Chapter Fifteen
The heavy weights bearing down on her eyelids gradually begun to lift and her brain started to feel a little less like cotton wool as the disorientating fog of slumber gradually begun to ebb. Ophelia became keenly aware of an unpleasant ache in her muscles, her body felt stiff, like she'd been lying in the same position for hours. She tentatively stretched her legs, startled by the lack of pain that followed. There was no white hot flare of agony from the re-opening of wounds, no cramping of her toes or unfathomable throb of the soles of her feet.
She quickly became aware that she was lying on her back, bewildered by the fact that she could do so without experiencing torturous agony. Ophelia inhaled, her brows furrowing when the scent of vomit, death and decay no longer greeted her, rather it was the oddly familiar scent of amber musk that flooded her senses. Dazedly, Ophelia's eyes fluttered open, finding herself staring up at a familiar deluxe canopy, feeling the cool, luxury of silk sheets against her bare arms and calves rather than hard stone. The black stone surrounding her was tauntingly familiar and she wondered whether this was another trick of the Goblin King, showing her what she missed the most – home.
Ophelia peered down at her arms, finding them devoid of vivid violet bruises or the deep gashes where the iron cuff had dug into her skin. She could just make out the top of her chest in the low light, her breath catching in her throat when she saw unblemished skin, the only evidence of her torture being the faint, silvery scars running the width of her chest. What the hell was happening? Was she dreaming? Was this one of his torturous games? Why didn't she feel pain? Why were her wounds healed? How long had she been unconscious? With her heart hammering rapid-fire against her ribs, Ophelia turned her head, wincing when a crack of bone accompanied the movement, fully prepared to see Jareth lying beside her, a smug smirk twisting his sharp-features. However, instead of the twisted Goblin King, she found a sight that made her heart ache. A familiar mess of platinum blonde hair brushed against her pillow as a familiar pair of curved, plump lips set in a solemn frown. Even in his sleep, her king was hurting, and she couldn't bear the thought of him falling apart, had he thought he'd lost her? She certainly didn't expect to find herself waking up beside him, in all honestly she hadn't expected to survive, believing the dank, grimy walls of the dungeon and the sinister yellow eyes of the demon creature to be the last thing she'd see before she succumbed to death.
Ophelia cautiously rolled onto her side, once again flummoxed by the disconcerting lack of pain. She reached out, gently brushing her fingers down David's stubbled jaw, relishing in the familiar tickle of stubble beneath the pads of her fingers. She wasn't dreaming, he was real, she was home. A mixture of relief and hope made her stomach flutter, lifting the heavy weight that bore down on her shoulders as she slid closer to the sleeping king, yearning to feel the safety of his strong arms. Ophelia shuffled closer, resting her head in the crook of the king's outstretched arm while cautiously raising the other, wrapping it around her waist. Reflexively, David drew her against his body, burying his face against the crook of her neck. Ophelia's heart pounded as butterflies fluttered and danced in her stomach, it felt so good to be back in her loves arms. She felt David stiffen, his head snapping back as confused, crystal blue eyes met emerald green. "Ophelia…" he whispered as the most beautiful smile she'd ever seen graced his handsome face.
"I'm really home?" she breathed, searching his eyes for any sign that this was all in her imagination.
David drew her into a desperate embrace, his face buried against her shoulder as he held her tight. "You're home my love," he whispered, his lips tickling her bare skin as she felt something wet trickle down her chest. Ophelia frowned, gently pushing against his shoulders but her weakened state and the ferocity in which he was holding her made it impossible to detach him. Her concern heightened as the damp sensation on her skin grew.
"David… look at me…" she murmured. After a lengthy pause, David reluctantly pulled back, his blue eyes glistening with tears. "Why are you crying?" Ophelia frowned, wiping away the tears that trickled down his cheeks, her heart aching to see such a powerful man reduced to tears let alone the man that she loved.
"I thought I'd lost you Ophelia, I very nearly did…" he swallowed, stroking her hair.
"But I'm here, I'm fine… I'm-" she glanced down at herself, "-healed?" she frowned.
David gently placed his hands either side of her neck, closing his eyes and softly nudged her lips. Ophelia whimpered, deepening the kiss, desperate to feel his love, desperate to feel his tenderness. "Beloved I have a confession to make-" his shoulders sagged, pulling back to meet her eyes once again, "-and I fear you're going to hate me…"
"What is it?" she frowned, her stomach fluttering nervously.
"When we got you back here, you were moments away from death. You'd lost so much blood and your body was shutting down because of it. You were broken Ophelia," David swallowed, his voice thick with emotion.
"I had to make a decision and I had to do so without your permission, it was the only way I could save you and I couldn't bear to lose you. I pray that you forgive me but… Ophelia… I bit you… the only reason you are alive now is because my venom runs through your veins…" he confessed and Ophelia's eyes widened.
Memories of her time in the dungeon flooded her mind, recalling every crack of the whip, every trickle of blood, every tear of her skin, every projectile stream of vomit, every agonising flare of white hot pain. "I'm…. I'm a vampire, like you?" she stammered in shock.
"No starlight, you're a hybrid – your bodies in a sort of limbo between human and immortal. Meaning you still have your human functions and your heart still beats but at the same time you have some attributes of an immortal, such as self-healing," he explained, tracing a silvery scar on her chest with the tip of his finger, making her shiver.
"I understand if you feel betrayed and hurt by my decision but you have to understand that it was the only way Ophelia. I couldn't bear to lose you, the pain was indescribable, seeing your broken, tortured body laid on that bed in the infirmary, feeling your pulse weakening, scenting the lingering stench of death shrouding you, it was killing me. I did what I did out of love and nothing more, I swear if there had been another way, I wouldn't have done what I did – not without your permission. I didn't want it to be this way. I wanted you to be the one to tell me that it was what you wanted but the situation took that liberty away. I either made the decision for you or I watched you slip away from me and though you may consider me selfish, I didn't want you to leave me Ophelia…" he murmured, cupping her face between his hands.
