[BL] Spring Is in the Air!

Of Flowers

by Luxican

 

 

Premise Tags: Confession,

Mythology, Satyrs, Dryads, Rituals,

Gods, Transmutation, Ancient Times.

Content Warnings: Death,

Mild Fantasy Violence, Ritualistic Murder.

 

 

 

“You confuse me.”

Elderflower stared at the youth in front of him with a puzzled expression.

“What’s so hard to understand?” Gida grinned broadly, with his eyebrows playfully knitted together.

The nymph in front of him then looked Gida brazenly in the eye while repeating his words: “’I have fallen in love with you, my heart yearns for you, I cannot be without you. Therefore, please be with me!’ What does that even mean?”

Now Gida started to blush a little. He scratched the ground with his hoof, careful not to harm any nearby flowers.

He opened his mouth to answer the boy, but Ivy beat him to it.

“In love! Say, Gida, did you pick that up from the humans?”

Gida turned to look at Ivy, who had just awakened from her slumber. Her long green hair hung down from her tree and curled in the fresh spring wind.

Her curvaceous body lolling seductively to get rid of any last remnants of sleep.

Elderflower looked bewildered at Ivy.

His questioning gaze did not go unnoticed, immediately the nymph opened her mouth to enlighten him.

“You know Elderflower, love is a terrible thing. It causes people to do stupid things and leads them into disaster. It’s practically the greatest misfortune that can befall one!”

Elderflower’s eyes widened when he heard this. Immediately, taking a step back from Gida, as if the latter had contracted a contagious disease.

“That’s not true at all!” snapped Gida at Ivy, but she only returned a contemptuous snort before continuing with her story.

“To be young and innocent again! Elderflower, there is nothing beautiful about love, trust me. We nymphs are lucky because we don’t fall in love. We can be in relationships with others without having to experience sorrow or grief! Isn’t that the greatest thing?”

Without waiting for Gida’s rebuttal, Ivy jumped down from her tree. Her light, white linen dress, which was attached to her body with only a few loops of ivy, fluttered in the air as she floated toward the nymphs’ Festival Clearing.

Elderflower was lost in thought after the nymph’s words, strained by this activity, he frowned.

Gida looked at him silently.

White hair with a light green tint at the tips fell into a delicate face. Long lashes, as if formed from ice and snow, framed large, green-yellow eyes. A little nose led to a lovely, contemplatively pursed mouth.

Only a short linen shirt hung over his body, concealing what should remain concealed. Small elderflower blossoms were scattered in his hair and lay on his shoulders.

He was so cute! He would love to pat Elderflower’s head and tell him he didn’t have to think about it so hard anymore.

Gida began to grin dotingly.

“Are you going to die?”

“Why would I die?”

The satyr’s heart contracted as he heard the worried tone of his opposite. He saw tears welling up in Elderflower’s eyes and fear spreading across his face.

“But didn’t Ivy say that love is terrible and brings bad luck? Besides, humans have it and they die like flies. I don’t want you to die…”

Tears rolled down his cheeks and sparkled in the sunlight, the end of his sentence swallowed by heart-wrenching sobs.

Guilt shot through Gida’s veins: making Elderflower cry had never been his intention. Carefully, he leaned forward and hugged Elderflower tightly, his hand comfortingly stroking the nymph’s slender back.

“No, you misunderstood. I won’t die because I love you, quite the opposite! Love gives wings and makes you able to do things you wouldn't otherwise.”

Elderflower sniffed softly, eyeing Gida, especially his back, before shakily murmuring, “But the humans…”

Gida really wanted to break out into a grin, his darling was just too cute! But he restrained himself.

“It’s not love that is to blame for the humans’ early deaths, it’s the curse of mortality they must suffer under forever. Love is the most wonderful thing given to them by the gods.”

Slowly Elderflower’s tears dried up and stared at Gida in surprise, but even more relief. His big eyes seemed to ask Gida ‘Really?’, whereupon the satyr laughed softly and pressed a small kiss on Elderflower’s tear-stained cheek.

He would have liked Elderflower’s smooth forehead more, of course, but what could you do about height difference?

“How about we go see the humans? I heard they are celebrating some kind of festival today.”

