Chapter 8: Lovegame
Nuada could feel the world tilting swiftly around him. His three years as ruler of the magical realm had afforded him the tuned senses that he had never known existed in his father. He could sense the shifting of the Black Forest and its unrest as Lumeweiss related her dream to Master Rhonzo and the caravan began to move more hurriedly away from their camp. There was a significant unrest from the gathering of evil beings that he had sent many hunting parties and even the armies of Jareth, the Goblin King, to seek out and prevent an insurrection from the last surviving servant of Oberon, Grindel. He could feel a strange happening from the court, assuming that news had reached them by now that the crown had been re-forged. He could feel the terrible unrest among the great multitudes of magical beings and humans alike as the earth cried out. The sensation and situation that the great mother was experiencing reminded him of a fever, a terrible fever that would not break as the body fought whatever tormented it. He shook away the feelings of oppression from all the sources of unrest and negativity nearest him and focused on getting back to the bureau's headquarters swiftly. It would be highly unusual to see the prince twice in one day and this might have been a little disturbing for its denizens, so he felt it best to approach Abraham away from his sister. She had enough things to worry over at the moment and needed nothing further to trouble her. At the moment he had managed to convince her that the crown's presence was an ominous dream, simply a fear and nightmare that she had faced. The moment she found out, Nuada feared that she would turn away from him entirely. He sighed as he appeared in front of the building and leapt up to one of the window ledges, slipping in as easily as an insect.
He moved swiftly from the upper levels of the compound down in front of the enormous doors that led to the library. He studied their strange markings for a moment, listening carefully to what was happening behind the doors. He could hear his sister and Abraham speaking to one another. He moved closer to the door and could hear his nephew nearby his sister and the sea-elfling ears suddenly perked up. He looked toward the door, his uncle sensing his movement and recognition. Nuada frowned and tried to use the same willpower he had over his sister to tell his nephew to keep silent. The boy heard it and, while he did not turn his attention away from the door, did not alert his parents to Nuada's presence.
"We only just sent the twins back to Liz. Why can we not speak of this later?" the princess was arguing. Her husband sighed heavily and placed a blue hand gently on her shoulder. She frowned and looked down at their child. "Abraham, the last time we left him in the care of someone else . . ." Nuala began uneasily.
"It did not harm him and there can't be much more done to his psyche if he's not speaking English," Abraham interjected. "We need time to discuss things," he took her hand gently and looked deeply into her amber eyes, " . . . alone."
She turned her head and sighed. There was something going on in the north that she could sense almost as fully as her brother, something that Abraham feared and he wanted to speak with her with it at length away from their child. They had managed to keep Leopold away from any of the violence that had forged her father and brother so far; the princess did not want his delicate nature tainted by even the hint of war. The thought had briefly crossed her mind that this was the very thing that Aine', her mother, had done to Nuada in an attempt to keep him from succumbing to the goblins' curse, but these circumstances were certainly not nearly the same for her son. She nodded slowly as Abe put a hand gently on her cheek. She turned back to him, staring into his large eyes as they felt each other's minds for a few moments. She smiled briefly and then turned toward the door. Hearing this, Nuada leapt up toward a nearby ledge close to the ceiling and deftly clung to it, watching the form of his sister gracefully leave the room leading her son by the hand. Leopold did not stop moving, but turned and glanced up at his uncle for a moment before hurrying beside his mother.
The prince swooped down from the ledge and slipped into the library, glancing around as he entered. He had seen this room several times on visits and still could not understand why his sister had remained here instead of joining him in Bethmoora. He looked at the rows of books. This new room was almost an exact replica of the library that had been Abraham's home in Trenton, but larger and with an exit to an observatory at the top of the stairs beyond the quarters where Leopold and Nuala stayed. He had been told that Abraham had taken up the task of watching the skies and listening carefully for signs of races beyond the earth and that, in the process of having the materials to do so, he and Nuala had grown quite accustomed to sitting in the observatory and watching the stars together. The prince himself had watched the moon from time to time, but had never truly found the stars as fascinating as his sister. They served no real purpose, gave no real meaningful light. He felt that the only reason for their creation must have been to dazzle and divert. Perhaps that is what Nuala saw in them and that is exactly why she stayed in the library, why she remained attached to Abraham, why she desired to keep her son among other beings. He shook his head and moved further in, locating Abraham easily. The amphibian had a large stack of books in his arms. They looked quite old and were each at least the size of three large tomes separately. One of them had a symbol similar to the one Titania had drawn, the symbol of his uncle, and the others had odd writings in old Germanic tongues on their covers.
