The Sword, the Ring and the Scroll

[Sweetp4u]

Aryn

I spent time pacing the small confines of my home, thinking over all I had heard and learned. No simple answer was coming to me tonight, nothing useful anyway.

Sighing, I sat down upon the pillowed bed and picked up a ripe pear. Many things worried me greatly tonight. Something was going horribly wrong in this world and someone was tipping the scales.

Death.. The only likely answer. I picked up the missive again that had been waiting on my door step. Inkra was dead. As was the golden giante of a king of the northern lands. But why? The runner said in his coded message that Inkra was executed for the death of their leader but I knew better than that! Inkra was not ordered to kill. She would have died well before taking up arms against their leader.. Something wasn't sitting right.

Perhaps a ploy? Some trick to get me to come north before this 'meeting'? Perhaps they wanted me dead? Eyes narrowing, I bit into the pear and chewed, tapping my nails on my thigh as I thought of the best angle. Dur was somewhere else, I could not seek his counsel or even let him listen to me think aloud.. I had to make this choice myself.

Now what did one do? The most shocking part of this whole thing was the name of this leader brought a faint recognition into my mind, but I couldn't quite place my finger on it. What was it?

Tossing the pear into the basket of waste, I laid back and stared off through the fire hole at the night sky. I had to make a decision now. Do I go and battle the one remaining challenger or do I just go and take over the kingdom and all it entails? A slight smile curved my lips as I thought it over. I wasn't a bad leader, and according to many the only true heir left alive of this great king.. So why not?

Rolling to my side, I stared at the fire for awhile, weighting the pro's and con's of such a move. Death would be coming soon, his missives always prompted his visit. The thought made my skin crawl in disgust but there was little I could do against such a great and powerful entity... Nothing I knew of could stop him. Its 'follow or be killed' with Death.... Sighing, I got up and stormed outside, needing some air and more time to think.

 

[Morwen]

Princess Maeve

...

 

[Miltone]

Prince Avenir

“But you yourself have often told me” Avenir said. “That a warrior cannot trust or believe in any magic other than the keen, swift edge of his sword and the sharpness of his mind. Surely the success of our quest is not to be settled with a potion or a fairy spirit.” Avenir looked at the other faces seated around the blazing fire and was overtaken by the thought that perhaps he was the only one who didn’t believe in such things. “Or … is it?” he said haltingly.

“My young Prince,” said the Old Gray One with a chuckle. “There are many things in this world for which we have no explanation, powers and presences that often defy our ability to comprehend them. I think you have little need to worry about such things, given your own inherent talents to know and understand.”

“Whatever powers are brought to bear on us do not frighten me in the least,” Avenir replied. “I am more concerned about the safety and well being of the rest of you.”

As the sound of Avenir’s words faded, a huge ball of sparks erupted from the fire when it burned into a hard knot, sending a shower of brilliant orange embers into the dark night sky and bringing Mara into his arms. They had been sitting apart, though close enough to touch innocently from time to time as they had eaten and now sat watching the fire. His arms wrapped protectively around her delicate frame and he looked down into her eyes, widened by her surprise. His hand reached to her cheek, his fingertips brushing the thick dark curls from her pale face.

The Old Gray One rose and tended the fire, adding another log to the blaze. Despite the crackling flames, the sounds of wild creatures could be heard off in the distance. They would need the fire to ward off any errant intruders and Avenir volunteered to take the first watch.

“My young warrior,” the Old Gray One said with a smile. “You have done well enough for today and have slain a great source of nourishment. Why not get your rest now and I will wake you later when it is time?”

“As you wish,” Avenir said, settling back onto the matting they had made from the long plane grasses of nearby. He pulled his woolen blanket up around his form and felt Mara lay next to him, their warm bodies separated only by the thick layer of llongo wool. He eased his hand out from under the blanket and slipped his arm around her. With Mara’s sweet head resting on his chest and the voices of his mother and the Old Gray One talking and laughing about magic and spirits, he fell quickly into a deep sleep.

 

[Honey_B]

Marian

“Those two are bewitched by magic of their own making.”

Marian smiled softly as she looked toward her child.

“A magic to which none are immune.”

She turned her warm brown eyes on the Gray One.

“All it would seem except you…”

Marian hesitated, not wanting to call him “Gray One” any longer. When she spoke again, Marian’s voice carried with it a tone of insistance.

“For too long, I have been content not to pry into your existence. Never have I so much as troubled you for your name, contenting myself to call you by a description. The Gray One. All of the creatures of this planet have a name. The gods themselves have names, from the greatest of deities that rule the heavens to their half-mortal offspring. They are named so that we may know them better, named do we can accept them into our lives.”

In truth, Marian guessed at his name, having read one of the ancient tomes he had once lent to Avenir. But she wanted to hear him say it, to reveal that small part of himself willingly.

She watched him, waiting. The firelight threw shadows across the hard planes of his face. Between them, te silence seemed to grow, punctuated only by the song of a forest at night and the beating of her own heart thundering in her ears.