"Please I beg of you my darling, don't hate me, please…" David whispered, drawing her into a succession of desperate, tender kisses.
Ophelia was suddenly pummelled with a tidal wave of emotion, the wave so great that she couldn't speak, all she could do was cry. "Sshh… my love please don't cry," David murmured, pulling her into his arms.
Her shoulders shook from the weight of her sobs, her hands frantically clinging to her king's waist, terrified that she would wake up any minute back in the dungeon and everything would just be a dream. She wouldn't be in the arms of the man she loved. She wouldn't be in the place she called home. She wouldn't have found out that the king saved her. She wouldn't have seen the king's eyes glistening with tears nor would she have felt the tender caress of his lips against her mouth.
"I love you," Ophelia wept.
If it was all a dream, she wanted the sincere words to be the last thing she said to her king. After all, she'd endured Jareth's torture for the sake of such love, and she needed David to know just how much it was true.
Ophelia stood in front of the vanity mirror, staring at her reflection. She'd spent the entirety of the morning weeping. Her eyes were rimmed red, the whites discoloured by spidery red veins while the pale skin around her eyes was bruised with dark circles, a by-product of her exhaustion.
She'd wept for the torture she'd endured at the hands of the cruel Goblin King. She'd wept with the knowledge that if it wasn't for the compassion of Jareth's advisor and Paul's bravery to face the twisted king alone, she would still be hanging from those rusting chains in that pit of decay, her corpse left to rot. She wept for the loss of Jeremiah, the sweet little boy who she'd wanted to care for, to love and nurture, only for him to be so cruelly killed and she prayed that his death was painless. She'd wept knowing that Dwayne was still alive, she'd been so afraid that she'd been the cause of his death and that David would resent her because of it.
She'd wept knowing how Paul and Ellie had been so desperate to reach her that they'd gone rogue, the two of them hatching their own plans while the rest of the guard had trawled over old war strategies to find a solution to getting past the wards. She'd wept knowing how much David had suffered during her imprisonment and its aftermath. She wept knowing how scared he was of her hating him for making a decision that ultimately saved her life. Ophelia couldn't hate him, not even a little, she'd endured unfathomable agony and near death for her love for him, she belonged to him and him only. Her inevitable transition from mortal to immortal was always meant to happen. What did it matter that it happened now rather than in the future?
She'd also wept as David had bared his heart to her, telling her how he'd blamed himself for his parents deaths, leaving him unable to properly grieve out of guilt when all along it had been Jareth's father that had ordered the assassination of the past high king and queen. Ophelia hoped that the Goblin King suffered. She hoped that he died alone and miserable with nothing and no-one around him. David was right, death would have been far too merciful for that despicable man.
Ophelia sighed, tracing the silvery scars running the width of her chest. She was afraid to know what the rest of her body looked like. She averted her eyes. What if David found the sight of her scarred body hideous? What if he didn't want her anymore? "The sight of you awake and well is truly a joyous sight my queen," David crooned as he snuck up behind her, his hands slipping around her waist, his lips ghosting her shoulder.
"Are you really trying to seduce me after I've just spent the morning ungraciously falling apart?" Ophelia quirked her eyebrow in jest, twisting herself in his arms.
"My love, this isn't about seducing you. This is about you knowing how much you are beloved to me. I made a vow that should you wake up, I would spend the rest of my life showing you just how deep my love for you runs and due to my oft inarticulate ways of expressing such feelings with words, I'm merely attempting to show you with my actions."
"Ophelia, I want you to understand how loved, how desired and how precious you are to me. I've never felt what I feel for you before and though some may deem it too soon for grand gestures and promises of undying love, I know within myself that it will only ever be you that makes me feel this way. Feel free to push me away and tell me you are uncomfortable with my way of expressing my love if you wish and I promise I will not take offence. I do not wish to overstep my boundaries when you have been through so much recent trauma."
Ophelia internally swooned, feeling her fears, pain and sorrow melt away like ice beneath the searing rays of the sun simply from the husky, honeyed hum of his voice crooning words of reverence and adulation. The affect that the king had on her mind, body and soul was undeniable. To anyone else, they might be tempted to believe themselves bordering on hysteria after experiencing such lows before a euphoric high, yet to Ophelia, she knew it was the fated bond that they shared, and she treasured the dizzying influx of emotions that he caused to surge through her from one moment to the next. "I love the way you talk…" she smiled, smoothing her hands over his strong chest, rounding them over his broad shoulders. She tenderly kissed his pale, plump lips and slipped out of his arms, padding into the bathroom to wash her blotchy face.
"I do believe you mean that you love the way I speak – what did they teach you in school? Perhaps I need to tutor you on the proper use of the English language my queen," David's husky lilt resounded from behind her where he stood, casually leaning against the door frame.
"Or perhaps you need to stop being so pedantic," Ophelia countered, cupping a handful of water between her hands and splashed her face.
"Is that so?" David's voice came from directly behind her this time and her skin tingled from his close proximity, the perfumed scent of amber musk flooding her senses. Was that David's scent? She recalled the conversation she'd had with Paul when they were both high, about everyone having a unique scent that a vampire could pick up on. Did she have the ability to pick it up now too?
If so, David smelt heavenly…
"Mmhmm…" she hummed, turning to face him.
David's crystal blue eyes travelled the length and width of her face while a ghost of a smile played on his seductively full lips. "You really are so beautiful Ophelia…" he spoke lowly, his tone soft and tender.
Ophelia could feel her cheeks flush beneath the adulation of his gaze as a million fluttering butterflies danced in the pit of her stomach. "I might have believed you at one point but not anymore… not with these hideous scars… I don't even want to know what my back and legs look like," she averted her eyes, her bottom lip finding its way between her teeth.
