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Such a rare occurrence was it that rain came to Eowyn that when Lithian first stirred in the pale hours of morning to the sounds of a soft, rushing pit-pat, tap-tap-tap, he barely recognized the cadence. Then, even when he did, his brow furrowed with groggy disbelief. His lashes lifted, and he shifted reluctantly away from the solid warmth of his lover — mate — over to look out their bay windows where, sure enough, clear rivulets of rain skirted down the panes. He shifted again, hesitated, and then pressed a lingering kiss to Casseth’s shoulder before slipping from the bed, disregarding clothes entirely, and padding over.

The day was yet early indeed, he noted as he ushered the curtains apart and opened the windows a crack: barely lit with the approaching day and still dark overhead. Outside, the rain fell in a hushed, grey mist. Thin, but constant in its blanket as it drizzled down onto their patio and, past it, over the full stretch of ocean beyond. Lithian debated only a moment, giving one fleeting glance back to Casseth’s sleeping form before stepping out into the weather. It did not rain on the Celestial Plane. It did not storm or thunder, sleet or hail, or bluster with hateful winds. There were no droughts or floods, summers or winters. Only a single, eternal spring that bleeded one day into the next in a harmony so perfect that now, after his many years on other continents and Eowyn in particular, felt thin somehow. Fake, and unalive.

There was no feeling like that of rain, and Lithian savored it. It made his magic hum and his skin prickle with energy to feel so much of his element alive and dancing through the air. With a single pluck and tug, he could create a balloon around himself, empty of the falling droplets, or the opposite: a funnel which slid down from a greater berth of sky, gathered all the tumbling drops there and washing them over himself like a shower or spilling a bucket on himself. He experimented with both, and was, by the end of it, soaked and beaming, running his fingers through his hair and humming at the feel of it. This, he could get used to. Unfortunately, due to its rarity, he could only hope to savor the moment at best — so he did.

When satisfied, he plucked again at the rainwater, siphoning the bulk of it off as he stepped inside so as not to make a mess, and moved into the house. Though there had not been a great wealth of gifts — given the small number of guests and their limited means — a humble supply of heartfelt good tidings had been passed along to them, most of which he and Casseth had left for after the ceremony to tend to. One such box, simple and wrapped in blue ribbon, stood out to him given its unexpected nature at the time: a gift from his father, in honor of their mating. Lithian hesitated as he held it, debating on whether to wake Cas first or not before opting on going ahead, at least in this case. The one from Kilian, naturally, would have to be handled in Casseth’s presence. This, though…

Lithian settled on the edge of the mattress with it, pulling the ribbon carefully away before unfastening the small latch and bending back the box’s top to reveal its contents. Lithian’s pulse stuttered on a beat, a ripple of energy skimming along his skin at the sight. Two, pristinely captured, gleaming white-gold dragon’s tears. Aedaun, no doubt, and brilliant with yet-untapped power. Lithian flushed, brow pinching as he reached out to thumb over one before his eyes caught on a small note tucked into the top of the box. His pulse thrummed, a small, anxious knot gathering in his throat as he reached for it.

To my son:

I know there are no words to fix those that came before these, and that I cannot hope to mend all wounds set. That said, I have never found that sincere apologies can do any worse than fall on deaf ears, and yours have never been that. I regret those things which came to pass when you last passed between the gates of the home you were raised in; I regret my own deficiencies as a parent and an ally and that I did not better stand beside you. I would defend your mother, but she has ever been more capable of defending herself than I her, and I feel that any exchanges to be made between yourself and her should be done that way. This letter is not about her, but about you, and I, and what I have failed to express to you as your father.

Though I have said it many times before and hope to have the opportunity to say again, I will say it here now: I am immeasurably proud of you. If I have not said yet that you are a braver man than I, then I will write it here, and if I have, then it bears repeating, not only in the sense of an adventurer’s or soldier’s courage, but in the courage of heart and persistence. When I was the age you were when it came time to choosing a clan, I wish to have you know, though I never confessed it before, I had always felt an affinity for the water that I felt nowhere else. The concept of a magic so fluid and so capable, so versatile and adaptable intrigued me beyond measure. Had I the courage then to assert my interests then, my path may well have been vastly different.

