Arrival

June, 1101 A.D.

tAs she stood before me, I remembered the first time that I had ever laid eyes upon her.

tShe had been the huntress for my a.s.sa.s.sination, and I didn"t recognize her. There had never been a woman of her profession, and while I"d heard rumors of her, it was hard to believe that they were really true.

tI saw her tattooed face, the Wraith markings on her face, and I was stunned. She was breathtaking. She"d had a predatory gleam about her eyes, and I thought that it was magnificent.

tI had instantly been smitten with her, and after talking to her, I had gone and somehow managed to "convince" the King to allow me to court her. And by somehow, I mean I had used my powers of persuasion to make the decision for him.

tI"d had a gown prepared for asking for her hand in marriage.

tBut there had been one problem--Lord Dragon.

tShe had been raised by him, and I knew that he would factor into her decision. She was like a father, a brother, a husband all in one. It was.... a strange dynamic, indeed.

tI knew that she was in love with him, the first time that I saw her eyes when she looked at him, when her heart pounded every time that she heard his name. But when he looked at her, it was a look that I couldn"t read. It was hard to discern how he saw her. Of course, I was an outsider. I didn"t know Lord Dragon very well, honestly. He had a bit of a reputation, but surely if he was raising a young woman out in the forest despite how horrible of an impact that had on his image and his rank, then he couldn"t be too terrible of a person. Anyone and everyone who knew of Lord Dragon knew of his strange attachment to his ward. And then, that thought had also reminded me of something.

tWhen I had asked the King for her hand, he had told me something very strange indeed.

t"You? I can only guess at how angry your father would be, considering his distaste for the girl. But you would need to get Dragon"s permission, as well. He is the one in charge of her, and he"d already vowed to marry her when she came of age."

tI had been shocked, because when I had seen Dragon around her, he didn"t emit any particularly romantic behavior toward her, and he didn"t necessarily behave as if he had romantic notions toward her.

tI a.s.sumed that it was because of her paternity, the fact that she was half-Wraith, and because no man in this city wished to have a Hybrid bride. What hope of a life could she possibly have, what with being fated to wed a very angry and wary husband if she had been arranged to anyone else? But Dragon?

tNo, Dragon had raised her from birth. He had gone out of his way since that day to take care of and protect her. He would be a good husband for her. She didn"t have any other decent options. No other man in this city would willingly have her.

tBut I was different. I was not like those other men. I was very interested in her.

tIf I could convince Dragon to let me have her hand, then surely Kysael would allow me to court her.

tI brought my focus back to the now.

tShe cleared her throat. "I have grown since I last spoke to you, Kelose. I have become strong, a valuable huntress for our nation. I have moved out of Dragon"s home, and built a place of my own with my own two hands. I have grown in beauty and in charm. I am asking you, Kelose, to be with me again. Let us start anew."

tMy eyes widened a little, surprised, before they swept over her body, and met her eyes again, and finally closed. I could feel her heart pounding, and her eyes held something that I hadn"t seen in them in a very, very long time; hope.

tShe looked so beautiful, dressed in a yellow gown that hugged her body and left a generous amount of her chest bare. Her hair was long, lighter colored than wheat, and had an ashy shine to it, almost silver. Her face was heart shaped, with a straight nose and high cheekbones. Her lips were thin, the top lip barely visible and the bottom lip small but plump. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were not large but big enough to be a handful. Her hips were wide, and her rump round...Perfect for bearing children.

tShe had, indeed, grown.

She was even more attractive than she had once been, with her body curving in all the right areas. She was soft and supple, but unlike the rest of the women in this city, her body held muscles as well. She was well toned, lean, but not masculine in her stature. Her arms and legs were thick in a way that other women were not. You could see the muscles rippling when she ran or fought, but it wasn"t in an unattractive manner.

tShe would be a great bride, a great mother. She would be a wonderful housewife if she were allowed to be free, allowed to have children.

tBut I didn"t like to think of children anymore. I didn"t like to think about a future or a life with anyone else. Not since she had lied to me. I couldn"t think of it.

tAnd her eyes were the purest, silver, gray color I had ever seen, a silver, predatory gleam about them that could be frightening if you didn"t know her well.

tI considered what she was saying. After everything that she"d done...making me fall in love with her, leading me on the path of marriage for her. I had allowed her to feed from me, started the Soul Bond with her.

