peldae
by dolphin
Okay. This is difficult. Well, to start with, I don't need any disclaimers, because this fic is *mine*!! All mine! Alright, so it's actually more Mael and Blaithin's, but they won't sue me for using it. Secondly-no wait, I don't need to repeat the rating, do I? It's already there next to the link. Oh, well, it will only take a second: this fic is rated PG for 'scaryness'. There.
Sorry if this is a kind of weird story, but it's not my fault, really! My characters ganged up on me, and it just turned out this way. Also I'm really bad at putting information into my fics, so I'll just give it to you here. Mael and Blaithin aren't vampires, for the first thing, even though they may sound a little like it. They are taeln, part of a race of people who live in caves and tunnels underground, because, obviously, of the fact that they couldn't live aboveground if they wanted to(bursting into flame is so detrimental to the continuation of any race!). They come from the universe I have created for myself, so they're completely original, and they're actually supposed to be the way they are; crispable in the light and all that, I mean. This is more 'in the future' of my universe than most of the other fics I'll be writing, and the humans, with their new, modern technology, have begun doing testing on whatever taeln they can get their hands on so that they can pinpoint the root of the taelns' problem and maybe fix it. I don't think they can, but they do. So that's why Mael and Blaithin are where they are, and I think that's all I need to say-uh, write. Oh, except for begging very nicely for lots and lots of nice reviews, and using the fact that this is my firstborn fic to ward off flames.
The sky is a dream, the stars are death,
Fire flies on the moonbeam's breath.
Waking and sleeping, morning and night,
Stay, little one. Forget the light.
-from *Sunlight and Shadow*, by dolphin
part one 'nirnaeth'
It is so dark here. I miss the grass, the trees, the flowers of my childhood. By the gentle moonlight they were so beautiful, and now...now I will never see them again. I cannot miss the sun, for I have never seen the sun, but I can miss the moon. And I do. I was seven when I saw it last, I think, ten long years ago, and as I looked upon it that last time, it caused me more pain than I have ever known before or since. The beautiful light that I loved so was beautiful no longer; it scorched me, burnt me, half-blinded me, even though I was not looking directly at its source. They bore me away that night and locked me up here, in these rooms in the totally darkened heart of the building I have called home since I can remember. A comfortable prison, but a prison nonetheless.
I have never seen light again.
------------------------------------
"Mael."
"Yes, Blaithin?"
"Tell me again. About the trees. Were they very tall?"
"Very, love. Taller than anything."
"Taller than you?" The voice was awed, though Blaithin had heard this same thing over and over again.
A sigh. "Taller than anyone." A tremor manifested in the soft tones, dropping them to a whisper. "And beautiful, Blaithin."
Silence.
"Mael?"
"Y-yes."
"Don't cry."
"I'm...n-not cry-ing."
"Yes you are." Little arms twined around Mael's neck. "Don't, Mael, please. I'm sorry I asked about the trees and made you cry."
Mael rolled over abruptly on the bed, catching Blaithin tightly and bringing their faces together. "Don't you ever stop asking about the trees." His voice was heated, but not with anger. "Not ever, do you hear me?"
Blaithin nodded, surprised by the outburst, but too trusting of his friend to be afraid. Mael laid his head on the little one's shoulder, and Blaithin could feel the tears running down to wet the collar of his tunic. He almost didn't hear the tiny whispered explanation.
"If you stop asking, Blaithin, I'll forget them..."
------------------------------------
Sometimes I am afraid Fate will take him away from me. She has taken everything else, why not him too? He is so little, so delicate, and they have hurt him more than once already because of this. Not on purpose perhaps, but it caused him pain, intentional or no. He has never seen the trees, the stars, the moon, the flowers. His affliction is greater than mine, and since birth he has been too weak to be exposed to even the softest of light. Sometimes I think this is a good thing, and wish that I too had never gotten a taste of what I cannot have. Other times, I pity him for what he will never know. But always, I love him.
Fate, if ever you had any mercy on mankind, leave me Blaithin!
