Chapter 39 What To Do When A Child Seems To Have A Spirit Attached To It? Exactly. Nothing.
Adrian was not certain how the scenery had changed again. A while ago, he watched a woman he had been certain had died wake up and proclaim an absurd statement, heard her ask for the chief of the tribe to be brought to her and him sent out, then later, he heard the entire elf people were throwing a party.
And now, there he was, watching her show off… strange drawing skills to one of the children.
And eating, because of course.
“Do you plan on speaking to me anytime soon? Or resting?” His entire instinct demanded that he drag her by her arms, tie her to a bed— and yes, feed her and everything else. If it would make her stop moving, he’d do it.
Maeve, on the other hand, felt ENLIGHTENED✨ (see how I use another font to do this because I can? Exactly). She had changed her dress into something more free to move in— a short whispery one this time that didn’t hug her frame like those damned dresses would have, about six flowers in her hair and a painting brush in her hand, “Don’t be jealous of little kids. That’s predatory,”
Adrian’s eyes burned as they didn’t leave the children in line. “Predatory. Yes.”
Each of those same children kept their faces to the floor, shaking— well, except of course, the one Maeve was currently drawing a butterfly on. Because you see, she had almost forgotten she had many skills, curtsy to being a Mother too early, and having to cheer children up.
“There we go,” She was smiling at this one… and to Adrian’s surprise, even if it was the fifth face she had drawn on, it was really pretty. Maeve moved back a bit, her fingers making a frame as she said, “Wow, it’s so nice to have a living goddess let me draw on her. Twirl around for me, let me see,”
The little girl did as she was told. And she looked beautiful. Because of course she did.
Maeve, however, noticed the dark shadowy thing clinging onto the girl. She couldn’t exactly make out a full person— it was just an outline, but it looked like a child as well.
Her eyebrows began glitching.
\[WOW. THE FACT YOU CAN SEE THAT IS CONCERNING\]
And NACE now could talk without her having to call for it first. Very disheartening. Apparently, it said her previous action had caused it to slowly reboot so it might disappear later but for now, it was here to stay.
Maeve wondered how long for now meant.
“Alright, little ones,” She slapped her hands over her thighs as she rose from the stool she was on. “I think that would be enough face painting for the day. They are other activities you all can do. Go on. Shoo. Or I’d set the pretty scary man on you.”
They all disappeared.
Adrian’s frown deepened. “I am not a dog.”
Maeve leaned in while still keeping her smile on her face, "I'd wager you’re a snow leopard but that’s beside the point, my darling husband,”
“You keep using that term. Why does it feel like an insult?”
“Ugh. Imagine being called a wife material. Wait… will it be different with you people since this is a matriarchy if I call you husband material?” Then she shook her head. “No. Focus. And it’s not an insult. It just means… we’re bound together. And do… marital duties… stuff,”
“So not like a Vessel? Like what?”
Maeve shrugged, looking everywhere but at him. “Who even really knows what a Vessel does, hmm?” Then she faced him, letting the smile return. “We need to walk around and look as normal as possible. Couple duties, etc, while you tell me what you said you had to tell me when I woke up,”
She didn’t give him time to respond before she was pulling him along.
Satyr looked as it did the first time she saw it. Lively. Filled with children running and being happy and the adults staying in groups— coupled groups, she realized.
After she had proclaimed Amir as her husband, NACE had been so kind enough to explain that ‘husband’ in regards to the elves, was similar to that of the humans from her past life, of course— and far more intimate. Intimate in the sense that they shared not just each other, but a life bond that transcended through time itself—
In which if one died, the other always naturally followed after a while.
It was also how Maeve knew they wouldn’t hurt her. If anything, the fact that they were keeping her somewhere safe and away from him meant two things. One, they worried if any harm came to her, it would affect Amir. Or two, something was already wrong with him.
The first one… involved the curse. Maeve was certain. Especially after what the chief had told her.
See, when she woke up from that… incident, she knew something was terribly wrong. Of course, she couldn’t remember what had happened fully after she had passed out, but there was the faintest idea that there was something important she needed to remember. Especially since she realized she could now see certain things hanging onto them.
The Chief, as she expected, was the of the few people praying for her— cementing the idea that something was wrong, and it was not just her in pain. She knew he wouldn’t let her know too important details in the first place, so instead, she stuck to something small and asked if Amir was okay.
His response had been simple.
‘No.’
“What are you doing?” Adrian asked, though he let her arm stay around his and did as he was told though his eyes scanned the place.
Maeve noticed it. “Calm down. The elves would not harm me— or you, since they believe we are both wedded to Amir, though that’s not the point. Now, the thing you said you wish to tell me. Spill,”