The Orphen fic

[iesika]

This does not have a title, and, as I've realized since my last post, is actually not quite finished. The action is all done, but there ought to be a bit of a wind down where Majic thinks about everything that happened and what the creature saw in him and doesn't have to cook the soup. Also, Orphen will at least tell him what the creature was and how it hunts. Anyone with any knowledge of European fairy-type lore ought to recognize it, if I did my job right. Also, yes, there can be sandy beaches on lakes in swamps. There is one on Lake Ponchartrain at the mouth of the Tchefuncte that I had in mind.

For

caerfree

The Untitled Long-Lost, Nearly Finished Orphen Thing 
Majic crushing on Orphen, some violence and magicky dub-con
Not Beta'd

 

 "I am exhausted" Cleao yawned. She found a nice, dry, grassy spot under a tree and settled onto the ground, Leki at her feet. "When we get to this… Pollypolooka, or whatever, there had better be a decent inn."

"You know," Orphen said, "If you conserved some of that energy you have left for bitching, you wouldn’t be nearly so exhausted."

"He’s got a point," Majic agreed. When Cleao turned to glare at him, he put on his best innocent face and went back to breaking up sticks for kindling.

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" She snapped. When Majic just hummed quietly to himself and started stacking branches, she returned her attention to the boy’s master. "I told you we should have stopped for the night back at that little farm. The people were so friendly!"

Majic secretly agreed with her, but he wasn’t going to complain out loud. Orphen was already frustrated enough with their lack of progress for the day. He could read the tension knotting those broad shoulders. His master had done his best to get them to Pollopooka on time, but it was beginning to get dark, and they had several miles left to go. The swampy terrain of the area was difficult enough by daylight. A nasty fog had been hovering low over the boggy ground ever since mid-afternoon, and it had slowed their progress. It was no wonder that they were still a good three miles from their destination. Many times, their little group had continued hiking well into the night in order to reach some nearby goal. Tonight, though, Orphen had summarily dismissed all night travel to be too dangerous, and insisted that they stop and make camp. Majic was grateful.

He’d been keeping an eye out for edible plants ever since it had become apparent that they wouldn’t make it to the inn tonight. He’d managed to gather enough edible mushrooms and wild roots to make a reasonable soup, especially with the addition of some dried goat’s meat. They’d bought it earlier that day at the farm that Orphen and Cleao were still arguing about.

"The room was nice!" Cleao was protesting.

"Not worth what they were asking."

"Orphen, we could have had a roof over our heads for once! Wouldn’t it be nice not to wake up with bugs in your hair?"

"You only get bugs in your hair because it’s too long for traveling."

"It is not!"

Majic rolled his eyes and picked up two of their packs. "I’m going to get some water," he announced.

Orphen looked up from where he sat near Cleao and nodded. "Watch your step," he said. "And don’t be gone long. It’s dangerous around here after dark."

"Gotcha," Majic agreed. He hitched the bags up onto his shoulders, balancing their weight with practiced ease. He started walking, then. They had traveled through swampy terrain often enough that Majic knew he’d only have to follow the slope of the ground until he found a stream. He wrinkled his nose as he sidestepped a stagnant puddle. They’d be boiling their water tonight.

The trees here were a species he hadn’t seen before, and the further he got from camp, the more of them there were. They were gnarled and twisted, bare of bark in patches as if they had been scrapped by some giant animal marking it’s territory. Majic thought they were rather pretty, in a creepy sort of way. In any case, they were interesting for their unfamiliarity. He let his fingers trace across the rubbed-bare wood of one tree before neatly stepping over its sprawling roots and continuing forward. There was a definite slope to the ground, now, and the soil was getting boggier. He’d find at least a small stream soon.

It wasn’t a small stream that he found, though. When Majic finally broke from the dense forest, he found himself on a narrow strip of beach beside a broad lake. He could barely see across it to the other side, but he assumed it was shallow, as there were more gnarled trees rising from the water in several places. The water, though, was slick and peaceful, and seemed clean enough. It didn’t look stagnant, and there were no choking weeds growing over the surface. A few thin wisps of fog hovered where air met water. Majic actually thought it looked rather inviting after such a long hike. It had been days since his last bath, and he was really beginning to feel it.

This sandy strip of beach would actually make a far better camp site than the soggy patch of ground where he’d left his companions. It shouldn’t be too hard to convince them to move. If they made camp here, Majic would be able to have a swim while dinner was cooking. He was sure that Cleao and Leki at least would join him. His master was hardly one for frolicking in the wilderness, but he doubted the man would turn down a chance to wash.

That settled it, then. Majic started gathering wood again. He would go ahead and start the water boiling before he headed back. That way, by the time he returned, he would only need to add the contents of the soup and let them cook for a while. There were plenty of dead branches lying around, and he wouldn’t have to make a big fire now. He could bring the rest of the wood he’d already gathered when he returned for the others.

