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personalapocalypseTitle: Comfort
Fandom: Quest for Glory 4
Characters: Erana/The Rusalka
Rating: T at worse, for references to drowning and death. Comes with the territory.
Notes: I seriously doubt the creators had this in mind. But I thought of the idea during Femslash February one year or another, and eventually finished it because I liked it too much not to write it. I should try to sketch something about this. (They might be making out, or they might actually be just snuggling in the water and drinking magical hot underwater tea. Yes, I'm making that a thing now.)
Crossposts: AO3
---
She didn't have a name anymore. She must've had one once, because didn't everything have a name? The people that she had pulled under had been eager to give her their names. She'd never had the heart to tell them that she didn't have one, but usually it was over before they were angry enough with her to press.
There were a lot of things about what it was like outside that she'd forgotten. The lake was her entire world; the mere sight of the open ground and the twisted trees around her filled her with dread and horror. Better to stay there, where the cold water lapped gently against her skin.
The lake was full of the quiet bodies of the dead, bloated and slowly falling apart. Most of them were men; they were the ones that she was compelled to draw to her, to smile sweetly at them and cajole with sweet nothings, until they came to her. Most of them needed little convincing. There were others as well, who had reached out to offer a hand out of the water, or struck at her while hissing curses at her, over their lost husband or son. She didn't know why they cursed her; every man who came to her made that choice freely.
Sometimes, when it was quiet in the still, dark lake, she would wonder why it was that the others drowned, and she did not. She could see them thrashing about as the water filled their lungs, clawing at her and pushing as hard as they had embraced her before, their faces contorted with pain. But the feel of the water in her own lungs was a comforting weight; why didn't it hurt her as much as it did them?
It was easiest not to think about it, though. She focused on the lake and on the need that drove her. It was enough, if she didn't stop to think about why.
---
One morning she felt the presence of someone else approaching her lake, and rose from the lake bottom to see who had come. She saw a woman standing by the edge of the lake, her long white robes already trailing in the water. "Hello," she said.
The woman looked down at her, her full pink lips curling into a slight smile. Her hair was long and brown and woven with flowers, and flowed over ears that - were they pointed? She felt a sudden pang in her chest, looking at them - but then she shifted her head, covering them again, and the feeling passed. "Hello to you, lake-woman," she said, her eyes tired and gentle as she spoke. "Are you not suffering in this chill?"
"No," she said, laughing. "This lake is quite comfortable to me. What of you, traveler? What brings you to this place?"
"I wander, and my wanderings brought me here." She gestured with her twisted staff, waving it around to indicate the forest around them.
"You wander? But where do you seek to go?"
"Where I am needed." The woman smiled, but her eyes were still very tired. "Tell me, how long has this lake been your home?"
She pondered. "Not many people ask me that," she admitted, "and I don't honestly think that I know. But I've been here as long as I can remember. I think that I belong here."
"I see." The woman crouched next to her. If this stranger had been one of those cocky young men, with lust in their eyes, she would have reached out her hand, grabbed at it, tried to pull her into the lake... but not yet. "You are lonely, I am sure."
"Well... it's not that I'm alone," she said. It was true enough. The bodies in the lake counted as company, if she thought about it that way.
"The two are not mutually exclusive. I know this well." She smiled, and the staff in her hand began to glow with a golden light. Soon the light was a halo around her. "I would like to spend a few moments with you, if I may."
"You... want to join me?" She blinked, wondering if the lake water was distorting her hearing.
"Yes, if I am welcome." The stranger stretched out her free hand. "Please."
That was enough to make instinct take over, and she took the woman's hand and pulled her into the water without a second thought, down to the bottom. Her grip was tight, in case the woman struggled - but she came easily, even when they reached the black silt at the bottom. She even found footing there, as if she were still standing at the shore, and when she spoke her voice was just the same as it had been before, with no rush of air from her lungs. "Thank you," she said. "I'm honored to be welcomed into your home."
She regarded the woman, confused. "You're still speaking," she said. "Most of the others don't talk when they're down here."
"I imagine not. But I have means that others do not." She bowed. "I am the mage Erana, and I mean you no harm, Rusalka. I only wish to offer what comfort I can to those who have been wronged."
"Rusalka?" She blinked. "That's... I don't think that's my name. I don't think I have a name."
Erana shook her head. "I'm sorry. Your name is not for me to know. The word is only a description."
"Oh," she said. "I don't understand, but I suppose it's all right. But why come to me?"
"I had hoped to set you free, but now I see that I am not the one who will be given that privilege. But I can at least offer you a moment of peace." Erana's staff began to glow again, more brightly this time.
