No Fate But My Own
Chapter 35
Lauren looked into the mirror at the form staring back at her. I'm hideous, she thought as she stared at the stranger looking back at her. She smoothed the soft, stretchy material of the cocktail dress over her protruding belly. It was a deep red and clung to her new form. Aoife had chosen well and she was thankful for the older succubus' taste in fashion.
While she felt like a beached whale and her back ached continuously she knew her rounded belly and the larger fuller breasts were not the problem. The dress fit her perfectly and looked positively amazing. The dark shadows under her eyes and the sickly paleness of her face was the issue. She wasn't even sure if a healthy dose of makeup could hide her tired and drawn appearance. That settles it. I'm not going! I can only imagine the looks I will get from all the fae and them thinking that I'm just a weak human that isn't strong enough to be Bo's mate!
The full length mirror cracked loudly under her angry gaze, splintering and fracturing the glass, distorting her reflection. Bo came running into the room, her body tense and poised to fight. Kenzi and Aoife followed closely behind. They were all ready and had been waiting for Lauren to finish getting ready for the gala.
Lauren looked up at the women all looking spectacular in their attire. Tears welled in her eyes, "I'm not going! I'm hideous!" Bo lowered her dagger, her eyes going from her upset lover to the broken mirror. The dress looked fabulous on the tall blonde. Bo replaced the dagger into the concealed sheath on her thigh and approached her girlfriend.
"The dress looks amazing, baby," Bo responded as her eyes devoured the woman she loved.
"I know! Aoife made a wonderful choice. That's not the problem and you know it! Look at me, Bo. No amount of makeup will save this face!"
The succubus flinched at the blondes angry words. She ducked just in time as a bottle of perfume flew toward her. It sailed past her head and smashed into the wall behind her. Bo rushed forward and flung her arms around the distraught blonde. "No!," Kenzi and Aoife screamed, but it was too late.
The power leapt eagerly between the succubus and her mate. Fuck! Bo thought as she frantically tried to shut it down. "Oh God, Lauren! I'm so sorry." Bo said as she watched Lauren struggle to remain standing under the transference of power. They had kept touching to a minimum over the last few weeks because it almost always resulted in the babies syphoning Bo's power and it was severely taking its toll on Lauren. No-one but the women in the room knew how bad it was getting... Oh, except Savannah!, Bo thought jealously. They had had to call the substitute succubus a couple of times because Bo wasn't able to touch her. It had been a struggle for Bo to stay away from Lauren.
It killed her more and more every day that she was unable to touch her. She hated that she was hurting the woman she loved. "Help me shut it down," Bo pleaded, looking at her mother.
Aoife stepped forward careful not to touch either of the women. "Concentrate, honey. Remember the power is an extension of you. Search for that tether and concentrate on cutting that connection. You can do it. The power within, is yours to control." Bo dug deep and found the flowing string of power and she concentrated on slowing the current. She couldn't just cut the connection because it hurt Lauren even more when she forcibly ripped the power away.
As Bo slowly succeeded in shutting the transference down, Aoife focused on Lauren. She could see the life fading from the blonde's eyes. The older succubus reached out and broke the last of the connection and held Lauren's slumping form. She was close to losing consciousness. She opened the blonde's mouth and breathed in a steady stream of her own life force into the fading human.
There was a loud knocking coming from downstairs. "I'll get it," Kenzi muttered reluctantly. "It's probably Bruce with the limo. And we can't just leave him, knocking or he'll break down the door.
Several moments later and Kenzi reentered the bedroom with Trick following closely behind looking dapper in his tuxedo. This was the first time Trick had seen Lauren and his eyes bugged out at the scene before him. He had held off visiting with Bo and Lauren to give them time with Aoife. He fixed his gaze on Bo as she looked on anxiously as Aoife helped Lauren to get up shakily from the floor and onto the bed. "Why didn't you tell me about this!" he demanded.
"Not now Trick!" Bo was distraught and didn't want to deal with her grandfather right now.
"No, damn it! Bo if you had told me about this I could have stopped this from happening." He thrust the box that he held in his hands to Bo. "Open it!"
Bo gave Trick an angry glare. "This is hardly the time for opening presents," she responded indignantly.
"Open it!" Trick barked thrusting it hard into Bo's stomach.
