(a;dkfj oh yeah i know)
Will looks akin to a caged animal, his eyes wide, lip curled up in a snarl and posture low and ready to fight. He had been in enough playground fights to know his way around… Granted, he hadn't actually won any of them and Will's surrounded by people who are clearly not human! It's fine. Wait- actually no it's not fine in the slightest, but there's no way in hell that Will's going down without a fight. Plus, he's in a forest. There's flora everywhere.
"Human?" Will bites, glaring at the clear leader of the group. "And you're a fool if you believe I'll fold that easily." With a simple wordless command, the lichen cloaking the trees and rocks springs forward. Vines fall from their branches to wrap around the nearest soldiers and heavy roots penetrate from the ground to wrap around the ankles of the men surrounding him.
(alright lol)
A few freaked out at the roots, but most did not. The captain sighed loudly. "Look, human, either you come with us, or you die. It is of course your choice, though I would strongly suggest choosing the option that does not end in your death." he said, shrugging a shoulder as he stepped closer to Will
Will grimaced - both in embarrassment and concern over his own hide - when the vines and roots did little to hinder the people surrounding him. People… If they could be called that. None of them looked like the other, none of them looked distinctly human. He should've heeded the Mayor's warning. Don't go into the Woods. Don't go into the Woods. He should've listened.
Will takes a step back as the man approaches him, tripping over a rock behind him and falling right onto his behind. A shout escapes his lips upon the sudden impact. He pants, eyes frantically searching for a way out. "You-" He starts. There's no way out. "You'll have to drag me out of here,"
The man shrugged. "Fine." he bent, grabbed Will's foot, and began to move away again, hauling Will behind him like a sack of potatoes. This, of course, would mean that Will would hit every snag in the route on the way back to wherever he was being taken. Every root, every stone, would bump and jostle the young man on the route there.
Will yelps when the man grabs his ankle, already being dragged away. "What?!" He screams, shouting out in pain as his head hits a particularly sharp rock. He hisses in pain, eyes screwing shut as tears already form on his lid. "Where are you taking me you animal!?" Will demands, an involuntary cry breaking from his lips as a branch scratches at his back.
The man paused, sighing heavily. "You said to drag you out of here." he replied. "And I am taking you to my king." he looked bored still, looking down at Will. "I cannot imagine why. You are a boring looking human."
"What does your king want with - AGH! - with me?!" Will cries, kicking against the man's grip and trying not to let the pain in his back and head show.
"How would I know?" the fae replied, starting to walk again. "Perhaps he seeks a new concubine. He killed his old one for cheating on him." the man seemed to take pleasure in the idea. "Or maybe he just wants to torture you. Or, perhaps you are to be the troops' concubine." he shrugged again.
Will's nose screws up as the mere thought. "WHAT!?" He screams, kicking again at the man's grip on his ankle. A sharp branch slashes at his back, slicing through his shirt and into his skin. He bites his lip, puncturing the skin and tasting blood.
The fae cackled, still dragging Will along. "Who knows what our most illustrious king wants? He has the power to do anything at all and get anything he wants, and right now, that's a human." maybe the fae was just messing with Will. That was certainly a possibility. The Fae looked at one of the others, speaking rapidly in a low tone. The fae nodded, and a portal opened before the group. They stepped through, the leader still dragging Will.
(sorry for shorter replies, there just isn't a ton to do with these fae right now)
(;akdj yeah no worries, I get it! also ayyyyyy 100 already)
"Illustrious?!" Will snarks, somehow finding it within to be salty in this dire situation. "I'd like to have a word with this king of yours!" He kicks again at the man holding him, his back still bloody and aching from being dragged so far. "What kind of coward hides behind his men and prays on humans?!" He shouts, the fire dominating the fear within. It's only then he notices that the environment has changed.
(alright! yeah 100 replies let's gooo)
He was dragged through the portal, and the rough forest floor became slippery smooth marble, pale and hard and smooth as silk. The Fae all seemed to breathe in as they came back into their own land. The room around them was large, with a massive, high ceiling, and ornate columns stretching upwards to hold up that ceiling. Lounging on a throne at one end of the room was a tall, white haired man with eyes the color of blood. His gaze flicked to the Fae that had entered, and something about his posture changed when his gaze landed on Will. "A coward, am I?" he asked, mouth flicking into a smirk as he watched the Fae approach, the group still dragging Will along.
There's no doubt in Will's mind that there had been a portal. One used by one of the creatures, only solidifying the idea that the men who had abducted him aren't human. The marble is smooth beneath him and his bloodied back is staining the pale marble. In any other circumstance, Will might've felt guilty, but there's no room for guilt atop of his rage.
He stifles a scream through his teeth as he's thrown to the center of the room. Panting, Will tries to steady himself. "You heard me," He snarls, his loose black hair hanging in front of his face like a curtain. "You're a coward. You're a demon. You're a-" His head snaps up to the man on the throne. A million lifetimes flash behind his eyes, each one feeling like a knife to the heart. "A snake."
Kaz sat up a bit, cocking his head as recognition flashed in his gaze. He gestured to his men as he got up from the throne, and the troop filed out of the room, leaving the two alone in the massive throne room. "And you just can't stay away from me." he approached Will, cupping the man's chin in his hand. "You are as beautiful as the day we first met." the smallest of smiles danced at his mouth, which was as cruel and hard as it had ever been. From the first touch, he knew this was his Martyr. He knew this was the man he found in every lifetime, the man he fell in love with over and over again. The man he had killed more times than he could count any more.