David tilted her chin with his fingers, forcing her to look him in the eye. "Only a man rendered blind could be ignorant to your beauty my darling and as for the scars, how could I find the evidence of our love hideous?" he frowned.
"I know that you suffered because you refused to turn your back on me Ophelia. I'm not going to ask you what happened to you because I already know and I do not wish for you to re-live it. But I know that those scars are a testament to the love you have for me and in my eyes, they only make you ever more beautiful," he murmured.
Ophelia's chest flooded with warmth and she smiled coyly while David stepped closer to where she stood, gingerly pushing her back against the marble counter as his hands sought her hips and his lips softly met her mouth. The pads of his fingers traced the outline of her jaw before he leant forward and gently nudged her lips before pulling away just enough that she could see his handsome features clearly.
His finger curled beneath her chin, holding her firm in his intense gaze. "You Ophelia, are the one who lights up every room that you walk into. Your kind heart and compassionate soul serve as a beacon of sunlight in my kingdom of darkness. Your laughter and your breath-taking smile make my tortured soul rejoice. You render the steel fortress in my mind nothing but a flimsy, lop-sided pillow forte and you and you only have been the one to thaw the icy cage around my heart."
"You give me strength Ophelia, you made me want to be a better man if only for the sake of your happiness. I love you my darling, more than I ever thought was possible. You own the shattered fragments of my heart and you soothe the wailing of my lost soul. When I look into your beautiful emerald green eyes I feel like I'm home. I never imagined myself to feel such happiness as that, that I have felt since knowing you and I could never, in my eternal life love another if I were to lose you."
David captured her in a kiss so sincere, so loving and tender that tears of adulation leaked from the corners of her eyes. His hands delicately wandered the curves and contours of her body, leaving her struggling to string together an intelligible response to his heart-melting words. Ophelia wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him down to her level as she arched towards him as his hands slid down her back, coming to rest on her lower back. David's fingers bunched the silk fabric of her night-dress, working it inch by inch up her thighs before hooking his fingers beneath the hem and slowly pushed it up over her body, gingerly guiding it over her head, leaving it to fall in a puddle by her feet which he kicked aside. He turned her so she was facing the mirror, her sternum pressing lightly against the marble counter of the sink.
His fingers danced over her bare shoulders while his lips ghosted the curve of her neck and Ophelia's breath hitched. He slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her against him. The second their skin touched, she hummed pleasurably as a shiver run a full circuit through her body. "I love the sounds you make for me oh heart of mine," he murmured, placing a delicate kiss to her neck.
Ophelia exhaled a shaky breath, raising her arm to tangle her fingers in his charmingly tousled platinum blonde hair and her eyes fluttered closed as his teeth gently nipped at her earlobe while his hands drifted lower and she couldn't stop the low whimper that escaped her parted lips.
She arched against him and opened her eyes to find him his eyes watching her in the mirror. Another unsteady breath escaped her and she met his eyes in the mirror, mesmerized by the way the two of them seemed to compliment each other so perfectly. The longer she stared at their reflection, the more her core pulsed and trembled. "How I crave you Ophelia..." David breathed and she shuddered.
The king smoothed his hand down the curve of her waist before rounding them across her stomach as he nuzzled the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Ophelia shuddered when David ghosted his lips over a silvery strip of skin before his tongue followed, tracing the jagged scars of her love for him. The king sank to his knees as he continued to trace the scars that she feared would render her beastly only for the king to make her feel like the most desired, beautiful creature in the entire Underworld. David's teeth lightly bit the supple flesh of her rear and she gasped, her cheeks aflame as her bottom lip found it's way between her teeth.
David gently turned her, his lips skimming the spot just below her navel and her breath-hitched as his hands worked their way from her ass to her hips, securing her in place. "If you need me to tell you how beautiful you are every minute of every day for the next millennia in order for you to understand just how I revere you Ophelia - I would do so, willingly..." he whispered against her lower stomach. His hands slid down to cup her rear and her gently pulled her hips forward, his hot breath caressing between her thighs in a way that sent shivers of anticipation down her spine.
David used his fingers to gently part her folds and her head fell back against her shoulders when his tongue grazed her hidden bundle of nerves. He slowly, with a skilled ease, rendered her breathless and whimpering as he devoured her, the sound of her jagged breath interspersed with strangled moans and the hungry, pleasured hums of the immortal king at her feet resounding in the silence. She felt like she could feel every fibre of his love for her. He touched her with such practiced ease, seeming to know exactly where to suck and nip, knowing exactly how to twist his fingers so that her entire body sang a glorious aria in response.
"Oh David… oh... God..." she whimpered, her body bucking and jerking as an intense orgasm rocketed straight through her core, threatening to make her legs buckle.
Wordlessly, David got to his feet, holding her trembling body delicately in his arms as he pressed himself up against her, the heat of his thick, cock pulsing against her apex was a stark contrast to the cool marble of the counter pressed flush against her back. Her eyelids drooped lustily while her cheeks flushed crimson as he slid his hands down the length of her arms, covering her hands with his warm palms as she pressed herself up against his delicious hardness.
Ophelia moaned lowly when she felt the tip of his cock graze her desire drenched entrance and she yearned to feel him inside her. David's hands drew back up the length of her arm and with one arm wrapped around her waist, he cupped the other behind her thigh, raising her leg to balance on his hip as he slowly entered her aching heat. Ophelia's breath hitched as he eased himself inside her, filling her completely only to slowly slide back out seconds later. Her head dropped forward to his broad shoulder as her eyes fluttering closed, losing herself in the feel of him.
