Keyleth of Air Ashari. Voice of the Tempest. Born to rule, cursed to see fate. Ever since she was little she was able to see the strings connecting people. She was able to see their strength, how long people were destined to be together. The first time she asked her father why his string was broken looked at her like she was crazy, so she kept it to herself.
All her life she was threadless. And she was okay with that. She was going on her Aramente, she shouldn’t be tied to someone who would only mourn her. Then she met them. The twins. A thread bright and shining appeared from her to Vax one day throwing her off her guard entirely. He was with Shaun, sort of. He’d never really looked at her the way she did he. Even more surprising to her was the faint red line on her right hand. She’d barely seen it, wasn’t even sure when it’d appeared attached to Vex. It was so faint she thought it was a mistake. Over the years though, it never went away.
After Vax made his deal Keyleth knew what was going to happen. Her side was bright red and his had faded to a deep black, a golden string had appeared leading straight into the sky towards the gods. He wasn’t hers anymore. Then he died. And died again. And when he was finally taken away she watched as their string stretched, and stretched, and strained until it snapped. Part of her heart and soul died that day.
Currently she stared down at her hands. The left holding that dim frayed red reminder of what she’s lost. Her right teasing her with it’s stupidly flowing barely there red thread. She closed her eyes setting her palms on the Raven Tree. When they opened she was in Whitestone.
People greeted her with nods of their heads or small waves of their hands. She smiled back. Always smiling to everyone else. Kids were running around playing whatever games they’d come up with making her smile true. A generation who would never know the hardships of others, it was enough to almost warm her ever dull chest. Almost.
“Keyleth!” Running down the many steps to castle Whitestone was an ethereal beauty. Vex ran to her not really minding her step. She had her dress balled up in one hand, the other waving at her manically. Keyleth waved back feeling her smiling dull down to one only Vex could put on her face. Her hear skipped and her stomach sank. She felt sick. Still, as if almost by instinct her feet began to take her forward meeting the ranger in the middle.
“Hello Vex.” She greeted accepting the large hug Vex had thrown her into.
“Don’t you ‘hello Vex’ me.” The ranger pulled back giving her a mock glare. “You know I hate it when you treat me differently for my status darling.” She teased taking Keyleth by the hand.
“I’d forgotten your oh so magnificent grace.” Keyleth laughed at Vex’s regal look falling into her laughter with her. Fuck. She thought to herself feeling her chest constrict.
“I’ve had dinner already prepared. You’d better actually stay long enough to enjoy it.” Vex set her tone to motherly, a common occurrence from over the years, still holding The Tempest’s hand.
“I’m staying for a couple days, remember?” Keyleth nearly choked feeling Vex’s hand tighten around hers.
“I know. Wouldn’t be the first time you’ve been pulled away from me.” It was unfair that perceptive Vex couldn’t see how she effected Keyleth. She so easily made her insides flip and twist and shake. Too easily made her heart skip and beat to the point it made her think she was going to die. The damn thread between them gave her false, stupid hope that maybe there was still time for them.
But Vex had Percy and the string between them was so strong it was clear Keyleth was nothing more than a fleeting thought in Vex’s head. So why were they still connected? That’s the thought that kept Keyleth awake at night. Why was there still a thread of anything if Vex was meant to be with Percy.
They made it to the dining hall. Vex sat opposite Keyleth ranting about something she wasn’t giving any attention to. She was too focused on the way Vex talked, moved, gestured with excitement or anger at whatever was on her nerves. She was content just nodding or adding little bits of advice when asked for it. She loved it when it was just them. She wasn’t the Voice of the Tempest. She wasn’t even Keyleth of the Air Ashari. She was just Keyleth. She didn’t have to put on a face, or wear her too heavy mantel. She could finally, proverbially, rest her crown and could just be.
So when Percy sauntered into the room and her face instantly fell into a scowl she wasn’t surprised. When he sat at Vex’s side her food began to taste sour. She hated it. Hated being so bitter. They were happy. They were fated to be together and they are so fucking happy. She’s happy for them… She’s happy for them. Even if she’ll never be anything more than a second thought.
Then he leaned in and kissed Vex. It wasn’t anything odd or weird, just a happy little kiss they often shared. Keyleth stood abruptly nearly knocking her chair over. The Lord and Lady looked at her confused as she politely pushed her chair in and impolitely stormed off towards her suite.
She should just leave. Staying is a bad idea but she didn’t care. She didn’t have the energy to get back home. Not when the most comfortable bed she’d ever laid on was so much closer. She walked into her room hearing the door close of it’s own accord. A hand laid on her shoulder.
“Keyleth…”
Of course.
Keyleth whipped around smacking Vex’s hand off of her shoulder. “I’m fine Vex.” She wasn’t.
“Really? You think after all this time I can’t tell when you’re lying to me?” The ranger crossed her arms glaring up into the hardened green eyes of the Tempest.
“I said it’s fine. Leave it alone.” Keyleth, for once stood her ground when it came to her. Not that it really mattered. Vex was never one to back away from a fight.
“Keyleth, you can talk to me.” Vex reached a hand to cup Keyleth’s face. A shocked noise left her as her back slammed into the door behind her.
“You don’t get it.” Keyleth growled pinning Vex to the door. “If it was just me, fine. But it’s not. You’ve been hanging onto me since we were in our twenties.” All the pent up anger and frustration had finally reach it’s breaking point. The word vomit had finally started.