Marian had an irresistible impulse to kiss his stern mouth. She was not the blushing innocent that Mara was, having lived a dozen lifetimes in her thirty-seven years. It was not within her to hesitate when there was something she wanted and she leaned forward, softly brushing her lips against his. Her insides quivered like a virgin girl’s as she felt him yield beneath the touch of her lips. She could have deepened that kiss, wanting desperately to press her body to his, but she did not. Instead, Marian pulled away, her voice a throaty whisper when she spoke again.

“Tell me you name so that I may know you better, so that I can accept you into my heart.”

 

[Garras Agudas]

Fate

“Tell me you name so that I may know you better, so that I can accept you into my heart.”

The gentle kiss Marian gave opened my eyes, a movement she never would have made if time and destiny had never made their demands and we followed, and as I raised my fingertips to touch my own lips she spoke the words that opened my heart.

"My name is one given to me hundreds of years ago" I began softly; hoping what I could offer her was what she had asked for. "In that time I was known as Ahktar, one of a trio of siblings shouldered with the responsibility of mankind, to gently aid them as they grew and matured, to guide them when they could not themselves and to prevent the mistakes our races made from happening again."

The memory tore at my heart and for a long minute I turned to the fire and stared into it, the flames turning opaque and showing my own past, a happier time where I stood in the middle of a sister and a brother. The flames flared and erased that memory from sight and for the first time as I turned towards Marian I shared it with another.

"I welcomed that responsibility and grew to love it, as did my sister. Growing to love and understand our brothers and sisters as we served them, and amazed at their capacities for acts of love and goodness. But our brother didn't share those feelings; he looked at it as a huge burden and preached to us that we should be the leaders and our brothers and sisters the ones who served us. We laughed at those wild ideas, deemed them ranting of one who would keep his promise, and like the fools we found ourselves to be, paid for those disbeliefs"

Again a pause and this time I looked to the sleeping forms of Avenir and Mara, their bliss and love obvious even in strength restoring relaxation.

"My sister paid for our foolishness with her life, murdered by our brother who fled and wasn't spoken of until the day your husband was murdered, and with her death I made another promise. Her role was to bring new life into this world, to help humanity see and know the goodness of it all and know there was a greater purpose inside of us all then mere survival. Now that role is in the hands of the same humans who we were pledged to aid, and in the hands of the one who slew your husband, who is doing his best to destroy all who oppose him and enslave the rest who dare not to."

It had become a rambling speech, a path among memories too old to be remembered and too painful to forget and I knew it, but in those memories lay a lesson and a warning all humanity needed to learn.

"My brothers name was Dahktre, my sisters...Lehtre. Her name meant "giver of life" and she did it with pride and love, his?"

A scowl at the remembrance and the actions of the being I no longer called my brother.

"His means "giver of Death" and he does his job with cold, ruthless efficiency"

The name meant something to Marian and I could see it by the way her eyes widened as she made the connection, her face paling as she stared unblinking into my own eyes and I finished the answer she had asked for.

"My purpose was to call upon all things and their spirits to aid humanity, to use that power many refer to as magic for the good of humanity and help it grow and live well, a promise that I am about to break when I use it to destroy the one who has put our destinies and lives into intertwined motion. For Ahktar means for a small time yet "Deliverer of FATE"

A promise to her, to be by her side as long as she wished and to be in all things truthful, and with that truth what did I have to offer such a woman?

"What will Fate deliver unto Death, Marian? Nothing but what his hands has delivered unto thousands before him, and after that what kind of being will Fate be?"

The answer had been in my heart and head for centuries, and for a short time as I spent it with Avenir and this noble woman forgotten.

"Alone"

Rousing myself I stood and fed more wood to the lulling fire, knowing the time for self-pity had passed quickly after my sisters death and knowing there were indeed greater things for us all to accomplish then mere survival.

"Avenir will face his sisters now, for the spirits have told me he will never meet the brother he had and we go to find the details why, and with that meeting the fate of humanity will be decided. And afterwards we will go to meet Death and I will live up to my name."

 

[Honey_B]

Marian

Marian listened to all that Ahktar said, knowing he needed to say the words as much as she needed to learn. She had guessed at his place in the pantheon and had been quite correct. Still it gave her no comfort as she listened to the pain in his voice. While he spoke, Marian had drawn close to him, leaning her head against him and wrapping her arm around his shoulder. Touching him, offering him what little comfort she could, it had been as natural to her as breathing.

"Avenir will face his sisters now, for the spirits have told me he will never meet the brother he had and we go to find the details why and with that meeting the fate of humanity will be decided. And afterwards we will go to meet Death and I will live up to my name."

"NO!"

The single word cut like a knife through the silence of the forest. Marian's eyes flew to Avenir as she saw her son stir. She snatched her hand back and sank her teeth into the delicate skin of her palm, a pitiful effort to try and control the sobs that wracked through her body.

Marian had long ago given up her oldest son for dead, knowing that whatever the young Malakai would have become had died the day he had been snatched away by Dahktre. Still, she remembered her prince as a babe, the beautiful blonde boy that had been her eldest son and Marian wept.

She stood up, brushing away Ahkter's hand. Her voice was filled with tears when she spoke – both quiet and insistent at the same time.

"I go to mourn my dead son, to say a prayer to the great Mother. Stay and guard Avenir while he sleeps for I must be alone."

