by Jen Wylie
"Perhaps," she acknowledged. "Don't get killed."
He flashed her a brilliant, beautiful smile. "My lovely, keep saying such things and I might begin to believe you don't hate me."
"Haven't hated you for a while now, idiot."
He chuckled, and she smiled, too.
"Is my arrival amusing to you?"
They found him in the shadows, arms crossed as he leaned against a tree, watching them. She wondered where he had landed, how he'd gotten his monstrous dragon form to the ground. How had he even changed forms? Did he shift as the Were did?
He straightened, disrupting her thoughts, and moved toward them. Her fists clenched as he approached. He looked the same; tall, his short black hair curling around his slightly backward curving pointed ears. His eyes… Those terrifying eyes. With no whites and their vertical slits, the iridescent swirling colors held your attention.
She wanted to draw her daggers and stab them. Maybe that would kill him.
He frowned, his eyes narrowing as he stopped before her. "You never learn, do you, little human?" His gaze turned to Baelan and remained there until she heard the Elf back away. The Dragos turned his attention back to her.
"Hello, Damon." She did, at least, remember his anger if she didn't greet him properly.
"Such angry thoughts flying around in that weak little mind of yours." He grinned, teeth white and unfriendly. "That is enough. It is done, and as it should be. Your obsession with my death is a waste of time. You cannot kill me, little girl. I am not human, nor Elf, Were, or Fey. I am Dragos. I am not of this world. Nothing, nothing in or of this world can kill me, Arowyn. Do you understand? Direct your anger elsewhere. It does you no good."
If he was right… She pressed her lips together, remembering stories she'd heard from the Were about the Dragos. The truth of his words settled in her very bones. Bitterness filled her, souring her stomach. She had failed before she'd begun. There would never be any vengeance for what he'd done to them.
"I am not your enemy. You don't seem to be able to grasp that simple fact. I am simply," he waved a hand, "ensuring the ending to this tale that I desire."
He'd said something similar before and she frowned, trying to remember.
"The Vor," Baelan said quietly from behind her.
"Of course the Vor," the Dragos snapped. "I cannot get off this rotting world until they are gone. I need the Fey back to get rid of them. It's simple."
He flicked his finger against her forehead and she jerked back.
"The problem–one of the problems," he amended with a sharp look her way, "is the ripples. Have you felt them? No, I suppose you have not."
"Ripples?"
"Of change. Within time. But they are unnatural, forced. Someone is trying to change what is to come. They are the enemy."
Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. "You want me to stop them?"
He snorted in amusement. "Of course not. They are a foe neither you, nor I, will face. That duty will come to another. But you must–" He stopped abruptly, his gaze going over her shoulder.
It's fine, Kei assured her, stepping up beside her.
"There you are. You heard?"
"Yes," Kei answered.
"Be aware of the ripples. Understand?" Damon spoke fervently, his eyes looking even more crazy than before. "You must watch for the changes and be prepared."
Kei's brows drew together as he bit his lip, but he nodded.
"It is unfortunate the Fey do not have a seer," Damon continued.
"The Were do," she offered, stepping closer to Kei as she felt his growing worry.
"Yes, but he is old. Nearly done. He makes little sense at all anymore. What he has spoken of in the past only concerns the Were."
"The Elven seer…"
"Very good. She is, I believe, the problem. Young, too strong… and in the hands of the queen. Vile, twisted woman." He waved a hand. "It is not your concern, Arowyn." Swirling eyes set on hers. "Why are you here?"
She blinked and struggled for a response to the strange question.
Don't fight him. Don't argue with him, Kei warned her.
"I'm…healing the Fey."
"So, you are. You should have started weeks ago. You should be half way through Rhee-En's land by now. Do you think this is a pleasure romp through the woods?"
Sweat broke out on her brow as her heart beat faster. "No. We've healed fifteen already. We were delayed because–"
"Because of your incompetence!"