Had I the courage to assert my interests later, I know it would have. As I alluded to you last we spoke, my heart has not always been so tame as I might have wished it, and though those years of youth are now many behind me, it was unfair of me to attempt to judge rashly your choices based on mine in retrospect. Perhaps it is I who made mistakes, or perhaps we only each walked the paths meant for us. But, I digress…

[The letter continued on for some time, detailing events that had gone on in the family, apologizing more in several parts, before coming to a close.]

I hope that I have managed to deliver this in person and by now met the man you found worthy of dedicating your life to. If the fates are kind, I would be honored by the opportunity to come again, if welcome, and have a chance to get to know the man myself before Abronaxus sees fit to return my energy to the great ether. Until that time, I pray for your happiness, and that of your mate. May the gods be kind.


Your father,
Nevhin Bhardvaris

Lithian did not notice the shake to his fingers until he attempted to re-fold the note. After two meek, failed attempts, he shut his eyes and let his hands rest with the letter open in his lap. He was not sure how long passed before a shifting in the sheets drew him out of his thoughts, and he glanced Casseth’s way.

Lithian blinked, flushing at having been caught off guard with Casseth’s rising. He pushed a small smile onto his lips and shut his eyes briefly, tilting his head into the touch and then turning to kiss Cas’ palm. “Nothing,” he murmured. “I’m sorry to wake you, I…” He swallowed, hesitating another moment before giving in to the desire to tuck closer and rest his head to Caseeth’s shoulder. “I was just…looking over some things, is all.”

After a drawn period of time in which Lithian attempted to convince himself to pull away but couldn’t quite manage it, he finally did, and pressed a fleeting kiss to Cas’ shoulder and then cheek before sitting back and smiling a bit more in earnest.

“It’s raining,” he said — however unnecessarily. “I couldn’t resist getting up, and then…” He folded the letter in his lap before tucking a lock of hair behind his ear and reaching for the small box his father had sent his gift in. “I began looking through some of the things we received. My father sends his best wishes, and two aedaun tears in honor of our union.” He opened his mouth, debated, and then shut it, leaning in to catch Casseth in a light, but lingering kiss before tilting his head towards the dresser. “Your father left us something also, though I thought you would want to be present for its opening.”

Lithian’s eyes flit down, casually following the shifting shapes of light and shadow as they moved across Casseth’s body as he walked. The man, despite his build-up of fairly impressive bulk in terms of muscle weight and shape, maintained a heavy grace to him that Lithian would always find fascinating. Which was only half a prettier way of saying that he appreciated the view from behind. When Casseth made his way back over, Lithian smiled, watching him settle and eyeing the box as Cas moved to open it. As he did, Lithian’s pulse gathered in his throat, new heat crawling to his cheeks, and he bit at the soft sting and surge of happy emotion as it threatened to dampen his eyes again.

Instead, he eyed the rings, and then his mate. “I…will wear your color, and you mine?” he suggested, hesitating only a moment before offering a hand with slightly splayed fingers for Casseth to place a ring on. “I assume he forged them himself…they are lovely.”

Lithian flushed and nodded. “I am, also,” he admitted. “Very glad…” Taking the opposite ring carefully in hand, he lifted Casseth’s, slipping the loop over his mate’s finger and sliding it back to a fit. With a smile, he raised Cas’ hand, pressing his lips gently to his knuckles before leaning across and catching his lips, never quite letting go of his hand. “My father…with his gift, said that he would like to come see us, from time to time…” He eyed Casseth, weighing his reaction, “…and get to know you better, if opportunities permit. When we travel to speak with Lord Ysaride…I would like to speak with my father also, and tell him that we would like that very much.”

For a long moment, he let the words sit, nothing the but the distant, dying hush of rain filling the silence as he swept his thumb idly over Casseth’s hand. Then, as the full sweep of events settled on him as things sometimes do, Lithian gave a soft, breathless laugh and leaned in, tugging Cas into one kiss, and another, and then pushing until he had his mate on his back on the bed. He grinned down at him.

“I love you, do you know that?” he said, dipping to catch at Cas’ lips with his teeth and then suck. “I could say it a hundred thousand times and kiss you as many times and it would still need saying and doing an infinite many times more…” As his lashes fell shut, Lithian tucked another, lighter kiss to Cas’ throat and held himself there as he settled atop him. “You are my best friend…and I thank all the gods I found you.”