Fishing Trip Part 5 (End)

“It’ll be okay, sweetie. You just need to sit still so I can help you wash the sand out.” Azreal said as calmly as possible. The little girl wailed as the snot and tears poured down her face, likely not helping her irritated eyes any. “I-i-it burns!” She blubbered. Azreal gently blocked her from touching her eyes and pushed her hands away. He turned and looked at the other kids who were watching them like hawks. “I hope you guys feel guilty. Lily's barely five! She’s so little compared to all of you, so you need to look out for her! Whoever dumped the sand on her better hope I don’t find them out. And it better not have been you, Sori!” He growled. “You know better than to bully little babies!” Sori yelped. “I-it wasn’t me big brother, I swear!” Azreal sighed. ‘I need to help this little one but, at this rate, she’s not going to let me touch her to help her..’

“Hey, mind if I assist?” Mari crouched next to the two. “If you can help, that would be great.” Azreal agreed. “Lilly here got sand thrown in her eyes and I’m trying to help her, but she's moving too much right now for me to be able to wash it out. No, no, you’re going to make it worse if you mess with your eyes! Don't touch!” He grabbed the girl’s hands. “No problem! Az, keep holding her hands. Don’t worry, Lilly! This won’t hurt and it’ll just take a second!” Mari spread her palm out in front of the child’s face. A teal magical circle appeared and, with a puff of air and whirring sound, the irritants were removed from Lilly’s eyes. Mari removed her hand and patted the girl on her head. “How’s that?”

The child’s tears instantly turned to laughter. “It doesn’t hurt anymore! Thank you big sissy Mari!” Azreal gave Mari a relieved grin. “Thank you for that. Your magic is amazing, Mari.” “No biggie!” Mari returned to the river bank as Azreal and Lilly rejoined the rest of the kids. Swiping another sandwich from the picnic basket, Mari sank down next to Sariel.

“I see that the stories of the magical prowess of unicorns are true.” The mercenary commented with an approving tone. Mari shrugged, the sandwich gripped tightly in her jaw. “Iz wut I duu. I unacurn.” She removed the obstruction from her mouth. “It’s as natural to me as breathing.” The two watched Azreal play in the water with the chaotic village children.

“Sooo, you and Azreal work together as mercenaries, right?” Mari asked. “That’s correct.” “Did you know him back when he was younger?” Sariel shook his head. “No, we only met after I joined the king’s service. I was never a part of the criminal network he used to belong to. Just a new weapon brought in after a couple of the initial members of the team died. They couldn’t shake their ingrained vices and either ended up dying in brawls or foolish drunken misadventures, hence the king having vacancies to fill.”

 “Aw, I was hoping you’d be able to tell me about what Az was like when he was younger!” Mari puffed her cheeks out. “He’s like a steal trap about his past! I know it was horrific and it scarred him mentally and physically, but I still want to know more about him. It doesn’t have to be anything deep, and I don’t need to know all his secrets, but I want something!” She groaned. “It would be nice if he could just...tell me things freely and not only give me pieces of things when he’s distressed and suffering, you know?” Mari kicked her legs in frustration. "I wanna learn about him in a way that doesn't involve him having to relive his trauma just to feel ready to talk to me."

“You only met each other a few weeks ago so what’s your story, then?” Sariel asked. “You’re Azreal’s girlfriend, or want to be, correct? Why him?” It was a casual question, but it was genuine in its curiosity. “I’m a unicorn. I can sense and read the souls of humans. If I shift into this form, then anyone can see me. But, if I’m in my true form, only those with hearts and minds that are exceptionally pure can see me. Normally, it’s only ever children that can see me and I’ve never met a man who could see me...until Azreal. He’s...special, somehow.” She looked up at the tree branches waving in the breeze above them. “I can’t describe it as anything but fate. It was the craziest thing. I detected someone that could see me and I was bored. I was expecting a child but...”

“You found Azreal instead?” Mari nodded. “Yeah. I was a little scared at first. I mean, he was dressed for combat and covered in blood! But, despite how scary he looked, he could genuinely see me, and there wasn’t any sort of magic or trick behind it. He was so gentle, but really sad, too. He couldn’t believe that he was actually seeing a unicorn because he didn’t think he deserved it. And...that was it. I know it sounds stupid and without logic, but I fell in love with him immediately. He has a heart and goodness that are unusually strong so...how could I not fall in love with someone like that? I’m a Devine being; I can’t help being attracted by virtue and character! So why wouldn’t I want to claim someone who’s special in that regard? He’s so dense and hasn’t gotten it through his head yet, but I love him because he’s who he is. He’s strange and unusual, but that’s what makes him special. I’m the lucky one cause it’s like I won the rarest prize ever!”

Sariel chuckled at Mari’s passionate declaration and sparkling eyes. The dark, quiet mercenary and the lively unicorn woman were the very definition of an odd pair, but he could feel the strength and sincerity behind Mari’s words. ‘She really does love him on every level possible and is utterly devoted to him.’ Despite his comrade's insistence that he didn’t know how to love, it was clear that Mari was irreplaceably special to Azreal. ‘They definitely going to end up together, most likely sooner rather than later.’ Sariel thought to himself. ‘Once that day comes, then I’m going to have poke fun at Azreal a bit because how dense can you be?’ “That all seems perfectly reasonable to me.” Sariel told Mari. “Just because your choices are driven by emotion doesn’t automatically make them illogical.” He rested his elbow on his knee and smirked.

