pumpkinewe

In this chapter, the word Drow is used. This does not specify a character’s race, but their loyalty. If an elf does not agree with what they consider the “norm” of loyalty, they refer them to as a drow. This can be anywhere from betraying their kingdom to associating with races other than elves such as orcs, dwarfs, and humans.

This place was the same as always. Dark and damp, a stereotypical dungeon. Honestly, Shafir knew where this was going. It almost always led down the same road. The path of a sound night of sleep was a rocky one and he almost never got it. This was something he had carried with him since he was young, almost like a disease that riddled his mind anytime he slept.  

"What do you want?" Shafir's commanding tone was always greeted with laughter from the creature who stared back at him. It had been forever since the man showed his actual face, always donning the face he saw every morning when he woke and looked in the mirror. The violet eyes flickered with mischief and batted his lashes as if he was an innocent creature. It was frustrating how good he was at mimicking. Not a single hair was out of place and if Shafir didn't know better, he would dare say he was the imposter. The only thing that gave it away was the sinister grin that turned his lips up and made his eyes squint with delight. 

"I want the same as I always do, dear child. Join me and make them pay. They have only tortured you since you became one of them. Don't you wish to make them suffer as well?" The man fidgeted with his hands as he spoke, almost as if there were rings there, but Shafir didn't wear any and so the man was only touching the metal that adorned Shafir's gloves. 

"I've already told you. I won't help you, even if they kick me out and maim me." Shafir spoke and crossed his arms. Yes, he had been bullied as a teenager and probably gossiped about one too many times, but it wasn't enough to make him betray his empress. Who, while he wouldn't say was his friend, would probably be as close to one as he would get. Eliqinor… well, he most definitely was not a friend, but he guessed that was the only other person he was close to. 

"Ah yes, the whole. My mother is indebted, and I have pledged my life to my kingdom. I remember that spiel from when you were so small. I hoped you had grown out of such childish idealization of your kingdom. Perhaps your brain has rotted?" The copy of himself tapped Shafir's temple as if trying to say his head was empty. It pissed him off. How could his loyalty be childish? His father was born here and was also a knight. Just because he was a dark elf did not mean he will betray those around him at the drop of a hat. That is what would have given those words truth. Drow. Traitor. 

"The only one whose brain is rotted is yours. Thinking about this every night would influence me." Shafir ignored the consistent tapping on his head. Usually, something like this would have sent him over the edge and caused him to lash out. He knew this was what the other wanted. Shafir had realized that the first time he had touched Shafir in a dream and he flipped out. It caused the mysterious elf to laugh hysterically while saying what a good boy he was. That his anger towards the one who put the curse on him would only strengthen it. When Shafir learned this, he learned to contain the rage he felt when he saw himself in these dreams, as if he was only looking into his own mirror. 

"Ah… I guess I will have to take a different approach this time, then. How is your mother? Doing well still?" When that didn't get a rise out of Shafir, the other let out a loud sigh and put his hand to his chin to think of something else. Shafir could see the gears turning in his head from the way he furrowed his brow in thought. "Ah! I know! That sweet captain of yours! He's been an awful pain in the ass lately! Why don't I just get rid of him for you? This way, you can be the new captain."

Shafir knew this would be the next thing the man would poke at. He knew about Shafir's loathing and animosity towards Eliqinor, as it wasn't something he hid. Everyone knew the contempt they both held for each other. It had been that way since he could remember, and it hadn't stopped. When Shafir didn't budge, his double sighed and shrugged his shoulders. Hopefully, this meant he had given up. "The captain is an insignificant issue for me. He's easy enough to avoid." 

"Oh? Perhaps there is something you wish to tell me about this captain of yours?" Eliqinor was an annoyance. A manageable one, but still an annoyance. A twisted smile distorted Shafir's face that the man wore and a sadistic laugh left his mouth. "Oh, I see now. So that's how it is. Hilarious. You actually care about the captain." 

"I do not care for him," Shafir snapped and could feel his anger crawling under his skin. He did not care about Eliqinor. How could someone mistake his loyalty as something more? He couldn't stand Eliqinor. Every time he saw him, his blood would boil uncontrollably. 

