(((Huge thanks to Reinmarie for providing music that has helped create these chapters and keep the dialogue as close to the characters in the film as possible. Check out 'Sanctuary For A Lost Prince' if you get the chance. After the end of the next chapter, the story will hopefully conclude happily. Let's continue . . .))))
Chapter 36
Titania could barely remember what had happened over the past few hours. She groaned and clutched her head as she began to awaken. She was lying on a cold, hard surface and the air around her seemed very damp and very cool as well. She drew in a deep breath, recognizing the scent of stone and moss. She found that it was too dark to see anything for the moment, but she could hear sounds of scraping, banging, and talking some distance away and possibly overhead. This was most certainly not the Troll Market and Prince Nuada was definitely not nearby.
"Well, hello there, little girl," a gruff, but enthusiastic brogue said into the darkness. Titania jumped and continued to uselessly look around. Her heart began racing as she heard a scraping and squeaking sound moving closer to her. "I see you've made it through the night without any harm. Jareth moved very quickly to bring you here."
"Jareth," she muttered. Her mind spun furiously until a single thought began to fizzle with realization. "The Goblin King? I'm back in England?"
"Oh, don't be getting too excited, now. You've had quite an ordeal just like the rest of us, though you weren't awake for it. You'll need to rest as much as you can until the prince returns and the battle ensues." The voice was right next to her, now. She breathed heavily and tried to stand. She felt a cold, hardened hand clasp around her wrist and try to keep her in place. "Stay there, lassie, there will be time to do everything we need soon enough."
"Who are you? Where am I? I can't see anything!" Titania exclaimed. She pulled her wrist free of the creature speaking to her. She heard a faint set of footsteps nearby and a strange hiss. The room suddenly filled with bright, orange light. Titania raised her arm to shield her eyes as they adjusted to the light. As she lowered her arm, she realized that not only had she adjusted to the light, the light itself had dimmed. She gasped at the sight of the two creatures now standing near her. One of them, she almost recognized. "Jareth."
"Better?" he asked as he moved his hand away from a section of the wet, stone wall now glistening with a single lit torch. "We must not keep many fires burning until we are more ready to face Oberon. I am glad that I decided to rise and regroup when we did. There's no telling what he would have done to you. The prince must be in a bad way for you to have been captured like this."
Titania scooted backwards away from the other goblin standing near her. The creature wasn't so much standing as sitting with his severed trunk set on a small cart. His grey-green skin was nearly as hard as the stone around them and his horns and ears were as large as his king's and less splendidly decorated. Jareth grinned and walked slowly towards her. Titania scooted backwards, unable to tell whether the goblin lord's smile was in simple amusement or in wicked scheming. He had been, after all, wanting to hand her over to Oberon only a few days ago. Prince Nuada would not be able to defend her now if the goblin still wanted to bow to the dark king's wishes. She backed into a wall, reaching behind her to steady herself as she stood. Jareth stopped and stared at the girl inquisitively as she raised her hands clasped as fists.
"Stay back," she warned in as calm a tone as she could manage. "I can defend myself."
"I have no doubt about that, little girl," Jareth laughed. He narrowed his eyes as the tips of his teeth glistened from beneath the edge of his lip. "But how well you can defend yourself is up for debate. Not that we should discuss that at the moment, there are more pressing matters at hand. We must be as silent and unseen as we can for the next day or so. The prince promised a return within a fortnight, and it grows close to being exactly a fortnight since his, well, your departure."
"We can't wait for him; he's been wounded!" she cried. Jareth smiled more brightly as the girl lifted both hands in exasperation. "We have to get back to the market to help him!"
Jareth laughed loudly and pulled a rapier from his belt. Titania stared at him in confusion for a moment, then glanced down at the blade. The goblin quieted his laughter and motioned for the smithy to leave the small room. As the smith scooted the squeaky cart carrying his extremities from the room, Jareth turned back to Titania and beamed.
"You have such ambition, so like him," the goblin lord remarked with amusement. "But you underestimate the prince's ability to heal and defend. He will not have waited in the market after receiving news of your relocation. He will be on his way as soon as he has gathered a small band of guards and not a moment later. In the meantime," he said smoothly as he moved the hilt of the blade more closely to her, " . . . you will need to learn to use one of these." Titania accepted the hilt cautiously. She gripped it as Jareth removed his hand and stepped backwards. The girl looked slightly confused by the blade, but otherwise simply appeared to be awaiting instruction. Jareth grinned and clapped once. The girl looked up at him as he gestured towards the doorway. "Come, I will be better able to teach you elsewhere."
"Prince Nuada said that you were a treacherous, tasteless, degenerate, but he had no problem accepting you as the commander of his armies," she said softly as she held to the blade and moved carefully out of the room beside him. Jareth scoffed at the words and continued walking without comment. Titania looked away. "Why do you worry about serving him, now? If you were enemies in the past, why try to serve someone from a realm of light instead of Oberon?"
