Chapter 6- FaeNet
Arwen POV
I had no words. Rhiannan lay asleep beside me, her arm slung carelessly over my chest, her breath warm and steady against my skin. Her auburn curls spilled across the pillow in a wild, untamed tangle, like a fire that refused to be contained, even in sleep.
The faint shimmer of her power clung to her like a second skin, pulsing gently through the bond that tethered us. It wasn’t the roaring heat of earlier, when her magic had surged like a tidal wave, fierce and untouchable. This was deeper, steadier, a quiet hum of divinity that wrapped around me like a promise. I could feel it in my bones, a rhythm that synced with my heartbeat, binding us in ways I wasn’t ready to name.
Fuck. My eyes traced the weathered planks of the ceiling above my bunk, the wood scarred from years at sea aboard the Noctis.
What the hell had just happened? She’d saved herself for me, not because of some archaic custom or purity nonsense, but because her soul had screamed at her to wait. For this moment. For me. That kind of gift wasn’t just physical, it was a piece of her essence, raw and unguarded. You didn’t take something like that lightly. It was a weight, a responsibility, a vow I hadn’t earned but would die to honor.
I swallowed hard, my throat tight, and brushed a lock of hair from her freckled cheek. Her skin was soft under my calloused fingers, warm with the glow of her divinity. “You don’t even know what you are,” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the creak of the ship and the distant lapping of waves against the hull.
And hell, neither did I. Not fully. A goddess, that much I was certain of now. What she’d done during the kraken attack, when the sea itself had bowed to her will, wasn’t something mortals could pull off. Not even the strongest elemental warriors, trained for centuries in the arcane arts, could wield magic that pure, that commanding. The air had bent toward her, the ocean parting like a servant before its queen.
The way she moved, instinctual yet precise, carried the weight of something ancient, something divine. Her power wasn’t just strength, it was creation itself, woven into her very being.
And if I could feel it, so could others. The realization hit like a blade to the gut. The rotting vipers on the Goldendale throne, Kristoff and Lorelei, my so called parents, would have sensed it too. Their hunger for power was insatiable, a venom that had poisoned everything it touched, including me. They’d want her, desperately, destructively, their claws itching to cage her light and twist it into a weapon for their endless schemes.
The thought sent every protective instinct in me snapping to full alert, a growl building in my chest as I imagined their gilded hands reaching for her.
“Hey,” Rhiannan murmured, stirring beside me, her voice soft with the haze of sleep. She shifted, her arm tightening briefly around me before she propped herself up on one elbow. “You’re thinking too loud.”
A quiet laugh escaped me, easing the tension coiled in my shoulders. “Sorry, little goddess,” I said, my voice rough but warm. “Just… stuck in my head.”
She sat up slowly, clutching the worn sheet to her chest, her hazel eyes searching mine in the dim lantern light. Shadows danced across her face, softening the sharp edges of her features but not the intensity in her gaze. “I didn’t mean to break anything between us,” she said, her voice quieter now, laced with a vulnerability that twisted something deep in my chest. “With what happened.”
Her words hit like a wave, threatening to pull me under. I reached for her, my hand finding hers and holding it tight, grounding us both. “Rhiannan,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm in my heart, “you gave me something precious. Not just your body. You trusted me, trusted in us."
"That’s a gift I’ll never stop being grateful for. Never.”
She looked away, a faint flush rising to her freckled cheeks, her curls catching the light like embers. “Back home, I always thought I’d end up alone,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “Too damaged. Too much. No one ever stayed long enough to handle… all of me.”
I squeezed her hand, my thumb brushing over her knuckles. “You’re not too much,” I said fiercely. “You’re exactly enough. More than enough. Anyone who can’t handle your fire doesn’t deserve to stand in your sun.” The words spilled out before I could stop them, raw and unfiltered, but I meant every one. She was a force, a wildfire in human form, and I’d burn the world down before I let anyone dim her light.
Her lips curved into a small, hesitant smile, but her eyes shimmered with an unspoken weight, a burden she carried from a life I was only beginning to understand. “Tell me about them,” she said, her voice steadying. “Your family.”