“Honestly, Azreal is an odd one. The first time I met him, I couldn’t believe that he was a seasoned veteran, let alone the leader of our team! I thought the King had to be pulling some sort of joke because Azreal isn’t exactly the kind of person you’d think would be a mercenary. He’s strong, yes, but he’s a poor fit for the job.” Mari nibbled on her sandwich. “Why’s that?” “He doesn’t like conflict. He prays all the time and keeps to himself. He’s damn near a doormat for the other mercenaries. Well, not that that is going to matter now that they’re all dead...” A dark smirk briefly flickered across Sariel’s face. ‘Scary...’ Mari winced.‘This man isn’t a bad person, but he’s sure a lot creepier than Azreal!’

Sariel continued, seemingly unaware of how his face had unconsciously betrayed his true feelings. “Azreal values human life and doesn’t see our job as a game or something that can just be forgotten afterwards. I’d say that it’s because he has the heart and emotions of a normal human being. Really, he’s more suited to the army or the holy knights than to the gray area that mercenaries operate in.Considering his past with that criminal outfit, I’m frankly shocked that he can still be that way after being raised as a mercenary by men who embody every negative perception and stereotype about hired blades.” Sariel shook his head. “I have no idea what goes on in that man’s head. Well, we barely talked at all until recently, but the point still stands. He’s...something alright. No clue whether that’s good or bad, but it makes sense you’d take an interest in him.”

“Thank you! At least someone gets it!” Mari sighed. “Az thinks I’m crazy and have no self-preservation instincts! But I’m crazy and weird myself, you know?” She laughed. “I’m an immortal divine being with unsurpassed power. I’m not exactly beholden to human logic and have the power to make whatever choices I want without suffering consequences. And I was considered abnormal and unwanted, once, too.” Sariel raised an eyebrow. “Do you not have a family?” Mari sighed. “Yes and no. My parents died when I was little and I grew up in a tribe made up mostly of my relatives, but let’s just say I never fit in. I didn’t follow their outdated ideas and I actually had a personality and mind of my own. They didn’t want me, so I took off on my own. I’ve been traveling around the continent on my own for decades now, but this is the first time I’ve ever settled down.”

She turned to Sariel. “I’m assuming you’ve never met Azreal’s family. You’ll love his grandmother. Nanny Tenka is the sweetest old woman, and she treats me like I’m her own daughter. And you already met that little shit.” She gestured towards Sori with her head. “They’re amazing! The three of them have been nothing but kind to me. The whole village, too! This is the happiest I’ve ever been.” She smiled. “I can tell.” Sariel looked at her. “From what little Azreal has mentioned about his family, they seem nice. And he definitely has a soft spot for you.” Mari’s head instantly swung around. “He does?” She leaned in close; just short of jumping into Sariel’s face. “Umm, could you please give me some space?” Sariel asked, feeling uncomfortable for the first time in months as her over-excited eyes loomed large in front of him. “Oh, sorry!” Mari scooted backwards.

Sariel let out a relieved breath. “But, yes, continuing. I admit, I was surprised when one of the other men said that he had a woman living with him, and I wasn’t expecting it to be true, but he talked about you a lot while we were recovering from our injuries. Nothing particularly special, really. He said that you were super energetic and had basically become the personal slave of all the children in the village. That his little brother was obsessed with you and that his grandmother used you as her personal dress-up doll.” He smirked. “He kind of regretted talking about that part after he said that you were so cute that his grandmother couldn’t ever come up with a bad outfit for you. He looked like he wanted to die and tried to walk that comment back.”

A slight blush crept across Mari’s face. ‘Az thinks I’m cute?’ She felt a surge of warm energy in her stomach. “Yeah, he let out a bit more of his true feelings with that one than he wanted to.” Sariel snickered. “But he mostly talked about the things that you had been doing together since you moved in. Exploring the town, playing with his brother, making dinner together, that sort of stuff. Things that would normally be unremarkable. But he clearly enjoyed and treasured the time he spent with you. And, from the way he was talking about you, it seemed to me like he was missing you specifically after our near-death experience.”

Mari faced the river and sat back down. “I see.” She went quiet. She recalled how Azreal had pulled her into an embrace when he’d returned home. “I missed you so much.”

‘Azreal says he doesn’t know how to love and that he’s a monster but that’s wrong. He’s capable of caring deeply for others. He doesn’t know how to process or understand his feelings properly because he’s been conditioned to believe lies about himself and view himself through a warped and twisted Lense. I’ve felt his affection when he embraced me. I’ve seen his pain when he’s shed tears for others and regrated hurting them. I’ve seen his kindness when he interacts with the children and elderly. I’ve seen his eyes light up light up like the sun and heard him laugh from the bottom of his heart. That's why I’m sure, even if I doubt it sometimes...that he really does love me, even if he doesn’t know it yet.’