tAnd then I had caught her, lip locked with Lord Dragon. And I knew that she"d betrayed me. She had said that he had kissed her, but that didn"t change that her arms were pulling him closer, her heart was racing, how hot her body was in that moment. It didn"t change that she had always wanted him. She"d played me for a fool.

tAnd I considered my current situation. I had just been informed of some very.... unwanted things to come in the future for me.

t"I"m sorry, Kysael. I can"t." And then I turned, and walked away.

tI heard the thump as her body hit the ground, and her sobs as I was entering back into the forest. But I knew that Dragon would comfort her in a few moments. He"d been watching, as per usual. I always felt him around when she was in the area around me. I knew that he held vigil over her regularly. But it still hurt to leave her there like that.

tThat had not been an easy task, to just walk away from her when she looked that breathtakingly beautiful. But I had no other choice. I was tempted to take her offer, but I couldn"t. I hated this.

tAnd I hated her for my own weakness to her.

tI wanted to hate her. I wanted to hate her with every fiber of my being. She had lied to me about loving me, only wanting me to be her food source.

tAnd even if she hadn"t, she had still fed on me. And she had still be in a lip lock with her ever-precious Lord Dragon. I couldn"t even think his name without a sneer being plastered on my face.

tI didn"t know what to think, what to feel. I didn"t know who I was anymore.

tOne thing, however, was certain; I couldn"t ever be with her again.

tKing Eranton"s voice played again in my frazzled mind.

t"This is my niece, Lunariel. You are quite a lucky young man, indeed, Kelose, as you are no longer tied to that hybrid girl. Lunariel has expressed great interest in you and would like to marry you, so I have arranged for you to be married in August. Make your preparations."

tI had been so angry. Lunariel was not even the slightest bit attractive to me. Her hair was a dull, dingy, dirty brown that looked as if it needed to be washed. She was tall, her body wide and straight with no curves. Her rump was flat, thin and narrow. Her face was oblong, an oval shape with almond colored eyes. Her nose was straight, and she had thick lips. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were, however, quite large. And her whorish looking gown gave her a very generous amount of cleavage. Her aura was a murky brownish-blue color, dim and not bright at all. She looked positively bored.

tI was still so angry. I was being forced to marry that.... that dingy, dirty, unattractive woman? I gagged.

tAnd then, the very same day, Kysael had to go and look so beautiful and so breathtaking and ask me to be with her again...

tI really couldn"t stand this.

tBut it was by order of the king that I marry his niece, and so, even if I had wanted to take Kysael"s offer...I couldn"t.

tI hated her for asking me....

tAnd I hated myself for not being able to accept.

*

August, 1101 A.D.

t"To the happy new marriage!" Everyone toasted, raising their gla.s.ses of wine. I didn"t feel so happy, myself.

tBut I hadn"t been happy in years.

t.i.t was well into the reception party, after the wedding ceremony, and this horrible marriage and its after party had turned into an all-day event that I despised. It was late into the evening when it was that I saw him approach me.

t"Oh, Lord Dragon, I"m glad to see that you could make it to my wed-" Before I could even complete my sentence, Dragon"s fist connected hard with my cheek, and I fell to the ground, looking up at him in shock. Despite not being as rippling with muscle as I was, physically, that almost disguised the fact that he was stronger than myself. He was taller, thicker, broader than me. His muscles weren"t as obviously visible beneath his flesh. But it was most certainly there.

tI was surprised, to be sure, to feel that he had quite a powerful hit. He was more powerful than I would have thought, and certainly stronger than I gave him credit for. But then, he was a hundred years older than me. It was in this moment that I learned that you could not judge a book by its cover, no matter how soft and comforting it may appear. He looked at me with eyes that practically glowed a dark, ominous violet, anger making them sharp and defined by his dark eyelashes. He looked otherworldly in this instant. "What-?"

t"She deserved to know the truth, Kelose."

t"What?" I asked, but in truth, I didn"t need to ask. I knew to whom and what he was referring to.

t"You should have told her that you were getting married. I just got here from her home, and she wasn"t even aware that you were getting married! And now, she is heartbroken. What is wrong with you? She"s been trying to mend things, and yet-"

t"What, you really think that I wanted to marry that?" I asked, pointing to the drunken and oblivious Lunariel. "And how could I tell her? How could I look her in the eye and tell her that I had been forced into an arranged marriage while she was asking me to return to her? Because that was the last time that I saw Kysael."

