A Love Beyond Time// Eternals Druig fanfic

Chapter 3: Memories

Babylon, 525 BC

"I got it," Artemis shouted at Kingo, who was fighting a deviant two yards away from her.

"Hey, that one was mine," he shouted as she ran up to the deviant, shooting arrow after arrow as she did.
"Whoops never mind!"

Laughing slightly she jumped onto the deviant and shot it in the head. It crashed and flung her forward.
Makkari caught her, landing her on her feet.

"Thanks Makkari," she signed, before sprinting back to the deviant, cutting its throat for good measure.

"Get inside," she heard Gilgamesh shout from the gates, and thinking the walls might be a better vantage point, she hurried inside, nodding at him as she passed.

Running up the blue stone steps of the wall towards the ramparts, she lost her balance as a crash shook the wall.

Regaining her balance, she moved upwards still until she was on top of the wall with a clear view of the battlefield.

She saw the others fighting various deviants. And took aim with her bow.

"Nice one, m'lady," said a voice beside her on the ramparts as she shot a deviant, fighting Makkari, in the eye.

"Thanks," she smiled, not looking at Druig and taking aim at another deviant. The wall shook again just as she released the arrow and she missed, only hitting it in the shoulder. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I had to make sure that you're safe, didn't I?" He asked innocently. "I couldn't lose my beautiful Artemis to the ugly deviants, now could I?"

She chuckled, just as the last of the deviants they were fighting fell. She turned to Druig.

"And what may I ask were you planning on doing if I got killed?"

"Cry," he said nodding seriously. "I would cry for days and days, but I would at least have seen you one last time."

"You're so kind," she huffed, jumping down a few steps. "Really, what would I do without you?"

"Die of boredom?" He suggested. "You know you can't live without me," he added cheekily.

She scoffed as she reached the final step, now moving towards the centre of the city, towards the others. The Domo was located there, where they constructed the city around it. Druig followed her.

"But seriously," he said jogging to catch up with her fast pace. "I really can't imagine being on Earth without you to brighten my eternity."

She stopped and he jogged into her. She looked at him curiously. Ever since they had arrived on Earth, Druig had been something of her best friend. When she wasn't out hunting deviants, they would sit together in the Domo talking and joking.

He had always flirted with her, wherever he could work a flirtatious comment into a conversation, but she had never taken him seriously.

"Thanks," she smiled and continuing her brisk walk to the Domo, she thought she might test him. "But I'm sure any of the others can replace me."

"Oh no my beautiful," he said, now walking in step with her. "You're irreplaceable."

She frowned slightly, looking away from him. If she was being honest with herself, she had fallen for his charms a long time ago. But she couldn't be sure that his comments and flirtations were an indication of his returned feelings. No, he was far too charming with anyone of them to be sure.

They reached the Domo in good time, Druig allowing her to enter the centre room (which Phastos has claimed as his lab, and where most of their gatherings took place) before himself.

"Where's Ajak?" She asked the room at large. Sprite was sitting on one side of the room while Phastos were busy creating the next invention for the humans. Druig took a seat on the opposite side of the room and began eating away at a plate of cookies.

As though summoned, Ajak entered the room behind her.

"Phastos," she said moving around Artemis. "Did you go to the party last night like I told you too?"

"Pssh-" Phastos said nonchalantly. "Party- yeah-"

"He worked all night," Druig said through a mouth stuffed with cookies. Artemis went to sit down next to him, taking a cookie for herself.

"Who was talking to you," Phastos asked Druig, who only chuckled.

"Get a life," said Ajak to Phastos. "And where's Sersei?"

"Late as usual," said Sprite, playing with some of Phastos's tools.

"I'm sorry but I have something very exciting to show you all, okay?" Said Phastos, pulling Ajak towards his latest design.

"Here we go," muttered Artemis, as Phastos dove into a speech about a steam engine. Druig chuckled.

"I already told him," said Artemis softly so only Druig could hear as the two of them moved over to a table laden with food and drink. "It's too soon, they'll freak out."

Just then, Sprite echoed her thoughts.

"It's going to freak them out," she said.

"I mean, they only have had the wheel a thousand years, so..." Druig said handing Artemis a goblet of drink.

Artemis stopped listening as Phastos and Druig argued about him mind-controlling the humans into using the technology. Thinking longingly of sleep, she was tired after the battle.

She only snapped out of her trancelike state, thinking of nothing in particular when Druig waved his hand in front of her face.

"Oi," he said. "Artemis are you there?"

She looked at him and failed to suppress a yawn. The others had already left.

"Oh no late partying for you, m'lady," he said chuckling and she shoved him, standing up.

"Come on," she sighed, pulling him up with her, ignoring the sparks that flew up her arm when she touched his hand. "We'll miss the dancing."

"I've told you a hundred times," he huffed exasperated as she dropped his hand. "I don't dance."

She missed the blush that crept up his neck as he followed her outside, flexing the hand she just dropped.

People were gathering around, listening to Sprite telling them stories, when they emerged into their midst.

"Oh I love this one," she said going to sit beside Kingo as they listened.

Druig walked over to a group of gamblers, keeping an eye on Artemis (although she wasn't aware of this).

When Sprite finsihed her story, Artemis joined Sersei in dancing with a group of the local people. But soon, with her body tired from the day's fighting, she gave up, moving towards Druig and Makkari, who had since joined him.

"My Beautiful Makkari," she heard him say, teasing Makkari about the things she had 'collected' for trade.

Artemis froze, her insides squirmed. She felt angry with herself for believing for one minute that Druig felt the same about her.

Turning, she walked off going to sit with Gilgamesh, Kingo and Sprite instead. She didn't see Druig looking, slightly longingly after her.

"You should tell her how you feel," signed Makkari. "And sooner rather than later."

"Yeah," he sighed, signing back. "Its just hard, I always find myself trying to charm her, but I can't be honest- how does that work?"

Makkari shrugged, going back to the dealers and leaving Druig to watch from accross the courtyard how Artemis laughed at a drunken Gilgamesh, falling off of Kingos lap.

***

The next day, Artemis avoided Druig like the plague. Refusing to acknowledge him during breakfast and practically sprinting out the Domo for the forest beyond the city.

Druig had no understanding of why she had suddenly decided on avoiding him, but following Makkari's advice, he continued to try and get her attention.