He looked over at his daughter. "Aoife, is she conscious?"
Aoife turned her eyes shining blue. "I need more chi. My reserves are too low." She reached out and kissed her daughter taking a healthy dose from her before fixing her eyes on her father. "Now you!" Trick freely gave over his life force and watched as Aoife fed it to Lauren and her unborn children.
He touched Bo's hand when he saw Lauren's eye flutter open. He heard the collective sighs of relief. "Bo. Please open the box."
Bo looked down at Trick then looked down at the box and for the first time noticed the soft but insistent whispering she could hear fluttering through her mind. The whispers were familiar and she remembered Lauren's story about the crown in the archives. This box is too small to be holding the crown, Bo thought opening the box and finding the ornate silver/gold bracelet within. Embrace your blood right and save your mate and your heirs that she carries within, the magic whispered.
"Sweet Jesus! Is that what I think it is, father?" Aoife sensed its power, but it didn't call to her like it called to Bo.
"Yes. I had the dwarves reforge the crown. It calls to Bo and her chosen mate."
"How is that even possible?" Aoife asked in disbelief.
"Both of you touch the bracelet." Bo went to sit beside the weakened blonde. "Bo! Avoid touching Lauren until the bracelet has split and you are both wearing them."
Bo remained standing and held one side of the bracelet as Lauren reached out to grasp the other side. The ancient runes adorning the piece of jewellery shone brightly at the joining of these two souls, bound by infinite love. The metal ornament split, leaving Bo holding the gold and Lauren the silver.
"Impossible," Aoife muttered again.
"No. They are the future. A joining of souls in the purest form. Bound by the heart, mind, soul and spirit. No one will question them and they will lead the fae to a unity of peace," Tricks voice was filled with awe as he witnessed the absolute binding of his granddaughter to the most remarkable human being he had ever met in his long existence. They also witnessed the doctors, health and appearance change before their very eyes. Trick stepped forward and took both Bo's and Lauren's hands. "I am proud to call you kin."
"Uh.. I hate to break up this hallmark moment, but we better get a move on. We are already going to be fashionably late to this shindig," Kenzi said as she gave the blonde doctor a smile.
Bo looked up at Trick. "Is it safe for me to touch her now?"
"It should be. The transference of power will be precipitated through the ancestral bracelets now. You will probably barely notice it." Trick responded, releasing the ladies hands and stepping back.
Bo reached for Lauren and gave the blonde a huge grin when she felt nothing but her lovers soft, warm skin. Bo turned to her audience, "You guys go ahead, we will catch up later."
"Bo. I really think..." Trick was cut off by Aoife reaching out and touching his hand.
"They need this..., father. The Morrigan and The Ash will hold off on the inauguration of the leader of the new court until they arrive." Bo wasn't really listening. She only had eyes for Lauren as she leaned in to kiss the blonde lovingly. Aoife led Trick by the hand towards the door. "Don't take too long, honey," the older succubus said with a wink at her daughter before closing the door.
God, I've missed you." Bo said, pulling the blonde in for another lingering embrace...
"Well? Where the hell are they? I am a huge fan of being fashionably late, believe me, but this is ridiculous!" The Ash chuckled at Evony as she once again glanced towards the open double doors of the banquet hall.
"Ah, here we go. Tricks making his way over," he said, resting his hand at the small of The Morrigan's back. She shivered beneath his touch which made his smile grow wider. He loved that they didn't have to hide their rekindled relationship anymore. The dark leader still frustrated him beyond belief, but he loved the exotic beauty dearly.
"Evony. Samuel," Trick said in greeting when he reached them. "Kenzi just informed me that they will be here momentarily."
"Finally!" Evony motioned to Bruce. "Have them bring up the prisoners, we will begin the ceremony soon." The Ash and The Morrigan nodded at Trick before heading towards the stage.
Meanwhile, Bo and Lauren stood outside in the deserted foyer. "You ready for this?"
"With you by my side, I am ready for anything, my love," Lauren responds, kissing Bo lightly on the lips.
"Have I told you how stunning you look tonight?"
Only about a hundred times," Lauren said, laughing as she linked her arm in Bo's and they began to walk towards the banquet hall.
"Well, I meant it every time," Bo responded, giving the blonde's hand a reassuring squeeze as they stepped into the crowded room.