She exhaled slowly and raised her head, meeting his hooded eyes. "I belong inside you Ophelia..." he whispered and slowly pushed his hips forward, filling her with his delicious hardness. She whimpered, exposing her neck which he eagerly sought with his mouth while his hands deftly fondled her breasts. David slowly, purposefully and maddeningly deeply pumped himself inside her, building up an intense, pleasurable rhythm that had her whimpering and him moaning.
"You are the most beautiful, kind-hearted person I've ever had the pleasure to meet Ophelia. You're strong, incredibly brave, enviably intelligent and absolutely adorable..." he murmured against the side of her throat, each word punctuated by a soft kiss and a deep, glorious thrust.
"You are the only one that I have and will ever love. You are mine and do not ever doubt that I belong solely and completely to you."
David tightened his hold on her thigh, holding her in place while the other inched down her stomach, stopping only when he reached her apex, stroking her at the same, rhythmic pace as the thrust of his hips. Her eyes fluttered closed and her breath came in short, ragged, pants. "Come with me Ophelia..." he crooned and she instantly began to fall, her walls clamping down on him as she hummed throatily and David moaned, filling her with his seed.
"I love you Ophelia," David whispered.
"I love you too my king," she smiled, dreamily.
David languidly lounged on the couch of his sitting room, sipping from a glass of mead as he listened to the sound of his love reuniting with her lady in waiting who it seemed had become a close confidante. He couldn't describe the relief he'd felt when he'd awoken to the loving caress of his love. The feel of her warm, soft body in his arms had been heavenly. Of course, their reunion had been bittersweet, for as much as the occasion was joyful, it had been tinged with sorrow as he'd held his love as she'd wept while he narrated the events that followed her kidnap.
After making passionate love to his queen, unable to resist the magnetic pull he felt for her and needing her to know and fully understand how precious she was to him, he'd suggested that she eat, her body was still weak and the dark rings around her eyes displaying her exhaustion concerned him. However, rather than agreeing to the idea of eating lunch in their chambers, Ophelia had been adamant that she wanted to enjoy some normality and dine in the hall with everyone else. Alas, he was powerless to refuse his love, he would do anything to keep the smile on her beautiful face.
David drained the remainder of the glass, rising to his feet just as Ophelia padded into the room with Ellie glued to her side.
"My lady you really should be resting, perhaps you should take your meal in your chambers," Ellie fussed, supporting Ophelia's arm, looking as though she was afraid her friend would topple over.
"Ellie I've been unconscious for the past four days, how much more rest do I need?" Ophelia argued, rolling her eyes.
"Plenty-" David interjected, "-you are still visibly weak sweet one, would you not change your mind about traipsing all the way down to the dining hall?"
"No, I told you I just want a little bit of normality David, I need it – for my own sanity. Yes I'm exhausted. Yes I'm weak, but I'll rest later. Right now I just want to sit at a table, surrounded by people I love and stuff my face," Ophelia pouted and David couldn't stifle his chuckle of amusement.
"As you wish sweet one," he sighed, kissing her cheek as he offered her his arm. "Ellie you are dismissed of your duties but you may join us for lunch if you so wish – perhaps you'd like to join us on a more permanent basis during meals?" he offered, his chest swelling with affection when he saw the way Ophelia's face light up.
"Oh… that would be an honour your majesty, thank you," Ellie flustered.
"Don't mention it. You may make your way down there, I will escort Ophelia, if you could give word to the kitchens to start the preparations."
"Yes sire," Ellie nodded, skittering out of the door.
"You're getting soft Davey baby," Ophelia teased, resting her head on his shoulder.
David chuckled. "Hush sweet one, you're talking nonsense."
"Sure I am, you big marshmallow," she giggled, the sound like the finest aria to his ears.
"How much further?" Ophelia panted.
"Ophelia I told you, you are far too weak to be wandering around the palace," David sighed exasperated.
"Do shut up your majesty, you're beginning to sound like a broken record," Ophelia retorted.
David barked a laugh. "Well, it would seem the queen is rather cranky when proven to be wrong…"
"Ugh," Ophelia pouted, leaning against the wall as she fought past the wave of exhaustion.
"In all seriousness sweet one, is this really a good idea?" David frowned, stroking her cheek.
"I need it David, I need the normality… I…" his queen trailed off and he caught sight of the fresh tears pooling in her eyes.
"Oh sweetheart-" he sighed, kissing her forehead, "-come, allow me to help you," he smiled, eliciting a startled yelp when he swept her into his arms. Ophelia looped her arms around his neck, her expression of surprise morphing into a warm smile as she nestled against his chest as he carried her the rest of the way to dining hall.
David gently set her back onto her feet once they reached the doors to the dining hall, steadying her when her body swayed from a bout of disorientation. "Are you sure you're going to be OK Ophelia? I have no qualms about carrying you back up to our chambers and having lunch sent up," he fussed, stroking her cheek with the pad of his thumb.
"I'm fine, don't worry," Ophelia smiled as she leant into his touch, kissing the palm of his hand.
"Asking me not to worry about you is like asking me to count the stars in the sky - it's neither feasible nor practical," David shook his head, stooping so that their foreheads touched.
"You'll go prematurely grey you know," she joked and David huffed a laugh.
"Considering how old I am, I doubt it could be considered premature-" he jested before exhaling a small sigh, "-OK sweet one, come," he smiled, kissing her cheek softly as he took her hand and ushered her through the heavy doors. They stepped into the dining hall to find Dwayne, Marko and Ellie stood off to the side wearing wide smiles as Paul bounced around the table banging a fork and spoon together as he warbled some random dreck from the nineteen eighties that used to play incessantly at the boardwalk whenever he and Dwayne used to cross the veil. Even Ezra seemed to be joining in on the hyperactive display.
"Celebrating something?" David smirked as all eyes fell on him, keeping Ophelia hidden behind him.
"Ellie told us sleeping beauty is finally awake," Paul tossed the cutlery down onto the table.