Reaching down to her calf, Marian pulled free her knife and turned to walk towards the river. The light of the moon guided her steps and soon she stood at the banks of the Desolace. It was there that Marian stopped and fell to her knees. She bent and pressed her lips to her ground, her tears soaking the soil.

She straightened and began to speak, her voice choked with sobs.

"O Thou -
the cause and effect of us all,
the source from whence we have come,
the goal toward which all are bound,
receive his soul, my son,
who comes to thee,
seeking thy Maternal arms.
May thy forgiving touch heal his heart,
lift him from the terror of his existence.
surround him with the love you give,
to every one of us, your children.
Blessed Mother, accept this offering,
of a mother for her son."

Marian took up her knife and slashed at the tender skin of her forearm. Blood, shining black in the night, dripped from the gash, staining the soil as it was absorbed. Marian felt a great lifting of her spirit and knew that the Mother's hand was upon her. She turned and saw that it was Ahktar who had touched her, healing her for the second time in her life. Marian stood and pressed her body to his, seeking his embrace.

"Avenir?" she inquired softly?

"I woke him so that he might watch over Mara while I watched over you."

Marian nodded and let him lead her back to the fire. Her body was overcome with exhaustion, but she walked over to Avenir and wrapped her arms around him.

"You must sleep, mother."

She heeded the words of her son and returned to Ahktar. He had laid out the mats and Marian fell upon them. She was grateful when he joined her, stretching out his body next to hers. Staring into the dancing flames, Marian finally slept, wrapped in Ahktar’s arms.

 

[Miltone]

Avenir

Shimmering light, almost spiritual in nature sheeding a verdant, lush hue to the meadow … a warm, delicate hand inside his … Mara, Mara this baffling creature … clear pale skin like fine porcelain … large blue eyes, the color of the soft mid-summer sky … her long dark curls flowing past her shoulders … her gossamer gown, sheer as a cloud, clinging to the curves of her body … the dark tips of her breasts jiggling, teasing his eyes … her laugh sends shivers through him … her smile melts him completely …

Pausing in the middle of the meadow, bathed in the brilliant light that feels like life itself, she falls into his arms … her soft breasts press against the hard leather of his vest … “Avenir, Avenir,” she calls out … their lips brush heavily together … the heat rises between them … he feels the stirring in his loins, a thickening of his member, rising up, pushing against her belly … “Yes, Avenir, yes, my darling,” she cries out as they fall together to the soft fertile ground … the light melts their clothing away, her gown, his vest and tunic and britches … the dazzling radiance joins them together … as they roll together, he feels their bodies become one … caught in the swirl of emotions, he cries out her name, “Mara … Mara!” …

But there is darkness coming, a chill dank gloom sweeping in from the north … rending them separately, holding them apart … she cries out to him, “Avenir, save me! I need you, Avenir!” … a cold, evil laugh, taunts him and he is powerless to rescue her … the light flickers and dims and the frigid grip of death around his neck casts him into the shadows … he is left without warmth and feeling and with only the barest of thoughts … looking up he sees a crack in the bleak dark heavens … he crawls toward it, seeking the balance between the life-giving light and the dark hand of death … in that precious split, he finds Mara … touching her body, she comes alive … from the safety of their embrace, he regards the two foreign forces … sensing an eternal struggle, he seeks a path between … and a gray hand falls upon his shoulder … “Who are you? Are you my fate?” he asks … “Avenir … Avenir … Avenir …”

“It is time for your watch, Avenir,” said The Old Gray One shaking him by the shoulder.

Avenir eased Mara off his chest and deeper into the warm blankets. He shook his head as he arose and looked up at the dark night sky and the thousand stars sprayed across the heavens. He watched as the Old Gray One settled beside his mother on the mats, their blankets combined, sharing the precious warmth of their bodies. Finding a thick tending stick, he poked at the fire, rearranging the burning logs so that he could add another.

Moving in a circle around their camp, he came to the river and dipped a cup into the water to refresh himself. He remembered flashes of his dream and pondered its meaning. Moving closer to the camp, he knelt beside Mara and tucked the thick woolen blankets nearer her neck. Avenir rolled a thick log near to her and sat looking down at her lost in sleep. What was there in the look of her face, the lilt of her voice, in the sparkle of her laugh that drew him to her? He glanced over at his mother and The Old Gray One, lying together. As even the wild creatures of the night began to quiet down, their hunger sated, and the night became ghostly quiet, Avenir became lost in his thoughts of the day long set, of the tomorrow that would soon be dawning, and of the future that awaited him.

 

[Honey_B]

Marian

And so she slept, soothed by the beating of Ahktar heart, falling into a dream of endless beauty...

When Marian opened her eyes, she looked out upon a world that had long since passed. Before her unfolded a vision of her home as it had been before Death had torn it asunder. She was not the Marian who had fallen asleep, but rather a younger version of herself, the young woman she had been before she had married Avenir’s father. Her ancestral lands had been in the highlands to the North where the snow fell deep in the winter and the harsh climate bred strong people with integrity. It was not to a cold winter’s day that Marian returned to though. An afternoon fresh with spring greeted her with all the fresh promise of a newborn world.

