Dark Duet
I do believe I forgot a disclaimer in the first part. Sorry! DISCLAIMER: I don't own a thing but Piper, Keegan and his lullaby
Afterwards I fled to my room and into the security of Keegan's room. For a brief instant everything was a bright white and then it suddenly was a room inside a dainty cottage overlooking a flower filled meadow.
Vanaheim at last, I thought searching the room. Everything was exactly as I remembered it. A handcrafted wooden table and chair by the door. Cabinets lining the walls, full of soothing herbs. As I saw where he sat in the rocking chair by the window, I smelled the scent of lavender.
With a sob, I flung myself into Keegan's trusting arms and cried.
He gathered me close and we swayed back and forth. His heartbeat became a soothing lullaby to me and I slowly relaxed as he began to hum.
I recognized the tune as the lullaby his mother sang to him long ago and strangely, the sound of the smooth baritone comforted me like nothing else.
His tune changed without missing a step and Keegan began to sing softly to me, a gift no one else knew he possessed.
"Peace, peace, comes to you."
"If only you wait"
"Dreams come true."
"If only you wait."
"Someday all-"
"Will be fine."
He hummed the song a few moments more and then began to sing another song that seemed to meld with the last.
I knew the song he began singing and soon my sweet soprano voice too began to sing along with him.
Slowly, gently
night unfurls its splendor...
Grasp it, sense it - tremulous and tender..
1 Turn your face away
from the garish light of day,
turn your thoughts away from cold,
unfeeling light –
and listen to
the music of the night...
We quietly faded to silence, still rocking in the sturdy chair.
"Will you close your eyes, surrendering to your darkest dreams." He murmured huskily. "You cannot fight the darkness, Piper. Its sweet intoxication."
"Yes" I whispered without thinking as I tilted my chin up towards him.
His eyes were a cloudy gray, passionate and mysterious.
"We both feel it grasping at us." He said to me. "We can fight it together."
"Yes." I replied before his lips crashed over mine and I was swept away.
I could describe Keegan's kiss as a man slowly savoring a meal when he was starving. Or a god holding a storm back. I sensed his need threatening to overwhelm his control and yet he kissed me gently as if I was made of glass.
Suddenly, he pulled back and somehow move away, leaving me curled alone in the chair.
"I-I shouldn't have done that." He said backing away from me and then fled out of the cottage quick as lightning.
For a moment, I laid there in a daze then quietly, I stood up and left opposite of him appearing suddenly in my room.
I moved a red silken blind over the gateway, carefully hiding it from view. I slipped out of my clothes and into my satin camisole negligee. Then laid down under my covers and went to sleep surrounded by tiny gray toadstools.
I was in the Shadow World. Mountains of jagged blue ice and piercing winds surrounded me. Keegan and myself stood back to back in a bare frosty valley surrounded by darken Shadow Men.
"What are you doing here?" Keegan demanded over his shoulder, never taking his eyes off his Elders.
"In sleep they called for us, in dreams we came." They hissed.
"Our dark voices call to Joan." They sang an evil clamor of noise.
"Is that her name?" one asked and they all began laughing malignantly.
"You had your laugh." Keegan said after they calmed down, "Now what do you want?"
"Sing for us, sing the song you sang before." One replied
"The one about darkness."
"And fighting."
"And losing." They all began chuckling.
Keegan was silent and I followed his lead.
"I don't want to." He replied quietly. Keegan looked up at them, piercing each Shadow Man with his gaze. "I'd rather talk about the Game you wish to play with us here."
They giggled maniacally, "Games are fun."
In the corner of my eye I caught Keegan smiling viciously.
"Yes they are. Especially prizes." He told them.
"The best are those with mortal prizes, female like your Piper."
Keegan's gaze turned darker, "I won't disagree."
"Raziel has his eye on one." One told us.
"Very much like your Piper," a second hissed.
"You could say, it is Piper!!" The first cackled sending shivers down my spine.
Keegan only smiled, not giving into the obvious ploy to upset him. "What did this mortal do to gain our esteemed Lord's attention."
He cocked his head and continued, "She really must be special to gain Master Loki's head lieutenant's attentions."
I sensed them all smiling fiendishly at me as a single Shadow Man answered.
"He thinks so."
Keegan nodded, "It's the darkness inside her. It makes him curious about her, make him wonder what all she can take. Wonder if she'll accept his darkness as well."
They laughed.
"It pulls to Lord Raziel."
"As does her light."
"Piper carries both inside." A third said chilling me to the bone. "He wants to extinguish the light so she'll only have darkness."
"And him." Keegan said grimly.
I finally had enough of them talking as if I wasn't there and stepped up beside Keegan.
"So this hotshot wants to break me huh?" I shouted angrily. "Well, some reject lieutenant from Ice World isn't gonna get me."
Keegan cut his eyes toward me and I saw his admiration shine in his eyes. I felt all warm inside.
"You have been warned." They said together and I suddenly found myself starting awake in my bed whipping to my feet. I raced out of my room and ran to Keegan's room inside the house.
I found him inside on his bed reading a book by lamplight. His bed was still crisply made with an emerald comforter and the pillows neatly stacked behind his back. He was clothed only in a pair of jeans, his muscles revealed to my eyes.
He looked up at me and calmly laid his book down.
"He's coming."
Reviews are much wanted!
