Sapphires Are Forever

[Sapphire Ravenlock]

Light shimmered on the streets of Little Elfhame. It was twilight. The witching hour.

A portal sprang to life and Sapphire Ravenlock D'Artainian stepped through it. She looked around at the bustling neighborhood of Little Elfhame, eyeing the new Mill building. “Damn, I’m good!”

She fiddled with her bracelet, the portal closing behind her. The teen started for the main entrance of the Mill building, taking note of several Fae who were stopped in their tracks, staring at her.

“Hi!” she chirped in a friendly manner. “Lovely evening, isn’t it?”

[Sapphire Ravenlock]

Sapphire spun around in a slow circle, checking out the foyer of the penthouse. She let out a low whistle. “She’s got some pretty sweet digs here.”

When she came full circle, Jewell was standing at the bottom of the stairs just staring at her. “What are you doing here?”

“That’s a helluva greeting.” The teen smirked. “I thought I’d come by. Check out the new place.” She acted like all it took was a stroll around the corner to get here and not a leap through space and time. “Sign up for Madness. You know.”

Jewell just stared.

The girl glanced down, digging the toe of her sneaker into the floor. “Merai and I also kind of figured that it’s been a year since.. well, you know. And that maybe you wouldn’t want to be--”

She stopped, stumbling back when Jewell crashed into her and practically squeezed the life out of her. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Sapphire slowly wrapped her arms around her as well. “You’re welcome.”

[Sapphire Ravenlock]

They were fighting in the foyer.

“How could you even think about suggesting she come!”

“It is not like--”

“With everything that just happened? You knew what we were planning! Were you thinking at all? Do you realize how much danger you could have put her in?”

“Mira, I did not tell her to return in March. That was her idea. I could not disagree with her though! Clearly, you need her.”

“You are so unbelievable. I can’t even--”

Sapphire turned over. Her parents never really fought. Not anymore. It was probably a good thing because Ishmerai usually backed down when arguing with Jewell. Harris probably wouldn’t.

She stared at the ceiling of her new room. It was everything Jewell had promised her it would be. There was an area for music. A workbench for her to tinker. Wards galore in case she blew something up.

“Mira, please. Stop.”

“Then stop treating me like a child! I don’t need her. I’m an adult. I can handle this on my own.”

It just needed much thicker walls.

[Sapphire Ravenlock]

“So spill it, Merai. What’s actually been happening?” Sapphire looked at the knight expectantly, holding her mixing bowl under one arm and stirring the batter with the other.

Mornings were often their time together. This was especially true when Jewell got lost on her way home with handsome half-elves.

“What do you want to know exactly?” Ishmerai had long ago stopped trying to keep things from the teen, but he wasn’t going to offer up all his lady’s secret willingly and without filter.

“Her magic.. how did she really get it back?”

“She sold her name.”

Sapphire groaned. “Mother of Nature.”

“I know.”

“Is that why she’s all--” She waved the spoon around carefully to somehow indicate Jewell’s mental and emotional state. The knight nodded. “No wonder. I’d be freaked out too. How stupid!”

“Pretty much.”

“Okay okay.” She’d have to get her head around that one later. “Muirenn?”

“Dead.”

“Right. She said that. How? I mean, mom did it right?”

“She did. Do you know the idea behind blood bending?”

Sapphire’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know she could do that.”

He shrugged. “Neither did I.”

“Wow.”

“It was very impressive. I do not think she has let on how much it took out of her to accomplish such a feat. Her magic has not exactly been.. perfect since she got it back.”

She nodded as she turned slightly away and started pouring the batter into a pan. “I could tell. It seems off somehow. Flawed? Incomplete? Something.” She shrugged, unable to find the right word. He watched her without offering up any suggestions or further information. “Okay, um.. what else?”

“I believe that is about it. Muirenn put a price on her head, but I hope that will resolve itself with time since there is no longer anyone to pay the reward.”

“Gotcha. Sounds exciting.” She scraped the bowl with a spatula before offering the kitchen utensil to the knight to lick clean. Sapphire worked on the bowl itself, scraping up the remaining batter with her finger. “How about Kal? What’s going on with that? I mean, besides the fact that they’re still sleeping together.”

The knight shrugged, too busy licking the spoon clean of lemon cake batter to answer right away. “He let her live with him for a time while I was in Faerie.”

Blue eyebrows shot right up. “Oh reaaaallllly?” Ishmerai smiled. “Well then..” The mischievous glee on her face quickly faded, “Huh. You know, I don’t actually know what to think about that. What does she think about it all? Is she totally in love with him?”

“That you will have to ask her yourself.”

