• Closed • [Temple of Thetros] Finally here

[Varthakh]

66th Ymiden 717

After a long perilous journey filled with danger and familiar, injured faces, Fridgar and Alistair were walking around the temple of Thetros, side by side. Soon, very soon, they would be bound forever, united as Kindal and Havendal. Finn, whom they'd found on the way to the temple of Thetros, was with the priests. They had agreed to take the boy and treat his horrific leg injury when they first arrived. Perhaps they could find a cure for his sudden loss of hearing too? "I worry about that boy..." Fridgar confessed, seemingly from the blue. His eyes cast to the main body of the temple, where Finn was likely being take care of by that Hadvar guy.

The gardens were beautiful. Somehow, despite being atop a mountain where the air would normally be thin, wildlife flourished and blossomed beautifully in the temple gardens. Fridgar approached a banister that oversaw a vast icy mountain range, but the temperature here was pleasant. He would lean against it, feeling the breeze roll through his hair and across his tanned skin. Since deciding to wear his Loin cloth everywhere, he'd browned significantly.

In the past few trials, Fridgar had battled with the decision of whether to reveal or not, whether to tell Alistair, whether to stop using Arcana and hope it goes away... it was all so... bullshit. Worse yet, Fridgar had tried to tell his beloved when they found Finn and had left him wondering about what was wrong for trials, the poor noble. He felt bad, it had to end. he couldn't keep any more secrets from the man he wanted to marry. "Alistair," Fridgar sighed, closing his eyes blissfully at the caress of the wind.

It felt right to tell him everything here, there was only one another and the various statues and sculptures of fantastic beasts. "I've got some stuff I need to tell you, before you decide to be mine forever..." Fridgar spoke ominously. A sigh would see him cast his head to the edge of the banister, looking down at the rest of Thetros' sanctuary as he tried to think of the words. "For the longest time, after I said I would try and be a better person for you, that trial you proposed to me for the first time, I was just... pretending." he explained, though probably didn't make sense.

"Like, I knew the things i did were wrong, hurting innocent people all the time and lashing out for near enough no reason. I was a prick and I permanently hurt people for trivial things..." he continued, finding the courage to continue his confession. "And I didn't care, I knew people that it was wrong or taboo, but I didn't care about anyone. Anyone but you..." he could recall all the people he mangled, or most of them at least. It was difficult to remember each person he'd hurt, but he could make the effort to try.

"I only realised just how wrong I was when someone did to me what I’d done to so many people before. The Jegers, Alistair, how they broke my legs and ripped my tusk off, all because I said one thing..." his hand would reach to his cheek, feeling the area of where the tusk would have been in his Trachadon form. "If you hadn't stopped them, Alistair, I might have died that trial, that's so fucking ironic, right?" he wasn't sure if he was using the word ironic properly, but in everything he'd survived and endured, it was his own medicine that had come closest to taking his life.

Fridgar shook his head, dropping his forearm onto the stone banister once more. "What I'm trying to say is... I genuinely do care now," he looked to the noble, settling his one black eyeball on the human. "Like, the more I think about it, the more I've come to respect the people here, respect humans too. Sure, I'll always be up for a fight, but I'm not going to mash someone bloody just for calling me a cunt, not anymore." he spoke genuinely, as though he'd had a lot of time to think about this. of course, his mutations were going to make that difficult for him when he couldn't look nearly all the population in the eyes.

"Is there anything you want to get off your chest?" he asked, looking sincerely to his mate before approaching the noble and taking both of his hands into his paws. There, he kissed him gently, softly pressing his lips into the humans and holding himself there. Soon after, he released and pressed his head against Alistair's, closing his eyes as he readied to share with him one last thing. "One more thing," he shut his eyes, taking a deep breath as his hands started to shake; "I'm... I'm ready to reveal."

[Alistair]

The Temple was a beauty. If he could've named the most enchanting thing in his experiences, right now - other than Fridgar's phallic instrument of course - he would've freely claimed that this temple had been it. Draeslogg, the land around it, was quiet and serene - the Lothar were at peace.