"Yes, she is," the king smiled knowingly.
"Well how is she?" Paul rolled his eyes.
"Ask her yourself," David stepped to the side revealing his queen.
"Steellllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Paul hollered, rushing Ophelia and swept her into his arms, spinning her around in a giddy circle while embracing her enthusiastically. The sound of his queen's laughter filled his ears and he couldn't hide the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth any more than he could control the flood of warmth that spread across his chest. "I've missed you so much queenie," Paul confessed, gently setting her back onto her feet.
"I've missed you too Paul," Ophelia smiled, squeezing his hand.
"Ophelia, I'm so sorry I didn't do more that night," Ezra moved over to where Ophelia stood, his eyes flickering with regret.
"You did what you were trained to do Ezra, it wasn't your fault," she assured him, pulling him into a friendly hug.
"It's good to see you Ophelia-" Marko smiled, drawing her into a brotherly embrace, "-the king was insufferable without you to keep him on his leash," he jested, eliciting a harmonious giggle.
"Ophelia," Dwayne was the last to greet her, his dark eyes flashing with guilt and sorrow.
"I know what you're going to say before you even say it-" Ophelia frowned, "-it wasn't your fault Dwayne just like it wasn't Ezra's fault. So please, stop blaming yourself. I'm just glad that you're OK, I was so worried about you," she stated tearfully, drawing him into an affectionate embrace.
"I'm fine, I'm like the terminator – I'll always be back-" he joked, "-I was more worried about you, it's a relief to see you awake."
"Alright, that's enough man-handling my queen thank you very much," David pouted, guiding Ophelia to her seat.
"I'm not so fragile that I'm going to break you know," Ophelia rolled her eyes, lowering herself into her chair.
"It's not that I'm worried about, I'm more concerned with where their hands have been," he grimaced taking his seat while the boys snickered and Ellie blushed.
Ophelia eyed her lady in waiting curiously, noting how her blush deepened when Paul caught her eye, his mouth curving into a knowing smile – there was something going on between the two of them, she was sure of it.
David observed Ophelia with a frown, concern for her mental state making his chest feel tight. A loud crash sounded from the kitchens and Ophelia almost jumped out of her seat. He could hear the rapid pounding of her heart as her eyes darted around the dining hall like she expected someone or something to jump out and grab her. He noticed Dwayne, Marko and Paul share a knowing look while Ellie's eyes misted with tears, his loves hurt and fear an obvious worry among them all.
A loud knock on the dining hall door once again set Ophelia on edge, her fingers gripping the edge of the table so hard her knuckles turned white. "Enter," David called out, his eyes wholly focused on Ophelia's ashen face.
"Sorry to disturb you sire but King Drake and King Solomon are requesting to see you," Xavier stepped into the hall, his eyes roaming to his queen with a sad smile.
David sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, knowing his two friends wouldn't follow orders to leave until he agreed to see them and he'd rather just get the inevitable over with so he could concentrate on Ophelia.
"Go sire, I'll make sure Ophelia is OK," Dwayne spoke and David tore his eyes away from his queen, meeting his best friends understanding gaze.
"Thank you-" he swallowed, "-I shan't be long," he stated, rising to his feet.
Ophelia seemed to suddenly snap out of whatever world she'd been in, her eyes pooling with tears as she clambered awkwardly to her feet. "W-where are you going?" she panicked, grabbing the king's wrist desperately.
"I just have something I need to attend to my love but I promise I'll be back soon," he assured her but Ophelia refused to relinquish her hold on his wrist.
"Don't leave me David-" she shook her head, her voice barely a whisper, "-he's coming for me..." she added, a terrified sob escaping her.
"Beloved-" David sighed, drawing her into his arms, "-you're safe, no-one is going to hurt you."
"Please... don't go," she sobbed, her tears staining his shirt.
David glanced over Ophelia's shoulder looking to his best friend for help. He didn't know what to say or do. Could anything he said truly ease her fears after the horrors she'd been through?
To the king's surprise, Paul rose from his seat, patting Dwayne's shoulder as he passed in a silent assurance that he'd handle it. Wordlessly, Paul detached Ophelia from David's arms, drawing her into his own instead, his hand stroking her hair as he whispered words of assurance in her ear. The king would normally throw Paul in the dungeon for daring to put his hands anywhere near his queen but he could see how much Ophelia needed the comfort, she needed to feel safe and Paul had proven himself not only an honourable guard but a loyal friend also.
"Thank you," David silently mouthed over Ophelia's head as he slunk out of the dining hall and followed Xavier through the palace toward his study.
"She's not doing too good, is she sire?" Xavier grimaced, pausing outside the door to the king's study.
"No-" David sighed. "-well physically she's in a much better state though she does still need to rest but mentally... I'm not sure how long it will take those wounds to heal."
"May the Goblin King rot," Xavier scowled, his fists clenched in anger.
"My sentiments exactly," David agreed, dismissing his guard as he stepped into his study, greeting the two kings with a tired smile. "You wanted to see me?" he stated, wearily making his way across the room before sinking into the chair behind his desk.
"We came to ask word on the queen's condition, has there been any improvement?" King Solomon inquired, lowering himself into one of the vacant chairs in front of the desk with King Drake taking the seat beside him.
"She's awake," David stated, running a hand through his hair.
"Forgive me your majesty but you don't seem to be as joyous as I'd have expected knowing your queen is awake and well," King Drake frowned, cocking his head as he studied the king's face.
"Of course I'm overjoyed-" David countered.
"-Then why do you look so... distressed?" Solomon frowned.
"Because brother, she may be awake but she is not well. Physically she may be healed but I fear her mental wounds run deeper. Every unexpected noise or movement sets her on edge. Just now she was begging me not to leave her fearing that he was going to come back for her in my absence," the king grimaced.