"The goblins fought alongside the elves in the great war with man, we lived peacefully side by side before man's conflict began," he said with a tone of sadness. "We were not enemies, but I am sure that the queen was not cordial in her speech of me when I left the court."
"Why did you leave the court if you weren't an enemy?" Titania continued. Jareth frowned fully and let out a deep sigh.
"I acted on behalf of Oberon for many years, I had sworn an oath after a foolish loss to him," the goblin explained as they moved through dark, and winding hallways that were beneath the cold, stone earth. "I owe the royal family much in the way of penance; I owe Prince Nuada his life."
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"What in God's name is going on!?" Manning demanded as he rounded the corner before the others. Abe instinctively placed a hand over Nuala and stood away from the man behind the wall. Liz and Red moved past, staring in awe at the sight of Jenna and the elf prince leaning on her for strength. "Get him back in his cell right now!"
"Dr. Manning, he was not in a containment cell when I got him; he was being subjected to . . ." Jenna began defensively.
"I don't care where you got him from, put him back in the containment centre right now!" the man shouted. He placed a hand over his chest and panted heavily. The effects of the last dose of sedatives were wearing off and he was not focused on taking more at the moment. Jenna frowned at him. "Wait a minute," he panted.
"Dr. Manning, did you authorize any medical testing today?" Jenna asked angrily. The man frowned and shook his head as he caught his breath. "Then you need to go and clear up a misunderstanding in the surgical area and with Dr. Welf."
"Where is my daughter?" Manning said softly, finding the stress and fear were pushed aside easily when in the presence of one that could tell him exactly where his child was. Nuada stared at the man in disbelief. This was her father? She looked little like him and less like her mother. He continued looking the man over silently as Manning stood upright and clenched both hands into fists. Red noted this and smirked while Liz glared hatefully at the prince. "Where is she?"
Nuada considered explaining things here and now, but remembered the words on Oberon's parchment. As little as the elf feared the dark king, he did fear for Titania and knew that he would not bluff or make empty threats. The girl's life was dependant on the elf remaining silent in front of her father. He would need to speak to the demon alone. Nuala felt her brother's presence not far from the group and placed a hand over Abe's. The man looked down at his wife as she breathed deeply and strained to look past the corner into the rest of the hallway. Abe took her hand and gently led her to stand beside him behind Liz and Red who still stood firmly behind Manning. Neither brother nor sister could clearly see the other for the moment. The prince breathed deeply and tried to convey a look of regret to the man. Surely a parent who had raised such an attentive and observant child would have the ability to grasp a silent message. Manning glared back at the elf past the look of sincere sorrow.
"Where is Titania?! Where!?" Manning shouted. He started forward. Jenna frowned and carefully took a position in front of the elf as Manning advanced toward them. Nuada felt another wave of nausea overtake him. He groaned and leaned against the wall more than Jenna as she placed a hand out to keep Manning from coming to close. The agent's voice was more loud than any of the others had ever heard in the past."You tell me where she is, right now!"
"Dr. Manning, I think he might be a little physically unstable. He hasn't fully recovered from the incident that gave him the wounds they discovered earlier, whatever that was, and then to be met with such cruelty," Jenna reasoned. "He says he needs to speak to Agent Hellboy, but I think he might need some down time before then."
Nuada wanted to argue with the woman, but was firstly too tired to do so and secondly not going to say anything in front of Manning even if it wasn't directed at him. It wasn't worth risking Titania's life to simply say 'no'. Instead, he reached forward and gripped Jenna's shoulder. She turned and stared at him in confusion as he drew in a deep breath and stood more fully. The prince lifted his eyes and stared past the woman, Manning, and anything else directly into the demon's. Red frowned and stared back in confusion. What was the prince getting at? He had spoken to Jenna, he must have. Why would he clam up so suddenly?
"He doesn't seem like he wants to chat right now," Liz remarked, trying to get the prince to meet her own hateful gaze. "Maybe we should let Dr. Krauss intervene."
"No one is leaving or doing anything else until I find out where Titania is! So help me, if I don't know in five minutes where she is, I am going to bludgeon him into a new threshold of pain," Manning exclaimed. The group turned at stared at him in disbelief. He had never been so audibly firm or violent. A familiar series of beeps and chirps interrupted Manning's threats and confidence. He fumbled for his cellular phone and pulled it to his ear. "What?" he snapped. The group remained almost totally silent as the man frowned, snarled, and grasped the phone more angrily. "Fine, I'll meet her at the entrance to the compound and try to get her somewhere out of the way." Manning clicked the phone back into its off position and then waved it menacingly at Nuada. "Are you happy now? My wife, ex-wife, EX-wife is hysterical and now I-I-I have to go and make sure she doesn't breach security. I'll be back. I'm getting her to my apartment and then I'm coming back for you."