They farmed, they herded animals, they were defended by Jor Thalla and what appeared to be an unnatural ward against monsters. The temple was situated atop the largest and tallest mountain in Western Idalos, the Dome of Brel'tek. It was lonesome, yet weaved together with all the rest of the Jarldoms and holdings, acting as a great unifier of culture and belief for the Lotharen Horde.

Thetros was beloved by them, so profoundly, for creating them... caring for them, protecting and keeping them together as they endlessly wandered the fields before the creation of their great cities. He continued to protect them now, offering them Uthaldria, Draeslogg and the means to defend themselves. He wanted to give them sanctuary, a light in the dark - a beacon against the terrors of this land.

All of this was encapsulated by the adoration he saw here, at this temple. Men, nearly seven feet tall with their wives, husbands, children, family and extended family - crying and whimpering for their need of the Sacred Father's grace. And he gave it to them. The priests offered the men glimpses into great things, and told them of the world and their place within it. They were instilled with passion, with a feeling of warmth and safety, and given goals to look forward to. Alistair, a long time ago, would have envied them to the point of a sword. Now, he had no reason to be jealous. He had a great purpose, already, and it was why he was here. He was to become Fridgar's kindal.

As they leaned over the banister and looked thousands of feet down, until the clouds covered their view, the mage listened closely to the words of his beloved. He told Alistair of how he wished to change, how he'd never acknowledged the pain of others. How the Jegers taught him the cruelty of what he'd done to lesser men, treating them as if their lives were worth nothing merely due to the gap in power between them. It all lit up his heart to hear - Fridgar had always been good to him, but often cruel to others. It led him into a life of instability, and had ultimately kept the two from Rynmere.

If that was to change, Alistair was glad of it. Though, he knew that his own morality needed to lay under inspection. Alistair was - well, not the kindest to those who posed no value to him. Their humanity was often disregarded as easily as Fridgar had done. Just as Fridgar had performed atrocities arbitrarily, Alistair had indulged him. He'd... enabled it, all because he would've probably done the same himself. Fridgar was a man of action -- Alistair was a man of reaction. If someone pushed him hard enough, he had no qualms about annihilating them. As much as he wanted to believe that such a thing was merely an instinctual reflex, lately he'd been led to see otherwise. Men did not just kill other men for opposing them - they worked together. The Horde was proof of that, everyone was a brother, even him.

"Fridgar," the mage called for him, just before his beloved took his hands in his paws and brought their bodies together, caressing him and kissing him softly. The smaller male melted into his lover's embrace, his body growing warm as all his worries were alleviated. "My mate," he whispered, kissing him again, more passionately. He tangled with Fridgar's tongue, licking and suckling at it as their lips crushed against one another in a flurry of impassioned kisses. Alistair leaned hard into Fridgar, holding his waist tightly as he showed his love for his husband-to-be.

"You're a good man, I've always known that. I'm glad you care now, truly. I'm glad you can give our babies an example to follow after. You're going to be a great father, my love. I know you will," he whispered, kissing him again, his palms smoothing over Fridgar's sides and back as he did so. As for things he wanted to admit? He had a few things in mind, but they weren't quite so spectacular as one would imagine.

"I want you to have a son," he admitted. "There are places in Uthaldria that perform surrogacy. I - I want to raise your child, one of your blood. I love you so much, I find you to be... perfection. Having a son with you would make me so happy, more than you know," he whispered, in admittance. Were there other confessions he needed to make? Maybe. He'd felt a dread coming for him, but didn't know how to describe it. What could he really say? It would all sound like paranoid ramblings.

"I'm anxious of the future," he said, half-admitting his fear. "And... I figured you were on the cusp of revelation. You kept asking me about it," Alistair recalled. "What were you seeing? Visions? I saw myself calling out to the stars in the sky, and them arriving. They lit up my body, and we became one. It was a beautiful vision, over and again, and after some time I stopped trying to resist it. I revealed. Has your experience been similar?" If he could, and if Ralaith granted him wisdom, he would seek to offer his love knowledge and assurance in how to go about the coming trials.

