Making Moves

For a brief moment, Artorias thought he might have been getting through to Bowen. Her depressive state was strong, clouding her mood with a thick veil of melancholy, but for the shortest of times, he began to see liveliness from her. Muffled murrs of delight while he showered her in affection, followed by a raising of her beautiful face, deep and rich verdant eyes seeking his while he spoke to her. Her abrupt laugh surprised him, but her words made Artorias' expression slip just a touch, especially when she called him a king. The Carpathian man never felt like a king. He didn't see himself as higher or more important than anyone else; certainly not above any of his wolves. But was he supposed do? Was Bowen right when she called him a king? Was an alpha always supposed to be a king? Did Resin or Ulric feel and act like a king when they were in power?

Bowen started to explain that his status as alpha was perhaps what made her feel so inadequate to be with him, that he could have anyone and that she feared he might find someone "better than her". Artorias' nose wrinkled at the thought, a soft huff of incredulity leaving his nares, but he didn't get the chance to rebuke her worries. Instead, his russet sister rolled his arm off of her and slid gracefully from the bed, moving to pace about the room while she got all of her thoughts and emotions off her chest and out of her mind. She didn't mind Briar—even liked the woman!—but the thought of another woman being with him enraged her. "Bowen..." Artorias tried to start, speaking softly, wanting to reassure her that her fears were unfounded, but Bowen was in such a state that she either didn't hear him or was so lost in her own thoughts that she ignored him. She looked him dead in his eyes, emerald holding citrine, and declared that it wasn't fair—to him. Art furrowed his brow, perplexed as to where these thoughts and feelings were stemming from. He couldn't recall doing anything himself to trigger this sort of response from her. How long had Bowen been harboring these toxic thoughts, letting them fester in her mind and heart?

"Bowen-" the young alpha tried to start again, but Bowen wasn't done with her self-loathing tirade yet, it seemed. She explained how when she was alone, her thoughts ate her from the inside, how her compulsive sexual urges made her worried about her faithfulness to him. "Bowen..." Bowen wasn't done. She hated not being in control of her own body. She didn't think she was worth the effort. And then she hit him with a single sentence that snapped something inside Artorias' heart. "Maybe I should just go." "Bowen!" The Aegis' voice echoed a fraction of a second inside the empty room as he bellowed and rose from the bed, massive paws meeting the floor while he closed the distance between them again. His eyes were no longer soft, but firmed in resolution and so full of love for the petite fae. He frowned, deeply saddened to know what demons his sister had been grappling with on her own, but never once upset or angry with her. Those large forepaws lifted to grasp her slender shoulders, keeping her from pacing about while he forced her to face him, jostling and shaking her lightweight body gently in the process.  "I never want you to say that again. After all of this, after everything we've been through just to be together again, I won't lose you. I won't. Not again. Not ever again."

The love in fiery amber eyes didn't fade, though a sadness and heartache had begun to show in them the longer he stared into Bowen's iridescent pools of green. He hated knowing his beloved sister was struggling with herself like this. He wanted to help her, make her better, protect her. This wasn't something he could fix, however. But gods knew he was damn well going to try his best. "I won't be fucking any other women, Bo. I don't want to. I want you, and I have Briar. You have always been what I wanted, more than worthy for me. I will always be there for you when you need me, but you don't have to try so hard to be faithful. I understand who you are and I love you all the same. I'm not some deity or almighty king, Bo. I'm a wolf, just like you. A wolf that spent seasons looking for you, waiting for you to come home, praying that I'd get the chance to see you and hold you again. How much more worthy do you think you need to be? You are perfect to me, Bowen—all of you, even the parts of you that you don't like." Gradually, Artorias' firm grip on Bowen's shoulders began to loosen and his expression softened again, bringing one paw up to trace rough black paw pads across her cheek and jaw while he stared at her as if she were the most precious treasure in the universe. "I wouldn't change you for the world, and I'm not gonna let you go ever again." After a moment's pause, Artorias breathed a heavy sigh and said, "Wait here." Then he stood and headed out of the room.

Artorias was gone for only a few moments, returning shortly after with a small oak box in his jaws. He returned to Bowen and set the box down at her paws, using one of his own to scoot it across the stone floor towards her in a silent gesture for her to open it. Inside was a little labor of love he'd made for her: a simple brown leather bracer to match the one she always wore. This one was different, however, as Artorias had adorned the top and bottom edges with small emeralds and orange sapphires he'd brought back from the Firestorm Grotto. He'd wanted to have it finished in time for their birthdays, but had missed the deadline by a little bit. "I made this for you, so you would always have something to remind you of how important you are to me." It was a simple yet emotionally profound explanation. "You're not a problem, Bowen. You're not a burden or unworthy or trouble. You're my sister, my lover, someone I love very much, and I'd gladly do everything a thousand times over if it meant I could be with you at the end of it."

"Bowen & Artorias"