"While Dr. Manning is handling the situation with the former Misses Manning, Agent Hellboy you come with me and then you and the prince can . . ." Jenna began firmly.
"Oh, no you don't!" Manning interjected angrily. Jenna gave him a stern look of reproach. He was over the entire team, but he knew that Jenna was more knowledgeable in these matters. It only made sense that the prince wouldn't talk to the father of the girl that he had been accused of kidnapping. She sighed heavily and turned away, continuing to keep a comforting hold on the elf. Manning pointed toward Jenna, Nuada, and then Red in turn. "He goes back to the containment area, no one speaks to him until I am done! Am I clear!?"
"Whatever," Red muttered, not intending at all to allow a perfect opportunity like Manning being absent to go by without trying to pry a confession or some form of information from the elf. Manning stared harshly at the demon for a moment until he was satisfied that the agent wouldn't try to do anything in his absence. Hope sprang eternal in the mind of the man despite being proven time and time again the demon was not going to be controlled or ordered about by anyone now that his father was out of the picture. This had served to be a source of constant stress for Manning that was able to surface now more than ever in the kidnapping of Titania. Red was glad that the prince would be available for Manning instead of the man turning on the agents.
"Good," Manning said. He straightened his jacket and tie while drawing in a very deep breath. Nuada could clearly see the desperation the man was trying to mask, the internal anguish this human was experiencing at the realization he had not been able to protect his only child and that she was now directly in harm's way because of his work. In the state of weakness the prince now found himself in once more, he felt a modicum of the natural compassion that was part of Nuala's daily existence. He felt an ache within him, the novel emotion of guilt, for the creature. He had to say something, a small token to comfort the man or at least allow him a release.
"I am so sorry," the prince whispered.
Manning froze and turned slowly towards the prince. The looks on the faces of the other waiting operatives changed from confused to concerned. Had Nuada truly thought about the way his words would have been taken, he would have chosen more wisely. Manning stared at the being in horror. He knew well that creatures like Nuada were capable of just about anything and that Titania would have been essentially defenseless. Had the prince killed her already? No, he thought, he wouldn't dare show up here if there was a chance of being caught as a murderer. Kidnapper, yes, murderer, no. Still, it did strike a most unpleasant chord in the man's heart and mind. Without a word, Manning simply turned away from the prince and drew one hand to his chest. Nuada frowned, aware that he had not accomplished anything close to what he had wanted. Manning waited only a fraction of a second before whirling around and hurling a right hook past Jenna's face. It was clear to Nuada that he was going to need to be more alert no matter what while in this compound given the apparent need for every being within to strike at an enemy's face at emotional upsets. He slunk back to the floor unconscious once more as Nuala pushed past Abraham and the others to try and see to her brother. Manning turned and glared at her as Abe reached out and caught her by the arm, preventing her from moving any closer to the three in the hallway.
"Get him to a containment cell, now," Manning ordered in a low tone. He stared harshly at Nuala as he moved past the rest and headed toward the compound's main entrance. "And keep her away from him."
Nuala put a hand over her mouth in shock and sadness. Why wouldn't they simply allow her to speak with her brother? If anyone could reason with him it would be her. She had acted solely out of fright and instinct when striking him earlier and he would most surely not be trusting of anyone after being treated so poorly. He needed her. She looked up at Abe for some kind of agreement, but her husband merely stared at the form of the prince as Jenna radioed for two assistants. The elf was behaving very strangely by comparison to the creature he had displayed when they had first met. There was something else going on. He turned to Red who continued to watch as well. The demon would have to be the one to speak with him now. Giving the prince what he wanted, within reason, was the only way to accomplish something in this instance.
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Nuada felt as if he had received a day's rest upon awakening. Aside from the headache that was throbbing in his temples, he felt fully rested and there was no longer any pain or nausea. He must have slept for some time. Panic began to fill him. He had been given three days to return to England and he had already been through two of them. He was running out of time quickly. He looked carefully at his new surroundings. The room he now found himself in was tiny, brightly lit, and stark white. A small mat lay in the corner, but nothing more. There were no windows, no fixtures, nothing. He felt a panic welling within him. This was something meant to restrain, to imprison. He looked from side to side as he stood, breathing heavily. The human, Jenna, was nowhere nearby and he had remembered hearing that Titania's father was going to be leaving the facility for a short time. He no longer had to worry about the man hearing him and Oberon acting on the warning. He had to get the others to listen to him, Titania still needed their help. He walked over to the door of the room, trembling with fear, anger, and desperation all at once. He placed both hands on the door and began speaking loudly. "Nuala? Abraham? Please let me speak to you! Please!" he began begging. "It is a matter of life and death! Please answer me!"
From the set of television monitors, the group watched as the prince leaned his back against the door and began panting heavily.