“You know I will!”

[JewellRavenlock]

“That is such a not answer.”

“It is not!”

“It is.” Sapphire pushed against the pillow that separated them on the couch. Jewell retaliated by leaning against her even more. “Gah! Stop! Now you’re squishing me. Stop stop stop!”

The Empress laughed, shoving herself against Sapphire one more time before flopping over the other way. “Why do you even care, hmm?”

“Why do you even care?” Sapphire mocked her, throwing her voice to a slightly higher pitch. “Because I care, duh.” She threw the pillow at Jewell this time, who caught it without any trouble and immediately hugged it to her chest. “And I don’t want to have to break his handsome face if he hurts you.”

She rolled her eyes. “He’s not going to hurt me.”

“He could, though. Couldn’t he?” she insisted.

Jewell sighed, rolling her head back dramatically. “Yes, Sapphire. I suppose he could.”

[JewellRavenlock]

“So,” Sapphire turned to place some vegetables in the basket Jewell was carrying before perusing the other crates, “who was this other guy you were making out with recently?”

“Whatever do you mean?” she feigned innocence and confusion perfectly as she shifted her grip on the basket. The teen cut a knowing glance over her shoulder before continuing down the narrow row, moving on to the fruit. Jewell followed in her wake, frowning. “You know, that knight has the biggest mouth ever.”

“Don’t blame Ishmerai. It’s not his fault you’re turning into a super slut.”

“Sapphire! I am not a..” she remembered to lower her voice, “a super slut.”

The teen laughed. “Uhuh sure.”

“I’m not!” Sapphire only laughed harder. “Mother of Nature,” Jewell grumbled. “I kiss Sinjin Fai once and now I’m a slut?”

“Ahh so that was his name? Sinjin?” Silence. “So how was Mr. Sinjin, hmm? Is he hot? Were you drunk? Is Kal just not enough for you anymore?” Jewell glared at her. “So, did you let him get to second base?”

“SAPPHIRE!”

[JewellRavenlock]

“Hey, how did the date go last night?” Jewell asked as she passed behind Sapphire on her way into the kitchen. “Ishmerai said you were home earlier than expected.”

“Yeah.”

She peered around corner of the wall and frowned at the back of Sapphire’s head at the glum answer paired with a very wet sniffle. She saw the teen lift her hand up and brush it across her face. Jewell abandoned her water glass on the counter, unfilled, and moved into the living room. She took a seat on the couch next to her young ward. “What happened?”

“He didn’t show.” She used the sleeve of her sweatshirt as a tissue, wiping it across her nose. “Sent me a stupid note this morning. Didn’t even apologize. Said we were moving too fast and he just wants to be friends.”

Jewell stared at her and stumbled through an immediate response, “Oh. But I… I thought you didn’t really even like him anyway?” Her mind was racing. This was so out of the realm of her experience! Amanda had never reached the age when she had dated. What was she supposed to do? A million ideas formed one after another: say something more comforting; put a curse on the guy to shrivel his dick; tell her she’s better off without him anyway; find out where he lives and burn down his house; say something ridiculous so she stops crying; send Ishmerai to break his jaw.

“I didn’t! That’s not the point. It’s just..” her breath hitched in her chest, “why does this always happen to me? I find guys that want to go on dates with me but no one wants to really date me. No one wants to be with me. They want to be my friend or they want to sleep with me but that’s it. Is there something wrong with me? I’m so tired of being alone!”

Sapphire started to sob in earnest at that and all Jewell’s dreams of bodily harm and the trite words she could say flew right out of her head. In her heart, she was still a mother. She would always be a mother, and she knew exactly what to do.

She scooted closer to her on the couch and put her arm around her. When Sapphire turned, burying her face against Jewell’s shoulder to cry, she silently stroked her hair.

[JewellRavenlock]

In the hours after midnight, Ishmerai traced his usual path through the top two floors of The Mill at Little Elfhame. The penthouse was his jurisdiction. His kingdom.

Foyer, living room, library, kitchen. Make sure all the animals have food. Up the stairs. Pass right by Raye’s room. There was no way to know what extra safeguards she had added to her domicile. He moved on to Sapphire’s room and peered through the open door with every intention of urging the teen to stop tinkering and go to sleep.

The room was empty. Sapphire’s work bench was all set in order. Her guitar was leaning against her chair. Frowning, he moved down the hall to the lavish and spacious master bedroom. Opening the door quietly, he looked immediately towards the sitting area. “Jewell, Sapphire isn’t in her…”

His lady was not sitting in her favorite reading chair with a book, determined to lose herself in another world when sleep evaded her. She was not pacing the floor. The mage lights were dim. The curtains were drawn.

