what are you doing here?

[small_magics]

Isibel has never seen an odder collection of fauna. She has not traveled extensively, but she is sure that creatures of this size - lizards as heavy as ten elves together, beavers eight and nine feet long, turtles with shells the size of small houses - are not customary. Yet the island is riddled with them.

The creatures have no particular fear of elves, but nor do they seek them, and none of her party have been attacked; she feels safe enough traveling through the forest on her own, stepping lightly, looking for the sweep of the treeline and any springs that might be useful for settlers if elves settle here. Besides, she is a student of the small magics, some of which may be cast quite rapidly if there is need; she could frighten away an animal that took too much interest in her. The ribbons tied around each of her knees and ankles (blending seamlessly with the rest of her travel outfit) are some of her finest small magic, guiding her steps so that she may place her feet as elves ought to be able to and bring no embarrassment to her House. They don't make her truly graceful, but she can walk, and care will do the rest.

She's deep into the forested part of the Unknown Island when she starts finding statues. Old statues. The trees have grown up around them, it looks like, they've been here that long; they're worn and weathered and have lichen growing on them.

And they're all of unicorns.

The oldest sculptures are none too skillful, but as she proceeds inward towards the center of the island, they become newer and better and it's plain to see that they're not of unicorns, but a unicorn. A unicorn with a broken horn; this is not, it soon becomes apparent, random damage to early statues. Someone has carved a specific unicorn, dozens - hundreds? thousands? - of times. And the art has been made with such intense love, and the newest of the statues are so delicately done that they look almost like real unicorns, with all the magic that implies, though they hold still and are on closer inspection all still carved from stone.

Someone loved this unicorn, and lived on this island, and made a thousand statues of her, and now the place is inhabited only by giant animals that certainly could have done no such thing. Isibel wonders what happened to the sculptor. To the unicorn, too.

On she walks.

Comments

[small_magics]

Isibel considers this.

"All right," she says. "You can put your wing on me."

[endragoned]

He smiles, and puts his wing on her.

It is very warm, and the skin of the membrane is smooth and soft, with a slightly different texture where he has scars.

[small_magics]

"I don't know if that's the end of your story," she points out, squirming a little.

[endragoned]

"I went away from the demons," he says. "I went away from people. I saw people, I went away from them. I did that for years. Then I saw my dragon. Then my dragon was my Bondmate. Then we went away together. We went here."

[small_magics]

"You avoided people," she supplies. "You only went places they weren't."

[endragoned]

"I avoided people," he agrees. "Demons would kill me. Other people would kill me. Every people would kill me. I avoided people."

[small_magics]

"Any kind of person would have killed you," she agrees soberly. "But not every individual person. I'm an elf, and elves might want to kill you, but I don't want to kill you."

[endragoned]

"It makes me happy that you don't want to kill me."

[small_magics]

"I was afraid when I first saw you," she confesses. "I almost ran away."

[endragoned]

"I am sorry you were afraid," he murmurs.

[small_magics]

"I'm all right now," she says. "You didn't ever try to hurt me. And I didn't think anyone who loved a unicorn so much could be bad."

[endragoned]

"Loved," he repeats.

[small_magics]

"Oh. You and Tialle liked each other a lot, and remembered each other for hundreds and thousands of years," Isibel says. "When I saw the statues that you made of Tialle I knew that the person who made them loved her."

[endragoned]

"Loved," he says again, and smiles sadly. "I loved Tialle."

[small_magics]

"Magania says she loved you too."

[endragoned]

"I remember," he murmurs. "I," he touches his face under one eye.

[small_magics]

"You cried," says Isibel.

[endragoned]

"I cried," the demon agrees. "I cried because I loved her."

[small_magics]

"Magania thought you cried because she loved you," volunteers Isibel.

[endragoned]

He nods.

"I loved her and she loved me. But I did not know she loved me after she went away from me. I cried because of knowing that."

[small_magics]

Isibel nods solemnly.

[endragoned]

He smiles at her.

[small_magics]

"You have told me about your life so I will tell you about mine if you would like that," she says, "but my life has not been interesting and might make you bored."

[endragoned]

"I am not a dragon," he says. "I will not sleep."

[small_magics]

Isibel laughs. "Anyone can be bored, and if you do not sleep, you will be awake and bored, but I will tell you my story if you would like that."