Once he’d gathered a reasonable pile of sticks, Majic crouched down and rubbed his hands together. Okay. Now for the fun part, if he could get it to work tonight. He clasped his hands together and pointed his fingers at the pile of brush. It took a few repetitions of the incantation, but he finally got a decent spark going, and then the dry kindling did the rest.

Majic crowed in triumph and was about to stand up when he heard applause from behind him. The others must have gotten tired of waiting. None of them would have been clapping though. Not over such a simple spell. Hell, not at all. Majic turned suddenly when he realized this and found himself facing a complete stranger.

He was standing at the water’s edge, shoes in one hand, letting the water run over his feet. The boy was just a little older than Majic, and tall. Almost as tall as Orphen. He had dark hair and dark eyes, and was smiling, broadly.

Majic thought he was beautiful.

"That was amazing!" The boy said. "Wow… I’ve never seen anybody do magic before."

Majic blushed under the praise. "It’s not really a difficult spell. I’m only an apprentice. My master could have set the whole forest on fire."

The boy blinked once and then crossed the sand to sit across the fire from Majic. "He wouldn’t, would he?"

"Of course not!" Majic insisted. "I’ve only ever seen him use the spell in battle."

The boy looked him up and down. "And you’re going to be a warrior sorcerer, too?"

Majic blushed and turned his face away. He knew he hardly looked the part of a warrior or a sorcerer. Too skinny, too pale, too weak, too young. Definitely not what one pictured. Not that he really wanted to be a warrior, but he did want to help his master on his quest, and that required learning to fight.

"You’re going to be formidable," the stranger said. Majic turned his head to look at him again. "I can feel how much power and determination you’ve got in you."

"What do you mean?"

The boy shrugged. "It’s just a gift. I can see things like that. That’s why I came up here in the first place. I felt your magic. You’re very powerful."

"I’m not," Majic said, blushing. "I’ll be lucky if I ever manage to protect myself, let alone anyone else." He poked the slowly growing fire with a longer stick. "I can barely handle sparks."

"What about frost?" The boy asked.

Unbidden, memories rose in Majic’s mind. The library of the ancients, covered in ice from floor to ceiling, its guardians likewise frozen, all from one simple spell that nearly hadn’t worked in the first place. He’d never been able to explain it to himself, and Orphen had never tried. Steph’s answer - that it was a sign of how badly he wanted to help Orphen - seemed to make as much sense as anything. But this stranger couldn’t have known about that. Sure enough, when he looked at him, the boy was smiling ingeniously at him.

"Or lightning, or water, or whatever," he continued. The pause had been a long one, though. Majic was still puzzled.

"I’m not very good for much of anything." Majic admitted, reluctantly.

"Don’t be crazy. You just lit a fire by pointing at it and mumbling. That’s impressive. It’s more than I could ever do."

"I’ve been studying forever, and I’ve barely learned anything. I’m with my master nearly all the time. You’d think I would have picked up a few more spells, by now."

"And where is your master now?" the boy asked.

"He’s … back at camp."

"Doing what?"

"Resting," Majic answered.

"While you venture into unknown territory, alone, searching for water and food to prepare for him. Do you expect he’ll thank you?"

"I expect he’ll lecture me for taking so long."

"While he’s resting, and flirting with that girl. Who knows…the two of them could be doing anything, with you gone. Maybe he won’t be so upset that you took your time."

Majic colored. "That’s none of my business, and it’s certainly none of yours!" His embarrasment and outrage were so complete that it didn't even register that he'd never mentioned Cleao.

"But you’d like it to be your business, wouldn’t you?" The stranger prodded. "And there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be. You’re a handsome young man, Majic. The very flower of youth. Your master is a fool if he can’t see that."

Majic shut his eyes and bowed his head. This was getting weirder and weirder, but he couldn’t help his blushing response. "I’m not."

He heard movement, and then the boy was beside him, warming the cool evening air. "But you are, Majic. You are all the things the world tells you that you aren’t. You are powerful, and you are beautiful, and you are graceful, and you are kind. You think all those women chase you for nothing?." Warm fingers traced his jawline, gently urging him to raise his face. "Majic, open your eyes."

Majic did as he was told. In the growing darkness, it was hard to see, and the fog seemed to have advanced upon them while he looked away. His vision cleared, though, and he found himself staring into deep, red-brown eyes. "Master…?" He whispered. He was so confused. The fog seemed to be everywhere. It was in his eyes and in his mind. He took a deep, gasping breath, and it was in his lungs. He couldn’t draw air fast enough, and he found himself panting gently against his master’s chest. "Master?" He managed again. This didn’t make any sense…

"Shhh…" Orphen murmured to him. Majic closed his eyes again, against the fog, but it didn’t help. Everything was getting darker and darker. Oprhen’s lips traced over his cheeks, his eyes, his throat, and then they were on his own, drawing forth sweet kisses and tiny whimpers. It didn’t seem to matter anymore that nothing was making sense. His master was holding him, strong hands caressing him under his shirt. He was lowered to the ground, Orphen’s firm weight centered above him, and he clutched at the body above him, trying to pull them even closer. There were teeth on his collarbone. Where had his shirt gone? There was a hand on his stomach, and then it was in his pants, coaxing strangled cries from his throat. He’d been craving that touch, unknowing, for so long…

Orphen’s voice was dark and rough in his ear, whispering all the things he’d always longed to hear. Where had his pants gone? Hands gripped his thighs, spreading them wide, and he threw his head back with a gasp as his master’s touch crept lower and then lower. Had he really always wanted this? "Master…" He whispered again, unable somehow to give voice to anything else.