Fridgar might have been surprised that the mage was so open about the Revelation, but -- he'd dealt with a great deal of Revealed mages in his life. Effren Galien, Damien Noch, Ellasin Dathlande, himself, and the legacy of Reyard Seymour. The Liches changed the most, certainly. Alistair had changed very little by comparison. Would Fridgar stay the same? He doubted it, but... maybe it was worth considering, for both of them. If Fridgar wanted it, he couldn't refuse him. He wasn't that type of man, that sort of lover. He only wanted what was best for his mate.

[Varthakh]

A good man? Fridgar looked away. Already, Alistair was lying in a failed attempt of making him feel better. No, Fridgar wasn't a good man, he'd been a cunt since the trial he left Gauthrel. All he'd done was get strong and beat down on humans, losing himself along the way. A great father? Unless he changed, he couldn't ever be a good father. Their children would grow up picking fights with everyone and everything, coming home with lethal wounds every dozen trials. He was not fit to raise children, even if his heart was filled with remorse.

Alistair's next suggestion, it forced his eyes back to the human. He wanted Fridgar to what? Fuck some woman and have a child with them? No, he meant something else. He sighed with relief, shaking his head with a weak smile. "You scared me for a trill there," Fridgar confessed. Alistair wanted them to have a son of his blood, a surrogacy. "I don't know Alistair, that's kind of weird..." Fridgar cringed somewhat. "I wouldn't want some woman carrying anything of mine, to be honest. I'd rather it was just you and only you..." this was a problem. If Alistair wanted a surrogacy and Fridgar didn't want to give his seed to anyone else, a surrogacy wouldn't be possible. "I'm sorry my love, I just don't like it..."

He wasn't directly opposed to it, it was just uncomfortable. Some persuading might see him change his mind long enough to get an agreement out of him.

Next came the discussion of his revelation, part of him had expected Alistair to be immediately for it, but that really wasn't the case. "It's... kinda scary, Alistair..." Fridgar released his mate's hands and kissed him on the cheek. Leading his beloved by the hand, he took him to a bench in the garden. There, he sat and offered Alistair a seat. He leaned forward, resting his elbows into his knees and clasping his hands. "I see-" he paused, gathering the words. "I see a room of darkness, everything is black but it still has feeling, I can feel the soil and plants and stuff as I walk on them..." That was the easy part, the next was less so.

"I can only take a few steps before I get dragged to the floor by this massive clawed paw. It then drags me through the black dirt, only for me to stop myself by digging in with my claws, gripping plants and anything. As soon as I resist, it stops," Fridgar took a shaky breath. "And when I look to see what grabbed me, I see this huge paw retracting to some steel cage, shrouded in darkness. If I look long enough, two amber eyes open and stare at me..." Fridgar ran his paw through his hair, apparently distressed. "Sometimes it rattles the bars, asking to be let out. Other times, it attacks the bars, viciously trying to break free. Only I can let it out, I know that. But I don't know if I should..."

Fridgar closed his eyes, holding his eyelids with his fingers as he contemplated. He cast adapt, taking the eyes of the Redbear, they changed quickly beneath his eye lids. "It's disturbing, because I've seen those eyes before..." he looked to his mate, showing the Redbear's amber eyes, "...and so have you."

Fridgar then abandoned the adaption by becoming Fridgar once more. His mismatched eyes fluttered before setting on the noble. "I know what you said about loving me no matter what, as long I still loved you in return... but," what if? "What if the revealed me is just an animal with no capacity to love, what if Fridgar dies, what could I become, Alistair?" Fridgar's eyes welled up, prompting the rub of his paw. "I don't know if I want to change, my rose, this whole thing is fucked," Fridgar exhaled, trying to compose himself.

"What do you think?" Fridgar looked to his mate with saddened eyes.

[Alistair]

The mage bit his lip. He knew it sounded weird, but - it was an option of theirs. And it didn't have to be strange. The mage had looked into it, some. His master, Keanu, had done the same thing. In fact, a lot of people had done the same thing. It seemed like half of the Bred in Gauthrel were from the practice of surrogacy, rather than exclusively intimate affairs. Alistair decided he would press the issue - at worst, he'd get a harder no. At best, he'd get to raise Fridgar's children, which was worth any argument.

