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The Last Descendant Ch. 01

By: Elianna



Entrari looked over the sleeping city grimly. It was cold in the fall pre-dawn, and he could see his breath as he exhaled. The smoke from the chimneys below rose in straight, white streams up to the heavens, and there was a crackling of anticipation electrifying the air. It would be a long time before the city was peaceful like this again. As he stared into the dark morning, it was hard to believe that this place was ruled by a madman; a madman who had defied the Empire.

In the distance he heard a cock crow mournfully, and with the sound, a shiver ran down his spine. It wasn't a chill, but rather an implacable feeling of foreboding in his soul. Something was going to happen today, he could feel it.

"The men are in position, your highness," said his general softly startling him out of his reverie.

"Thank you, Tesca," he replied. He gazed over the city once again and clenched his jaw in resolve.

Curse Druid feelings, he thought angrily to himself. I'll do what must be done.

He turned and looked at the men who followed him. They were in perfect ranks; ordered, disciplined and ready to crush the tiny kingdom below.

He raised his sword into the air and sliced down. Suddenly a myriad of horns blasted the city into wakefulness.

************

A strange sound echoed in her dreams. It sounded like a blaring of horns like for a hunt. It was early fall and a fine time for it. She wished she was riding with them. 

Someone shook her gently.

She moaned and rolled away. She hated mornings.

"Your highness!" cried Merel. 

Elenna rolled over and stubbornly ignored her serving maiden. It wasn't even light yet.

"Princess!" the woman cried in desperation. "Wake up! We're under attack!"

Elenna sat up suddenly, her eyes wide her heart pounding.

Already? They're here already? she thought in amazement. Impossible.

In bare feet she dashed across the stone floor and pulled aside the drapes that covered the doors leading to her balcony. She opened them and stepped onto the freezing stones. For a moment she could only stand and stare in horror. Below was a vast army, their deep imperial blue cloaks seemed black in the pale dawn. There were more of them than she ever could have imagined in her darkest dreams, and they were rushing down upon the city like a terrible black plague.

I'm not ready. Dear gods! I'm not ready! She felt tears fill her eyes but she angrily blinked them away.

"Merel," she said, trying very hard to sound braver than she felt. "I need your help," she said. "I need you to do something for me without question."

"I have always done so, princess," her maid replied.

She wanted to scream. How could people still want to serve her? The king had doomed them all!

"Do you remember the words I taught you in the Old Language?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Say them to me."

"Arain ne hedon dzi," the servant said slowly struggling with the strange-sounding words.

"Good," the princess said. "Find Grindeg," she said, "and say these words to him. He knows what they mean." The princess turned to the trembling servant. "Can you do that?"

The lady nodded.

"When you've told him, don't come back here," she said. "Find your children and gather them close. Grindeg will take care of all of you."

"Yes, princess," the serving maiden replied bowing. Then she stopped and turned around enfolding the young woman in a tight embrace. "You have done so much Elenna," she said her voice rough with tears. "I know you would make your mother proud, especially today."

For a moment, the princess stiffened, but then she melted into the woman who had been her maid and companion since she'd been a little girl. Today when she felt so tiny and overwhelmed by her duty, she would cling to every scrap of affection.

"Goodbye Merel," she whispered.

"Be at peace," said Merel gently releasing her. She opened the door and then turned back once more. "May our ancestors be with you." 

The princess watched the doors close behind her and shuddered with their click of finality. It signified the one of the last lifelines of love departing from her life. In a world that had been crumbling around her for so long, she was surprised how much it still hurt. She took a deep breath, pushing her grief back down and went to her wardrobe to select a gown. With deliberate care, she picked black; the color of death, and then proceeded to struggle into her corsets and put on her petticoats. The princess of Hartstak had not dressed herself for as long as she could remember. Under normal circumstances, such things were beneath her.

Elenna looked at her reflection seriously. A pale, wan-looking woman she barely recognized stared back at her, her gray eyes sunken with shadow and worry. Taking one more deep breath she removed her Druid talisman; the necklace that denoted her as a member of the ancient faith. To wear the necklace today, knowing what she must do would make her faith a mockery. She'd worn it every day of her life since she'd been given it on her twelfth birthday. She put it on her dressing table and touched it gingerly with reverence. Then she sighed and rose. 

It was time.

She left her chambers and made her way through the halls of the ancient castle. Servants were running around shouting hysterically, and the guards were leaving their posts in order to join with the troops who fought valiantly but futilely to defend the doomed city. It was cacophony; absolute chaos, but she walked with stately calm.

She continued on to the small chapel in the castle. Those who still practiced the Old Ways frequently went there for peace, but it was empty. People were more worried about saving their loved ones and their things than praying to the Ancestors. Elenna fell to her knees and bowed her head in prayer. She knew she would need their strength before the sun had set.

***************

"Something strange is happening in the city, your highness," reported a soldier.

"What do you mean?" asked the prince sharply. 

This was supposed to be an easy conquest, but the nagging feeling of foreboding had been hanging over his head all morning. He turned to look at a brown-haired man dressed in the livery of his personal guard. Wisely, the guard kept his face passive.

Damn! Entrari swore inwardly.

"There are reports that many of the homes have a strange branch upon the doorway with red string wrapped around it intricately," the soldier said. "The men are afraid it's some kind of witchcraft and they're hesitant to touch those homes."

Entrari nodded thoughtfully. Something about the description sounded familiar. "Bring me one of the branches," he commanded. "Tell the men not to touch any of the houses until I have seen one."

"Yes, your highness," he said bowing.

"It's nothing, Gosta," said the prince to his guard almost defensively.

"Yes, your highness," he replied simply.

Entrari was sure he could detect a hint of smugness in Gosta's voice but he decided to bite his tongue. He'd be damned if he'd let some foolish Druid superstitions control his destiny.

***************

"Will you say a prayer for me, princess?" 

A blonde, burly man with a braided beard and a helmet and sword stood in the doorway. Though he seemed gruff and intimidating, he looked tenderly at the kneeling princess as she bowed her head in the ancient prayers.

"Grindeg," Elenna said in relief as she looked up. "Did you spread the word?"

"Of course," he said.

"How many will remember?" she wondered aloud as she rose.

"Hopefully more than we suspect," Grindeg said. "Will the opposing force recognize them, though, I wonder."

"The ambassador told me that the Empress of Haladon was raised a Druid. The generals of this army should recognize the ancient sign." She sighed ruefully. "I'm placing all my hopes upon it."

He touched her arm gently. "You've done well, Elenna," he said.

"Will it be good enough, I wonder," she mused.

"Only time will tell," he said. "The words Merel spoke," he said quietly. "Are you sure?"

"We're escaping through the catacombs," she said nodding. "I had hoped the evacuation had already begun."

"It has, but..." he paused, "the way is unpleasant." 

"I know," she replied, "but it's the only way I can think of on such short notice. At least it will evacuate the people in the palace without being seen. No one knows about the path anymore."

"No," he agreed. "It has been lost to legend as have so many of the ancient Druid ways." He smiled grimly. "I agree with you, princess. I just don't have to like it, do I?"

She patted his shoulder fondly. "That you don't, my friend."

"Who will close the door and seal it again?" he asked her.

"Leave that to me," she said decisively. "Keep the evacuation small for now; women and children first and only a few at a time. If my father finds out what is going on, he'll kill us all."

"As you wish," he said turning to leave.

**************

"This is what is on the doors, your highness," said a soldier holding the small branch with the red wrapping.

"Damn it!" Entrari swore irritably. He turned to glare at his guard. He hated when Gosta was right about stuff like this. He hated when faith trumped magic. The Druid knight inclined his head rather mockingly, which annoyed the prince even more, but he restrained himself. "Have we invaded any of those houses?" he asked the soldier.

"None that I know of," said the soldier.

"If there's a house with that sign on it, tell the men to stay away," the prince commanded. "Don't even go near them!" He swore and began to pace. "We need to get the word out to the officers."

"Are they dangerous?" asked the soldier, his eyes wide.

"No, it means that the family is Druid. They are loyal to the ancient ways. We can't touch them. We can't violate the Druid treaty."

"Your highness," said the soldier his eyes widening in protest. "There are hundreds of doors with this sign."

"Damn it!" Entrari swore with even more vehemence. This was supposed to be an easy conquest. These people were supposed to be backwards and barbaric. He looked at the cowering soldier bearing the ancient Druid symbol for peace. "Touch none of them," he commanded. 

The soldier bowed. "Yes, your highness!"

Entrari paced for a moment in silence, trying not to lose his temper, but he was acutely aware of his bodyguards' eyes following him. 

"Don't even say it, Gosta," he snarled at one.

"Say what?"

"I think his highness is just a little peeved that you were right," said another guard with brown hair and gray eyes.

"His highness can manage to ignore his feelings effectively without me reminding him of it," Gosta said. Suddenly he grinned. "I did tell you so."

Entrari groaned.

*************

Elenna sat in the small chapel for hours, longing for prayer to calm her nerves, but nothing worked. It was so hard to stand aside and let Grindeg lead the evacuation, but she knew that supervising herself would give it all away. Her father in his madness would probably kill his own people if he knew they were fleeing. 

It was late afternoon when she finally emerged from the chapel. Her face was drawn with worry, but she was prepared. She knew her duty, even if those who loved her didn't understand. Outside the walls she could hear the crash of battering rams as they attempted to breach the castle walls. The battle was almost upon her.

As she roamed the halls, they seemed strangely empty. She smiled a little to herself. Her plan was working. The only people she could see were the royal guard loyal to the king and... Grindeg?

Her friend's face was dirty, his beard and hair matted with sweat. His bright blue eyes were filled with worry.

"Princess!" he cried both desperately and with relief. "You must come with me! They've breached the gates!"

Before she could protest, he grabbed her arm and dragged her along the hallway down towards the dungeons and the secret entrance to the catacombs. As they reached the bottom of the castle she felt the overwhelming sense of...cold. It literally oozed out of the open doors to the ancient burial ground and all about her people were trembling with fear, children were screaming, and women were sobbing. The princess looked at the gaping mouth of the cave lined with bones and felt her resolve waver. What had she asked of them? 

"Make way!" Grindeg cried in a loud voice pushing past the balking lords and ladies who stared into the tunnel with terror.

"No, Grindeg," she said gaining her courage once again. She pulled away from him and closed her eyes reaching deep within herself.

"Piedha..." she whispered quietly. Strangely, her words echoed in the minds of all those present and down into the dark abyss of the catacombs.

The chill in the air seemed to lessen and the terror in the eyes of her people seemed to diminish.

"Hurry!" she cried to Grindeg. "We've got to get them out of here!" She pushed people towards the tunnel again whispering words of encouragement as they fled into the darkness, torches in hand. 

"Princess you must come now!" cried Grindeg from inside the doorway to the tunnel. "The enemy is upon you."

"I'm not going with you, Grindeg," she said gently.

"What do you mean?" he cried. "Let's go now!"

"I have to shut the doors."

"No one is strong enough to shut these doors alone, princess. We have to leave them open!"

"I can't do that. The enemy might find this place and be able to track you down. You have women and children with you. They're defenseless."

"You're as mad as your father!" cried Grindeg furiously. He grabbed her arm roughly and tried to force her inside the tunnel.

"No Grindeg," she said, her voice horribly calm. "Go. Lead these people out of the catacombs. They'll need your courage to get through. I'll shut the door."

"If the king finds out you can do sorcery, he'll kill you," Grindeg said nearly in tears as he understood at last what she was going to do.

"I think that has been my fate, either by my father's hand or another's," she replied shaking a little. "I have to seal these doors from this side or its secret won't stay hidden. I am the only one that can do it Grindeg. You know I'm right."

Grindeg looked at her desperately, "Princess, your people can't survive without you. You can't abandon them!"

"I'm not," she replied. "I'm staying true to my word that I would protect them, even if it costs me my life." For a moment, she just wanted to fly into his embrace as she'd done since she was a little girl. She desperately wanted to feel safe in his strong arms, to know that her Grindeg would protect her. 

"Go before they discover us!" 

"Elenna..." he began.

She looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears. Impulsively she flung herself into his arms and he held her close. For a moment, she just reveled in it; love, affection. Did people know how priceless it truly was?

"Gods, all the duties that pull at me today!" she cried brokenly into his chest. "Watch over my people, Grindeg. Promise me."

"You have my word, princess," he replied. He released her and bowed deeply. Then he turned to follow the others through the catacombs.

Elenna looked at the massive stone doors that stood ajar and watched as Grindeg's torch was swallowed by the gaping blackness. Then she focused her mind upon the strange words in the language of sorcery. She rarely used her powers of sorcery. Among her people it had been forbidden, but today all laws were useless, today her people were no more. She muttered the incantation slowly and precisely focusing her energy upon the doors. The thick stone slabs moved inward and with a rumbling protest, they shuddered closed.

The princess fell to her knees gasping. Using magic was difficult and exhausting for her; and she didn't dare practice it enough to build her endurance. She closed her eyes for several moments and forced herself to remain conscious. Slowly the strange sickness passed and once again she forced herself to rise. She stumbled over to the doors and touched them whispering a prayer in the Old Tongue. The seams to the gradually faded into nothingness and the princess stood before a blank wall once again. Wearily she turned away and with faltering steps, made her way out of the dungeons. Though dizzy and fatigued, she did not wish to be found anywhere near the escape route of her people. 

She struggled through the halls, her mind and body numb from exhaustion. The castle guardsmen ran about shouting wildly attempting to meet the invading forces. They knew death was eminent but guardsmen never abandoned the castle while the king remained.

The King.

Elenna hated her father. His madness had doomed all these people to their deaths. Had he even listened to the ambassador, he would have recognized the potential of the treaty from Haladon. Her father could have maintained his kingship; he could have maintained the freedom of his people. Yet his insanity ran deep. Even the people whispered of his progressive madness. The poorest peasant would jest about the raving king who ruled his kingdom absolutely; absolute power in the hands of an absolute madman.

As his daughter, Elenna struggled to maintain the laws and dignity of her people. She sidestepped the commands of her father and frequently overturned some of his more ridiculous proclamations when he went into a fit of raving. However, she was a woman and she was young. Women, even princesses, had little say in their society, and she had repeatedly been rebuked and beaten for her willfulness. She loathed her father. She detested his madness; the madness that had killed her mother; the madness that had doomed her people to death and occupation.

"Princess!" cried one of the guardsmen recognizing her as she stumbled down the hallway. "The castle has been breached! You must seek hiding!"

She shook her head. "There will be no hiding from this force," she said quietly. "You are witnessing the end of the royal family."

He looked at her in horror, but he knew the truth behind her words. "Your father is calling for you," he said. "He is crying that you have betrayed him."

She nodded. "He is mad."

He nodded, too. He understood. They all understood. They were just helpless. 

"Farewell, princess."

She touched his arm gently. "Farewell my guard," she replied. She touched his forehead in an ancient blessing "Sallada," she said in the Old Tongue.

The guard's eyes widened and then softened. "Thank you," he said in a broken voice. "Thank you," he whispered. 

Elenna continued down the Great hall, not really caring where she went, only seeking to find a place far away from the dungeons. She realized that she'd never considered what to do with herself once she'd evacuated the palace. The attack had come too soon. She hadn't worked everything out. It was just too soon.

"Princess!" another man called in a commanding voice.

"Yes, High Captain?" she replied without turning.

"Your father demands your presence," he said in his stern voice grabbing her arm almost roughly. "You will come with me."

"Very well, Keldrig," she replied. "We'll die together."

"He is completely gone," he whispered quietly.

"I understand," she replied. "It's not much of a choice anyway; to die at the hands of my own father or to die at the hands of the enemy."

"Are the people out safely?" he asked her.

She looked at him in amazement. "You knew?" she asked.

"Forgive me princess," he replied. "I have betrayed the crown."

"After today there will be no crown to betray," she replied. Then she looked at the Captain who had so rigidly opposed her. "No crown, but a kingdom still to look after."

He nodded. "Hopefully there will be something left of it after today."

She sighed. "I've given my life to assure it."

"You have given your life for an honorable cause."


The Last Descendant Ch. 01



She looked back towards the dungeons and the catacombs. She hoped she had chosen well. 

"Take me to my father, Captain," she said wearily. "Then go and die with what honor you see fit."

"I will die defending the king," he said resolutely. 

"You will die with honor, then."

The captain took her arm and hurried her through the remaining hallways towards the throne room of the king. She could hear shouts echoing down the hallways and the clash of metal that spoke of battle. It was upon them. The castle guards were taking their last stand. There was a large force of guards standing before the grand double doors that led to the throne room. When they saw Keldrig and the princess, they parted and allowed them to pass. Keldrig pushed upon the doors and they swung open easily.

"You'll need to barricade the door, princess," he said to her. "We won't be able to hold out against the enemy long. Perhaps the barricade will do more than I can."

She nodded. 

"Goodbye, Princess," he said bowing to her for the first and last time.

Elenna stared after him for a moment and then obediently wedged the door closed with the long oak board, wondering to herself if perhaps she was safer facing her enemy than her own father.

"And so we end," she said turning to the king, her voice dead. "How does it feel to know your line ends today, father?"

The king said nothing. He was sitting hunched upon his throne, his large body almost completely still. His eyes were open and glazed, and she knew that he could not see or hear her. She sighed and walked to the throne and sat upon the bottom step leading up to the dais. It was time once again to wait.

*************

Entrari led his own troops through the dark halls of the castle of Hartstak. This was a task he did not appoint to his generals; only his most elite and trusted men raided the palace. Less disciplined forces could not be trusted with the riches, women and children usually hidden in the strongholds of their enemies, but today his soldiers encountered none. Obviously the place had been evacuated, though he couldn't imagine how a large number of people could simply slip out unnoticed. 

The whole thing was a mess. It started with Gosta's strange dream, and then he had that eerie feeling in the morning right before the attack. Now he was storming a deserted castle. Things just weren't making sense. From all he'd heard, the king was a raving lunatic, but the evacuated palace and the surrender of the Druids indicated otherwise. As he and his men fought the remaining palace guards, the uneasy feeling grew.

They made it easily to the great throne room, but by now Entrari had determined that the palace had been completely evacuated and he would find nothing. To his surprise, he came upon the last vestige of the palace guard standing resolutely before the door. Death was in their eyes. They were ready for the ultimate sacrifice. Once again, the imperial prince shook his head. Things just weren't making sense.

"Tell them to drop their weapons and their lives will be spared," he told one of his knights who spoke the language.

The soldier spoke in a loud voice to the guards. They did not reply and instead held their swords at the ready.

The prince saluted them with his own sword, acknowledging their sense of honor even if it was foolish.

***********

"You little traitor," said the voice of the king sharply as he emerged from his trance. Without warning he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to her feet.

"Father!" Elenna cried in pain. "Stop!"

"Where are our people, Elenna?" asked the king menacingly.

"They're dead!" she cried in pain and in anger. "You've killed them! The armies of Haladon are marching through the palace as we speak and have destroyed our city!"

He struck her suddenly across the face and she stumbled to the ground. Her father was a large man and though his madness had weakened him, he was still quite strong. 

"Your words are treason!" he screamed at her, his eyes glazed in his fit and his mouth foaming at the sides.

"Treason against what?" she shouted at him in tears. "In moments you'll have no crown!"

She heard the shouts of battle outside the throne room. The castle guards were making their last stand against the enemy. Suddenly the king paused and threw aside his ermine trimmed mantle, drawing a large sword from a scabbard at his side. His maddened eyes suddenly seemed clear and for a brief second, Elenna remembered the man she knew as a little girl. 

Once, the king of Hartstak had been a powerful warrior. In his youth, he was feared, honored and revered for his skill at arms and his bravery. As a young man, he had shown more promise than had been seen in the monarchy for over 300 years. But then the madness came, and with the terrible decline of the king, so were the hopes of the people dashed. There were days when his eyes cleared that Elenna could only imagine what a king he would have been. However, only seconds later, the insane glare filled his eyes. He turned and looked upon his daughter with menace, the long sword suddenly pointed at her.

"Traitors to the crown must die," he said to her quietly. "I will not abide in a kingdom where a woman disobeys my commands."

"Father," she said looking up at him defiantly. "You have no kingdom."

There was a loud pound upon the massive doors.

In another sudden outburst the king shouted out in rage and kicked her forcibly in the stomach again and again screaming at her incoherently. She cried out in pain and struggled to breathe, the wind knocked from her lungs. Desperately she tried to crawl away from him, even as he continued to beat her and kick her in fury, his body contorting strangely and his eyes glowing.

"Papa! Papa!" she cried desperately hoping her voice would draw him from the fit. "Stop. Papa!"

Another loud pound upon the door shook the stones to the throne room. Elenna began to cry, but the king seemed shocked once again from his madness and held his sword aloft.

"Out of my way girl!" he cried. "Now you shall see the power of your king!"

Elenna wrapped her arms about her body gasping in pain. Then, mustering all of her remaining strength, she crawled to the side of the massive throne room and curled into a miserable ball, hoping to avoid the inevitable slaughter. 

There was another thud and suddenly the massive doors blew inward. Elenna could feel the rush of power through her body. A sorcerer had entered the room!

"Drop your sword King of Hartstak," cried a man in a loud voice. He spoke Semanic, the common tongue of the lands. "Your kingdom is ended!"

"A kingdom ends only with the death of the king!" her father cried in retort.

"So be it," said the man. 

Then he commanded his men in his own language. Elenna spoke it haltingly, but it sounded like he told them not to interfere. Even though her body was in pain and her mind clouded in exhaustion, Elenna noticed the magnificent armor the man wore. This was no mere soldier. A huge, white diamond sat in the crown of his helm, and his silver armor was polished to reflect light like a mirror. He held a bright sword aloft before his face in a strange salute to the king and then advanced upon the monarch with deadly grace.

She watched as her father held his own sword out in the style of their people and made ready to meet the man in shining armor. Insane though he was, the king of Hartstak had always been a gifted swordsman and once their swords met, his opponent seemed to respect him grudgingly. Perhaps his only weakness was that in his madness, the king was brazen and overzealous putting too much force behind his blows. The armored man was patient, watching calculatingly for mistakes, and his composure and coolness seemed to enrage the mad king even more. The monarch doubled his efforts and began to curse at him and swing erratically. Suddenly, with a sharp parry, the armored man wrenched the sword from the king's grasp and held his own at the madman's throat.

"No!" cried the king, slavering. 

The mad king of Hartstak lifted his hand and uttered a word. Elenna gasped as she recognized the language of magic. The rush of power shook Elenna's wounded and weary body to the core. For a moment the soldier was surrounded by a sickening gray mist.

"I am a god!" the king cried suddenly and he began to caper and dance with joyous insanity. 

"No," said the voice of the man in armor softly and deadly, "you're a madman." Suddenly the mist disappeared and he swung his sword powerfully at the insane king's head.

Elenna closed her eyes, but she could still hear the sound of sword severing bone and then she could hear the thud of a massive body collapsing to the floor. For several moments there was absolute silence and then a loud cheer went up among the ranks. Elenna shivered and curled up in a ball struggling to remain conscious.

She could hear the voice of the soldier calling to his men. It seemed that she'd been discovered, but she was barely conscious enough to understand what was going on. Someone grabbed her wrists and bound them tightly. She heard the soldier who had just slain her father command them something else, and a gag was bound across her mouth. He spoke to them quickly in his language and she barely understood the words "dungeon," and "sorceress." The soldiers bowed to him and called him "Your Highness." 

The last thing she remembered before she lost consciousness was one of the soldiers saying, "What a beautiful girl."

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 So this is one of those stories I've had sitting on my hard drive for several years. Obviously I'm branching out into a new category, and I'd like your feedback on what's going well and what isn't. As always I love to improve :) If enough people are interested in this, I'll keep editing and posting... so give me a vote and some feedback so I'll know.

As always, you guys are the best!

-E



The Last Descendant Ch. 02



Elenna awoke shivering violently. It was pitch black, her hands were tied tightly behind her back and her mouth was gagged. She moved to curl into a ball to conserve her body heat, but her limbs screamed in protest and her eyes filled with tears of pain. Everything hurt; breathing seared her lungs, and her stomach throbbed in pain. She knew enough about healing to know that her ribs had been broken and that her abdomen had been badly bruised. Her cheek throbbed, and she wondered if in his rage, the mad king had also broken the bones in her face. 

The king...

The king was dead.

So it was ended. 

Her city was taken, and she was imprisoned in her own dungeons. The young princess moaned miserably into her gag. She was cold, thirsty and her body ached terribly. She had no idea what time it was; there was only blackness. Only blackness and pain, and she lay wretched and all alone.

It started with just a few tears, but then grew until her battered body wracked with painful sobs. For the first time since her world shattered four years ago, the princess of Hartstak sobbed brokenly.

**************

"Your highness," said Gosta bowing. "There's a Druid Priest here to speak with you." He paused uncertainly. "He didn't say as much, but I believe he's the Archpriest of these lands."

The prince looked up from the pile of parchment on his desk. 

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Gosta shrugged. "He doesn't look like much but I can tell he's powerful. I can feel it," he paused again. "I've never felt the power of a Druid so strongly in my life," he added softly.

Entrari looked at him thoughtfully. The strange feeling he'd had since before the battle hadn't left yet, but neither he nor Gosta could figure out what it meant. Something was still going to happen.

"Allow him in," he said. "Maybe he'll be able to answer our questions."

Gosta bowed and opened the doors allowing an old, brown-robed man inside. Strangely, the priest touched Gosta's arm warmly as he entered, and his friend's usually calm and battle-tried face paled slightly. 

