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What You've Done, You Cannot Undo (Medieval AU)

Chapter 2

The story begins. Rain is troubled by memories from his past, but he's starting to find his feet with his new pack.

Rating: T Content: flashbacks, dew is mean (he's just troubled, your honour) Words: 2534

Link to full fic with associated tags: Tumblr | AO3

Read below, or on AO3!

Rain stared, stricken, at the beautiful water ghoulette in front of him. The coastal breeze rippled through her dark hair, wafting her salty, driftwood scent in his direction. The sneer on her face soured it, as did the acrid, burning smell emanating from the fire ghoul with his arms possessively wrapped around her.

“Wake up, Rain,” she scoffed, “why would I love a useless ghoul like you?”

Rain jolted awake, heart pounding. The air around him felt too warm, suffocating him, and the reason soon became apparent as a mocking chuckle echoed from the fire ghoul in the doorway.

“Wake up, Rain,” Dewdrop sneered, “some of us actually have work to do. We can’t all lie around in bed and get fawned over by Mountain and Swiss all day.” Turning on his heel, he flounced out of the room.

Rain flopped back against his pillows, all comfort lost to the artificially hot and humid air Dew had woken him with. He had been with the pack for almost a year now, and the small fire ghoul still hadn't fully accepted him.

~~~~~~~

At first, Rain had tried so hard to fit in with the ghouls who had given him everything when he had nothing. When Aether had opened the door to him that rainy summer’s night, he had instantly recognised the appearance of a fellow glamoured ghoul. The purple eyes said quintessence, yet the dwelling smelled of earth, fire, and even faintly of water and air.

Wary of finding himself thrown into a hostile ghoul pack, Rain had tried to make himself as small and unthreatening as possible. He needn't have worried: Aether had welcomed him in with open arms and a gentle smile, and Mountain had offered him food as though they were pack already.

Dew was a different matter, however. Rain had smelled him before he saw him; the smoky scent of an unhappy fire ghoul had kept Rain on edge, but the undercurrent of burnt seaweed intrigued him. As Swiss settled him for the night in front of a warm fire in the kitchen, Rain had heard a whispered conversation just outside the room.

“What are we meant to do with a water ghoul? There's enough of us here to be suspicious already, Aeth!”

"What else was I meant to do? He's practically still a kit, poor thing.”

“Exactly! He's young, his magic will be unstable. If he blows our cover we could lose everything we've worked for here. We can't just start taking in strays because you feel sorry for them.”

“Dew!” the deeper voice, Rain realised it was Aether, hissed. “He's still a scared ghoul away from his pack. He's in danger every minute he's around humans.” His voice turned cold. “Besides, you are in no position to call him a stray, remember how we found you?”

A set of light footsteps had retreated sullenly up the stairs, before Aether reappeared in the kitchen to wish Rain a good night. Rain had slept better that night than he had in months.

The next morning, Rain had been woken by Mountain making breakfast. He had been quickly accepted by him, Swiss and Aether, although Dewdrop had remained aloof. After several weeks of his new life, Rain had settled into his room at the far end of the farmhouse, learned how to help Mountain farm the land, and otherwise support his new pack. He had grown in confidence too, no longer scared of the villagers who had found him, or of wandering the countryside alone.

One sunny afternoon, Rain had decided to go fishing in the small creek that ran alongside the village, part of the same stream he had first been found drinking from. Catching fish was one of the few skills he possessed prior to his new life, and probably what had saved his life when he was on his own.

Rain had quickly noticed that Dewdrop always smelled faintly of seaweed and the ocean, so he assumed the fire ghoul must have some connection to water that he wasn't aware of. He knew nothing of Dew's history, he hadn't spoken about anything prior to living with Mountain and Aether in the weeks since Rain had arrived. In water ghoul culture, presenting a more senior ghoul with freshly caught fish was a symbol of goodwill and submission; Rain hoped Dewdrop would appreciate the gesture and begin to accept him.

The path to the stream was familiar to Rain already, the earth well-trodden as he picked his way down to the rocky patch he liked to position himself on, with a clear view into the water. Rain sat very still, poised on his haunches waiting for a fish to swim past. The water here was crystal clear, and combined with Rain's ghoulish eyesight he spotted his first catch in no time. With deadly precision, he lunged forward with both hands and snatched the fish clean out of the water. He chittered happily to himself, and quickly dispatched the fish with the swipe of a sharp claw, before setting it aside and resuming his position looming over the water. In a short while, Rain had accumulated a decent sized pile of fish beside him, a generous offering by any water ghoul's standard.

Proudly, he gathered up his catch and returned to the farmhouse. Entering the open kitchen door, he found Mountain and Dew sat at the table over cups of tea. Dew's nose twitched as he entered, although his eyes remained glued on his mug. With a chirp and a toothy grin, Rain held out his peace offering,

“I brought you some fish.” he smiled with a tilt of his head.

Dew looked up at him from under a single raised eyebrow.

“Why the fuck would I want a load of smelly fish? I'm not a water ghoul.”

Rain's face fell, hurt by Dew's derision of his gift. Luckily, Mountain quickly swooped in and took the fish from Rain, steering him gently in the direction of the counter and away from Dewdrop.

“Freshwater trout! That's wonderful Rain, trout is Swiss's favourite!”

Rain forced a weak smile, disappointed that once again, Dewdrop had failed to accept him.

Sure enough, when Swiss returned home he had been delighted. His rumbling purrs as he sat down between Rain and Mountain's vacant seat had made Rain feel slightly better despite his mission's failure. Dew glowered across the table at them as Mountain placed the pan of grilled fish in the centre.

“This is dinner Firefly, eat it or don't.” Aether had said sternly.

Dew had eaten it, licking clean every last morsel from the bones.

