A/N Wow, I'm really missing Marak! I LOVED writing him. I had no idea how hard it would be to write without him... *tear* Okay, now that I've indulged in my self pity... Review Replies!
Somebody - Thank you so so much for your encouragement! You totally get some sort of invisible but valuable prize for being the first one to review chapter 13... oh and for being the only person to review chapter 12... Thanks for sticking with me! Almost done!
Bethy - I know I already replied to your review... but I'm going to thank you again anyway. Sorry it took me a month to write this chapter... I tried, I really did, but I kept deleting everything I wrote. This was a crazy hard chapter to write... I'm hoping it came out right. Thanks again for the review and sticking with me against your better judgement. :-)
Enygami-me - (What does your name mean?) I hope you're still alive! I'm so slow! Thank you a million times for your criticsms... they weren't "duh" at all! Your reviews were such an encouragement to me throughout the writing of this chapter, thank you!
So my plan is to make chapter 15 an epilogue-ish chapter unless there are any loose ends ya'll would like to see tied up. Or just anything you'd like to see happen. (Except Marak miraculously coming back from the dead... I'm sorry, but I'm just not that powerful) I've loved writing this story, and I hate trying to find a stopping point but this it's getting a bit long and I have another story I'm dying to get started on. So... without further ado...
Oh yeah... listen to Sara Grove's It Might be Hope. Oh my word... that song got me through this chapter!
Chapter 14
"Aganir Aeron, King of the Elves, I would speak with you." Aeron's chest tightened at the cold formality in her voice, Natalie stiffened beside him, not bothering to wipe the tears from her cheeks. Aeron inclined his head in agreement. "Of course, but let us continue this discussion indoors, I do you a disservice keeping you out here in the cold."
Jadyn glanced at Beorn, who nodded surreptitiously, then inclined her head in agreement. "Thank you, Elf King." Her voice sounded carefully composed, as if just the slightest nudge would shatter her carefully constructed façade. Beorn, Mason, Faran, and Rivent formed a loose protective circle around Jadyn, Maggie, and Annie as they were led into the cave.
The main room of the cave was large, airy. The walls, ceiling and soft sand under their feet sparkled like crystal. The temperature was perfect, Jadyn thought distractedly as she shrugged out of her heavy cloak, slipping her hat and gloves into the pockets and shaking out her long hair. She followed Aeron to a grouping of benches, he gestured for her to sit, much to the relief of her swollen feet. Beorn, Faran, Annie and Maggie sat beside her as Mason and Rivent stood with the rest of the guard, fanning out behind them.
"I do not wish to take up your time, so I'll be brief." Jadyn took a breath, mentally preparing herself. Be strong, they'll expect strength. "These attacks on my patrols must cease one way or another. As I'm certain a peaceful solution is preferable to you as well, I propose a new treaty."
Aeron felt anger welling up inside him. Is she threatening me? Who does she think she is?! The sympathy and warmth drained from his eyes, replaced with cold superiority."It seems, Goblin King's Wife, that you are mistaken. Your patrols attacked mine."
Jadyn flinched, pain flitting across her face as if she'd been slapped. Maggie took her hand, giving it a sympathetic squeeze. "I am just Jadyn, no longer a King's Wife."
"You will always be a King's Wife, no one can change that."
"What do you mean no one can change that? Your son changed that! Or have you forgotten?" The bitterness in her voice was startling. A low murmur rippled its way through the crowd, the goblins eyed the elves warily, ready for the first sign of attack. Faran grabbed his wife's hand to restrain her, Annie shrugged him off and settled for glaring at the Elf King.
"He was just a boy, Jadyn, he didn't know what he was doing!" Someone, probably Mason, snorted derisively behind them.
"That's right. He was just a boy, an impressionable young boy and you allowed a bitter old goblin hater to raise him!" She shook with barely restrained emotion.
Aeron's face darkened at her accusations. "How could we have known she would--"
"I warned you about her! Marak is dead because of your complacency!" Jadyn yelled, losing control. Maggie glanced sharply at Beorn, concerned.
"How dare you accuse me!" Aeron's obsidian eyes flashed dangerously as he rose, taking a half step forward.
"Now see here you miserable stargazer!" Beorn roared as he leapt in front of Jadyn, hovering protectively, his hand on his hilt. The move sent the already nervous elf guards over the edge, they surged forward, swords whispering as they slithered out of their sheaths.
