Gift for Quotezdaily

Gift from ????

Title of the gift: I Won't Let You Go

Pairing(s): Markson

How many words: 3514

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: Young Adult

Warnings: none

Note to my giftee: Hi~

Your prompt to me was a bodyguard story where both parties fall in love with each other. This is the result of it. I know you haven't mentioned anything about fantasy but it just fitted so well ^___^

The story is inspired by the fae's of 'The Cruel Prince' by Holly Black (if you like YA fantasy with a dark twist I can highly recommend this book). The city Kammalryne itself is inspired by Mother's Heart of Horizon Zero Dawn (skip to 11.09 min to see part of the village) (if you're a gamer I HIGHLY recommend this game as it is amazing!). Story wise it's my own so... I hope you'll like it.

Have nice holidays and happy new year

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I Won't Let You Go

It was dark. The sun had long set behind the near by mountain which had summoned the big round moon and it's companions the stars. Only the dim lights softly brightened the dark streets and squares of the small town of Kammalryne. Usually the mountain village lay in utter darkness once the sun has set. However, once a year the villagers lighten up the colourful paper lanterns to celebrate and morn their ancestors at the same time.

To this day over two hundert years ago the cruellest and most horrid war in the history of Astrin had ended. A war that tore humans appart and forced them to live in the smallest of numbers far away from their former home land. Even when the event was a sad one it was also ment to encourage people and to give them joy in those hardest of times.

Multiple merchants travelled from far away to Kammalryne to join the festivities and earn a coin or two by selling their goods to the villagers. This also lead to a steady increase of other travellers joining them. The usually empty streets bustled with life for that one night of the year. The light, the noises and the masses of people made this fest a dangerous one but for that one night of the year people didn't care. Various smells of different spices and warm meals flooded the air of the village. Laughter and music echoed from every corner and invited to participate in the celebration. Jackson slowly walked passed an improvised stage on which two talented singers sang a joyous song. A soft smile crept on Jacksons face. A smile, that soon after got replaced by his stern and serious face that he'd like to showcase when he's in public. His loyal sword hung on his waist ready to be used at any moment. He had to be prepared to attack. To protect.

Hesitantly, he left the area with the stage to walk follow a path that lead further uphill. Even though the young soldier didn't grow up in this village he had seen it a few times already and therefore knew it's streets and secrets well. The path he's currently on lead to a more sacret part of the town. It's where people usually honoured the high spirits and mourned for the things that's been lost in the past.

The way to this part of the town was steep, dangerous and bothersome but the view made it worthwhile. The path itself wasn't enlightened which would make the climb an even harder one. Each year accidents happen on the climb upwards. Some even ended deadly. Jackson, however, did not care as the dim light of the moon and it's stars were enough to show him the way. He always had seen better at night than most around him.

It took Jackson a while to reach the upper square. However, once he reached he was greeted by another set of dim lantern light. On his right people were already enkindling the traditional candles on the ground. The colourful smoke that was caused by the specially prepared wooden wicks rose into the sky while the people deeply keeled in front of their lit candles while mumbling the all powerful words of prayer they've been thought from very early on.

"Madkum intdus dragkim solapte" [trans. High spirits, bring us light]

The soft mumble of those well known words sway in the air while getting repeated over and over again. Spellbound, Jackson watched the prayers for a few minutes. When he finally turned his gaze away to leave the praying people alone, he softly mumbled the same words as the others and then walked away.

On the other side of the square the villagers built two buildings. For the fest, however, they built a special tent with various little trinkets of bones and wood that rattled in the soft breeze. The tent wasn't very big but it was already filled with people. Their discussions were quiet which almost lead to the impression that it was only the wind itself that created the soft noise. The strong smell of another set of special candles filled the air within the tent.