"Majic." Orphen growled into his ear. Majic opened his eyes only to be caught again in his lover’s gaze. The intensity there was nearly enough to drive Majic over the edge. He focused instead on the slight pain of one thick finger pressing up inside him. His eyes closed again.

"Magic!" Orphen called again, and this time it was desperate. Afraid. Angry. Majic looked up again, but the gaze that met his was no longer his master’s. The beautiful red eyes were yellow now, solid and empty, without a pupil or any trace of white. The face they belonged to was long nosed and hollow, twisted in lust and rage. Majic cried out and tried to push away. When that didn’t work, he pressed both hands to his attacker’s face and shouted a few strong words of power. His attacker was hurled bodily away. Still panicked, Majic scrambled toward his campfire, hoping to use a burning branch as a weapon. Suddenly, his ankle was gripped in a cold, clammy hand. He was dragged abruptly backward, sand scraping his bare skin, his body coming to a stop halfway into the water. The grip on his ankle tightened, and he was being hauled under. Majic kicked and screamed and clawed at the sand, but it was no use. The monster was too strong, and he was under the water.

Somewhere far above him and away, he could still hear Orphen shouting. His voice faint and muffled, echoing as if through a long tunnel. His master could not help him now.

The lake was deeper than it had appeared. His captor had him by the throat, now, his other hand looped around his back, holding their bodies together. Though the water was murky, he could still see the monster’s grotesque face staring back at him with a triumphant grin. Its yellow eyes were rolling wildly in his head. Majic had only seen eyes like that once before, as a small child. He had nearly been trampled by a guest’s mad horse. Her eyes had reflected the firelight instead of glowing from within, but the crazed look was the same.

He had to get away. Orphen was shouting for him from somewhere above. He couldn’t find him. Orphen would help him if he could find him. The water was so thick and murky, so deep, though, that Orphen would never find him on his own. He needed to make a beacon. If Orphen saw the light, he would save him. He was sure of it. Majic focused as best he could on the simple spell that had called this monster to him, shouting the incantation. If the light from the fire spell were bright enough, Orphen would find him before he drowned. If it were not, then he would die, and quickly. Majic closed his eyes as he screamed the words of power. Over and over again. Everything was going dark and hot. That wasn’t what he wanted! The spell was meant to call up fire and light! Why was everything so dark? He fought and kicked against his attacker’s weakening grip, legs pumping in an instinctive rhythm. The spell wasn’t working! He was going to die down here and Orphen wasn’t going to be able to save him. He screamed the words again.

He realized, somehow, that he was being hauled upward instead of being pulled downward. He stopped screaming and opened his eyes when he broke the surface, gasping and choking. Orphen had one arm looped around Majic’s chest and was dragging him toward shore. It had worked! Orphen had found him! Majic was so overjoyed that he hugged his master without so much as a thought, pulling him close and kissing him once on the cheek.

Orphen pushed his face brusquely away, but retained his grip. "Not now," he said gruffly. "We’ve got to get out of here. I don’t know what you did down there-"

Majic tried to speak, but wound up coughing instead. He didn’t regain his breath until Orphen had managed to pull him up onto shore. "I did a spell." He gasped, feeling proud. "I did a spell, and it worked."

"No shit," Orphen gasped back, still out of breath from the swim.

"Thank you for rescuing me," Majic said. "I knew you would find me."

Orphen made an exasperated noise. "I didn’t! You made it to the surface all by yourself. All I did was haul you out of there. Now shut up, we need to get away from here."

Majic sat up and looked out over the water. It seemed calm enough. "Why? Are there more monsters?"

The surface of the water exploded. There was just no other word for it. Great clouds of steam went billowing up from the surface as the water itself erupted upward, sending a huge column of spray nearly a hundred feet into the air. Majic yelped and stared at it in stunned amazement.

"That was one hell of a fire spell," Orphen muttered.

 

At the time that I found this, I also found bits of a RL/HP AU (possibly nonmagical) and the outline and first few pages of my intended Fanfic Of Fanfic for Rushlight's Pendulum of Choice in which Lily survives and Harry doesn't. I am deliberately ignoring them in favor of Mystery Potion Thing (which really needs a title).