His chest aches, his heart throbbing with more pain than his shredded back and incoming migraine combined. Looking into his blood red eyes, all Will can see is his own demise. A knife to the heart, poison in his blood, hands clasped around his neck. He'd died q million times. He'll die a million more. All at the hands of the man clasping his cheek like an old lover. Well, that isn't too far from the truth, is it?
"You're still as vile as the last time you slaughtered me," Will returns, jerking his chin from the man's grasp. What will his name in this life be? Something as cold as his hands or as cruel as his heart? Nevertheless, Will attempts to scramble away, only managing to crawl a few feet before the pain riddled in his back and head get the best of him. Will collapses to the floor, a wail suppressed with a sharp bite of his tongue
Kaz let him go, watching Will quietly for a long moment. "Ah, my darling Martyr." he replied, crouching by Will's side. "Shall we get these injuries taken care of, or would you prefer to spend a bit more time wallowing?" he cocked his head faintly, slitted eyes watching Will. He seemed calm, for now, but that didn't mean he would remain so.
"Don't touch me," Will hisses, still trying to crawl away from the Snake. "Just leave me to die. It would make the process easier for us both." He grimaced as his raw muscles pull rather painfully. The words of the fortune teller flash through his mind. Will could've laughed. How fitting is it that the day Will actually tries to solve his endless nightmares, he gets thrusted into a living one.
Kaz sighed faintly, standing and looking down at Will. "Fine. I will not touch you." he clasped his hands behind his back. "You will not die from these injuries; trust me on that. And when you are done wallowing and pouting about how much you hate me, then we will go to a healer who will mend you."
A chill runs through the room, Will shuddering and wrapping his arms around his torso. His back feels slick with blood and grime. He checks his fingers, his stomach churning when they come back dripping with blood. How many damned rocks were on the way here? He shuts his eyes and tilts his head away from the Snake. He clamps his jaw shut. He may be in misery, but there's no way in hell he's going to comply with the man who's just going to kill him in a few hours. A few more hours and the cycle restarts. Isn't that how it's always been? The Snake wouldn't be so cruel to play with his prey before the slaughter… Right?
Kaz watched him, only mildly concerned at the moment. He did hope his wife did not come in; that would be irritating. She never liked it when he took lovers, though she tolerated it because she was his wife and she did have some measure of power because of it. But lovers she did not like. And while nothing about this scene screamed lover just yet…it would only be a matter of time.
He will not fold. He will not fold. He will not fold. If he has to be dragged to an infirmary, so be it. Will won't accept any sort of help from this man. The Snake. The one who has killed Will in every single life they've had. He refuses to make it that easy for the Snake. All it takes is one turned back, one short nap, one blink of his eyes. All it takes is a moment of vulnerability. Then the Snake will strike. The Snake. Eugh, how pretentious.
"Your name," Will chokes out, voice unexpectedly broken from suppressed pain. Even through the ragged tone, Will isn't asking a question. It's a demand. "What's your name in this life around."
"Kazimir Severin." Kaz responded, his eyes still resting on Will. "And what is yours?" he was being cordial. Nice. Asking questions, giving space, not demanding anything. Letting Will get used to this again at his own pace. After all, he had been alive for over 100 years now; he could wait a bit longer for his partner to be ready.
Will swallows the pain in his throat, exhaling a shaky breath through his nose. The pain feels like the tide, not that Will's ever seen the ocean to begin with. He's only read about her beauty and rage through novels and encyclopedias. "William," his voice is barely a whisper. "William Silvius." The last name feels nearly like a kick to the heart. Will he ever see his parents again? Surely, they've had to noticed his absence by now. It's not out of the ordinary for Will to spend hours in the forest… but even he's not foolish enough to spend the night there.
Kaz nodded slightly. "William. A lovely name." he responded, giving Will a faint smile. "Now are you ready to go to the healers, or would you prefer to continue bleeding all over my marble floor?" the question was asked with a note of dry amusement, and he looked at Will with his eyebrows raised just the slightest bit.
A lovely name… Will feels a chill travel down his spine. From the cold, his fear, Kazimir standing so close, or something else entirely, he isn't sure. Will just knows he hates it. "I don't-" His voice cuts as a surge of blinding white paints his vision, accompanied by the stabbing pain in the back of his head. Migraine. Oh, how Will despises these. "I don't need your help," He finishes after the initial pain has dulled to an aching throb.
"No, of course you don't. You're strong and capable, aren't you." Kaz replied, still with that tone of dry amusement. He knew that, eventually, William would buckle and let him take the young human to the healers. It was a waiting game, and one Kaz would surely win.
When another round of pain hits, Will feels sick to his stomach. His insides constrict and slosh and pull and he feels like he's going to vomit. "Fine." He bites. It's much less embarrassing to be taken to a medical facility rather than vomit on The Snake's floor. Of all their first meetings in the past millenia, this one is Will's least favorite.
Kaz bent over and lifted William up, carrying him from the throne room and out into a hallway. The hallway was mostly deserted, but there were a few servants around every now and again. Most ducked their heads and walked faster when rhey saw Kaz, trying not to catch his attention.
Will grimaces when the other man picks him up, but otherwise stays silent. It's rather humiliating to be carried from one end of the mystery castle to another (Will reminds himself to ask somebody about his whereabouts later), blood seeping through the back of his tattered shirt and dripping onto the floor. He keeps his eyes trained firmly on the ground, knowing that his pride wouldn't be able to handle it if he somehow locked eyes with a servant.
Kaz carried him into another room, which smelled faintly of herbs and something else, though what that other something was was hard to pin down. He continued holding onto Will as two healers came over, their gazes moving to the human in Kaz's arms. "He suffered some wounds during his trip from the human lands to here. You will fix them." Kaz instructed, setting Will down on one of the exam tables. He set the young man down surprisingly gently.