"It doesn't matter who carries it," the mage explained. "When a Lotharro has a child, the child borrows almost completely from the mother as a girl, or almost completely from the father as a boy. He will be yours, and therefore mine. I'll love that child just as much as if I'd birthed it myself, and - you know that I can't. I want a child with you, Fridgar. So - please, please consider it," he almost pleaded, looking him in the eye with a pouting gaze. Alistair was puppy dogging it, but only because he really wanted to do this. It didn't matter that some random woman would be carrying something of theirs. Alistair was Fridgar's one and only true love, and the person with true exclusive access to his body. He knew that. The mage wouldn't be jealous, he'd be happy to have his mate's son living in the world, theirs to bring into the future.

"Fridgar, how about this..." he started, "I'll get the, uh... seed out of you," the mage whispered, "I'll give it over to the Rigid Rooster, I'll pay for the claim and - choose someone that looks like me," he added awkwardly, "and you'll never see her, or meet her. When the child has been conceived, I'll bring it to you, and it will be ours. All of that funny business will be behind us, and we'll have a child of our own. Maybe Finn can look after him when we're away," the mage nodded, "...if he lives."

. . .

Now, on the topic of Revelation . . . the mage sighed. "Love," he called out, "Did you know I'm not fully Revealed?" Alistair asked. "You might not believe me, I barely believe me, but... I was held back from it. Still am, and still will be, for some time. Apparently... that's a good thing. It saps your freedom, changes you more than you might know. There's something poisonous about a Revelation, I've learned. I don't know what it is, but -- perhaps it's better that you don't, Fridgar. I..."

He bit his lower lip, frowning. "I didn't see anything so terrifying as you, and yet even I'm afraid of my Revelation, if it really comes. I was called by the skies, you're being beckoned in by some monster. Don't let it have you, Fridgar. Don't uncage it. Leave it where it is, let it snarl," he said, curling his lips. It wasn't right for him to ask Fridgar to hold back, or so he thought, but the way he described the creature inside of him -- that would be the thing melding with him? No. He'd... become a monster. "Magic can be a wonderful tool, but I've come to understand that when one reveals, they allow the tool to become the master. Your body will no longer be wholly your own - you will share it with another. I've said before that I'll love you no matter what you become, but you're right. You might not be able to love me back. I..."

He swallowed, placing his hand on the bars, staring over as the fair winds swept across the temple and ruffled his hair. "I don't know. You have to be able to make your own choices. I've given you what I know, but now it's your choice. It's your body, your soul."

[Varthakh]

Alistair did have some good points, regarding the surrogacy. But still, it was all so awkward. "I don't know... Ali... I just don't-" before he could even finish his moping, Alistair presented a solution. He would take care of the whole thing, Fridgar wouldn't have to do anything. He wouldn't meet the woman, or even see her or any of, what he perceived to be, awkward business. Fridgar sighed, looking to his beloved with half joy and half defeat. He might not have been ready to raise a child, but he did want a kid. Maybe he would be ready in a couple hundred trials?

"Alright, my rose, you win," Fridgar yielded, surrendering to Alistair's logical approach. "Honestly, I've always wanted a kid, I just never felt ready, you know?" That and he wouldn't be able to have one with Alistair, well, not directly. But, he'd been convinced for now. "Just, do it soon so that I don't change my mind..." he pleaded, kissing his beloved on the lips. he didn't want to change his mind, but this was an iffy situation, one that would remain stuck in his head for the next few trials as he debated reasons for and against it.

The revelation, however, to find out that Alistair wasn't fully revealed was... strange. He hadn't expected that. "What do you mean fully revealed? Could I just half reveal then?" Fridgar wondered. Is that why Alistair hadn't turned out bad? He figured that Alistair must have told him that he would love him no matter what prior to his discovery of these facts, it was distressing.

Alistair told him not to reveal, to leave the beast caged. Fridgar looked away, casting his eyes to the grass of the gardens. "I..." he started, only to close his lips. It wasn't about him, ultimately. It was about them. A tool? His totems were not tools, they were family. "I mean, I guess your hands are tools too, but they're still a part of you..." he offered. Alistair was right though, it would overtake him, he'd become something else. He couldn't do that, he didn't want power, he just wanted Alistair.

