I looked at Erik lying on his back breathing in the air around me, even though we both knew he didn't need to breath but somehow, he knew the movement soothed my soul. "So, lover, now we are reacquainted, where do we go from here?" His words although were in English the common tongue in Britannia, they still maintained an accent from his mother tongue, the way he rolled his R's made me shiver in delight.
"I am not sure what's next, we could travel across Europe and watch the world together?"
"That's more than obvious, but you understand I'm subject to the Vampire King and Queens of each territory we go through, they'll begin to take notice if I show up with a Faery attached to my hip every time."
"So, what if I transform into Reafan and watch you from that form? Or it could be anything you desire, Forest Cat called Freya, I could be a wolf called Garm or Fenrir?"
"What about a Bear or Hawk lover?" He chuckled softly when he saw the excitement in my eyes.
"It would be interesting for certain, in colder climates the thickness of bear fur would certainly come in handy, I could be a hawk or falcon flying about you though, even a raven if needed."
"Such an interesting lover, what other gifts do you have?" I got up on my knees, this was the first time I'd been able to experiment with my Fae gifts since coming into age of them.
"Watch." I closed my eyes for a moment whilst I centered myself before looking into his eyes and making myself invisible before his eyes, I laughed at his sharp intake of breath.
"So, I really can't bring another lover into my bed, can I? I'd never know if you were watching or not." He scowled for a second before looking around him.
I creeped around the room noticing his eyes quickly darted to the noise of my footfalls to keep track of where I was. Instead, I decided to surprise him further, staying invisible I transported to just behind him and drew my silver tipped teeth to his neck making sure not to touch his skin. My hand had his head tipped back exposing the silky throat to me.
"Fuck." He lustily groaned.
He hadn't moved against me, yet which made me thankful as I realized he could not actually see the silver capped teeth I now held at his throat, only he was looking to where he imaged my eyes to be. I uncovered myself slowly to not startle him too much.
When he saw the silver, he went impossibly still.
"How quickly could you pierce my throat with those teeth?"
I slid them back in my gums to make him more comfortable and noticed the second they were gone he began to breath again, an uneasy smile gracing his lips, I transported to being back in front of him and held my hands in his, he gave them a gentle squeeze. "My teeth come out instinctively when we're threatened, if a Fae is scared and manages to get their teeth on your neck, you'll never survive the encounter I'm afraid, even if we bit into an arm or leg the caps would come off the teeth and kill you slowly."
"So, you can teleport at any moment, you transform into any creature you like, you can remain invisible, you've been given immortal life or close to it at least, anything else lover?"
"Fae have increased hearing and sight but not nearly as good as Vampires it would seem. I have a few other tricks up my sleeve too… Did you want to see those too?"
"Please lover…" I held out my palm making sure to keep the UV rays out of my next trick. I made sunlight dance upon my hand, forming it into different shapes I threw it from each of my hands, he started to reach out to the sunlight and I quickly extinguished it. "What… What was that?"
"Sunlight."
"You control sunlight?" He was shocked, he was staring at me like I second head.
"A part of it, it's like a light inside of myself. We're able to use it as a weapon however, that had all UV lights taken out of it, but I couldn't be certain that it wouldn't hurt you… I'd really rather not try after all."
"Of course. Those are most of my gifts Erik; I may come into more as I grow older but for now, I've got more gifts combined than any other single Faery. We're not sure why that is, but it helped me get the position of being able to be here." We both smiled at that news.
"And you're a princess to boot, a strong princess…."
"Yes Erik, but for some reason fate is pushing me at you in no uncertain terms, I never fight against fate or destiny. I'm merely a tool for the Gods to command."
"Do you have Gods and Goddess in Fae?"
"Not really… We all love nature and treat nature like our creator in a way." He nodded in understanding the Norse mythology was more complex then appreciating nature.
"Would you really travel this world with me for eternity?" Erik looked suddenly shy, drastically different from that overconfident hen of a boy.
"I would, I would travel the world with you for as long as I can. Can we promise one another something Erik?'
"Anything."
"When we are separated, every year on the winter solstice we will meet here, at that pond yonder." He pulled me into his arms and crashed his lips upon my own, we found ourselves dancing the song of being together until I felt weary in his arms.