"There is still no word to explain why the symbol troubled her," Abraham announced. Nuada froze and watched him cautiously from a distance. Had the blue-man's senses grown that keen? "No, but I have become used to recognizing the signs of your presence." Nuada stopped moving and thought to himself about how this could have happened. He had made it into the compound many times without others noticing him and that had included Abe from time to time. "True, but you haven't really taken notice of whether or not I've taken notice as of late," Abraham replied aloud. Nuada's eyes widened further in amazement and curiosity. The fish man smirked. "I can hear you breathing, it's very similar to Nuala's, but you have a certain . . . well . . . uncertainty about you and the struggle to suppress it personifies itself in your breath as a subtle quivering."
Anger began to slightly stir in the prince at the thought of another being implying at all that he was limited in any fashion, but especially to have the limitations noted outwardly. Abe opened the cover of the topmost book and quickly flipped to a specific page as Nuada approached him. "I suppose I should only expect your unusual qualities to become attuned to my presence," the prince rationalized aloud. Abe smirked a little, knowing well that this was the royal's attempt to regain personal control of the situation. He set the top book to the side and opened the next, once again to a specific page. "I have come to speak to you about Titania."
"What did I tell you the last time you asked for my help in whatever relationship you plan to pursue with her?" Abe said with a sigh.
Nuada frowned and looked away. "That if I needed assistance dealing with a woman that I had better ask a woman lest said advice blow up in my face and create a far greater mess than before because the two of us are both only men and not very knowledgeable men at that in the ways of the hearts of the fairer sex," Nuada repeated with a heavy tone. "And do not even think about asking the demon for advice, either, as he is even less skilled in tenderness for women."
"Practically verbatim, I'm impressed," Abe commented as he began to study one book and then the other. Nuada opened his mouth to speak. Abe lifted one hand. "I meant it and have meant it every time you have asked. There are a great many things I can share with you or can direct you to in this library and any issues with your beloved will not be solved by consulting pages or friends of a similar mindset to your own."
"I disagree," Nuada said firmly, realizing what Abe was getting at. The amphibian had been adamant that the prince ask either his sister or, Heaven forbid, Liz if situations arose with the need for 'relationship advice' in the future. In truth, Nuada was more frightened of the thought of dealing with his sister than the angry pyro at the moment. "Only one with my mindset can give me the knowledge I need or I would not be able to comprehend it as fully."
"Agreed, your highness, but you are not the one in question when you seek this sort of advice," Abe replied as he stroked one hand over one of the pages and then suddenly reached for a third book, opening to a section closer to its back pages. Nuada drew closer, trying to get a better look at what Abe was reading and also to try and strong-arm his way into getting some sort of knowledge from the creature that had managed to woo his sister. "If you seek advice, then you have not been able to communicate your thoughts to Titania and vice versa. What you need is someone to either tell you how to communicate your thoughts to her, interpret something she has said to you, or to help you better grasp any other messages Titania might have sent to you without words. For that, you will need someone who speaks the language of women and I do not." Nuada contemplated repeating that he disagreed, but in this instance he had to admit that Abe was at least right about needing someone that understood Titania's point of view more fully. He furrowed his brow and thought about approaching her father. "I wouldn't; Dr. Manning is easily unsettled by you as it is and if he thought for a moment that he had the opportunity to sabotage your permanent presence in his daughter's life he would seize it and you would suffer."
"Do you allow others to speak their mind in your presence, or have you become that impatient?" the prince said with irritation. Abe turned and glanced at him.
"You wanted to avoid Nuala; I won't ask why, but that much is painfully clear. She will be back in a few short seconds, so I suggest you get whatever else it is you need to do done quickly and leave before she returns," Abe said with a wave of one hand and a tone of full resignation. He glanced from the first book to the second and then to the third in sequence repeatedly. Nuada turned away and looked at the door. "Perhaps you might have better luck asking Liz if you . . ."
"Do you honestly think she would be interested at all in assisting me?" the prince shot back.
"If it meant Titania being truly happy, yes," Abe replied simply. "And the fact that you have brought her true happiness is, I reiterate, painfully clear."