The villagers had build a small stage in the middle of the tent. This was also a traditional thing to do. On stage three people were performing a silent prayer performance. This prayer kind of prayer had strong similarities with a dance performance. However, the movements gave off the feeling of modesty and plea. Jackson had seen this kind of prayer many times before. Even though his eyes wanted to linger on the prayers on stage he let them wander through the crowed. None of the attending people looked familiar which made the soldier breath a small set of curses before he pushed further into the tent to have a closer look at the crowd. He was looking for someone. Someone, he's been following and protecting for a few years now. Someone, who held his heart and all of his hope.

Jackson had half surrounded the stage when the prayers ended their performance and freed up the space for a elderly looking woman. Her face wore deep scars that somehow blended with the deep wrinkles of her skin. Her hair was thin and weak while here hair colour had already faded away to showcase a pure white colour. Even her skin looked pale. The only colour that still shown through were her bright light brown eyes. The elderly woman wore a long reddish gown with a warm coloured veil. Both the veil and the gown were decorated with various symbols from the the early ages. These set of cloth only belong the the village's eldest women. The cloth are a set to showcase her wisdom and rank within the village. She was the high priestess.

"Come! Come! And listen to my tale!" the high priestess said in a weak voice and gestured the people in the tent to move closer. The people followed her words suit which made the elderly woman smile faintly. She took a good look at the crowed in front of here before she continued to talk: " Long long ago our land was ruled by all the creatures that wander on it's ground and roam through the rivers and the sea. All lived in peace and harmony. It was a wonderful time to be alive as not only the living prospered, the land and the sea grew purer and more fertile as well"

The high priestess stopped shortly in her tale to light a new candle on her right hand side. A sizzling noise joined the other candles. The flame, however, was in a soft blue colour. The high priestess solemnly stared at the candle before taking a low bow at it which made the flame grow higher. The audience lowered their heads as tradition told them to. Once the high priestess rose herself up again the flame grew lower as well. Slowly, she reached for a long piece of wood and held it close to the flame. Before long and another small flame danced on top of the wood. With soft steps she crossed the stage towards a second candle. While lighting it she continued her tale: "That peace was meant to last forever. However, soon greed and the desire for power began to spread in humankind. War with all the other creatures of our land soon became unavoidable. It was the start of the great war"

She stayed quiet while she was lighting up a third candle and took another bow before it. Then she turned towards the audience again. Her hand still held that long piece of wood that now was already halfway consumed by the flame. She held out the piece of wood to be taken from her by a younger member of the village. Once the member left the stage the elderly woman continued: "The war lasted several decades and none of this creatures were save from one another. The fae and humankind both quickly learned to adapt. It was the discovery of their own magic, however, that lead to humankind's demise. Magic that was created to enslave humans and rob them of their own free will. A once proud and powerful race crumbled to nothingness. Broken and torn. Only a selected few were able to escape the fae's magic. Those were our ancestors"

By the mention the ancestors the woman took another bow. The audience followed suit by lowering their heads again. Jackson, however, quickly lifted his hand to check if the hat and the bandana he's wearing still covered the upper end of his ears. With relieve he noticed that everything was still in it's place and with it hide his true identity to the people around him. When he lowered his hands he noticed that the elderly woman looked at him. Her eyes stayed on him for quite a while before she turned away to continue.

"The relations to the fae has gotten better over the past few years. Our kind was allowed to live in the open without having to fear instant attack or enslavement. This, my dear children, doesn't mean that we are save. The fae made it a sport to hunt us and attack our villages as they please. We all lost loved ones in attacks like this. Attacks that are also meant to keep us down and prevent us to grew to a strong and big race as we once were. We are forsaken"

A low mumble went through the crowed. Worried and concerned looks were exchanged. The story was nothing new but the words of the high priestess struck a cord with the audience. Jackson let himself fall back a bit but kept his eyes on the audience. There, not that far away from him, he noticed an all to familiar shock of hair. Determined, he pressed forward.