Elderflower’s thoughts were freely displayed on his face as he pondered, first he frowned, then his face relaxed before a gentle smile graced his lips, eventually though that smile turned into a depressed expression.

“I’m sorry Gida, today is also the beginning of the return celebration for the honorable Daughter of our Mistress Demeter. I’m afraid I can’t go with you to look at humans.”

After saying these words, Elderflower looked really dejected, it would have been the first time he saw these humans. Strange creatures that craved for the power of gods and yet also trembled before it.

“It won’t take that long, we’ll just take a quick look, after that, we will go right back. Also, after you see how beautiful love is, you can give me your answer!”

This seemed to convince Elderflower, his face beaming as he agreed.

With that, the two young beings sneaked out of the secret forest of nymphs. From time to time, an excited giggle and whisper could be heard from them.

Normally, the older nymphs forbade the young offspring to leave the secret forest, and a nymph stayed behind to look after Elderflower. But with the only gradual awakening of the other nymphs from their hibernation and the upcoming festivities, no one was free. Naturally, they never explicitly stated this rule to Elderflower, because he was usually very obedient.

Gida took advantage of that to take his friend to see a bit of the world. He also felt pretty smug for noticing such a small detail.

The foliage became thinner the closer they got to the human settlement, and the noise drafting from it also became louder and louder. Just before the edge of the forest, Gida stopped and looked at the cute nymph behind him. At that moment, he felt incredibly happy, because he had been able to hold Elderflower’s hand all the way here.

Elderflower’s cheeks were flushed in excitement and his eyes sparkled. An uncertain smile had crept onto his lips some time ago.

“Ready?”

Gida felt Elderflower grip his hand a little tighter before the latter nodded firmly. Another internal love confession of Gida later, he pushed aside the last few leaves and branches.

An incredibly, beautiful scene stretched out before them.

Not far away, a group humans danced around a huge fire, while other humans sat together, drank, ate and talked.

All this was shrouded in a kind of joy that Elderflower had never seen before.

This scene, this emotion they radiated, was almost, no, it was divine.

In its own unique way.

As Elderflower watched, tears ran down his cheeks.

Even he saw this strange and wonderful light in their eyes.

Was this love?

He had never felt so sad being born a nymph, for they could not feel this emotion, which seemed as great as the sky itself.

Suddenly, Elderflower felt someone hugging him, and the warm, muscular arms of his favorite satyr woke him from his trance.

This time, as he looked down into the latter’s brown eyes, he saw the same light.

“I want to fall in love too.”

Gida’s eyes widened, despite all his hoping, he hadn’t expected to hear such a positive answer from Elderflower.

The human bustle behind them seemed to fall silent as Gida hugged Elderflower tightly. This time tears rolled down his cheeks.

Tears of joy that is.

Startled by the sight of his crying friend, Elderflower also began to cry.

It took a long time for the both of them to calm down.

“Are we going back?”

The sun drenched the world in a shadowy pink and orange with its last rays. Soon the celebration of the nymphs would begin, and Elderflower had to be back by then. Even Gida couldn’t do anything about that.

Elderflower nodded, but couldn’t help casting one last longing look towards the humans. How he would love to see this spectacle again!

With that, the two embarked on their way home, Gida swinging his and Elderflower’s entwined hands with each step. It wasn’t long before Elderflower joined in on this fun activity and two started laughing happily.

“Can we go look at the humans again next year?” asked Elderflower giggling.

Gida turned to Elderflower and put another kiss on his cheek. He was so happy! And his friend even considered sharing his feelings! A thousand butterflies fluttered in his stomach, tickling his insides so that he could not help laughing.

“Of course, if that’s what you want!”

Elderflower laughed and this time, kissed Gida on the forehead.

His sweetheart’s laughter was so beautiful!

Gida languished over Elderflower as he blushed from the surprise kiss.

They were about to reach the nymph’s secret forest and with it their temporary farewell, when suddenly they heard a noise.

It wasn’t laughter or anything else that indicated the existence of festivities.

Cries of pain and sobs filled the air.

The lighthearted atmosphere immediately vanished, Gida and Elderflower exchanged frightened and scared looks before running closer to the forest and hiding in the bushes.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

They saw a large crowd of humans marching through the forest, cutting down trees, trampling on flowers and uprooting bushes. While other humans were holding off the crowd of nymphs, slaughtering them in cold blood.