A harsh breath left me, the air hissing through my teeth like a blade drawn from its sheath. “The Goldendales are a nest of serpents draped in royal silk,” I said, my voice low and bitter. “My parents, Kristoff and Lorelei, are monsters who mold their children into weapons, pawns, or sacrifices, whatever serves their ambition. I was forged to be their blade,
sharpened by cruelty and tempered in venom. I barely got out, clawing my way free with blood on my hands and scars on my soul. My sister Gailia… she wasn’t so lucky. I’ve tried to free her more times than I can count, but their chains are stronger than iron. I’ve been in hiding ever since, carving out my own name in the shadows, helping those they’d crush under their heels.”
Her grip on my hand tightened, and through the bond, I felt her anger flare, sharp, protective, a mirror to my own. It surged through me, a wave of heat that nearly knocked the wind out of me. “They’re going to come for me, aren’t they?” she asked, her voice steady but her eyes burning with defiance.
“Yes,” I said without hesitation, the truth as heavy as the anchor moored below. “If they sensed your magic, and I’m certain they did—they’ll want to cage you. Use you as a weapon to fuel their empire. They’ll stop at nothing.”
Her shoulders squared, her chin lifting, and her eyes flashed with a fire that made my heart stutter. “They can try,” she said, her voice a low, dangerous promise.
Gods, I adored her. The strength in her, the way she faced the world like it could throw its worst at her and she’d still rise. We dressed slowly, lingering in the soft brushes of fingers against skin, in the unspoken promises that hung between us. I handed her the smartbrain bracelet, its sleek surface glinting in the lantern light. “Put this back on,” I said. “It’ll sync with FaeNet. You’ll need it.”
She slid it onto her wrist, and her breath caught as glowing runes flared to life, a hovering display shimmering in the air like a mirage. “What the actual fresh hell is that?” she demanded, her eyes wide with a mix of awe and exasperation.
I grinned, leaning back against the bunk. “Welcome to your new reality, sunshine.”
The system’s voice rang out, crisp and mechanical: New User Detected. Divine Signature Confirmed. Welcome, Goddess Rhiannan. Profile initializing…
Her name appeared in elegant, glowing script, followed by:
Status: Unknown Goddess
Location: Pirate Ship Noctis
Companion Detected: Arwen Goldendale
“Companion?” she asked, one brow arching as she shot me a look that was half amusement, half accusation.
I coughed, rubbing the back of my neck. “It… uh… links to whoever you’re physically or magically bonded to. Proximity thing. Or, you know, soul-deep connection thing.” I smirked, trying to play it off, but the bond pulsed between us, warm and undeniable.
“Oh hell no,” she snapped, glaring at the display like it had personally offended her. “This thing just put me on blast!”
And right on cue, FaeNet exploded.
Posts, comments, and gifs flooded the feeds, her name and mine tangled together in a viral storm that lit up the digital ether. Speculation ran wild, rumors of her power, whispers of our bond, and a flood of emojis that ranged from heart-eyes to flaming swords. The realm was watching, and it was hungry for her.
She stared at the screen, her expression a mix of horror and indignation. “I hate it here,” she muttered, her voice dripping with exasperation.
I doubled over laughing, the sound echoing through the cabin. “Welcome to going viral, sunshine,” I managed between breaths, my chest lighter than it had been in years.
She stormed off, muttering curses in three languages, some I recognized, some I didn’t, her magical creatures trailing behind her like a little angry parade. A tiny dragonling hissed at the air, a shimmering fox-thing darted between her feet, and something that looked suspiciously like a sentient cloud of sparks bobbed along in her wake.
I just sat there, my grin refusing to fade, watching her fire light up the dim cabin.
For the first time in a very, very long time, I didn’t feel alone. The weight of my past, the Goldendales’ shadow, the endless fight to carve out something good in a world of venom, it all felt bearable with her beside me. She was my sun, my storm, my goddess.
And I’d burn every throne in Andopeer to keep her safe.