“Touch me and you’ll burn, Agnar,” she sniffed, eyes frantically searching for a way out. “I know you are not going to hurt me,” I replied as calmly as I could, holding my sword loosely in my right hand, the steady drip drip of blood that belonged to the now decapitated Guardian’s henchmen loud in the silence.
“I can’t control this, I’m tainted.” Faye’s voice took on a slightly hysterical note, she wrung her hands in front of her chest, an animal in a trap, deciding whether to succumb to its fate or gnaw its own leg off in madness.
“Faye,” I raised my free hand slowly and took a step closer to her. “You are not going to hurt me, princess, I know you don’t want to.” A faint blue pulse ran over her skin. I wasn’t scared. It was her, scared, yes, but still her. Placing my fingertips on her wrist I forced myself not to flinch at the jolt her magic sent through me.
When I slid my arms around her it felt like I was trying to hold onto an eel at first. The current flowed through me, hurting me but only for the briefest moment until she collapsed against my chest, all tension leaving her body. It was no longer a live wire in my arms, it was Faye, scared, kind, beautiful Faye who I pressed close to the scales over my heart.
“Shh, princess, you’re all right.“ I tried to speak as quietly as I could. Cupping the back of her head with my hand, I simply held her until she had calmed down enough. “I’ll need to clean up before we can go, will you be okay waiting for me for a moment?“ I asked her still in the same voice I would have used with a skittish animal. “Can I come with you?“ Her voice was collected even though a tremor was still going through her body. “Yes.“
I let go of her and crouched down next to the body nearest to us to clean my sword on the man’s shirt, then I put it away into the sheath at my belt.
Note: This prompt is based on a quote by Margaret Atwood.