She couldn't stop the anger from rising within her. "No! Because you nearly killed him!"
"Such a disobedient child." His rainbow eyes swirled in anger. "Do you need a reminder, Arowyn? You live on my sufferance because at this time I need you. Do not think, however, that you may do as you please, or disrespect me."
Aro, stop. Please stop.
Clenching her jaw, she straightened her spine and refused to back down from his stare. He may be a dragon, but she didn't belong to him. "You've done nothing to earn my respect," she snapped. "What you did to–"
"You should respect me, because I am so much more than you, little human. You are nothing. A speck in time. An annoying bug." His eyes narrowed. "You should fear me, and yet you do not. Perhaps I have been too lenient with you." The vertical slits in his eyes widened slightly as he took a step closer.
Apologize, Kei begged. Say you're sorry!
She held her ground, clenching her fists to keep a sudden surge of panic at bay. She'd gone too far…again.
One moment she was glaring at him, the next her back was slammed up against a tree, feet dangling as he held her there by the throat with one hand.
Her fingers scrambled against his hand, nails clawing to no affect before she simply clasped his wrist, trying to remove his hold.
"If you continue, I will destroy you," he said quietly. "But first, I will destroy those you love." She shook her head vehemently. "Because I need you does not give you any power over me. It merely allows you to live. Do you understand?"
When she didn't answer immediately, he slammed her against the tree. "Yes," she managed to gasp out.
His strange eyes narrowed. "You are too strong willed for me to believe you. Perhaps occasional reminders will be in order."
Spots danced before her eyes as she struggled to breathe. "No!"
"Still so disrespectful. Do you not understand how simple it would be for me to destroy those you care about? The human in the city, your Were, the Elf. I could break your Fey again."
Tears slipped down her cheeks. "No. Please no."
He dropped her and she gasped, sucking in deep breaths as she rubbed her throat. Rot, how she wished she could kill him.
Fingers gripped her face, smacking her head against the tree once more and she swore. Had he heard that?
Of course I did. "I think, right now. A reminder just for you."
She grasped his arm, trying to push him away. "No! No. I understand. Please, stay out of my mind." Would her fortress keep him out this time?
"You will never keep me out. No part of you is hidden from me." He paused, a slight, wicked smile crossing his lips. "Even now, you do not fear me, so what do you fear?"
No.
Sweat beaded her forehead. "Don't do this," she managed to whisper through a mouth suddenly gone dry.
"It is necessary, I believe," he said casually.
She winced when he entered her mind, every muscle tightening as she waited for the destruction and resulting pain.
Except it didn't come.
He knew right where to go, slipping through halls, moving deeper and deeper into the depths of her fortress.
No. No no no.
She followed, growing more frantic as he continued on.
He didn't slow or stop.
Deep within her mind, buried and chained and locked away, her most terrible memory hid. Out of sight, not quite forgotten. No, she could never forget, no matter how hard she tried. Even buried, it was one of the foundation stones for the person she'd b
ecome.
He slipped through stone, entering the deepest, most hidden room in her mind. He sliced through chains as if they were nothing, until only the heavy wooden box remained.
Don't open it. Don't open it.
Looking to him, breath coming in frantic gasps and eyes wide, she begged him not to. It was never meant to be opened again. Somehow, she'd overcome that part of her life. It had shaped her, changed her, and she eventually managed to move on, to mostly forget, except for the nightmares. But even those weren't as bad as the memory, were muted and easily pushed away in the light of day.
Don't open it.
He turned and regarded her solemnly. "You will remember my power, Arowyn. And from now on, you will do as you are told. You will show me respect. If you do not…once I am done with you, I'll lock you in with this memory for the rest of your life. I'll lock you in there and you'll be nothing but a screaming, tortured soul until the day you die."