Before she could ask what it was that she needed to be freed from, the light flashed so brightly that she had to close her eyes and turn away. She opened them again cautiously, and gasped - the corpses were gone, as were the tangles of waterweed and the black silt. The water was clear now, and she could see everything around her - scattered pebbles in dozens of colors, schools of silvery fish that brushed past her as she watched. There were new plants growing from the lakebed now, vibrant plants in green and yellow, and as she watched they bloomed with bright white flowers, that ripened into bright red bulbs....
"What... is this?" she asked, overcome by the sight. A fish brushed by her cheek, and she closed her mouth, afraid it would swim into her throat.
"This is my magic, although I cannot spare the strength to make this a permanent enchantment. But it will last the day, at least - enough for us to have some rest." She reached out for one of the red bulbs and gently plucked it free, and popped it into her mouth. Then she took another, and offered it to her. "Eat this, if you'd like."
"I'm... not sure that I can," she said, brow furrowed. She hadn't eaten anything like that before, had she? She couldn't remember.
"Don't worry," Erana promised with a smile. "It will be all right, if you wish."
Well, it could hardly harm her, could it? Not if Erana had already eaten one of her own. "All right - I'll try one."
The berry was warm to her touch, and its skin was soft and smooth. She could smell the sweetness of its juice as she popped it into her mouth. It was warm and vibrant and juicy, and the taste of it warmed her to her very core. She could feel herself coming to life, the chill that she hadn't even realized was there starting to fade.
"This is... wonderful," she said, looking back at the stranger. "You must... you must be a truly powerful wizard!"
"Not as powerful as I would need to be, to heal a land like this," she said softly. "But thank you, all the same."
"But this is... you said you'd stay, right? At least for a while?"
Erana reached for her again, this time pulling her close - and this time she could feel the warmth of Erana's body through her robes, despite the cold of the water. "I can spare the day," she said, "if it would give you comfort."
"Please," she whispered, and before Erana could answer she leaned in and kissed her as hard as she could. Her lips were warm and tingling now; her body felt like it had woken up after a long sleep, even though she could barely remember what sleeping itself felt like. She could feel things now, and she wanted to know how it was to feel everything she could again.
When they broke the kiss Erana was smiling, her lips darker now, her face flushed. She let go of her staff, which stayed where it was resting, and stroked her long green hair, and the feel of it sent shivers down her spine. "It would be my pleasure."
Fandom: Quest for Glory 4
Characters: Erana/The Rusalka
Rating: T at worse, for references to drowning and death. Comes with the territory.
Notes: I seriously doubt the creators had this in mind. But I thought of the idea during Femslash February one year or another, and eventually finished it because I liked it too much not to write it. I should try to sketch something about this. (They might be making out, or they might actually be just snuggling in the water and drinking magical hot underwater tea. Yes, I'm making that a thing now.)
Crossposts: AO3
---
She didn't have a name anymore. She must've had one once, because didn't everything have a name? The people that she had pulled under had been eager to give her their names. She'd never had the heart to tell them that she didn't have one, but usually it was over before they were angry enough with her to press.
There were a lot of things about what it was like outside that she'd forgotten. The lake was her entire world; the mere sight of the open ground and the twisted trees around her filled her with dread and horror. Better to stay there, where the cold water lapped gently against her skin.
The lake was full of the quiet bodies of the dead, bloated and slowly falling apart. Most of them were men; they were the ones that she was compelled to draw to her, to smile sweetly at them and cajole with sweet nothings, until they came to her. Most of them needed little convincing. There were others as well, who had reached out to offer a hand out of the water, or struck at her while hissing curses at her, over their lost husband or son. She didn't know why they cursed her; every man who came to her made that choice freely.
Sometimes, when it was quiet in the still, dark lake, she would wonder why it was that the others drowned, and she did not. She could see them thrashing about as the water filled their lungs, clawing at her and pushing as hard as they had embraced her before, their faces contorted with pain. But the feel of the water in her own lungs was a comforting weight; why didn't it hurt her as much as it did them?
It was easiest not to think about it, though. She focused on the lake and on the need that drove her. It was enough, if she didn't stop to think about why.
---
One morning she felt the presence of someone else approaching her lake, and rose from the lake bottom to see who had come. She saw a woman standing by the edge of the lake, her long white robes already trailing in the water. "Hello," she said.
The woman looked down at her, her full pink lips curling into a slight smile. Her hair was long and brown and woven with flowers, and flowed over ears that - were they pointed? She felt a sudden pang in her chest, looking at them - but then she shifted her head, covering them again, and the feeling passed. "Hello to you, lake-woman," she said, her eyes tired and gentle as she spoke. "Are you not suffering in this chill?"