"Please . . . please hear me," he said more softly. Nuala recognized the look forming in her brother's eyes as that of a caged animal, sensing something horrible about to take place. He gripped his head for a moment, trying to regain some part of his composure. Nuala felt her heart begin to ache terribly for her brother. He was not meant to be contained like this, none of them were. He whirled around and slammed both hands against the door. "Let me out! Let me out! I need your help! It is urgent! Release me out at once!" Abe felt a similar discomfort for the prince's condition forming within him. It was almost painful to watch the elf pause for a moment and look desperately at every angle of the room for guidance. "Sister! Sister, please speak to me! I need you, I need your help! Please, please speak to me!"
She turned to the others. "What if he is being truthful? What if he does earnestly need our help?" she said uncomfortably. Red looked at her angrily. "He has been reborn, perhaps he is not the creature he once was."
"He still looks pretty violent to me," Red muttered. On the screen, the prince was now slamming two fists into the door at full force, nearly causing the facing to buckle. Liz winced at every collision the elf's hands made with the metal. That could not have felt good to him. "Let him cool down a little before anyone does anything."
"He's not calming down at all, Red," Abe interjected. The prince now screamed loudly, building hostility in desperation with each breath. "He's getting worse."
"Let me out! Speak to me!" he continued shouting, no longer making requests.
Nuala frowned, the ache increasing at seeing her brother going into a frenzy. She turned to the others. "This is torture for him," she said pitifully. "Do something before he harms himself or someone else." Liz nodded and pressed a single button on the control panel. Jenna might have been able to spare the prince from Welf's whims, but he couldn't escape basic measures taken to contain a prisoner, even if that meant the use of force.
The prince stepped away from the door and turned around twice before beginning to shout again. "Anung un Rama! Anung un Rama! Speak to me, demon! I need your help!" he screamed. Red cocked his head for a sideways glance at the monitor. The elf looked genuinely panicked now, as if his entire home were about to be burned down in front of him right before his execution. The demon thought for a moment, taking in the anxiousness of the princess and his best friend as well. A moment later, two large agents in white entered the room and took hold of the prince, pinning him against the wall. Nuala gasped. Abe placed a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her that they were not going to harm her brother. "No! No, please! No! Please listen to me!" he continued shrieking. "This is madness, madness I tell you! You send an innocent to her death and thousands more into utter destruction with your silence! I need your help, all of you!"
The demon stared more closely at the screen. The royal could not have been faking this. His struggle might have been more effective had he not been battered upon entering the compound, but at the moment he was entirely unable to do more than plead for mercy as the agents injected a heavy dose of a sedative into his shoulder. Nuala turned away, breathing as heavily as her brother. She looked at Abraham, distressed.
"My brother did not try to attack me," she repeated. "He is not here to do any harm."
"Then why would he just show up here after taking Tania, tell Finkelstein that he wanted to talk, get silent, and now he wants out to talk again?" Red asked, still scanning the screen for an answer. The agents carefully placed the subdued elf on the mat and quickly left the room. "What does he need from us?"
"You do not understand," the royal groaned, fighting off the drug with every ounce of strength left by the fit. The group leaned forward, all listening in anticipation. "Titania needs us," he said sadly. He had replenished enough from the wounds, but he was still quite at the mercy of the team. If he could not get them to listen to him, all would be lost.
"He's pretty subdued, can't you get into his head and see anything?" Red asked glancing at the princess with slight irritation. "If we knew something, if we had a reason to go in there . . ."
"I will see what I can discern from him," Nuala offered immediately. The princess softly closed her eyes and raised one hand into the air towards the screen, focusing every conscious cell in her body on her brother's thoughts and feelings. Her eyes widened and she gasped, recoiling her hand. The group perked up as she pulled her hand back, covering her mouth with it. "Oh, dear."
"What? What is it?" Red demanded. Liz frowned and stared back at the screens, not wanting to let the elf out of her sight even vicariously. "What did you see?"
"Well, he has not harmed Titania and she is no longer with him. Her location is guarded in his mind and heart, I cannot see it," she explained. "He does still wish to . . . well . . . he wishes to speak with you, but he also wishes to kill you."
"What?" Red narrowed his eyes at the princess in confusion. "He wants to talk and fight? That doesn't make any sense even for him."
Liz glared at the screen and silently left the room. Red watched the pyrokinetic depart with apprehension. She had felt more strongly about doing away with the prince than anyone. This might have been from nearly being widowed, but it had stayed very strong within her since being forced to face the Golden Army. He sighed and turned back to the she-elf and his best friend. Liz would be emotional no matter what for the time being and there would be no avoiding it. Abe turned to the screen, his eyes blinking and quivering in concern.
"Oh, dear," he muttered. Red frowned as his friend gestured towards the screen. Red groaned in agitation.