Entrari scrutinized the old priest curiously. His bearded face was weathered and wrinkled, as though he spent most of his time outdoors, his robes were brown and tattered in a few places. Despite the white hair, and wrinkled face, he stood tall and broad-shouldered like the people of these lands and there was sense of presence and power about him that was overwhelming.

"Your highness," said the old Druid as he bowed.

"Greetings Reverend Brother," replied Entrari rising. "I hope you're satisfied with my treatment of your people. I must admit that it took me a few minutes to recall the ancient sign of peace. It wasn't something I expected in a remote and barbaric kingdom such as this."

"We're most satisfied with your treatment," admitted the Druid. "You have more than honored the treaty."

"Then what else do you wish?" Entrari asked.

The old Druid smiled. "I had heard that you were a man of honor, but a little quick to the point," he said.

"I find it saves time in the long run," he explained shrugging.

"For one who will live so long, what is time to you?" 

"Perhaps I'll grow more patience with age," Entrari laughed ruefully. "Come, Brother," he said, "it's rare for a priest of your eminence to seek me out. I believe our treaties state that I don't bother you and your people and you don't bother me. So why are you here?"

The old man chuckled darkly and the prince felt a shiver run down his spine. 

This was it.

"I'm here to speak with you about the princess of Hartstak."

For a moment Entrari stared at the priest dumbly. He'd been expecting something...dramatic. There had to be more to it than some spoiled little girl beaten into unconsciousness by her insane father. 

"What about her? The king beat her senseless. We put her in the dungeons to await trial. I'll take care of her sentencing when we have a better handle on the city."

"What I have to say is for your ears only," he said his eyes glittering with intensity.

Entrari was startled. Druid priests were not secretive. It wasn't in the nature of their faith. For a moment he reached out with his feelings. He rarely used his Druid senses- he usually found them useless, but when the priest was acting so strangely, it didn't hurt to make sure this wasn't a trap. The moment Entrari's senses touched the old man, he was overwhelmed. Thousands of voices echoed in his mind and he almost fell to his knees. He stared at the priest gasping in shock.

"Please, your highness," he said seriously, "trust me."

The prince looked at his guards noting Gosta arch his eyebrows curiously at him. He gave him that 'I'll tell you later' look and then gestured for him and Kelda to leave.

Without protest, his two closest friends and bodyguards bowed and departed closing the door behind them.

"Have you a spell of secrecy at your command?" asked the Druid in a low voice.

Once again Entrari was shocked. 

What was going on here? 

"Please, your highness," he begged again. "I know that my behavior is startling you, but if others learn what I'm about to tell you..." he shuddered.

Entrari nodded and whispered the spell to enclose the priest and himself in an impenetrable wall.

"Tell me, brother," he said, privately admitting to himself that the odd behavior of the priest mad him more than just curious. "What's going on? I've never known a priest to behave like this."

"Have you heard of the Prophesy of Beoren?"

Entrari thought back to a time when he was a tiny, blond little boy, sitting on his mother's lap. She'd rocked him back and forth, telling him the ancient tales of a dying religion. The stories of Beoren had been his favorite...

"A long time ago, when Haladon was just a poor little village," his mother's voice echoed in his mind, "there was a great Druid hero. His name was Beoren. Once he was a simple man, a farmer, with a beautiful family, just like us. One day, the world became as black as the Abyss. A wicked people from over the mountains opened the doorway between our world and the world of darkness and unleashed its demons. The people of the West despaired, but then out of the north came Beoren. He rode on the back of a great white bear and he spoke directly to the Ancestors and the spirits of the world. With his power, he sent the demons back to the Abyss and raised the mountains even higher than before so that the wicked people of the East would never bother us again.

"I remember a bedtime story of a great hero riding a white bear," he admitted.

The old man chuckled. "Everyone remembers the white bear. Do you remember what Beoren said before he disappeared again?"

Entrari thought about that. "Something like he'd come again if the West needed him."

"Something like that," agreed the priest. "I'm surprised that a prince of Haladon remembers even that much."

He shrugged. "It made a good bedtime story," he said. "What has it got to do with me and the princess of Hartstak?"

"The princess of Hartstak is a direct descendant of Beoren. In fact, she is the only descendent."

Entrari stared at the priest in disbelief. That was preposterous. The prophecy of Beoren was just a legend.

The priest chuckled as though he knew exactly what he was thinking. It made Entrari very uncomfortable. 

"The line of Beoren has dwelt in these lands for eons. It was the optimal place; they shun magic and the people are staunchly rigid and set in their ways. They are isolated, backwards, and have nothing that the rest of the world could possibly want except a good deal of snow," he smiled then, "and of course, white bears." 

The old man sighed. "Our priesthood has guarded the heirs of Beoren for uncounted years, hiding its descendants among these people in complete anonymity." He looked at Entrari seriously, "I know your laws decree that this girl should be executed." His eyes burned fervently. "I can't let that happen! I came here to beg you as a Druid; spare her. She's just a child, trapped in a crumbling world. But more importantly, she's the most important person in the Druid faith; the last descendant of the house of Beoren."

Entrari was silent. It could be an attempt to save the girl's life. From what his spies had learned, she was one of the few beloved monarchs of the West, and the people were in hysterics when they discovered she hadn't escaped with the rest of the palace. He'd already decided not to kill her for that very reason. Most likely she'd be married off to one of his generals, appeasing her people and keeping her under guard. If she was a Druid, it only made things a little more difficult since he couldn't technically keep her in the dungeons. The last descendant of Beoren, though... he didn't believe in old Druid bedtime stories.

He looked at the priest thoughtfully. There had to be more.

"I'm willing to accept your word," he said at last, "but even so, I can't release her into your care. Since we're both being honest, I'll be honest with you. The girl is going to Haladon. A princess like her will be politically useful to the Empire."

The Druid nodded. "I assumed as much," he replied. "In my heart I've known that she'd leave our people since the day she was born. She isn't safe here anyway, not anymore. Our power is weak compared to the dark people of the East." He smiled grimly. "Your coming is the stroke of doom. The line of Beoren will soon be revealed. The princess is going to be a vessel of ancient power."

Entrari did his best not to roll his eyes. Druid priests could be annoying. Why did they have to be so fatalistic? His mother drove him crazy with her unwavering faith in prophecies, too. 

"What exactly do you want from me?" he asked bluntly.

"I want you to take the girl into your care and protect her." The old man looked at him accusingly. "She's a Druid, so right now you're violating the treaty. I want her removed her from the dungeons. Place her under guard, if you feel it's necessary. When it's time, take her back with you to Haladon."

"Impossible," Entrari snapped in protest. "Her father was a sorcerer. You and I both know magic is hereditary. The dungeons are a reasonable place for a prisoner like her. I can't have an untrained sorceress running about overpowering my men every time I turn my back on her!"

"She's the house of Beoren," retorted the old priest. "I won't tolerate a Druid princess to remain locked in the deplorable conditions of a dungeon." Then suddenly he smiled. "Aren't you a powerful sorcerer? Can't you resist the attempts of an untrained child? I've revealed the most important secret of our people to you. Now you're responsible to protect it. Don't you understand? You're this girl's protector. It's ordained by fate."

"I don't believe in fate. She's a prisoner and an enemy," Entrari retorted in irritation. "Do you understand what you're asking me? I'm not a bodyguard or a babysitter. I'm an Imperial Prince!" 

"I know who you are, your highness," said the Druid chuckling. "Haven't you been hearing strange whispers in your dreams since you entered these lands? Haven't you and your Druid bodyguard been discussing the feeling of foreboding? This is what you've been waiting for. Your destiny is to be this girl's guardian. There's no one else left."

Entrari had a sickening feeling in his stomach. He'd already lost the argument. He was trapped by his own treaty! Whispering? Curse foolish Druid whispering! The ridiculous treaty was more trouble than it was worth. First, it had completely disrupted his attack and now it had landed him as an Imperial babysitter!

"Fine," he said harshly. "I'll take her out of the dungeons and be her guardian as you ask. But don't forget; Druid treaty or no, she's still my prisoner. I'll do with her as I please."

"So be it then," said the priest. "I trust you'll honor the treaty, and I'll trust you'll be her guardian." Suddenly he smiled a little mockingly. "You might actually find you enjoy her company. She's a charming girl."

"Are we finished?" said the prince again bluntly. He'd had just about enough of Druid prophecy and treaties for one day.

"We are," replied the priest.

With a word the spell was lifted.

"Thank you for your time, your highness," said the priest formally even as he bowed. "I appreciate your assistance."

The prince said nothing as the old Druid priest departed.

"What did he say?" asked Gosta curiously. 

Entrari stared at him, but for some reason he felt a strange reluctance to reveal what the priest said. It was like the same sense that had been hanging over him was now whispering in the back of his mind to remain silent. 

Whispers...

"I'm going to take the princess of Hartstak into my care," he said bitterly.

Gosta stared at him in amazement. "You're kidding! A barbarian princess? The Druid priest asked you to be a babysitter?"

Entrari nodded glumly.

Gosta began to laugh hysterically. "You?" he repeated as his eyes filled with tears. "He does realize who you are?"

Once again Entrari only nodded. 

Gosta only laughed louder. 

The prince stared at his friend indignantly. He was enjoying this far too much. 

"Get someone to fetch her," he snapped sourly.

*************

Elenna lay huddled in a ball shivering, passing in and out of consciousness. She was exhausted, afraid, and her body ached; she'd never been so miserable in her life. Her fingers were numb from the too tight ropes and her nose, runny from the cold, made breathing almost impossible with the gag in her mouth.

She awoke to the screech of the door upon its hinges and the bright light of torches filtering in the room. She cringed and shut her eyes, for the light suddenly blinded them, and she feared what the people had come for. They shook her harshly as though they thought she was asleep, and she forced her eyes open even though the light hurt them. One of the men grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet, but she felt suddenly dizzy and felt her legs give out from beneath her. She fell to her knees her ears buzzing and her body sweating.

"...too hurt..." she heard one of them say. 

"...carry..." said another.

She felt one of the soldiers lift her and throw her over his shoulder like she was a worthless sack of potatoes. She moaned in agony as his arm pressed against her wounded pelvis and ribs doing her best to swallow the bile that burned her throat. Each step jolted through her aching body like a knife. She broke into a cold sweat and closed her eyes, focusing on maintaining consciousness. She assumed that she was being brought to be judged and she wanted to be awake when they decreed her fate.

At last, the soldiers stopped. She forced her eyes open to look around, but found herself before the doors of the opulent guest apartments. This was the place important visitors usually stayed. The last person that had used these rooms had been the ambassador from Haladon. In her pain clouded mind, she wondered why she was being brought to the chambers instead of a public place. This was not a place to be executed. Were they going to...

Gods! 

These people were more violent than she'd heard. She closed her eyes shuddering a little at the thought of what was waiting for her. The guards opened the doors and carried her inside.

"The girl...your highness," Elenna caught even as the soldier dropped her from his shoulder and tried to make her stand once again. 

Though she didn't dare look at the man before her, it seemed to her that he swore in his own language under his breath.

The soldier released her and she collapsed to her knees in dizziness, her ears buzzing and her body sweating and trembling. She knelt for several moments, struggling to breathe through the gag and doing her best to remain upright. The man before her drew a knife from its sheath; the hiss of the sharp blade upon metal sent a shiver down her spine. The man stepped forward and suddenly she flinched, feeling the blade against her cheek. She tried to be brave; it was dishonorable to die a blubbering fool before your enemies but a little fearful whimper formed in her throat before she could stop. There was a pause and the knife sat on her cheek for a moment. She remained completely still and closed her eyes to calm herself for what she expected to come next. 

However, to her surprise, with a deft slice her gag was cut and he removed it from her mouth. Her first few breaths seared through her lungs painfully bringing tears to her eyes. She bowed her head, her long black hair tumbling across her face now that it was freed from the gag, hiding her tears from her captor. Long ago she'd learned that tears in the eyes of a woman were her undoing; they made her seem weak and easily dominated. From the soldier's words she had deduced that the man who stood before her was the Prince of Haladon. He was the most powerful man in the West. She would not die before him like a broken child, weeping in despair; especially not before him. She would show the people of Haladon that the people they called "barbarians" were strong. She would die with grace, dignity and honor, not like her father.

"Do you speak Semanic?" asked the prince in that tongue, his voice quiet, though not gentle.

She nodded.

"What's your name?" he asked. His accent was strange and his voice was rich and musical. 

"Elenna," she replied keeping her eyes low and her head bowed.

"Do you know who I am, Elenna?" he asked.

Once again she nodded.

"You're injured," he observed. "Did my people do this? Have they harmed you?" he demanded.

She shook her head.

"Your father, the king did this?" he asked, his voice tinged slightly with disbelief.

"Yes, your highness" she replied quietly. "He was a madman," she added.

He was silent and she wanted to cringe in fear. She could hear the desperate pounding of her heart and feel his eyes gazing at her intently. The composure she was fighting so hard to maintain crumbled a little.

Gods! What was he going to do to her?

"I see," he said at last. 

He walked behind her and kneeling down he sliced the ropes that bound her hands. Her fingers tingled slightly once her binds had been cut and she rubbed her wrists a little painfully. The prince rose and walked about her to stand in front of her his knife still in hand.

"Look at me Elenna," he commanded.

Unwillingly she looked up from the shield of her tangled dark hair. She knew what to expect of the men of Haladon after meeting with their ambassador. Her people had mocked his oddities; shaven face, hair only to the shoulders, strange clothes with buttons and jewels, and shiny leather boots. The ambassador was a small man, especially compared to the stocky build of the men of Hartstak, but she knew that the lands of Haladon were becoming a mixing bowl for all the races. 

As her eyes slowly trailed up from the shiny boots of the Imperial Prince to his well-pressed black trousers, she felt her hands tremble. She didn't want to meet his eyes! 

"I said look at me, princess," he snapped sharply.

Her eyes snapped to his face, and suddenly she felt as though the breath had been kicked from her lungs once again. 

Impossible! No! It couldn't be!

She knew him! She saw his face in her dreams almost every night. 

Druid-born children had the vision of the person they were destined to marry ingrained into their minds through ancient magic. The faces haunted them until the time came when they met their partner in person. It was rare for a Druid to defy such a vision, for to defy their dreams was to attempt to escape fate. As a young girl, the princess had been elated by her visions. He was handsome; with beautiful green eyes, golden blonde hair, a strong body and a charming smile. He had been everything and more that she could imagine she wanted in a husband. 




The Last Descendant Ch. 02



Elenna felt tears fill her eyes despite her best efforts to contain them. She wanted to scream.

How could this be?

The man she was supposed to marry stood over her with a knife in his hand preparing to kill her. She bowed her head struggling to control her emotions, trembling miserably in pain as her distraught pants seared through her lungs. Hopefully he would be merciful enough to kill her quickly.

Instead, the prince sheathed his knife and knelt before her cupping her chin in his hand drawing her eyes to his once again. Elenna didn't even want to look at him. She'd never felt so betrayed by Druid magic in her life.

"Look at me," he commanded harshly.

Unwillingly, her teary eyes met his, and he held her with a stern and commanding gaze. Then he put his hand upon her forehead whispering several words in the language of magic. She felt a powerful surge, the kind that indicated magic was being used, and tried to pull away in fear, but she was unable to move. Suddenly her vision failed her and terrible pain shot through her body. 

"No!" she cried out in terror. 

The pain spread through her body, searing it from within. It became even more difficult to breathe and she broke into a sweat, feeling as though she would pass out once again. Then the pain faded away as quickly as it came, and she breathed deeply for the first time in several days without the burning fire of her aching ribs. Finally she regained her vision, only to be staring into those commanding eyes. 

He'd healed her. He'd used his magic to heal her completely. Was anyone really that powerful? 

The prince released her chin and rose. For a moment he stood still and took a deep breath as though trying to calm himself. 

"Stand up," he commanded levelly.

Obediently she stood; keeping her head bowed. Her thoughts whirled faster than she could follow them. He'd healed her. Why? What was he going to do now? It was the man from her dreams! The man from her dreams was her captor. Oh Gods! 

"Are you in any more pain?" he asked.

She shook her head mutely.

"Good," he said seemingly satisfied. "The first thing we're going to do is remove your filthy clothes and get you cleaned up."

Elenna looked at him in surprise and in horror. He was going bathe her? Absolutely not! She would not put a show! She didn't care if he was the man from her dreams. She'd already been betrayed by them. She would not become his toy! Stubbornly she took a step back, her eyes hardening angrily.

He seemed to read her mind and smiled wickedly. "I'll do whatever I want with you," he said closing the distance between them. "If I want you to take your clothes off right here and dance naked for me, you will do as I wish."

She wanted to scream. She would do no such thing. 

How dare he?!!

He chuckled wickedly at her. "Don't even think of trying to defy me. If you won't follow my commands willingly, I know magic that will force you. Do you understand?"

Gods, he was right. His magic was legendary. She didn't have a choice. Elenna's feelings of rage turned to helplessness. How could the fates ordain...this? She couldn't fight him, not and give away her secret. She stared brokenly at the powerful man before her, lowered her eyes, and nodded.

"Good," he said. 

His voice sounded pompous and arrogant to her, as though he expected all women to beg him for attention. It made her heart ache even more. The man she'd been dreaming about was a monster. The Imperial Prince of Haladon, who had conquered more countries and women than she could count, was her betrothed, destined by fate. Her eyes filled with tears and try as she might, they wouldn't blink away.

"Easy princess," the prince said a little more gently. "I'm not going to hurt you. The baths are convenient in these chambers so I'll allow you to bathe there. I can't keep you in my presence like this." He looked at her thoughtfully then. "I'll send one of my men to fetch some of your clothes," he added. "Now go!"

Obediently she turned towards the baths half-terrified, completely humiliated, and utterly confused by his behavior. What was happening? 

"Elenna," he called after her his voice grating.

She stopped and turned back towards him uncertainly.

"You are no longer a princess," he said. "You will bow to me."

Once again she looked at him angrily. The only man she had ever bowed to was her father. She would bow to no one! But those green eyes that she had been dreaming about since she was a teenager were frighteningly powerful. After enduring his gaze for several moments she averted her eyes and bowed with all the elegance and grace of the princess she was, even if she was covered in filth. Then she turned and opened the door to the bathing room, closing it behind her quietly.

***************

Entrari sat down at the large desk once again and leaned his head wearily in his hands. He was supposed to be her ordained protector? Had he heard the Archpriest correctly? He'd been told that the face he'd been seeing in his dreams since he turned fifteen was the face of his wife. He'd been lusting after her for nearly 25 years, only to find her now; the daughter of an enemy, a Druid princess, and his charge? The fates surely had a sick sense of humor. He had no idea how he was going to last tonight, let alone the next several months with her constantly at his side, a prisoner, and an enemy. 

He looked at the closed door to the baths irritably. Women were usually trouble, and this one appeared to be quite a handful. What irritated him even more was that her beautiful gray eyes filled with tears tore at his heart. He'd conquered many kingdoms had had his way with many beautiful princesses. Her pouty lips and glazed eyes were no different, but even as he thought of them, he found the dreams of his younger days rush back. He shook his head, frustrated with his own weakness.

He turned to one of his guards whom he noticed was smirking slightly. "Don't say a word, Kelda," the prince snapped irritably.

"I was thinking of many, highness, but I would never say any of them," he laughed.

"A little willful isn't she?" he mused.

"She is a princess after all," said the guard. "Didn't want to bow to you," he chuckled to himself. "It's been a while since you've had that." He smiled a little then. "It seems she's a little spoiled and used to getting her own way."

Entrari laughed. "Aren't all princesses?"

"I haven't met one who'd try to defy you, though. The girl's obviously not used to being told what to do." He paused thoughtfully. "And I've never known you to let a girl go like that without putting her in her place, firmly." Kelda's eyes were awash with curiosity. 

Entrari wanted to groan. How was he supposed to keep this a secret from his closest friends? He figured the best way to keep their curiosity down was to keep them busy. 

"Are you familiar with the clothing and undergarments that a woman requires?" he asked.

"I am a married man, your highness," the guard replied at once mournfully and proudly.

Entrari couldn't stifle his chuckle, which earned him a hard look from his guard. 

"Then you know what clothes your wife wears?"

Kelda smiled wistfully. "Down to every last corset."

"Good. The girl's in need of some clothing. Go find our little princess's rooms and invade her wardrobe," he said. "Don't pick out anything that would make her look too royal, she must understand that she's still a prisoner, but she'll need things to wear." He shrugged and smiled at his bodyguard and friend. "I don't think I'd get anything done if I just let her run around naked." He laughed suddenly at his threat to do just that.

"I wouldn't mind," said the guard laughing. "But you're right. None of us would be worth anything if you actually made her dance!" He smiled and bowed to the prince. "I'll be back." Then he left, changing places with another guard. "Come Ghalda," the prince heard him say outside to another of his personal guards. "We go on a petticoat raid!"

He rifled irritably through his papers for another quarter of an hour then rose a little peevishly. She didn't need to be bathing that long anyway. He went to the wardrobe and pulled one of his own robes off the hanger and stomped irritably over to the bathing room. He threw the door open without knocking and walked inside. However, he found himself freezing at the door as he looked at her in the pool. 

She was simply sitting on the bench, her hair was wet and he could see her creamy skin beneath the water. There was a whole lot of creamy skin... 

He swallowed. 

"Get out," he said harshly trying to determine why it was suddenly so hard to speak.

She looked at him indignantly. "If you leave the robe, I'll get out as you command." 

Her rather haughty tone annoyed him. She was his prisoner. He'd do what he wished with her.

"I said get out," he said even more ruthlessly, "at once."

She stared at him for several moments, her eyes hardening stubbornly. He stared right back at her with his most powerful Imperial gaze. One of his Imperial stares made most of the kings and queens in the West fall to their knees. Her face paled and she bowed her head in defeat, but he noticed her breast was heaving in anger.

"Out!" he snapped.

She closed her eyes and nodded. "As you wish." 

She rose from the pool like a dripping goddess. The water rushed down her gorgeous frame caressing all the curves and valleys on her body. Entrari was transfixed. She was incredible. Her skin was pale and creamy; a feature of the northern women he found quite attractive. Her tall frame was delicate and slender, but she was generously curved in all the right places. Her round breasts were perky and set high on her chest, tipped with soft, pink nipples. He watched in delight as water rushed over her flat stomach and dripped down her shapely thighs and for a moment he could only stare at her... 

His cock stirred in his pants and almost desperately he tore his eyes from her body. He realized he was panting and his hands were trembling. She was everything he ever dreamed she would be! He looked at her beautiful face and noted the fear and shame in her eyes, and suddenly he felt like a wretch. It made his soul scream. He'd known her for less than thirty minutes and he'd already managed her hurt her. He took a deep breath and held up the robe he'd brought her, as a peace offering.

She walked towards him, and took the robe from his hands wrapping it about her shoulders. She was taller than most women he knew, but the robe still touched the floor. The deep blue was an excellent color on her.

"And you say my people are barbaric," she said quietly though he noticed she kept her head bowed submissively.

"Touché, my lady," he replied.

She looked up at him curiously. "Your ambassador said that once. What does it mean?"

For a moment he was surprised by her sudden conversation. He had, after all just looked at her body naked against her will. This was a brave girl. 

"It is a term used in fencing," he replied cautiously. Suddenly he wondered if she even knew what fencing was, the type of swords her people used did not lend themselves to the sport. "Touché is the term used each time you best your opponent with a touch."

She seemed to think about that and then she nodded. "I see," she replied at last. "I don't think I'm an opponent, for you've already bested me and my people."

He looked at her quite seriously. "No," he agreed firmly, "you're not an opponent, you're a prisoner."

Once again she bowed her head under his powerful stare. Her body was tense, almost bracing against some kind of strike from him. Curiously he clenched his fist and as he did, he noticed her body cringe just a little as though expecting to be hit. Instead he reached out and tucked a strand of her wet hair behind her ear. The girl flinched as he touched her, shocked at his gentle touch and the prince clenched his jaw grimly. Obviously she was unused to gentle treatment and for some reason that thought enraged him. 

No one would strike her ever again! 

Entrari took a deep breath to control his sudden temper and looked at her seriously once again. 

What in the Abyss was wrong with him?

"Come on," he said at last. "I have things to do and can't amuse myself with you here."

He put his hand on her arm and guided her firmly from the baths, closing the door behind them.

"Sit," he commanded gesturing to a large, overstuffed chair before the fire. 

She did as she was told. 

He spoke to one of the guards by the door, and she picked up several words like "cheese, wine, meat," but she couldn't make out the rest.

"Here," he said returning to her chair and handing her a silver comb. 

She looked at the workmanship on the comb in amazement. "This is beautiful," she said quietly.

He shrugged. "It serves its purpose," he said.

She looked at him curiously once again as though she was trying to determine what he was going to do next, and then obediently began to comb through her dark tresses. 

He noticed that her hair reached to her waist. Unbidden the image of that long dark hair falling over her breasts and dripping with water came back to his mind and irritably he pushed it away. He sat at his desk and attempted to read through a letter from Haladon, but he was too distracted by the woman in his presence.

Several moments later there was another knock upon the door.

"Come," he called almost grateful for the interruption. 

"I have returned your highness," said Kelda with grandeur, "petticoats and slippers in hand."

Entrari looked at him irritably, but his old friend simply smiled. 

"Has our lady yet emerged from the baths?" 

He nodded and gestured to the girl who sat before the fire soaking up its warmth like a cat in the sun shine, her deep gray eyes lost in the flames.

"She speaks Semanic," he said, "I'm not sure that she understands our language," he added. 

The guard bowed and several more of his soldiers entered carrying dresses and slippers and petticoats and the like.