"No," she said, laughing. "This lake is quite comfortable to me. What of you, traveler? What brings you to this place?"
"I wander, and my wanderings brought me here." She gestured with her twisted staff, waving it around to indicate the forest around them.
"You wander? But where do you seek to go?"
"Where I am needed." The woman smiled, but her eyes were still very tired. "Tell me, how long has this lake been your home?"
She pondered. "Not many people ask me that," she admitted, "and I don't honestly think that I know. But I've been here as long as I can remember. I think that I belong here."
"I see." The woman crouched next to her. If this stranger had been one of those cocky young men, with lust in their eyes, she would have reached out her hand, grabbed at it, tried to pull her into the lake... but not yet. "You are lonely, I am sure."
"Well... it's not that I'm alone," she said. It was true enough. The bodies in the lake counted as company, if she thought about it that way.
"The two are not mutually exclusive. I know this well." She smiled, and the staff in her hand began to glow with a golden light. Soon the light was a halo around her. "I would like to spend a few moments with you, if I may."
"You... want to join me?" She blinked, wondering if the lake water was distorting her hearing.
"Yes, if I am welcome." The stranger stretched out her free hand. "Please."
That was enough to make instinct take over, and she took the woman's hand and pulled her into the water without a second thought, down to the bottom. Her grip was tight, in case the woman struggled - but she came easily, even when they reached the black silt at the bottom. She even found footing there, as if she were still standing at the shore, and when she spoke her voice was just the same as it had been before, with no rush of air from her lungs. "Thank you," she said. "I'm honored to be welcomed into your home."
She regarded the woman, confused. "You're still speaking," she said. "Most of the others don't talk when they're down here."
"I imagine not. But I have means that others do not." She bowed. "I am the mage Erana, and I mean you no harm, Rusalka. I only wish to offer what comfort I can to those who have been wronged."
"Rusalka?" She blinked. "That's... I don't think that's my name. I don't think I have a name."
Erana shook her head. "I'm sorry. Your name is not for me to know. The word is only a description."
"Oh," she said. "I don't understand, but I suppose it's all right. But why come to me?"
"I had hoped to set you free, but now I see that I am not the one who will be given that privilege. But I can at least offer you a moment of peace." Erana's staff began to glow again, more brightly this time.
Before she could ask what it was that she needed to be freed from, the light flashed so brightly that she had to close her eyes and turn away. She opened them again cautiously, and gasped - the corpses were gone, as were the tangles of waterweed and the black silt. The water was clear now, and she could see everything around her - scattered pebbles in dozens of colors, schools of silvery fish that brushed past her as she watched. There were new plants growing from the lakebed now, vibrant plants in green and yellow, and as she watched they bloomed with bright white flowers, that ripened into bright red bulbs....
"What... is this?" she asked, overcome by the sight. A fish brushed by her cheek, and she closed her mouth, afraid it would swim into her throat.
"This is my magic, although I cannot spare the strength to make this a permanent enchantment. But it will last the day, at least - enough for us to have some rest." She reached out for one of the red bulbs and gently plucked it free, and popped it into her mouth. Then she took another, and offered it to her. "Eat this, if you'd like."
"I'm... not sure that I can," she said, brow furrowed. She hadn't eaten anything like that before, had she? She couldn't remember.
"Don't worry," Erana promised with a smile. "It will be all right, if you wish."
Well, it could hardly harm her, could it? Not if Erana had already eaten one of her own. "All right - I'll try one."
The berry was warm to her touch, and its skin was soft and smooth. She could smell the sweetness of its juice as she popped it into her mouth. It was warm and vibrant and juicy, and the taste of it warmed her to her very core. She could feel herself coming to life, the chill that she hadn't even realized was there starting to fade.
"This is... wonderful," she said, looking back at the stranger. "You must... you must be a truly powerful wizard!"
"Not as powerful as I would need to be, to heal a land like this," she said softly. "But thank you, all the same."
"But this is... you said you'd stay, right? At least for a while?"
Erana reached for her again, this time pulling her close - and this time she could feel the warmth of Erana's body through her robes, despite the cold of the water. "I can spare the day," she said, "if it would give you comfort."
"Please," she whispered, and before Erana could answer she leaned in and kissed her as hard as she could. Her lips were warm and tingling now; her body felt like it had woken up after a long sleep, even though she could barely remember what sleeping itself felt like. She could feel things now, and she wanted to know how it was to feel everything she could again.
When they broke the kiss Erana was smiling, her lips darker now, her face flushed. She let go of her staff, which stayed where it was resting, and stroked her long green hair, and the feel of it sent shivers down her spine. "It would be my pleasure."