With each plant they killed, a scream echoed in the forest and a nymph fell to the ground, breaking down into a pile of flowers and leaves.

With each death, the other nymphs became more and more panicked, pushing more desperately against the wall of humans, so they could protect their Flora, but nymphs weren’t creatures made for fighting.

Gida felt sick at the sight, and this impulse to vomit awakened him from his stupor.

“Stay here! I will get the other satyrs!”

But Elderflower was already gone.

His heart stopped, refusing to beat anymore, for he saw Elderflower running through the crowd of humans.

He rushed past the armed humans, who paused in surprise but started pursuing him almost instantly.

It wasn’t long before the first armed human reached him and started to slash at him.

Golden blood splashed through the air, Elderflower let out a scream, but kept running.

With the last of his strength, he threw himself onto a patch of flowers before the armed humans hacked down at him and his blood splashed across the green grass and colorful flowers.

This was the last Gida saw of Elderflower, whose mangled body lay protectively over a few flowers.

Gida screamed.

But no one noticed him in his hiding place.

As he rushed out, wanting to slay every human who was here, a blinding light illuminated the forest.

The humans screamed, held their eyes and writhed on the ground in pain.

But the nymphs cheered, weeping with relief, for their Mistress had come to save them.

A voice echoed from the light, but Gida ignored it completely.

He didn’t care if a god or a hero appeared, only one thing mattered to him:

Elderflower.

He felt himself trampling on humans with his hooves, but even that did not give him any satisfaction.

When he finally reached Elderflower, he froze.

Sobbing, he sank to the ground.

Although he clearly saw a smile on his friend’s face, it did not delight him.

He reached out to touch Elderflower’s hand, but the eyes that had been so alive only a short time ago were now blank.

“ah. Ah. Ah! AH! AHHHH!“

His blood-curdling howl gained more and more on volume.

His friend was dead, irrevocably dead!

Gida pulled Elderflower’s corpse closer to him, hugged his dead friend, rocked back and forth. Every time he took a breath, he kissed Elderflower’s cheek and forehead.

But nothing would bring him back.

Gida felt a hand on his shoulder.

He jerked up.

An indescribable face appeared in front of him, he couldn’t tell if the face was smiling at him or had some other expression.

Suddenly, the associated hand to the face reached for Elderflower, Gida turned away and only an animalistic growl escaped his lips.

Another hand laid down on his head this time, yet another person had appeared.

Gida shrank, hugging Elderflower tightly.

But the hand that reached for Elderflower this time wasn’t shaken off so easily.

It gently grasped Elderflower and lifted him out of Gida’s arms, the latter unable to prevent it.

He looked up.

Three people with faces he was not able to describe were looking down at him. Two of which seemed female and radiated a boundless freshness, while the male person somehow intimidated Gida. It was also the latter holding Elderflower.

The male person presented Elderflower's body to the smaller of the two. 

With widened eyes, Gida watched as Elderflower's body gradually disintegrated into small blossoms that silently drifted to the ground, after the small person touched him.

Horror washed over him, now even the corpse of his friend was gone.

Gida stood up, the only thing he could utter were a few unintelligible sounds. He was not even able to think any more. 

The male person now nodded towards the other two and kissed the slightly smaller one of them, before walking towards a strange, dark carriage.

As soon as the man got into the carriage, he disappeared, but that did not concern Gida. 

 

He walked to the place where white blossoms still danced through the air. Carefully catching all of these blossoms and picking up the ones on the ground.

 

They were so few…

 

While he pressed the blossoms to his chest, a pale hand appeared in his field of vision. In its palm lay a delicate plant with berries so red they appeared black.

 

Words, which he could not understand even if he wanted to, were whispered above his head and directed his attention to the little plant in front of him.

 

Hesitantly, Gida reached for the reddish colored plant. 

 

It rested peacefully in his hand, a slight tremor gripping its leaves upon touching the satyr's skin.The person whispered a few more words, but Gida did not understand them. 

 

The only thing he understood was the warm feeling in his chest when he received the plant.

 

His tears dripped on the thin roots of the tiny shrub.

 

And the tiny Elderberry trembled under the impact of waterdrops.

✿

 

Author's Account:

Luxican (SH).