"This was futile," Nuada huffed indignantly.
"No, it reminded you of the proper procedure in matters similar," Abe said with a shrug. "Your staying put at the moment is futile."
"Very well then, I will go and seek answers elsewhere," Nuada said angrily.
"Then I bid you good day, your highness," Abe said. Nuada looked at him in disdain. Abe frowned and put the book he was holding down onto the table and moved to stand more closely to his brother in law. "Anything you might be facing at the moment preventing love between the two of you is temporary, I assure you."
"I am not convinced," Nuada said firmly before turning and walking toward the door.
"Then that may be part of the problem," Abe muttered and turned back to the books, awaiting Nuala's return.
Nuada deftly opened the doors, managing to move the mammoth doors without a sound. He stepped into the hallway and groaned inwardly at the thought of the only source of information he could consult at the moment. He drew in a deep breath and a sense of resolve, clasped one hand over the ornate sword at his side and placed the other one over his back ceremoniously as he moved forward. He had paid close attention to the layout of the compound at each visit, but had never made any special visits to the appointed governing prince of the Americas and its magical beings, Anung Un Rama, or Red Broom. He still harbored slight resentment toward the only being that had been able to best him so efficiently and its mate. He had found their children quite amusing and had managed to be central focus of both twins when in their presence. He made his way through the winding hallways into the portion of the compound assigned to the demon and his family. Oddly, he couldn't hear Nuala or Leopold nearby. He began moving more slowly and edged his way up to the door, listening. Without a word the door swung open.
"What?" Liz said, one hand on her hip in a manner that told Nuada she had not only sensed his approach but had become angered by it as well. He growled and turned to the side. "Well, what is it?"
"Have I become as clumsy as the rest of the humans by entering? What on earth made you aware of someone outside your door?" He exclaimed, becoming as frustrated with everyone seeming so prepared for him as they were to have him present.
"Possibly," she muttered with a shrug and then held aloft her communicator. "Or it could be that Abe just radioed me to be expecting you and to make sure you didn't run into your better half."
"Then I assume that he explained to you the nature of my visit," he continued.
Liz smirked. "He doesn't have to. If you aren't here to see your sister, then you're here because of Tania," she replied flatly. The prince frowned again. He hated, absolutely hated, things of his realm being so predictable to a human. "Look, she didn't seem like she wanted to kill you or never see you again. You both have some pretty big things happening. Just take some time to talk about things; that always helps."
"I tried to speak with her, you were there," Nuada protested. Before Liz could reply, the two heard a shrill laugh and the door rattled as the twins bounced up against their mother. She grunted and caught Aidan in her arms. Aine' managed to slip past her mother and out in front of the prince. Liz nodded toward the toddler and Nuada interpreted it immediately, though what she wanted was all the more irritating for him. He reached down and caught the half she-demon and held her momentarily. "She will not listen."
"You're going to have to go somewhere neutral or on her terms. She's still making a transition, you know, like a paranormal puberty of sorts. She needs to be able to express herself to you somewhere she feels safe," Liz explained. "Just don't let it go. She may seem like she wants you to leave her alone, but you can't let things go with anyone in her family . . . trust me."
"That is far too simple to be the answer," Nuada countered as Aine laid her head against his chest and tried to cling him. He shifted her, staring at Liz in disbelief. "There must be something more I can do."
"Well, she'll let you know anything else when you two are talking things out," the pyro replied. She turned and set Aidan on the floor with a stern command to stay put before reaching out and taking Aine' from the prince. Nuada looked at her, examining her for a moment with a strange focus. She stared back at him, confusedly. What was it that he was seeing now? He sighed, inwardly coveting the idea that this human presented in home and family. He had spent much of his life as a nomad and warrior, but had longed painfully for what he had briefly enjoyed as a child. Liz recognized the longing in the prince's amber eyes. She had seen it in Red's eyes as well. A slight smile crossed her lips. Suddenly the alarm system overhead began to blare loudly. Liz set Aine' down as her communicator also went off. She answered the call immediately as Nuada stepped back. Her eyes widened and a look of panic crossed her features. "I'll be there in a minute," she said quickly. "I have to get to the infirmary," she said in barely more than a breath. She turned and quickly found what she needed to dress both the twins properly and leave them in the care of the professional that was supposed to be prepared for them to take care of them. Red and Liz had always felt more comfortable leaving the two with Nuala and Abe, but that would not be an option right now. "Something's happened, Red's hurt," she said as Nuada continued to watch her. He straightened at this. "I just need to make sure he's okay."