"We've brought you some of your dresses, my dear," said the guard to her in the common tongue. 

The girl rose and looked at them curiously as they laid their treasures upon the bed. Entrari couldn't help but to stare in amazement at all the things women needed. Kelda had to be kidding, right? He looked to his friend who seemed to be enjoying this far too much than was proper, considering the situation.

They had sleeping gowns, dressing gowns, slippers, petticoats, corsets, dresses, shoes, and Kelda even remembered her hairbrush. The young princess stared at the clothes and then glanced at him uncertainly. Entrari could see the fear in her eyes. He could guess what she was thinking. It wasn't uncommon to use the queens and princesses of conquered countries as mistresses. 

"It's late," Kelda said to her, his voice gentle. "You probably don't want to get all dressed up simply to shed your clothing an hour later." He handed her a silken nightgown and a dark blue dressing gown to wear over it with matching slippers. 

The princess took the clothes without comment, holding them close to her body, but Entrari could see her hands were trembling. 

"The rest of these we'll put in the wardrobe for you," he continued. "Do you see anything you need that I've missed?" he asked her.

She seemed to look over everything, but finally she just bowed her head and shook it shrugging. Entrari guessed that she'd probably never had to dress herself before; most princesses had handmaidens.

"Very well," Kelda said keeping his voice gentle. 

Entrari had a great deal of respect for his friend right then. The poor girl really did look absolutely terrified and utterly miserable.

"Come, gentlemen, let's put these away for her." 

They put her clothes in a wardrobe for her and then bowed on their way out.

"Go ahead and change," Entrari said her, trying to speak with the same gentleness Kelda had managed. Her quivering lips and trembling hands made him feel a little guilty.

The girl looked at him for a moment and then her eyes hardened stubbornly. "And you will watch?" she snapped angrily.

For a moment he stared at her in surprise. Did she really just talk to him like that? No woman spoke to him with such a tone of rebuke! 

"You are my prisoner," he reminded her. He looked her up and down pointedly. "I may do with you as I please." 

**************

Elenna stared at the haughty prince somewhere between horror, rage and despair. She felt tears of helplessness fill her eyes but angrily she blinked them away. 

"I hate you," she seethed.

"Of course you do," he replied with that same arrogant tone. "Now, get out of my robe, and change into your things. You don't want me to go over there and force you. You won't like where it leads." 

She didn't miss the threat. Shaking with rage, she removed his robe and donned the white silken sleeping gown the guard had selected for her. The disgusting prince stared at her the entire time. She had no doubt he was enjoying the show, just like he had when he'd made her get out of the pool and stand before him naked and dripping wet. 

She had to escape him. That was all there was to it. To the Abyss with fate and destiny! She would not be this arrogant prince's mistress! 

She took her deep blue dressing gown she buttoned it up the front, noting that it was low cut, and provocative, just like the night gown the guard had selected. Everything they'd picked from her wardrobe was sultry. She put her slippers on and bowed her head fighting down her tears once again. 

The prince walked towards her once she was dressed. Everything about him intimidated her. He walked with the grace of a warrior, his magic could be felt palpably around him, and even without it he was broad and tall. She didn't dare look up at him; she couldn't bear to see the lusty look in his eyes. Wasn't that why she was here? So he could rape her? It had been rumored that Prince Entrari had taken what he wished of many women; even queens. 

She figured that she was fair game now that she was clean enough for his uses. She cringed as he drew near, knowing there was nothing she could do to stop him, and hating herself for it. He reached out for her, but to her surprise, he touched her hair taking some of it in his hand and watching it flash in the light. It was a strange gesture from someone who was planning to rape her. Admittedly, she had strange hair. While most women of black hair had blue undertones, hers somehow flashed silver in the light like a fine sterling chain flashes in the sunlight. It was part of her Druid power; a physical manifestation of her connection to the power that pulsed through the earth itself.

The prince whispered again in the language of magic.

She jumped and lifted her eyes at him fearfully, but he was staring intently at her hair as he played with it in the light. The only difference was that her wet tresses were suddenly dry. 

She shivered at his touch. He was so close and she could feel the heat of his body. He smelled good; spicy and yet with a hint of clean flesh. For a moment she wondered what it would be like if he kissed her, but she quickly pushed the thought away. She was going to find out more than she ever wanted to know soon enough, despite her protests. The thought made her eyes fill with tears. He was going to rape her tonight; the man she was supposed to love was going to defile her.

"Shh, princess," he said gently, tucking her hair behind her ears. "It's going to be all right."

She shook her head. It was never going to be all right. Never.

"Come, Elenna." He put his hand on her arm and pulled her towards the small sitting area before the fire once again. "You haven't eaten in two days."

He assisted her in one of the chairs and once again she sat with her head bowed. Moments later there was another knock on the door and the prince's bodyguards served them a generous platter of meats, cheeses, breads and wine. He sat across from her and heaped a generous portion of the fare upon his own plate. Then he took some of the bread, meat and cheese and made a plate for her, too. 




The Last Descendant Ch. 02



She looked at the plate he prepared and felt her stomach turn. How could he expect her to eat when she knew he was going to rape her later? 

His face darkened with anger. "Take it," he commanded sharply.

Obediently, she took the plate and put it on her lap, but she didn't touch anything. 

"Eat," he commanded.

She shook her head.

"Princess," he snapped. "When I command, you will obey at once."

She paled, bit her lip and said nothing more.

"What's wrong?" he asked. She could tell he was trying to soften his tone. "Tell me."

"I'm sorry," she replied fearfully. "I can't eat. I..."

"Fine," he snapped impatiently. "It's late, and I'm tired. Come on," he said offering her his hand. "Let's go to bed."

She didn't take his outreached hand, fearing to even touch him. Impatiently he grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet almost dragging her back towards the large four-poster bed. He released her and began to shed his boots and his blue-embroidered overcoat. He unlaced his shirt and threw it upon a chair beside. She stared at his bare chest and the sinewy muscles and felt her heart pound. He looked incredibly strong, there was no way she'd be able to escape his grasp. He unbuttoned his trousers and lowered them over his hips revealing his silken under clothes and the bulge at his...

Elenna averted her eyes trembling. Gods! This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening. 

The nearly naked prince walked towards her, but she backed away fearfully until she found that he'd backed her into the bed. He said nothing and reached out to unbutton her dressing gown, pushing her dark hair out of the way. The gown slipped from her shoulders and he threw it upon the chair where he had thrown his own clothing. 

Elenna bit her lip to keep from breaking down into sobs.

"Take off your slippers," the prince commanded gruffly.

Obediently, she kicked them off her feet.

The prince turned down the blankets to the bed and gestured for her to clamber in. She sat upon the edge of the bed and bowed her head, shaking. 

**************

Entrari looked at her longingly. Her beautiful pink lips were quivering softly, her soft, smooth skin glowed radiantly, and her long, dark hair tumbled about her back and shoulders. He imagined pushing her into that soft bed and plunging between her thighs, finally claiming the woman he'd been dreaming about for so long. But looking at her now, struggling not to cry, trembling in fear, it felt wrong. In his dreams she'd always been a willing partner, her pale gray eyes darkening to stormy thunderclouds of passion, her tiny hands stroking him, her pink lips red and swollen as they suckled on his skin. He just couldn't take her like this. Sighing, he sat beside her. 

"I'm not going to hurt you tonight, Elenna," he said gently. 

"No?" she demanded, her voice breaking even though her tone was scornful. "Then why am I to share your bed? Why am I here?" 

Did she just talk to him like that again?

"I have my reasons," he snapped back. "You would do well not to question them or me. Take my kindness for granted, princess, for the way things are going you may not experience my mercy again." He looked at her seriously and menacingly. "It's within my rights to take anything I wish of you, Druid or no. I'm your sovereign ruler now, and you will do anything I command. Understood?"

She said nothing and continued to sit with her head bowed and her dark hair tumbling about her almost like a shield. Once again she seemed braced for his cuff.

He sighed irritably and crawled towards the middle of the bed and lay down. She was definitely getting on his nerves.

"Lay down," he commanded.

With her back towards him she obediently lay down, staying close to the edge of the bed and he could see her shoulders shaking as she struggled to control her emotions. Sighing once again he touched her arm and whispered a word. Only moments later her breathing became more regular and she fell into a peaceful slumber.

Entrari sighed miserably. His cock ached, and the creature of his desires lay inches away and yet they were miles apart. He pulled her into his arms, kissed her shoulder, and buried his face in her hair. 

Who knew the fates had such a sick sense of humor?

~****~****~****

 Okay, so since everyone said they didn't mind if there wasn't much sex to begin with in "Falling into Darkness" I'm sticking to it!  This is going to be another long story. The sex will come when it's the appropriate time. They have lots of issues to deal with.

Once again, constructive criticism is SO welcome. I like to improve, and since I'm branching out into a new genre, I'm hoping you will be honest and frank. Oh... and don't forget to vote and comment. I'm like a puppy with that! You guys are awesome! 

-E



The Last Descendant Ch. 03



Entrari awoke to feel a warm, soft body pressed against his side. For a moment, he couldn't remember who snuggled against him and why he'd allowed it. He usually didn't make it a habit to sleep with a woman; it made things less messy down the road. Blearily, he opened an eye and stared into the dimly-lit chamber, moaned and closed his eyes again, nuzzling back into the pillows miserably.

It was only his third day in this god-forsaken kingdom and already hated the dark castle of Hartstak. The granite walls were dull and gray, the castle was drafty, and the affinity the people had for torches instead of candles was depressing. How he missed the white stone of Haladon, the twisting spires, the formal gardens and fountains. Everything about this rotten place was wretched, forbidding and barbaric. 

The woman stirred, sighed softly and cuddled against him. 

He breathed deeply catching her slight flowery scent. At least she smelled good.

Entrari opened an eye to stare at her but suddenly froze in recognition. His heart pounded and his spirit soared. The events from the previous night flashed before his eyes, but their levity was replaced with the overwhelming sense of elation.

He'd found her! After all these years! She was his! 

Before leaving on this last crusade, he'd decided to give up on his Druid dream. Sure. The girl from his dream was incredible; her strange silver-black hair and gray eyes were a rarity in Haladon. Her body was slender, but her curves were lush. Those lips...Gods! He'd had fantasies about those lips. But after waiting twenty-five years, he'd decided to make his marriage a political union and forget about love, dreams and fantasy. 

But now...

He ran his fingers through her hair and caressed her satiny skin. She was even more incredible than he'd ever imagined. He caressed her cheek and her neck, running his fingers down her shoulder, delighting in the smooth texture of her pale skin. His hand strayed along her collar bone and down her clavicle to her chest caressing the top of her breast. 

GODS!

He moaned to himself. He could imagine his lips latching onto the dusty rose nipple and his questing hand twitched at the thought of cupping that soft breast while he feasted upon her.

"So now you'll rape me?" the girl said in a cold voice.

He started and almost pulled away guiltily, until he reminded himself that he was the one in charge.

"You're mine to do with as I please," he returned, "and right now, I'm doing what pleases me." To prove his point he cupped her breast and pressed his raging erection into her hip.

"Is that why I'm here?" she snapped bitterly. "To please you?"

The disdain in her voice made it sound like sex with him was the most despicable act imaginable. Entrari stared at her in amazement, hurt and rage. He was the Imperial Prince of Haladon; the most powerful man in the West. She should be begging him! The woman of his dreams, would deny him? Unacceptable. 

"That's right, princess," he growled angrily. "Your job is to see to my pleasure." 

"The only pleasure you'll get is that of a conqueror. You touch me and I'll scream and fight," she returned.

"I know a few spells to stop that," he threatened.

"You bas—"

He rolled on top of her quickly and latched his mouth against hers, silencing her with a demanding kiss. He groaned. Her lips were just as soft as he'd dreamed they'd be! 

She squealed angrily into his mouth and desperately tried to move her head away. He growled a warning even as he continued to consume her mouth, and wrapped a hand in her hair to keep her from moving. For a moment he lost himself and simply lived out his fantasy. Her lips, her body, her taste! Suddenly her struggling body went limp beneath him, and her frightened whimpers of protest ceased. He opened his eyes and looked at her face. She'd closed her beautiful gray eyes and he could feel her body shuddering with trembling breaths. 

For a moment he wanted to shake her and demand her attention, but he took a deep breath to chill his temper and his lust. He rolled off of her cursing angrily and climbed out of bed grunting a little at his still-aroused and over-sensitive body. This woman would be the death of him. He turned back to look at her, noting that she hadn't moved, but tears were leaking out of her eyes and running down her temples into her magnificent dark hair. He stalked off in irritation, throwing on his robe, cursing Druid treaties and dreams. 

Eventually, she seemed to get control of her tears, and quietly got out of bed, donned her robe and washed her face in the basin. She took her brush and sat down in the same chair she'd occupied the night before and quietly picked through her tangles, sniffling occasionally.

He watched her sit before the empty fireplace shivering miserably for several moments and then sighed in resignation. Something about seeing her in distress made his heart ache. He had this strange urge to help her, to comfort her, and to hold her. He took several logs from the stack beside and placed them in the firebox. He knew he should lay kindling and the like, but she was shivering and he was impatient. He whispered a word and a happy fire burned from the logs, instantly giving off heat and warming the small sitting area. He rose and soaked up the warmth, not realizing that he was a little chilly, too. The girl continued to pick through her tangled tresses being careful to avoid his eyes.

One of his bodyguards brought breakfast, but she didn't touch the food, and he was too impatient to coax it out of her. 

"It is time to get dressed," he said standing. "I have much to do."

She opened her mouth to protest, but then she seemed to think better of it and closed it again. She stood silently and followed him. 

He went to the wardrobe and sifted through her dresses until he found one that pleased him.

"Wear this," he said tossing her a deep blue velvet gown. Her eyes flashed as she caught the gown, but again she remained silent. She laid the dress on the bed and went to the drawers pulling out the corset and slips she would need wordlessly again and then unbuttoned her dressing gown. 

Entrari couldn't help himself, he watched her shed her clothes again. As she bared more creamy skin to his eyes he almost groaned. She was far more beautiful than he'd ever dreamed. He almost called for her to stop as she slipped on her chemise and her slips, but he knew he'd never get anything done if she didn't put her clothes on. 

He smiled at her in satisfaction when she was finished. The deep blue velvet seemed to accentuate her pale skin, and make her gray eyes stand out. 

"I've got a long agenda, today. You will remain by my side or in my sight at all times," he said firmly. "If for once you are not in my sight, I will be forced to take more drastic measures to contain you." He looked sternly in her eyes. "If I command you to do something, I will command you only once, and then I will bring my power to bear to force you. Do you understand me?"

She nodded.

"Good," he said. He took her arm gently but firmly. "Let's go."

****************

Elenna didn't struggle, even though he literally dragged her through the halls of her own palace. It felt strangely surreal to walk in her home as a prisoner. As they passed rooms and hallways, she recalled who dwelt there, what would be happening in those rooms and a horrible pang of sadness hit her. The only home she had ever known was empty. It was the makeshift command center for an invading force bent on subduing the wild barbarism of her people. Somewhere the decapitated body of the mad king was rotting away, and the once-joyous halls were now silent. Everything she had fought so hard to maintain for the past five years was gone in only a day. 

Several guards stood before two large wooden doors. It was the grand entrance to a formal dining room, but as they opened the doors for their prince, Elenna saw that the splendid room had been changed into a war room. Now maps were strewn about upon the tables and high-ranking officials poured over them conferring with each other on matters of conquest and subjugation.

"Your Highness," said one of the officers to the prince in their language bowing low to him.

"What....girl...here?" he asked curiously. "Is she...princess?"

"She is a Druid," the prince explained. "...Druid treaty." he replied.

Elenna bowed her head trying not to appear as though she was listening to the conversation. Her mother had taught her the language of Haladon when she was little, saying that it would be important later, but then she had died at the hands of the maddening king. From that moment on, Elenna shunned the language, the very sound of it bringing pangs of sadness and making her weep for her mother. That was nearly five years ago. She was surprised she could still understand so much.

"She speaks Semanic," the prince continued to his general. "Find a chair and ...out of the way." 

The general nodded and took her arm a little more roughly and dragged her to a chair in the corner of the room where she would be out of the way, but not out of the eyesight of the prince.

"Sit," he commanded sharply.

She did as she was told.

Then they proceeded to have a council. Elenna bowed her head and struggled to listen, more for the sake of understanding the language than to hear of their plans. She gathered that they had mostly taken the city, though several small sections had barricaded themselves and were giving the forces a run for their money. For the most part, the people were surrendering peacefully, and most of the Druids had remembered to put the sign of peace upon their doors to avoid attack.

Elenna was glad to hear it. She was only a woman she knew that she was well-liked and most of the people knew that she had been running the kingdom behind her father's back. It was she who had instructed them not to resist and she who had commanded them to reveal themselves to the oncoming army. Many of those who were afraid now regretted it as they marched in chains, their houses forfeit and their belongings taken.

She was also pleased to hear that the inhabitants of the palace had escaped and they were nowhere to be found, despite the thorough search of the soldiers of the surrounding area. She could feel many of the prince's officers look at her thoughtfully, as they spoke of such news, but she kept her head bowed and her face unreadable. It was wiser to appear as though she was a brainless but beautiful girl. Long ago she had learned this defense against her father, who in his madness had a more astute eye than the wise would have guessed. Then she would sit in his presence with her semblance of youthful innocence and inexperience, slightly tinged with fear.

She realized that with this prince and his generals, she played an even more dangerous game. If they knew even half of what she had done, they would hang her in the square, or perhaps decapitate her and lay her body beside her father's. Druid treaty or no, she was still the enemy. 

She looked at the prince thoughtfully. Why was he bothering to spare her? Obviously, it was not for sex. He'd had his opportunity last night and again this morning, but for some reason he'd stopped himself both times. He seemed as miserable with her around as she did around him. The prince looked at her, feeling her eyes upon him and she turned her head away quickly. 

He terrified her. The Imperial Prince of Haladon's name was spoken from one end of the continent to the other with a tinge of dread. No one defied him, no country had withstood him yet, and no one had ever denied him anything he desired. He was reputed to be a powerful sorcerer, nearly as powerful as his father was, and that was a feat, for he was quite young as sorcerers went. His mother was supposed to be a Druid, though Elenna could not sense much about his power in that area. He obviously didn't bother much with the faith on a daily basis. He was probably like most Druids who went through the motions when it suited him. She trembled to think of her powerlessness in his presence. Suddenly she had a terrible desire to escape. She couldn't endure another evening with his arms about her, sharing his bed. 

She wondered curiously if he could catch her if she ran. After all, she knew the lands better than he did, and she had the friends and the resources to flee. The thought had merit. Especially since she figured it was only a matter of time before he sated his passions with her body. She considered her options for escape thoughtfully. 

Once again he looked at her, as though he could sense her eyes upon him, and feel her thoughts. This time she did not look away at once, but as his eyes met hers she found that she couldn't endure his gaze. His expression was stern and commanding and his green eyes were suddenly very intent. After a few seconds, she once again looked away. 

He was the sorcerer prince of Haladon. There would be no escape.

After another hour of discussion and reports, the council meeting seemed to end, for most of the generals and officers rose and bowed to the prince and then departed. The only men who remained were the prince and the older general who had rather harshly dragged her to her chair in the corner, and of course the Imperial bodyguards. The two spoke quietly with each other for a long time in whispers, their soft voices and her limited knowledge of the language making it almost impossible to decipher what they were discussing. Elenna felt strangely uncomfortable sitting alone in the huge room with the two men speaking in whispers out of her hearing, and out of her control.

*******************

"What are you doing, Your Highness?" asked Tesca quietly when all the other officers had left.

"It's a long story," he replied.

"That girl is more than she seems," the general said. "I was watching her face as the officers reported," he continued. "She's good at hiding it, but she can at least partially understand what we are saying."

"Are you sure?"

The general nodded. "There were a couple times when they reported that I caught a slight glimmer in her eyes that she was pleased by the report, and she couldn't hide the smugness when Khedan said they were still unable to find the escapees from the palace." He took the prince's arm quite seriously. "She's young, yes, but I would be willing to bet you that girl was running this kingdom. There is no way they could have stayed so unified under the rule of the slavering madman you killed two days ago."

"She is far more cultured than I have heard is common for women of this land," agreed Entrari.

"If what you say is true, and she's a sorceress and a Druid, you should be careful. She could kill you in your sleep," said the general darkly.

Entrari laughed. "Tesca," he said smiling. "Do you think I'm a fool?" He looked at the girl as she sat with her head bowed and her hair tumbling about her shoulders, playing with the folds of her dress. "It's quite obvious she's been running the kingdom, most likely deceiving her father to do it, too. It was she who helped our ambassador only a year ago, if you remember." The prince smiled at his friend. "I realize the danger, but even though I am the Imperial Prince of a growing empire, I'm not stupid enough to violate the Druid treaty, especially when the Archpriest requests me to spare her."

"The Archpriest?" Tesca said whistling in amazement.

He nodded. "I'm not about to disobey that kind of request. We'll leave it up to my father to decide her fate."

The general laughed. "You realize that you're going to be sleeping with the enemy for the next eight months of your life!"

Entrari looked at her and then arched his brow suggestively. "It has its benefits, Tesca."

The general laughed heartily and clapped the prince's shoulder warmly.

****************

Elenna looked up a little startled by the older general's outburst. She was definitely uncomfortable around him. 

"Elenna," the prince called to her from across the room.

She looked up at him.

"Come here," he said in his own tongue.

She looked at him curiously. He was playing with her. He was testing to see whether she would admit to partially understanding his language. She looked at him with a practiced stare of curious incomprehension. 

The prince laughed again and she noted the general hand him a small coin.

"Come here, Elenna," said the prince laughing still, though now he repeated the command in Semanic.

Obediently she rose and walked towards the prince and his general.

"She will slip Your Highness," said the general to his friend.

"Ha!" laughed the prince. "You don't when your house ... madman, Tesca."

The prince rose as she approached and the general beside him rose and bowing to him, departed. 

Once again Elenna was alone with the prince, and his bodyguards.

"My general thinks you can understand our language," said the prince to her.

She remained silent.

"I think he's right," he continued. "You are far more educated than your people give you credit for."

Elenna said nothing. She didn't know what she could say. 

He looked at her curiously. "Tell me," he said. "How is it that you learned to control your power? I thought magic was forbidden in this land."

Elenna bowed her head and remained silent. She knew better than to speak of her lineage and of the awesome power her mother had passed on to her. Even though the queen had died when her daughter was only fifteen, she had been secretly teaching her the ways of the Druids and the art of Sorcery since she was only a toddler. Elenna didn't know from whom her mother had learned it.

"You don't need to be afraid to speak of it, Elenna," he said noting her bowed head. "Magic is common among my people. You won't be burned as a witch in my lands."

She looked at him, her eyes uncertain. "You will take me from this place then?" she asked him. "You will take me to Haladon as your prisoner?"

"That's the law of my people," he said to her.

"And your people will pass judgment upon me?" she asked.

"My father will, yes," he said.

"And isn't the penalty for resisting you death?" she pressed.

He looked at her seriously, slightly surprised that she knew his laws so well. "Usually this is the case," he conceded.

"So what's the difference between my people burning me as a witch and yours executing me for being the daughter of your enemy?" she asked. "Either way isn't my life ended?"

"Perhaps," he said, "though I have great influence upon my father's judgment."

She bowed her head. "Then what are you going to do with me, your highness?" she asked, afraid to look at him.

"That I haven't decided," he admitted. "You're pretty enough, but I your presence tries my patience."

"And so for now, until you get sick of me, I'm to follow you like some dog?" she asked a little bitterly.

He shrugged. "If it makes you feel better to think of it that way, my dear," he said. 

She did her best to control herself and how hateful she suddenly felt towards him. She loathed this man! 

"Come," he said, "it's time for lunch." Once again he grabbed her arm and pulled her through her own halls.

Today the prince did not eat alone, nor did he sit with her. Instead he bade her to stand beside his chair like a serving maid and wait upon him. His generals, including the older man who had remained after the council to speak with the prince seemed to approve, and soon they were all calling upon her to serve them.

Elenna hated them all for it. As the daughter of the king, she served no one! And now she was treated as some kind of servant, fetching wine and serving the prince and his generals like some kind of well-trained pet. They delighted in her humiliation and her servitude, the beautiful daughter of their fallen enemy subdued to fawn upon them and obey them. By the time the lunch was over, she was almost in tears.




The Last Descendant Ch. 03



When the prince was finished, he rose and bade his generals farewell. Then he grabbed her arm and dragged her along again. She wondered why he insisted on grabbing her all the time. It wasn't as though she could escape with his personal bodyguards just feet away. 

They returned to his chambers and he released her arm. Then he sat at the large desk and began to rifle through papers. 

"My guards will bring you something to eat," he said to her absently.

She ignored him and went back to the large chair before the fireplace to stare moodily into the flames. 

He stopped rifling through his papers. "Elenna," he said in an authoritative tone. "I did not dismiss you."

She stared into the flames bitterly. "I thought I was a prisoner, not a servant." 

He chuckled a little. "You're overly proud. The women in my country, noble and peasant alike wait upon the men."

"I'm not a woman from your country," she replied.

"You're trying my patience, girl," he snapped.

She continued to sit in her chair and stare stubbornly into the fire. Deep down she knew she was being belligerent. She knew he should rightfully beat her for her insolence, but... she couldn't bear the humiliation. She'd rather be chained and gagged than become his willing pet and dishonor herself and her people.

His chair scraped against the flagstones as he pushed it out to stand. She heard the rustle of his clothes as he strode across the room, but she continued to stare into the flames. Only the wringing of her hands betrayed her nervousness. He grabbed her by her arm and roughly pulled her to her feet holding her by the arms.