"Aw, crap, what now?" he muttered. The three left in the room watched the figure of the pyrokinetic enter the prince's cell, turn towards the camera, and throw a small flame at it. As the feed warped and faded away, the demon rose and headed for the door. "He really has picked the wrong time to piss her off."
"Is there a right time?" Abe asked genuinely. Red shot him a look as he left the room. They would have a few minutes to take the woman out of the cell before Abe would be treating his wife for burns.
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Liz turned and placed a hand over the door frame, allowing flame to burn brightly from her fingers as she traced the outline. In a few short moments, the door had been effectively sealed shut with a melted barrier of metal. Satisfied with her work, she turned and faced the form of the elf lying still and unresponsive.
"I know you can hear me," she said in a low tone. She moved toward the elf slowly, glaring at him with anger nearly beyond her control. "You want to kill Red? You want to destroy my world?"
"I want to be free," the elf muttered thoughtlessly. The pyro's face twisted more furiously as she reached down and seized him by the shoulders. She wasn't going to bring him to standing, but she was going to get a good hold on him. She clasped her fists tightly around his shoulders and pulled him upright, kneeling slamming the uppermost portion of him into the wall with a grunt. His eyes fluttered open for a moment, spinning as he drew in a sharp breath. "And I want the beatings to cease."
"The beatings will continue until morale is improved; my morale. You got that? Now let's just agree to hate each other and move on. Everyone just wants to know where Titania is, then you can go," she said giving a half truth without remorse. He groaned and tried to open his eyes. This was the demon's mate, he could recognize that much. What had his sister seen when examining her mind and heart a few days before? Liz; her name was Elizabeth Grace Sherman and she was a story racked with solitude and dejection constantly tumbling in and out of danger ablaze with hatred for her own gifts. "Tell me where she is and what you've done. Your emotionally disturbed sister says that she wasn't with you before you came here, so where is she?"
Nuada's eyes began to glow with anger and his heart beat faster at hearing an insult aimed at his family. He growled softly. Liz smiled at being able to rouse some sort of reaction in the prince as he shifted. "Do not say such things about my sister," he warned in a low tone. Despite being chemically weakened, the prince seemed to be as threatening and determined as ever. Liz scoffed and pulled him forward somewhat, slamming him back into the wall once more. The prince grunted in frustration, his eyes opening more fully and consciousness descending more readily. "I grow weary of these assaults."
"Believe me, it's getting old having to smack you around. Tell me where she is," the pyro continued. Nuada breathed deeply, finding himself able to summon more strength now than when he had first arrived. Liz frowned noticing the elf regaining composure. He was not going to get the better of her. "Where is she you patricidal prick!?"
At these words, Nuada found the strength and presence to reach forward and harshly shove the pyro away from him. Liz scooted across the floor several feet. She firmly stopped herself with her hands and rose slowly as the prince began to climb to his feet as well. She felt a twinge of fear move through her. Red was the strongest creature she knew and had found it difficult to face the elf. She would be no match for him whatsoever if he was returning to full capacity. He lifted his head, able to fight the sedative more and more with each breath. His eyes burned into her, warning her that he was not at all pleased with how things had gone since he had arrived.
"You are very quick to hurl insults at others that could very well be turned against you," he said softly.
"What?" she said angrily. "Didn't you hear what I said? I called you . . ."
"I heard what you said," he continued more loudly and slowly, staring at her firmly. Liz felt more than slightly intimidated, but refused to show it outwardly. "You referenced my father's death at my hands. I am curious if you have ever been met with similar words, though yours went far beyond simply your father, didn't it?" he remarked, remembering more and more of what his sister had seen in the pyro's mind. He smirked as she growled at him. "I believe matricidal and fratricidal would need to be added to that for you, wouldn't they?"
"You shut up! Just shut up!" Liz shouted, thoughtlessly and angrily advancing towards him. "You don't know anything!"
"They burned to death in the same fire that merely surrounded you without consumption all those years ago; one that I believe you ignited," he continued, enjoying being able to have the upper-hand for the first time in hours. The pyro shrieked and flew at him, fists at the ready. Nuada's reflexes had returned to a sufficient state, allowing him to catch both her fists in his hands and hold her firmly in front of him. "I am not the only creature in this room who has taken innocent life."
"I'm not a murderer like you," she snarled softly.
"I didn't say that you were," he barked back. Liz trembled visibly in the elf's grip as she stared into his glowing amber eyes with apprehension. She felt a nausea of her own surfacing. Nuada stared down at her in admiration. She had come to face him alone, not knowing whether he would be at himself or not. "I am as guilt ridden as you with as much reason to be."
"You've killed a lot more people than I have, elf," she spat angrily. Nuada growled and tightened his grip on her fists painfully. She grunted, but made no other visible or audible testimonies to him having created something uncomfortable for her. "And I haven't kidnapped anyone."