"I will leave you to that, then," Nuada said. "And I thank you."
"Just . . ." she turned and looked at him, trying to remain calm and focus on one thing at a time past her panic. "Just try to remember that she's not you."
"I will," he said.
With the last two words, the elf disappeared. Liz turned back to the task of gathering up her offspring. She clutched both of them as close to her as possible while radioing the administrator and asking for the sitter to make it to her immediately. She hadn't been given details about what Red had been through, only that they were bringing him straight to the infirmary . . . unconscious. Leopold stepped out from the other room where he had been waiting. Liz knew that it would be a little out of the ordinary to leave the elfling with a human that Nuala didn't know, but she didn't have a choice at the moment. He looked at her with concern, but then quickly took Aine's hand in his. Liz frowned. "Red is . . . not well, he's been hurt. I'm going to make sure he's going to be alright," she explained. "You'll have to stay with someone else for a few moments until your mom and dad are done making some plans." To her surprise, Leopold nodded firmly and squeezed Aine's hand. The boy led his pseudo-cousin to the door and waited patiently for Liz and Aidan. As she finished, she found the presence to take a breath. "Okay, let's go."
(*)
Titania had gone back to the enormous mansion in England after the ordeal in Bethmoora. Her mother had been, yet again, on business. Magnus had found it unusual that the girl didn't even want to speak to Misses Badcrumble about what was troubling her, but didn't voice it. He had watched her go swiftly up the stairs bearing the same wearied expression most teenagers with unrequited love displayed in magazines and television, though with more sincerity. She immediately sat down on the bed and welcomed the warm muzzle of Raavi into her lap. The tiger purred loudly and sat down in front of her, examining her eyes and doing his utmost to comfort her. She sighed and stroked his head affectionately.
"I have no idea what I'm doing among those women, Raavi," she admitted. The tiger grunted and pushed his muzzle more firmly under her hand. She sighed. "Neither does he, if you ask me. He's not sailing with a full crew. How could he think that making that crown would solve anything after everything it's done?" The tiger snorted and licked his mouth, still looking up at her calmly. She frowned and patted his enormous shoulder. "Oh well, he's always done the right thing in the end, right?" At this, Raavi stood up and curled the end of his tail slightly as if to agree. She turned away and walked toward her sound system. There were a few things forbidden while her mother was at home as far as music and they bore no similar pattern. She clicked the system to on and slipped in one of the forbidden discs to a very forbidden track as she sat back down on the bed. Raavi leapt onto the bed and fully put his head in her lap, reclining the rest of his body over the bed as if it was a broad jungle-stone. She smiled and rubbed his head gently. "Maybe he's just afraid," she reasoned. "I'm just not sure what he would be afraid of right now. That thing in the forest was scary, but it has to be something more pressing if it's bothering him this much." Titania pondered this silently before beginning to softly sing along with the tune.
"I've never quite grasped the meaning of this song," Titania heard Nuada's voice announce from somewhere nearby. She turned, blushed, and froze as he began walking toward her. "And what on earth is 'disco stick'?"
Overwhelmed by the ironic humor in the prince's question, Titania giggled slightly and turned away. "Well," she said, trying to think of the best way to put this. She cleared her throat, now remembering her anger and the reason for it. She breathed deeply and crossed her arms. "Suffice to say that you have one."
"Ah, so it is a weapon," he rationalized. She chuckled softly and placed her hand steadily on Raavi's head.
"Not exactly," she replied. The prince waited a moment, giving her an opportunity to make a more expressive statement. She sighed heavily and looked up at him. "What do you need, I mean, why are you here right now? Shouldn't you be at court with all this turmoil?"
"Those issues and duties are easily delegated to those with more time and less weighing on them," he replied smoothly. Titania looked at him in as much confusion as Liz had done when he had waited in the doorway. He reached one hand out to her. "There is much for us to discuss. You have a great deal to say to me and I need to hear it before any further decisions are made."
She froze at his words and then smiled. Yes, this was the prince she had fallen in love with and come to expect. A warmth filled her and she felt more at peace now than in the past few hours. If Nuada was behaving more properly now, then perhaps there was hope for the rest of the world.