The two king's eyes flickered with understanding.
"I can assure you that, that wretched plebeian is in no fit state to even attempt retribution," Solomon smirked.
"What did you do?" David quirked his eyebrow, leaning forward, his hands laid flat against the surface of his desk.
"Aside from beat ten shades of shit out of the insufferable prig?-" Solomon grinned wickedly, "-I ordered my men to hide iron around his kingdom, it's in the Labyrinth as well as his palace so the prancing fairy is unable to use his magic – you can assure the queen that there's no fear of him teleporting, he's truly a caged animal," the king laughed.
"I'm also planning to send some particularly mischievous sprites to visit him every few days, just to keep him on his toes," Solomon added and Drake snorted a laugh.
"You do relish in torment don't you?" David chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.
"It's nothing the twisted son of a bitch doesn't deserve. He deserves death not only torment," Solomon scowled.
"Death is too much of a mercy," David disagreed, neatening a stack of parchment that had seemed to pile up over the last few days.
"Enough talk about that oaf, I'm more interested in what your next steps are your majesty," Drake grinned slyly.
"What do you mean?" David frowned, confused.
"I do wonder where your mind ventures sometimes David," Solomon chastised, tossing a pen at the king's forehead in a bid to get him to focus.
"That's a punishable offence," David scowled.
Solomon merely rolled his eyes and held out his wrists while Drake smirked, clearing his throat. "I mean, when do you plan to make yours and Ophelia's union official?"
"When do you plan to ask her hand in marriage?" Solomon clarified noting David's confused expression.
"Since when did you two turn into such gossips?" David scoffed.
"Since our good friend found his queen and said queen escaped death by a mere hairsbreadth all in the name of her love for him," Solomon threw his hands up in exasperation.
David swallowed around the lump in his throat, closing his eyes against the image of his love broken and bleeding, moments away from perishing in the most horrendous way imaginable. "I want to make her my wife more than anything but I fear that asking her hand while she is still so fragile will be too much for her damaged mental state. Let's face it, royal engagements are no small affair, it could all prove far too overwhelming."
"Though I understand your concern David, I'd like to counter that perhaps such a joyous occasion as a marriage proposal and the following engagement celebration could be a positive distraction from Ophelia's fears," Drake countered.
"I agree-" Solomon nodded, "-besides, I do believe that you need to prove your love for her after all that she suffered to prove her love for you."
"I vowed that I'd spend the rest of eternity showing her just how much I love her," David stated, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Then isn't making her your wife and placing the rightful crown on her head one way to show your reverence?" Drake offered.
David groaned, his head falling into his hands in exasperation. "I bloody loathe planning parties," he groused eliciting a bark of laughter
The tips of her fingers grazed the cool, grey marble, tracing the markings etched on the stones surface, her sorrow evident in the wet tracks of her tears. "Do you believe in the afterlife Dwayne?" Ophelia murmured.
"I'm not sure but I'd like to believe there's something after death," Dwayne answered honestly.
Ophelia peered up at the handsome immortal through tear-stained lashes, swallowing around the lump in her throat as she observed his doleful brown eyes flicker with concern. "I'd like to think that if mythical creatures exist then the concept of heaven and hell isn't too far out of the realm of possibility..." she uttered, her eyes once again drifting to the child-sized grave as she sat back on her heels.
"I hope he found his parents, wherever he is. I can't bear the thought of him being alone and scared..." she whispered, her voice wavering as she stroked the silken petals of the pristine white rose resting across her knees. Ophelia gently set the rose at the head of the grave, the unblemished petals and vivid pine stem a stark contrast to the rich brown earth and muted grey marble.
As she stared at the final resting place of the young boy she'd so quickly grown to love, she felt a sudden rush of guilt-laden grief wash over her in one great tidal wave, the overwhelming emotion making her chest feel suffocatingly tight. Unable to handle the weight of her burdens Ophelia burst into tears, her shoulder-shaking sobs powerful enough to knock the air out of her lungs.
"Ophelia," Dwayne's voice broke through the agony as she felt a warm hand settle on her shoulder. However, in her state of despair, the action that was made as a gesture of comfort morphed into one of menace and Ophelia found herself back in the palace gardens, locked in the arms of the evil Goblin King as Jeremiah lay lifeless, the once vivid green grass stained crimson while deafening roars of anger threatened to split her eardrums.
She screamed and cried, flailing out of reach, feeling her back hit solid ground. She curled up in a ball feeling herself descending into hysteria as she drown in painful memories. She could hear a familiar voice calling her name as those same warm hands reached out to remove her from the floor but once again, the kind, worried voice of the king's advisor turned sly and sinister, the cadence and lilt all wrong as Jareth's burning eyes of hatred penetrated her inner sanctuary and the gentle hands that reached for her turned into sharp claws made for inflicting pain.
Dwayne reached out to pull Ophelia from the floor only to be deafened by her terrified screams as she cowered, sobbing and whimpering into the crook of her own arms. "Ophelia," he spoke, concern for the future queens mental state heightening when she lashed out, clawing at his face hard enough to draw blood.
"Shit," he exhaled, running a hand through his hair as he glanced back at the palace, noticing Blaize and Viktor sprinting through the gardens. He waved his hands, signalling the two guards to stop and retreat, the last thing Ophelia needed was more witnesses to her mental break. The two guards hesitated before making a silent retreat back towards the palace.
Dwayne was startled when he sensed a familiar presence behind him, the sound of heavy boots hitting the ground moments later. He spun around to find the king landing less than gracefully, his expression panicked, his eyes locked on Ophelia's hysterical form. "What the hell happened?" he asked, moving toward where Ophelia lay on the floor.
"Don't touch her," Dwayne stated, darting to grab David's hand as he reached for the queen.
"Why?" David frowned, distress clear on his face and the way his eyes flickered with unease.