"I did not take Titania against her will; I was protecting her! She would have been safe, she would have been perfectly fine, everything would have gone smoothly if Oberon had not intervened so unexpectedly," he hissed. Liz stared at him in slight confusion and surprise. "I need your husband to . . ."
"I know what you want from him, you want to kill him," she interrupted hotly. Nuada raised one brow in irritation. "I'm not going to let that happen."
"Make no mistake, human, I want to kill you as well," he snarled. "All of you, for your foul craft against the planet and directly against my family. I would not spare you simply because your mate gave a noble sacrifice."
Liz shouted angrily and threw her weight to one side, toppling the two of them to the floor. Nuada growled more loudly and tried to get both the woman's hands in one of his to use the other to hold her neck firmly. No such luck. The pyro was just as agile, just as energetic, and seemed just as strong as he was at the moment. He finally let go of the idea of holding her so firmly away from him and simply took hold of both her fists once more, glaring at her as they knelt in front of one another, panting heavily. The elf's eyes were ablaze with anger and sadness in the same magnitude and ratio that they were in the pyro's, though neither was truly aware of it in the other for the time being. They would be evenly matched physically until Liz's mortal limitations surfaced and she was realizing that they would likely do so long before the prince would tire. Even after being so brutalized, he had relentless determination and force. There was only one way she knew how to end this. She summoned a great deal of energy into her heart and mind and allowed the natural flame within her to begin flickering from the surface of her skin at every angle. Nuada froze and watched in sheer amazement as the woman's body was covered in a blaze of living fire.
"It is true, then," he muttered. He had seen brief visions of her ability through his sister, but had still refused to believe it. Liz stared in shock at the sight of the prince grasping her hands despite the flames surrounding them. He didn't seem bothered or wounded at all by the fire. He smiled and looked directly into her eyes. "You do have the gift of flame; like mother."
Liz glared at him, fighting away the urge to cry as wave after wave of emotion crashed against her, demanding its own release in different ways. She breathed deeply as the flames died down, looking away almost in shame. He released her fists and rose, stepping away from her as she folded her arms. Liz pushed away a surge of tears, hating the prince and princess for re-opening the wounds that she had worked so hard to heal with the same flames that had created them. She looked up at him angrily as she stood.
"If you're going to kill me, you'd better do it now," she said trying to hold back emotion from her voice.
Nuada rolled his eyes in irritation. "I have had enough of your human melodrama, if you please. Now, go and tell your husband that I need to speak with him about . . ."
"You're not going to do anything to him!" she shouted moving towards him. The elf could see the woman trembling in fear and anger, but more in fear for the moment. It was not for her own life as much as it was for her survival past her husband. The thought of being without him was more painful than it would have been for most humans. Why? It could not have solely been because she was carrying his children. She stood in front of him defiantly. "You're not going anywhere or talking to anyone while you still have both arms."
"Unacceptable; we are running out of time," he said more urgently. "I can wait only a few hours more and then I must take drastic measures. It would be much easier for you to go and tell Anung un Rama that I need to have more than a word with him."
"NO!" Liz shouted furiously, throwing another fist towards him. Nuada leaned to one side, catching the pyro's arm casually. Liz growled and pulled her arm backwards, trying to swing the other towards him as well. Nuada scowled and caught both her arms, turning her away from him and holding her firmly. She grunted and shouted in frustration as the prince stayed perfectly still. "Let go of me!"
"No," the prince replied sternly. Liz growled and fought to try and free herself. The elf snorted and drew her closer, holding her more firmly as she screamed and fought, continuing to demand for him to release her. "What is wrong with you?!"
"Let go of me," she said in a lower tone, staying still for a moment to try and catch him off guard. The prince frowned and continued keeping a death grip on the woman. "Let go!"
"Why did you come here without the others? What did you alone hope to gain by facing me and irritating me near to the end of my patience?" he demanded. Liz froze and breathed deeply. "Well?"
"I just want to find Tania and go back to the way things were!" she shouted furiously. Nuada felt the woman grow limp in his grasp as she began sobbing. "I just want things to be normal with Red and I again."
"Normalcy is in the eye of the beholder, Elizabeth Sherman," the elf replied slowly. "And being a human, you should embrace all change as it is likely to make your very short life seem as worthwhile as it can in the eyes of a mortal."
"Why didn't you just die? Why couldn't you just leave us alone?" she groaned. Nuada felt a twinge of an emotion that was reminiscent of his father's sentence. He gasped slightly as the twinge moved through him and he released the woman. She leaned forward, grasping her chest and abdomen as she continued sobbing. He watched in stunned silence as she moved to the wall nearest them and leaned against it, crying more fully as she sank to the floor against the wall. He had just seen a stalwart warrior in this woman and now she was more unsettled than any female he had ever seen. What had caused this sudden change and why the two extremes? She seemed to be wavering between hell-bent on protecting her growing family and entirely consumed in sorrow by her past. Pity moved through him. Part of him knew a modicum of how conflicted she was. "I just want you to go away, I want everything else to go away."
