ib_archive | [story] sacrifice

author: jaz templet (

yachiru)
email: yachiru [at] gmail.com

They'd been married fourteen days when she killed him.

It had started off very well. Everyone said so. A very strange match but all of the omens said it was a good one.

A Faun had never been married to a member of the tribe before. It was considered an honor for Lorei. Their children would bring much prosperity to the community.

It was funny how they met. She was a slender wraith of a girl. Her long blonde hair brushed the grass as she drank from his spring. He tackled her and tickled her until she forgot her fear. His smile was infectious and after a while she no longer noticed his strange appearance. She'd stayed with him until her father called for her, promising to visit again.

They met every day, and it became harder and harder to explain her absences. She could only tell her father she was gathering herbs so many times before he became suspicious. One day she came home disheveled and pink-cheeked, the corner of her gown torn. Her father knew immediately and demanded to know who had taken her. She refused and was sent into the dark place.

For seven days and seven nights she stayed there. Her cries were unanswered, and eventually she stopped crying entirely. She grew weaker and weaker. Her hair snarled and tangled into her mouth. She bit her lips until blood appeared and savored the taste.

Someone sent in small amounts of bread and water on the fifth day. It must have been her mother. A very brave move, that.

She could hear his music during the night sometimes. She wept at its beauty and cursed its price.

On the eighth day, they let her out. Her eyes strained at the light and her skin crawled at the touch of the men who led her out. She shrank even from the touch of her mother.

Her father was still angry. He was a very important man in the village, and she'd shamed him, defied his authority. More than that, she'd not given the name of the boy whom she'd been with. If she had, he could have made a profit before he eventually gave her to a man who didn't care that she'd been ruined.

She didn't speak. He beat her until she couldn't stand. When that didn't work he let his friends rape her. Still she was silent. She'd left something back there in the dark place. He couldn't hurt her anymore. There was only one thing left that he could use. When he threatened to kill her mother, Lorei confessed.

This confused her father. The Faun didn't have any property. There was nothing he could demand from the Faun. Her father went to the village elder and the men all discussed what was to be done. They eventually decided the Faun must marry her. It was the only thing to do. She would be married and her father would have his honor.

They met the Faun in the forest and he agreed. He loved Lorei and was not averse to taking her as his wife.

Her mother gave her a dress made from flowers and kissed both her cheeks for luck. They had a large wedding, and Lorei tried to be happy. She danced and ate. The Faun watched it all with eyes that were distant but kind. She was certainly happy when they left.

The Faun had a small house near the spring they'd met. He carried her to bed and she forgot her troubles for a time. He was a gentle sort. He didn't speak much but then she'd grown to hate the sounds men made. He would go out every day to hunt for a time. When she woke up she'd find some sort of token he'd left for her. An interesting flower or a sweet berry.

She found things to do. The house needed little cleaning, so she often had time to explore and make friends with the nearby animals. The Faun was teaching her to read their thoughts. Some of the animals were easy. The bunnies thought of grass. The deer thought of water. The turtles now, the turtles were hard to figure out. The Faun said they lived a long time so they thought of complicated things.

She knew their time was coming to a close. She'd been given a specific place on a specific day. It was simple. She suggested a picnic. A romantic outing.

They held hands on the way and she smiled as she directed him to the spot. They sat and ate.

She saw the men over the hill, bearing down on them. Her husband's eyes were wide as he watched them advance. The men wanted a sacrifice. Blood made much more fertile soil than marriage. Everyone knew that.

He stood in front of her, blocking her view of the men. She knew he would protect her with all he had. They shot him with arrows. One. Two. A dozen. They must have brought enough arrows to fell a giant. One of them went through his body and nicked her arm.

He went down, her gentle Faun husband, his hands splayed wide as he fell. She caught him in her arms, her tears soaking his fur.

She hid her smile there as well.

They'd forgotten what they'd been taught.

Do not tamper with the magic of the wood.

The music would have warned them had they listened.

Never ever try to control the wood. They hadn't killed the Faun. They'd unleashed it.

She closed her eyes and listened as her husband wreaked his vengeance. And hers.

He came into her arms with blood on his fur. It wasn't all his. His lips touched the cut on her arm. Her smile was feral as she welcomed her husband home.

the end