She stood upon the tallest battlement of her family’s castle. The wind whipped through her hair and brought color to her cheeks. How many times had she come her as a child, to look out over the poetic loneliness of the moor and to the magestic mountains beyond? It brought a smile to her face even now.

Marian was not startled when she felt strong arms around her. With all the assuredly that dreams can bring, she knew who it would be. Her pulse quickened when she heard, Ahktar’s voice in her ear.

”Hello, Marian.”

She turned within the circle of his arms and looked up at him, into a face that had grown young as well. Her hand caressed his unlined cheek as she looked up at him with wonder.

“Come, my love. I have something to show you.”

Marian took Ahktar’s hand and led him down into the castle. Through the labyrinth of corridors they walked until they came to a door. Marian opened it and drew Ahktar inside. It was her bedroom, decorated with all the splendor a princess of the realm could ask for. The floor was spread with lush carpets carried in by the caravans from the East. Her bed was shrouded with a gilded tapestry of prancing unicorns. Marian turned to Ahktar and twined her arms around his neck.

 

[Sweetp4u]

Aryn

The walk did little to clear my mind of all the worries. Things were boiling down to a stand off. What was I to do? Sighing, I knew I could easily invade the north now and take over the kingdom. My armies were assuredly reported to be three times those of the northerner's forces.

Should I? Did I dare? Smirking a little, no one was stronger than I was currently. I could dominate most of the lands easily enough with Dur by my side and men to lead. So why was I holding myself back? I had to prove my position, I had to prove to everyone once and for all I could rule. Who else was left? By birth right, no one. Death told me repeatedly how he took care of everyone else. Leaving me alone to be miserable, unprotected against him.

Marching towards Dur's hut I called greeting outside, "Dur, I need to speak with you." The little contest was awhile away still, but with me ruling the countries with no Land Lord, I could easily win without stepping foot into an arena.

"I have decided to wage war." His face paled a little, this was unexpected of me, he never thought I had it in me to do such a thing.

"War?" He stammered a little.

"Yes, I wish to get my forces together and move to claim the northern country. We'll start there, get their sworn word and take the land."

"Are you certain you want this?" He seemed unsure of me, but I would prove him wrong.

"Yes, I am certain. Their laird only dead a day will be the best time to pick them off and take over."

"But why?" He wasn't getting it too clearly obviously.

"No reason other than to bring harmony to the land..... All of it.. And as the only living heir to the King of this world, I am going to do what I think is best to bring peace."

"As you wish." He bowed slightly.

"We leave in four days, that gives you time to round up the warriors and get things moving. Three days hence we'll be at their doors barging in.. Good night Dur."

He couldn't wish me the same he was still a little confused by all of this. Walking towards my hut, I walked around and sat in the garden instead. I needed some cooler air and to relish in the peaceful feeling I had inside.

 

[Miltone]

Avenir

There was a scattered sounding of yerkes in the trees just before sunrise that caused Avenir to stir. Their high-pitched chirping as they staked out their aviary territories woke him fully. The fire had dwindled to little more than glowing embers. But as great bands of the deepest red light streaked across the heavens, Avenir poked at the glowing coals and prepared another log for the fire. While the others slept, he fetched some fresh water to make etta, a strong energizing hot brew made from the leaves of the ettavia plant. Avenir knew his mother had brought some as they would need to be awake and alert for their day’s travails. Setting the kettle on the rack above the fire, he settled back to sit beside Mara.

There were strange feelings stirring inside him now whenever he looked at her, her face so soft and innocent as she slept so peacefully. He reached down to brush at her face, her dark curls tickling his fingertips. The Old Gray One had never told him of such feelings. Love for his mother, dedication to his country, the ways of war and self-preservation, these were all lessons well learned. But this feeling for someone not of his family that was coming over him mystified him, yet made him feel whole and complete. For some reason known only to the gods of the fields, he leaned over and kissed her cheek, warming her soft cool flesh with his lips. She hummed and began to stir.

“Morning,” she called out sleepily, her body stretching out beneath the blankets he had arranged about her.

When Avenir smiled and went to sit back up, her hand reached out to hook around his neck and pull his face back to hers. It was a very warm sweet kiss she gave him, one that he readily returned. That was another thing too that he noticed. Each time they kissed now it was different, not just the wholesome peck on the cheek that he and his mother exchanged, but something that sent his blood to stirring and his heart to pounding in his chest, and a rush of feeling to his loins.

As Avenir leaned down, Mara reached out with her other arm and captured him, pulling him out of his sitting position and down onto her. As they tussled, half wrestling, half embracing they rolled and she ended up on top of him, her legs straddling his hips, her hands holding his shoulders to the ground. She held her body above him for a moment, their eyes locking intensely. Then her parted lips slowly descended toward his and they fell into an embrace that brought soft moaning sounds from each. Their arms wrapped around one another, their mouths sought out each other ravenously.

"Mara," Avenir moaned as he felt her body press and rub against his.

"Avenir, sweet Avenir," she sighed hoarsely.

“All right you two,” called out Marian. “We have much to do before we can break camp and cross the river this morning.”

The Old Gray One had stirred as well and seconded his mother’s admonition. The sun was lifting itself up past the horizon and they had far to go this new day.