"No, Beorn!" Jadyn grabbed her Captain's arm as she hauled herself to her feet. "Stand down." Her voice was firm as she faced her guards. Aeron waved his guards back. They eyed the massive goblin warily but sheathed their weapons, stepping back obediently. "My apologies, Elf King." Jadyn's voice was shaky, as she struggled for composure, blinking back tears. "I came here tonight to discuss a treaty, not bring accusations against you concerning my husband's death."
Aeron nodded his agreement. "Then let us discuss the renewal of the treaty. I assume the terms of the previous agreement are acceptable?"
"They are. In addition I would like to see the exchange program instituted these past five years be continued. The results, I think you will agree, were quite remarkable."
"Agreed. However I wish to impose one restriction. None of our young women will participate in the program. What yours do is up to you."
Jadyn's eyes narrowed. He doesn't trust us. "May I inquire as to why not?" Her voice was sharp with annoyance.
"It is unnecessary." He watched her carefully to see the effect his dismissal had on her.
"Unnecessary." She repeated flatly. "Well, we will come back to that later." They discussed the details of the treaty before coming back to the female issue where they argued themselves to a standstill. Why is this so hard? Jadyn thought, wearily. A feeling nagged at her, there was something lacking, something she needed to do. She massaged her temples, her head throbbing with tension. Forgive, Jadyn. She stiffened. I've already done that. She insisted, irritably. Have you really? Jadyn thought of Natalie, all the laughter and fun they'd shared. Of course I've forgiven Natalie. She was my friend. Memories of Aeron joined the silent montage in her mind. She remembered how thankful she'd been for his friendship with Marak. I've forgiven him too. She told herself firmly. And Liam? Her chest tightened. Stupid inner monologue. She swallowed hard against the lump in her throat.
Suddenly, as if her thoughts had conjured him up, a young heartbreakingly handsome boy stepped gracefully into the chamber. Jadyn gasped, it felt as though a knife were being twisted in her heart as she recognized the slight figure. He looked to be ten or eleven though she knew him to be only seven. "Liam." Her strangled whisper drew his gaze, his ebony eyes haunted, older than his years. He stood there, staring at her, the personification of her nightmares.
Natalie shot the goblin guards a fearful look and ran to stand next to her son, half shielding him with her body. A murmur rippled throughout those assembled, angry tones mixed with fearful and incredulous ones.
Aeron stood and gracefully stepped to his son's side, warily eyeing the goblins for any sign they would act on their hostility. Jadyn looked confused as she studied her husband's killer. This trembling boy, his face twisted with remorse did not resemble anything like the angry, vengeful murderer of her dreams. Conflicting images filled her head. Marak playing with Liam as a baby, tossing him in the air and catching him again. The sounds of Liam squealing in delight were replaced with Marak's labored breathing as he lay dying in her arms. The toddler's face changed, growing older, filled with malice instead of joy as he unleashed the killing spell. The scene changed again and Marak was teaching a young Liam how to ride a horse. The boy was understandably scared, Elves did not keep horses, but he bravely leaped into the saddle. He didn't want to disappoint "uncle" Marak. Images of Liam playing with Marak swirled chaotically with images of violence.
Abruptly Jadyn came to a decision. I will forgive him. For the sake of my son, for the future of my people, I will forgive him. She felt the eyes of everyone in the cavern on her as they waited for her reaction. She swallowed back the pain. "You killed my husband." Her voice was much quieter than she intended. The young elf dropped his eyes, his shoulders slumping. "Liam, because of what you've done, my son will never know his father."
Tears slipped down his cheeks as the boy found his eyes drawn to her rounded stomach. "I'm sorry." He whispered miserably. "I didn't know, I was scared. I'm so sorry." His shoulders shook as he cried, looking nothing like a murderer and everything like a scared, heartbroken little boy.
Jadyn knelt in front of him, forcing his gaze to meet hers. "I forgive you, Liam." She pulled the sobbing boy into her arms, pressing her face into his silky ebony hair as she cried with him. "I forgive you." As she cried she felt as if a burden had been lifted, the weight of bitterness she had not realized she'd been carrying.
