To say that Fafnir was angry was an understatement. When he arrived home from retrieving a mission and found that Morgianna had left alone he promptly handed the mission off to Alnwick and Myra to complete. Alone.
He then proceeded to lock Morgianna in her room for a two-week grounding. Her own parents did not go as far as he did when she left randomly. Every day he was present inside her room, an immovable statue. When she spoke to him, he ignored her. There were times she even threw food at him in hopes of a reaction, but still there were none.
"Fafnirrrrrrr, I'm sorry. I just have so much on my plate and I just needed to get out... There is so much I want to say I just... Please forgive me." She batted her eyelashes at the frowning man as he looked over her head with glazed eyes.
She poked him in the stomach and when that did not work she pulled his silky black hair. He just stood facing forward as if her very existence did not even register.
Morgianna felt tears begin to well in her eyes. Over the years she had pushed Fafnir, ran off alone, risked her life, and withheld many secrets, but through it all he had always stood by her side. He had always been her rock and stayed in her corner no matter what happened. To think that she had pushed him this far was heart-wrenchingly painful. If he left... she felt as if he would take a portion of herself with him.
She turned ready to just cry herself to sleep when Fafnir spoke. His voice was rougher than usual, showing it's disuse over the last few days. "I have always put my trust in you, from the moment we created that bond. If you needed a breather.. you could have told me. Do I seem so unreasonable that I would lock you in a tower? All I asked for was the same trust that I put into you, to be given in return." His once-vacant eyes now held a deep sadness. It broke her heart and made the lead in her stomach grow in weight.
She knew without a doubt that if she did not bare her soul to him today then there would never be a time where she could. The crack that was forming would tear them so far apart that nothing would be able to fix it.
"Could we go for a walk? I mean if that is okay with you.." She winced at her word choice. It sounded as if she were desperate...and in a way, she was. He had long since taken up a portion of her love just as almost everyone in the castle had. She had loving parents and a brother who she knew cared even when he denied it. The staff were all friendly and treated her as if she were all their little sister. His pain hurt her and she knew it was her fault.
Fafnir wanted to continue ignoring her, but seeing her large watery eyes with wet trails running down her cheeks all he could do was nod. He was so angry thinking of how she had never opened up to him, even after spending countless days with one another. He turned, his large body still moving gracefully despite his size. Not even turning around he opened the door and began striding down the hall with purpose.
Though her legs were much shorter, Morgianna did not complain about the brutal pace he had set but diligently kept up. The maids in the hall all recoiled as they felt Fafnir's anger rolling off of him in waves. They had seen him get into arguments before when it came to the young miss' safety, but he had never acted the way he was now. Usually they felt sorry for him always putting up with the young miss and her antics. Now they felt sorry for the young miss that had unleashed his wrath.
They walked toward the front gate as other guards rushed to open it. Still their steps did not falter as they left the castle behind them and continued walking. Once outside of the gate if someone were to look closely they would see several trails that led into the woods. To the right here was one that was practically invisible unless the person was right on top of it. That was the one he took.
For several minutes they walked in silence. It seemed even the wildlife did not even make a sound for fear of receiving all of Fafnir's rage. Morgianna stared at his tense back and tried to make the words form but they stuck to her tongue like glue.
She knew that soon this path would dump them into a small clearing with a pond. Well they called it a pond but it was more like a large puddle that never dried up, even on the warmest of summers. As they neared the end of the path Fafnir began to slow his pace, as if to draw out the torture that was playing in her own mind.
Five feet
Four
Three
Two
The clearing felt peaceful and it almost brought tears to her eyes once more as the feelings inside were anything but. It almost felt wrong to bring their problems to such a serene area, but it was now or never. She watched as Fafnir sat near the water, his back still to her as if he did not want to even look at her. She opened her mouth and closed it several times, begging the words to just leave her lips but still they stuck in her throat. She moved forward and saw Fafnir flinch at her approach but still she didn't stop. When words failed, actions spoke. Wrapping her arms around him she felt him shake, and try to remove himself from her grasp but still, she held on.
"I know I was wrong for keeping so much from you, but I want to tell you. I just did not know how... The things I could say are hard for me and they could very well change the whole world if the wrong person was to hear. I know you know that I am not normal, and I'm sure you probably have theories... But the truth is that I am originally not from this world." She felt his intake of breath and waited for him to respond.
He had stopped struggling to get away and instead the only movement was the quick rise and fall of his chest as he digested her words. "You are saying you come from somewhere else? If so then why are you here?" His voice betrayed none of the feelings he held inside and came out steady.
Burying her face in his back Morgianna nodded. "I died and was sent here to stop the fall of this world. I should have told you sooner, but even as I say the words they sound crazy. To say it in so few words, another girl was sent here before me and was meant to save it, however, she turned out to be a horrible choice and so I was sent to make sure she did not cause more trouble than can be fixed. You have seen some of my power and have seen the way I speak and act and found me mature for my age correct?"
Fafnir could only nod, it is true. He had always felt she was older than she seemed. Sometimes there would be a sadness in her eyes that he could not understand.
"To be honest, I can see death, I can speak to death. He is always around watching as each person's time ticks to zero. I told you he demands payment when a life is owed, but once upon a time I paid with my own life in exchange for someone else. That is how I came to be here. As I sit here a small child in your eyes when really I have long since been an adult. I guess in human years I would almost be 30 by now, well, almost being the keyword." She shrugged as if it was not a big deal that she died.
Fafnir turned to look at her without removing her arms. His eyes were glassy with unshed tears and it made Morgianna stop what she was about to say. He had always been strong, he could get hurt and stand right back up. She had only ever seen him cry once. That first day the curse had been broken and since then not one tear had so much as even formed in his eyes around her.
He picked her up and moved her so that she was cradled in his lap. She was much smaller than he was at barely over 4 foot tall, his large arms circled around her and held her tight as if he thought she would disappear. "I am sorry. I just wanted you to trust me... I did not know there was such a secret. I am glad you did tell me though, as your big brother I will protect you from everything and stand by your side. As your friend I will tell you when you are being too stubborn to ask for help, and as someone who has made a bond with you I will put my trust in you until the day I am no longer needed or die." One lone tear rolled down his chilled cheek and splashed onto her arm but she did not try to wipe it away.
They sat like that for over an hour, enjoying each other's company that they had started to depend on. Neither moved or spoke, only enjoying the sounds of the wildlife as they once again returned to normal.