~~~~~~~

The smell of warm bread tickled Rain's nostrils, encouraging him out of bed. He wasn't lazy, but Dew had managed to strike a nerve, as always. He knew he didn't pull his weight as much as Aether or Mountain. They'd been here so long, and the village trusted them so much, it was impossible to compete. Rain's connection to his magic was still shaky: he could usually pull water to or from a field, but couldn't summon or banish it reliably. Still, he would often follow Mountain and assist him when farmers called for his help – even if his magic wasn't needed, a strong pair of arms was always welcome.

Curling his toes into the sheepskin rug beneath his bed, Rain stretched the sleep from his long body, groaning as his spine popped. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of the frill of his gills, they stood out against his blue-tinted skin in the mirror where his shirt rode up with the stretch. He would have to work on keeping his glamour up in his sleep at some point, it wouldn't do to have it fade away when around humans if his concentration lapsed.

Once he was dressed, Rain made his way to the kitchen. Swiss’s fresh bread, the source of the wonderful smell throughout the house, was cooling on the counter, flour still dusting the ghoul’s clothes and hair. Mountain was stood at the stove minding a pan of eggs, and chittered a good morning at Rain. As Rain fell into his usual seat at the table, Swiss placed a cup of tea in front of him, nuzzling his head between his horns with a purr in greeting.

“Mornin’.” yawned Rain. “Where’s Aether? It’s not like him to miss Mount’s breakfast.”

“Out on a job”, replied Swiss, sitting down beside him with his own steaming mug, “Old Mrs Nesbit’s hip is acting up again, her son asked me last night if Aeth could drop round first thing.”

That was something to be said for Swiss haunting the tavern most nights: as well as getting work of his own from villagers there, he acted as a calling card for all of the ghouls.

“Got an elemental job for you too, if you’re interested?”

Rain looked at him is mild disbelief.

“Me?” Rain was rarely asked for, he usually just followed his packmates when they were summoned, and collected workhand day-wages.

“Yup!” Swiss popped the p, sounding very pleased with himself. “Farmer Wilkins asked for one of my stories last night, and I happened to drop in the dry spell I saw coming next week.”

Swiss had near-perfect predictive powers over the weather, it was one of the things that the townsfolk asked his advice on the most. There hadn’t been a single wedding party rained on since his arrival. He had told the pack about the next few dry weeks a while ago, and in recent days Rain had been working with him to ensure their own fields had sufficient moisture to survive until the next rainfall. Rain only wished he had enough control over his element to create the rain himself. He was still young, his power was still developing, but it felt like he was failing as a water ghoul each time he had to resort to pulling water from the streams around the village instead of from the ground and air itself.