The guards, both elven and goblin stood uneasily, unsure of whether or not to intervene, as the pair cried. Aeron and Faran waved their respective guards back. Faran was thankful that Jadyn had found some measure of peace. He could see it, the haunted look was gone from her eyes as she gently wiped the boy's tears. Though he did not understand it, and wasn't ready for it himself, he was grateful she had managed to forgive. She had always been a forgiving, merciful creature, he mused as she finished hammering out the details of the treaty with Aeron, first with Natalie's relations and in smaller displays throughout her time underground.
Faran feared her heart had been lost when Marak died, but as he watched her embrace the Elf King's Wife he saw that her heart had not been lost, merely stifled by grief, and that she had emerged stronger than before. He glanced around him, several of the goblin guards were standing with bemused smiles on their faces, watching as Jadyn placed Natalie's hand on her belly, the Elf King's Wife laughing with delight at the strength of the unborn king's kicks. He gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "Jadyn, we should be going now, Brand and Sage are no doubt worried about you."
"Of course, I'm sorry, Faran." He settled the cloak around her shoulders, handing her the gloves and hat.
"Let us know if you need anything." Aeron insisted, hugging her briefly.
"I can't wait to meet you, little one." Natalie cooed, rubbing Jadyn's stomach gently. She pulled her friend into a warm embrace. "I've missed you so much, promise you'll come back to visit."
"I've missed you too." Jadyn squeezed her gently. "We'll be back, someone has to teach Liam how to play Scrabble properly." She teased, pulling her gloves and hat on and following her entourage back outside.
Sage and Brand were indeed worried, Brand was on the verge of instigating a fight when they arrived back at the border. Sage smiled as Jadyn talked briefly with Ebon, her eyes flashing with annoyance at something he said. It seemed his dear friend had faced her demons and emerged victorious.
XXX
"I know you can do it, you old coot." Jadyn urged, grinning as Koal shot her an annoyed look.
"Old coot." He muttered, standing unsteadily. His surgery had gone perfectly, his other wounds had healed and he was now facing the challenge of learning to walk again. The prosthetic he'd been fitted with was infinitely superior to those used by the human medical doctors but it still required a bit of patience. Aida hugged him, beaming when he'd made his way around the track. "I don't think you're old." She murmured stretching up on her tip toes to kiss him. Landon and Jaina groaned theatrically.
"I think you're going to have to prove you're not old, Dad. Race me." Landon winked at Jadyn. "I'll go easy on you, I promise."
"I don't need your generosity, I can take you anytime anywhere." Koal laughed and with Aida's help jogged partway down the track. He made it to the first bend before listing to the side and collapsing in a laughing heap with his wife and son. Jadyn shook her head, laughing at the tangled mess of goblins. Any other man would have been frustrated, but not Koal, his optimism was irrepressible. "Okay, next week I'll take you."
"Sure, Dad, whatever you say." Landon grinned, helping his father up. They started back toward Jaina and Jadyn, moving with a bit more caution this time. They were a few feet from them when Jadyn doubled over, gasping with pain.
"Jadyn!" Jaina's voice was high with worry as she grabbed her arm to steady her. "What's wrong? Is the baby alright?" Landon, Aida, and Koal were at her side in an instant. The worry on their faces making them look almost comical.
Jadyn nodded, straightening carefully. "He's fine. Too fine, apparently. I think he just broke one of my ribs." She winced.
"Goodness, he's a strong one." Amusement eased the worry lines in Aida's face. "Let's get you to the medical wing." Her mother instincts took over as she ushered Jadyn out of the room, throwing a kiss at Koal on her way out.
As it turned out, Jadyn had several broken ribs. The little king was going to be as massive as his father. The healer with avian features had moved up her due date, at the rate he was growing she would run out of room in another month. The healer assured her that the earlier birth date would not present a problem with his development. Humans were so predictably anxious when it came to their offspring, he thought to himself, amused as he watched her vacate the room.
XXX
"I miss him too." The gentle voice pulled Jadyn from her reverie.