 

[Garras Agudas]

Ahktar

It was a past that had never happened. One I dreamed of since the day I found Marian and lifted her in my arms, my intent to care for her and then leave as soon as she was able to fend for herself and her newborn child. Yet something more than a promise to the Queen kept me near them both, a desire to be with this woman who now stood in front of me in an alternative land of desire.

“Are you certain of this, my beloved?” I queried gently and fearfully. Scared not of her saying no but of what it meant when she replied yes to me. Knowing I was to be the one she chose to spend the rest of her days with, that I was to be the one who woke next to her each morning from this day forward.

But instead of wasting words I found her lips pressed to mine and responded, my own opening to accept her gentle, teasing tongue as my arms encircled her trim waist and I breathed in her perfumed hair. And then we were on the pillowed surface of the ornate bed, our eyes searching each other’s and finding the same passion returned, knowing what we both wanted was right…and needing it even more because of it.

Gasps and moans escaped our lips between heated kisses as our clothing melted away from us and revealed her beauty to me and I bent to worship the fragrant skin. And as her hands wrapped themselves in my dark, curly hair I knew the feeling of contentment, in finding the place I truly belonged.

The mist cleared and I awoke, the feelings of desire in our dream heightened by the physical need in my own real body as I moved away from the warm form of Marian, and sighed.

The rush of the real world was fraught with bad news, the air bringing to me the knowledge gleaned by the spirits and directed to me. The time for love had passed and another test was soon to be brought upon Avenir’s ever widening shoulders, the feeling that he would soon meet his siblings now a fact.

“Yes, Let us break our fast and then move on” I agreed and chided myself, not for the passion I shared in the dream Marian and I both found ourselves in, but for the future that was about to wrap it’s terrible arms around us with. and myself for not anticipating it.

“I think it is time we begin to search for the three articles” I suggested and looked to the others for agreement. “There is a presence near us that shields the knowledge of them, and another greater evil that searches to find it as well. Plus the spirits have warned me off two great armies now moving ahead of Death’s schedule, and if they meet many innocent people will perish to Death’s great enjoyment.”

We each began to pack, Marian quickly creating the “tea” we all needed as I placed the bedroll on her mount and accepted my breakfast from her hands, our eyes meeting with the same passion they had in our shared dream.

“Until the fantasy becomes reality, my love” I wished quietly over the steam coming from the mug. “I will never stop dreaming of the vision I have just beheld”

 

[Honey_B]

Marian

The night's sleep clung to Marian. Not because of fatigue, but because she held fast to it. As her body had rested, her mind had been set ablaze by a dream like no other. Upon waking, she felt Ahktar's eyes upon her. Instinctively she knew he had shared the same dream as her. Perhaps he had been the one to transport her back to a past that never occurred so that they could experience the joy of coming together as young lovers. Marian was touched beyond all imagining and it was with great difficulty that she set about the necessary tasks of the morning.

A mixture of dried fruits and nuts comprised their breakfast, that and the restorative tea brewed from healing herbs. Marian knelt by Mara's side and roused the girl, handing her a steaming cup. She caught Avenir's eye and smiled. He barely noticed the gesture, his eyes on Mara. That is how it should be though and Marian could not help but be pleased.

“I think it is time we begin to search for the three articles. There is a presence near us that shields the knowledge of them, and another greater evil that searches to find it as well. Plus the spirits have warned me off two great armies now moving ahead of Death’s schedule, and if they meet many innocent people will perish to Death’s great enjoyment.”

The cruel reality was sobering. Marian knew the crossing of the Desolace would be dangerous. Beyond the expansive river lay the mountains of Kalimdor. They would have to scale the steepest peak to find the home of Chandra, the sorceress who held her son's legacy. It was time to speak of their location to Ahktar and in measured tones she did so, telling him her tale.

 

[Tammi]

Mara

As Mara had wrestled with Avenir, then lying on top of him, their shared kiss was more than she had felt before. Hearing his soft moans, feeling the warm stirrings of his body beneath hers, she felt warm shivers throughout her body that made her almost ache for something she was not quite sure of.

Suddenly the moment broken, Marian calling to them and then handing her the tea, sat up to take it from her, smiling at her. A soft blush crossed Mara’s face, something in the look of his mother’s eyes let her know she understood the thoughts and feelings that were stirring between Mara and Avenir.

As they drank their tea and started making ready to begin again on their journey, it was obvious the looks between Mara and Avenir. Although he took this journey seriously, doing everything he needed to do, they also stayed close to each other, helping each other get ready. Every chance they were close, one of them seemed to be touching the other, whether brushing against them, a brush of an arm, each time soft smiles between the two.

“Oops…” Mara giggled as she put on her shoes, falling back against Avenir.

“It’s alright, I caught you.” He said, his hands going around her waist.

“Yes, you have.” Mara whispered softly, turning around in his arms and smiled up at him brightly. Her lips were barely a breath away from his, her body now resting against his. Again she felt the strong stirrings she had earlier, and she pulled him tighter to her, kissing him again. She knew they only had this brief moment before again they would be on there way, and with all the unknowns that lay ahead, she needed to feel his warmth, his closeness, the comfort of his arms and lips before they left.