"I must go lover, the dawn comes." I nodded weakly and fell asleep against the warmth of the fire curled in blankets of fur, he left me in that moment racing out the little hut. I became dead to the world, shutting out the pang of pain as he died for the day.
I must have only been sleeping for a few hours because there was pounding at the door, recognizing the familiar hum I knew it was Preston. I made sure to have some clothes on before I opened the door, watching his nose flare I knew instantly he was aware what I did last night.
"Are you insane?" He growled.
"I don't quite like your tone Preston; may I remind you that I'm your princess." I glared at him from the doorway.
"I don't give a fuck if you're a princess or not. Sleeping with a Vampire? Do you have any idea how monumentally stupid that was?"
"Fate does not bring us places for us to question it Preston! I found him, after 200 years of searching I found him." He hid the pang of pain from his eyes but not quick enough. "Does that not mean something to you? We have a concept of true mates or soulmates or whatever crap humans call it, yet we constantly force our selves to marry people we don't love for the one point of reproduction, does that not both you Preston?"
"I thought I had found my mate in you, but that one night was just that." He spat at me.
"We got very drunk on farmhouse ale Preston, we slept together you took my virginity and then we never discussed it again. A soul mate loves you back just as much as you love them, I love you like a best friend Preston, you're my protector, my brother in arms. I'd die for you, but I can't fall in love with you when fate pushes me towards someone else."
"What can a vampire offer you, that I cannot? We can travel Earth in any form, we can make love in the sun as much as the moon and have children together." He was beyond frustrated with this conversation; I'd caught in his mind more than once that he hoped we never found Erik. I never berated him for his thoughts, it was only if he said something.
"Erik is something I cannot even begin to fathom, as far as we know we cannot have children but who said I wanted children anyway? I want to be an ambassador for Earth, to help every creature regardless of race or status. What better way to do that than with Erik by my side?"
"You're going to abandon your people…"
"NO! I am NOT going to do that; I believe in not hiding away in a world where we can never connect with anyone else. I believe in us co-habituating Earth; it may not happen for millions of years and I'm prepared for that eventuality. You are either with me or against me Preston." I stared him down, the ultimatum hanging in the air.
"I cannot side with you on this princess. I'm sorry, but you're making a mistake and it's not one I can support." He hung his head and disappeared from my side, the loss of Preston upset me greatly, he was the one person who has been by my side through thick and thin these last 200 years, we grew up together for pity's sake... Yet another man comes along who isn't him that I'm interested in and I'm just somehow supposed to bend to his will?
Who is the god damn Faery princess here? I decided to go out into the town today wearing a simple farmers dress and got some of the local ingredients from the store, I managed to make the money appear in the pocket of my apron, so they didn't become suspicious of my actions. I thanked them and returned into the little home I'd made for myself and began to cook a simple meal.
Once properly fed I transformed into a raven again and set off into the sky, I was looking for the approximate place that Erik may have gone, but vampires do not tell others of their resting places for good reason, it was the one time they were completely vulnerable to either the sun or attack.
I noticed a group of shifters coming into the area and decided to intervene away from the hut so they wouldn't get the scent of Erik, they were were-falcons and pretty ones to boot. Noticing another bird in the air they started to get into attack formation before I made myself the biggest raven, they had probably ever seen.
I made swooping gestures for them to go to the ground, once I'd gotten majority of them to land, I shifted back into Fae form. The leader of their pack or cast rather shifted as well, He was a tall man with bird like features. A hooked nose and beady eyes as he stared at me, a million questions running through his mind.
"Who are you?"
"I am no one, I am but a traveler."
"You come at a bad time traveler, a boy was killed here just a few nights ago."
"I am aware of the tragedy; I was keeping an eye out but as I do not know the area, I'm afraid I could not do much."
"Did you kill the boy?" Wow, he really wasn't someone to beat around the bush.
"No. Next you'll ask, 'how can we trust you?' and I'll respond, 'You can't, but you will." His glare deepened; his nest mates (Har har) glared as well.
"We're asking that you leave our territory."
"Asking or demanding?" I rolled my eyes at the suggestion.