"Don't forget, my children, that even in the darkest times there is hope. An old dragon maiden foretold all the things I just told you. Her prophecy was correct up to the exact year the war had ended. Be sure that the rest of it will be true as well"

Another set of mumble started to arise but with a swift movement of her hand she let the crowd fall silent again.

"There will be a boy king born. A boy who's father is of elfish royal blood while his mother was a mere human woman. The boy is born from the purest of love. He is destined to claim the throne and unite all creatures once again. He has the powers to break the tyranny of the fae. He'll be our saviour in this darkest of times"

Jackson rounded the stage and soon found himself next to the all to familiar shock of hair. Mark. The boy was only slightly older than the soldier. However, his handsome face gave him an even younger look. For most parts of their journey Mark had been happy and easy going. Now, however, a serious expression had taken the place of the usual carefree smile. The beautiful eyes of the man were fixed on the high priestess on the stage.

Jackson let his eyes wander down to his friends hands. While listening the other had clenched them into fists. A clear sign that the story made him tense. It's not like the elder hadn't heard this story before... quite the opposite in fact. However, this time it hit closer to home than ever before as he was the one the prophesy is about. He is the boy king that will bring salvation.

For the young man this was still very new and Jackson knew that Mark still wasn't sure if he should believe in it or not. Jackson, however, was sure that he was that one king that will re-unite all creatures of Astrin once again. He had known from the very moment he had laid eyes on the young boy. Well... it had been more of a feeling that told him so than anything else.

Back then he was still following the order of their king. He had been a good soldier. His loyalty and his hard working personality soon let him build a name for himself in the army. He had been a good soldier. One of the best even. For him it had been an honour and his duty as a fae to be part of his kings army. Never had he questioned his kings orders. That was until he met Mark almost a year ago.

The king had ordered to raid a growing human city. Their order had been to harvest the strong looking humans by robbing them of their own will with their magic and kill the rest. Enchanting humans was easy... killing was another thing. Jackson didn't like doing it but order was order and so he followed. He was a good soldier.

He had found Mark hiding in his house. The elder had been scared and in Jacksons eyes he looked weak due to his frail looking body and the fear in his eyes. According to his orders this boy needed to die. However, something made him hesitate. It was then when he noticed the the slightly pointed ears. His ears weren't as pointed as one of the fae's but still they didn't look human. It was the fire, however, that finally let him lower his blade. Fire that rose from Marks hand and followed the boys orders. Fire that didn't seem to harm the boy but was as destructive like nothing Jackson has ever seen before. This was not fae magic and humans do not posses any magic at all.

Like the humans the fae have a prophecy about a future king that reunites everyone as well. A king who can control the four elements of the high spirits - water, fire, earth and air - and who can resist the magic of the fae. Other than in the human world the future king was looked at as a threat in the world of fae. Nevertheless, many would support him because the stars foretold that he's the rightful heir and ruler of Astrin. Jackson never thought about disobeying his king but seeing the boys power made him believe in the old stories and he knew that his loyalty had to be for someone else. His loyalty had to belong to this boy. His true king.

Jackson laid down his weapons and knelt before the boy to swear him his loyalty. He swore to protect him and follow him as it was the right thing to do for the future king. Both fled from the village and are on the constant run ever since. Jackson reached for Marks hand. He squeezed his soft hand once to reassure the other that he's here for the other. That he'll always will be. Mark turned his head towards Jackson to which the soldier quickly gestured with his hand to leave the tent. Mark nodded shortly, took a tighter hold on Jacksons hand and pushed through the crowd to reach the square again. It took them a while to be outside but when they finally stood a few feet away from the crowd and away from peering eyes they kept on standing still.

Mark lifted his gaze to see the stars. It seemed as if they were shining brighter than ever before. Jackson was tempted to look up as well but then decided that seeing their reflection in Marks eyes was enough. In fact, he believed they looked more beautiful reflected in Marks eyes than in the sky itself. Abruptly turned Mark his attention towards Jackson again and stared the younger directly into his eyes. Jackson instantly looked away. He was trying to fight a soft blush to appear on his face but that was as successful as cutting cubic blocks out of thin air.

