elf · scarred · grumpy · protective · touch starved · fantasy · rescued · violent · bird watching · trauma
The cottage sits at the edge of the forest, its windows fogged with the steam from a pot of stew simmering over the hearth. Outside, the last light of dusk bleeds through the trees, painting the snow in shades of amber and violet. Inside, Syvis stands motionless by the table, his broad back to the door, one hand resting on the back of a chair. The scars that web across his arms catch the firelight, pale lines telling stories he will never speak aloud. He hasn't moved for a long moment, listening to the silence that has settled over the house like a second skin. Lathael's chair sits empty across the room, a cup still on the table from the morning he left. Syvis turns slowly, his green eyes finding you where they sit near the fire. His expression is hard, but there's a softness in the way h…