"We are rarely handed what we want especially when what we are capable of is visible to fate," the elf said firmly. Liz turned away, still breathing heavily. The elf looked around the room, sensing carefully whether or not he would be seen or heard by anyone he could not see or hear. At the moment, they were entirely alone. He knelt and spoke clearly and slowly to the woman. "Titania is currently in the possession of Oberon, Lord of the Dark Faeries. She was taken from me when I was accosted beneath the city. I have gathered as many forces as I can across the sea and they await my command. If I can simply find a way to prevent him from using your husband to . . ."
"You are not going to kill him," Liz panted, glaring at him once more. Nuada sighed and nodded. "I won't let you."
"I had considered killing him, but that should be a last resort as he will be a powerful ally at least for a short time," the elf replied. "Your husband, thinks as a human and will do anything to preserve himself, his mate," the prince glanced down away from her eyes but still toward her body calmly, " . . . and his children."
"Then you don't want to kill Red?" she asked hopefully. Nuada cringed and thought carefully about his next remark. He wanted to do severe harm to the demon for what had happened to Wink and being humiliated in his father's throne room, but it would not do for him to voice that desire at the moment.
"No. As I said, I want to be freed, for the assaults on me to cease, and for assistance to be granted me in retrieving Titania before I lay siege to Oberon and end his treachery once and for all," he said firmly. Liz wiped her eyes furiously and tried to stand. Nuada reached forward and kindly helped lift the youth to stand. Liz gripped one of his arms in confusion and stared at him in shock. "Go and tell the others what I've told you. There is precious little time left; hours, at best."
"Is that all?" Liz asked, wondering whether or not it was safe to believe such a simple explanation and demand. If this was all that the prince wanted, then it would be more than easy to accept and then send him on his way after taking Tania back. The elf looked towards the door uncomfortably and then back to her.
"No, that is not all," he replied. Liz raised her brows at him, commanding him silently to voice the request quickly. "I want to see my sister and my nephew."
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"That's all?" Red asked in bewilderment.
"Yep," Liz said crossing her arms and looking over the supplies she had gathered for the impromptu trip they would be taking in a few short hours. The prince had been ordered to stay in the room and, fearing another dose of sedative or thorough beating, he complied after reminding the pyro of his demands and his capabilities when forced to defend. Jenna had returned to the general area with word that she had plasma to give the prince and princess. The group was curious about where said plasma had come from and how it would react to the golden blood of an elf, to which Jenna replied that troll plasma had recently been proven in the laboratory to be an almost exact match to that of an elf and was an acceptable way to replenish the prince and princess. Liz had conveyed everything Nuada had told her twice to the entire group. Nuala had been relieved and had immediately gone to retrieve her son from the library where Dr. Krauss had waited, having a pleasant and lengthy conversation with the medical assistant about Welf's antics and desires. The pyro seemed more at ease than ever, which disturbed even the laid back demon. "It's been about two hours since the vanilla twins got their plasma transfer, so they'll be visiting for a moment before we leave, that was part of the deal."
"I still want to pound him into eternity," Red muttered. He approached his wife cautiously. "What did he say to you exactly? I mean, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Red," Liz said smiling. She turned towards him, pleased to hear that another creature had seen a protective side to her husband that reflected a natural father. She placed a hand on either side of his face and grinned brightly. "We're fine. We'll get this out of the way and things will go back to the way things were, perfectly normal."
Red laughed. "Like that's ever been an issue for us."
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Nuala entered the room behind Abe, carrying a small bundle wrapped in a pale blue blanket. Jenna had worked as quickly as possible to get the plasma into the twins, but had ordered the prince to rest for at least two hours to allow it to take effect. Nuada sat up more fully from the mat on the floor and turned to face his sister and nephew. The she-elf knelt, gently holding the baby without disturbing him. She smiled at her brother and moved the infant towards him. A little hesitant, Nuada accepted the boy and looked down into the peaceful face of his nephew once again. The baby yawned, cooing and stretching as best he could in his uncle's arms. Nuada smiled and looked towards his sister.
"This is your son," he mused. Nuala smiled.
"Yes, brother, your nephew," she replied watching the two happily. She reached out and softly pulled more of the blanket away from the baby's face. "Do you like him?"
"Like him?" Nuada laughed. "He is perfect. He has his mother's smile." He softly picked up the baby's hand using only one finger, marveling at the tiny features. "What is his name?"
"Leopold," Nuala replied. "Leopold Abraham Sebastian Balor Ludwig Nuada Sapien."
"Leopold," Nuada whispered, taking in every inch of this incredible being. He laughed and fought back tears of joy. "He is . . . beautiful."