Jewell was asleep in her bed, curled up on her side. Her brow was smoothed out in rare, untroubled dreams. She looked small and young. As young perhaps as the girl asleep next to her. Sapphire’s hand rested on Jewell’s arm.

Marta the chicken slept at their feet. A bandage was carefully placed over the area where her pin feather had been removed during the curse ceremony.

The knight closed the door softly behind him. All was well in his world.

[Sapphire Ravenlock]

“Wake up wake up wake up!” Sapphire back into Jewell’s room, carrying a tray piled high with pancakes. “Wake up future Overlady!”

“I’m awake.”

Sapphire looked from the bed to the seating area where Jewell was ensconced in her favorite reading chair. Then she looked at the bed again.

The sheets were too perfect. The pillows all fluffed and nicely arranged. That bed had not been slept in last night. Maybe not any night this week.

Every mage light in the whole room was on as bright as could be.

She looked back at the blue haired woman that could easily be her mother. “Did you sleep at all?”

Jewell shrugged.

Sapphire had already known the answer. The Faerie was silent as she paced the house at all hours of the night, but the teen kept her door cracked when she was working late, tinkering. She didn’t know what to say to her, so she just hauled the tray of breakfast food over to the sitting area and nudged some books aside to set it on the table. “Better eat up if you want to beat Matt tonight.”

[JewellRavenlock]

This time, Jewell woke her up. “Hey, come on. Time to get up. I need you to pack.”

Sapphire sat up blearily, “Huh?” Her face was creased by the pile of papers she had fallen asleep upon, slumped over at her desk in the middle of some project or other. “What’s going on?”

“We’re going to the beach. You have ten minutes to pack.”

“Oh.” The teen looked around, still kind of confused. She covered a yawn and then pointed at Jewell’s face. “I don’t want to be seen in public with you lookin’ like that. You’re a hott mess. Gonna scare all the dudes away.”

They spared the extra five minutes to heal Jewell’s bruises before leaving.

[Sapphire Ravenlock]

“Okay, ma’am. We have the Paradiso Villa all ready for you. It’s beachfront with an infinity plunge pool and a butler.” The woman passed an envelope across the desk to Jewell. “There are keys in there for you, your husband, and your daughter.”

The Faerie floundered. Ishmerai scowled. Sapphire dashed between the two adults, wrapping an arm around each of them. “Thank you so much! Mom and dad really need this vacation. Do you see how uptight they both are?” She gave each of them a tight squeeze, laughing. “There’s a fully stocked bar in this villa, right?”

[JewellRavenlock]

“Sapphire, it’s not your job to fix me. I.. I’m not fixable!”

She clenched her fists at her side. “But I’m a tinkerer. A mechanic! I’m a mage. I can fix anything. And I just can’t stand watching you suffer.”

“I’m not--”

“Don’t lie!” She wiped the backs of her hands furiously across her eyes, angrily brushing away her tears. “Don’t you dare lie to me! You don’t think I notice? You don’t think we all notice? You don’t sleep. You only eat when you think I’m watching. You’re jumpy and irritable. Your pessimistic as hell. You were fine when we were at the beach, and then we come back here and you just seem to slip away again.”

Jewell sunk under her words right into the nearest chair. “What do you want me to do about it?” She asked quietly, eager to soothe her and set things right.

“Merai said you were going to a doctor.”

“I was.”

“I think you should go back.”

“Okay.”

[JewellRavenlock]

She remained at Kal’s as long as possible: lingering in bed, breakfast, mimosas. It was a safe place for her. A happy place.

At some point though, leaving became inevitable. Jewell had to step outside The Line and accept that Sunday had come. Her favorite holiday was over for the year.

It was Mother’s Day.

She took a deep breath of the cool, spring air, trying to loosen the knot of anxiety that was quickly filling her chest, wrapping around her heart, crushing her lungs. It was threatening to overcome her.

Then she saw Sapphire.

The teen was leaning against the wall of the Red Orc Brewery, waiting for her. The Faerie couldn’t stop the tears that sprang to life as the girl tossed her coffee in a garbage can and crossed the street to join her. “You’re not exactly dressed appropriately for this,” she stated dryly, eyeing one of Kal’s shirts which Jewell had converted into a dress by the simple addition of a belt, “but I guess it’ll have to do because I don’t feel like walking home first.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Waiting for you. Duh.” She grinned. “A long time too. I considered coming in to get you, but my virgin eyes can only handle so much.”

Jewell laughed, quickly brushing away whatever tears managed to make their escape down her face. “Right. Virgin eyes. Sorry to keep you waiting. Where are we going?”