tHe nodded. "So, it was arranged. I didn"t know the circ.u.mstances of the wedding. I apologize for hitting you, I know that you didn"t have any control over that. But you still could have told her the truth, Kelose. She at least deserved that."

t"She deserved the truth? After lying to me about being in love with me? My fiancé who I found lip locked with you? Telling me that it wasn"t her, that you were the one who kissed her against her will? Discovering that I was nothing but a meal to her? She is a liar-"

t"She wasn"t lying to you, Kelose."

tPain speared into my heart. I didn"t know what to say. And I knew that Dragon would never lie about such a thing. I knew well enough that lying wasn"t in his nature or character, and that he would never lower himself that way. Especially not about something so serious. Which meant that all of my anger, my hatred...

tAll of it had been for nothing...?

t"While I have your attention, listen closely. You need to speak with her. And you need to tell her the truth. It truly will help her to know that it was an arranged marriage. She did not deceive you. I did what I felt I had to do to save not only her, but you as well. You were both headed down a very dark and dangerous path, and I will not apologize for trying to protect your lives. No matter how much the two of you may hate me for it. But you need to go and tell her what really happened here. I think you owe her an explanation. And it is not my place to intervene between both of you, those things are your affairs."

t"Haven"t you already intervened?" I asked. "You are the one who let me believe that she had deceived me. You are the one who set all of this into motion. You just so admitted, didn"t you? It is too late. And even if it was, in reality, your doing… I cannot go back. I will always care for her, desire her. But it is over between us, and there is nothing that can be done to change that, now." I sighed. "I will tell her soon."

t"Good." He helped me stand. "I am sorry."

t"I deserved it."

tHe smiled. "Yes, you did." And then he turned and left, people whispering as they watched him leave.

tI rubbed my cheek. He had cracked the bone. I had never seen him hit anyone before. He was truly angry. But he deeply cared for his charge, and I knew that he would do anything to protect her...even shattering her heart to save her life. I knew that what he said was the truth, and no matter how hurt I was, I knew that he spoke the truth. He had only wanted to save us from ourselves, and looking back now.... well, he had saved us. I couldn"t be angry at him. But I was angry at myself for having hated Kysael all this time when she had never betrayed me after all. She had always cared for Dragon, and it made sense that him kissing her would have made her happy, no matter how much it stung to see her lip locked with him, even if he had initiated it.

tLunariel finally noticed me, and started crowing for me to come drink and dance with her.

tAnd I closed my eyes as I returned to my wife"s side.

tWhen the reception was over, and we were drunkenly groping one another"s bodies at the inn, I couldn"t help but to compare her to Kysael again. Her body was not nearly as beautiful as Kysael"s. And despite having had more experience than Kysael, Kysael was far more skilled in bed than she.

tAnd I truly hated myself for not marrying Kysael when I"d had the opportunity. Now, I was stuck.

t"I can"t wait until you graduate, so we can leave this city that stinks so badly of mud and trees!" She laughed as she rocked.

tI stopped short of the next thrust, leaving her whining. "What did you just say?"

t"Oh, you fool! You thought that we were staying in Havengrove, hm? I have a mansion in Irasil, you oaf! You will be moving there with me, of course. Unless you would rather stay in your hovel of a cabin in the middle ring of a dirty city!"

t"I"m not leaving Havengrove, Lunariel."

t"And why not? Because you have family here? It"s only a few hours from here, don"t be foolish! I am your wife, and I refuse to stay in this city. I have my own mansion in Irasil, you can come with me and join me there."

tAnd I took in a deep breath. She was royalty, after all.

tI knew then, that she didn"t want to marry me out of infatuation or feelings...she just wanted a powerful, handsome man to be her accessory, her slave.

tI closed my eyes against my anger. My eyes burned, and when I opened them again and heard her gasp, I knew that they were golden with my darkness.

tThis ugly cow couldn"t really be my future. I knew that somehow, someway, I had to get out of this situation. I had to put all of my willpower, in that moment, into not killing her right then and there and fleeing.

tI put my faith into the universe, hoping and praying that some miracle would come and relieve me of this situation.