He pulled his beloved into a hug on his lap while they sat on the bench of the gardens of Thetros' temple. "I was kind of hoping you'd tell me not to, my love. Thank you, you always know what's best for me, for us." The Lothar shook his head, disagreeing. "No, it's our marriage, our bond for eternity, I want you to have a say in what happens to me and this... caged animal... I think you chose right, power isn't worth risking what we have, not at all," Fridgar continued to kiss his beloved all over, pressing his lips to the noble's soft skin. "I love you Alistair, we're doing the right thing. I want to stay like this forever with you," the Lothar hugged tightly into his kindal-to-be, sharing as much of his love as possible.

"I'm sorry I told you all of this two trials before our Likryjr, but I thought you'd like to know what you're getting into before you commit eternity to me," Fridgar kissed the noble nervously. "You... You haven't changed your mind at all, have you?"

[Alistair]

Fridgar would do it? "Really?" he clarified. "Yaay!" Alistair jumped up in excitement, leaping onto his mate's chest and holding him tightly. He was incredibly happy, it appeared -- the Venora was totally dumbfounded that his lover had actually said yes. It meant they'd have a child together, soon. It wouldn't take that long -- not even an arc from now, and they'd have a little Fridgar crawling around. Nothing would make Alistair happier - other than marrying the man, of course.

"We'll do it right after the marriage," he said, nodding. "And you won't hear anything about it, not until you have a son. I'll go back every so often to make sure everything's alright," the mage whispered. He would do this as best as he could to make Fridgar comfortable. The man did want a child, so this was a good thing. He'd be happy, after the initial awkwardness of it all. When his mate looked upon their child, of his blood, he would be happy. Alistair knew it.

Moving forward from that, the mage decided not to bring it up again. The more it was broached, the more it would lead into a change of heart or a potential disagreement about it. They didn't need to keep going on about it - though Alistair did need to keep holding his lover. When Fridgar pulled him onto his lap, the noble blushed profusely and melted into his man's warm embrace, exhaling softly as his whole body went limp in his comfort. He simply laid, and listened, his eyes closed and the soft wind brushing against his cheek. Despite the topic of conversation, he felt... so wonderful right now.

"You can't half reveal," he said, shaking his head. "I was blessed by Ashan, though not blessed in the mark sort of sense. He... helped me keep my freedom, when I was much younger. I saw it with my own eyes. You weren't given that, and honestly, I don't think you'd want to Reveal even if you had been protected from the Spark. Eventually, the protection won't work anymore, and you'll be consumed. It's best to leave things as they are," he explained. Perhaps Fridgar couldn't understand, but that was fine. Alistair could barely understand.

The mage didn't really understand Fridgar's comparison between hands and magic. Alistair wasn't referring to Fridgar's totems, but his spark in general. So, the Lotharro's quiet statement simply passed through his mind, the mage tossing it as a mere misunderstanding of language between the two of them.

"I love you too, Fridgar," the mage whispered. "I don't want to be revealed, either. I want to be a human, with you. I'd much rather be a human with the love of his life and husband than... a monster with a portal living inside of him. I thought I'd made my choice, already, but I think there's a chance for redemption. I think... we really can be happy together, love. I think we can spend eternity together. But we have to put each other first, always. Not magic, not power. Only us," he nodded, pressing his lover into the bench and tenderly kissing him on the lips.

Fridgar asked him if he'd changed his mind. To that, the mage shook his head, smiling softly. "There is no man better than you, and no love stronger than what I have for you. You are to be my husband, and our family will be the greatest thing to have ever happened to me. I have no doubts, and I've never had doubts." He looked deeply into Fridgar's eyes, nostalgia filling his mind. "If you'd have asked me to marry you that night in Cylus beneath the stars, I would've said yes. I've loved you from our first contact, and my love has only grown. Nothing matters more than you, and I will never love anything like I love you. So, don't doubt, my mate. I'll be your kindal in two trials, and for all time after that. You have my vow, Fridgar. I won't go back on it."