"You know how your curse affects those you care for, Shafir. You should be more careful or something unsavory could happen to your precious captain." Without thinking, Shafir reached out and grabbed the imposter, quickly throwing him to the ground. “Oh, ho ho. Seems like that got a reaction out of you. To think a cold, indifferent man like you could only be riled up by the thought of you being the reason Eliqinor died?” His chest heaved with his erratic breathing and he lunged at the other, trapping him against the ground. His hands gripped around the other dark elf’s neck and he felt his fingers tighten. 

He hated him… He wanted him dead…

He hated him…

He hated himself…

“Shut up. Just shut up,” Shafir spat out as he pressed his fingers into the other’s neck, forcing a squeaky laugh to escape. He just wanted this over and if he could finally end him here, then that would be for the best. He wouldn’t have to live with this cloud of the curse over his head anymore. It might be hard to get rid of the curse once the asshole died, but at least he’d have a good night of sleep. 

“Hah… You w-will be his downfall…” The dark elf rasped out in pain and Shafir closed his eyes, hoping he wouldn’t have to watch as he cut off the man’s life. This was what he needed to do. What he wanted to do, but soon enough, warm hands wrapped around his wrists. Something was wrong. Shafir knew what his own gloves felt like against his skin, but this felt like something bare. He hadn’t realized he had been crying until he opened his eyes and was met with a blurry sight of blonde hair and fair skin. He blinked once, twice, three times before his vision cleared and Shafir saw the one person he never wanted to be on the other side of his murderous intent. 

“Stop it. Stop using his face!” Shafir couldn’t bring himself to keep squeezing, but he knew this was what the bastard wanted. To shake him off his resolve and have him let go, so he wouldn’t lose his life. It conflicted with him. Did he end this man's life and be done with it? Or let him go to let him torture him another day. Just as Shafir decided, the other opened his mouth to speak. 

“I swear I’m going to die because of you.” The sound of Eliqinor's voice leaving the familiar face snapped Shafir out of his rage and he stumbled back. There was no reason for the man to sound so uncannily similar. When he took on the form of others, it was never so accurate before. HE replicated even the slightly sophisticated tone that Eliqinor had to perfection. It was almost like he had been strangling his captain. Shafir's hands covered his face as he saw the imposter struggle to stand up. 

THUNK

THUNK

A loud sound pulled Shafir from his dream and he panted heavily on the furniture in the office. He was still sprawled out in an odd position with half his body off the couch. On top of him lay a blanket. It wasn't one he had seen before, so he assumed it had been something that had been stored away in one of the many closets. It was at least soft, so that was a benefit. 

THUNK

The sound helped Shafir's hazy mind clear, even if it was only a bit. Though he didn't know what the sound was, it seemed to be something he had heard before. He sat up and he could hear the sound better. The ping of a string and a solid thunk once again. 

Ah. 

Archery. Someone was practicing away with a bow nearby. Though he couldn't remember there being any target ranges around so it was odd that it sounded so close. Shafir rubbed his eyes with his palms before looking around the room and saw that the dream was truly over. What greeted his eyes was the same old sight, a desk piled high with paperwork. Old dusty bookshelves illuminated by the small window of the office. 

THUNK

One thing stood out, though. Usually sitting at that desk or standing in front of the bookshelf reading was the golden boy. None other than Eliqinor, the captain, his boss, but when he looked, there was no sign of the giant idiot. Well, at least he wouldn't get scolded for sleeping, that's for sure. He really hadn't meant to fall asleep. It just seemed so much easier to doze off in the office instead of his own home, especially after he had a nightmare.

THUNK 

Why did archery have to be so loud? Shafir stood up and threw the soft blanket on the couch. Eventually, he went through the back door of the office to be greeted with a sight he never wanted to see in his whole life. He saw it enough when he was a squire and hoped he would never have to witness it again. Eliqinor is in all his golden glory, standing out in the sun, shirtless and sweating. Disgusting. 

"So you added an archery range?" Shafir leaned against the doorway of the office and saw as Eliqinor lowered his bow. He quickly put the arrow back in the quiver on his back before turning to Shafir. He truly was the epitome of a perfect High Elf. Most considered tall and muscular to be just the right flavor of his subspecies. The way Eliqinor's muscles seemed to dance under his skin whenever he moved or notched an arrow. It was something Shafir remembered from when they were still squires. How couldn't he, when he struggled to even pull the bowstring back when Eliqinor did it flawlessly? 

