Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood or Doctor Who, I do own all original Elves.

Beta: The amazing royalladyemma

Written for the Long Live Ianto Big Bang Round 1

Chapter 14

In the Royal gardens…

Tightening her shawl around her shoulders, Rhiannon gazed worriedly up at the moon. Something had Idhrenniel and Calathiel very worried and that made everyone else worry as well. Rhiannon had a horrible feeling that it had something to do with her brother. "Please keep Ianto safe, wherever he is," Rhiannon prayed quietly. The air suddenly grew much cooler and she decided to cut her nightly walk short.

"Rhiannon, is that you?" A soft female voice whispered from the shadows as a figure dressed in a royal blue cloak stepped into the moonlight

"Martha? What are you doing here?" Rhiannon was surprised to see the young Princess; she hadn't heard that Martha was visiting. In fact, there hadn't been any contact between the royal households since Ianto crossed the barrier.

Lowering her hood, Martha gaze Rhiannon a sheepish look. "This is going to sound crazy but I've been having dreams of a man who's not really a man." She realised how odd that sounded and chuckled nervously. "I mean, he's a man, but he's different! He has the most wonderful and amazing adventures; he's seen things of the worst hideous nightmares and the most beautiful dreams. But he's so lonely, Rhiannon; his hearts cry out for someone to share all those things with him, someone to travel with him, someone to love him." As Martha spoke her voice was filled with wonder and sadness and there was a light in her eyes that Rhiannon hadn't seen when Martha had talked about Ianto.

"You've been dreaming of your lifemate?" Rhiannon was thrilled for her old friend.

A beaming smile lit up Martha's whole face. "I think he is and if the dreams are right, he's coming here." She shifted nervously when she heard a rustling in the shrubbery, and then heaved a deep sigh of relief when a large battle-scarred ginger cat stalked past them.

Rhiannon's sharp eyes didn't miss Martha peculiar behaviour and with a deep frown the older female crossed her arms and glared at her friend. "Do your mother and Manwathiel know that you are here? Or did you sneak out?"

"I may have mentioned visiting you soon, I just didn't tell them how soon." Martha offered up her explanation with a weak, guilty smile.

A un-lady-like groan escaped Rhiannon's lips. "Come on, we better inform my fathers so they can send word to your mother before she starts tearing apart the kingdoms looking for you." Rhiannon snagged Martha by the arm and dragged her into the castle, stopping just long enough to instruct the guards to alert Manwathiel, or 'call her Kathy' like Martha suggested brightly.

In the King's private chambers…

Watching his beloved suffering in silence was breaking Calanon's heart. Calanon was greatly missing his son but Nostalion seemed to be blaming himself personally for Ianto's disappearance. He was under the belief that Ianto had left them without word because of the arranged marriage between him and Martha. Nostalion was convinced that because he put the welfare of the kingdom ahead of his only son's happiness, that he had driven Ianto away and straight into the arms of who knew what kind of danger. Nothing anyone said could change the High King's mind.

It didn't help that a sense of foreboding seemed to fill the air and a dark brooding sky only intensified the feeling. The halls of the palace were too quiet, the servants and guards were all hurrying around like silent mice. Even the gardens, normally bursting with life, were hushed; there were no birds chirping in the trees or bees buzzing amongst the flowers. It was as if the entire kingdom was holding its breath, waiting to see what was going to happen.

Calanon wished with all his heart that there was something he could do to relieve his husband's guilt. He opened his mouth to say something only to be cut off by three things happening simultaneously. First of all, the calm of their room was shattered by the arrival of their daughter Rhiannon bursting through their chamber doors and dragging Martha behind her.

Before either king could find out what Martha was doing, Idhrenniel and Calathiel shoved their way through the closing chamber doors their bodies rigid with tension.

Finally and what caused the most stir in the room and had everyone stopping what they were doing to turn and stare in shock was the most unusual noise filling the air as a very strange blue box faded in and out.

Always the seasoned warriors, Calanon and Nostalion immediately armed themselves with their swords as they moved protectively in front of the females. It did not escape anyone's notice or surprise them at all when Rhiannon and Martha both pulled out the small daggers they always carried with them for protection. Only Idhrenniel and Calathiel remained unarmed; in fact, they almost looked relaxed.

Sadness tinged Idhrenniel's voice and she stepped between the strange box and the swords points. "They are not enemies, my Kings, they are friends. But I fear they bring bad news about Prince Ianto."

Nostalion and Calanon felt fear seize their hearts in a vice grip. Their swords lowered as their hands sought each other's in comfort and they stepped closer to one another, their shoulders touching.

The doors on the TARDIS slowly opened and the Doctor, without worry or fear of where or what they might have landed in, bounced out of his ship and a winning smile graced his face as he noticed all the Elves staring at him. "Brilliant! The old girl got us where we need to be." The Doctor felt excitement fill him; it had been so long since he'd been in the land of Elves.

Jack was the next one to exit the TARDIS; he wanted to make sure it was safe for his mortal team-mates. Jack halted in shock and he could hardly breathe as he came face-to-face with someone he believed had been robbed from him far too early.

"Estelle?" Jack wasn't the only person in the room to hear the quaver in his voice; he had lived for so long with the belief that his dear friend and one time lover had died at the hands of the fairies. They had never found her body; given the destruction the fairies had rained down on Estelle's house hadn't been much hope of recovering her remains.

Calathiel, or Estelle as she was once known in the human world, smiled at her one-time love. "Hello, Jack, it's good to see you again."

Jack engulfed Estelle in a huge bear hug, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around. "It's so good to see you again! But could you please tell me why there are two of you?"