 

[Garras Agudas]

Death

The witches chant increased and the smoke rose, wrapping it's tendrils around me as she worked her dark magic, thru it I watched her withered and wrinkled hands add bits of flesh and blood to the fire and gradually another sight came to me as well.

Chuckling I knew once again the ancient spell had worked and the vision before me was the one I sought.

"Tired of being the wise leader finally, Aryn?"

The figure spun lithely, her sword rising quickly and smoothly to cut off my head....IF it were within reach, and I laughed.

"Being the warrior does suit you better, yet you are quickly running out of time since your assasin has slain the one strong enough to side you and aid with your dreams"

The mist about me settled and I stepped from it, my etheral being solidifying as I moved from my lands to hers....

"Tis sad that you slew the man before even knowing him for what he meant to you"

Again I chuckled as her sword rose in a flashing arch, aimed for my own throat and intercepted this time by the steel of my own blade, twisting and forcing her to lower her own weapon to the ground as I captured it with my own,

"Perhaps as you share with me your flesh I will show you what comes to meet you...give you insight to a future that I share with a rare few...and let live"

 

[Sweetp4u]

Aryn

Jumping back away from the foul demon, I let the sword fall and took out a slim scimitar from behind my back.

"You must have big testies or be addle-brained to step into my battlements." Appearing here, on the field, in the middle of all my troops, he was egotistical beyond help.

"I make no deals with the devil. And I have slain no one as of yet." With a wicked little grin, I moved my scimitar a little. Let him see I posed a threat to him.

"Share my flesh with you? And Gork's can fly." I snorted, backing away a little further, I needed more cushion to watch him and his movements. Angering Death was not wise, but cowering had gone on long enough. He could not accomplish his goals if he killed me himself, and he could not take me without killing me first. We were at an impass now, neither wanting to give or bend. Knowing he had more power than I could ever fathom, I still stood firm against the monster.

His threats still rang in my ears each night as I went to sleep, his promise to return after leaving me at the village. A deadly promise almost. His returning to make me a woman. I wanted to laugh but could not summon up a little humor to cause that effect.

"I will be at this little meeting you have when it is time, until then leave me be." It was all the warning I would give him. Dur and a few others were close, if I had to I would call them to arms and end it here and now. My armies were growing, day by day as I marched steadily north. Each village along the way I had aquired more men and women, and more troubles as well.

 

[Garras Agudas]

Death

"I will be at this little meeting you have when it is time, until then leave me be."

Laughing I advanced, the move causing her to bring the scimitar around and upward in a move to gut me. Faster then the eye could follow it penetrated and her second hand joined the first to help lift the sharp blade...

If only the "gut" she intended to disembowel was there...


Another louder laugh and I stepped forward, our faces nearly touching as I looked into her wide eyes and grinned.

"Perhaps you should listen more to my words and less to the warnings your mind generates"

A warning and a reminder of who I was and the plans I had for her and myself as well.

"And with less physical action and more mental...you would ask questions of me, as well as how you can aid me and better your own position in the battle that is approaching sooner then you believe."

And with those final words I stepped thru the mist and into her world with my physical state, not just the etheral...and took the scimitar in my hand as I kissed her...long and hard...then broke the kiss and moved back into the mist again.

"Deny me and I will take what I want anyways....Aid me and the rewards to you will be richer than your greatest dreams"

 

[Sweetp4u]

Aryn

Shivering and tempered, I watched as he materialized yet again! That bastard! Was nearly impossible to kill him and he loved that fact! He used it to get ground and footing above all others.

I stepped back further, knowing he was correct in his words but longing to deny them. What could one do? Die and die or live and be his damned partner?

I couldn't really think overly long on this, he was standing before me yet again, that cocky grin back in place. Knowing him that too was an illusion and would remain so as long as I posed a threat.

What could I do?! I wanted to curse at him, anger him as greatly as I was angered, but being dead wasn't my goal right now. Perhaps Dur was right? Inorder to survive I would have to make a deal with the devil himself. Well the devil stood before me, grinning and probably reading my mind as well.

"And with less physical action and more mental...you would ask questions of me, as well as how you can aid me and better your own position in the battle that is approaching sooner then you believe."

Ask him what? How can he damn me to hell for eternity? Visibly trembling, I tossed down the sword and stood glaring defiantly at him.

"Deny me and I will take what I want anyways....Aid me and the rewards to you will be richer than your greatest dreams"

"And what do you get out of this Death? What is there for you in this?" I knew him well, I knew him well enough to know he isnt kind and he doesn't give without a great price.

He was correct about one thing, I wanted this world under control, my control. Safe, prosperous and no more fueding. Being the only heir alive, it was my right! And he knew that as well as I did... Unless he knew something I did not?

I wouldn't ask him for his word on anything, he lied. Plain and simple, he lied about everything he wished to. This whole thing was bogling my mind, what had he need of a mortal for? Something wasn't feeling right here, but doubts couldn't be examined with him breathing down my neck. Make a hurried choice, given no time to think it over, I was damning myself already.

 

[Garras Agudas]

Death

From a pouch at my side I brought out a red jeweled pendant dangling from a solid gold chain.