I do believe I forgot a disclaimer in the first part. Sorry! DISCLAIMER: I don't own a thing but Piper, Keegan and his lullaby
Afterwards I fled to my room and into the security of Keegan's room. For a brief instant everything was a bright white and then it suddenly was a room inside a dainty cottage overlooking a flower filled meadow.
Vanaheim at last, I thought searching the room. Everything was exactly as I remembered it. A handcrafted wooden table and chair by the door. Cabinets lining the walls, full of soothing herbs. As I saw where he sat in the rocking chair by the window, I smelled the scent of lavender.
With a sob, I flung myself into Keegan's trusting arms and cried.
He gathered me close and we swayed back and forth. His heartbeat became a soothing lullaby to me and I slowly relaxed as he began to hum.
I recognized the tune as the lullaby his mother sang to him long ago and strangely, the sound of the smooth baritone comforted me like nothing else.
His tune changed without missing a step and Keegan began to sing softly to me, a gift no one else knew he possessed.
"Peace, peace, comes to you."
"If only you wait"
"Dreams come true."
"If only you wait."
"Someday all-"
"Will be fine."
He hummed the song a few moments more and then began to sing another song that seemed to meld with the last.
I knew the song he began singing and soon my sweet soprano voice too began to sing along with him.
Slowly, gently
night unfurls its splendor...
Grasp it, sense it - tremulous and tender..
1 Turn your face away
from the garish light of day,
turn your thoughts away from cold,
unfeeling light –
and listen to
the music of the night...
We quietly faded to silence, still rocking in the sturdy chair.
"Will you close your eyes, surrendering to your darkest dreams." He murmured huskily. "You cannot fight the darkness, Piper. Its sweet intoxication."
"Yes" I whispered without thinking as I tilted my chin up towards him.
His eyes were a cloudy gray, passionate and mysterious.
"We both feel it grasping at us." He said to me. "We can fight it together."
"Yes." I replied before his lips crashed over mine and I was swept away.
I could describe Keegan's kiss as a man slowly savoring a meal when he was starving. Or a god holding a storm back. I sensed his need threatening to overwhelm his control and yet he kissed me gently as if I was made of glass.
Suddenly, he pulled back and somehow move away, leaving me curled alone in the chair.
"I-I shouldn't have done that." He said backing away from me and then fled out of the cottage quick as lightning.
For a moment, I laid there in a daze then quietly, I stood up and left opposite of him appearing suddenly in my room.
I moved a red silken blind over the gateway, carefully hiding it from view. I slipped out of my clothes and into my satin camisole negligee. Then laid down under my covers and went to sleep surrounded by tiny gray toadstools.
I was in the Shadow World. Mountains of jagged blue ice and piercing winds surrounded me. Keegan and myself stood back to back in a bare frosty valley surrounded by darken Shadow Men.
"What are you doing here?" Keegan demanded over his shoulder, never taking his eyes off his Elders.
"In sleep they called for us, in dreams we came." They hissed.
"Our dark voices call to Joan." They sang an evil clamor of noise.
"Is that her name?" one asked and they all began laughing malignantly.
"You had your laugh." Keegan said after they calmed down, "Now what do you want?"
"Sing for us, sing the song you sang before." One replied
"The one about darkness."
"And fighting."
"And losing." They all began chuckling.
Keegan was silent and I followed his lead.
"I don't want to." He replied quietly. Keegan looked up at them, piercing each Shadow Man with his gaze. "I'd rather talk about the Game you wish to play with us here."
They giggled maniacally, "Games are fun."
In the corner of my eye I caught Keegan smiling viciously.
"Yes they are. Especially prizes." He told them.
"The best are those with mortal prizes, female like your Piper."
Keegan's gaze turned darker, "I won't disagree."
"Raziel has his eye on one." One told us.
"Very much like your Piper," a second hissed.
"You could say, it is Piper!!" The first cackled sending shivers down my spine.
Keegan only smiled, not giving into the obvious ploy to upset him. "What did this mortal do to gain our esteemed Lord's attention."
He cocked his head and continued, "She really must be special to gain Master Loki's head lieutenant's attentions."
I sensed them all smiling fiendishly at me as a single Shadow Man answered.
"He thinks so."
Keegan nodded, "It's the darkness inside her. It makes him curious about her, make him wonder what all she can take. Wonder if she'll accept his darkness as well."
They laughed.
"It pulls to Lord Raziel."
"As does her light."
"Piper carries both inside." A third said chilling me to the bone. "He wants to extinguish the light so she'll only have darkness."
"And him." Keegan said grimly.
I finally had enough of them talking as if I wasn't there and stepped up beside Keegan.
"So this hotshot wants to break me huh?" I shouted angrily. "Well, some reject lieutenant from Ice World isn't gonna get me."
Keegan cut his eyes toward me and I saw his admiration shine in his eyes. I felt all warm inside.
"You have been warned." They said together and I suddenly found myself starting awake in my bed whipping to my feet. I raced out of my room and ran to Keegan's room inside the house.
I found him inside on his bed reading a book by lamplight. His bed was still crisply made with an emerald comforter and the pillows neatly stacked behind his back. He was clothed only in a pair of jeans, his muscles revealed to my eyes.
He looked up at me and calmly laid his book down.
"He's coming."
Reviews are much wanted!