"He is different, my brother," the princess said cautiously. Nuada glanced towards his sister in confusion. The princess sighed and affectionately stroked her brother's face, lingering near his eyes. "Nearly as different as you." The prince breathed deeply and looked to the side. He hated being reminded of how different he was from the rest of his kind in his markings. Nuala frowned and folded her hands in front of her. "I believe it is time that you knew what happened to you, my brother." He looked back at her inquisitively. She raised her eyes to look at him soberly and directly. Abraham's explanation to her some days before had shocked and enlightened her, but she was quite sure that her brother had not yet come to realize the same. "You should know why we were given the link, why mother doted over you, why Aunt Morrighan was so angry with you, and why father tried so very hard to shield my heart from yours." The prince stayed perfectly still, his pointed ears waiting impatiently for the next sound to emerge from his sister's lips. "Nuada, you are heartbroken."
"What do you mean, sister?" he asked in utter confusion. For an elf to be heartbroken spelled disaster. Nuala frowned and breathed deeply. It would make her brother all the more distracted and upset to hear that their parents had hidden something so important from him and that he was, essentially, a cursed creature of darkness. Before Nuala could answer, there was a loud knocking on the door from the other side. Abe turned along with the others as the door opened and Red and Liz entered. Nuada gently placed his nephew back in his sister's arms, softly stroking the boy's hand one last time. There was no guarantee that he would see the child again, death was always lingering in the consciousness of a warrior. He stood and nodded to the others. "Are we ready to depart?"
"We need to get going before either Manning or Welf sees that the plane is missing again," Red explained. Nuada nodded and turned towards his sister. "Say your goodbyes and then get in gear, we need to hurry."
"I will send for you, my sister, when the throne is reclaimed and Oberon's wretched usurpation has ended," the prince said taking the she-elf's shoulders in both hands. Nuala stared at him in slight anger as she walked to the door with her son. Nuada watched her, a little confused at his sister's display. He followed after her, giving Abraham a sharp look as they moved through the doorway. He had no intention of exchanging words with the creature that had defiled his sister for the moment; he would save that until the man would cower before him as he sat on the throne. "I will be only a short time away, my sister."
"I will not be left behind, my brother," Nuala countered as she continued down the hall a few feet towards where Jenna stood waiting for an update on the prince's condition and to watch the team leave. Nuala placed the infant in the woman's arms and gently touched her face. "Watch him carefully, I know you will do well." Jenna nodded to her and looked down at Leopold with an excited smile. The team watched the princess turn and walk proudly back to her brother, taking his arm gently. "I watched you die once, Nuada," she said softly. She leaned forward and gently kissed his cheek. "I will stand beside you and prevent it at all costs."
"I will be glad of that, Nuala," the prince replied fighting away an emotional display. He had to be more focused than ever now. He gripped her arm tightly and turned to the others. "Let us be gone."
Red turned and began to lead the way as another familiar set of beeps and chirps interrupted. The group turned and stared at one another in concern. Dr. Krauss put a gloved hand up and pressed a red button on his sleeve, motioning for the team to remain motionless. "Krauss here, vas is los?" he said firmly. The communicator was on speaker, giving the entire team a chance to hear what would be facing them if they were needed.
"Uh, we're not sure how to handle this one, Dr. Krauss, but there's a rabbit-man riding a tiger out here," the meek voice of an operative announced from the other end of the conversation. Nuada's eyes widened as he heard the familiar sound of another voice arguing with the operative.
"I am not a rabbit and I am not a man! As chief consul to Prince Nuada I must speak with his highness at once!" a timid and high pitched voice announced loudly.
"Puck!?" Nuada exclaimed happily. "Puck, where are you? We are leaving for England at once and . . ."
"Sir, is something happening with the prisoner?" the operative interjected. Krauss gave Nuada the angriest look he could manage without eyes. "Should we come and assist?"
"No, that will not be necessary. Place the creatures in with the troll, they are already acquainted, I believe," Dr. Krauss ordered. "Over und out." As Dr. Krauss clicked the button once more and folded his arms angrily, Red grabbed the prince's arm and turned him to face the others.
"Nice going, Sherlock," the demon chastised. "Now they know you're out, we're trying to leave, and that the little rabbit guy is connected to you. Brilliant."
Nuada pulled his arm away furiously and turned to Liz. "Elizabeth Sherman, please remind your husband that he addresses royalty when he speaks to me," the prince snapped. He turned back to Dr. Krauss. "I will not leave without Puck. He has risked his life to save my life and Titania's on more than one occasion."
"But . . ." Abe began. Nuada turned and glared at him with a fire similar to the pyro's in his amber gleam. Abe frowned and waved one hand dismissively to the prince.
The prince turned back to Krauss with a proud smile. "Now, where are they taking him?"
"He said to take him to the troll," Jenna reminded from a distance. Nuada glanced toward her for a moment then looked at Krauss inquisitively; silently asking the question that Jenna readied to voice aloud. "What troll? The one-eyed one in the lab?"