“I mentioned that you’d been “blessing” our fields this week, he’s asked if you could do the same for him. Just wave your hands around a bit and get the ground wet enough for his crops to last until harvest ‘kay? Talk the same spiritual mumbo-jumbo you’ve seen me and Mount spout, the humans love that shit.”

Rain nodded hesitantly. This would be his first real task without Mountain or Swiss to help; if this went well, that would finally show Dew that he was capable of pulling his weight around here. He sipped his tea, letting the warmth rejuvenate his confidence and melt away the lingering ice in his veins from the dream.

~~~~~~~

Even though it had been well over a year since he left that world behind, that specific dream kept haunting him. Having to relive the moment his whole life fell down around his ears, when his childhood sweetheart humiliated him and left him for a fire ghoul, every time he closed his eyes.

She had been his only real friend growing up. Rain’s shyer personality was at odds with the very sociable culture of water ghouls; the only one in his sibling pod who hadn’t thrived from the moment they grew their baby fins. She was pretty and popular, but she made Rain feel special. She’d always said that she liked his quiet demeanour, that it would be them together against the rest of the world. They had been young, but not uncommonly so to settle down, and in love. Their whispered discussions of a future together were held deep into the night where curious ears could not hear.

All that came crashing down the day she had swanned into the village with the loudest and brashest fire ghoul he had ever had the displeasure of meeting. She had been away on a trip with her family, the pair declaring how they hated being separated from each other, even for a short time. The night she returned was the night Rain planned to officially ask her to be his mate. He had been hunting for her favourite fish, for some of the rarest delicacies the sea could provide them. He had collected and braided her a blanket of the softest kelp, a classic mating gift, and set everything up on “their” rock overlooking the ocean. They had arranged to meet there on her return, sealing the plan with a farewell kiss.

Her return with the fire ghoul had ruined everything: she had brought him to their spot, and finding Rain there they had laughed at his offerings, ridiculing him as pathetic in front of the small crowd that had followed them in interest. Rain’s world had shattered around him, his safe space invade by stares and jeers, his life reduced to the village joke.

When Rain could take it no longer, he had left. His journey inland was lonely and fraught with danger, and left him exhausted. Surviving on raw fish and water wasn’t sufficient, her face haunted him during the little sleep he got, and as he became more malnourished and isolated he felt his mind beginning to fray at the seams. Being discovered and taken in by his new pack had undoubtedly saved his life. His place in his own clan had vanished, and the only hurdle left now in his new one seemed to be Dewdrop. He had to make this work.

~~~~~~~

Mountain placed the pan of eggs on the table in front of Rain, snapping him out of his daze.

“You alright Tadpole? You zoned out for a while there.” He looked at Rain in concern.

“Yeah… Didn’t sleep too well, that’s all.” Rain offered a weak smile, and hoped it was convincing. He felt Swiss’s eyes boring into the side of his head, but ignored him in favour of sipping on his tea.

Dew reappeared just as Mountain was serving some eggs onto the plate left in his spot, thankfully attracting attention away from Rain. He quietly nibbled on his portion, observing their conversation but not hearing it.

“Rain.”

“Rainy!” A small nudge in the ribs from Swiss followed as he repeated himself. “Did you hear me? Are you really sure you’re good to go alone, it could wait until another day if you’re tired?”

“Aww,” sneered Dew, “does Rainy need his hand holding?”

“Dewdrop!” Mountain snapped. “That’s uncalled for.”

“Well I’m sorry I can’t be perfect like Rain!” Dew spat back, his chair screeching out from the table, as he stormed back out the door. As he left, plate still in hand, the burners on the stove flared angrily.

Seeing the apologetic gazes directed his way, Rain also stood up, took a deep breath, and set his shoulders back. He knew deep down that Dew was wrong about him, he wasn’t a baby who needed coddling, but damn was he good at making him feel that way. Today was the perfect chance to prove himself, to show that he wasn’t dead weight.

“Rain–” Mountain started, but Rain cut him off.

“I’ll be back for lunch.” he stated simply, forcing a smile as he headed for the door.

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