Jadyn nodded, reluctantly drawing herself back to the present. She looked away from the sunset over the valley, studying her friend as she sat beside her on the sofa. Maggie, always the perceptive one, was the only person who understood the extent of Jadyn's continued pain. "I thought it would fade in time." She spoke quietly, turning her eyes back toward the deepening colors of the lake overhead. "But it doesn't fade, it just changes." Silence resumed, both women lost in thought, lost in memories as they watched the transformation. The last bit of light faded, leaving them bathed in the soft yellow glow of the sconces in the hallway behind them. "I always feel a little sad when the sun sets even though I know it will be back at the conclusion of the night. It is a constant thing, a surety, even when the nights are long the sun is still sure to rise." Jadyn absently rubbed her belly. "The night is fleeting, isn't it? Almost over." She mused.
Maggie nodded her head in quiet agreement. "Almost over."
XXX
"Almost over!" Annie encouraged as Aida brushed Jadyn's hair back from her face.
The weary woman glared at her. "That's what you said three hours ago." She hissed, her teeth gritted against the pain.
Annie shot an anxious glance at her husband, his face furrowed in concentration as he worked the birthing spells that were keeping Jadyn alive and functional. This baby was much too large for even Jadyn's sturdy frame. He shuddered to think what this would have been like for an Elf woman. Meeting Annie's eyes he nodded. It wouldn't be long now.
Jadyn bit down on her lip hard, drawing blood as her son finally won his fight for admittance into the world. The healers standing by sprang into action, one healing the tears and cartilage damage of the new mother, the other took charge of the infant, cleaning and swaddling him before releasing the child back to his mother. Jadyn gasped as she beheld her son, tears of joy springing to her eyes as she cradled him in her arms, marveling at his size. She and Marak had discussed his probable appearance for five years, debating as to which traits would be brought out.
"A fine heir!" Faran exulted. "He looks like his father."
"Oh, there's quite a bit of Jadyn in him." Annie grinned. "Look at his hair."
The rest of the group crowded around, grinning and pointing out his various features, evenly divided between his father and mother. The child's most stunning feature was his skin. It was dark grey, nearly black with a silver diamond pattern like a diamond python's. Unlike a snake he had no scales, his skin was perfectly smooth over muscles too well defined for a normal newborn. "Snakeskin." Jadyn smiled. "Has there been a Marak named Snakeskin?" She inquired of Faran.
"No, there hasn't. It's a perfect name for him." Faran smiled down at Snakeskin who seemed to be studying the pattern on his arm with great interest.
"He's so self aware." Jadyn observed. Pride and a strange sadness warring inside. He would be no normal baby, he would learn much more rapidly, be more independent. She didn't even want to think about how to handle his magical abilities. She shook her head. There would be plenty of time to worry later, she didn't have the energy for it right now. Snakeskin's eyes flicked up to meet hers and she smiled. She had hoped he would have Marak's eyes, but apparently Marak had hoped he would have hers. The thick lashed almond shaped eyes were mismatched, one a deep sea-green like her right eye, the other almost black like a dog's, like Marak's. His hair, what there was of it, was also a mix of her texture and his color. She absently brushed her fingers through the short silky black curls as she conversed with Faran.
"Snakeskin will need a tutor in a few years." Faran advised. "I can help you with channeling his magic until then, he's sure to be a handful." He ruffled the boy's hair fondly. "We'd better go, let you feed him and rest. I'll send a message to the Elf King's Camp, informing them of the good news." He ushered the onlookers out.
"Hungry?" Jadyn asked, kissing her son's patterned face. Marak's nose. She thought, amused. And my lips, that figures. She sighed, it was a bittersweet moment. Marak should be here, laughing with her over explanations of their son's features. Pondering his future and wondering which of their personality traits would surface in him. Sated, Snakeskin yawned, a long forked tongue curling out of his mouth and drifted to sleep, leaving his mother alone with her thoughts.
XXX
"Snakeskin!" Jadyn admonished the young king who was amusing himself by shooting sparks from his fingers at random objects. The toddler turned and grinned disarmingly at his mother before zapping a lamp, sending it crashing to the ground. "What did I tell you?" Jadyn asked, trying to be stern. Her attempts at discipline proved pretty ineffective, his smile was a copy of his father's. I never could resist that smile on Marak, either. She thought ruefully.
When the child turned his sparks on Bailey, Mason intervened, smoothly inserting himself between Snakeskin and the unsuspecting canine. "Snakeskin, do you remember your mother telling you that you are not to make sparks in the house?" He questioned, his voice patiently stern.