"She's having some kind of flashback, I don't know what happened, she was upset and I tried to comfort her but she just went somewhere else, started flailing and lashing out," he explained, gesturing to the streak of blood still drying on his cheek, the wound long since healed.
"I can't just leave her like this Dwayne," David argued.
"If you try to man-handle her, perhaps you'll make it worse," Dwayne countered, drawing his hands down his face, stressed.
"I don't think it can get much worse brother, do you?" David frowned, ignoring Dwayne's advise as he lowered himself to his knees beside Ophelia.
"Ophelia," David murmured earning an ear-piercing scream in response.
"I told you," Dwayne grimaced.
"I didn't touch her!" David growled.
"It would seem you don't need to."
"I'm not going to leave the woman I love flailing and screaming on the cemetery floor Dwayne," the king stated adamantly as he bundled Ophelia into his arms, her screams and sobs intensifying ten-fold.
The king struggled to maintain his grip on her as she continued to fight his hold, clawing at his face and arms like a feral cat, leaving him covered in weeping scratches. David drew Ophelia against his chest, trapping her arms, preventing her from inflicting further damage to either herself or him. "If anyone asks for me, I'm unavailable for the foreseeable, is that clear?" David spoke as he struggled to his feet, preparing to take flight.
"Yes sire," Dwayne nodded as he watched the king take off towards the castle, the future queens heart-wrenching cries echoing in the silence of the night.
David landed on the balcony of his chambers, stumbling through the doors leading to his bedroom as he struggled to calm the frantic woman in his arms. "Ophelia my love please stop fighting me, I'm not going to hurt you," he spoke softly as he gently set her on his bed.
When she still continued to fight him, he knew that despite his reluctance to do so, he'd have to use his lure to calm her and hopefully bring her out of her memories. David straddled her hips, pinning her arms above her head as he bowed forward, his forehead resting against her brow. "Calm down Ophelia," he crooned, in tune with the rapid drumming of her over-worked heart. "You're safe, you're home where you belong starlight. I won't let anyone hurt you..." he continued, the pad of his thumb stroking her wrist.
He felt Ophelia slowly start to calm, her breath evening as her muscles gradually started to relax. "Good my love, just relax..." he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.
Ophelia's eyes fluttered open, her lower lip trembling as she met the kings' worried gaze. "David I-"
"-Ssshh beloved, it's OK," he soothed, softly kissing her lips.
"It all felt so real... I thought I was back there... I thought he'd come back for me..." Ophelia stammered, her voice thick with emotion.
"Starlight I swear with every piece of my tortured soul that he will never hurt you. No-one will ever hurt you again-" he crooned, stroking her flushed cheek, "-I'd die to protect you Ophelia..."
His queens beautiful emerald eyes misted with tears and his dead heart ached. "I love you David," she whispered, her throat working as she swallowed her tears.
"I love you too starlight, more than I've ever loved any one or any thing," he smiled, softly nudging her lips as he released her hands from his hold.
"I-" Ophelia's face turned drip white and he instinctually knew that she was about to vomit. He leapt off the bed, making way for his love as she scrambled off the bed and stumbled into the bathroom.
David grimaced as the sound of vomit splattered against the toilet bowl and reached out, smoothing slow circles across Ophelia's back as she retched, the strained sounds interspersed with her sobs. He wasn't so sure what to do, he hadn't necessarily been in this situation before, it was usually Dwayne flanking his side while he vomited the decanter of mead he'd thrown back during a period of self-pity and misery. He wasn't sure what the protocol was. All he did know was that each time she whimpered in distress, his heart would ache, the invisible rock lodged between the gnarled knots of his intestines growing bigger.
David reluctantly left Ophelia's side to retrieve two wash cloths, running them beneath the cold facet, squeezing out the excess water until they were left cool and damp before guiding Ophelia back to the bedroom where she flopped against the pillows, her beautiful face flushed and sweaty. He folded one of the damp wash cloths and placed it across her forehead before gently cleaning her mouth with the other. "Are you in any pain?" he asked, tracing the dark circles beneath her eyes with the pad of his thumb.
"I'm just so tired..." she murmured, palming the wash cloth against her forehead.
"You need to rest my love, I did tell you that it may be too much for you to venture out of our chambers," David frowned, his eyes drifting to the jagged silvery scar that ran across the top of her left breast.
Just one of the many proofs of her love for him...
"So it's our chambers now?" she smiled.
"Of course, unless you wish to leave me to sleep alone..." he pouted, settling beside her, his arm gently curling around her shoulder's when she lay her head on his chest, her fingers fumbling with the collar of his shirt.
"I don't think I could sleep without you," she murmured.
"Me neither-" he mumbled, toying with the stray curls that had fallen loose from the pins holding her hair in place, "-Ophelia, I wish I could do something more to take away your pain..." he frowned, nuzzling his face against her crown.
"You being here with me is enough-" she assured him, "-though you could distract me from the urge to puke..."
"How?" he asked, kissing her crown.
"Talk to me... I like listening to your voice, it makes me feel calm..."
David rolled onto his side stroking the damp whispers of hair from her face. "Do you miss your old life Ophelia? Do you miss your uncle?" he asked, thinking back to the night he'd ripped her away from the only family she had left.
"I'm not so sure I had a life after my parents died. I was kind of just surviving. I was so lonely in Santa Carla, my uncle tried his best but it just wasn't the same. I do miss him, I always wonder how he is..."
"And you don't have brother's or sister's, right?"
"No-" she shook her head sadly, "-it was just me."
"Ophelia the day I found you-"
"-You mean the day you scared the life out of me and threw me in your dungeons?" Ophelia smirked and David chuckled.
"Yes that day-" he smirked, "-I want to apologise for the way I acted. I was a prize-winning prat and I wish I could go back and do it properly without the whole scaring you to death and throwing you in the dungeon part."