[Varthakh]

The Lothar rolled his eyes, smiling gently at Alistair's excitement on his compliance for the matter. "Really," the Lothar grinned. Even if the matter still made him nervous and uncomfortable, Alistair was okay with it, so it had to be right, right? Regardless of his feelings on the matter, he just wanted his beloved to be happy. That and he'd really wanted a kid of his own since practically raising his own siblings. He had yet to tell Alistair of his father, but he would get around to it eventually.

Alistair couldn't contain himself, he leaped into the Lothar's arms like a human possessed. Fridgar looked startled for a moment before catching the man and letting their warm bodies mix. "Thank you, Alistair," Fridgar kissed the noble as he spoke his promise. Fridgar wouldn't get involved at all, which he appreciated. "You're so cute, my rose," Fridgar's smile grew wider as he held the human. He really was, for those few brief trills, everything was perfect. Fridgar even managed to forget the caged beast as he held his perfect husband-to-be.

It wasn't meant to last though, as they soon entered that topic and exchanged their opinions on the matter, eventually coming to the decision that Fridgar wouldn't reveal. The Lotharro had chosen his beloved over power gain. He didn't want to be stronger at the end of the trial, not if it risked him his beloved. There was no telling what he'd become and it felt... malevolent. His visions truly scared him, this wasn't something he wanted to become. For as long as he could, he would keep the beast caged.

"Ilaren's tits, Alistair!" Fridgar cursed upon hearing the noble's story with Ashan. "Are there any immortals you haven't met in person?!" he feigned anger, squeezing the noble a little tighter as he rested on his lap. But that was concerning. If Alistair hadn't changed that much because he'd only partially revealed, then it was settled. No way in hell was Fridgar revealing, and if Alistair had a choice in it, then he would undo what he'd done too. Alistair confirmed this after speaking his mutual love for the Lothar. "And our kids," Fridgar reminded at the end of Alistair's speech on putting each other first.

Alistair's reply to Fridgar's rising concern and insecurities on the whole matter. With his words, all of Fridgar's doubt was washed away, replaced with a filling warmth at his core. The human's endless compliments were more than enough to quell his uncertainty and the human reminded him of just how much the he cared about him. Fridgar blushed, deep red filling his cheeks as the noble went on and on about how much he'd loved Fridgar and for how long. Since the night he initiated the Lothar, he'd been completely enthralled with him. The very thought brought tears to his eyes.

"Alistair..." Fridgar sniffled, wiping his arm into his moistening features. "...I... I don't know what to say..." The Lothar kissed the human on his cheek, smiling brightly with light in his eyes. "Neither have I, my rose. You're everything to me, all I want from Idalos. Nothing compares to you and I often find myself sat around bored senseless whenever you're not with me. I need you because I love you, Alistair. You're the sole source of all my joy and contentedness." The Lothar shook his head, struggling with his words a little. How could he ever verbally express his boundless love? Not with common, for sure. Fridgar spoke his next sentences in fluent Haltunga "My love for you is infinite, my Kindal. Even after I pass from this body and awake in my next, I will find you and love you the same across a thousand lifetimes. I promise you this and so much more with our eternal bond, my rose."

The Lothar then pressed his lips against Alistair's, closing his eyes as he basked in physical contact of his chosen life mate.

[Theo Nji'Ryn]

Fridgar

Knowledge:

Alistair: Wants to raise your child
Alistair: Doesn't think you should reveal
Alistair: Isn't fully revealed
Alistair: Has met too many immortals
Alistair: Would give up his revelation and stay human to stay with you
Location: Temple of Thetros
Temple of Thetros: Beautiful
Temple of Thetros: Calming

Points: 15

Alistair

Knowledge:

Location: Temple of Thetros
Temple of Thetros: Beautiful
Temple of Thetros: Calming
Fridgar: Will Have A Child With You
Fridgar: Not Going to Reveal
Fridgar: Yours Forever

Devotion: Ralaith: +3 Share wisdom with a loved one, +3 Dedicate a break to a loved one

Points: 15

Comments: Any concerns, questions, etc, drop me a line.