soulmark au
Soulmarks are telltale signs of marriage material. Charlie had the bad fortune of not only being born into a life where not only was marriage a requirement, but soulmarks were frequently forged. Three times, he’s narrowly avoided being tattooed with someone else’s mark, and only because his magic seemed to desperately want to keep him away from human company. He would run, in the form of a rat, a cat, anything small enough where he could just shut himself away until the danger has passed.
The spiraling flower on his collarbone, mismatched from all, was simultaneously a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing because it isolated him, and it was expected that since he’s a single, he’d flourish with his magic. He could manage on his own.
It was a curse because he still longed for a match.
Charlie is lonely. He pulls away from Roseview, navigating from his estate, to a small town, to a castle town called Weeping Hill. There, he studies. Constantly. He’s living off a scholar grant, studying agriculture and magic together. Trying to find ways to improve yields without stressing the soil.
This is where he meets her.
He’s heard about the new magicians from the gossip that seems to radiate from every circle he’s walked. Women from the other world, Faerûn, where all of Alleria’s magic originated.
Master Wildheart and Lady Kahsu. Both very powerful and very sought after. He catches sight of them in the university, and he’s curious. He watches them from a distance; introducing himself right now would be rude. How do they tend to crops in a world where magic has always existed? Are there plants that are unique to Faerûn that would help? How do people do without the soulmarks?
Then she catches his eye. She tips her head with a gentle curiosity, and he feels his heart race, his cheeks heat. How could this be? And then… He can see a swirl of lines on her shoulder. Lines that he’s seen in the mirror every single day of his life.
Impossible.
She’s his match.