“Ex-fucking-scuse you? ‘Hanging onto?’” Vex steeled her face quoting her fingers around the last two words.
The tempest cringed. “Not like that. You know I didn’t mean it like that.” A frustrated hand tangled into her fiery hair.
“Do I know that? I don’t even know what’s got you so angry.” The ranger pushed off the door forcing Keyleth to step back.
“It doesn’t matter.” Keyleth let out a bitter laugh gripping her hair so tight it was beginning to hurt. “It doesn’t fucking matter.” Saying it out loud to the woman she’s been in love with for decades made something snap. Made it feel all the more real. This was fucking stupid. What does she even want anymore?
“Yes it-”
“No it doesn’t! It doesn’t fucking matter!” Keyleth screamed feeling tears well in her eyes seeing the string between go taught, it’s already faint color becoming translucent. She refused to let them fall. She was better than that. If this is what breaks them apart so be it. She was sick of thinking of her. Sick of always thinking about her. She saw Vex in everything. The sky, the stars, her own fucking home. It wasn’t fair.
“Keyleth-”
“I don’t matter enough to ruin your happily ever after!” The words hung in the air so heavy Keyleth had to catch herself from falling to her knees. Vex was silent. She was angry and silent. There was nothing more deadly than that.
“What the fuck did you just say?” The ranger growled taking step forwards. Keyleth matched with a step back. “‘Not important?’” Another step forward, another back. Keyleth knew Vex didn’t stand a chance against her. Not like this. Not without Fenthras. All she had to do was mutter a holding spell and leave. But she didn’t do that. She let Vex get in her face, she deserved it after all. “How dare you.” The ranger jabbed her finger into Keyleth’s chest hard.
The string between them began to glow brighter, it’s thin little line growing thicker. Keyleth watched it absolutely gobsmacked. She’d never seen a string change so fast. Not like this, not in the middle of a fight.
“You’re one of the most important people in my life. Who dare you say you aren’t?” Vex had Keyleth pushed back to her mattress. She shoved Keyleth sending her collapsing to the bed behind her. “Talk to me.”
“I can’t tell you.” She sat up trying to stand. Vex didn’t give her the space standing directly over her like she used to when they were younger.
“Do you think I’m stupid?” Vex snarled. The tempest felt like she was twenty three again. The shy socially awkward druid was making herself known screaming at her to just tell Vex everything. But she wasn’t twenty three anymore.
“If I told you” She looked down the brightly glowing very tense thread. She sunk under the weight of her situation. Elbows on her knees, face in her hands she lost the ability to fight. “You’d never stop thinking about it. You’d feel responsible and I can’t do that to you.” Tears fell down her face. Her voice refused to waver.
“I think you should stop telling me how I feel.” The bed dipped besides her. A comforting hand ran up and down her back lighting her skin in goosebumps. This is isn’t fair. None of this is fucking fair. “I see how you look at him.” Vex spoke into the thick silent air.
“What? No, Vex-” Keyleth raised her head knocked completely off her kilter.
“Let me finish.” Genlty the ranger stopped Keyelth before she could start one of her babbling rants. “I see how jealous you get. I’m not an idiot.” Vex laid a hand on the Tempest’s jaw wiping away her tears. “I looked at Vax the exact same way.” A tired chuckle spilled from her chest. “I never let go of you, I’m afraid.” She leaned forward.
How cruel. Keyleth thought pulling back just enough to stop Vex’s advance. “I-” The druid’s voice shook. Their string was stronger. Her words were true. She knew they were. But they weren’t meant to be. Not like this. “Vax and I were a would’ve been story.” Keyleth used all of her will power to pull away from the ranger. “You and Percy are should’ve been, should be.” She gently took the hand on her jaw into hers laying them conjoined on her lap. “Us? We are a could’ve been.” Her words sounded as defeated as she felt.
“Could be.” Vex pressed holding the back of Keyleth’s head. Carefully she guided them together until their foreheads met. A shadow of the past melting Keyleth’s hammering heart into nothing.
“Maybe. But not now.” Keyleth watched as their string flickered. In the very center appeared a fraying tear. Her chest hurt. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want to lose the only other person she’d been connected to. That form of loneliness would kill her.
“I know.” Vex breathed out onto her lips. Gods they were so fucking close. In this moment Keyleth felt a familiar emptiness in her body. The world was cruel. The gods were cruel. Fate was cruel. They sat in silence for a long while forehead to forehead just taking each other in.
When Vex stood it took everything in Keyleth not to stand and run after her. It took every ounce of her power to let Vex shut her door and walk away. A part was hoping she’d come back. That Vex would throw her door open and run into her forever waiting arms. She didn’t. Her heeled footsteps echoed off the castle walls until Keyleth’s heightened hearing could no longer hear them.
She looked down to her hands. On the left a long since dim and broken string gently swayed back and forth. It never did truly die, that fact had kept her going in some one her darkest moments. She smiled a bit knowing he was out there, he just wasn’t hers anymore.
On her right was that stupid fucking red thread of fate glowing much brighter and much stronger than when she’d arrived. Her face wanted to fall. She wanted to feel some sort of anger or remorse or something terrible. She didn’t. She just watched it flow around in liminal space following after someone who wasn’t but could’ve been hers.