"Eh, I've seen another side to you David, you're not the man I first met..."
"Is there another side of you that I haven't seen yet?"
"No-" Ophelia shook her head, "-unfortunately not."
"I wouldn't say it's unfortunate starlight-" David countered, "-I like who you are," he smiled, drawing her into a slow, tender kiss. "I love who you are..." he murmured, bundling her into a loving embrace.
Ophelia woke to the sound of the chamber doors clicking closed before heavy footsteps sounded on the hardwood floor like someone was purposely wanting to be heard. She rubbed her eyes, her sleep fogged mind registering that David was no longer beside her, the sheets cool beneath the pads of her fingers where he'd lain. She pushed herself upright in an anxious panic, the pounding in her head protesting the sudden movement.
She winced, unable to ignore the radiating throb behind her eyes and slumped back against the headboard just as a familiar figure strolled into the bedroom. Ophelia exhaled a sigh of relief on seeing David, his arms laden with a tray brimming with exotic fruits, pastries and what smelt like freshly brewed coffee. Her eyes drifted from his handsome face to his broad bare torso, his ethereally pale skin shimmering in the low light.
"Good morning Starlight, I requested breakfast to be sent here, I didn't think you were in any fit state to traipse down to the dining hall," he smiled, setting the tray on the bed by her hip before sliding onto the bed beside her and Ophelia's stomach growled when the enticing aroma of the sweet, buttery pastries flooded her senses.
"Thank you David," she smiled affectionately, kissing his cheek.
"How're you feeling this morning?" David inquired, pouring the two of them some coffee.
"I have a headache but other than that, I think I'm OK," she replied, taking a bite of an almond croissant, wiping at the stray crumbs with the pad of her thumb and chased the mouthful of sweet food with a sip of fragrant coffee.
"A warm shower and some food should help ease the headache, I'll run the shower for you once you're finished."
"Are you not going to join me?" she bit her lip with a smirk, peering over at him from the corner of her eye.
"I'm not sure I could keep my hands off you if I did and you need to rest my love."
Ophelia's stomach fluttered as a familiar dull ache settled between her thighs, the thought of David's hands caressing her body making her skin feel flushed and hot. "Maybe I don't want you to keep your hands off me your majesty," she countered, observing the darkening of desire in his eyes.
"Eat your food," he exhaled sharply and Ophelia giggled, enjoying the fact that she could make a man as powerful as David even the slightest bit flustered.
Blissfully warm water drummed rhythmically over her bare, sleep sore skin, the tightness in her muscles starting to wane as her body became hyper-aware of the solid mass pressed up behind her. Ophelia hummed with satisfaction as deft fingers massaged her scalp, working floral scented conditioner into her damp curls. David nudged her forward with his hips, guiding her further beneath the waterfall of hot water so that he could rinse out the hair-softening perfumed soap.
She was drawn back from the cascade of water by a pair of strong arms, her body pulled taut against the kings immovable frame. "Do you still have headache my love?" he drawled against her ear, his warm lips lightly grazing her lobe.
"I ache my king-" she exhaled, "-but the ache is no longer confined to my head," she murmured, grazing her palm against his thigh, her breath hitching when his hands cupped her breasts, his thumbs brushing the tips of her peaked buds with a feather-light touch.
"Then let me take care of that for you my queen," he crooned, softly kissing her shoulder. Ophelia's body was practically vibrating with pent up desire by the time David had plucked a bar of musk perfumed soap from the shelf, rolling it between his damp hands to build up a lather before the same hands slowly traversed the curves of her body. Her breath quickly became uneven, her skin tingling as his hands left a path of scorching heat in their wake, even when his fingers brushed over the muscles that ached, the slight discomfort was drowned out by burning pleasure.
A strangled moan escaped her as her eyes fluttered closed, her head falling back against the kings shoulder as he fondled her breast while his free hand glided over the throbbing bundle of nerves nestled at her apex. She could feel his delicious hardness grazing her rear and between her thighs ached with a yearning to be filled. Ophelia lifted herself onto the balls of her feet, stretching her body to its limit to close the height gap between them and pushed back, her breath catching in her throat when he easily slid into her hot, wet heat. David exhaled sharply, a low rumbling moan escaping him as her walls moulded to his size perfectly. "Ophelia…" he breathed, his warm breath caressing her neck as his hips slowly pushed forward, driving himself deeper into her aching heat.
Ophelia twisted her neck, placing open mouthed kisses to the underside of David's jaw while his skilled fingers continued to tease her bundle of nerves, his cock buried deliciously deep. The sensation of an all too familiar pressure began to build at speed, and one jerky movement from his fingers sent her careening into the abyss, her legs threatening to buckle under the flood of liquid fire. She was about to protest when David stepped back, only for her emerging protests to be silenced by a lip searing kiss. Her back pressed against the cool stone wall and David effortlessly lifted her onto his hips, her legs automatically wrapping around his muscular waist while his fingers gently squeezed her rear.
Their ardent moans mingled with the sound of drumming water and the frenzied sound of gloriously wet kisses. With one swift thrust, David entered her once more and she cried out with pleasure, her head falling back against the wall and the palm of David's hand reflexively prevented her skull from meeting hard stone when he cradled the back of her head. He sucked and kissed her exposed throat, grazing his teeth over the sensitive skin in a way that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.
Ophelia draped her arms around his neck, her hips matching his slow, deliberate movement's with equal need, quickly losing herself in the sound of David's ragged, shallow breathing, the feel of his deep, deliberate thrusts and the way her body reacted so explosively to him. David wrapped one arm around her waist, the other coming to rest around her shoulders as he drew her against him, burying his face against the juncture of her neck and shoulder. His movements became erratic and a little disjointed before the two of them reached their peak in unison, clinging to one another desperately as their bodies shook and trembled.