They didn't have any time to mingle before The Morrigan and The Ash stepped onto the stage and the band fell silent. Two men in shackles were brought up onto the stage to stand between the two fae leaders.
"They must be the ones that put the hit on me and Trick," Bo said as they continued to make their way across the large room. All eyes were on them and Lauren was getting more and more nervous by the attention.
She looked up and gasped as she recognized one of the men in shackles. "Oh my God! The one beside The Ash is Elder Jonas. He was one of the most resistant for new reforms. I don't recognize the other man but I'm guessing that he is dark and was probably just as set against the law changes as Jonas!"
Bo and Lauren came to stand in front of the stage before The Ash, The Morrigan and the two traitors. Lauren relaxed when she saw Aoife and Kenzi step up beside Bo. Someone took her hand and gave it a squeeze and she turns to find Trick standing proudly beside her. Hale and Dyson also moved up to stand with Bo and Lauren supportively.
The Morrigan stepped forward and addressed the hushed crowd. "Thank you all for attending this banquet in honour of this momentous occasion. The talks amongst the joint council over the recent months were often filled with conflict and frustration as both sides argued their opinions about the proposed reforms to the ancient laws that have governed the fae for millennia."
The Morrigan looked over to the leader of the light and he also stepped forward to converse with the gathered crowd.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen. Fae and their human companions. We are pleased to announce that the votes came back in favour of the reforms. Counting 13 votes for and 10 votes against. This is the dawn of a new age. A move forward in an ever changing world." He cast his attention to the two prisoners on stage with them. "These two traitors will be well known amongst most of you. Light Fae Elder Jonas and Dark Fae Elder Redwick have been found guilty for the attempted assassination plot to kill The Blood King and his granddaughter Isabeau the unaligned succubus."
A murmur went through the crowd as Evony took over. "The usual punishment for treason is death!" Suddenly the man beside her started to scream out in pain as Evony exercised her power into him. He fell to his knees, his skin starting to blister from her controlled use of power. Elder Jonas then started to clutch at his throat as he tried to gasp for breath.
"Is The Ash doing that? Bo asked Lauren softly.
"Yes."
"Are they just going to kill them in front of everyone?" Bo hated what the two men had tried to do and her blood lust stirred happily at the violence. But she thought they were trying to come out of the dark ages and public executions had no place in this new world. Bo took a step forward. "Stop."
Both fae leaders stopped inflicting their power on the two men. The dark fae Elder was curled in a ball at Evony's feet making whimpering sounds. "You are asking for a stay of execution for these two men. The men who plotted to have you and The Blood King killed?"
"Uh...I guess I am. Public executions are not exactly a display of our new era of peace and unity. I am not suggesting you set them free. They deserve to be punished for their crimes, but I ask you to spare their lives."
"What about you, Blood King? Do you agree with your granddaughter's plea for leniency?"
Trick stepped up beside his granddaughter. "I think perhaps there is a better way to punish these traitors than death. Death, I feel is too easy for them and would just hurt their families. They will be dead and will therefore be unaffected by their treasonous actions. Their families, however, will be left to mourn and feel the shame of their cowardice and ignorance."
"Then what would you suggest," Evony asked, her eyebrow raised curiously.
" I would suggest they be stripped of their power and exiled from the country never to return and to live the rest of their lives as humans."
"We have no way of stripping a fae permanently of their powers," She responded and gave the man another dose of her power making him whimper and grovel at her feet.
"Actually, there is. My family's ancestral crown was able to perform such a feat. I exercised it on occasion during the great fae war," Tricks answered, drawing gasps from the silent crowd. "The crown that is now in the form of the bracelet adorning my granddaughters wrist and the wrist of her mate."
Evony thew her head back and laughed. "Oh yes, that would be a fate worse than death. To be stripped of their powers and to live as the humans they despise so much. Tell me can both the silver and gold do this?"
"Aye," Trick said.
"What say you, Ash?"
"I shall agree to this punishment if the neutral hand is prepared to perform this punishment."
Bo frowned up at The Ash, who was looking straight at her. "He is talking about you, Bo. You are the neutral hand of the fae now," Trick said sensing Bo's confusion.
"I... Uh... What?" Bo spluttered.
"Guards chain them to the wall. We will induct Isabeau Dennis as the leader of the new neutral court before inflicting the first act of punishment from the neutral leader."