"I am your prince now. You will obey me!" he snapped angrily. 

His golden hair glowed in the firelight and his green eyes sparkled like fiery emeralds. She felt the pounding of his magic around his body and the tightness in the air of his power. She should back down. Any person with common sense would recognize his strength, but that stubborn little voice that got her into trouble as a child reared its ugly head and she stared right back at him. 

"I am not some broken pet, who fawns on you and your people like a slave. You've taken my kingdom, my father and my freedom, but you will not take my dignity!"

Angrily the prince raised his hand to strike her across the face, but she didn't flinch. She'd been beaten before. Some things were worth it. 

******************

Entrari held the girl roughly as his chest heaved in fury. No woman in his kingdom would have dared to speak to him so. Queens had fallen to their knees to plead for his mercy; princesses like her had groveled before his feet. He was the Imperial Prince of Haladon, damn it! This little barbarian wench wasn't worthy to lick his boots! 

He made ready to strike her, to subdue her, but then her beautiful eyes met his. They were literally on fire with passion! Once again he was moved, those stunning eyes that he'd seen since he was a teenager piercing like a sword to the core of his being. He couldn't do it. He couldn't bring pain upon the woman who was destined to be an empress at his side. In the end, he'd never forgive himself. With inhuman control, he took a deep breath, forcing himself to control his rage. Then, instead of striking the girl, he tucked a tress of hair behind her ear.

She flinched at his touch, expecting his wrath and her eyes widened in surprise at his gentleness.

Entrari sighed and cupped her chin in his fingers drawing her gaze to his own once again. "What you want from me I can't give you, Elenna," he said quietly. "I can't release you, I can't imprison you, I can't kill you, and all that leaves me with is keeping you by my side."

At that she tried to pull away from his gaze, but he held her firm with his eyes, his magic preventing her from looking away.

"I'm willing to negotiate with you," he said. "Negotiation is the way of my people. We only result to battle when all negotiations have failed." He smiled at her. "But you already knew that didn't you?"

She nodded.

"Very well then," he said still maintaining eye contact with her, letting her know that he was in control. "Let's negotiate a treaty between us; you and me alone," he said. "But keep in mind that if I negotiate with you, then I expect our treaty to be followed to the letter. Otherwise, I shall use my power and take control of your body and force you to do whatever I wish. Understood?"

Once again she only nodded.

He smiled. "I will hear it from your lips, Elenna," he said.

"I understand," she replied quietly.

"Then tell me what you wish of me," he said. 

The princess looked at him her beautiful eyes wide. She seemed to think about it and then bowed her head hopelessly.

Entrari laughed mockingly. "You're willing to let me beat you, when you don't even know what you want? Poor little princess." He tucked the errant tress of hair that kept falling across her face every time she bowed her head back behind her ear. She jumped at his touch. 

"I know what I don't want," she whispered.

"Look at me," he demanded catching her chin in his fingers and drawing her eyes to his. "That's a start. What is it you don't want?"

"I don't want you to hurt me," she said.

"You mean you don't want me to beat you?" He knew what she meant. She didn't want him to rape her. But if she didn't have the courage to say it, he wasn't going to mention it. After all, to the conqueror go the spoils. Feeling a little guilty that he was taking advantage of her like this- she was quite young after all, he decided on a compromise. "Is that what you mean?" he prompted her hoping that she'd have the courage to say it, even if he wouldn't grant it to her.

She looked into his eyes quite seriously, her gray eyes darkening to the color of storm clouds. Entrari almost trembled under that stare as she regarded him. Gods, her eyes were glorious! 

"That is not all I mean," she said at last. "But I can see it's all you'll give me."

He smiled. "Touché." Then he sighed guiltily. He might want her, but he wanted her willing. "I will agree, to both requests. I won't beat you, nor will I touch you against your will."

Her steely eyes softened slightly.

"What else?" he prompted. 

"I don't wish to be humiliated and made to serve you and your people," she continued quietly. 

"But you are my servant," he reminded her. "You are no longer a princess. If I wished, I could dress you in the livery of the servants of my people, and the world would see nothing wrong with it."

She shook her head and tried to pull from his grasp in frustration.

He laughed at her stubbornness. He hated to admit to himself that he rather liked playing with her. She was adorable when she was huffy. 

"Ah," he chided once again holding her arm firmly. "I'm willing to compromise there. You'll serve me, but no one else," he said. "However, my men will not bow to you. My lowest servants outrank you, but I won't force you to wait upon them in humiliation." 

She seemed to think about that. "Agreed." 

"Anything else?" he asked.

"There is a chapel in this place," she said quietly. "May I go there to pray?"

He shook his head. "You may do your devotionals here," he said. "I don't have time to escort you to the chapel whenever you're feeling religious." 

"There are a few things that belonged to my mother in my chambers," she said. "Could I have them?"

He looked at her a little irritably. She was pushing her luck. "You're a prisoner," he said. "Such things are not given to prisoners."

She looked back at him and her eyes hardened a little stubbornly. "This is just like your last treaty," she snapped. "Do as I say, I shall give you nothing in return, and if you do not comply you shall be destroyed. I do not call this negotiation, your highness."

"You already know what happens when my treaties are not accepted, princess," he said coldly. "I don't have to negotiate with you at all. It's just as easy for me to conquer you." He tucked that errant strand of hair behind her ear once again. "I'd hoped you weren't as foolish as your father." 

She took a shuddering breath to control her temper and nodded.

"So you don't want to serve my men, and you don't want me to hurt you," he reiterated for her. "Is this so?"

"Yes," she relied.

"Fair enough," he said. Then he smiled. "Now it's my turn."

She bit her lip. He had to take a deep breath to control himself. Those plump lips were just begging to be kissed, and this little battle was making him hungry for her.

"You're going to be my personal servant," he said. "I've never had a woman do the job, but since you're to be at my side wherever I go, it seems a fitting role. My request is simple; if I command you to do something, then you'll do it at once without question. When you wish to do something else, you'll ask me for permission. Furthermore, if one of my bodyguards or generals tells you to do something, you'll do it, unless, of course it is in violation of our little treaty." He paused thoughtfully. "From this moment on, my commands will be carried out at once, or face my wrath. Understood?"

"I understand," she replied.

"Good," he said. Then he finally released her arm. "I'll send for some food for you." Then he turned and took a few steps towards the large mahogany desk he kept his paperwork on. Suddenly he thought better of it and turned back around. "By the way, as my subject, I do expect you to revere me according to my Imperial Princely rank." He arched an eyebrow at her quizzically. "You do know how to bow, don't you?"

Her gray eyes grew steely again. "Yes, your highness." 

"Really?" he asked. "I was wondering, because I haven't seen one from you since I forced you yesterday." He smiled at her mockingly. "Shall we practice?"

Her eyes flamed, and she took a shuddering breath.

"Yes, I think we should. Come here," he commanded.

She took a deep breath, straightened her back and closed the distance between them. Then she curtsied with all the dignity and grace of the princess she was.

Entrari wanted to laugh, but he restrained himself. He didn't think anyone had ever made a curtsy seem more disdainful.

"Ah, so you do know how. I was wondering, you know, since you seemed to be the one running this country. I thought perhaps you had forgotten the true place of a woman."

Her face blanched and Entrari almost laughed again. So he was right.

"You may amuse yourself as you please. I'm going to go through my paperwork. I'll call you if I need you."

She nodded and curtsied appropriately as he turned to leave.

**************

For a while Elenna simply sat in the large chair before the fire and stared into the flames. So much had happened in the last two days, she could barely process it all. Her dearest friend and bodyguard, Grindeg, who had been her right hand for the last four years, was now gone. When her mother had died, the man had taken her under his protection and tutelage. He used his rank as the Captain of the Army to enforce her proclamations. Though the King had ruled the palace, Elenna had ruled the kingdom with the aid of Grindeg's forces. For the first time in her life, she did not feel safe, for his hovering presence was absent and his forces were overwhelmed.

She thought about Merel, who had been her serving maiden since she was seven, a friend and confidante. The woman who had held her as she wept brokenly for her mother and had supported her as she stood against all tradition to maintain a crumbling kingdom, now she, too was gone. Her bravery had cost her everything she had known and loved. 

She felt tears fill her eyes, but she angrily forced them away. In the past five years, she had learned that her tears made her seem weak, and as a woman, who had usurped authority, the last thing she needed was to appear weak. She loathed herself for losing control of her emotions this morning when the prince had overpowered her. She had lost her credibility the moment she shed her tears. No matter how she behaved from this moment on, he would see her as a weak child. She rose suddenly wishing to be as far from him as possible. She went to the double doors that led to the balcony opened them and stood outside.

This balcony faced east, gazing over the rolling hills of the countryside. Even though it was late fall, the hills were bright green, almost like emeralds, and a gentle breeze blew bringing the crisp, clean smell of autumn to her nostrils. In a way, Elenna was glad this balcony didn't overlook the city. Even though she stared the other way, she could feel the fear of her people in her bones. Unable to restrain herself anymore she fell to her knees in prayer. As she closed her eyes, she listened to the echoes in the rocks, the echoes of the voices in the city behind her. With another breath, her spirit floated on the wings of the wind following its currents into the city, but what it saw there broke her heart.

Soldiers marched through the streets, and the villagers cringed behind their doorways each time a patrol passed. She heard voices wailing in grief as the bodies of sons and husbands were discovered, and she heard the cries of children in fear. No longer were her people singing the songs of the Druids, and nowhere in the city was there laughter. The wind carried her to the small section of the city where the remaining resistance had barricaded themselves, plugging up the narrow streets with debris to hold the enemy at bay. Inside that barricade she heard the moans of the wounded and dying and the desperate shouts of men who fought on in panic and despair.

Elenna felt ill and her head spun. After all her efforts to protect them, the people of Hartstak were still suffering. Her sacrifices had been for naught! 

"Your lips are blue," said the prince from the doorway startling her from her prayers. "It's time to come inside."

She nodded and rose wearily, noting as she did that her fingers and toes were numb and she was suddenly very weak. The prince came beside her and put his hand on her arm to steady her. Then he touched her forehead and looked at her in concern. The moment he touched her, she began to shiver violently. 

"Good gods," he swore. "You're freezing." 

He whispered something over her body and kissed her forehead gently. From his lips a feeling of warmth spread over her body warming her numbed toes and fingers. Her eyes lost their sight and she felt strange for several moments.

"If you let yourself get that cold, I won't allow you to come out here anymore," the prince threatened.

She nodded that she understood.

******************

Entrari looked out over the lands thoughtfully. "This is a beautiful country."

"Is that why you've come?" she asked bitterly. "To have such a nice view?"

He chuckled a little. "Oh come, Elenna. You know better than that."

"No?" she said looking up at him. "We are barbaric compared to your people. We have no major export or product that you could possibly want. Our winters, as you will learn, are bitter. As far as I know, there is nothing to be mined here, and it's much easier to cultivate the land in other places. What could you possibly want from us that would require you to bring so many soldiers?"

He smiled at her. "It must be the view then."

Irritably she pulled against his grasp, but he held her arm tightly. She was adorable when she was stubborn. The way her lips pursed petulantly and the way her gray eyes flashed indignantly amused him. He caught her other arm and held her before him firmly. 

"Do you really wish to know?" he asked.

"Just let me go."

"You're forgetting your manners, Elenna," he chided. "It should have been 'please let me go, your highness.'"

She whimpered indignantly.

"Now answer my question," he continued relentlessly. "Do you really wish to know why I have come with more troops than I could possibly need to defeat this tiny, worthless kingdom, or are you just being difficult?"

"Yes, your highness," the princess snapped, her voice dripping malice. "Please, enlighten me."

He whirled her around forcibly readjusting his grasp so he still restrained her, but now he grasped her arms from behind. "Look beyond those beautiful green hills, Elenna, and tell me what you see," he said.

"The Lucidan Mountains," she replied condescendingly.

"That's right," he agreed. "Do you know what's on the other side of those mountains?" 

She froze. For a moment she stared at the mountains thoughtfully, then shook her head.

"Well I do," he said. "Beyond those mountains lie a wicked people. They are a people who worship demons, and they have declared themselves the enemies of Haladon. Your lands lie before a pass that though difficult, runs through those mountains to the other side. If your father had signed that treaty, your people would have aided us by guarding against invasion from that path. Now, my own troops will guard against it."

"You are afraid of these people," the girl said in amazement. "An Empire as powerful as yours and you still fear them."

"Have you ever seen a demon?" he asked.

She shook her head. 

"Pray you never have to." 

For a moment they both stared at the white-capped mountains thoughtfully. Entrari could feel the tension leave the stubborn little princess's body and he relaxed his grip upon her. For a moment as they stood there, for once not at odds, the prince felt a strange feeling. He felt comforted and at peace in her presence. Then a chill wind blew and he shivered.

"Come," he said. "It's cold. Let's go inside." He took her arm firmly once again and pulled her along with him closing the doors behind them. He looked down at her and smiled a little. "The reason I came to get you is that I am in need of your service," he said. "It's time you made yourself useful, Elenna."

She looked at him irritably once again, her gray eyes hardening. "What do you require of me, Your Highness?" she seethed.

He smiled. "I need someone to attend to me while I enjoy my dinner," he replied. Not waiting for a clever retort, he dragged her rather roughly across the room and stood her beside his chair behind his desk. 

*****************

Elenna bit her lip bitterly as she stood beside the prince like a servant. After only a few moments, she wanted to thrash him over the head with the wine bottle as he called upon her to fill his glass after he'd only taken a few sips. However, she restrained herself. He toyed with her mercilessly, making her cut his meat for him, or clean up a slight spill he'd purposely made, but she maintained her dignity. At last, the prince finished his meal and pushed his plate away. Then he sipped his wine and looked up at her smiling a little mockingly.

"Clean this up and take the tray outside to one of my guards," he said. 

She stared at him angrily, and he grinned back mockingly. Yes. She really wanted to throttle him. 

One of his guards brought in another tray and put it the small table before the fire.

"That tray is yours," said the prince to her. "Go ahead and eat something. When you finish fetch my robe for me."

Elenna curtsied obediently, even though she was even more irritable than before. She angrily looked at the plate of breads and cheeses and wanted to hurl it at the fire in fury. Instead she took a few bites of the cheese, and then rose to fetch the wretched prince his wretched robe.

"I've seen you naked, Elenna. You don't really have any weight to lose." He smiled a little at her with that self-satisfied smile that was already driving her crazy. "Sit down and finish everything on your plate."

"But I'm not hungry," she protested.

"I'll command only once," he said simply.

I loath you, Prince of Haladon, she thought with vehemence. He arched his golden brows at her as though he understood exactly what she was thinking and then stared at her sternly. Very few people truly had mastered the "look" of authority. It seemed to be second-nature to prince Entrari.




The Last Descendant Ch. 03



She curtsied wordlessly and sat down in her chair staring dismally at her supper.

"Fine," he said when she'd finished about half. "Now fetch my robe." He stood and made his way to the bathing chamber.

Elenna froze when she realized what he wanted.

He wasn't serious.

"Come on girl," he snapped to her. "I need a bath."

"If you wish, I can stay outside by the fire," she suggested tactfully.

The brown-haired bodyguard entered to clear away her tray and looked at them both smiling.

Entrari laughed mockingly. "But who's going to scrub my back?"

She turned to the guard hopefully.

He smiled at her, but shook his head.

The color drained from her face and her eyes and she literally trembled as she stood there holding the prince's robe.

The bodyguard's eyes softened a little then. "He won't hurt you, princess," said the man gently. "He's only doing it because you protest so much," he added.

She shook her head. She just couldn't go in there with him.

The man smiled. "You'll be fine."

"Now, Elenna!" snapped the prince impatiently as he waited by the door.

Her head bowed miserably, the princess obediently followed.

*************

Entrari closed the doors behind them and then began to shed his clothes. The princess kept her head bowed and stood aside trembling. 

"Sit on the stool over there," he said.

She did as she was told and sat before him, bowing her head and averting her eyes.

For a while, he just attended to the task at hand washing the dirt from his body and his hair. Even though he hadn't really done much in the past few days, the warmth of the water felt good to him, for the lands were cold. Eventually, he simply sat and stared at the young girl who sat before him so miserably. 

He was suddenly reminded of a little lost child. He wondered how long she'd been forced to run a kingdom behind the back of a maddening father. She couldn't be older than twenty, but she'd won the loyalty and respect of her people; what a terrible responsibility for such young shoulders.

"Tell me, Elenna," said the prince. "How long have you been running this kingdom?"

She looked at him in amazement her eyes wide, but then she bowed her head. "Four years, maybe," she replied after a long pause.

"And how old are you?" he asked curiously.

"Twenty," she replied.

He nodded thoughtfully. "How did you manage to gain so much power?" he asked. "Your people feel quite strongly about women in positions of power."

She looked at him uncertainly again and then shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know how, really," she responded. "As my father's madness grew worse, it naturally fell to me to try to keep our household together and hide it. As we hid his madness, we started to have to make decisions. People would come before my father with demands and questions and no one seemed to be able to make wise choices."

"So you made them under his seal," he said.

She nodded. "There was no one else."

He seemed to think about that. She was right. This king had no son, so there would be no one to rule in his stead save perhaps a general or other officer. He looked at her thoughtfully. Actually, someone could have come along, made her his wife and usurped power if he'd had a mind to. In a way, Entrari wondered why it hadn't happened yet. The women of these people married quite young, and she was a lovely woman. Perhaps she was more powerful than he had even imagined, or she had powerful friends. 

"Do you know why your father was mad?" he asked her.

She looked up at him, her eyes suddenly intense, but then she remembered herself and bowed her head shaking it.

"He had the power of a sorcerer," said the prince. "When you have the power and don't use it, it boils beneath the surface. His magic drove him insane."

She bit her lip. "He used it in the end."

"That he did." Then he looked at her piercingly. "You know a few rudimentary spells. Where you learned such things in this land is beyond me."

She said nothing.

"If you hadn't learned, though," he said. "It would drive you crazy, too."

He regarded her thoughtfully. At sixteen, she was making state decisions, was studying magic that was against the laws of her people, and was practicing the Druid faith devoutly, even though it was also regarded with superstition and caution. She was incredible. He looked at her longingly as her skin glowed in the humid air and her hair clung to her neck enticingly. He swallowed the lump of desire in his throat. 

"Do you know how old I am?" he asked her doing his best not to think about it.

She looked up and him and stared at his face thoughtfully. Then she shook her head and bowed it once again. That errant tress of hair tumbled down her cheek and he itched to brush it aside. 

"I'm forty this year," he said. "Did you know magic prolongs your life?"

She nodded.

"You feared it, didn't you," he said. "You knew that once your people noticed you weren't aging, they'd kill you as a witch."

She said nothing.

"Perhaps, my coming wasn't such a bad thing," he said looking at her thoughtfully.

Once again she was silent.

He rose from the water and climbed out of the tub dripping. "Bring my robe," he said.

She rose and handed his robe to him, keeping her eyes firmly fixed upon his face. 

He smiled at her. She was most definitely a maid. He tucked the tress of hair behind her ear once again and rather impulsively kissed her forehead. 

She immediately jumped and looked up at him a little fearfully.

He sighed. "Don't worry. I swore I wouldn't hurt you. Go ahead and get your own robe. I'll leave you to bathe for a few moments in peace."

She nodded and curtsied to him as he opened the door for her. Then he sat in the chair before the fire and she fetched her own things and disappeared behind the door to the baths.

"Did you make her scrub your back?" asked Kelda smiling roguishly as he bowed.

He laughed. "No," he said. "I feared if I let her get too close, I'd lose the last tatters of my self control."

His friend shrugged. "If you want her so bad, then take her," he said. "She's no different than any other woman once her clothes are off and she's lying beneath you in bed."

"Probably not," he admitted. Just the thought of plunging between her thighs made his breath hitch. Damn Druid dreams!

"Ah, but can he do it with a Druid?" said Gosta as he walked in bowing to the prince.

Kelda snorted. "Religion hasn't kept me from doing the things I wish."

"You're not religious," Gosta chided.

"Neither is Entrari."

"Don't even mention religion to me right now," Entrari lamented. He paused and made a face. "Damn. It's too late. Once again religion has meddled with my very well-thought plans." He turned to Kelda. "You're off duty now?"

Kelda nodded.

"Find us some brandy, Gosta," he said to his other guard and friend. "Kelda and I need to drink."

Gosta smiled and bowed low.

***************

When Elenna emerged from the baths she found the prince and his brown-haired bodyguard occupying the chairs before the fire drinking some strong brandy. She quietly skirted them, doing her best to avoid their notice. She wasn't stupid. These were cold lands and in the winter, the men turned to drinking. She'd learned as a child that men were unpredictable and untrustworthy when drunk and had always kept her chamber locked and barricaded on cold winter nights. She hoped the prince would get himself drunk enough to stumble into bed thoughtlessly, and forget about the pretty little girl who now shared his bedroom. 

Doing her best to stay out of his way, she found a book on the bookshelf in Lamlish. Of all the languages she had studied under her mother's tutelage, Lamlish was the most difficult. She still struggled to comprehend it and had to be careful about studying in her father's presence, for he was distrustful of anything that wasn't written in either Semanic or the language of Hartstak. She opened the book and carried it over to the table where she had taken her meal. The candles were still burning and giving off enough light to read by.

She struggled through the first paragraph finally grasping the meaning after reading it about twenty times. It was a slow process, for the only dictionary that translated the reading into her own language lay hidden beneath the floorboards in her bedchamber. She read for several hours, struggling as best as she could through the pages, making slow progress, but at least occupying her time and staying out of the way of the drunk prince and his bodyguard.

"I didn't know you knew Lamlish," said a voice behind her suddenly.

Elenna jumped. She'd been concentrating so hard she hadn't heard him approach. Now that he was so near she could smell the brandy.

"I don't know it very well," she said quietly. "I've only stumbled through these few pages all this time with very little comprehension."

"You know I think my general was correct," he commented to himself. "You probably do know my language."

She looked at him cautiously. He was definitely drunk.

"I know," he said smiling at her. "We'll play a game to find out." He grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her from her chair. Then he dragged her to the bed, unbuttoned her dressing gown and almost threw her into the bed.

Elenna trembled forced herself to take deep breaths in order to keep from crying.

The prince lay beside her and then pushed her onto her back and leaned over her. She looked into his dilated pupils and smelled the liquor on his breath and felt her heart pound. 

"Here's the game, Elenna," he said a little darkly. "I'll say something in my language. You'll translate it into Semanic to prove to me that you understood it. Each word you don't know earns me a kiss." He smiled a little. "I'll admit I'm a little drunk, so my self-control is probably marginal. I wouldn't allow me too many kisses if I were you."

Elenna shook her head. He'd promised!

"Let's begin," said the prince. "La princesta ala Hartstak illa mellea lostna am vol."

"I don't know!" she whimpered. "Please your highness," she begged. "Please!"

He kissed her soundly on the lips, taking her breath away and squelching her pleas. 

She gasped and tried to pull away from him, but he was lying on top of her his body weight alone pinned her.

"I'll say it again," he repeated. "La princesta ala Hartstak illa mellea lostna am vol."

"I don't..." she began again, but this time he didn't let her finish and since her mouth was open he inserted his tongue. She could taste the brandy in his mouth and she struggled against him squealing, though his mouth stifled her cries, trying to push him away. He caught her hands and with one of his own, held them immovable above her head. Elenna whimpered in despair and felt tears fill her eyes.

"We'll try one more time, Elenna," he said darkly. "I know you're lying. Keep it up and we'll see how self-controlled I really am when I'm drunk. I'm already hot for you." He pressed his groin against her suggestively and she could feel the hardened bulge. She screeched and struggled against him, but he was so much stronger than her. 

"Please! You promised," she wailed.

"And you're disobeying me," he retorted. "Last chance!" he snapped. "La princesta ala Harstak illa mellea lostna am vol."

Elenna sobbed brokenly. He'd won. Once again, prince Entrari was victorious. "The princess of Hartstak is the most beautiful woman I've seen," she supplied at last.

The prince smiled, his green eyes glowing triumphantly. "Estuda, li illa defoci et montea."

Elenna panicked. She didn't know one of the words! "I don't know," she cried suddenly.

The prince smiled and kissed her forehead letting his lips brush down her eyes. "Translate!" he whispered huskily pressing his erection against her again hungrily.

"I swear!" she whimpered. "I really don't know this time!"

"Translate!" he demanded more harshly.

"Estuda," she replied desperately, "she is wild and stubborn."

The prince chuckled a little and then kissed her cheek softly. "Estuda means however," he supplied. "This is a fun game," he laughed to no one in particular. "La princesta no dela so tenito principo d'Haladon."

"The princess doesn't know the power of the prince of Haladon," she supplied.

"Sil delanti gilme principo et traume d'ateger."

Elenna shook her head. That was two words, now. 

"Please," she begged again brokenly. "Please your highness!" She looked into his eyes, but saw no pity. She shook her head, tears filling her eyes. "She thought to gilme the prince and try to ateger."

The prince kissed her neck. "Trick," he supplied after he lingered over the kiss delighting in the taste of her skin. Then he kissed her lips deeply and seriously, "Escape," he added.

Elenna began to cry. "I swear I didn't," she said shaking her head.

"Shh," he said. "Sil no dela principo d'Haladon cela pestua sil toulier la erta."

"She doesn't know that the prince of Haladon has done ...something... and will always be near."

*************

Entrari laughed at the girl's desperate attempt to avoid his affection. He felt incredible. His head was spinning, his body was nestled between the girl's thighs and she smelled fantastic. He nuzzled her affectionately inhaling her scent. 