"This is the only link to me I will offer you" I informed the angry and more alluring because of that anger, woman. "Place a drop off your blood upon it and you will be transported to a place where you will be delivered to me as the day you were born, a place that no one can reach save myself and when I find you there I will know you are truly ready to accept me as your master and partner"

The pendant flashed as it flew thru the mist, twisting and turning as it passed from my world to hers...and landed at her feet.

"A single use is all it will give you.ONE chance" I warned and watched the mist thicken, the connection closing between our worlds.

Turning to the ancient witch I nodded, the pile of flesh diminished by half from her offerings and incantations.

"Now direct me to the second Princess...and I will make true the prophecy I gave her so long a time ago...IF she is willing to serve a master and to be Queen at the same time"

 

[Sweetp4u]

Aryn

Catching the red stone in my hand, I watched as he began to vanish.

"Wait!" What choice was I being given? If I wanted to succeed, he said I had to join him. Glancing around the camp of men and women, I wondered if perhaps I was going about this all wrong?

Dur approached behind me, not having witnessed the confrontation, "The armies we have gathered are weakening. Since the northerner died his people have been starving and are of little use. Tales say the same awaits us the further we go. What do you wish My Queen?" His sarcastic tone wasn't missed by me.

"I will take care of this." I mumbled, my hand hiding the stone from his notice.

"If I may ask, how do you plan on making this work? We have lost a few men and women to the small squirmishes but not a large number. If we continue northerly, we risk losing more than we can afford. Or have you forgotten the invitation?"

"NO! I have not forgotten. Things will be fine, just let me think." I dismissed him but he did not budge.

"It will only get worse. Lack of food storages and water as well is running low with so many soldiers feeding the hungry. We lost two catapults to the river and several Gorks have become ill from the drinking water."

"Do you have any good news?" I asked but did not turn to face him.

"Aye.. The leader now running this land is a sloven old slob with no head on his shoulders. He spends more time accumilating wives than defending his people."

"Easy target I take it?"

"No, on the contrary, he is guarded well by a select few he pays handsomely."

"We out number them."

"That won't matter, the northerner's castle is thrice the size of any I have seen before. With many tunnels and escape routes."

"how do you know this Dur?"

He turned and pointed to a huddled woman sipping cocoa by the fire pit. "She was his wife, the northerner's, she knows the castle inside and out but knows we can not penetrate it without a sevier battle that would range for months."

"Seige?" I kicked at a rock feeling things getting worse by the second.

"Yes." He whispered.

"Any one left to call to arms here to join us?"

"Nay."

"Go, leave me be. I will return as soon as possible. Do not move until I am back."

"Where do you go?"

"To plead with the devil." I turned and glanced at him before walking off. Dur shook his head, knowing she had nothing up her sleeve to pull this off.

I knew better, Death made an offer I should have listened to. Taking the dagger from my hip, I sliced a small piece of my finger and held the stone aloft. Watching the blood form on the pad of my finger, I waited for what seemed like eternity for it to drop on the stone and seal my fate.

I would become ruler, one way or another. Determination was not a strong enough word for my drive, I had to succeed!

The drop hit the stone and the world went blacker than the night had ever been and I stood bare and in a chamber I did not recognize. I would stand here and wait as long as it took. Perhaps I could bargain with him, more so than I thought.

 

[Garras Agudas]

Death

The small fire crackled and popped, the lean figure hunched beside it staring into the flames as the woman approached, seemingly oblivious to her near silent footsteps as she neared.

"Not a wise thing to do...stare into the fllames and make yourself blind to the darkness around you." The female chided from the edge of the dim light, the shadows hiding her nudity from the dark tanned man garbed only in a loin cloth.

"Nor is wandering around undressed in the dark" The young man retorted gently, turning to face her with his light blue eyes reflecting the firelight before falling into the shadows of it themselves.

"I am looking for Death" The Princess continued, ignoring the obvious state of her undress and continuing. "I was given this to bring me to him"

The only thing that remained on her lithe frame reflected the red glow of the fire as she leaned forward and showed it to the yet unknown man, aware that she was showing more than she wanted as she glanced down and saw the shadows receding from her full breasts and flat stomach.

"We all look for different things in this world" The man acknowledged, his eyes showing the pleasure of her well defined assets and his appreciation of them. "I myself prefer pleasure and life over Death any day."

He stood and lifted his arms above his head, pulling the kinks from his body as he stretched to his full height and regarded the women solemnly, a trace of a grin on his full lips.

"Perhaps you need to come closer to the fire and warm yourself as we wait for what we each seek?"

 

[Sweetp4u]

Aryn

Startled by the voice, I glanced around trying to see who was there. I did not recognize the voice or the person as my eyes adjusted to the dark.

"I am looking for Death." I stated simply, wondering why he was here instead?

"We all look for different things in this world..... I myself prefer pleasure and life over Death any day." He spoke softly, obviously missing the true meaning of my words.

Glancing down, I realised he could see everything from head to toe. Stiffening up slightly, I moved forward with his invitation. Warmth would be nice right about now.

"I am seeking Death, not to die. Where can I find him?" I asked yet again. He stretched up and out of the chair, towering over me by a good foot. Used to larger men, this did not intimidate me as much as standing around nude.

