Avar and the Guardian

The full moon of Elaria’s larger moon was always an evening Avar both dreaded and looked forward to. As the sun dipped low enough to be hidden by the enchanted forest’s largest trees, the wood nymphs and the Forest Guardian had a gathering on this special evening. It had been Avar’s suggestion; the nymphs hardly spoke to each other, and the Guardian often tired of having the relay the same message to each of them. Of course, it had been over a century and a half ago when these began, and the population of the nymphs was dwindling. Avar hoped these meetings still brought the nymphs together. They were the last of their kind, afterall.

The moon meeting had drawn to a close, and as the wood nymphs dispersed, Avar watched each of them part ways. He stayed in his place, wanting to speak to the Guardian alone. He did not want them knowing about his new guest just yet.

The black nymph turned his purple gaze to the Guardian. As the last surviving nymph with vast knowledge of the outside world, Avar often spent more time with the Guardian than the others. He was the only remaining nymph who had the misfortune of meeting all four Guardians. And yet, he felt so small compared to the god before him. The Guardian was in his favorite form; a centaur with the body of a great stag, giant antlers protruding from his human head. It was certainly among the more approachable forms the Guardian took, though Avar honestly preferred it when the Guardian was in a more intimidating state. It was easier to read him, ironically.

“Avar,” the Guardian murmured. “I was hoping you would stay behind.”

“Your radiance, I would have come as soon as you called, even if I had not,” Avar replied. He paused, the feather crest on his head drooping a little. “But.. Yes, I do have something I would like to speak to you about. I am sure you know already..”

The guardian raised an eyebrow, his dark eyes fixed on Avar. “Yes, the faunis boy.”

The nymph nodded. “Marius.”

“That is not the name I heard from the tribe,” the guardian said, his interest piqued. “They called him Paddy.”

Avar nodded again. “He felt he needed to drop the tribe name,” he explained. “I suggested Marius to him. He seems to like it, so it is what I will call him unless he requests otherwise. I only want him to be comfortable.”

“Hm. So you intend on keeping the boy around for long, then,” the god mused. It was hard to read the Guardian again. The black nymph found himself fidgeting, and quickly tucked his arms behind his back to hide it. Was he going to be punished for this? For providing shelter to the faunis boy? “The fox faunis tribe shelters here,” the Guardian continued, pacing a little. “I created the faunis, and therefore they are residents of my forest. It is well within your duty as a healer and protector to help the boy.”

A wave of relief washed over Avar, and a small smile formed on the Guardian’s lips. “Thank you, your greatness.”

The smile quickly faded, and Avar immediately felt uneasy again, watching the change in his god’s expression. “But.. Should the faunis find out about the boy’s new status, Avar, you are not to stand in their way.”

Avar didn’t know how to respond to that. Was it not his duty to protect Marius? To nurse him back to health as he had been doing? To keep him fed and clothed?

The Guardian’s pacing had slowed to a stop, his back facing Avar. This was the worst, because Avar couldn’t even see his expression to get the slightest read on him. “You do not age, you are a being of pure magic. But you are not immortal. Should they wound you fatally, I cannot bring you back,” he continued. “You know what has happened to the others. Marrin, Vestria–”

“I know, your radiance,” Avar said quickly, cutting him off. He of all nymphs would know. He’d watched Marrin’s flame die, and he’d stood beside the Guardian as the ties to more than one nymph were lost. “I will not let it come to that. There are too few of us to allow myself to be killed.”

The Guardian gave his head a short nod, satisfied with this answer. He turned to face the nymph once more. “Marius can live with you as long as you like. Your home has enough space, does it not?” To this question, Avar answered with a nod. Marius had been living in the room Avar once used to store his medicines, which were now placed in various spots around the tree-house.

“Good,” the Guardian said. He began to approach Avar, who was as still as he could be. “He is an innocent soul. I am quite pleased you stumbled across him.”

As the Guardian stopped before him, Avar found himself filled with curiosity. “Innocent? So you saw the ceremony?”

“I was a witness to it, yes. I try to always witness the faunis ceremonies within the forest. For the tribes that live outside.. I cannot often see them. It has become dangerous to leave the forest.” 

Avar knew this. He nodded a little. “So you do not agree with Marius’ exile, then?” The Guardian shook his head, making Avar’s curiosity all the more intense. “Why did you not stop them? Would they not see anything you could do as a sign?”

The Guardian was quiet for a moment. “I try not to interfere. Besides, I believe the boy would be much happier outside of his village.”

“You have not seen his attitude towards me much, then,” Avar scoffed. As grateful as he knew Marius was, the child was quite the handful. He was so bitter for such a young soul, so angry. And when the poor thing wasn’t pissed off to all ends, he was in tears. Avar had only seen him smile once, and he was asleep at the time.

“I have not, you know I avoid prying into your personal lives,” the Guardian replied. A fact Avar was grateful for, really, for he was sure the Guardian would not approve of many of his books. “But I have seen how his people interacted with him. They treated him like he was an accident waiting to happen. His exile is the product of a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Avar had not asked Marius why he had been exiled. He didn’t want to pry, and he didn’t want to push the boy away. Especially since his emotions were so strong. In fact, Avar only knew of this exile because of the mark on the boy’s lip. The cut was tainted with magic; a sacred ceremony had been conducted that day. The scar would never heal, and anybody with senses attuned to magic would see the taint it would leave on him forever. Because of this, the way Marius’ people treated him was news to him. 

“Do you know why?” Avar finally asked. “I have yet to speak with him about it much. He is very fragile.”

The Guardian nodded slightly. He returned to pacing, his hooves making nice, satisfying sounds against the wood of the great branch they stood upon. “The boy’s mother is their chief. She only had one daughter. Her other four children are all male.”

“And the Forest tribe treats men rather poorly,” Avar recalled. He’d been to the tribe a few times, each after great disasters, to heal them and act as a messenger for the Guardian. Though it had been long ago, and he’d hoped they had changed their ways. Judging from the Guardian’s expression and speech, this was not the case.

“His father took him and ran when he was a baby,” the Guardian continued after responding to Avar with a nod. “The father was killed for it. The boy… Marius, you called him? Marius was treated like he would do the same.”

Avar sighed softly. He understood that the Guardian did not want to interfere. But if the Guardian knew so much about Marius, why did he not even try to help him?

“You truly care about the boy, do you not, Avar?” The Guardian asked.

The nymph was caught off-guard, and his eyes met with the Guardian’s for a moment. He took a moment to choose his words wisely. “I have been taking care of him for two weeks. He has… grown on me.”

“Good. It has been far too long since you have had somebody to care about,” the Guardian replied. “I know you still grieve for Marrin. Take Marius as a sign.”

Avar was quiet for a moment. Did the Guardian plan for this? Or was it just fortune?

“I will. Thank you, your radiance,” he finally replied. “I must be getting back to him. He does not sleep well at night. He might need comfort.”

The Guardian nodded. “Yes, go ahead. I will call upon you if I need you.”