Disclaimer: As Chapter One; so please, for the love of God, do not make me keep writing it out people!
For all those who asked, here are the four elemental sister's names and nicknames:
Ember – Em
Rain – Ray
Storm – Storry
Eartha- Eyrie
WARNING: BAD LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE AND SOME SEXUAL REFERENCES (though not too graphic) SO READ AT YOUR OWN PERIL.
All reviews, and constructive criticism, gratefully received – but no flaming please; and I will try to update regularly.
'Thoughts'
"Speech"
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ELEMENTS
Chapter Eight - Visits
In the room Lancelot turned his eyes to Ember "I wish to die."
"As do I, but we cannot." She looked more closely at him "You have been struck."
He gingerly touched his eye "aye, Galahad and Dagonet took swings at me. Gal blacked my eye and Dag knocked me out."
"Why?"
"Because of my treatment of you."
Ember shook her head "men – you can never discuss an issue without resorting to violence. None thought to ask me what I wanted done?"
"You were unconscious, and I have yet to see any be more violent than you."
"That is true – but I do not strike my friends."
"Have you any?" he rose to his feet.
"Aye, I am only sorry not to number you amongst them."
He sighed "I can try to forgive you for returning me here, but I cannot forget it."
"You must do what you feel is right Lancelot. But I will not forsake you."
He said naught and turned to leave, only to be confronted with a glowering Tristan blocking his path "Brother!" Ember murmured urgently "please come see me."
He shouldered past Lancelot who spun on him "why do you accept it; why do you seem pleased to be living this miserable existence once again!"
The scout shrugged "it is what it is Lancelot – there is no point raging against destiny. Where has doing so benefited you?"
"You are just as cold-blooded as she!"
"Aye and mayhap you should start being the same."
"Meaning?"
"Where has being passionate got you? In love with another man's wife….a man you call brother."
Lancelot went to launch himself at Tristan – but Ember held up her hand and a wall of air seemed to keep the two men apart.
"Enough of this – please. You are brothers, you need to remain true to each other; dark days approach us, and we will need all our strength and each other to ensure they do not prevail."
Lancelot did not speak again; instead he turned and all but threw himself from the room.
Tristan shook his head as he sat down "I would have killed him."
"That is what he wishes – why do you think he goads us two the most of all?" Tristan looked expectantly "because he knows we are the ones that can kill without compunction; he stands most chance of forcing our hands."
"I see." He thought for a moment "how do you do that?" he twirled his finger and hand in the air indicating what she'd just done.
"It is a knack." She shrugged.
"Like balancing on a log."
"Like aiming for the middle."
He chuckled "I have yet to work out how you know so much of us before we ever met you."
"It does not bother you?"
"Nay, why?"
"It bothers Lancelot."
He sighed "all bothers Lancelot. He will either get over it or die; I do not think he cares which." He thought for a moment "Em….."
"Your family yet lives…..they move on to be safe and will live – but you will not return."
He closed his eyes for a moment "I can live with that."
"Being dead is not so bad Tristan."
"Nay I know, I remember."
"Then you must have known your family yet lived, if you had not seen them there."
"Nay, I wondered if they left me be because they were ashamed."
"There is naught to be ashamed of. You are a proud man with a good soul, despite what you think of yourself; if they had been there they would have come to you."
He was touched by her words, knowing it was no empty flattery; but decided to tackle her on what his commander had told him "Arthur says you would die with Lancelot."
"I would not let him travel beyond the veil alone."
"What of the rest of us?" he nodded at the baby "what of her?"
Ember sighed "I know not."
"Then you must not leave us. No matter what you long for, you have a place here now."
"Aye, you speak true – but then you always do, it is only they do not always listen."
"Wise as well, truly I am gifted to have such a sister."
She beamed "and there Kay speaks…..for he did always have a way with words."
"Who will you favour? Obviously not Galahad and I."
"Obviously."
"So who else?"
"I know not, except not Bors – Van is scary." She grinned.
"You, who could lay waste to the world, is scared of Van?" he leant forward with a straight face, but merry eyes "in truth, so am I."
When he left, Galahad was waiting outside with Arthur "Well?"
"I do not think she would be foolish now."
Galahad grinned "I knew you would make her see sense."
Tristan looked to his friend and king "Tell Merlin she knows not who she favours. I truly believe her."
"He will not be pleased."
Tristan shrugged "and she will not be rushed."
"That makes you happy."
"Aye Arthur, for it shows her spirit is still there – under the ice."
As they walked away a grim Guinevere crept into the room.
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Back in his own room Lancelot threw himself onto the bed and began to sob once more; a small stone hit his head and he heard an exasperated female voice urge "oh for the love of the Goddess do give over!"