"Nice try," he said breathing into her neck. 

She whimpered desperately and turned her head away from him.

"That was three words." He smiled and kissed her lips more seriously and ran his hand down her front feeling her soft breast in his hand.

"Cela, means to swear." 

He kissed her lips again tasting her mouth with his tongue and pulling her closer to him. When he released her she let out a broken sob. 

"Pestua, means to protect," he said breathing a little more deeply. Then he kissed her tears. "Erta means to guard," he added. 

He kissed her deeply and pressed against her, forgetting for a moment about the little game and simply wanting her. "It should have been 'She doesn't know the prince of Haladon has sworn to protect and guard her'," he breathed. 

But the princess wasn't listening to him anymore. She was simply sobbing as he lay above her, restraining her hands over her head, and kissing her, pressing his throbbing cock against her.

Entrari cursed himself. He couldn't take her like this. Not when he wanted those smoky eyes to look into his like smoldering black coals. Not when he wanted her to kiss him back wantonly, even as he kissed her now. Not when she was crying beneath him in misery.

"Shh," he said gently to her. "Io ne ta larme."

She stopped crying and looked at him in disbelief.

"Translate," he demanded.

"I won't hurt you," she said tears still running down her cheeks.

He nodded. "Io non gliba a su delanta," he said.

"I am not ..." she paused.

He couldn't help himself as he kissed her lips gently now, "Gliba means drunk," he supplied.

"I am not as drunk as you think?" she said questioningly.

He nodded and kissed her lips one last time for good measure and then passed his hand over her eyes whispering the simple spell. The girl fell asleep at once. He kissed her lips her cheek and her neck once again and then sighed miserably and wrapped his arms around her. Then he buried his face in her beautiful silver-black hair and fell asleep.

*****************

Okay. Sorry this has taken so long. I've been suffering from writer's block in a serious way. I know it's kinda slow, but... I really like these characters and their battles. Things will get a little more exciting in the next few chapters, but there's a lot of history and ground work to lay in order for the climax to work out just right. Keep the feedback coming. I appreciate the negative as well as the positive. I like it when people help me think "outside" my little box.

-E



The Last Descendant Ch. 04



Elenna awoke long before dawn to the deep breathing of her bedmate. At least he wasn't snoring violently, though he still smelled of liquor. For a moment she tried to close her eyes and fall back asleep, but she was acutely uncomfortable in his arms. 

No, she definitely couldn't go back to sleep. 

She squirmed out of his embrace slowly, doing her best to avoid waking him, but the intoxicated prince didn't even move. He'd obviously had way too much to drink, and used his inebriation as an excuse to abuse her, and take liberties with her body. How could he do such a thing? He was supposed to be her love! Her soul mate! In her dreams, she'd imagined him holding her close, protecting her, loving her. Gods! Could reality be bitterer? 

Her future husband was an arrogant, self-serving, manipulative...ass! 

She donned her slippers and dressing gown staring about the silent room thoughtfully. She knew the castle and its secrets far better than the rotten prince and his people. All it would take is a few prayers, a slight sacrifice, and she could escape. Surely his guards weren't as powerful as he was, and these people didn't seem to understand the power of Druids. Escape would be so easy. His pawing hands would never again touch her flesh! 

His breathing changed with a slight snort and he moaned, nuzzling into the pillow. 

Elenna froze. Did he know what she was thinking? Was he waking up? That was the problem with magic; she wasn't experienced enough to know what could be done with it. 

She stared at him intently, but he continued to breathe deeply and evenly. Though she was pretty sure he was asleep, her eyes lingered on him, as though she couldn't force herself to look away. She found herself noticing how his golden hair was tousled and his face had softened in sleep so that it seemed sweet and gentle. He was beautiful; just the way she dreamed he'd be those endless lonely nights. Her fingers itched to brush one of his blond waves from his cheek, to feel the warmth of him under her fingertips. His lips were slightly parted, and she found herself blushing as she recalled how they felt against her skin. They had been soft as velvet, and the way they caressed her face, her lips...

No! She wasn't going to think about it. Resolutely she turned away from him, but her body trembled as she recalled the way hands; warm, strong, slightly calloused from using his sword more than expected of a prince...

He moaned softly in his sleep startling her yet again. She bit her lip in resolve.

He was the enemy. He was her captor. He was boorish and abusive. She was going as insane as her father. She had to escape. She couldn't let him... she shuddered. Her body was betraying her, but she couldn't let it. Any woman who faced a future of trial and death would use the opportunity to escape. The Emperor of Haladon was going to kill her! Those were the laws! She had to run!

NO! 

Her soul screamed it so loudly that she almost fell to her knees. She couldn't understand. Why couldn't she flee? Why was she so bound to him already? Surely fate had not destined her to be his toy? 

She closed her eyes and whispered a prayer to her ancestors; for strength and guidance. Perhaps to see a little of the future, too? Was it too much to ask the ancestors to give her that much? And yet her only answer was the same resounding 'no' as before. Her fate was now tied to Prince Entrari of Haladon.

Angry and confused, she flopped into one of the chairs before the fireplace. The logs had burned out, and it was cold once again.

"Princess?"

She jumped in surprise and stood at once. 

"Easy, princess," called the voice again. A guard's head peeked in the doorway and he smiled kindly at her.

"Who are you?" she asked, wrapping her arms about her body protectively.

"My name's Gosta," he replied. "Are you okay?"

She looked at him and then looked away. She wasn't so sure.

"Can I come inside?" he asked her.

"I'm your prisoner," she returned bitterly.

He chuckled. "Actually, you're Prince Entrari's prisoner."

She sniffed. 

"If you're not comfortable with me coming in, I won't," he said.

She looked at him cautiously. He seemed kind, but... 

He walked inside the room slowly as though he sensed how wary she was of him. She reasoned that he was no bigger or stronger than her own people. His armor was more glorious, and his sword was different, but he still had the grace of a trained warrior. She willed herself not to take a step backward as he approached, but she found herself feeling very tiny standing in only a dressing gown and slippers before this powerful man.

"If you like, I can stir the fire for you," he offered.

She nodded. He moved slowly and stooped down before the fire, stirring the coals, adding kindling and some logs and then blowing upon the embers to start the fire anew. She watched him silently, finding that his presence had a calming effect. Something about him exuded kindness and gentleness. For a moment she closed her eyes and reached out with her spirit. In her mind she glimpsed a soft white light, shrouded somehow. 

"There," he said quietly. "That's better."

She nodded mutely.

"I probably shouldn't ask you, but did the prince..." he paused as though searching for the right words. "I heard you crying last night and..." his voice trailed off and he looked at her uncomfortably.

Of course; the entire bodyguard had probably heard her sobs as the prince molested her. "Does it really matter?" she said bitterly.

"Doesn't it matter to you?" he asked.

She looked at him in surprise. Why should he or any of his people care what happened to her? Looking into his deep brown eyes, though, she knew that, at least to him, it mattered. Elenna bit her lip angrily. She wanted to hate these people. They'd conquered her country, murdered her father, but she couldn't bring herself to hate people who seemed to care, especially this gentle man. "He...he didn't," she whispered.

"I'm glad," he said, and she could tell in his voice that he meant it. "I get the feeling you're something special."

She bowed her head as her confused feelings overwhelmed her once again. "I'm nothing, save a pet for your prince."

He sniffed in amusement. "You're a little prickly for a pet. Do you mind if I sit down?" 

"Aren't you supposed to be guarding something?" she asked curiously.

He shrugged. "We're in hostile territory. I'm one of many people outside that door. I just happen to be the highest-ranking person out there."

She nodded. 

He sat down in the chair beside her and stared into the flames quietly.

They said nothing for several moments and it seemed to her that both of them soaked up the heat gratefully. After a while she felt the gentle prickling feeling on her back; that feeling that told her he was reaching out with his spirit. She finally pulled her eyes from the flames to look at him cautiously. 

"You have a powerful aura," he said in explanation.

She smiled a little and looked at him curiously. "Yours is..."

"Slightly shrouded?"

She nodded mutely.

"It is my oath to the Imperial Family," he explained. "My power is tied to theirs."

"What will happen to me?" she asked quietly. "Why is the prince doing this?"

He didn't take his eyes from the flames. "I don't know if I can tell you. But I will tell you this: Entrari has never taken a woman in his bedroom and not taken what he wished from her. Most women beg him for his attention, but there have been a few who weren't too keen on the idea." Finally he turned to look at her. "I don't presume to know what he's doing, but I think it means something."

Elenna took a deep, shuddering breath and nodded. He was right. It was something, though what, she wasn't sure. 

"I know you're scared," he continued. "Entrari's a difficult man to live with under the best of circumstances, and he's one of my best friends."

"I thought you were a bodyguard, not his friend."

Gosta smiled. "In Haladon, only the prince's closest friends are his bodyguards. It's been that way for centuries. Actually, I'm an archduke among my people, and so is Kelda. The rest of his guards have similar titles." He shrugged a little. "Like I said, he's not easy to deal with. He takes what he wants when he wants it," he paused and looked her straight in the eyes, "except for you."

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked bitterly.

He shrugged. "After all your tears last night, I thought you could use a little comfort."

She wanted to lash at him. She wanted to scream at this man, this Druid, who was supporting her captor, but Elenna held that little demon inside her this time. Instead, she smiled at him wanly. It was more for his benefit, to please him, since he'd come to console her.

"That's better," he said. "Even if it's a forced smile, your face is beautiful wearing it." He stood then and inclined his head to her. "I'm going to resume my post. It's still several hours before dawn. You should probably go back to bed."

"I don't think I can willingly climb into bed with my captor," she said shaking her head.

"Your people are proud. Don't let it get you into any more trouble. I'll not force you, but Entrari isn't going to be happy if he wakes in that bed and finds it empty."

She nodded. "I understand."

Gosta chuckled to himself and left the room once again. 

For a while, Elenna stared into the flames thoughtfully, but eventually snuggled wearily into the chair and fell asleep.

*****************

Entrari had a rotten headache and his stomach was definitely sour. There was a fire crackling in the room, but it seemed far too loud. He moaned miserably. Whatever had possessed him to drink that much? Sure, it tasted good going down, but several hours later...why did he always have to drink enough to make him sicker than a dog in the morning? He tried to remember what had pushed him over the edge this time, but all he could think about was the damn woman from his dreams. In his mind she was as beautiful as always, but those eyes that had always stared at him with passion were now tinged with hurt, rage and fear. He hated seeing her like that, and he reached out for her miserably, only to find his bed empty. 

As he drifted closer to consciousness, something about the empty bed was bothersome to him, and the thought nagged at him more and more. Slowly it occurred to him that the girl from his dreams wasn't just a vision anymore. He recalled last night, her sobbing beneath him as he kissed her passionately. 

He hadn't taken her, had he? He hadn't been that drunk. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he'd had just enough alcohol to turn into a complete, barbaric ass. It served him right that she'd...

Run.

He sat up even as bile rushed to his throat. 

Oh GODS! The girl was gone!

"Gosta!" he cried, his own voice ringing in his ears. "Gosta!"

"Your Highness!" cried his friend rushing into the room at once. Gosta's face was startled and concerned. For a moment Entrari wondered how bad he actually looked. 

"The girl! Where's the girl?" he demanded. 

Hung over and miserably guilty, he felt his spirit sink even lower. She'd run away. He'd driven her away. 

He forced himself to roll out of bed, though his stomach turned once again. He swallowed his sickness and forced himself to stand. "Get the men together. We have to find her!"

"Your High..."

He stumbled towards the wardrobe. "Damn it! I was an ass last night," he lamented. "I was a complete ass!"

"But..."

"What woman wouldn't run from a man who almost raped her?" he continued as he opened his wardrobe and found his trousers.

"Your Highne—"

He groaned as he pulled his clothes from the wardrobe, his body ached. That was it. No more alcohol. Never again. 

"Entrari!" cried Gosta, loud enough to make him wince.

Entrari turned angrily. Couldn't Gosta see that he'd just lost the girl? And she wasn't just any girl; she was the girl. "What!" he demanded somewhere between despair and rage.

"The girl's right here," he said. 

Entrari's blurry gaze swept past his friend to finally see the young woman standing behind him, her hair awry, and her gray eyes wide. Even mussed and alarmed she was more beautiful than his best dreams—and she was the enemy. His shoulders slumped, and he sighed in relief and despair as he passed his hand over his eyes.

"Are you all right?" he demanded hoarsely.

The girl didn't answer for a minute. Finally she simply said, "No."

He nodded. "Neither am I."

He stumbled back to bed and collapsed upon it miserably. His stomach had decided to start roiling and the last thing he wanted to do was vomit his guts out.

"Would you like me to fetch someone to heal you?" asked Gosta quietly.

Entrari shuddered. Using magic to heal from a hangover was worse than the hangover itself. "Did you really need to ask?"

His friend chuckled. "I thought perhaps to save you from the girl's nursing skills. I'm sure she's as accustomed to nursing a hung-over man as she is to being a servant."

"I'm broadening her horizons," Entrari replied sarcastically. He opened an eye and looked at her standing cautiously behind Gosta, as though the large soldier would somehow protect her. Surprisingly, he felt a surge of jealousy. The girl was huddling behind his best friend seeking protection, but she was his! 

"She speaks our language," he barked more sharply than he intended. "Watch what you say around her."

Gosta nodded. "Shall I bring her something to eat?"

Entrari nodded. "Then leave me alone for a bit until I've had a chance to nurse this."

Gosta nodded and bowed, but Entrari couldn't shake that possessive sense of jealousy. How could his best friend have already won the girl's trust? Granted Gosta could charm a wild horse if he wanted to, but not...her.

"Get me some water," he called to her.

He heard the rustle of her gown and the soft patter of her slippers on the cold floor. His mouth watered as he heard the sound of liquid pouring from the pitcher. The rustle of her gown and her soft step drew close, and he noted slight hesitation as she neared the bed.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said, keeping his eyes closed.

"You say one thing, but your actions prove otherwise," she replied.

"I have treated you better than any conquering lord would," he groused irritably. "Maybe it's you. You're disobedient, disrespectful...stubborn. You couldn't have been this difficult for your father. It wouldn't be tolerated. Women have no say in these lands."

She paused in replying, as though she couldn't quite make out what he meant.

"And yet, for all your faults, your people adore you," he added thoughtfully.

Again the girl did not answer him, so he opened his eyes, even though the light shot through his brain like a knife, to look at her. She had frozen; her face stricken. Her beautiful eyes had changed from the fiery gray storm clouds he'd seen earlier, to colorless orbs of grief. 

He cursed and reached out to take the cup from her, draining it at once. 

"Thank you, princess," he said handing her the cup. Then he moaned miserably, pulled the covers over his shoulders and rolled on his side, doing his best to sleep it off.

*************

"Your Highness," Gosta's voice invaded his sleep. "Your Highness."

His guard was shaking his shoulder, but Entrari surely didn't have any intention of waking up. Whatever Gosta wanted, was just going to have to wait.

"Entrari!" Gosta called his voice sharp. "You have to wake up. We've got a problem."

He moaned, rolled over, and mumbled a curse.

"Just heal him, Kelda," Gosta said. "We don't have time."

Entrari's eyes snapped open at once and he rolled over to stare at the tall knights standing over him. Kelda's face was pale, but his eyes were clear. Considering his best friend had consumed half a bottle of the strong drink the barbarians favored, he knew that his clarity was magic-induced. Something had to be very wrong for Kelda to tolerate the spell.

"What's happening?" he demanded.

"The contingent you sent to the pass is...gone," said Gosta quietly. "One soldier managed to make it back, but he was too injured for anyone to heal him. He said there was only one, but..."

"One is enough," Entrari finished for him.

Gosta nodded.

Even sick his thoughts were whirling. Damn. The pass has already been in use. Damn. Fifty men...dear gods!

"Do the spell, then," he said. Even the thought of the magic made his stomach lurch. "We've got to get moving."

Kelda nodded and put his hand on Entrari's already sweating forehead, whispering the incantation. The force of the magic crashed into him, knocking the breath from his lungs. For a moment, he just shook and then he gasped as his gut boiled. Gosta was ready with a bucket as Entrari violently emptied the remaining contents of his stomach. He retched painfully over and over again, his hands shaking, body trembling, eyes watering. Gods! He could barely breathe as he heaved again in agony. Finally, he gasped and pulled away wiping his brow. His body was drenched with sweat, his limbs throbbed painfully, and his eyes watered. For a while he could only sit and pant as the agony continued, but as his head cleared he forced himself to start barking orders.

"Get the regiment ready to march," he said. "We'll leave as soon as we're assembled." He stood, stripped out of his soaked underclothes and doused his head with the water in the pitcher beside the wash basin. The water was icy cold, but after sweating out the alcohol, it felt heavenly. "Double the guard here at the palace, and I want a show of force on the streets tonight. No tolerance for anyone breaking curfew." He went to the wardrobe and dressed quickly, leaving his finery aside for the sturdier clothes of battle once again.

Rhogan and Trestin quickly helped him into his armor while Gosta and Kelda started dispatching commands to his officers and getting the soldiers ready to show force in the city in his absence. They unrolled a map of the region, planning their path, making strategic decisions. 

"What are you going to do with the girl?" Kelda interrupted looking up at the prince.

Entrari looked at the young woman hovering in the corner of the room, her face pale. He'd been caught up in the anticipation of the moment and had forgotten about her. Damn.

"Elenna," he called. "Come here."

For once, the girl listened without question, curtsying appropriately as she approached him. Her sudden compliance made him suspicious; this would be the opportune time for her escape. He and his warrior/sorcerers would be otherwise occupied and she had the power and resources to flee. He tried to read her; feel the intentions of her body. He reached out tentatively with his spirit, but he could only sense her power, not her intentions.

"We could put her back in the dungeons," said Trestin as he adjusted one of the leather straps on his breastplate.

Entrari thought about that. She'd not fared well in the dungeons last time. She'd been barely alive when they brought her out. Her wretched condition made him sick to his stomach, as did her broken eyes. He couldn't imagine tossing her back into the cold, black filth of prison. Besides, he'd made a promise to the Archpriest—no dungeons. 

"No," he said slowly. "No dungeons. She might have to come with us."

Rhogan looked up in surprise. "She's just a girl," the older knight protested. "Your Highness," he said, "she isn't built to see these kinds of things. The dungeons would be better than facing that kind of evil."

Entrari looked at the pretty girl, feeling a strange pain in his heart. He wanted so desperately to protect her and keep her safe, but at the same time his responsibilities weighed heavily upon him. His soul screamed at the thought of dragging her into battle with him to fight against a demon. However, it screamed at the thought of locking her in a dungeon bound and gagged once again, and yet it raged knowing that she would escape him if he didn't pick either alternative. 




The Last Descendant Ch. 04



She stared at him with those expressive gray eyes; they were grave. She understood enough of his language to realize that something awful was happening.

"You're going to the mountain pass?" she asked quietly, interrupting his wild thoughts staring at the maps laid out on his desk.

Entrari nodded reaching out to tuck an unruly strand of her black hair behind her ear. Even when his mind was focused on battle and despair, any contact with her seemed to calm him. "Yes, princess."

"I don't understand. Why?" 

"There's a demon," he explained. "It destroyed a regiment of fifty men."

Her face paled even more than normal. "One of these creatures killed fifty of your people?"

He nodded solemnly. 

"I know nothing of demons," she said quietly almost to herself. "You're going to face it?"

"Me and my most powerful sorcerers," he amended.

"Are you stronger?"

"Yes," he replied, "but it will not be a battle easily won."

She nodded. "So now you're wondering what to do with me?"

"We're trying to protect you, too, princess," said Rhogan. 

Entrari smiled at his bodyguard. Rhogan had been his protector since he was a lad, and the fatherly knight extended it to the younger knights in his bodyguard. It seemed he'd already adopted the little princess as well.

She smiled wanly at Rhogan's kindness, but then she bowed her head and bit her lip in thought. She went to the bookcase, opened a book, pulled out a thickly folded piece of parchment and then went to the desk where Gosta and Kelda continued to write orders.

"If you would listen to me for a moment," she said quietly, "I might be able to offer you some help."

Entrari found himself walking towards the desk. The trembling little girl who stubbornly fought him the last few days was nowhere to be seen in the young woman's countenance. Instead she moved with purpose and assurance, and spoke with gentle command. He didn't need to look over his shoulder to see Trestin and Rhogan following just as curiously.

She unfolded the parchment to reveal a much more detailed map of Hartstak and the surrounding lands. It was a far better rendition than the cartographers in Haladon had managed to produce. 

"Your men went this way?" she asked running her fingers along the path indicated.

"Yes," Entrari replied.

"Even if the pass was occupied by fifteen soldiers, they could hold out against your fifty," she said. "The way up is completely open while the actual pass offers lots of cover with fallen boulders. Your men would have to attack uphill, as well." She shivered. "I know nothing of demons, but...even with only warriors lying in wait, the pass is difficult to take from this direction."

Entrari couldn't make his jaw work as he stared at her. He looked from Kelda's to Gosta's face to see their surprise mirrored his own. This barbarian woman was discussing tactics with him?

"What do you suggest, child?" said Rhogan. Entrari thought his voice sounded a little choked.

"I suggest you approach the pass from a different direction," she replied.

"Is there another direction?" Entrari asked.

The girl nodded. "It's not well-traveled but," she paused uncertainly, "if they were my troops, I would send them that way."

Elenna shivered. Her fur cape was warm enough, but the chill seemed to set in her bones. 

"You're still cold?" Gosta asked her quietly.

She nodded. "I'm not sure if it's the cold outside or the cold in my soul, though."

He nodded. "Demons are frightening," he said.

"It's not the demons," she replied. "Can't you feel it? Can't you feel their fear in the very stones? And can't you feel him? Don't you sense the tension?" 

She shook her head. Of course he couldn't. He'd been following the Prince of Haladon in absolute oblivion as he conquered the West. His Druid power was shrouded by magic. He didn't feel the emotions of others in his very soul. Not like she did, at least. Knowing her powerful family, she wondered suddenly if she was the only one who felt things like that so intently.

Gosta opened his mouth to answer, but shut it again as the prince approached.

Elenna found herself huddling a little closer to the gentle Druid guard as though he would protect her from his own prince. If Prince Entrari's actions the last few days had upset her, enraged her, and terrified her even, it was nothing compared to the cool intensity of the man now. His words were sharp and clipped, but he seemed more commanding than any general she'd ever known. The aura about him had changed; now he literally exuded danger and death, and to one so sensitive to such things she wanted to yelp like a frightened puppy every time he passed by.

"Put this on," he said handing her another heavy, folded garment.

Wordlessly she took the bundle. It was obviously some kind of mantle. 

"As we ride through the city, you will ride next to me," the prince instructed. "Don't get out of my line of sight. Keep the cloak about you and keep your face covered."

"I don't understand," she began.

"Do as I say," he snapped curtly.

She sighed and wrapped the heavy mantle about her, tucking her hair into the hood. 

"Don't take it personally," Gosta whispered to her. "He's always like this before a battle. Especially the ones with demons."

Elenna sighed and remained silent, feeling the tension of Entrari and his warriors like needles pricking her skin over and over. 

The soldiers about her began to mount their war horses. They were magnificent beasts; so different from the large, stocky horses of the North. These had glistening coats and flowing manes and tails. Their bodies combined the musculature that made them strong, with the lithe physiques that made them limber and graceful. Elenna was sure these creatures could run all day without stopping. Gosta assisted her into the saddle of one he'd picked out for her, saying that this particular animal was better tempered than most. Listening to the eager snorts and whinnies of the other animals as their riders mounted them, she had to agree with him. Entrari's big gray pawed eagerly at the earth and pulled irritably at the bit and she could swear that it was eyeing her with irritation.

The prince vaulted agilely into his saddle, his glorious armor glinting in the sunlight. His knights were assembled around him, forming a protective barrier. She felt the air about her literally sizzle with magic and tension. Fighting demons took powerful magic, or so Gosta had explained, so every warrior in this company knew powerful spells. This was another reason Entrari of Haladon had never been defeated; he and his men were powerful beyond belief.

"Move out!" Entrari said sharply.

Elenna's horse followed without even kicking its flanks and she held the reigns loosely. There was no point in even thinking about escape. Entrari wouldn't let her get even a few feet away from him.

As she looked upon her city for the first time since its capture, Elenna felt her heart wrench. There was black smoke still steaming from various sectors and the streets were almost empty. The normal bustle of life was dreadfully absent as the folk of Hartstak huddled in their homes. She felt like a traitor, riding alongside the man who had subjugated them, helping him claim a pass that had never bothered these lands before.

"Kelda," Entrari snapped.

Elenna didn't listen to his words. All she could see was death and destruction. Her city was empty.

The prince's favorite bodyguard suddenly drew his horse close to hers, pressing her closer to the prince and crowding her between them, his eyes dreadfully alert.

She stared at his face and then at Entrari's. Both their eyes were scanning the buildings and their bodies were tense.

"Bow your head, Elenna," said Entrari. "Keep your face hidden."

"It's too late," said Kelda. "They've already seen her."

Entrari swore irritably.

Suddenly she understood. Her people were watching for her. They had seen her. Would they risk their lives to free her? She wondered how they'd fare against these warriors until she felt her gut twist in horror. She knew how they'd fare! These men were not just warriors. They were sorcerers! She couldn't allow them to waste their lives for her sake.

"Just keep your face hidden," Entrari said to her in a low, dangerous voice. "I don't need to warn you about my power," he added.

