Chapter Text
Most young and ambitious students of magical arts fresh out of college would take it as a personal offense to be sent as resident mages to a small backwater village such as Far Waters. But Simon would have it no other way.
He preferred the quiet solitude over the overwhelming bustle of the capital city. Besides, people of Far Waters were decent, honest folk, so different from the pretentious crowd he was used to back at home, and guarding sheep from an occasional thief or a pack of wolves and healing woodworking injuries proved to be much less stressful than dealing with pesky nobles. There was only one trouble that was making his work somewhat challenging.
The trouble by the name of Markus Manfred.
Markus was a son of an aging once well-known painter who decided to retreat with his small family from the capital city to Far Waters. Born in wealth and luxury, Simon at first expected him to be one of those spoiled rich-kids that always get what they want without any consequences. So he kept a close eye on him in case he would like to cause trouble. But to his great surprise, Markus turned out to be anything but a privileged brat.
He was very kind and sweet, always lending a helping hand around the village, and so eager to hear Simon’s stories about his college days. For someone so young, he had an incredible talent for leadership, knew perfectly how to rally up his neighbors for a good cause (be it rescuing a lamb that tumbled down into the river or helping a boy who got bit by a snake). And as chance would have it, he was also a drop-dead gorgeous man just a few years Simon’s junior who was getting both men and women swooning.
That last part was probably the biggest issue.
It started slowly without him even noticing, but soon enough, Simon became completely smitten by Markus’ charms. He wouldn’t hesitate to court him if he were just a little bit better match. But alas, no amount of money he could raise from his status of resident mage (which wasn’t that much, considering he refused additional payment from poor farmers who barely had any coin to spare, too) would be enough to afford him the luxury Markus was used to. Besides, it was no secret that he had far better suitors.
There were rumors in the streets that he had a thing for North, one of the Far Water’s fiercest hunters, and people expected them to get married in a year or two. So, there was no place for Simon in his life. Not at all.
Which was why it baffled him so much when he found the boy sitting at the front porch of his house one day, waiting for him to come home.
“Sir, please, you must help me!” Markus cried out as soon as he saw him returning from the mill where he was helping the miller’s wife deliver her fifth baby. He was on the verge of passing out with exhaustion, but the urgency in the boy’s tone instantly made him snap out of it and focus on whatever was troubling him.
“What’s wrong, Markus? Is it your father again?”
Carl Manfred was seriously ill since, well, ever since Simon remembered, but with each passing year, he required more and more medical attention. The mage even suggested to him once or twice that he should seek out help at the capital city where he would get far better treatment, but the stubborn old man refused to even think about it. He said that all he wanted was to die in peace at home. With Markus by his side.
“Oh, no, no, dad is fine, that new medicine you gave him last time seems to be working like a miracle. It’s just, well… I need to talk to you about something. In private. If you have time, of course.” Markus gave him a glance over and Simon thanked the divines that he had enough reason to scrub all the mess off of himself right at the mill’s well. The water was freezing, but at least he didn’t reek with filth now. That wouldn’t leave the best impression. “Don’t get me wrong, sir, but you look like you could use some rest.”
He had a point. But Simon always cared more about the others than himself. Especially if that someone one particular emerald-eyed son of a local painter. “It’s all right – I’m not that tired yet. Come in, then. Let’s see what I can do for you.”
Markus was unusually nervous, almost fidgeting with panicked energy. Even more so since Simon asked him to sit down by the dining table so they could talk it through (he even offered him some tea and his famous cookies as usual, but the young lad said no to both – weird, because he would usually jump after any opportunity to get some cookies). It was making Simon worry. What could be so important and yet so taboo it was this hard to talk about?
His head immediately started coming up with tons of catastrophic scenarios, and Markus’ initial silence wasn’t helping much.
Thankfully, the boy found his voice soon, even though it was hushed and uncertain.
“Sir, I… think I fell in love with someone.”
Ah. It was a tale old as the time itself, one that Simon heard in this very same room over and over again, from people both young and old, rich or poor. But not once from Markus’ lips. It made his heart sink with a cold, empty feeling, partly relieved that it didn’t turn out to be something far worse, but also full of remorse and self-pity.
He knew it would happen eventually. Just not like this. Not right now.
Still, he forced himself to smile. It was a terrible, empty grimace, and he hoped Markus wouldn’t notice. “That’s wonderful! There’s nothing quite like a young love blossoming for the first time.” Bloody hypocrite. “But I guess that’s not all there’s to it, am I right? You wouldn’t be asking for help otherwise.”
Markus sighed. “You are right. It’s much more… complicated. You see, I try very hard to impress them every day, but they still barely spare me a glance. I mean, they sometimes look, but I guess they don’t see me as a potential partner.” He looked up straight at Simon. “You probably have much more experience than I do, sir, so please, tell me – is there a way for me to win their affection somehow?”
Wish I knew of one before, Simon smirked sadly but kept it to himself.
