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“Where is he?!” Vale stormed into the throne room. “Where is Valir?”
One royal advisor turned to his cohorts in a silent plea for help. Seeing their poor attempt at being oblivious, he shifted his gaze to the Windtalker. The wind grew strong and hail was banging on the window. A few servants and palace guards occasionally looked at the windows and grew concerned when a crack appeared.
“My lord,” the advisor began in a careful tone. Vale’s tense gaze locked onto the shaking old man making him squeak. He cleared his throat before continuing. “Lord Valir has left for the Emerald Woodland-”
“The land of the elves?” Vale lifted a brow. His mind instantly projected images that add more fuel to the flame burning inside him. His chest went up and down as he heaved for breath to calm down. “Since when did he leave?”
The advisor choked on his words. “Th-Three days ago, sir.”
The storm grew heavier outside. The people started to scurry for safety, away from the windows. Citizens outside ushered their children back home and closed the windows. The greyish, almost black clouds gathered around the great Wind Empire of the Western Desert in a horrifying mass that left people curled up in their houses. Their lips non-stop whispering for prayer towards any merciful gods.
Vale took a very deep breath and held it for three seconds. Slowly, he exhaled through his lips and his shoulders relaxed. The storm outside died down though the wind remained a threat. Vale opened his eyes and stared down at the people in the throne room.
“Does anyone know why Valir went there?” He clenched his teeth. “And why did he not inform or bring me along?”
Everyone glanced at each other, hoping to find an answer that would no further anger the already pissed off emperor. Vale’s vein popped on his forehead at the lack of answer from the courtroom. The once slightly calm weather grew fierce again with stronger winds and a threat of a tornado coming down to the city. Even the courtroom itself felt the heaviness as the oxygen around them slowly dissipates.
“Since nobody is going to talk,” Vale hissed. “Then all of you are better off dead!”
“Wait, sir!”
Vale whipped his head to a startled handmaiden. The young girl shivered at the cold, empty gaze she was given. Nevertheless, she swallowed her fear and stood her ground. “You cannot kill us out of spite.”
Vale’s eyes grew wide and the others held their breath. The girl pursed her lips. “Lord Valir would not be happy to see his court die because of his angered spouse. We apologise for our inability to give you the answer, my lord. But we really don’t know why Lord Valir would go to the Emerald Woodland.”
“Ac-actually,”
The advisor that spoke stammered to a halt when cold eyes dropped to her. “L-Lord Valir said that he went-went there to pick up something.”
“Then what’s the use of all of you people?” Vale snapped with his arms spread out. “What’s the point of having servants if the master has to do the work himself?”
“But, sir-”
“Silence!”
Vale snarled and his fists shook from the building rage. How could he? How could he do this to him?
So that nightmare he had every night, it was real. It was no mere dream. It was a sign. He should have known. Valir was bound to leave him one day. Vale stomped out of the courtroom, down the hallway and into his chamber. He locked the doors and placed his back on the wood. The splitting headache was getting worse and no medicine could cure this.
Vale held his head and prayed for the pain to go away. Tears slid down his cheeks as he dropped in a heap on the floor. His heart felt numb and Vale could have sworn it was being torn in half.
“It was just a dream,” He mumbled to himself. “It was just a dream. He didn’t leave me. He would never do that. He-he promised!”
“Hey Vale.”
The Windtalker hummed in response. Valir’s chest was so warm and Vale wanted to stay like this. Valir’s fingers were stroking his hair, melting away all the worries like the ocean waves taking away whatever is on shore.
“You know I love you, right?”
“Mhmm…”
“Do you know what that means?”
Vale lifted his head to look at Valir. Curiosity and fear swirled in his eyes and Vale could not help but clutch tight on Valir’s side. The fire mage noticed when a surge of pain sparked from where Vale’s nails dug into his skin. Nevertheless, he still managed to put a smile.
“It means I’ll never leave you,” Valir brushed his knuckles along Vale’s cheek. “I’ll always be by your side.”
“Forever?”
“Even in death.”
The furniture in the bedchamber flew far, crashing into the walls. Splinters and broken pieces rained down to the floor. Vale cared not if some had gone under his skin and made his foot bleed. The sting from the wound was nothing in comparison to the pain of a broken heart.
“You liar!” He screamed, punching his fist on his head. “Why did you leave me? How could you!”
Vale wailed on the floor, curled up in a tight ball. Lightning flashed and thunder roared from the storm he made. Villagers screamed as their roof was torn off by the strong winds, taken to the skies before crashing down like a large sword blade. Some spat out curses at their king for bringing such fate upon them.
Said king, now reduced to whimper, shakily picked himself up from the floor. The pounding headache and the stinging heart break still prominent in him but he held it. Vale took a deep breath and opened the door. Conveniently, two servants stood waiting outside. Cold sweat dotted their foreheads and their skin white as paper.