Snakeskin tried out his grin on Mason to no effect. When his tutor raised an eyebrow in warning he conceded defeat and nodded. "I'm sorry, mommy. I will not make sparks in the house anymore." He promised, his perfectly enunciated English at odds with his childish voice.
"It's okay, sweetheart. I love you and I want you to have fun with your magic, but when you make sparks in the house it's destructive." She gestured to the shattered lamp. "And you tried to throw sparks at Bailey, Snakeskin, that hurts her. You would feel bad if you hurt her, wouldn't you?" Jadyn asked she rubbed Bailey's tummy.
"I'm sorry, Bailey." Bailey scooted over to Snakeskin, begging to be petted. Snakeskin obliged, turning to his mom, his eyes serious. "I didn't want to hurt Bailey, I just wanted to wake her up, she's always sleeping. Why doesn't she like to play with me?"
"Bailey's getting old, Snakeskin, see all the white around her face?" Jadyn explained gently.
"Is she going to die soon?"
"Maybe. We don't know when, but dogs don't live very many years."
"I'm going to miss her." The little boy sighed, kissing the furry face.
"Me too." Jadyn hugged him, smoothing his wild hair.
"Did Daddy die because he got old like Bailey?"
Jadyn started, his question catching her off guard. How do I explain to my three-year-old that his father was murdered? "No, your father wasn't old." She shot a helpless glance at Mason. "What happened to your father was an--" Accident? Tragedy? She was at a loss.
"It was a mistake." Mason's smooth voice saved her once again. "There was an old elf that was very angry with your father and she told lies about him to Liam. Liam loved your father very much but as he grew older he was confused by the things the old elf told him. The elf tried to hurt your mother so your father was forced to kill her. Liam was so confused that he reacted without thinking and killed your father with his magic. He was only a few years older than you are so he didn't really know what he was doing, I think he was just trying to protect himself. He was very upset but he couldn't bring your father back even though he was sorry."
Mason paused, gauging the child's reaction. "That is why we have to be very careful with our magic, Snakeskin." He worked a healing spell on the lamp, the pieces trembled a moment then pushed themselves back together. "We can fix a lamp if we break it on accident, but people and animals can't always be put back together. Liam is a little bit like the lamp was. He's broken because of the regret he will always carry in his heart, but it won't ever be fixed."
He glanced at Jadyn, her face pained. "Your mom is broken a little bit too." Mason said gently, taking her hand and squeezing it. "She got better after she forgave Liam and you were born, but she won't ever be whole again either." His chest constricted as he watched her tears overflow, spilling silently down her cheek.
Snakeskin's face crumpled. He pressed his patterned cheek to his mother's flawless one, their tears mixing. Mason put his arms around them both, his own grief pushed down as he comforted them. After a time, Snakeskin drew back, wiping his tears and composing himself. When he spoke, his voice was older somehow, wiser. Mason felt a stab of pride. "You must teach me defense spells, Mason, my mother needs me to protect her."
Mason stifled Jadyn's protest before she could open her mouth. He stared down at the king's eyes. Snakeskin was no longer simply a child, he had realized his responsibility to the kingdom and accepted it with a grace that made Mason's heart ache. So young to be bearing the weight of the kingdom on his shoulders yet so ready at the same time. I would have wished for a few more years of childhood, but perhaps it is better this way. With a sigh, Mason shed his nanny persona, picking up the mantle of tutor, confidante, friend. "Very well, my King, your training begins tomorrow morning."
XXX
Hearing the sound of her son's voice, Jadyn set down the curry comb and stepped away from her horse to look out the stable windows, the sight before her took her breath away. Snakeskin had shouted a greeting to Liam who was riding up the path. Liam slipped from the saddle, offering his hand to Snakeskin who took it, drawing the older boy into an embrace, slapping his back like the dearest of friends. Jadyn closed her eyes, overwhelmed. She had not known, years ago when she forced herself to forgive Liam, that this would be the result. She leaned against the wall, awe sweeping over her at the thought that she, a mere human caught in the middle of two kingdoms, was chosen to be an instrument of peace. She was created to love Marak, but she was destined to forgive Liam.
"What are you staring at?" Aida asked softly as she joined Jadyn at the window.
Jadyn's voice was a whisper as she regarded her friend. "Hope." She said simply. Hope