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"She will never see you as anything more than what she does already, a boy born in darkness."
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THE COOL WATERS treaded around him in low waves, the cold riling up his bare skin and brushing right above his abdomen, and yet despite the cold, it felt like home to him.
He shut his eyes for a moment, his breathing low and stable- allowing him to focus on the gentle movements of the waves but the slight crunch of a leaf brought him back, his eyes staring down at the dark waters around him, breathing out harshly, jaw ticking-
"For the being that you are and the position that you hold in the order of things," Harvest began, not bothering to turn his head, "you're a lousy spy-"
Silence consumed him, if not for the gurgle of water around him. His gaze shifted to the shadowed trees that lined the riverbank, right after the opening, eyes never the trees until the shadow moved, almost camouflaged to it, taking the outline of a cloaked man.
The figure was well hidden in the darkness of the trees, just enough to make out that it was there but just short of true eyesight.
Harvest scoffed at this, taking a scoop of the water, running it through his hair, and staring out into the open water.
"She did not send you here to stare," he grunted out, hooded eyes holding the figure, "Do you wish to disappoint her?"
The silence between the two flickered until the figure spoke, his voice riddled with age, and his accent old and timeless, yet deep and calm.
"I am here to remind you of your duty."
"Please, go ahead." Harvest scoffed, "I seem to have forgotten," he replied, eyes narrowing down on the figure as if he could see it clearer than anything else.
"After all, this isn't the same duty I have held for my whole life," he mocked.
"She worries," the figure replied, "She has told you of the dangers that you seek and yet you continue to pursue-"
Harvest grunted at this.
"She discourages me from doing anything that isn't my duty-" he scoffed, brushing it off as if it were nothing.
"But even so, why would I fear danger?" he asked, eyes still on the figure, "when I'm staring at it in the face and it hides from me?"
The Figure didn't move, staying silent for a moment, "your father is waiting."
Harvest laughed at this, walking out of the water. He got his shirt and put it on. Grabbing his coat he walked right up to the figure, eyes on it.
"My father has been waiting an eternity- what's a few more weeks?" he grunted before walking past it.
He felt the figure following behind him slowly, his coat swung by his side as he walked down the pathway-
"How long will you sway? Have you not learned anything from her? The girl will do to you as her father did," the figure huffed, "She will never see you as anything more than what she does already, a boy born in darkness."
Harvest stopped in his footsteps, jaw clenching before looking back at the figure, "And why would I want her to think differently? I am not ashamed of what I am-"
"Yet you try so hard to make her see differently-"
"And you try too hard to provoke me- you should know it doesn't take much."
"I was sent here to remind you of your duty-" the figure repeated.
"Good, you may tell her you to have, and that you failed," he grunted turning away-
"She will not be pleased to hear it," the figure replied, "she suffers and we suffer with her."
Harvest clenched his jaw looking down for a moment before his eyes shot up to the figure still engulfed by shadows by the tree.
"Suffers?" he echoed.
"Every day," the figure replied, "she yearns for him as we do, and he calls for her-"
"You can tell her this," he huffed, "I know where the horn is, it's just a matter of taking it," He took a step closer to the figure but stopped midway.
The figure remained silent and Harvest's eyes narrowed on it, "I find it funny that you can appear here, despite my order, and leave as empty as you came."
"She saw it fit that we come here."
"And what have you accomplished?" he fired back.
When the figure remained silent, Harvest shook his head.
"Tell her I'm not impressed with her doubt of me. I have never forgotten my duties and she cannot derail what I choose to pursue while I rot here," he growled out, "You are dismissed."
The figure seemed to pause before disappearing in a blurry mess, a gust of wind rolling past Harvest as he scoffed, quite unamused.
He turned to another section of the trees, watching as Raskei stepped out from her place between them, with a low grunt,
"Don't look at me like that-" he huffed as she approached him, stopping a few paces away.
He sighed, "You and I have places to be," he grunted, spinning around and walking off into the night in the direction of the King's Garden.
Dark coat swinging by his side, hair still wet, he ran a hand through it breaking out into the rose garden as they walked out of the Gardens, the scepters coming into view
Instinctively, his gaze traveled up to the window, the one window on top that still had a faint light on, breath growing shallow as he looked at the outline in the window.
Eyes meeting her dark ones, marveling at the depth of them for a moment, but walking off, into the darkness away from her sight.
Raskei grunted behind him for a moment and he scoffed, "Don't you dare say it."
To which she merely shrugged off as they treaded out of the past midnight.
Walking into the scepters, he glanced back momentarily as Raskei took the other way, and he walked on toward the boy's rooms, fists clenching for a moment, rounding the corner to his room at the far end.
He paused, jaw tightening when he made out the figure of a person standing by his door. As if upon instinct, she turned around, a cheery smile on her face when she spotted him-
Daya Lawrence.
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Uh... Harvest may not be what y'all think.
Second last update of the week! Thank you to everyone who commented on the last update! I was happy to see that people are reading!
I'm feeling generous this week, so I'll tell you what. You can unlock 4 more chapters by Friday if we get to 15 comments per reader (and a BONUS CHAPTER)
Just for this week. As always for the exclusive First Person Harvest chapters, comment #HARVESTPOV, the chapter, and the scene to stand a chance to get a chapter with his view on that.
For Patreons, don't worry. Triple updates are coming your way on Friday! Thanks to all those who subscribed too! Hope y'all are enjoying the Free Trial!
Toodles!
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THESE HIDDEN WINGS
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