelhil quietly began to cut the edges of her hair, straightening them out. He tried to cut as little as he could, but she had cut it so haphazardly that he had to cut off at least another half inch to make it presentable. When she made her comment, he paused. "Troublesome?" he repeated curiously. "Why would you say that? You've been practically banished from your people, forced to marry a complete stranger and live in a strange land. You've found out your first love died, then that he was lying..." Saelhil shook his head. "I would have expected you to have just gone completely mad. You're handling everything in a very civilised, untroublesome manner, I think."

Raeliel listened to him. Well, all things considered, maybe he was right. But still..."I'm not how a wife should be." She had been trained to be the perfect wife, so she knew when she was failing that misreably. "...I'm sorry." She stayed still until he was done, then touched her hair sadly. "...thank you..." She sighed. She didn't feel like doing anything else. Night would come soon, though. Then they could stargaze. Maybe that would help her feel better.