The Geas

by Jaycren

The Kindest Creulty

Sunset pulled away from her friends, reluctantly lifting her eyes to her apartment. A place she and he had shared, the last place they had spoken. She recalled the smell of him, his aura. She recalled a thousand and one other things from their time together. Not just of that night, but of a thousand other moments. The fact that Garm always insisted on taking the couch, the fact that he never would let her cook, that he hated taking a bath and going to the doctor. She remembered that he used to leave little signs that he was watching her. Strange tokens, like sunflower petals and in one case teeth from someone that had been a threat to her. She smiled, he had always looked after her. Something she always had taken for granted. Shaking herself, she glanced back to her friends.

"Well, here goes. Don't wait up, no matter how this turns out, none of you need to witness it."

Nodding their assent, her friends dispersed, the twin Twilights touching her shoulder briefly in support. Fluttershy and Pinkie both held her tightly, before departing for home.

"Just be careful darling." Rarity admonished.

"Yeah if, you need us, call and we'll come running" Rainbow reassured her.

"I meant it when I said you were family, I still do. I left you hanging once, I will not do so again. You call, I am gonna come running too." Applejack reiterated.

Sunset smiled at her remaining three friends. "Girls, whatever happens I need to see this through on my own. I need to set this right. Garm will either forgive me or he won't. His reaction is irrelevant to what I have to do. He is going to be freed tonight."

Waving goodbye, Sunset ascended the stairs to her apartment.

---

Garm sat within the darkened apartment, hoping Sunset had gotten all of his clues. The damned contract kept either of them from sharing the breaking clause with the other. Hearing the front door open, he smelled sunflowers and smoke, closing his eyes he enjoyed her scent as she casually strolled into the room. Opening his eyes he saw that she had paused before him. Tears where in her eyes, but her jaw was set.

Rising from the takeout stained couch, he said. "Do you know how to free me?"

Sunset nodded, "You made it rather obvious. You gave me a cruel kindness. Now I must give you a kind cruelty. Doing so will shatter the geas without invoking the punishment clause."

"So have you decided what to do?" He asked, for the first time fear and doubt entering his mind.

Sunset nodded, "I believe that I do. I just need a moment to collect my thoughts. We only have one shot at this. If I say this wrong, the best we can hope for is that the geas stays in place. If not then....." her voice trailed off, the implication clear.

Garm nodded, he had waited this long he could wait a few more moments. Watching her, he smiled as she scrunched her nose and twirled her hair in thought. She always did have the cutest expressions when out of her comfort zone. Shaking his head to banish the emotion he glanced around the room. He could ill afford to endanger his goal with emotions he was not sure where his own.

Sunset's looked back to Garm and her heart broke. He was always so strong in front of everyone. But she could see the turmoil he was going through. She wondered after this what they would be to each other. He had always been hers, she could ill imagine a life without him. But that was the problem, he was hers. It hung between them, choking the chance of anything real. The mystic binding enforcing his loyalty, he was unable to decide his feelings for her himself. She then knew what she had to do and what she had to say.

Taking a breath she steeled herself for what might come. "Garm, you have been mine from the moment of your birth. You supported me when no one else did. You provided me with so much. In the end I could not help but love you. But that love was never real. It could not have been with one of us forced to it. So I say that I was never in love with you. I was in love with owning you. You were just another thing that was mine. So, I release you from my service. I will not stop you from pursuing any goal you wish. In addition for my crimes against you I bare my throat and willingly give myself over to your judgement." Getting down on her knees Sunset leaned her head back exposing herself to her Cereboi. "I await your judgement."

A tension formed between the Cereboi and his Ponesephone. Then the tinkling of broken glass was heard as the Geas was confounded and shattered. Garm rose, but Sunset remained kneeling. She meant what she said and his chest hurt to see the proud young woman so humbling herself. Walking over to her, he ran his fingers through her hair, eliciting a shiver down her spine. He still knew exactly where to touch. Offering Sunset his hand, he pulled her to her feet as she clasped it. Looking in her eyes, Garm made his decision.

"I think that I could do a lot worse then be yours, because you have always been mine as well. When we came to this world, so soon after I almost killed your mother, you forbid me a killing blow unless I deemed it necessary. Doing so was the best thing that anyone had ever done for me. In that moment you gave me the right to choose who I killed and did not kill. You, in your own way, tried to give me as much freedom as possible. I think our love is real. Just because it formed when one of us was bound to the other does not make it any less real or strong."

Tears in her eyes, Sunset embraced Garm. Garm held her tightly against him until she pushed back. Looking upwards into the eyes of the taller boy, Sunset took his hands and began moving towards a different room all together, a heartsong rising between them.

Whistling, Sunset began.

"I sought my power over all I saw,
with never fear of failing
and gladly did I seek my right,
always with you beside me.
No Guiding Sun,
Nor Foreign World
Would hinder any of my Plans, you see.
As Long as you Stood By My side
and Never....."

Sunset paused and for a moment there was quiet. Then Garms Baritone rose as he continued the harmony, once more joined to Sunset. This time as an equal in the harmony.

"And Never Would You Leave me.
My Foalish one, My Wrathful Sun
I Never wished to leave thee.
But I needed to know myself
So I could stand beside thee."

Sunset once more took up the song, happiness once more lighting her heart.

"My Bed has never been so cold
Ever since you left me.
But I waited here for my Garm
For him to return to me."

Smiling Garm followed as she led him to her bed, no longer her servant, but an equal in all things.

"I will no more let your bed be cold.
I will never more leave thee.
I only wish to be yours to hold"

"I Need Your Arms Around Me." Sunset called to him.

Together their melody rang true as their voices cried out together, reaffirming their connection.

"To Have Your Love
And to be So Held,
Through the Fires and The Scheming.
Through All The Joys And Trials Of Our Lives,
I'll guard the Heart beside me.
We'll be together for all time
Never to fear a damn thing.
Glady to greet the trials of life
As long as you're beside me."

As their song echoed out into the world, Sunset and Garm closed the door on their bedroom, for the first time both were safe. For the first time both were home.

Author's Note:

Yes I know this is out of order and against the rules. I just had this in my head and it refused to leave. The song is my take on The Dancing And The Dreaming from How to Train Your Dragon 2, otherwise known as Stoic and Valka's song. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. As always feel free to comment as you like, I will try to respond to as many as I can.