A gentle smile graced Calathiel face as she pulled out of Jack's arms and turned her gaze to her sister. "That would be my dear sister, Idhrenniel, she'll be thrilled to meet you."

Even though a clever story about a ménage a tois with twins sprang to mind, Jack could only stare at the woman he once loved. "But… how?" he whispered as he reached out and tenderly touched Estelle's cheek, not quite able to believe that she was still alive.

Estelle smiled gently at Jack as she leaned into his touch. "The Mara are friends of the Elves and of mine; they could never truly bring any harm to me. I knew if I just up and disappeared you would go to the ends of the Earth looking for me. You would be so involved in your search that you would risk missing out on meeting Ianto. I knew even then that your true future lay with him, so I talked to the fairies and they agree to help fake my death."

Jack was having trouble wrapping his head around what Estelle was telling him. "But you aged like a mortal! I thought Elves were immortal?" Fear gripped Jack's heart; could he still lose Ianto to death?

"I gave up my immortality to stay in man's world, waiting for you, Jack. Even though you were not mine, I wanted to be in your life even if that meant I was just a friend," Estelle admitted. "Idhrenniel gave up part of her immortality to me when I came home; we have shorter lives now but we'll still be around for a long time to come. I'm just happy to know that you have at last found the love and happiness that you've longed for."

She squeezed Jack's hand. "I wish we could have been present for yours and Ianto's bonding ceremony. We all know it's normal for the betrothal to last a year but given how important your relationship is for the future of both the Elves and mankind, it was understandable that with your own customs that you wouldn't have a traditional Elf wedding ceremony." Estelle told Jack in a wistful tone.

Jack looked a tad uncomfortable and it didn't help that the dark eyes of the two male Elves were glaring daggers at him. Having dealt with enough parents over the course of his long life, Jack recognised the gleam in their eyes. Even a blind man would have seen that Nostalion was wondering if he could run Jack through with his sword before anyone could stop him.

"It would all be honky-dory if Jack had actually claimed his mate before psycho Elf got his hands on Ianto." Owen added 'helpfully'. He and the others, figuring that since they hadn't heard any sounds of fighting nor had Jack and the Doctor yelled at them to run, it was safe to come out. They fanned out behind Jack, their fierce support for their leader plain on their faces.

"You idiot!" That was the only warning Jack had before Idhrenniel brought her staff down hard over his head with a resounding crack.

His team, minus Tosh, the Doctor, Andy and Rhys, all laughed loudly as Jack rubbed his head and whined, "What was that for?"

"You fool!" Idhrenniel glared at the pouting immortal and she raised her staff again. "I sent Ianto to you early so you could claim him as yours! Now Ortherion still has the chance to take Ianto as his lifemate and then all will be lost!"

"My son is in the hands of that monster?" Nostalion roared. "Prepare my troops! We will rescue my son before daybreak." He gave the order to Andy who immediately turned to do as instructed.

"No! A war with Ortherion is not a wise move. We have all we need here to rescue Prince Ianto." Idhrenniel declared.

All eyes flew to the Ekahua. "Well, don't keep us in suspense, woman! What is your plan?" Calanon nearly shouted at her; all he could think about was that he wanted his son home safely.

"While Jack and Ianto may not be lifemates yet, Jack still has a claim on Ianto. I sense it deep within him, the primal animal demanding to be free to find his mate." Idhrenniel spoke to them all but her gaze was focused on Jack. "You are not of Elf kind nor are you completely human. What are the customs of your people if another tries to take your mate by force?"

Jack's blue eyes widened and his lips curled into a dangerous but proud smile. "Ortherion must face me in a one-on-one duel; the winner will then have the honour of courting Ianto."

Martha caught on quickly. "Kathy has told me that while Ortherion may be a cruel and heartless Elf he does value one thing above all others and that is his honour, which will not allow him to turn down Jack's challenge."

Blinking owlishly, both Nostalion and Calanon asked as one, "Kathy?"

A light blush tinged Martha's cheeks. "Aah, that would be Manwathiel's human name. Ianto told me one day and it just stuck." Her blush only grew as the handsome man in the long coat and strange shoes slipped off his eyeglasses and then winked at her.

Nostalion stroked his chin as he stared right into Jack's soul; it took all the immortal's self-control not to fidget under his intense gaze. "Jack, as High King I can not order you to fight Ortherion for Ianto, I do not have that power over you. But I can plead with you as a father who would give his life for his child if you would please save my son." Nostalion voice cracked at the end and he leaned heavily upon his husband, not caring one whit that his subjects and visitors were seeing him at his most vulnerable.

"You don't need to ask me to do anything, Your Highness. I would die a thousands times if it meant saving the life of the man I love. I will fight Ortherion and I will win." Jack vowed. "I will bring Ianto home to you."

Tosh chewed her lower lip; she didn't want to smash Jack and Ianto's family's hopes but she had to ask. "What will stop Ortherion from claiming Ianto tonight?" she asked softly.

Estelle smiled gentle at Tosh. "To force an unwilling Elf into marriage is not something so easily done, it takes a powerful spell and very dark magic to remove the Elf's free will. Ianto is exceptionally strong-willed; it won't be easy for Ortherion to break him. Ortherion will need a few days to prepare the spell and to strengthen himself." Her smile was almost cruel. "The type of magic he will be attempting to use will drain him of almost all his life force if he is not careful." Estelle explained.

Idhrenniel nodded in agreement. "Ortherion believes himself to be invincible and I don't think that he will worry about conserving his energies. Nor will he be expecting Jack to cross through the barrier and be here so soon. This will work to out advantage."

Hope filled Jack as the others began to plan the rescue of his beloved Ianto. 'I'm coming for you, Ianto, just hang on, my love.'

TBC…