"I will. I will." Her head bobbed crazily up and down. Right then she might have promised him her first born child, anything, to get him to leave. Just don't open that box…
His lips curved slightly. "I almost believe you. Yet, you have a habit of being forgetful. So, we will ensure you do not forget." Turning his back on her, he flipped open the lid…
A man grabbed her by the back of her shirt and jerked her backward so roughly she fell to the ground, her breath knocked out of her. When she looked up, they had surrounded her.
She scrambled to her feet, trying not to choke on the panic rising within her. The men were talking and laughing. She twirled around, counting. Six. A shuddering breath escaped her.
From their dress and speech, she was pretty certain the strangers were slavers, not other escaped slaves. "Rot it!"
One stepped forward. "Where are of the rest of you?"
She shook her head, afraid to speak, and certain she couldn't even if she wanted to. Terror held her frozen. She couldn't even breathe. Every muscle tensed, ready…even though she had no idea what to do…
"Arowyn."
She wanted to die. She couldn't stop screaming. Crying. Sobbing. The hands wouldn't stop. The pain just got worse.
"Arowyn!"
Then, the brief moment of respite, when suddenly gentle arms held her. Prince. Prince Prince Prince…
She couldn't stop crying, couldn't stop hurting. She still wanted to die, just to make it all stop, because she couldn't stop it. She wasn't strong enough and it was all about to start again.
"Arowyn!"
Kei killed them. Killed them all. The terror and the blood took her breath away and she choked on another sob. But…that voice. It wasn't right. It didn't belong.
Looking up, she saw Baelan struggling to push past…something in this little room in her mind. How did she get here?
Perhaps breaking from the memory helped him, as he suddenly surged forward, past her, and slammed the lid on the box closed.
Turning, he raised his hands as if to embrace her, and then dropped them, his gray eyes searching her face. After a moment, he simply took her hand and then they were flying, moving impossibly fast through the halls of her fortress until they broke free and she saw only darkness.
He tugged her hand again, gentle, but insistent. Wake up.
She did but didn't open her eyes. Arms held her tenderly and she remembered that, so curled into the warmth, resting her face on his chest as sobs choked their way out of her. He rocked her trembling body, pressing his cheek against her hair.
"It's over. You're safe. You're safe," he whispered.
Her crying slowed. The voice wasn't right. Even as she thought that, she realized nothing was right. She wasn't then anymore. It took a while to regain her composure, to stop the urge to scream and cry and wail, to settle her heartbeat and rapid breathing. She let him hold and rock her, whisper the soothing words.
Finally, she shifted and he stopped moving as she turned to look up at him. Baelan. Surprising, and yet somehow not. What surprised her was the lack of pity on his face. His glistening eyes, his brows drawn together, the downward curve of his lips spoke of sadness instead.
She took comfort in the man who killed her. Her life couldn't be more messed up than that.
She turned her gaze to a point over his shoulder. "How much did you see?" Her voice came out a raspy whisper, but he heard her.
"All of it," he answered after a moments silence. "It kept playing over and over…" Looking at him again she wondered why he now clenched his jaw and wouldn't look at her. "I couldn't get through it to you."
"He's gone…" It wasn't quite a question. Somehow, she just knew Damon wasn't there anymore.
"He didn't stay long."
Closing her eyes, she leaned her head against his chest again. "Did I scream out loud?"
"Yes, at first," he whispered.
Drawing in a deep breath, she sat up and rubbed her face. "Then we should go find the others. Before…before…" She cleared her throat and didn't finish, instead getting to her feet.
"They…were already here. Kei is helping set up a camp with them now." His voice softened, "Rest a while more."
"No," she snapped out. "Let's go." She smoothed back her hair and set her face. The memories were locked away again.
She was fine.
Rain began to softly fall.
She was fine.
∞ ∞ ∞
Only two tents did not make for a comfortable camp in the rain, though they rigged them up to make the most of them.
Terris came up to her, gripped her arm tightly, gave her a sharp nod of approval, and then left. She wasn't quite sure what that was about.