The teen wrapped her arm around Jewell’s, “I think you know.”

[JewellRavenlock]

“I still can’t believe we’re doing this. You know I can hire a gardener or something, right?”

The teen rolled her eyes. “Will you stop your bitching already and finish digging? I’m getting hungry.”

“Will you stop your bitching already?” Jewell mimicked Sapphire in a high pitched voice, prompting the girl to toss a bit of dirt her way. The Empress gasped, but she didn’t bother to brush it off her shirt-turned-dress. It was already filthy from kneeling on the ground for the last hour. “Unbelieveable,” she grumbled under her breath as she resumed digging the last hole for the roses they were planting. Blue roses. Blue roses in a circle around the base of the tombstone which forever memorialized the seven souls she had loved and lost to Faerie.

They had never found their bodies, but Jewell comforted herself in thinking that they rested in RhyDin somehow anyway.

“Tahdah!” Sapphire wiped her hands on her jeans. “Done.”

“Me too.” Jewell used the back of her hand to brush a loose bit of hair off her face. She stood, dirt clinging to her bare knees, and stepped back to survey their work. “It looks good.”

Sapphire stood at her side, hands on her hips. “It does look pretty good, doesn’t it?” She looked aside to Jewell, a little unsure. “Do you think they’d like them?”

She wrapped her arm around the teen, resting her head against hers. “Yeah. I think they would.”

[JewellRavenlock]

She tilted her head back, squinting against the bright sun which warmed her face. “I just don’t get how you can be okay with it.”

“You don’t have to get it.”

“But I want to.” Sapphire tilted her chin back down and looked seriously at Jewell.

“I’m not sure that you can.” The elder Faerie twisted on the bench, tucking one leg beneath her so she could sit facing the teen. “You’re young. You’re just experiencing love for the first time. Getting involved in real relationships. It’s probably new and exciting, right?” Sapphire shrugged, agreeing. “But it’s not like that for me. I’ve been in love. Many times, actually. I’ve been in many serious, committed relationships. I mean, come on.. I’ve been a wife four times!”

“Raye-Raye doesn’t count.”

She grinned. “Okay, three.”

“I don’t think Robin counts either.”

“What? Why not?”

“Because poisoning you with iron to keep you sedate and bribing you into marriage in the first place just doesn’t seem like it should count.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. So two times. Two times I’ve had what everyone always tells you that you’re supposed to want: a loving, committed husband; smiling kids; a happy home. I’ve had it all, Lil Blue.”

“So what’s the problem then? Is this a been there done that kind of thing?”

“No.” She shook her head. “That’s not even it. It’s like--” she started and stopped, struggling for the best way to explain it. “Those relationships were all great to start with. I’m not saying it isn’t nice to be in love. To have that level of intimacy with someone.

“But those feelings don’t last. It doesn’t stay nice. I start to feel stuck. Confined.” Her fingers curled into the cotton skirt of her dress. “I hate feeling confined. I hate being trapped.” It made her feel like she did when underground. When in small, tight spaces. When the light was all gone and there were feet and feet of earth between herself, fresh air, and freedom.

“But my mom.. she doesn’t feel that way with my dad.”

“You don’t know that for sure.” Sapphire scowled, and Jewell immediately tried to soften the blow. “Look, maybe she doesn’t feel like that. Maybe she loves being in a relationship. Maybe she figured out some secret that I don’t know about. Maybe she figured out how to counteract everything she ever learned and lived in Faerie. She learned how to start over again and love it.

“But I haven’t. I don’t want to. I don’t want that life. I don’t want to be someone’s wife. I don’t want a husband. I don’t want a life partner! I don’t want their expectations and needs. I don’t want someone to grow old with who will never ever leave me alone. I don’t want someone… smothering me all the time.”

Sapphire stretched her legs out before her on the sidewalk, frowning down at her sneakers. “But don’t you want someone at your side to… I don’t know, support you? Stand with you through all the shit that life keeps throwing your way?”

“I have friends.”

She scrunched her nose. “Is it the same?”

“Maybe not. But who needs some husband taking up the role of white knight? He comes swooping in to rescue me and protect me. Oh save me from mine enemies!” She swooned back like a damsel in distress, the back of her hand pressed to her forehead. Sapphire laughed. “You see.” She sat up, grinning. “I don’t need that, right? I can take care of myself. Besides, I already have a knight and he’s a pain.”

“All right all right.” Sapphire shook her head, giving up the argument. “I guess.. it just doesn’t seem fair to you somehow though. Like you still deserve more?”

“Maybe.” She shrugged. “But I’m not asking for it.”