"Consider the first time a question, the second we will drag you out by our talons, the third we'll kill you on site." After my fight with Preston, I was brimming for a fight.
"Come on bird boy, I'd love to see you try." He lunged towards me shifting into a falcon as he did so, if I weren't ready to kill him, I'd be mightily impressed. I Jumped into the air and shifted into an Eagle much larger than his falcon. I was perfectly white to his white and brown flecked.
Once in the air I took off at a great speed before climbing towards the sun, once I spotted him, I dove spiraling slightly until I got him in my great talons and continuing my dive to the ground, I used the momentum to slam him into the ground before pulling up suddenly, transforming back into a Fae and walking over to his crumpled body.
He was gravely wounded, but I stood over his body without a care in the world, I knelt and whispered. "Little boys should learn not to fight with those stronger than them." His cast came through the clearing and saw their leader wounded. Taking some of my lifeforce I touched his forehead with my finger and pushed it into his body.
I felt his bones and muscles repairing, before he realized what had happened, he was back to fighting fit, although he was staring at me in shock rather than anger.
"What are you…"
"A traveler, do you still wish me to leave the area?" I raised an eyebrow and looked at him with unhidden amusement.
"No, we will leave. Just please try and protect the town. We don't want any harm coming to them."
"What the fuck Alfred?" A young boy came bursting through the crowd of people, earning an amused chuckle from myself.
"Charlton you will respect the authority I claim." Alfred growled impressively.
"Who the fuck is this person? You're just going to let some stranger into our lands?"
"Traveler, not stranger." I corrected earning a squark from the young man, I never realized how the humans took on the mannerisms of their animals until recently.
"Who gives a flying fuck." That just made me laugh making him angrier, he was so young to be quite so angry, no doubt the shifting only recently coming to him because instead of shifting and attacking me in his strongest form the idiot decided to charge at me fists swinging.
Amused by the interaction I looked to his elder Alfred who nodded seeing the question in my eyes. Darting forward and catching the idiot by surprise I wrapped my hands around his neck and lifted him from the air, he tried to dig his hands into my skin, he even tried kicking me to let him go.
"Listen here boy, I might find you amusing for now but not everyone will have the patience I've had hundreds of years to obtain. Your leader did not ask questions because after I healed him, he gave me temporary cast membership you might call it, my infraction caused the fight, but his forgiveness came from my healing. Answer me boy, did you think about what kind of creature you'd come across that can heal as well as kill within a glimpse?" I dropped the idiot on his ass whilst waiting for an answer.
"No. What are you?"
"I didn't answer him who I respected, what makes you think I'll answer you boy?" I looked down at him without smiling. "Remember this boy, next time someone has their hands around your neck you'll be dead at their feet in the next moment. Think before you act, or you'll be dead by the end of the week." I nodded to Alfred and took back to the skies in Raven form making sure to do the rounds of the area I presumed Erik to be residing in.
Flying always helped me think through my next steps, my wings cutting through the clouds and creating patterns in the sky. It was always my favorite time of day watching the sky change from blue to orange and purple as the sun set or rose. I knew that I had to question whether Erik had anything to do with that young boy from the town, more importantly we had to start heading to another county rather soon.
If only life could be as simple as the two of us on a block of land as far as our eyes could see, with no humans trying to figure out why we don't age… Alas, the world isn't that simple.
AN:
I know, I know... It's a filler chapter.
I'll be covering the travels between Erik and Susannah in the next couple of chapters before the drama kicks up!
Thank you for following my journey and reviewing
Nicolle1977, Hopefully they'll find a way to restore tattoos or get new ones for vampires! Maybe then we can have our Viking the way he was meant to be.
Cookie, for some reason I'm better at tragedy and heartbreak than simple loving romance. -.- I need to work on it.
MsNorthman – Do we reeeallly want a visit from Appius? Urgh! He's awful, don't you agree?
For some reason I'm better at tragedy and heartbreak than simple loving romance. -.- I need to work on it.
MsNorthman – Do we reeeallly want a visit from Appius? Urgh! He's awful, don't you agree?
Remember to send some love, comments, reviews, messages, it's always appreciated!