He rolled over to be confronted with three women; one he immediately recognised as the one who came to him when he was dead. He silently regarded them…..
"Woooowooooohooooo" Storm raised her hands and went semi transparent, whilst floating round the room.
Lancelot stared open mouthed while her two sisters rolled their eyes.
"Storry, stop it." Eartha commanded.
"Oh but I'm sure he's scared and everything." Her sister pouted.
"Sometimes I wonder who the real baby of the family is." Her sister sighed.
Storm groused and returned her attention to Lancelot "We are the sisters of the fire element; we have come to avenge your ill…..OWW!" she sing-songed in a weird voice, before letting out a yelp.
Eartha cuffed her head "keep it up and I swear I will box your ears." She stared at Lancelot "we have come to warn you to treat our sister more fairly."
"Aye, be angry at Merlin, not she." Rain nodded.
"I know you…."
"You do, did I not say you would return?"
"Why am I here?"
Rain looked at her two sisters who nodded "You will have a stark choice to make one day soon. Either way you decide, it will have consequences for you."
"What of her."
"Our sister, has her own path to follow – you would do well to treat her with respect if not friendship, and not meddle in what she has to do. She does not wish it, but will do it because others cannot."
"You talk in riddles wench!"
"She does, does she not?" Storm sighed "you get used to it."
"We think you need a lesson in manners" Rain smiled thinly "for the next two days….well, you will see." They slowly faded away into a bright light.
He lay back and sighed, just then Storm popped back "and I can come back on my own you know – I do not need them; and I can float and moan for days and not like you would think!"
"STORM!" Eartha's voice cried in horror.
"What! I am merely saying….." she faded away, but another distant yelp could just be heard.
Lancelot could not halt the smile; no wonder the other one missed them so much.
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During the night Dagonet entered the room, where Summer wailed, with a sleepy Lucan "Em, the babe is keeping all awake."
She pulled a hand through her hair "I know, but I cannot settle her Dagonet."
He hoisted the tot in his arms "call me Dag, all my friends do."
She beamed and then rolled her eyes as Summer immediately stopped crying "traitorous child." The little girl grabbed the large knight's nose and chuckled at him "she likes you."
Lucan nodded "I love him; all children love him."
Ember smiled at the little boy "Well Lucan, I think there is a lot of good things to love; so it is understandable."
Dag grinned "with such blatant flattery I will get a big head."
"Nay Dag, I only speak the truth" she was being serious "they say animals and children know a good soul. You have children flocking round you and Tristan has animals at his beck and call."
"Em?" Lucan looked at her hopefully "can I have a cuddle?"
Dag's heart clenched at the genuine astonishment on the woman's face "You wish me to touch you?"
"Aye….is that alright?"
"Of course Lucan" she laid there a little awkwardly as the little boy climbed up and into her arms, but then she cuddled him as well and smiled "this feels nice."
He leant back and looked at her "do you not get hugs?"
"Nay, not since my sisters died – well, not in the land of the living at least. If I go beyond the veil and see them, then I get hugs; but it is not the same."
Dagonet sat down "I am sorry that you have been so neglected."
She reached over and patted his arm "Oh it is naught to worry for Dag; I am used to it. Even in our village we were revered; though at least it was not reviled."
"A jest?" the large knight grinned.
"Aye, I do not do it often – but you and Lucan bring that side out in me……" she smiled at them both "my sisters would love both of you."
"Aye and it sounds as if we would love them" he watched her face "you must miss them?"
"Aye, but I try not to grieve – it would keep them earthbound and Merlin constantly reminds me that is a bad thing."
Dag frowned "it is not wrong to grieve for those we loved and lost Em; I grieved every knight that died – some more than others as our numbers dwindled and we all became close friends. I know Bors missed me a lot when I died, as well as this little scrap here" he indicated Lucan "who, so Van tells me, cried himself to sleep every night from the day I died until I returned. That Arthur too was lost without Lancelot – though as he was, not as he is at this moment….."
"and Tristan? Who missed him?" she sounded sad "save for a hawk and horse?"
"They all did, mayhap he does not have one alone like the rest of us – but we're all fiercely fond of the demon and they would have mourned him as much as Lancelot and I."
Ember shook her head "why do people hate what they do not understand Dag? He hurts none here – he saves them, gave his life to protect them and his friends……" she sighed "I will never understand human nature."
"Well he has you now – and I think you understand him better than anyone else."
"Aye I do, I do Dag – because I pay no mind about killing." She smiled thinly and it chilled Dag to the core "you could say I developed a taste for it."
Tristan walked away from the door with a smile 'I am not alone, not anymore – and for once someone truly understands my enjoyment of the kill.'