She didn't say anything. Even though she longed to look up to at them, to make eye contact, just let people know she was okay, she didn't dare invoke Entrari's wrath. He and Kelda rode close beside her, Kelda with a long knife in the hand closest to her. She wondered if the knife was supposed to be to keep her in line, or to keep her people from harming her. As they made their way swiftly through the occupied city, she decided it didn't really matter. Entrari wouldn't let her get away, no matter what the cost. He was so bent on keeping her under guard that he was hauling her along into battle with him.

The company rode hard through the day their tireless horses maintaining a mile-eating canter. This part of Hartstak was built for riding; green rolling hills where even in the fall, the grass blew in the wind looking like a vast, green ocean. For a while, she simply exulted in life; the wind in her hair, the crisp smell of fall, the power of the magnificent animal beneath her as his muscles bunched and flexed with each move. As she rode, she allowed her spirit to soar. She closed her eyes and reached out to nature, hearing the whispers of the spirits in the earth, on the wind. Did people realize how alive their world really was? 

Even as the thought occurred to her, she felt another sensation tickling her outstretched soul; fear and tension. Abruptly the emotions of Entrari's knights came crashing back down upon her. She felt their fear, their anticipation. She could taste it on her tongue and feel it prickling painfully down her spine and twisting in her gut. She turned to look at the prince riding beside her. His face was distracted and thoughtful. She wondered if he was solidifying his strategy against the demon. 

A demon.

The last remnants of her joy shattered. What was she thinking? She should have begged the prince to lock her in the dungeons. Just stories of demons told in the ancient Druid tales had left her shivering and frightened, and when told by the warmth of the fire she had nothing to fear. This was insanity. She was a princess. She couldn't even lift a sword to defend herself, but as Prince Entrari's prisoner, she rode with a magical army to face one of the greatest terrors of mankind. 

What had Entrari said? It will not be an easy battle. 

She shivered again. 

"We're going to need to stop for the night soon," said Kelda to his prince, startling her from her desperate thoughts.

Entrari nodded. "Let's find a sheltered place."

Elenna sniffed at the idea of "sheltered" in the rolling hills. They wouldn't find such a thing until they reached the mountains.

After about an hour of riding and sending scouts, Entrari came to the same conclusion. He ordered his people just set up camp a few miles from the road where the scouts had found a small creek. Elenna looked at the place dubiously. Camping looked to be as miserable an experience as being in the dungeon after all. 

************

She shivered in her blankets dejectedly. The watch fire that surrounded the prince and his men did little to keep her warm where she lay in the shadows. She was worn out; her body ached from being in the saddle most of the day, her lips were chapped from the icy wind, and her nose was runny. She was so uncomfortable that even though she was exhausted, she couldn't sleep. She tried to listen to the Entrari speak with his guards, but her body trembled so violently that she couldn't focus enough to understand. 

She tried to calm herself through breathing and meditation. The priests of the Druids had always told her that she could control her body's reactions through deep focus and measured breathing. She focused on it, trying to drown out all sensation, but her mind was obviously not the master of her body.

"Princess," said Entrari's voice in her ear. "Your teeth are chattering."

"I'm s-s-sorry," she replied trying to curl into a smaller ball. 

His fingers brushed her cheek then he sighed. "I forget you're not used to this kind of thing," he said quietly. "You should be sleeping closer to the fire."

"I-I-I..." 

"Shh," he said gently. 

Despite her cold, she was still able to manage a squeak of surprise when he lifted her, blankets and all in his arms and carried her back towards the flames.

"Her lips are blue," said one of the guards.

"We forget she's so much smaller than us," Entrari's voice rumbled to them. "She can't handle this kind of cold."

Someone chuckled. "These are her lands. You'd think she'd be better at it than us."

"I doubt she's been so far from her own city before today," said another of the guards. Elenna couldn't be sure, but it sounded like Gosta. "You forget she's a princess, and her father was mad. I doubt she had much freedom."

Entrari carried her back to the fire where he sat upon a blanket nearby. For once, she was glad he held her in his arms. He'd taken off his breastplate, and his fine chainmail—though still hard—didn't stop his body heat from spreading to her. After a while, her shivering subsided and she sat drowsily in his embrace listening as he and his knights spoke. The words were still jumbled to her; they spoke quickly, and she was too tired to listen properly, but as she listened to his rich, deep voice she felt oddly safe and peaceful. It was dark, her body ached, and she was sitting before a fire under the glittering stars. She was riding with an army of sorcerers to fight one of the most terrifying monsters known to mankind. Despite all that, for the first time since she was a child, Elenna felt as though things were right.

***************

Entrari looked down into her face as she drifted off into sleep. How could he bring such a beautiful being with him to face the most hideous of creatures? How could he imagine even risking her? She'd shown her mettle today—surprised him, actually. It was the last thing he expected of her, but he knew he should have. The drowsy girl in his arms was the woman who had ruled her kingdom behind the back of a mad father. This was the woman her people had come to love and respect; someone who did the right thing, even when it caused her personal pain. 

He nuzzled in her hair, breathing her sweet scent. It made his heart ache in strange ways. What was he thinking?

"She's stronger than you think, Entrari," Gosta said quietly.

He looked up at his wise friend.

"Strong enough to freeze only a few feet away from the fire," he growled.

"You're doing what you must," his friend argued. "She's strong enough. I can see that much. She's stronger than any of us can fathom."

"What do you see then?" Entrari demanded softly. Did he see that this woman was his soul-mate? Did he see her becoming the Empress of Haladon beside him someday? Surely his vague visions would have shown him that—if it was going to happen.

"I'm sorry, Entrari," he said gently. "She's unusually difficult for me to see. I think it has to do with her power. I thought I'd never feel a presence more powerful than the Archpriest that came to the palace..." he shivered, "that is, until I met her. Her aura literally screams, but it's so loud, I get nothing else. I see more of her when I look for you."

"And what do you see when you look for me?"

"More of what I see with my real eyes, now," he admitted.

Entrari sighed.

"Give her time," Gosta said so quietly the prince was sure no one else could hear. Gosta was far more perceptive than his other guards, though it might be because he had the rare Druid gift of visions. Granted, his were vague most of the time, Entrari and his men listened whenever Gosta had a "funny feeling." Perhaps Gosta was right again; things would work out in time.

Entrari sighed and shook his head. "Good night, Gosta," he said as he carefully lay down keeping the girl nestled in his arms. He grumbled a little as he tried to situate himself comfortably without jostling the sleeping girl in his arms, but finally he managed to wrap them both in his blankets. She was warm, soft and she smelled incredible. Even though he was on the brink of a deadly battle, sleeping on the ground, and uncomfortable in his chainmail, he felt oddly at peace. 

*********************

Sorry this took so long getting out. I had most of this darn story written and then my characters spoke to me and said the story really went differently. I'm not going to apologize for the lack of sex. If you only read my stories for that, I'm sure you've already been disappointed. As always, though, I appreciate your constructive criticism. You guys make me better through your thoughtful critiques.

I DO want to thank everyone who sent me emails about missing me. You have no idea how encouraging that was. I don't know if I would have posted so soon if it wasn't for your kind words. You guys are the best readers a girl could have. 

XOXOXO

-Elianna



The Last Descendant Ch. 05



As dawn broke, though the sun was hidden behind the mountains, Entrari's eyes popped open. Normally he wouldn't feel so disgruntled about it, but this morning he cursed his internal rhythm. For the last 20 years he'd awakened at the crack of dawn whenever he was traveling with his men. He told himself that it was his sense of responsibility that made his body rouse. After all, he couldn't expect anything of his people that he was unwilling to do. Of course, it could be the anticipation, the sense of wariness that always plagued him when marching to war. Whatever it was, this morning Entrari wanted to shirk his duties and for once, not do the right thing. 

Today was the first time he'd awakened with the most incredible woman he'd ever met sleeping in his arms. She snuggled against him, absorbing his warmth, breathing deeply with her lips slightly parted, her hair tumbling about her face in tangles. Even tousled in sleep, she was so beautiful that she took his breath away. Yes, he definitely wanted to forget his responsibilities. He sighed heavily even as he seriously debated the merits of closing his eyes for just a little while longer.

"I was just about to wake you," Kelda's voice called quietly to him.

Entrari groaned softly. Leave it to Kelda to notice he was awake. He carefully disentangled himself from the sleeping girl and rolled out of his blankets. She whimpered slightly in protest, but he tucked the covers about her snugly, and then walked softly to Kelda's side.

"I've been awake for a while," he admitted. "I just had good reason to stay in bed."

"She's a pretty one," Kelda agreed. Suddenly he smiled devilishly. "If I was still a bachelor, I'd definitely be putting her on my list for conquest."

Entrari felt his body tighten. Before Kelda had met his beautiful wife, he'd been one of the most renowned womanizers in the kingdom. There hadn't been a woman he put his sights on that didn't crumble to his seduction; single or married. He could imagine his friend seducing the delicate princess of Hartstak. Even the thought, no matter how implausible, of his future wife in the arms of his best friend made him want to break something. 

"She's not going to be on anyone's list," he said tightly.

"Not even yours?" said Kelda arching his brow ignoring the sudden tension in his voice and body. Kelda always ignored those kinds of things. It was what made their friendship so strong; he didn't give a damn when Entrari was moody. "I thought for sure that you'd have something to tell me yesterday morning. Instead you were a hung over mess, and the girl...well, she didn't seem too conquered to me."

Entrari felt his stomach wrench as he recalled her tears and her pleas as he played with her, kissing her, touching her in ways he knew were alien to her maiden body. How many times had he done such a thing without a thought? Granted, most women came to him willingly, and by the end they were all very willing, but... not her. She deserved better. 

"But I think I see why," Kelda continued, his eyes dancing mischievously. "You're falling for her, aren't you? Ha! The one woman who'd rather hit you than kiss you is the one you've got it for. I think it serves you right."

Entrari sighed. He was probably right. It irritated him that his bodyguards were almost as bad as a group of old ladies when it came to his love life. They were always pushing women on him trying to convince him about the merits of each one and how she'd be a good match for him. Of course, the entire kingdom wanted to see him safely married and the Imperial Line continued, but his guards plotted more than was good for them. They were probably all secretly casting bets on whether or not his skills at seduction and sexual prowess were convincing enough to win the cagy barbarian girl. He looked sidelong at Kelda. 

"Though I'm sure my love life is incredibly important to you," he said, trying to hide his irritation, "we have more important things to think about."

Kelda groaned. "I hate demons. They always manage to ruin things just when they start to get fun."

Yes. They were definitely making bets. 

"If Elenna's map was drawn to scale," Entrari continued, determined to ignore his friend's taunting, "we should reach the turn-off for the path around noon today. If we take it slow, we can come upon the demon tomorrow morning."

"Trestin and I were discussing the same thing yesterday while we were riding. I like the idea of battling a demon before noon," Kelda agreed.

Entrari nodded and looked to the east to watch the sun rise over the mountains. Though he was sure that they would conquer this demon, he wondered how many had used the pass to escape into the lands. How many of the Karshav were now within the borders of the Empire and could summon demons? How many spies? He shook his head in frustration. He'd spent the last two decades strengthening the Empire, but with the rise of the people from the east, he felt like he was still a step behind. Despite all his efforts, if the enemy were to bring enough demons along to war, the Empire of Haladon would fall. It would be a bloodbath.

For the millionth time he wondered what they wanted. Why were they sending demons over the mountains where they had been content to dwell for centuries untold? Why now? Especially why now! He'd finally met the girl that he'd believed was just a figment of his imagination, the girl he'd almost given up on ever meeting. He'd spent two decades in the saddle with a sword in his hand, bringing the western lands to heel. Surely he'd done his duty to the empire and his father! 

He sighed. The dream was tantalizing; living in comfort and splendor with the beautiful princess from Hartstak. Showing her the wonders of the world, sharing his wealth with her, making love to her...

"Entrari!" Kelda interrupted.

"What?" he asked a little embarrassed to be caught daydreaming. "Were you saying something?"

"Do I need long lashes to get your attention anymore?" he teased.

Entrari shrugged. "It'd take a lot more than lashes." He looked Kelda up and down as though surveying him thoughtfully. "Yeah, much more than just lashes."

Kelda frowned, put his hand on his hip and flicked his hand in his hair. "Okay, how about now?"

In full armor with a magnificent sword at his side, he looked absolutely ridiculous. Entrari couldn't help himself as he laughed softly. "Definitely not working for me, but Lida might find it rather attractive," he teased. "I'm sure she'd love to see your feminine side."

Kelda wiggled his eyebrows devilishly, "I'll have to try it when I get home; you never know what she likes." 

Entrari smiled tolerantly when his friend's eyes grew a little distant as though he was imagining exactly what he'd try with his lovely wife when he got home. He always managed to have a look of wondrous reverence in his eyes as he considered the beautiful and fiery woman. 

"Now who's daydreaming?" he teased.

"Well," Kelda said his eyes returning to the present, "While your Imperial Highness was off in dreamland, I was commenting about the tactics of the upcoming battle. As in, what are they?"

Entrari looked back to the mountains again. He hated fighting demons. "I'm still working it out," he admitted. "Much of it will depend on the layout of the area."

Kelda nodded. "Seems pretty standard, though."

"Perhaps," Entrari said, unconvinced. He knew better than to say something should be "easy" or "standard." It usually ended up a disaster.

"Will you ladies shut up so the rest of us can get some sleep?" grumbled Gosta from his blankets irritably.

"He's grumpy because he's had to rearrange his sleeping schedule yet again," Kelda said. "He was looking forward to working the quiet nights for a while, and how he's back to daytime marches. You've really managed to get the good Druid grumpy."

"He's not the only one," Entrari said turning to look back at the princess huddled in the blankets. It looked like her forehead was wrinkled a little, as though she was in distress. He guessed that even in both sets of blankets she was cold. How he longed to crawl back in beside her and keep her warm!

"You'll have plenty of time for that, lover-boy," Kelda teased.

"Kelda, I'm still your prince," Entrari threatened, "lover-boy isn't an appropriate address."

"Okay, lover-boy," Kelda chuckled in return. He winked and blew him a kiss. "You're sure I'm not doing anything for you, huh?"

Entrari rolled his eyes. 

"Kelda," Gosta grumbled from his blankets, "most of us would be glad to pounce on you...long enough to muzzle you. Will you shut up? Please?"

"You're already awake," Kelda returned kicking his blankets playfully. "Get over it."

Gosta mumbled something that sounded like a colorful curse and rolled over.

Entrari sighed and went back to stand by the fire. The lands of Hartstak were cold, especially this late in the fall. He and his people were in for a bitter winter.

****************

Elenna shivered. She'd been sleeping contentedly until her heat source abandoned her. Now all her extremities hurt yet again and she curled miserably into a ball. She huddled in the blankets for several moments longer, but finally decided that she wasn't going to get warm, and she was far past sleep. She sat up and looked around the camp. At first, she wasn't sure what she was looking for, but when her eyes fell upon him, a sense of relief washed over her. It was as though she wasn't complete until she knew where he was. Angrily she turned away. It wasn't fair that after all he'd done, she'd still be so drawn to him. Perhaps Druid dreams were really for the amusement of the gods. Surely she'd never be happy as the tamed barbarian lover to Entrari.

"Good morning, princess," he called to her.

She stared back lifting her chin stubbornly. Druid dreams or no, she wasn't going to grovel before this man.

He smiled a little at her. "And here I thought you'd think better of me after last night."

"Because it was the first night you didn't try to molest me?" she challenged. 

He sighed and shook his head. "Has anyone ever told you that you're difficult?"

She shrugged belligerently. "Probably as often as people tell you you're an arrogant ass."

"Touché," he replied, but his voice seemed different. Perhaps it was a mix of frustration and resignation and...hopelessness? For some reason, the forlorn tone made her pause. Prince Entrari had no reason for such a tone. He had the world in his palm, everything his heart desired; incredible wealth, power, the most beautiful women in the world throwing themselves at him. She felt a twisting in her gut at the thought of Entrari entertaining one of those women in his bed. It made her heart pound and her eyes water, and it disgusted her; she was jealous of something she didn't even want.

Sighing angrily, she wrapped the blankets around her shoulders and scooted closer to the fire. Entrari said nothing to her and merely sipped at a steaming cup of liquid and stared over the camp. She tried to stare into the flames, but found herself watching him again. His gaze was pensive, calculating, his slight movements were sure and graceful. He hadn't bothered to comb his golden hair and it curled about his face in erratic waves that she found just...

He looked up at her—maybe he sensed her eyes on him—and she found herself trapped by his gaze, completely unable to look away, like some cornered animal. Her heart began to pound and her breathing grew ragged as he seemed to hold her entire body captive with his stare.

"Are you cold?" he asked, his melodious voice softer than before.

She nodded mutely.

He took a cup from nearby and filled it with warm water heating in a kettle by the fire. He added some concoction of leaves and herbs to the cup and then handed it to her.

"This is a tea we drink when it's cold," he explained. "It warms you from the inside."

She gratefully took the metal cup in her hands; it was warm enough to thaw her fingers. She let the tea steep for a few moments, soaking up the warmth from the tin cup in silence, and then she took a dainty sip. It tasted like she imagined his country looked; crisp, spicy, and strong.

"Do you like it?" he asked her.

"It's like nothing I've ever tasted," she replied as she took another sip thoughtfully, trying to identify the flavors.

"The ingredients are found outside of Haladon. Most of the city is surrounded by vast farms and orchards. Soldiers have been drinking this for centuries. In the evenings we mix a little strong drink with it and it manages to take the chill out of your limbs after riding all day."

She smiled teasingly. "I think you should stay away from strong drinks for a while."

He froze and looked at her curiously. Then he smiled, too. "You're probably right," he agreed. "I'll need to give it at least a week or so."

His smile did something to her nerves. The cup was a little unsteady in her trembling fingers, her heart pounded, and her breath was slightly ragged. She desperately fought for composure and pointedly stared at her fingers clasped around the cup for a long time until her heart slowed. Finally, she stole a quick glance, only to find him staring into the fire thoughtfully.

They sat in silence listening to the sounds of the camp rising. By the time the sun was peeking over the mountains, they were packed up and upon their horses once again. 

*****************

Her rear definitely hurt as did her legs, and it was barely mid-morning. Elenna learned that the tales of glory the warriors in her father's house had spouted of their journeys were grossly overrated. She winced with every jolt, her thighs chafed and sore, and she was eternally grateful that Gosta had selected such a mild-tempered horse for her. Some of the spirited brutes snorted and pulled at their bits with little hops. What annoyed her even more was that Entrari's warrior/sorcerers didn't seem to notice. It was like they were as strong as their fancy armor.

They pushed hard, and reached the small path that led up through the thick forest at the base of the mountains around noon. As soon as they reached the pass, Elenna noted a completely different attitude among the warriors. They were alert, and their hands rested on their swords. She could feel the air crackle about her once again, as the sorcerers reached for their magic, practiced the incantations on silent lips, and prepared themselves for battle. 

Even though her spine tingled as Entrari's knights practiced their magic, she felt something else; a faint darkness on the edges of her consciousness. Throughout the remainder of the day, it seemed to linger. It pressed against her, chafing her spirit like dark, evil fingers pawing at her skin. As the sun began to set, she realized that she was trembling in her saddle. Despite the cold, she was sweating and she was panting. She could literally feel the evil ahead. 

****************

Entrari heard the girl take a trembling breath. He'd been so focused on practicing his magic as he rode; he'd not paid much attention to her today. To give her credit, she'd been the most unobtrusive female he'd ever ridden with. He knew she must be tired, sore, cold, and utterly miserable. Princesses weren't raised to spend the day in the saddle riding to battle. He finished muttering the incantation he was practicing and looked over at her.

Her appearance shocked him. Her gray eyes were wide and wild, her delicate fingers were tightly clutching the reigns of her horse. She was literally panting; her face was glowing with sweat, and yet she shivered uncontrollably. 

"Elenna?" he said softly.

The girl jumped enough to even startle her gentle horse into a slight snort and a quick sidestep. Then she looked up at him with those beautiful gray eyes seeming almost colorless. Sitting on the saddle among his men, she looked so tiny and helpless, and he immediately regretted his decision. He should never have brought her.

"We're going to stop soon," he said. 

She shuddered and nodded.

He tried to find something comforting to say, but he couldn't think of anything. It was as if this girl had rendered him a complete fool. He'd always felt so smooth, so in control around women, but this tiny, trembling girl made him feel like an awkward adolescent. Now something was wrong with her, and he didn't even have the brains to comfort her.

"It looks like we've got a good place up ahead to camp," said Gosta as he and Trestin rejoined the others from their scouting trip. "It's got a small creek nearby and some grass for the horses."

Entrari nodded. "Good."

His Druid friend glanced at the girl and his forehead creased. "Princess, are you all right?"

Entrari wanted to snarl when she looked up at him, those gray eyes softening with trust. She shook her head and then nodded, then shook her head. Her forehead creased slightly in thought, as though something was bothering her, but she couldn't quite put it into words. Finally she shrugged hopelessly.

"You feel it already, don't you?" Gosta said to her quietly.

Entrari felt like an idiot. 

Of course. She felt the presence of the demon. He should have expected it; if she was as powerful as the Archpriest had suggested, her senses must be incredible.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I feel..." she shivered and shook her head, "wrong. Just wrong."

Gosta nodded. "I understand. I don't feel it, but I have." He turned to Entrari. "So has our prince."

The girl turned to look at him again.

Entrari shook his head. "I don't feel it, yet."

Her shoulders slumped.

What kind of answer was that, idiot? He mentally shouted to himself. Couldn't he even manage to say something comforting? He could have managed, it will be fine, or don't worry, Elenna. Suddenly Gosta looked at him curiously and then, to his surprise, laughed. The other knights around him looked up curiously as Gosta continued to laugh so hard that he had to hold his sides.

Entrari definitely wanted to throttle him.

His men set up camp quickly and efficiently. Soon they had several healthy fires going using both the wood they'd carried along and some scrounged from the trees that had become a dense forest at the foot of the mountains. 

Entrari made it a point to sit with his men and speak with them tonight. He was a good sorcerer, and several in this group were good, but inexperienced. He patiently answered their questions, corrected their pronunciation or helped them through a particularly difficult incantation. In the past few years, this group of men had learned how to use their magic not only to dominate battles, but also to overcome demons. It was a combination of spells, all hurled at the demon at once. Magic didn't actually send the demon back to the Abyss; there was no spell that could open the boundaries between the spirit world and the real world, but it hurt the creature enough for it to decide to return on its own.

Elenna followed him quietly along with Kelda and Gosta as he made his rounds. He was constantly aware of her presence even as he and his two most-trusted guards instructed the men. She'd seemed to gain some composure over her fears, but as she followed him through the camp, he was acutely aware of how delicate she seemed in comparison to the armored warriors.

As he finished answering the questions of one of the more inexperienced men in his regiment, Gosta leaned close.

"Have you spoken to Elenna about what she will see tomorrow?" his friend asked quietly.

Entrari shuddered and shook his head. "Rhogan was right. She's just a girl. I should never have brought her with me. The dungeons would have been better for her."

"She's supposed to be there," said Gosta quietly. "I can see that much."

Entrari growled irritably. "You and your visions."




The Last Descendant Ch. 05



"You want advice, or do you want to keep seething over how the girl already trusts me?" Gosta asked pointedly.

Entrari bit back another irritable growl. "Okay. Give me your advice."

"Take a few minutes. Hold her hand. Talk to her like she's as smart as you know she is, and tell her the truth about what she's walking into with you."

"What good will it do?"

"It will keep her from going mad when we do meet the demon, and you from doing something even more insane to protect her." Gosta eyed him strangely. "Whatever it is you've got for this girl is making you crazy, Entrari."

"Oh," he cackled, "you noticed."

"We all notice."

Entrari rolled his eyes. "Great."

He turned to see Elenna standing quietly beside Kelda. She'd wrapped the mantle he'd given her yesterday over her fur cloak and was shivering in the cold again. Kelda stood next to her hovering rather protectively, but he also pointedly kept his hands to himself. He squared his shoulders and joined them. 

"Let's get something to eat and settle in for the evening," he said to Kelda.

They walked back to their fire. He decided to try the gentlemanly thing. 

"Please, Elenna," he said trying to sound courtly and genteel, "sit. You must be tired."

She looked at him warily, her gray eyes narrowing thoughtfully even as she mutely obeyed. He sat next to her, and Gosta served them each a warm cup of some kind of stew that had been cooking over the fire for a while.

They ate for a while in silence, soaking up the warmth of the fire and the stew. After a while, Elenna's face seemed to relax a little. 

"Feeling better?" he asked her quietly.

She nodded mutely.

"Still feel it, though, don't you?"

Again she nodded.

"We need to talk for a moment about tomorrow," he began. "It's going to be..." he paused searching for the right words. 

"Awful," she whispered for him.

"Worse," he said darkly. "Most likely there will be the bodies of my men about. They will be," he didn't think it would be so hard to come up with words to explain, "mangled."

Her face blanched for a moment as it sunk in, and then she took a deep breath and nodded. 

"You feel the darkness on your spirit already," he continued, "It only gets stronger. It usually makes me feel cold, even though I know I am warm; much like a fever. When the battle begins, you will see some powerful spells; lightning, energy spells, some of them make the ground shake. They will be painful for the demon and it will bellow. Demons make a...terrible sound. We'll keep at it until the demon decides it's time to go back to the underworld. It's usually quick. I have many men, and they know powerful spells."

Her beautiful face grew thoughtful as he spoke. Her soft, pink lips pouted slightly, and with her hair a mess from their earlier ride, he found her absolutely irresistible. He knew it wasn't the right time, that it was completely inappropriate, that she didn't want him right now, but he couldn't stop himself. He leaned over and reached out to tuck a few errant tresses behind her ear, even as his lips met hers. 