"Why does it have to be like this, Jackson-ah? Why can't we all just live together in peace? This story... the prophecy... why does there have to be a fight first before everything becomes what the high spirits planed it to be? It hurts to see people hurting. I've been seeing them hurting my whole life. Wouldn't it be a prove of greatness if the fae showed mercy instead of oppression?" Mark suddenly asked which made Jackson look at his king again. It's not the first time he heard the elder ask those questions. As always he wasn't able to provide Mark with any answers to them either.

"You know... if the prophecy is true and... if you're right... then I can end this. I have to end this. And if it's not me then I should be one of those who try to make things right. I'm tired of running, Jackson. I'm tired of hiding. We should be out there and..."

"You're not ready yet! You still need training. You still need to learn how to control your powers. The fae king won't just surrender when he sees you. There will be a fight. You need to be prepared and if running and hiding will help us to get us there so'll be it!" Jackson said. He needed the other to understand that going for his destiny now would most likely result in his own down fall.

Mark stared on the muddy ground as he realised that Jackson was right. Then he nodded and looked up at Jackson again.

"It's just..." he started but got interrupted by Jackson once again.

"I know," the soldier softly said and gave Mark a smile. A smile his king instantly returned.

Jackson stepped closer to his friend and pulled him into a tight embrace. The warmth of the other body greeted him instantly which made him realise how cold the air truly was. Jackson instantly nuzzled his head in Mark's neck. He breathed in the familiar sent of the other which made his heart beat faster. He knew he shouldn't be feeling those feelings for his future king. He should be feeling anything at all. Feelings distract and make one loose their focus. He knew that and still... he wasn't able to turn it of. And even if he could... he wasn't sure if he would be able to truly do so.

Jackson tightened his hold on the other. The mere thought of following Mark into a battle this big scared him. He was scared to be wrong and to loose the only person he ever loved.

Mark seemed to feel what the other was going through was he softly started to pat the younger's head while nestling closer to Jackson. He slightly turned his head and breathed a soft kiss on his soldiers neck. This made Jackson shiver and lift his head again.

"Jackson. My Jackson. My soldier and bodyguard. My love. I might not be ready yet... I might never be. But those people out there need me. They need the king from their prophecy. I feel it's time to face what I'm destined to do. I'll be okay as long as you're by my side," Mark said while laying his forehead against Jackson's. Shortly after he lifted his head again, to look Jackson in the eyes. A soft smile grazed his face. Then he slowly began to lean forward. Jackson's heart began to pound wildly in his chest when he realised what Mark is about to do. His eyes wandered to the plump lips of the other. Mark moved closer and closer until Jackson was able to feel Mark's warm breath on his skin. In a heartbeat he took the last few inches toward the others lips and captured their sweet softness. The world around him seemed to stop in that exact moment and everything began to fade away. Everything but the two of them and this sweet sweet kiss they share. A sigh of bliss escaped his throat while he hungrily pulled his king closer to himself and tightly warped his arms around him. This was a moment Jackson had longed for ever since he first started to realise that his feelings towards the other began to shift. He was his protector. He swore to protect him and now that oath of his began to burn and win in importance to him. He loved Mark with every fibre of his body and he was willing to risk everything for him. For his love. For his true king.

Their sweet moment sadly didn't last forever and was all to soon interrupted by screams from down below. In the distance Jackson noticed fires starting to rise. There was an attack.

Mark sprung appart and drew his sword. It's not the first time Jackson saw Mark getting ready for a fight but it was the first time that he sees the determination in the others eyes. Mark quickly touched the clean glistening metal of his sword and let flames dance on it. Not before long and it was fully covered in flames.

"Let's fight, Jackson!"