8 Untold Bonds

***Correlates with Chapter 8 in One Lie ***

Shaking away from his stupor, Margus switched his gaze to the woman. Anger, amusement, and most of all, curiosity had consumed him. Over and over again, logic failed to conceive him answers to the now many questions he had; 'Who are you? What connection do you have to my brother? What meaning do these girls have to me to sway me in such a manner?' In that moment, as if in response, the girl returned from her own thoughts, now able to feel the ever growing presence of the golden man before her.

As the stone danced between her fingers, she causally plucked it from the air. She then slowly sat up, peering unfazed to the golden man's presence. She beckoned him to sit with her, as though all was normal and right with the world. This frustrated the man, though he could not muster the urge to defy her whims. He sat in front of her, and as he did so, attempted to clear his mind, returning whatever balance he could to himself.

Opening his eyes from concentration, the woman held each hand, palm upwards, onto each of her knees, as though praying. In a thoughtless fluid motion, his body willed him to transfer his sword to her. The moment she held blade and hilt, Margus realized what he had done. His heart began beating rapidly, nearly at the brink of exploding within his chest. Mouth agape, fear taking hold, he had just killed this woman... or so he thought. Instead, she sat there admiring the sword, wielding it with respect and awe. Through the blue flames of the sword, the girl took in its image. Though it was a basic one-handed weapon, she noticed faded markings and incantations across the blade of the sword, and intricate beautiful designs on the hilt. She paid Margus no attention as he became the dumbest man in existence at that very moment.

To further his astonishment, she had kissed the blade ever so gently with her supple lips, all the while caressing it gingerly with her small hands. With affection in her eyes, her very being was as though one with the sword. The blade, stone, and herself began pulsating softly in unison. She took the stone and placed it at the center of the blade. Then, bringing her lips where sword meets stone, she whispered words Margus could not make out. The sword vibrated with an intense blue flame that turned white. The stone melded into the blade, making the sword whole again. Turquoise flames and teal sparks now replaced the once hot white flames. Along with this new change, the blade had shortened itself, becoming more elegant in nature. It seemed befitting of a woman her size. The blade became translucent, and as it did so, had broadened and curved in stature. Margus likened this new look to waves in the ocean. The girl showed a sign of approval to the new changes, admiring the sword even more than before. She bent her head into a small bow and presented it to Margus. Examining the now transformed blade, he couldn't help but question its happenstance. It seemed too befitting of her rather than himself. Even so, Margus was moved by her gesture and accepted the blade. As he grasped the hilt, the flames became a darker blue than norm, but this time with turquoise accents. Bewildered once more, it had begun changing shape again. This time, the blade blackened and lengthened itself, becoming straight and double edged. Intricate gold veins stretched from the tip and down partway of the blade. From the hilt, blue veins had spread as well. The guard had sharpened and extended outward, with a smaller guard forming a few inches into the blade. What stunned Margus most was the fact that the stone itself was now centered within the guard. When the stone appeared, gaps in the guard formed on each side of it; only the top and bottom of the stone had any contact. Margus was in awe, noting that this change alone looked as though it were an eye peering at the world. The sword had finalized its shape, now becoming similar to a greatsword. Raising his eyebrows in surprise, 'Another question to the ever growing list...' he thought.

Exhaling, Margus's gaze hovered over the blade and then onto her. She sat there, now mesmerized with the new look of his sword. She seemed more excited about this transformation than the previous one. Seeing her reaction, Margus felt an urge to tease her. He lifted the sword parallel to himself, and gently swayed it left and right. Her eyes and head followed the sword without question. A smile curled on his lips. Straightening the blade horizontally now, he made quick motions up and down, then swung it to his far right. To his amusement, she followed every single movement. Margus began laughing, which brought her back to reality. Now that he caught her attention, "I did want my box back..." then looking at the fading images of the girls dancing with his brother in the field, "guess if wishes were horses" he said, returning his gaze towards her.

The woman's reaction was one of bewilderment. So much so, she jumped up as if assaulted; A look of astonishment across her face, "You can talk and laugh?!" she said dumbfounded. Margus looked at her, arching an eyebrow. This had her become nervous and scatterbrained. He dismissed her behavior and got straight to the point, "How do you know my brother? He was dancing with those girls earlier." She started to ramble, trying to make the situation less awkward.

"I mean, well, I don't know him... but I do know that box is ours somehow and that stone belongs to you just as your sword has your name sealed on it..."

Brow furrowed so seriously, Margus gauged her silently. This in return made her more conscious of her appearance; particularly her hair. Tangled and frayed, it started off blue, then blended into purple at shoulder length, continuing all the way to her apple bottom. She felt dirty and filthy. Looking away from him, she began tapping her leg in nervousness. She looked back at him and said with a smile "guess I'm stuck with you now."

A hearty laugh escaped from Margus; it was so loud the field echoed his amusement. The woman was dumbstruck, unable to make out the situation. For days he had simply taken care of her without question. He kept to himself, and never even spoke. Yet, here he is, laughing, not once but twice now. He shown so brightly... was this the same man? She had found him alluring before, but now she wanted to dive deep into this man's world.