“Possibly. But I’m afraid my knowledge won’t be much of a use in matters of the heart.” He noticed Markus’s mournful expression and hurried to add: “Doesn’t mean I won’t try to help you the best I can. Now, tell me something about that person. Who are they?”
He didn’t need to know. In fact, it would be better for him not to know. But he couldn’t help himself – sleepiness always made him a little bit reckless. Bet he knew the answer anyway.
“Well…” The boy rubbed the back of his neck with a dreamy look in his eyes. Poor fool. He really was in too deep. “They are very nice. Always trying to aid those in need.”
So far, it didn’t sound much like North. At least not the North Simon met when he came to Far Waters. Since then, he has learned that she just requires time to warm up to a person before she shows them her more nurturing, protective nature.
“They are also really smart. Oh, and they have the most gorgeous smile you’ve ever seen, but rarely show it. I love making them laugh, just to get a glimpse of that smile.”
“I see,” Simon turned away from him, pretending he needed to check whether or not the fireplace has enough kindling, but it was only a rouse to make sure Markus won’t spot his saddened face. He should be happy for him, and yet, he couldn’t force himself to be. “You must really love that person.”
Markus groaned. “I do. By the divines, I do. But they won’t notice me. What should I do to make them think of me, not as of a friend, but as a potential suitor?”
Simon thought for a second. Love couldn’t be forced, not even by all of the magic in the whole wide world. But it could be helped, so to speak. A small smile graced upon his thin lips. “I think I have just the thing for you.”
It was then that Markus suddenly hesitated, like he has realized something very important. “It’s not some sort of mind trickery, is it? I don’t want to force them to fall in love with me, just… make them consider me an option.”
“Be at ease, boy. No foul magic here. Just little something that should help you catch their attention. Whether or not they end up liking you is entirely up to fate. You are very noble for making sure, though.”
Markus puffed out his chest like some giant pigeon at the praise, probably just to playfully show off, but it still made Simon laugh, despite himself.
He got up, walked across the room to an old wooden dresser, and started rummaging through it until he found what he was looking for. A beautiful gilded hand-mirror. It wasn’t much, but it was certainly the fanciest item he owned.
He cleared it using his sleeve, and while doing so, he recalled every single one of Markus’ desirable traits, from his inner beauty to the outer, his endearing little quirks and moments of grace, and cast a simple spell, trapping that image inside the mirror, so every time he looked into it, the world would see him through Simon’s eyes. In a sense, he poured in all of his love for the boy and hid it behind a wall of a cloudy glass, which was now glittering softly.
This is probably the closest I will ever get to telling him, Simon smiled, a little sadly, before turning around and showing his piece of work to Markus.
“Here, take this. It belonged to my mother. Bring it home and use it to groom yourself in the morning. No one will be able to keep their eyes off of you. Not even your blushing sweetheart-to-be, with a little brush of luck.”
Markus just stared at the mirror for a while, unwilling to take the offered gift. “Sir, wait, that’s… I can’t. I can’t take something so valuable from you.”
That made Simon blink at him owlishly like a complete moron. Most of his family never cared much for him, his twin brother Daniel being the only exception, so he didn’t think twice about giving away something that used to belong to them – but to Markus, family was everything. So he waved him off with a reassuring smile: “Ah, it’s all right. You can give it back to me on the day of your wedding.”
Markus suddenly lightened up, beaming at him like a ray of sunshine as he took hold of the mirror. “That’s a splendid idea! Yes, yes, I shall do that! Thank you so much, sir! You gave me back hope!”
Then he did something that caught Simon completely off guard – he wrapped his hands around him in a tight, nearly bruising hug.
This was the first time Markus has ever dared to cross the distance between them and touch the mage, always mindful of his social status (villagers were taught young to show respect towards their protectors – and that was all fine and dandy with Simon most of the time, but sometimes, it made him feel like he could forget that he was only a man too). It made his heart soar.
Such a strange feeling, to finally be able to hug the man that has been plaguing his dreams for a long time (he was slightly shorter than him, but only by an inch or so, and smelled of pinewood and dusty canvas – Simon was sure that he won’t be ever able to erase those small adorable details from his mind now, even if he tried), only to say goodbye and leave him for someone else. Tears gathered in the mage’s crystal blue eyes, but he forced them back. It’s gonna be all right. He will get over this. Eventually.
At least he hoped so.
He ended up the hug with an awkward pat on Markus’ shoulders (very solid and sturdy, if he may add) and a hollow chuckle: “Now now, that’s enough, boy. It’s time for you to go. It seems like I may need to take a nap after all.”
The boy immediately let him go almost like he got startled by his own insolence, color rising high to his already dark cheeks. Simon didn’t even know the boy could blush at all. It was so cute. “Ah, right! Sorry. Sleep well, sir. Hope to see you tomorrow at the market.”
“Me too, Markus. Me too.”
Simon ended up crying himself to sleep that day, feeling like a complete coward.