"It is just something simple," Eliqinor spoke as he hung the bow back on the rack. When did the idiot have time to set one up? Was it when he was on his last mission? He had been gone for at least a week dealing with a troublesome group of bandits that had trained slimes to pickpocket. So that had to be when he had done it because Shafir had been so busy catching up with his paperwork he hadn't even noticed it until now. "I have to do something between all the paperwork." 

"Honestly, what a waste of time." Shafir rolled his eyes and walked over to where the archery supplies sat. The dark elf wasn't bad at archery, though he would say he wasn't nearly as good as Eliqinor. He had seen the man use three arrows notched on one bow blindfolded and hit three separate targets. Eliqinor was only 15 at the time and Shafir was still struggling with creating magic arrows. Though he couldn't fault himself for it, they had taught Eliqinor this stuff since he was born and Shafir had only learned what his father had time to teach him between missions. That was before he was gone, of course. 

"A true waste of time is you…" Eliqinor watched Shafir notch an arrow and aim. As soon as he was going to release it, Eliqinor opened his mouth once more. "Sleeping at work." It threw Shafir off kilter with the sass in Eliqinor's voice, which caused him to misfire and hit a tree instead of the target. He could feel his anger swelling up.  

"If it's such a waste of time, why didn't you wake me up!?" Shafir couldn't contain his anger. There was always something he said or did that would set Eliqinor off. Just as he could set Eliqinor's temper aflame, the other man could do the same to him. At a drop of a hat, they were always at each other's throats. 

"Too troublesome." Shafir gripped the bow tightly in his hands. It wasn't his fault he tried to sleep. He really did. He couldn't help but be plagued by that figure that wore his face or of those around him. Shafir was struggling and was only barely keeping his head above the water. "Besides, if you sleep and slack off, it's not my fault if you don't finish your paperwork." 

"You do this, so I have to stay later! You don't trust me, so you force me to stay with you longer to monitor me! Admit it!" Eliqinor's face reddened and Shafir could see the twitch in his eye itching to come out. He was almost positive this was Eliqinor's plan. If he tired Shafir out enough and forced him to stay late, then he couldn't be out causing trouble. Was that what Eliqinor assumed he was doing on his days off? While he can't say he hadn't gotten into fights with other knights on his days off, it wasn't all he did. 

"I never said that, Shafir." Eliqinor raised his hands into the air with an exasperated sigh, and that only pissed Shafir off more. How dare he just try to pretend that wasn't what he meant!? Eliqinor spoke again and this time Shafir knew the words, "You are an adult. It is your responsibility to not fall asleep at work." 

"Fuck! It's not like I want to!" Shafir threw the bow to the ground and turned around to avoid having to look at Eliqinor's dissatisfied face. He knew he was an adult. He knew he wasn't supposed to fall asleep while working, but he couldn't help it. "... Fucking idiot…" At this point, Shafir didn't even know who the idiot was anymore. Was it Eliqinor or himself?

"Then why have you been falling asleep then?" Shafir’s ears picked up the sound of what could be a concern in Eliqinor’s voice. It had never occurred to him that his sleeping habits could be a cause for concern for someone else. Not that he wanted Eliqinor’s pity, anyway. The idiot must have had all the warmth and comfort a spoiled brat could ever want. Shafir even dared to say if Eliqinor had a nightmare, his mother would come running to his beck and call. 

“None of your business,” Shafir said as he picked back up the bow to put it away. Just cause he was upset really wasn’t a reason for him to disrespect the things that Eliqinor supplied them. He liked the bow that was obviously meant for him to use. It was light and curved in just how it fit his palm perfectly. Stupid idiot spending their funds on some toys for them to play with when they got bored. “Go put a shirt on. No one wants to see that.” Shafir vaguely waved at Eliqinor’s bare chest, a look of utter disgust on his face. 

“Oh? I thought I looked quite nice, but if you say so,” Eliqinor sighed with sarcasm and walked off, leaving Shafir by himself. He placed the bow down on the rack and rubbed his hands against his face. Shafir just needed time to himself. That was it. A nice cool bath would be good and perhaps doing some overdue paperwork would get his mind off things. 

“Good riddance,” Shafir said as soon as he heard the door of the office swing shut and had five minutes of peace to himself. He hated dealing with Eliqinor and hated having to actually converse with him even more, but something compelled him to keep going. Even if it was one more word, something compelled him to always have the last word, even if Eliqinor wasn’t there.