"The heat does feel better thank you." I chose to ignore the stares and the obvious uncomfortable situation. I knew Death liked his little kinks and this was probably one of them. I tried not to glance around, not wanting to be in this odd realm any longer than I had to be. I had a bargain in mind, and I came to see it through.

 

[Garras Agudas]

"Of two things I am sure" The young man assured as he stepped aside and let the woman move to the fire. "One is my name and that is Arkor, the second is "Death"will make you aware of his presence when he is ready"

The camp was bare save for a water skin which he offered, warning the liquid within was more stronger than just the water from the great Desolace River as he offered the only chair he had, the remaining portion of a once proud tree.

"When I began my search this tree was a sapling" He spoke squatting beside her, letting his muscle corded leg brush hers, his hand resting on the bark free stump."Now I use the last of it for warmth and to guide others who come on thier own quests."

Having offered all that he had to her he fell silent, his eyes looking at the leader of warriors in unashamed study, his nostrils flaring at the natural scent of her skin and hair. The fire crackled again and the sound echoed, the reverberation telling of the near endless size of the dark cavern by the time it took to return to them.

"So what do I call you while we wait to see who finds thier destiny first...... lost?"

 

[Sweetp4u]

Aryn

Despite the heat of the fire glowing warmly near me, I shivered with a chill. This place made me uncomfortable, the blackness too thick to begin to see anything, I felt like I was in a black hole somewhere. With nothing but the fire, his chair and him standing just over my shoulder.

"Arkor? Interesting name." Something I knew nothing of, having never heard it before to determine it's meaning.

"I am Aryn." I left off the title of queen, it did not seem to mean much here in this desolance. Unsure of many things, it did not seem odd at first he offered me his seat and his fire, a gentlemanly thing to do, but this was Death’s realm, where kindness did not exist. Why would he do these things?

The popping fire echoed, faintly. The immensity of this place was even greater than I thought. Now what was I to do? How long must I sit and wait? And if I wished, how did I return home? I had a feeling I could not return home until Death himself sent me there.

I could hear him breathing over my shoulder but did not turn to look upon Arkor again. “And who are we waiting for?” Shifting a little in the throne like chair, I spoke up but softly. “I have made my path with destiny, there is no looking back once I entered this…strange place.” I fell silent again, wondering if I should go looking for Death myself?

 

[Garras Agudas]

Fate

Marian began to softly relive the past and i listened quietly, leaning against a beast as I knew what pain it cost her and giving her my full attention as the story unfolded.

The death of her husband and the countries greatest ruler to date, the taking of her children from her as she fled, instinctively bringing with the three artifacts, not sure of the exact use for them but knowing the importance of them even so as she found a place safe enough to hide them til needed again.

But there was more...I could feel a greater, more personal pain the words she spoke did not tell, the hidden tale shown on her face and in her eyes...

"You did not escape without harm to yourself, Marian?" I questioned in horror, then winced as a blinding flash of pain hit me and nearly drove me to my knees, the girth of the beast hiding us from the young couple and enabling me to remain on my feet as well.

"Are you ill?" Marian's concerned voice came to me as her hand touched my face and I steadied myself.

"No, not ill" I answered her concern, then winced again as another bolt hit me, this time not taking me by surprise yet making me cringe at it's meaning. "I am experiencing something I have not felt for two centuries is all"

And had hoped to never do so again, but knew it spoke of the growing power I felt inside of...him.Concentrating I let the next bolt flow into me, then rode it as it washed thru me and back out again, using the time inside me to decipher it's meaning....and blanching at it as well.

"Your daughter is in grave danger, Marian" I spoke softly, not wanting the words to carry to Avenir and his...beloved.

"Danger? As in peril of dying?"

"No, A fate worse than that" There were no easy words to lend to the statement and no time for them if there were...

"She is about to give her soul in trade for her peoples beleived prosperity"

A deal I knew would never be carried through...the people she thought saved would only be fattened for slaughter...and guarntee a much greater evil lived on.

 

[Garras Agudas]

Arkor

"Yes" I agreed, enjoying the heat of her body and the feel of her skin against my thigh, feeling the strength inside her body rippling under the tawny surface and revelling in it. "Once you have taken this step there is no other course"

She had sipped at the brew within the skin, then handed it back to me, her body arching wonderfully as she did, her ribs pulling her stomach muscles in and creating a hollow as she moved. I too drew from the skin, then handed it back to her, the cork still within my hand as she took it and my urgings.

"Drink deeply, it will warm you and ease the unrest in you as well"

My arm had brushed the swell of her breast from the side and it felt as if the skin were on fire, a sensation I yearned for again...lived for in fact as I let my hand rest on her shoulder as she drank again.

"You must be of high rank to be able to "deal" with Death" I surmised outloud. "Beauty he would simply take...power he deals with, though on his own terms, correct?"

The muscles rippled under her shoulder as a second time I enjoyed the sight of her returning the skin to me and reluctantly placed the cork in it, the motion forcing me to break the touch.

I moved, sitting beside her and letting our shoulders touch, the closeness letting me smell her fragrance again...and my hand rest on her thigh.

"What would you possess that he could not simply....take?"