Gods! She was so soft and warm. Even with her lips chapped and her nose slightly runny from the cold, he couldn't think of any kiss sweeter...until her body grew rigid, she gasped both in surprise and anger, and someone nearby cleared his throat.

Entrari sighed and pulled away from her, his lips tingling from the sweet contact with her skin. 

She moved so quickly that he barely caught her flying hand before it made contact with his face, the raging fire back in her eyes as she stared at him angrily. He smiled smugly, turned her hand in his and kissed her palm lingeringly, never once looking away from her stormy eyes. She let out a little distressed whimper and he felt her hand tremble slightly under his lips.

She pulled her hand from his grasp and leaned away from him, her eyes suddenly wary.

Entrari growled irritably at her. "I'm not going to hurt you, princess." 

She said nothing but sat rigidly and stared into the fire.

Entrari snuggled up to a very stiff woman when he went to bed. She didn't comment on his chivalry as he wrapped his blankets around them both, and remained rigid until he finally whispered an incantation to make her sleep. As he went to sleep he wondered if this was the gods' idea of humor.

**********

Elenna rode silently beside Entrari early the next morning. The horrible feeling clawing at her spirit seemed to grow worse with each clop of her horse's hooves. 

"This looks like a good place to set up a base camp," said Kelda to Entrari.

The prince nodded. "Let's picket the horses here and set up. We'll continue the rest of the way on foot."

"Why aren't we taking the horses?" Elenna whispered to Gosta as he helped her off her mount.

"They don't do well with demons. It drives most animals mad."

Just like me, she thought quietly to herself.

"Stick close to Entrari," he instructed in her ear.

She stared at the prince bitterly. So he could try to molest her again, no doubt.

Once the horses were picketed and a few of the more inexperienced men were left to guard them, Entrari and his men formed ranks and marched along the trail in silence. Elenna felt like her spirit was overwhelmed with their tension, the sickening claws of the demon, and her own fear. She stumbled often as she walked, and to her surprise, Entrari caught her each time she tripped.

They marched for nearly an hour when it hit her and then it grew worse with each step. Soon the smell was overwhelming; death, decay, rot. There were no animals among the trees; only the sounds of flies as they buzzed around feeding off the dead. Elenna kept her eyes on her feet, unable to force herself to look at what was rotting in the forest, but when she saw a severed hand alongside the path, she felt her stomach turn. The memory of horror was marked all about her. The spirits of the forest wailed in her ears. Elenna felt her vision grow blurry as her heart pounded loudly in her ears.

She couldn't do this.

"Easy," Entrari whispered in her ear. He put his hand around her arm, at once forcing her forward, and supporting her.

"Don't make me," she begged him suddenly. "I swear I won't run from you."

"I'm sorry, Elenna," he replied, and from his tone, she could tell he really meant it. "I wish I had another choice."

"Can you feel it?" Gosta whispered.

"Yes," Entrari replied. "It's powerful."

"It's had a lot of blood. It's been well-fed."

"This isn't going to be easy," the prince said. His eyes looked about the forest for a moment and then his jaw clenched in anger.

"No," Gosta agreed.

She looked around wildly. There were little shimmers of metal all around, and for a moment her brain couldn't register what it saw. Then she recognized the shimmering metal as pieces of armor; the demon had ripped the bodies of Entrari's men completely apart. There were spatters of blood on the bark of trees, and there were decomposing heaps covered with flies only a few yards from the trail. 

Elenna was too shocked to even retch with horror.

She heard the prince's men whisper to each other, their voices filled with anger, grief and fear. Obviously, they weren't used to this, either. 

Suddenly there was a terrible sound. It was a mixture of the most agonized scream of torture, the most desperate wail of hunger, and the fiercest growl of rage all combined into one powerful, bestial call. 

"Make ready!" Entrari called to his men, his voice clear and strong.

They spread out where they were, turning to face the direction of that unearthly cry. 

Elenna trembled in fear, but was completely unable to move. She panted, sweated, and tears leaked from her eyes, but almost as though she'd been frozen by magic, she was rooted where she stood.

"Close your eyes, Elenna," Entrari said to her, his voice soft and urgent. "Don't look. I'll protect you. Just don't look."

Oh how she wished she could force her eyes to close!

The treetops began to rustle as though they were swaying in a horrible wind, and the silent forest was filled with the sounds of great snaps, as though the trees themselves were breaking like they were twigs under someone's boots. 

Could it really be that large? 

"Hold your ground," Entrari called to his men.

The trees before her eyes seemed to fold away as though they were no stronger than blades of grass, and the demon bounded forward with horrifying grace and speed. It was as tall as the towering pines in the forest, and it moved like a bull on all fours. Its skin was black, glistening as though it was covered in moisture, or perhaps it was covered in some kind of mucus. Its eyes were red and burning as though the flames of the Abyss were writhing within its skull. Its body was a cross between some kind of muscular man and that of clawed reptile, each foot ending with sharp talons. Its mouth was filled with teeth, dripping with saliva; its nose was simply two gaping holes like a snake's. It was the monster she'd had nightmares about as a child; larger than she'd ever imagined, and behind those fiery eyes was malevolence, hunger and...frightening intelligence.

"Dear Gods!" Kelda cried, his voice low with dread. "It's huge."

Elenna felt her spirit suck into her boots; as though the underworld itself was calling her to join its halls. Things started to turn black as she heard voices chanting about her.

"Now!" Entrari called in a loud voice.

Elenna felt the ground about her tremble and shake. Entrari's men were using their magic, but she couldn't see it. She could feel nothing except a strong pull to the ground. She crashed to her knees as she felt many bodiless hands reach out from the earth and pull her down with inescapable strength. 

Dear gods! Something was pulling her very soul into the Abyss!

"Help me!" she cried out with her spirit to the world around her. "Help me!"

The wind raged around her like a tempest; the blackness of the evil pulled at her and the ground felt as though it would swallow her. She screamed, but her voice was strangled. She fought, but her limbs were restrained. 

Elenna! A voice called to her through the maelstrom. Elenna! Listen!

She knew that voice. It brought her peace and agony all at once.

"Mamma!" she wailed. 

Elenna! This is your moment! Reach out. Call upon the spirits of this world. Don't let the darkness overwhelm you!

"I don't know how!" she wailed as she struggled fruitlessly against the powerful grasp of those dark hands.

I have taught you! Her mother's voice sounded almost as desperate as her own pitiful cries of terror. Elenna! You know what you must do!

She knew what to do. Of course she did. It was just that she couldn't...could she? Elenna reached out with her spirit and recoiled as she felt once again the overwhelming blackness of the demon. People were screaming all around her, their voices caught in the same tempest that made her sightless. The demon bellowed and snarled, the ground shook and her fingers seemed to seep into the ground as it continued to pull her. 

"NO!" she cried in terror. 

She balled her hands into fists, her fingernails biting into her palms and drawing blood. She reached out further with her very soul, begging the spirits of the world. 

"HELP ME!" She wailed to them. 

The blood from her palms slipped through her clenching fingers, the pain of the tears in her skin were inconsequential in comparison to the ripping tempest that pulled at her. A single drop of blood fell onto the earth, but the sound of that single drop echoed in her ears like a boom on massive drum, shaking the earth beneath her. Her fingers ripped deeper into her flesh and her life dripped from her bloody fingers, connecting with the ground with dull echoing thuds. As her blood oozed into the earth, the bodiless arms that were tugging her downwards seemed to lose their hold. 

Suddenly she felt it; as though some immense dam had been broken, a multitude of voices washed over her. She nearly drowned in that river of millions upon millions of voices crying out over space and time, but even as they washed over her, they supported her. Their spirits sung in her ears and infused her body with their power. For the first time in her life, Elenna felt the full force of Druid magic, as the spirits of the world lent her their essence. With her unseeing eyes she saw them all; the heavenly images of those alive and long dead; the spirits of the wild animals, the earth, the water, even the vast echoing souls of the mountains. 

They surrounded her and uplifted her, and though she crouched on her knees her palms bleeding into the moist soil, she felt like the tallest person in the universe. The wicked blackness of the demon screaming and bellowing as Entrari's men battered it with magic seemed suddenly tiny and miniscule. The warrior/sorcerers of Haladon looked like carven little toys as they valiantly battled the vicious monster. For a moment, she felt almost god-like as she saw the world though the power of those millions of souls, but then the weight of such power crashed into her like a battering ram, knocking the breath from her lungs. In one awful moment, she knew her purpose, and even as they lent her their strength, Elenna knew that she was bound to those millions of souls that supported her.

As if that realization brought her back into the dreadful moment, suddenly Elenna found herself kneeling on the ground, her fingernails biting painfully into her palms, her blood dripping into the earth. The power of the world was contained in her tiny body. She looked up at the screeching and slavering monster as it tried again and again to consume the sorcerers about her. Its body crashed into an invisible wall and then bellowed as it was struck by lightning. Entrari and his men were chanting, sweating and trembling as they stood up to the monster that could literally squash them with its large, talon-like foot. She reached out with her soul for the incredible force that had been lent to her and she looked up at the screaming monster with determination. 

Time seemed to stand still for one brief second. She saw Gosta turn to look at her, his brown eyes widening for a moment with awe. Then he turned back, raised his hand and chanted another spell at the horrible monster, drawing upon his magic to push it back yet again.

The older knight, Rhogan, had fallen to his knees. His face was drenched with sweat, his breast heaving. A young blonde warrior, maybe only a few years older than she, stepped in front of the old guard and chanted, his beautiful blue eyes afraid and yet determined. 

Entrari's green eyes glowed like a wolf's in the darkness. He raised his hands, and from his fingers shot horrifying bolts of energy making the monster scream and snarl with rage. Kelda stood beside him, using the same spell and together, their magic worked like a whip of pure energy, beating at the monster relentlessly.

Elenna looked around at the men about her. Some of them had collapsed to their knees panting with exertion, some fought on, their eyes determined and yet hopeless. 

Her soul felt the screams of the dead regiment about her; their bodies lying dismembered and mangled in the forest and yet their spirits ached for their comrades. The pain of those murdered men echoed now to her sensitive ears and their souls implored at her to spare those who still lived.

She looked up at the monster with resolve. It had to return to the Abyss. It didn't belong on this plane.

"Go back!" she whispered, her voice barely audible to her ears, though the shout of the millions of in her mind whispering with her nearly knocked the wind out of her lungs.

The creature froze in the midst of the melee and for a moment its eyes locked upon her. For a dreadful second all was silent, and then it lunged forward as though it would endure every ounce of agony merely to consume her. Entrari's men shouted in terror as all their magic seemed unable to stop the charging monster. They braced themselves for its attack, protecting those already wounded with their bodies.

No. They wouldn't die. Not these men!

"Go back!" Elenna cried again, her voice still a desperate whisper and yet it was more powerful than it had ever been. 

With her unseeing and yet all-seeing eyes she watched as the millions of souls she'd called upon rushed towards the creature. Light charged into dark and as they collided, the demon suddenly disappeared with a long, keening wail. 

Elenna stared at the empty space where the demon had just been for a moment in shock and then suddenly her world went black.

******************

Thanks again for all your feedback on the last chapter, folks. Well, surprise! No sex again, but...well, you know. Give me some feedback on how you liked it or didn't for that matter. Your feedback makes me think and I appreciate the positive and negative. Thanks for reading me.

-E



The Last Descendant Ch. 06



What just happened?

Entrari froze in shock and confusion and his men were just as motionless. No one moved, breathed, blinked. 

Where did it go? What made it disappear so suddenly? Surely they weren't beating it when it started charging. Surely it was about to devour them, for despite their magic, they had completely lost control. 

"What in the Abyss was that?" Kelda said under his breath.

Entrari shook his head. He couldn't explain. He'd never seen a demon do anything like that before. 

"Something happened," Gosta said. He sounded as surprised as Kelda. "Something that doesn't have anything to do with us and our magic."

Still, no one moved. They were suspicious; afraid that if they let their guard down that the monster would reappear and attack. They refused to believe that such a powerful demon would just decide to go back to the Abyss, especially not after being so — his gut tightened at the thought — well fed. He had to agree with those suspicions, but as they stood, frozen, listening, cringing with anticipation of bedlam once again, nothing happened.

He heard a small whimper behind him. 

"Your highness," one of his men called quietly, his voice still awash with tension. "Something's wrong with the princess."

The princess. 

Mention of the girl seemed to release his frozen body. He turned around and looked for her at once, only to find her lying face down on the ground behind him. Her strange silver-black hair was tangled about her, and her arms were twisted uncomfortably beneath her. He swallowed a curse and fell to his knees beside her, feeling momentarily helpless with concern. 

She wasn't moving. 

He carefully rolled her over and brushed her tangled tresses from her cheek trying to assess her condition. Her face was tear-streaked and splotched with dirt. There was a trickle blood at the corner of her mouth from where she bit into her bottom lip, probably to keep from screaming. He brushed the soft skin at her neck feeling for the pulse of her life, and watched her closely until he saw her chest rise and fall with shallow breaths. Finally he let the breath he didn't realize he was holding out in a sigh of relief. Other than being unconscious, she seemed all right. 

He touched his hand to the side of her face and gathered himself again to whisper a spell. Even if she wasn't badly hurt, he couldn't bear to let her suffer any discomfort after he'd made her stare down a demon. 

"You might not want to do that yet, Your Highness," said Gosta in a strangled voice.

Entrari glared at him. He would not let her suffer! He felt a vicious sense of protectiveness and possessiveness as he held her limp body in his arms that almost made him growl angrily at his friend.

Gosta knelt beside him and put his hand on his arm. "I understand, but you must wait. Don't you feel it?" he whispered quietly. "There's some kind of power lingering about her. I think it's Druid power and I've never felt anything so...overwhelming. Reach out with your spirit, Your Highness, I know you'll feel it, too."

Entrari took another deep breath to calm himself and the torrent of emotions he felt whenever it came to the barbarian princess. He knew better than to ignore his knight's premonitions and council. Gosta was connected more intimately to a world he never bothered to try to understand. There were times he rebuked himself for his impatience with the Druid ways. As a lad, he shunned his studies, relying on his magic; at the time it had seen easier, more fitting for his burning impatience. Even to him now, the patient, spiritual and meditative practices of the Druids seemed a waste of time, but that didn't mean he couldn't employ his unpracticed skill when he needed to. 

He closed his eyes and forced himself calm down enough to reach out with his spirit. He hated it; reaching out made him feel naked, vulnerable, weak. How Gosta managed to maintain his sanity as his essence slinked out of his body was beyond him. 

Entrari didn't have to go far. The darkness from the demon still lingered powerfully, and he felt that cold sweat of a fever once again. But even more powerful than the sickness of spirit from the demon, there was something else; something so powerful that he gasped and sucked his essence back inside fearfully.

"What the hell is that?" he gasped to his friend.

Gosta shook his head. "I don't know." He looked at Entrari meaningfully. "I think it's coming from her."

Entrari stared at the unconscious girl in his arms in surprise. She seemed so delicate, fragile almost. Surely she couldn't have...

He looked into Gosta's intent brown eyes for a moment, and knew that his best friend was thinking the same thing.

"Is the princess okay?" Kelda asked quietly. He had that look of frustration he got whenever Entrari and Gosta had "spiritual" conversations.

"I'm not sure," said Entrari truthfully. "She could have just passed out...or it could be something else." 

"She probably fainted from fright. She's a mess," Kelda said. "Look, she even cut into her hands with her fingernails."

"She didn't scream once," said Keska, the youngest of his bodyguards. "She just fell to her knees and it looked like she started praying."

Gosta arched his eyebrows at looked meaningfully him again. Entrari knew he was going to have to disclose the Archpriest's secret. The way Kelda looked at him, then Gosta, and then the girl, his gray eyes speculative, indicated that he guessed he was missing something Druid and important. He might have to tell Kelda, too. That would be an interesting conversation. For some reason he was reluctant to explain things, even to his best friends.

Elenna whimpered, her brows furrowing as though her dreams brought her discomfort. Once again he felt that strange urge to help her, to heal her, to comfort her. He stroked her cheek gently and her face softened again at his touch. Entrari felt his heart swell just a little at the thought that his touch had soothed her. Even after all he did to her the last few days; subconsciously, she still found comfort in his presence. 

"Let's let her rest and come out of it on her own," he said finally. If she didn't recover after resting for a while, he'd use magic to heal her.

He lifted her off the ground easily and stood up to look over his men. Most of these soldiers had never encountered such a powerful demon, and it showed. They looked exhausted. They had no clue how lucky they were, for the last time Entrari had encountered such a powerful monster it had killed some of his best sorcerers. This group of magic users was relatively new; a regiment in training. He hadn't planned on needing this kind of magic during this conquest. Looking at the young, brave men kneeling and wiping the sweat off their brows, some still panting, he knew he could have lost many today if not for...

He looked into Elenna's face again. 

Was it possible?

"For now, let's return to the base camp," he said to his men. "We need to rest. Tomorrow we'll return, take care of the bodies and see to warding the pass so another demon won't come here."

They looked at him gratefully. The battle had been difficult, as was looking at the body parts of their comrades. Tomorrow would be a grim day.

He carried the girl himself. A few of his soldiers looked as though they would offer, but with a frown from Kelda, they backed away.

"We need to talk when we get back to camp," Kelda whispered in his ear. "I want to know exactly what passed between you and Gosta."

Entrari nodded.

**************

Elenna awoke snuggled in several blankets near a blazing fire. It would have been pleasant except for the fact that she was shivering violently, despite her close proximity to the flames. She tried to lift her head but even breathing seemed to be an effort. She closed her eyes again in misery, but it was almost like she had a dreadful fever; she was in too much pain to sleep. The noise of the fire seemed loud in her ears and the hushed voices of the soldiers seemed to echo. She'd never been in such agony in her life. It felt like every limb had been ripped from her body, trampled upon and then sewn back together. She was sweating profusely but couldn't get warm. She wanted to vomit. 

She whimpered in agony.

"Princess?" asked a youthful male voice. "Are you awake?"

His voice echoed strangely in her ears. She knew she should answer him. He sounded so concerned. 

She pried her aching eyes open to look in the direction of the voice. He was young and had curling blond hair with bright blue eyes. Yes, she remembered him. She'd seen him around many times in the past few days; he was one of the personal guards of the prince, but she didn't know him. She remembered seeing him stand protectively in front of Rhogan after he collapsed fighting the...demon.

She took a labored breath and closed her eyes again in horror.

A demon! She'd seen a demon. She'd...

"Princess?" called the young bodyguard. His voice sounded more concerned than before. She knew she should answer him, but she couldn't. 

A maelstrom of emotion-charged memories overwhelmed her; Entrari and his men fighting a magical battle against a vicious, bellowing monster. She remembered everything with clarity; the death, the horror, the monster, and yet she wished that it was simply a hallucination brought about from delirium. She couldn't force the nightmare to stop and it dragged her back through those terrible moments. She recalled the men about her; hardened soldiers, sorcerers, and yet even their eyes had been filled with fear. Their shouts, the demon's bellows; it had forced her to her knees in terror. She remembered her desperate plea to her mother to her ancestors. She cried out in dismay as the memory of their response sent a painful shudder through her trembling body. 

Dear gods! 

She'd never felt such power. Power so incredible her body felt as though it had been torn apart, power so incredible it opened the gates between the earth and the freezing halls of the Abyss. 

And now she was cold; so cold. It was a bitter chill that penetrated to her soul. It was as though the icy fingers of death were reaching out to her, trying to drag her through the very gates she had opened. 

She clenched her hands in weak defiance. Pain shot from her palms, reminding her of the tender wounds she'd inflicted upon herself. The wounds were important. 

"Princess?"

She couldn't even acknowledge him now. She took an agonized, shuddering breath and struggled to maintain conscious long enough to think. The throbbing in her palms meant something. They were important. She focused on her broken memory once again; the deafening sound of each drop of blood hitting the ground, the awesome power that infused her as her life dripped away... a blood sacrifice; the most wretched and powerful of all Druid rites. 

Perhaps that was why she was so important. Her blood, her prayers, her body could do something others could not; open the gates to the abyss. The Last Descendant of Beoren didn't mean she was a princess of the Druids, it meant she was a sacrificial beast; a sacrifice to keep the denizens of the dark at bay. Perhaps she would have to do this countless times. Over and over, she would have to mutilate her body. Over and over she would wake up to this...agony.

She wanted to wail in despair, but she couldn't manage anything but a weak whimper. It was all a lie! She'd been betrayed! She was some beast to be tortured and bled. Tears leaked from her eyes, but she couldn't stop them. She gasped hiccoughing breaths, but she couldn't get enough air in her lungs. She wanted to scream, she wanted to run, she wanted to...

"Princess!" the blond guard almost shouted. "Your highness! Come quickly."

"Elenna," she heard Entrari call. His voice seemed to come from a distance.

Still she couldn't force herself to respond. Her breaths started to come in little pants as the world around her seemed to fade away. 

"Princess," Entrari's voice called to her.

He caressed her cheek gently, and brushed her hair behind her ears, whispering something she couldn't quite understand. His touch seemed to pull her back from the darkness. The freezing claws from the abyss that threatened to drag her into its icy halls couldn't take hold of her. In her dark and hazy world, he seemed like some golden god, his soul glowed brightly and he was warm. His presence had a magnetic quality, pulling her towards him and away from despair. 

"It's all right," he said softly, brushing her tears away. "You're all right."

Elenna pried her eyes open once again to look into his, and then was trapped in his gaze. She could feel his strength, his magic, his warmth, and for once she could hear tenderness in his voice. He seemed to know what she needed and reached out to pull her into his arms, holding her close. His chainmail was hard and unyielding, but his embrace was gentle and comforting. For a moment, she relinquished her pride and clung to him mutely; absorbing whatever comfort and strength he was willing to give.

Gradually her violent shivering subsided and the heavy weight on her chest that made it so painful to breathe lifted. She took a deep breath, inhaling his warm scent greedily, for he didn't smell like death, and she realized that was all she remembered smelling.

"Better?" he asked his voice still gentle.

She nodded mutely. He probably had no clue how close she had been... She looked up into his eyes again to see that he was staring at her thoughtfully. He wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumb; it was another tender gesture from what she considered to be a violent, frightening man. She looked back up at his face uncertainly and she was surprised to see an array of emotions flicker in his eyes. She couldn't pull away from that gaze, though this time he didn't use magic to hold her stare. Finally he looked down and took her hands in his. 

Her eyes followed his to stare at the deep gouges in her palms. They were red and angry, though the wounds had been cleaned. 

"Can I heal these?" he asked.

It seemed like he was asking more than if she wanted him to, but she couldn't decide what he really meant by his question. She did note that it was the first time he'd ever asked permission to heal her, and she knew it was significant, but she was still too weary. Though Entrari's presence and magic had somehow banished the evil that surrounded her, it did nothing to cure her aching weariness. She nodded mutely. At this point, anything to lessen her suffering would help.

He reached out and touched his palm to the side of her face again. She cringed in preparation; it seemed that healing magic always seemed to come with a little pain. He chanted softly and she felt the familiar wave of dizziness. How many times had he done this spell on her already? Twice? Three times? As the wounds in her palms seemed to slowly disappear she couldn't get over the power of such a simple incantation. 

"There," he said gently, taking her hand back to inspect his work. 

She smiled wanly at him. Something about him was different. He wasn't acting like she expected. He was actually being nice. She wondered how long it could possibly last. Elenna stared at him like he might be going crazy, but even her incredulous looks didn't dissuade him. He coaxed her gently to eat, and then made sure that she was snuggled into enough blankets so she wouldn't be too cold. He joined her a few hours later chuckling in her ear. 

"Even with all the blankets, you're still cold? Perhaps having me around isn't such a bad thing, princess."

She chose not to answer, but she did snuggle against him gratefully. Obviously she wasn't made to travel around on horseback like Entrari and his knights. She was looking forward to returning to the castle of Hartstak. She decided that it really wasn't as drafty as she first thought.

****************

The next day was a solemn one. Entrari and his men tended to the bodies of their comrades, though they were so mangled and destroyed, that they had to do a mass grave. Elenna had never seen anything so terrible, and it sickened her to think of how the brave men had suffered. Though she was no longer connected to the power of the earth through her blood, the screams and pleas of the fallen still echoed in her ears. They were horrible to hear. She looked at the still silent forest and shuddered. It would be a long time before these woods were truly silent again, though few had the ears to hear the cries of spirits.

When they finished the burial mound, the knights stood mutely as Gosta said a benediction over their bodies. Elenna struggled to translate; the words were obviously ancient and ceremonial, but she gathered they were beautiful. It was something to the effect of joining their ancestors, standing in their presence with honor, and being remembered by those who still lived as heroes.

She found herself agreeing with those ideas and added her own prayer to Gosta's. Perhaps the men of Haladon weren't as blood-thirsty and wicked as she once thought. Looking at the mound of the dead, she found herself wondering if she would have done anything differently knowing that their enemies had such terrible minions at their command. Perhaps she would have marched over the West, consolidating the small kingships into an Empire as well. What would she sacrifice to keep things like the mutilation of these soldiers from happening again? 

She looked at her palms. She knew what she would have to sacrifice; herself.

The entire forest felt different with the disappearance of the demon. The towering trees that seemed to loom over them seemed beautiful and majestic again. The zing of tension that had sent shivers down her spine was gone, as was the sickening feeling in her stomach. The only thing that was still missing was the sound of life; of animals and birds. 

