Annuska sat down heavily in one of the armchairs situated in front of one of the grand fireplaces that were located around the fortress. It was close to dusk and Andris would be waking up soon but she wanted nothing more than to fall asleep. Lately she had been feeling old, she was weary and she often found herself reflecting upon the past. She would think of her time as a servant, her love now dead, and all the children she had cared for over the years. She had begun to wonder why she was still alive when her existence didn't seem to serve any real purpose. She had always lived for someone else weather was Lucian, Andris, or the orphans left behind in the aftermath of a savage war that had been waging for centuries. Now however she was unneeded; Lucian was dead killed by the death dealer Kraven and Andris was old enough to fend for himself. Not even the orphaned children seemed to need her anymore seeing as she wasn't the only one caring for them anymore.
When the kids grew up they had the option of either staying in the fortress and living out the rest of their lives or they could leave the fortress and try to make a name for themselves in the world; the only catch was that once they left they were never allowed to come back and they were never to speak of where they were raised, if they didn't follow the rules she promised them that their death would be a painful one. She loved all the children as if they were her own but she wouldn't hesitate to kill one if it meant that the rest would be safe. It was a harsh way of doing things but it had kept her family alive for many years. In some ways she tried to emulate Lucian when it came to the protection of her little "clan" because her way of thinking was much too gentle. Andris once teased her that if Lucian was the Father of the Lycan then she was the Mother. He was the protector of the Lycan, fierce like a father protecting his family, while she was like the mother gently nurturing her children until they were old enough to fend for themselves. She had flushed deeply before telling him that he was crazy, he had laughed but even so the nickname stuck.
Annuska was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of footsteps heading toward her, it would seem that she had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed the time passing by. She smiled at Andris as he sat down on the floor next to her and laid his head in her lap, the fact that he still acted like the young boy she had found hiding under a bed was somewhat humorous to her. Whenever he had a bad dream or just needed someone to hold her he would seek out her comfort. If it was late at night and she was asleep he would crawl into bed with her and just lay there, he was a simple child to comfort he didn't need false words or new toys to make him feel better a simple hug was all he required; and Annuska was more than happy to wrap him up in her arms and hold him close.
In some ways he was her comfort as well, his childlike innocence and wonder acted as a shield against her own rather bleak outlook on life. Where she saw only pain and suffering he saw hope and dreams, it was nice to have someone whose attitude was almost always positive. Every time they had to leave for a new village she worried that he would be upset with her for uprooting him from his home but he was never angry, instead he always viewed the move as an adventure. He relished the idea of going to a new place and making new friends even if it was only for a little while. His attitude alone had made their entire predicament bearable for her and in return she had done her best not to dwell on the negatives.
When the two of them had found the abandoned fortress Annuska had felt as if all her prayers had been answered. She wouldn't have to worry about Andris being discovered for what he truly was anymore and they would finally have a place that they could call home. Not to mention it had provided a perfect place for children to stay after their parents died. She honestly enjoyed having so many children running around; their laughter filled the air and gave a sense of warmth to the otherwise bleak fortress. As more and more children joined their rag tag group they became a sort of dysfunctional family. Andris enjoyed having children his age to play with every day and she enjoyed watching all of them grow up in a safe and peaceful environment.
However over time she became unneeded, the kids who stayed helped out around the fort making sure that the new children felt right at home. And she appreciated the help however over time she became unneeded and was often found herself with too much free time on her hands.
It was that very mixture of feeling useless and long forgotten memories that led her to make one of biggest decisions of her life. She looked down at Andris and started to run her fingers through his hair in an attempt to calm herself, she knew that Andris would not like what she was about to tell him.
"Andris, I've decided that it is time that I leave the castle for a while."
"Okay, when do we leave? Do you have any specific place that we're going to go?" Annuska smiled sadly, he didn't understand that she was going to be the only one making the trip.
"I will leave tomorrow at sunset dear one, alone. I am no longer needed here and lately I have been having nagging thoughts of leaving. There is somewhere I must go, though I don't know where." Before she could continue Andris jumped to his feet protesting. They had always traveled together and he didn't know what he would do if she was gone.
Annuska stood from her chair with a heavy sigh before putting her hands on his shoulders, "I have watched you grow from a carefree boy to a noble young man, I love you as if you were my own flesh and blood but you no longer need me here; you can care for yourself. I know it is hard for you to understand why I am leaving but I promise that if you ever need me all you will need to do is call for me. You and the children are the most important things in my life and I would do anything for you."
Having said what she needed to she pulled Andris into her for a hug and she smile sadly as she felt him cry into her shoulder. She had known that her leaving would be hard for him to take but she also knew that it was something she needed to do. Eventually Andris was able to get his emotions under control and she pulled away from him. She kissed him on the forehead and he gave her a shaky smile in response.
She left the next day. Many of the children saw her off with teary eyes and she was a part of at least three group hugs. It took her about a half-an-hour to actually leave but soon enough she was on her way. It was hard for her to leave what she considered to be her life's work but at the same time she felt as if she was headed in the right direction.
She wouldn't know until later that she had started a journey that was leading her to Lucian.
Finally! My laptop charger broke and I wasn't able to write anything for a while. Luckily I got another one through Amazon and now I'm back and business. I would like to give special thanks to Ambrogio'smoonlight, babybear1994, HaruhiandHikaru, CherryBlossomTrinity, Where'stheBloodSnake, EywaxBaby, mia-mirkwood, BookwormStrawberry, UchihaAkia, jjnnrr for adding my story to their favorites/ following it.
To Natsuko26: I'm glad that you continue to enjoy my story and I appreciate your reviews.
Mrs. Barnes: I'm glad that you liked Andris's character, he just sort of came to me while I was writing and I decided to add him to the story. I'm also glad you enjoy Annuska's personality, I read other Underworld fanfictions and I wanted to do something a little different but I was worried that she would turn into a Marry Sue. She didn't really interact with the children before she left but she will go back later. Thanks so much for reviewing I hope you continue to enjoy the story.
HaruhiandHikaru: Thank you for reviewing I'm happy that you have been enjoying the story so much. Annuska should be meeting Lucian again sometime soon but I'm not sure when. Thanks again reviewing, I hope you continue to enjoy my story
Thank you to everyone who had read my story up to this point. Please REVIEW my story; I would love to know what everyone thinks of it. You all rock, keep being awesome.
-Ambercat999