------------------------------------
"Mael, what is light like?"
"I already told you, love, I can't explain it."
"But you're good at 'splaining! Try."
"Oh, what the hell. Let me see. Light is like...let me see...it's kind of like the dark, only brighter."
"Brighter?"
"Aye, Blaithin, brighter...um...and you can see through it."
"How?"
"You just look at it, and you can see through it, like we can with the dark. You can walk through it, too." He counted the properties of light off on his fingers once more for Blaithin's benefit. "You can see through it, and walk through it, and it's bright."
"What's *bright*?"
"Ugh. Bright is..." There was a long silence, during which Blaithin looked on expectantly and Mael struggled to find an explanation for 'bright'. He quickly found this impossible, finally giving up and letting out an exasperated exclamation of "Oh, *hells*, go find some for yourself!"
"A'right." Blaithin started off to follow what seemed to him a perfectly reasonable suggestion, but came to an abrupt halt when Mael lunged out and grabbed him.
"NO!"
"What?" With his cateyes, Mael could see the look of hurt confusion on his friend's face. "You said to find-"
"I know what I said, but I didn't mean it!" In his terror, Mael did not consider Blaithin's feelings enough to use a gentle tone. Instead, he shook him violently. Blaithin's dark-enlarged eyes filled with tears, voice and lip quivering as he replied.
"'M sorry, Mael, I thought..." He dissolved into huge sobs, sucking breath in hard.
The tears brought Mael's senses back. He hugged the shuddering little body close and murmured a quick apology. "I'm sorry I shouted at you, love, but you scared me so! Please don't do that again. You can't find the light, Blaithin, it would kill you. Shh, don't cry, my love..."
Blaithin hiccupped, muffled in Mael's clothing. "But you said it was-hic-beautiful...I wanted to see it! How can it-hic-kill me, if it's beautiful?"
Mael sighed softly and wiped the tears from the little one's cheek.
"Sometimes the most beautiful things are the ones that hurt you the most."
peldae-encircling shadow
nirnaeth-tears
by dolphin
Okay. This is difficult. Well, to start with, I don't need any disclaimers, because this fic is *mine*!! All mine! Alright, so it's actually more Mael and Blaithin's, but they won't sue me for using it. Secondly-no wait, I don't need to repeat the rating, do I? It's already there next to the link. Oh, well, it will only take a second: this fic is rated PG for 'scaryness'. There.
Sorry if this is a kind of weird story, but it's not my fault, really! My characters ganged up on me, and it just turned out this way. Also I'm really bad at putting information into my fics, so I'll just give it to you here. Mael and Blaithin aren't vampires, for the first thing, even though they may sound a little like it. They are taeln, part of a race of people who live in caves and tunnels underground, because, obviously, of the fact that they couldn't live aboveground if they wanted to(bursting into flame is so detrimental to the continuation of any race!). They come from the universe I have created for myself, so they're completely original, and they're actually supposed to be the way they are; crispable in the light and all that, I mean. This is more 'in the future' of my universe than most of the other fics I'll be writing, and the humans, with their new, modern technology, have begun doing testing on whatever taeln they can get their hands on so that they can pinpoint the root of the taelns' problem and maybe fix it. I don't think they can, but they do. So that's why Mael and Blaithin are where they are, and I think that's all I need to say-uh, write. Oh, except for begging very nicely for lots and lots of nice reviews, and using the fact that this is my firstborn fic to ward off flames.
The sky is a dream, the stars are death,
Fire flies on the moonbeam's breath.
Waking and sleeping, morning and night,
Stay, little one. Forget the light.
-from *Sunlight and Shadow*, by dolphin
part one 'nirnaeth'
It is so dark here. I miss the grass, the trees, the flowers of my childhood. By the gentle moonlight they were so beautiful, and now...now I will never see them again. I cannot miss the sun, for I have never seen the sun, but I can miss the moon. And I do. I was seven when I saw it last, I think, ten long years ago, and as I looked upon it that last time, it caused me more pain than I have ever known before or since. The beautiful light that I loved so was beautiful no longer; it scorched me, burnt me, half-blinded me, even though I was not looking directly at its source. They bore me away that night and locked me up here, in these rooms in the totally darkened heart of the building I have called home since I can remember. A comfortable prison, but a prison nonetheless.