Bo looked at her friends and family in disbelief. Was this really happening. "I'm not a leader."
"That is where you are wrong Bo." This came from Dyson as Hale nodded beside him in agreement.
"Lauren? Kenz?" Bo looked ready to bolt.
"You are a natural born leader Bo Bo. We would all go to the end of the earth with you. Have faith in yourself and your place amongst the fae," Kenzi said stepping forward.
"She's right, Bo. People seek you out for help and you do it without asking for anything in return. You are the bridge between the dark and the light."
Evony was losing patience. "Can we get on with this please."
Bo looked up at the fae leaders. This is as it should be, her blood power whispered. Your DESTINY. She took a final look at her family and friends and felt their belief in her, the trust. The succubus gave the barest of nods at The Ash and he wasted no time in starting his speech.
"She came to into the world of the fae out of the blue. A fae raised by humans she was thrust into a fight for her life and came out on top untrained and pure of heart. She refused to choose either dark or light, choosing instead herself and the humans that had raised her. She knew nothing of our laws and customs and bumped heads with myself and The Morrigan often. Dark and light fae sort her help and she aided them without hesitance or consequence. She holds on to her morals and beliefs and fights valiantly for what she believes is right. She does it selflessly, not for gain. She helps because it is who she is. It is what she was born to do. We were all told the prophecy as children. She is bound by royal blood both dark and light. She is also bound to our human doctor. She is the bridge, the heart that binds all of us. Human. Dark fae. Light Fae. Under fae. She does not discriminate and she does not judge. People pledge to follow her without asking. She is the neutral hand. She is Isabeau Dennis, leader of the neutral court."
There was nothing but silence as The Ash finished his heartfelt speech. Then the crowd erupted, exploding in an avalanche of thunderous applause. Bo was speechless and overwhelmed, but grabbed Lauren's hand, her queen, and she walked onto the stage. As the applause died down She heard Elder Jonas yelling at the top of his lungs from his chained position against the back wall. "She will destroy us all. The succubus and her human and the abomination growing inside her!"
Bo's power arose, an invisible wind blowing her hair. Her eyes flashing blue and black. "I am the final judgement. I will stand up for those who have no voice. I will crush those who use their power to intimidate and destroy those they deem lesser beings." Bo turns and stalks up to the screaming Elder.
"You will destroy us all. You and your hell spawn will cripple the fae. We are better than the humans. They are food and we are Gods!" He screamed.
"We will see who is a God. You have been judged." Elder Jonas sank it the abyss of Bo's pitch black orbs as she reached out and touched the bracelet to his flesh. "Absorb his power. He is unworthy of his gift," she commanded.
As you wish, was the ancient blood magics response. Both men screamed as they were stripped of their powers their minds losing grip of reality as they sunk into the endless depths of Bo's power.
The gathered crowd watched on in awe at the display of Bo's power. The room was silent and even the sceptics in the room now believed that this young fae was indeed, THE ONE. Whether they feared her power or respected it, no one in that room questioned it.
Bo's power retreated as if it had never been and she turned away from the two broken men and fell into Lauren's arms. The doctors calming power swept through the room and hit every uneasy heart until they felt nothing but at peace with themselves and what they had witnessed.
Bo was exhausted as she flopped down onto the bed beside Lauren four hours later. "Do you think anyone noticed that I wasn't wearing any shoes for half the night?" Lauren asked as she lay beside the brunette.
Bo laughed. "I doubt it and if they did, I doubt they cared. I'm exhausted. I think we may have shaken hands with almost every person in there!"
"You did wonderfully in there tonight. Your control has improved ten fold since you started working with Aoife. And the bracelets.. well... lets just say that I am happy that I can touch you again. I have missed you, Bo...so much and I'm sorry if I have been a bit of a nightmare to be around. I'm having another ultrasound tomorrow. Can you be there?" Lauren looked at Bo and smiled when the succubus took her hand and brought it up to her lips to kiss her palm.
"Are you kidding me! I wouldn't miss it for the world. I have never been happier than I am right now, Lauren. Even with all the changes going on around me and the pressure of leading my own court, all I have to do is look at you and all my fears and worries fall away. I love you Lauren Lewis with all my heart and I know that together we can tackle anything the crosses our path...