Kei pulled her aside and wrapped her in his arms, holding her tightly for a long time without saying a word. She could feel the anger within him though, so wasn't surprised when he later slipped away.
The rain stopped shortly after dark and they were able to all spread out again. Though she got a lot of looks, no one said anything to her and she was fine with that.
Hunting for dry wood for a fire, she ignored Baelan's quiet presence behind her. However, she didn't complain about the handful of little green lights floating around them.
"You truly haven't been with a man."
Baelan's sudden comment surprised her, and a bitter answer hovered on her lips until she looked at him and saw only sad contemplation on his face. "No."
He nodded once. "I apologize, for all my previous comments."
Her brows rose at that, and she didn't know what to say, so said nothing.
"I didn't know…" His voice trailed off and he cleared his throat. His gaze turned to hers and he smiled weakly. "I'm sorry."
She looked away, still unsure what to say. He'd seen her memory of the slavers attack. Many times. What they'd done. What they tried to do.
He remained silent for a while. "Many things make sense now." At her confused look, he continued, "You like to be held, it's a comfort to you. He held you when he pulled you away from them, when he made it stop. You don't like to sleep alone. You had nightmares, I would guess." He paused, ignoring her shocked face. "Someone close by would have helped with that. Made you feel safe."
"Yes," she answered quietly. "Both Prince and Kei did." Why was she telling him this?
He just nodded. "Would it upset you, if I felt your need, to offer such comfort?"
His words, all of them, rattled her more than they should have. "I… I don't know," she said honestly.
Strange, how things changed. Not long ago the idea would have repulsed her, but she'd seen a different side of the crazy Elf. After Damon forced the memories upon her, Baelan held her and she'd accepted it without a second thought. Even when she knew he wasn't Prince. Part of her wanted to say more, how she wouldn't need him, but she didn't know what would happen now, how being forced into the memories again might affect her. Affect her dreams. Nightmares.
Baelan gave her a soft, gentle smile before looking away. "I think I see some over there."
His gentlene
ss confused her. She wasn't used to it, not from him. Not from most people. Anger and fury bubbled within her, just below the surface.
For some reason she felt no desire to unleash it on him.
She broke branches instead.
After they got a few good fires going and finally gotten everyone fed, Kei grabbed her hand and drew her into the trees. Her sight might have improved somewhat, but apparently was still not as good as Kei's. Another branch whacked her head and she cursed, pulling against his hand.
Instead of letting go, he stopped and pulled her close. His eyes glowed suddenly, startling her, and she remembered the first time he'd done that, long ago on a slave ship. It seemed to be the day for old memories.
His eyes searched hers for a long moment. "I'm so sorry," he finally whispered.
"It wasn't your fault."
His lips pressed together tightly, and he shook his head. "I wish you'd trust me."
"I do, Kei." She grimaced. "You know anger gets the best of me sometimes." She cupped his cheek. "And what he did to you, I can't forgive that."
"You have to let it go. Some things you just can't fight."
Dropping her hand, she turned her head away.
Taking her face in his hands, he turned her back to look at him and pulled her closer, resting his forehead against hers. Closing his eyes, he left her in darkness, yet still her heart lit at his attention.
"Come back to me, Kei," she whispered. "I miss you."
"I've been right here," he quietly returned.
"No, you haven't. I don't know where you've been, but it's not here."
His sigh blew across her face. "I'm trying. Everything is just so… It's hard, Aro. Sometimes I don't know who I am. I'm terrified I'm going to do something wrong. I don't want you to get hurt, or worse. Some days, I feel like I'm drowning under it all. But I am trying. I am. I just don't know what to do."
It was one of his longer speeches, and she appreciated that even as the earnestness of his voice made her breath catch. Wrapping her arms around him, she held him close. "I know. I know. I just miss us. How we used to be."
"I don't remember how we used to be." Tears filled her eyes and choked her throat. "I'm not the same anymore," he continued sadly, leaning back, his thumbs brushing across her cheeks.