The tone of their king sent shivers down their spine and the temperature in the room dropped even lower than it already is. “Get my horse. I’m going to pay my husband a visit.”
*******
The Emerald Woodlands, home of the elves both Light and Dark. Their beauty was outstanding. They could seduce anyone with a bat of an eye. They are soft spoken, even the Dark Elves despite their tendency to spill blood of others.
Could that be the reason Valir left him at the palace to go here? Vale’s jaw hurt from how hard his teeth grit against each other. His hands would not stop shaking from when he left the palace even when he arrived at the borders of the elves’ land. No breathing technique could stop them. No prayer would calm them.
Is this another sign? Should Vale be ready?
“No,” He shook his head. “He could not have left me for some elf. He would never do that.”
Vale chuckled at the thought. But it did not chase away the worry he felt. “Would he?”
The elves turned to his direction. Even without his ceremonial outfit, no one would forget the Wind Emperor. Valir’s spouse.
The mad king of the Western Desert.
Vale stopped his horse near a group of young female elves by the river. Their hands stopped from weaving baskets out of the river’s water to wait for the Windtalker’s words. Vale pursed his lip as his mind raced for appropriate words.
“Greetings, ladies,” He bowed his head. The elves kept their heads low in respect. “I have heard Valir has come to the Emerald Woodlands. Have any of you seen him?”
The elves looked at each other with their brows raised. They whispered in a language Vale assumed must be their native tongue. The Windtalker’s finger tapped impatiently on the horse’s strap.
After what felt like forever, the elves finally faced him. “We did see the Fire king heading to the North-”
“What the hell is in the North?” All calm composure broke down and Vale returned to his cold demeanor. “What specialty would the North hold?”
The elves shrugged. “We apologise sir. We’ve never been there.”
Vale growled. He kicked his horse to run towards North, but not before using his magic to push the elves into the river.
His mind was completely devoid of any rational thoughts. There were only fear fueled thoughts and scenes he wished would never appear before him.
Valir with a beautiful partner.
Valir smiling by someone else.
Valir was happy without him.
“No!” Vale wiped away the tears. His horse huffed as it leaped over tree roots and galloped through the forest. “He can’t betray like that. He can’t!”
I will never forgive you!
******
“So this will work?”
The healer nodded his head. “The Moonlight Bloom has served us elves in the field of medicine for generations. I’m sure the flower’s extract will help you and your husband.”
Valir nodded his head. A sigh of relief escaped his lips and his tensed shoulders relaxed. He turned to the old elf. “Can you make the medicine for me? I don’t think my healers have the knowledge to process this flower.”
“Yes, my lord,” The healer waddled to his workstation. He snipped the white flower from the bush growing in the corner of the room. The shimmering dust floated off the petals.
Valir silently prayed that this would be the cure he was looking for. He hoped Vale was still asleep. He knew his husband and his unbearable mood swings. Who knows what disaster Vale left in his wake?
How long have they been married to each other? Valir could not remember. Throughout time, he learned a lot of things about Vale.
The Windtalker was very destructive. He was a ticking time bomb, able to detonate when one least expected it to. He was capable of wiping out a single civilization in his rage. Valir shivered at the memory of when Vale first unleashed his anger. The cause?
Valir was spotted with a beautiful woman.
Vale’s jealousy is hard to control. There are times Valir wanted to yell at Vale but it would only make matters worse.
“Sir,” the fire mage looked up from his hands. The healer gave a concerning look over his shoulders. Valir felt his heart drop. “I sensed danger is heading our way.”
“Oh no…”
“Valir!”
The fire mage groaned. The elf healer gave him a sympathetic smile and turned back to continue his work. Valir stood up from his seat and shuffled out of the hut. When he was outside, he first noticed how the wind was stronger than when he first arrived. The sky was a lot darker and Valir noticed a few hail dropping to the grass.
“Valir!” The familiar voice echoed through in the forest. As much as he wanted to be surprised at the fact Vale had awoken, he was more concerned of the chaos that soon came with him. The fire mage looked around the forest for any sight of a dark skinned man with white hair.
He stood silent and concentrated on the wind. Like what Master Gord told him, magic comes from its sources including elemental magic. If he could grasp on energy, he could pinpoint where the wind was coming from.
Hence, he would spot Vale.
Valir knelt to the ground, placing one hand on the grass. Closing his eyes, Valir focused his senses on the magic energy in the wind. It was aggressive like a mad bull. The energy came to Valir in a force so strong that it almost knocked the fire mage down. Valir’s eyes glowed bright as his magic fought control over his spouse’s. Slowly, he managed to create a ‘rein’ on the magic and drove it back to its source.
Like a beacon, Valir spotted a bright figure standing before him. He quickly cancelled the magic tracker and blinked away the side effects. When his vision cleared, he saw none other than Vale on a white horse. The Windtalker’s eyes was wide, clearly as shocked as he is.
