Forbidden Fruits 3

 Sorry for the lateness, updates will continue as usual. 

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“These thoughts, why do I have them? Why do I feel such want for your lingering touch?”

I couldn’t help but press my lips together as I stared up at the wooden ceiling, I could hear the pitter patter of rain against it as I relaxed in my bed, the softness of my pillow lulling me slightly. The sensations upon my cheek as the chilly wind tickled my nose causing me to sneeze.

Then it was silent again.

I rolled onto my back, thinking of what I’d been told early that day, the horrible things my neighbors had said in my wake as I plowed my crops. The way they leered, their once bright eyes now held malice, their remarks creating a rippling effect upon my body, my heart was swollen. How they’d found out I’d never know which in itself was relatively upsetting, I knew that I hadn’t said a word about him and I’s meetings and Nikolai’s intense hatred for mankind let me know that it was indeed insatiable to say otherwise. So who and how?

The news spread like wildfire across the small village for which I resided, the mere three hundred or so people all coming to terms with the dark being which had planted himself into my heart, they’d began thinking that a curse was held onto our once fertile beachfront. Of course it wasn’t him, it couldn’t have been the cold yet warm Nikolai, a walking contradictory, I smiled. I pushed myself further into the soft cotton and wool of my bedding, coming to terms that my racing mind would confine me to this daze of a rest, my mind still racing as the day’s events replayed themselves in my mind over and over again.

I could see the farmers and the merchants as they passed by my small fields, my crops still faring well despite others failing seemingly over night, as if by magic.

Tainted magic.

Their threats doing well to upset me, one even taking his pick axe and threatening me with it, his eyes in a heated glare, his voice gruff and vengeful. “You and that damned creature! It has cursed you, and along with you us! Leave this land!” His cries went to deaf ears as I tried my best to keep calm and continue plowing the lands for the new set of crops. His wife took hold of him before smearing her own insults at me, her frail older form doing little to me as I began working on the next set of vegetables. “She’ll get her own divine punishment soon.” She concluded, marching down the dirt road towards what I assumed to be their lands.

It’s weird. At the time these did little to effect me, let alone offend me, but now, as I rest in my own bed and look out my own window, when the village is silent and the people are down for the evening, I feel the most vulnerable with my own thoughts, was it my fault? Truly? Were the divine punishing me for befriending my opposite? My shadow? Was this…this…relationship so wrong? I thought of Nikolai again and his eye catching appearance, his tainted black skin, the color that even the night sky could not plunder, the deep holes that penetrate his skull with daunting swirls, the color of miasma as he looks back and forth. His voice was unpredictable as it danced across my ears, it was deep and haunting, fearful and resenting, a bottle of insecurities placed into a man. He frightened me but I was still unable to turn away, and then…. there was the other Nikolai, the one that’d I’d grown to show affections for, his appearance one of an average man, light silvery hair that crashed with his ink like form, his skin the color of alabaster, a complete difference from the midnight, his eyes now a bright purple, a lavender of sorts, perhaps even lilac. His personality, sill stiff, but he held such feeling, he’d grown rather kind and somewhat…if I dare say…. human.

I hummed lightly to myself…. yes…human.

I gripped my bed sheets as the morning light began to make its appearance; it’s light peeking just beyond the horizon, licking the tips of my covered toes. It was almost time to awaken and begin a days work in the fields, but today, today I did not feel the need to do such, perhaps today I’d find Nikolai, I wanted to speak with him, I wanted to know if perhaps he’d known who exactly had done this to our quant village, I was sure he didn’t but it was worth a shot. But…. somewhere deep inside of me I knew he’d known who—what had done this, perhaps it was because he too was an evil being, I’d known this.

But something was telling me otherwise.

^V^V^V^V^V^V^V^

It was cold. Relentlessly cold and barren, not a single blade of grass could be seen, the echoing calls of an animal could not be heard, and the warmth of the sun was vacant.  

In the forbidden lands happiness never touched its crevices, it was all apart of their magic, something I’d learned at a very young age. I leaned against a rather tall structure, a pillar of sorts. Our village was one of the closets to said lands, a mere seven or eight-hour walk on foot and by horse four. We were tasked with keeping them at bay, the other nations and towns fearful if even relevant with their existence in this day in age, but us, we knew of such beings, such magic, such darkness.  I patted my steed as he bent down to indulge in some grass, all of which was dead and grey. I hadn’t seen much of anyone on the way here, a shadowy figure here and there and a lone woman who was on her way back to town, she appeared to be a priestess, perhaps in high hope of appeasing whatever being we’d upset in this land, she looked worn, cuts and scrapes across her face, all of them oozing as she traveled along, a large stick keeping her uplifted. I offered to help her, unhinged by the idea, there was no harm in turning back for those in need but she completely disregarded my voice, instead sending me a harsh glare and blaming me for our troubles. I retracted my hand and continued trotting along.

“I just hope she doesn’t pass out from exhaustion.” She was nearly out of the dark lands but if she was to be seen around and or in it there was no telling what would happen, whom she’d pass by, and what their intentions would have been. I beamed once I’d noticed a familiar head pop out from within the darkness. Behind the large pillar that I was catching my breath behind was a lone silvery head of hair, it was a male, I presumed as his hair was short, at least, I hopped it was a male. His being in the ever-distasteful ink color, his back was turned to mine. I hoped that he’d do little to bark at me once I’d made an appearance, he was always fearful of his family finding out of my existence but I paid little heed to his notions, Nikolai worried too much, still, I promised that I’d stay away.

Yet here I was, just out of reach.