Once the bodies had been tended to, Entrari and his men rode about in clusters using their sorcery to whisper some kind of spell. The power of it made her tremble, but strangely the magic didn't seem to do anything. 

"Gosta," she whispered to him after he'd performed the spell yet again. "What are you doing?"

"Feel that, eh?" he teased.

She nodded.

"We're putting wards on this place. They should stretch for several hundred miles if we do them correctly. You just have to search for the right currents of magic in the earth," he said closing his eyes again and whispering something else.

"Is that why everyone seems to be riding about aimlessly?" she asked curiously.

He opened an eye and chuckled. "It's not aimless."

Elenna sighed. She would probably never understand.

"When a sorcerer feels a current," Entrari said, "he casts a spell. The magic is taken on that current and radiates out for quite a distance. With so many of us finding these currents and casting the spell, we are creating a net. The net keeps the demon from returning to this place."

Elenna looked at the prince curiously. Obviously the kindness from last night hadn't run out yet. She might as well take it while she had the chance. 

"So now the only way they can cross is by marching their troops?"

Entrari nodded. "We'll leave a garrison here, too. They'll barricade the area as best as they can. It's good we have so many trees handy. The wood will be quite useful."

She looked at the men as they seemed to wander aimlessly then stop and chant. It was a comical sight, if she didn't feel the power blasting about her. Feeling such power all around her was rather stunning. She wondered thoughtfully if they felt the same surge of power when she tapped into the spiritual world. Perhaps not. Sorcerers seemed oblivious to nature; they seemed to want to dominate it rather than seek understanding. 

"That should be about it," said Kelda riding back up to them.




The Last Descendant Ch. 06



Entrari nodded. "Good. We need to get back to the city. It still isn't as subdued as I'd like."

Elenna felt her heart sink. Over the past few days she learned that Entrari and his men were not that different from her own, but there was a difference. Hartstak was her city; a city that had trusted her judgment, a city that was being subdued because of her surrender. 

Kelda whistled through his fingers calling the knights back to their ranks. "I found the road back to Hartstak," he said to the prince. "It should make our return a little easier."

Entrari nodded. He turned around to check that his men had fallen in behind him and then kicked his mount into a slight trot. "Let's get out of here," he said.

Elenna sighed and followed.

"It's going to be all right, princess," said Gosta quietly.

She smiled at him wanly. "You keep telling me that."

"Only until you believe it," he replied.

"How can you say that, Gosta? After all...this." She gestured about.

"This," he replied glancing around, "isn't the worst I've seen."

She froze and stared at him. He'd seen worse than this?

"We've seen the death and mutilation of women and children...innocents," said Entrari quietly. "We've walked into places where every living creature was massacred. Entire villages."

Elenna felt her stomach boil and she put her hand over her mouth in horror.

"You're furious for what we've done to Hartstak," Entrari continued relentlessly. "I see the rage in your eyes every time I mention our conquest of your city. I am nothing! Nothing! Compared to what would have happened if that demon had descended from the mountainside."

A demon? In Hartstak? She couldn't imagine the horror, the carnage. Her stomach felt like lead as she considered it.

"Because of my men, you know that demons will not come from this pass," he continued. "It could be, Elenna, that this tiny pass is responsible for the deaths of thousands upon thousands of people. It was an open conduit into the West. It was an area that was unprotected, and it was obviously well-guarded by a powerful minion." His emerald eyes were as hard as stone. "There is nothing I won't do to stop the spread of this plague, even if it means conquering a tiny, useless kingdom to gain control of a pass."

She bowed her head to hide from that furious stare. She'd seen him angry, but she'd never seen the absolute rage that boiled in him now. And behind that rage was an almost inhuman resolve. The arrogant, spoiled prince she'd met in the castle was nowhere to be seen in his countenance, and for the first time since she'd met him, she felt like just perhaps he was worthy of the respect he demanded. 

****************

Entrari couldn't help himself from looking at the silent girl riding beside him. She hadn't said anything to him since he told her about the destruction he'd seen, but her gray eyes were pensive. He found himself staring at her almost exclusively as he rode, noting how her dark hair had pulled from her braid in the breeze making her look mussed and wind-blown. She had held up far better than he imagined she would. For all her tears and delicate appearance, she was as strong as steel beneath. Not once had she uttered a complaint, even when she was exhausted, cold, and in pain. 

He wished he could simply stop at that. He wished he didn't have to question her power. If he could just stop there; simply admire the beautiful woman he had loved since he was sixteen...but Elenna wasn't just some 'girl' he wanted to wed and bed. She was shrouded in mystery and in legend. Only an idiot would believe that it was their sorcery alone that sent that demon back, but to imagine that the demon fled her; this slender, pensive girl... He still couldn't make himself believe it, and yet he couldn't make himself deny it, either.

He sighed and stared ahead again though not before noticing that Gosta was staring at him thoughtfully. How would he explain this to his friends when he couldn't even justify it to himself? Perhaps Gosta would understand the part about his dreams; after all, he was born to a family who still practiced the old religion. Maybe he saw a beautiful girl in his dreams too? Marrying Elenna would be a political nightmare. She was a prisoner, a barbarian, a child of an enemy king. His people would never accept her as their empress. He snorted softly. That was only the beginning of the complications. Not only was she the daughter of an enemy, but it was very possible that she could banish a demon through prayer. 

He sighed in frustration and shook his head. 

"It's getting close to sundown," said Kelda, starting him from his brooding. "Should we look for a place to camp?"

"Yes," he replied straightening. 

Kelda ordered a couple of scouts to search for a campsite and then turned back to him.

"You've been awful quiet today," his friend commented.

"I've got a lot on my mind," Entrari admitted.

Kelda chuckled and looked at the shivering princess knowingly. "Obviously," he agreed. "There's a city that awaits your firm hand, the likelihood that there are more demons than we've ever fathomed in our worst nightmares running rampant in the West, and we've got camp to find. Whatever could you have on your mind?" He looked at the girl and then back at him wickedly.

Entrari rolled his eyes. "You're a thorn in my side some days, you know that Kelda?"

"One does one's best to serve his prince," Kelda returned with mock seriousness.

"Need I remind you of the circumstances you came to know your wife?" he returned mildly.

Kelda winced. "You always have to bring that up, don't you?"

"It's not something any of us are likely to forget," said Gosta chuckling. 

"You did look rather cute in a blue gown if I remember correctly," Entrari teased. "It complimented your eyes so well!" 

Several of his bodyguards laughed at that one. 

"Is that true?" the princess said to Kelda.

"Well, maybe 'cute' isn't the right word. I wouldn't have asked him in my room," Gosta replied winking at her.

Entrari chuckled in agreement.

Elenna's gray eyes were wide. "Whatever were you doing in a gown?"

"I was sneaking into my wife's bedchambers," Kelda replied. "However, I had to get by several guards, so..."

The princess gasped incredulously. "You must be joking!"

"He isn't," Entrari replied.

She stared at the three of them for a moment, speechless. Then she looked at Kelda critically. "Where on earth did you find a gown big enough?"

None of his knights could help themselves as they burst into laughter. Kelda looked at them and rode ahead muttering to himself.

Elenna turned to look at him curiously. It was the first time Entrari had ever seen anything but fear or caution in those beautiful eyes. He couldn't help himself as he grinned cheekily at her, and to his surprise, she blushed slightly and returned a tiny smile.

Suddenly, he felt a surge of hope. Perhaps things weren't as doomed as he thought.

*****************

"They know we're coming," Gosta said quietly.

The prince nodded. 

"We should batter them as we ride in," Kelda suggested, "use our magic to incapacitate them. Maybe a couple of spells to stun..."

She tried not to listen. She really did. She didn't want to know what things they were going to do to the people of Hartstak. She didn't want to hear what awaited those who continued to resist. Over the past week, she'd grown to care for these men more than she'd ever expected to; especially the tight-knit group of bodyguards who provided companionship and protection to the prince. She didn't want to see them hurt any more than she wished for the people of Hartstak to suffer. She stared over her city, peaceful as it seemed in the darkness, and felt battered. It was though her heart was being pulled in too many directions; care for the welfare of Entrari and his men, and desire to be a fair and honorable monarch.

"Keep in formation and keep close together," Entrari ordered his men. "Have your weapons drawn."

"Won't we use magic?" asked Rhogan in surprise. 

"Only as a last resort," Entrari replied. 

"They're going to take shots at us," complained Atsca. "We've never spared a conquered people who resisted us before. Why start now?"

"I have my reasons," the prince said firmly. 

The guard turned to glare at her a little angrily. "I bet you do," he quietly, but loud enough for the prince to hear. 

It surprised her. His bodyguards were usually very respectful, but she could tell the decision to avoid using sorcery to re-enter the city upset them. She could feel their tension literally prickling on her skin.

"You will stay beside me, Elenna," he said to her. "If I can't reach out and touch your horse at any time, you're too far."

She nodded.

"Let's ride and ride hard," said Kelda to his prince. "I still think it's a better idea to wait until dawn, especially if you don't want to use magic."

"It's no safer to camp out here tonight," Entrari replied. "Let's move!" 

With his magnificent warhorse in the lead, Entrari and his men charged into the city, the hooves of their horses shaking the ground like thunder as they rode. It was exhilarating as well as terrifying to charge madly down the road, but Elenna clutched the reigns and focused on remaining upright in the saddle instead of how her heart pounded and her teeth chattered. As they hit the congested streets, she suddenly understood their caution. Arrows flew through the night sky, though none seemed to find their mark among the riders of Haladon; they were probably using sorcery.

When the rebels realized their arrows had no effect, they pounced from the darkness to attack. Entrari and his knights used their magnificent swords to cut the attackers out of their paths and their fierce warhorses trampled them beneath their feet. Elenna swallowed a screech of horror as her warriors crumpled before Entrari and his men. Guilt like she'd never experienced before made her stomach drop to her feet and her fingers fall from the reigns of her horse. She couldn't breathe. 

The charge slowed as the slaughter continued, and all she could hear was the screams of battle, the cries of death. Suddenly her horse reared and screamed, and though she desperately fought to keep in the saddle, she tumbled to the bloody ground. 

"Elenna!" she dimly heard the prince call to her.

She tried to scramble to her feet, stumbling over bodies, dodging the trampling hooves of the warhorses. The black cacophony of battle was confusing and disorienting. Someone grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the way into a small alley pushing her against the wall.

"I've got her!" cried one of the men aloud.

Elenna turned around quickly. 

They were men from Hartstak; rebels. 

"Thank you," she whispered to them. "But I don't think you understand..."

"We understand perfectly, princess," said one of the warriors. He had a wicked-looking knife in his hand as though he might use it at any moment, even against her.

"Do it now!" snarled another.

Elenna gasped in horror. This wasn't a rescue mission. This entire attack wasn't meant to harm Entrari, but rather to kill her. Whoever married her would be the next king according to their ancient laws. Her people saw her as a pawn for the Empire of Haladon that would be used to establish a king using their own laws against them. It would be the ultimate act of rebellion; to slay their princess in order to defy the rule of the conquering nation. As much as she longed to protect these people, she had forgotten that there were some whom she needed protection from.

Elenna, however, wasn't prepared to die. With a screech, she struggled violently. She brought her knee up to her attacker's groin and felt a twinge of satisfaction as he crumpled to the ground; not quite what he expected from a princess. She dashed desperately out of the tiny alley, towards Entrari and his men at once feeling sick at herself for fleeing to them and yet wise enough to know that running into the city would end up getting her killed.

"Stop her!" snarled the man on his knees.

The large warriors of Hartstak were taller and stronger and she didn't get far before someone grabbed her arm and twisted it until she screeched in pain. 

Magic, she thought to herself. Use magic.

She tried to focus as she struggled, but she couldn't recall the spell, she couldn't bring herself to focus on the incantation. She twisted and kicked but the large warrior easily restrained her struggles. 

"I'm going to cut out her heart," snarled the man she felled.

"No," snarled the other. "Quick and to the throat. That was the order."

"Please," she begged them. "Please don't."

"Sorry princess," said the man.

For some reason, she could tell he was sorry. It didn't make her feel any better.

The other man, however, was enraged and he pushed his companion out of the way. He lunged to stab her, but the other man grabbed his arm and pulled him away. She stared at them in horror and then desperately struggled again. This time in the confusion, she was able to get more leverage against her captor. She pulled from his grasp, the momentum of her struggle slamming her into the opposite wall of the alley and then she turned and ran again towards Entrari and his men. The men pursued and she felt a slice of pain in her side but she kept running until someone grabbed her hair and yanked her backwards. She stumbled with a scream.

"Do it NOW!" one of them shouted.

Suddenly, there was a terrible, deafening thud. The ground about her shook, the shutters on the house above rattled and Elenna felt as though the air had been knocked from her lungs. Her attackers began to scream in agony and crumpled to the ground writhing in misery. She tried to right herself, to get her bearings, but the darkness and the chaos about her left her dazed and confused and the men twitching at her feet sickened her. 

Suddenly she heard the thud of hooves and she whirled about to see a silver horse charging towards her, its coat glistening in the moonlight. She stared at the incredible beast as it lunged towards her rooted to the ground in awe-struck horror. She knew she should leap out of its path to save herself, but she was frozen where she stood, unable to even close her eyes in fear. 

The great beast veered slightly to the side and its rider reached out and pulled her into his saddle. Elenna cried out and struggled, though his arms crushed her against his breastplate. Suddenly she quieted. Even in the darkness she knew who had pulled her from the street. His scent was already memorized in her mind. She didn't dare look into his face; she didn't need to, his rage-filled presence was almost palpable in the air. 

"Ride now!" he called to his men his voice laced with fury. "If anyone gets in our way, ride them down or use your magic!"

No one got in his way after that. Anyone who dared show their face on the streets in their path suddenly fell to the ground screaming in agony. Elenna felt the surge of magic from him and the men about him in her bones like the methodical booming of a drum. By the time they reached the castle, she was numb and shaking. 

Entrari bellowed orders like a crazed man and his people scurried away quickly to fulfill his requests. He didn't even set her on the ground to walk. He clutched her to him possessively, and she didn't dare struggle. He marched through the hallways in a fury and wordlessly carried her into the chambers he'd claimed as his own. Still his murderous rage hadn't abated. He didn't put her back on her feet and instead carried her to the bed and deposited her in the middle. She rolled to her side and tried to scurry away in fear, but he grabbed her cloak and brutally pulled it from her shoulders, ripping the button that fastened it. She froze and stared at him in terror as he leaned over her. She thought she knew his temper, but she thought wrong. It wasn't until his hands went to the bodice of her dress that she screamed.

She barely had time to struggle before he whispered a spell that rendered her immobile.

"Entrari no!" she wailed. 

He didn't listen. He ripped her gown from her body his emerald eyes glowing with fury.

"Please," she wailed. "I didn't do anything wrong! I did nothing wrong!"

He stood over her like some golden god of war. His glittering chain mail threw rainbows on the walls as it reflected the light. His breast heaved in rage. 

"I'm sorry!" she whimpered. "I'm so sorry...so sorry..."

He pulled his gauntlets from his hands and threw them across the room in wrath, but when his bare hands touched her flesh they were gentle. His fingers pressed against her naked side, and she flinched and hissed in pain. 

"The wound is poisoned," he said in a deep growl, his eyes flashing murderously. "I'm sorry Elenna. This is going to hurt you...badly."

She swallowed her despairing sobs and looked at him. She hadn't realized... 

"It's okay to scream," he said as he put both of his hands over the bloody wound in her side.

And scream she did. It felt as though someone had taken molten steel and replaced it in her veins as her blood. She'd never known such agony in her life. She'd never been to the dungeons and heard victims of torture, but she imagined that her screams echoed theirs. At some point she passed out, for which she was eternally grateful. 

**************

When she awoke before dawn the next morning she could feel his arms about her and they were both naked. She could feel his warm skin against her back; smooth and velvety, his arm wrapped about her middle possessively. She could feel the press of his...parts...against her rear and she resisted the urge to squirm in discomfort at the thought of what he would use them for. And yet there was a part of her that longed for exactly that. She wanted to feel his lips on hers, his hands on her breasts. She wanted him to sate the ache between her legs with his body; to consume her with his passion. 

She knew she should fight. It was the proper thing to do. It was her duty as a princess, as a noblewoman, but she couldn't manage to summon the strength. Instead she closed her eyes again and reveled in his warmth, and his scent; needing him, and yet loathing herself for her weakness. 

She felt him stir against her. His naked skin sent little shivers of awareness through her body each place he brushed against. Now would be the appropriate time to leap out of his arms with a screech and hold the sheet to her body in modesty – if he didn't catch her and hold her down first. Of course, she could just pretend that she was still asleep, too, and maybe he'd get out of bed before they had to endure the awkward situation...well, it was awkward for her. 

She'd heard that Entrari had bedded many women; princesses and queens even. More than anything, that thought made her want to pull away. She didn't want to be another woman simply used for the pleasures of her body. She didn't want to give her maidenhood to a man who gave it such little value. She tried to roll out of his embrace quickly, but he caught her and held her against him. His parts were...firmer against her rear. She let out a whimper of distress, but he simply sighed and pulled her closer breathing through his nose and out of his mouth. 

"Are you all right?" he asked. His voice was husky from sleep and yet she could detect amusement, too.

"No," she croaked. She could barely make her voice work. Her throat ached from all the screaming she'd done last night. She swallowed. "No," she said a little louder. She tried to pull out of his embrace, but he held her fast.

"Entrari, please..."

He chuckled to himself, though she thought he sounded bitter. "Here you are, still worrying about your chastity, the morning after your own people tried to assassinate you. Don't you find it ironic that the very reason you fear the press of our bodies is the reason why your people tried to kill you?" His hand reached slithered up from her stomach to cup her breast.




The Last Descendant Ch. 06



Gods! She wanted this...didn't she?

"Being with a man is great pleasure," he whispered to her. "I'll bring you bliss like you've never known." His fingers pinched her nipple gently. 

She whimpered halfway between pleasure and frustration. She'd dreamed of him doing exactly this to her; making her a woman in every way, looking into her face with those eyes glowing like emerald fire. But she wanted so much more than just a moment of heat and passion from him. She wanted more than just a few nights in bed with him before he moved on to the next woman, the next conquest. That's all she really was to him, a conquest.

"Is this what you said to all the other women in your bed who were reluctant?" she asked. "And where are they now? Dishonored? Lonely? Did they love you before you cast them aside leaving them with nothing?"

His grip about her waist tightened.

"And that's what you want to do to me, isn't it? Use me, sate your passions with my body, take my maidenhood and leave me? When you marry me off to one of your generals, will I come to his bed a shamed woman?"

"In my lands a woman who knows the embrace of a man is not shamed like in yours," he explained. "We have different ideas about purity."

"Indeed? And what of the man you marry me off to? When he takes me to bed– "

"Stop it," he snarled. "You're mine! No man will touch you but me!"

His words sent a thrill through her, and yet angered her even more. "So then you wish an even worse fate for me?" she asked mercilessly. "You'll use my body, and take my love and loyalty, only to cast me aside? You'll leave me abandoned, defiled and alone, all for a few moments of pleasure?" 

His grasp relaxed against her and he let out a soft sigh of frustration. 

"That's not what I want, Elenna."

"That's how you behave," she retorted.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're difficult?" 

She stiffened. "Only you, Your Highness."

"Good thing you're cute when you're difficult, or I might not tolerate you."

She let out a gasp of protest, but he just chuckled in her ear. 

"Settle down," he chided. "You're impossible sometimes, you know that princess?"

"So are you!"

For a moment he was quiet, and she could tell that he was thinking. After spending the last several days with him, Elenna learned that the prince was a strategist. If one method of attack didn't work, he'd try another until he outmaneuvered his opponent. His silence made her nervous. He was too well versed in strategy and seduction for her taste.

"Come on, don't I even get a thank you?" 

His voice was suddenly playful and seductive, and blast her treacherous body, she responded with a shiver. She wanted to scream in frustration. Why was he doing this to her? Didn't he know she'd dreamed of this? Why was he tempting her, tormenting her?

"For what?" she almost squeaked.

He pulled her close again. His body felt so incredible pressed against hers. His warm skin, his calloused hands against her naked flesh made her shudder, even though she was definitely not cold. She tried to remain as stiff and unresponsive, but her heart was racing. She was sure he could hear it as close as he was.

"How about for saving your life last night? Twice," he whispered in her ear. His lips brushed the sensitive skin right below with a soft, seductive caress.

He was being absolutely unfair! 

His fingers just lightly touched her breast; a butterfly's kiss.

"Okay," she said in a shaky voice. "Thank you." 

Please let me go now! She begged mutely.

"Perhaps, my actions would earn me a slight reward?" He kept caressing that sensitive spot right below her ear with his lips, and his fingers simultaneously flicked her breast lightly.

She wanted to scream in frustration, anger, desire and, curse him, she wanted to scream yes. The only thing that kept her jaw latched was the knowledge of what he wanted and what it would cost – her heart. No. She was already in love with him; she had been since she was fifteen. How unfair that he could demand everything from her and promise nothing in return.

"I wasn't thinking much," he continued silkily. "Not your carefully guarded maidenhood or anything like that."

She wanted to screech at that one. 

"How about a kiss?"

She rolled on her back to look at him incredulously. 

"How about it, princess? One, willing kiss for my services seems a small price, don't you think?"

She looked up into those incredible emerald eyes, slightly frightened, a little eager, and suddenly very unsure. Now that he mentioned it, she'd never willingly kissed a man before. A little part of her mind tried to scream at her in warning, but she refused to listen. A little kiss wouldn't hurt, would it?

He obviously took her silence to be a yes, because one of his large, calloused hands reached out to caress her cheek and brush away a few errant strands of hair. She froze like a startled deer, but he wasn't dissuaded. He leaned over her and softly touched his lips to hers.

Just like his body, his lips were warm and soft. His mouth pressed against hers gently lingering over hers massaging her lips softly with his own. She remained still beneath him and tried not to think about her pounding heart, the needles of excitement prickling her skin, the strange ache between her legs. Unlike his last drunken kisses, this was gentle and tender, and slowly she relaxed delighting in the soft caresses of his lips against hers. 

*******************

Entrari felt her soften beneath him and wanted to howl in triumph! Finally! 

He continued to kiss her gently, allowing her to get used to him. Slowly he deepened the kiss, pressing a little harder against her lips opening his mouth a little more against hers. Tenderly he coaxed her, kissing her soft then a little harder, his fingers stroked her cheek and her hair, until her lips responded to his. Cautiously she kissed him back, copying the movements he made against her. Then she let out a tiny whimper of pleasure.

He couldn't help himself. That one, tiny little sound drove him over the edge. He ran his fingers through her silky hair, tightening his fingers into a fist to hold her fast. Then, he closed his mouth over hers and kissed her passionately, forcing his tongue into her mouth when she gasped in surprise, and devoured her. She whimpered, though this time in protest, and pressed her hands against his chest to push him away, He had no intention of stopping. He was going to kiss her for all she was worth.

And then the most miraculous thing happened. She moaned once again, but this time in supplication. The hands that tried to push him away clutched him closer, her body softened against his, and she kissed him back!

It was just like he'd dreamed. Kissing this woman was everything right and pure and heavenly. Her mouth tasted sweet to him, her body felt perfect beneath his, her innocent passion stirred him like he'd never been stirred before. This was what it was like! This is what he'd waited twenty years for. He would never want anyone but her. And he wanted her. 

Now!

He started to shift his body to lie between her legs, aching to feel the absolute rapture of claiming her youthful body with his passion and longing. He wanted to fill her, brand her, to make her his in every single way...

"Your Highness!" Kelda's voice rang through his hazy bliss. "Your Highness!"

Elenna stiffened beneath him.

"Your Highness! Entrari!"

She gasped and tried to pull away, but he refused to let her go. 

"What!" he snarled as he hovered over her, his hand still fisted in her hair. He was going to literally skin Kelda alive.

"Forgive me!" his best friend begged. "I had no choice. Your father has been trying to contact you, but you've been...extremely focused. Your cousin has been murdered. Astel is on the brink of civil war. You must contact your father at once!"

Entrari looked into Elenna's face, which was as white as the sheets, and swore furiously. He cursed his father, Kelda, Astel and even his dead cousin, and then he just cursed. Finally he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, willing his body to calm down. He buried his head in the crook of her neck, closing his eyes, inhaling the sweet scent of her flesh and her hair. For some reason, she calmed him far more than his deep breaths.

Slowly his fingers slid from her hair, and even more slowly and painfully he forced his passion to cool. 

"Are you all right?" he asked as he forced himself to keep breathing deeply.

"No," she replied, her voice a half-sob.

He could feel her body tremble beneath his and felt the hiccoughs of silent sobs. He lifted his head to stare into her face again, but her eyes were closed and tears were leaking down to her temples and into her hair. 

He swore again. Gods, he was a fool! How did he always manage to mess things up with her?

"I'm sorry, Elenna," he whispered, caressing her cheek tenderly again. 

She didn't answer him. Instead a tiny sob escaped her lips and she turned her head away from his fingers.

Entrari rolled away from her and got out of bed, wincing at the cold air, and yet trembling with frustration. Furiously, he grabbed the silver water pitcher on the nightstand and hurled it across the room with all his force. It gave a hearty gong and a satisfying splash as it smashed into the wall, but it didn't mask the frantic breaths of the woman he loved more than anything as she tried not to cry.

************

 Hey guys! Sorry this took so long. I hope you still like it after such a big pause in writing. I had a really rough six months. Please give me your comments and feedback on this one since it's a new and different type of story for me. Thanks SO much for all your support. I would have given up on this whole posting thing long ago if you guys didn't tell me you liked it. Thanks again.