A smile twitched itself onto Vale’s face. “I finally found you.”
Vale jumped off his horse and ran to hug the disoriented fire mage. “I knew I sensed your magic. You were calling out to me, weren’t you?”
Valir did not get to respond and Vale was tugging him to his horse. “Come on, let’s go home. There’s so many things I wanna do with you. So many things I wanna cook-”
“No,” Valir tugged his arm back. Vale’s hurt puppy eyes broke Valir’s heart. “I mean. No, we can’t go back now-”
“Why?” Vale mumbled. The hurt now gone and Valir is now staring into a pair of empty eyes that had been the bane of his existence. “Why are you so eager to leave me?”
Valir frowned. Vale pursed his lips and clenched his hands into fists. “First you left me alone in the palace to be here. Now when I come on my own to take you back, you’re still stubborn on leaving.”
Vale growled. The pounding headache from earlier came back stronger. “What’s so special about here anyway? What does this place have and I don’t? Why are you so keen on leaving me?”
“Tell me,” Vale grabbed Valir’s arms. “Tell me, Valir! Do you not love me anymore?”
“Vale, I-”
“Please, don’t leave me!” Vale broke into tears. “I can’t live without you. Did I do something to hurt you? Tell me so I can change. Tell me so I can be a better husband.”
“Vale-”
The Windtalker noticed a hut behind Valir. His vision was filled with red and all he could think of was bloodshed. “So this where you’ve been all this time?”
Valir cursed under his breath as he ran after Vale. He snatched the Windtalker’s arm, pinning him to the door. Vale again had on a kicked puppy’s face and a look of betrayal. “Listen to me!”
“Why do I need to listen to you?” Vale spat at him. “Who are you protecting? Why are they so important that you have to hurt me? ME!” He shrieked.
Valir hissed at Vale’s loud voice. Anyday from now he should be deaf from all the screech and screams he had to hear.
“Valir…” He heard a sniffle. He looked down and saw Vale crying. “You don’t love me anymore, do you?”
“God damn it Vale,” Valir cursed. He said nothing and held tightly on Vale. Kicking open the door, he pushed Vale into the hut and closed the door behind him.
Vale dropped to the plush carpet on the ground. His nose caught a strong smell of spices and herbs. It choked him. Vale picked himself up, kneeling in front of Valir who stood with his arms crossed. Behind him was an old male elf moving about with complex looking lab tools spouting steam and sparkling dust.
The Windtalker was at a loss for words. What is going on?
“You were on fever for nearly a month,” Vale looked back at his husband. Valir had a murderous look in his eyes that made the wind mage shrunk in fear. But his words brought some more confusion to his deranged head.
“F-fever?”
Valir nodded. “It was an illness nobody has ever cured. I called forth almost all healers in the Land of Dawn, and researched every ancient book on medicine. I even went as far as swallowing my pride to consult my old teacher, Gord.”
Vale swallowed the lump in his throat. He knew how much Valir resented his teacher. For Valir to actually put aside the past flames just to find a cure for his illness…
“I heard about the elves having a special herb that could heal almost all disease but the area was hidden,” Valir looked down at his hands. “I spent days on nothing but bread and water just to find that herb. And I did find it.”
Valir glanced at Vale. “How’s your illness? Seeing you’re up on your feet, throwing madness and destruction along the way just to find me.”
“So the headache I kept having all day long and the chest pain,” Vale whispered.
“It was a part of your illness,” Valir knelt down in front of Vale. He raised a hand to brush his knuckles along Vale’s cheek. His spouse closed his eyes and nudged close into the warm hand. “It got me worried sick seeing you bedridden for days. I’m surprised that you managed to be on your feet. You hardly respond to anything when you sleep. I thought you heard me when I told you I was leaving for the Emerald Woodlands.”
Vale’s eyes snapped open. He whipped his head to Valir. “You told me?” He whispered.
Valir nodded. Vale wanted to bang his head on the wall. How could he have been so stupid? Valir already told him about his trip. Yet, how come he could not have remembered it?
“Sir?”
The two mages turned to the healer. A capsule sat on a small plate on the table. Valir quickly got to his feet and walked close to the capsule. The healer handed Valir a cup of water and Valir nodded a thanks.
He turned away and knelt back in front of his husband. Vale stared at the capsule in Valir’s hand. The thing that Valir had been searching for.
And he did it all for him.
Vale quickly took the capsule and popped it into his mouth, swallowing without drinking any water. Valir sighed but said nothing. Vale took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“How do you feel?”
The Windtalker smiled and sunk into Valir’s arms. He curled on Valir’s lap, smiling.
“A lot better knowing that you’re here with me.” Vale closed his eyes and felt Valir placing a kiss on his head.
I love you, Valir. Please, forgive me.