I have never seen light again.
------------------------------------
"Mael."
"Yes, Blaithin?"
"Tell me again. About the trees. Were they very tall?"
"Very, love. Taller than anything."
"Taller than you?" The voice was awed, though Blaithin had heard this same thing over and over again.
A sigh. "Taller than anyone." A tremor manifested in the soft tones, dropping them to a whisper. "And beautiful, Blaithin."
Silence.
"Mael?"
"Y-yes."
"Don't cry."
"I'm...n-not cry-ing."
"Yes you are." Little arms twined around Mael's neck. "Don't, Mael, please. I'm sorry I asked about the trees and made you cry."
Mael rolled over abruptly on the bed, catching Blaithin tightly and bringing their faces together. "Don't you ever stop asking about the trees." His voice was heated, but not with anger. "Not ever, do you hear me?"
Blaithin nodded, surprised by the outburst, but too trusting of his friend to be afraid. Mael laid his head on the little one's shoulder, and Blaithin could feel the tears running down to wet the collar of his tunic. He almost didn't hear the tiny whispered explanation.
"If you stop asking, Blaithin, I'll forget them..."
------------------------------------
Sometimes I am afraid Fate will take him away from me. She has taken everything else, why not him too? He is so little, so delicate, and they have hurt him more than once already because of this. Not on purpose perhaps, but it caused him pain, intentional or no. He has never seen the trees, the stars, the moon, the flowers. His affliction is greater than mine, and since birth he has been too weak to be exposed to even the softest of light. Sometimes I think this is a good thing, and wish that I too had never gotten a taste of what I cannot have. Other times, I pity him for what he will never know. But always, I love him.
Fate, if ever you had any mercy on mankind, leave me Blaithin!
------------------------------------
"Mael, what is light like?"
"I already told you, love, I can't explain it."
"But you're good at 'splaining! Try."
"Oh, what the hell. Let me see. Light is like...let me see...it's kind of like the dark, only brighter."
"Brighter?"
"Aye, Blaithin, brighter...um...and you can see through it."
"How?"
"You just look at it, and you can see through it, like we can with the dark. You can walk through it, too." He counted the properties of light off on his fingers once more for Blaithin's benefit. "You can see through it, and walk through it, and it's bright."
"What's *bright*?"
"Ugh. Bright is..." There was a long silence, during which Blaithin looked on expectantly and Mael struggled to find an explanation for 'bright'. He quickly found this impossible, finally giving up and letting out an exasperated exclamation of "Oh, *hells*, go find some for yourself!"
"A'right." Blaithin started off to follow what seemed to him a perfectly reasonable suggestion, but came to an abrupt halt when Mael lunged out and grabbed him.
"NO!"
"What?" With his cateyes, Mael could see the look of hurt confusion on his friend's face. "You said to find-"
"I know what I said, but I didn't mean it!" In his terror, Mael did not consider Blaithin's feelings enough to use a gentle tone. Instead, he shook him violently. Blaithin's dark-enlarged eyes filled with tears, voice and lip quivering as he replied.
"'M sorry, Mael, I thought..." He dissolved into huge sobs, sucking breath in hard.
The tears brought Mael's senses back. He hugged the shuddering little body close and murmured a quick apology. "I'm sorry I shouted at you, love, but you scared me so! Please don't do that again. You can't find the light, Blaithin, it would kill you. Shh, don't cry, my love..."
Blaithin hiccupped, muffled in Mael's clothing. "But you said it was-hic-beautiful...I wanted to see it! How can it-hic-kill me, if it's beautiful?"
Mael sighed softly and wiped the tears from the little one's cheek.
"Sometimes the most beautiful things are the ones that hurt you the most."
peldae-encircling shadow
nirnaeth-tears