I don't own anything. Reviews are encouraged and greatly appreciated
Arra met Darren and Elena in their room the next evening. She stood in the center of the room, staring at her children's forms moving up and down with every breath. She wished that the festival could have lasted years, that way they wouldn't have to face their trials. She was especially nervous for Darren, the Hall of Flames was one of the most difficult trials, she had the scars to vouch for it herself. Sighing, Arra drew closer to the hammocks, reaching a hand out to shake her daughter. Elena's eyes flew open and she yawned, stretching her arms over her head. Arra kissed the top of her head and shook Darren awake. He too let out a large yawn, and then kissed his mother on the cheek.
"Evening." He said sleepily.
"Evening." She said, stroking his cheek with a smile.
Larten arrived in the chamber, yawning widely and scratching his scar. "Are you two ready to go?" He asked through his yawn.
"Yes." Elena said, rising to her feet.
Larten nodded to her. "I will take you to Vanez for your training."
"What about me?" Darren asked.
"I'm training you remember." Arra said, nudging his shoulder with his.
"Oh, right." Darren said, smiling weakly. He was extremely nervous about the trial. The other vampires, including his mother, had acted as though he wouldn't last five minutes.
"It will be okay." His father said, seeing the nervous look on his face. He turned to Elena, "Come along." Larten strode out of the room while Elena rolled her eyes at the command. She cast a glance back at her brother and hurried out of the room as Larten shouted, "Elena!" from further down the hall.
"We should go too." Arra said, "You need as much practice as you can get."
Darren groaned, head dropping into his hands, "Do I even have a chance?"
Arra stroked his cheek slowly, regarding him with a sad expression, "The Hall of Flames is about Luck more than anything else, but having a straight head, and a determination to live, will serve you well." She stood and pulled him to his feet. "We should go, and I don't want to hear anymore self-pity from you. It's not very vampire-like."
Darren smiled slightly, "I'm only half-vampire remember."
Arra raised her eyebrow, "For now, perhaps, but you've technically belonged to the clan since you were born, even when you were human."
Darren sighed, "Dad always used to use that one too."
"When?" Arra asked, confused.
Darren shuffled his feet, "Me and Elena kind of refused to drink human blood in the beginning, she came to her senses before I did."
His mother regarded him with a look of surprise, "Didn't he tell you it would kill you if you didn't drink any?"
"Of course he did, I was just stubborn."
"Well I hope you're still stubborn." Arra said seriously, wrapping her arm around her son's shoulder and guiding him to the Hall of Flames, "Stubborn enough to keep yourself alive at least." She muttered.
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When Elena and Larten arrived at the Hall of Sport Vanez was stood waiting with his arms folded across his chest. "You're late." He commented.
"Only a little!" Elena protested.
"A little can cost you your life." The Games master reminded.
"I know." She said, annoyed, and folded her arms across the chest mirroring Vanez, "So can you harping on me about being late cutting into my training."
"Elena!" Larten reprimanded angrily, "What on earth has gotten into you?"
"Now, Larten, the girl has got a point." Vanez said sheepishly, "And I recall you storming out on your training with me once upon a time as well. The two of you have got tempers and spirits as fiery as your hair."
"You stormed out of training?" Elena gasped, eyes wide.
Larten groaned, embarrassed, "Just because I may have had some, ah, problems following orders in my cub days does not mean I want my daughter to follow in my footsteps. In fact, I would prefer she did not make the same mistakes as me at all."
Vanez regarded his friend sympathetically, "Ah, you turned out alright in the end. Still, can't blame you for wanting her to follow a different path."
"Are you ever going to tell me anything about your past?" Elena asked her father, pouting.
"I will tell you what you need to know in due time. For the moment, I would suggest you start training."
Elena's pout deepened as she turned to the course Vanez had set up for her. A rope bridge was strung across the bars, and a series of spears had been placed underneath it, held in place by a few old crates. "Closest I could get to the real thing!" Vanez said proudly.
Gingerly, Elena put one foot on the bridge, "Are you sure this will hold my weight?"
"Course it will, I set it up myself. And if it doesn't, you can practice swinging across a pile of sharp pointy objects early." Vanez chucked and nudged her forward, getting ready to cut the ropes on one side.
The first attempt was dismal, Elena managed not to impale herself, but she did have a nasty gash across her arm. Larten pursed his lip as she climbed up onto the other side. "This is why you should have been on time." He said, rubbing spit into the gash as she winced watching it close up.
"I'll get the hang of it before the trial, honest."
"Hmmm" Larten murmured, going to help Vanez restring another bridge.
By the time they called it quits, she had gone through about twenty bridges, but she managed to manoeuvre her way to the other side unscathed.
Vanez clapped her on the back, "There's no need to worry about this trial." He ruffled her hair, "Now, let's see how your brother's doing shall we?"
The trio walked together to the Hall of Flames, where Arra was shouting at a severely singed and slightly ashen Darren.
"I told you to listen for the pipes!" She was saying, "There's only one fire lit now, there will be five during the trial, and you can't even avoid this one!"
"I'm trying." Darren groaned, looking rather pitiful.
"Try harder!" Arra barked.
"I'm glad she's training him and not me." Elena muttered.
"Arra!" Vanez called, "Have you been torturing the poor boy?"
She shot him a steely glare, her grey eyes flickering in anger, "I've been trying to make sure he doesn't die."
"Well, let's see how he's doing." Vanez said, nodding his head sideways for Darren to get back in the Hall of Flames.
Darren sighed and stepped back into the tunnel, and Vanez nodded to the vampire pumping flames into the hall. Flames poured into the hall, and the vampires watched as Darren struggled to avoid them, trying to listen for the sound of the flames being released. Arra groaned as he narrowly avoided a column of flame. "I don't know what you're getting on about Arra," Vanez said, "He's not doing terribly."
"He's not doing well either." She snapped back, "It's like he's not even paying attention to what I'm telling him."
Vanez signalled for the flames to stop and Darren stepped out of the hall grimacing. The tips of his hair glowed, the ends slowly burning. Larten pinched the ends of his hair, effectively putting them out.
"I told you-" Arra started.
"I know!" Darren snapped.
Vanez' eyes widened and he looked uneasy as Arra's expression darkened and her chest puffed out, a sure sign she was about to blow a gasket, before Larten interrupted.
"Arra I think you should take Elena to get something to eat." He said.
"What?" She gaped turning to him.
"You need to cool off, you are only making yourself and Darren more frustrated. You have already given him sufficient advice, myself and Vanez can oversee his training until you get back. And Elena needs sufficient food and rest before her trial tomorrow evening."
"But-"
"Arra." Larten said firmly, "Go."
She turned her steely glare on him and marched out the room. Elena cautiously followed after her mother, hoping her anger would be spent by the time they reached the dining hall.
"What about me?" Darren asked.
Vanez and Larten looked at eachother and Larten nodded, "I think that it is best for you to forgo sleep and food, you need far more training."
Darren groaned, but nodded in agreement. He knew that his father was right in this instance. He continued his training throughout the day, missing his sister's trial in preparation.
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Paris lead Elena's trial, Arra was absent, choosing to stay behind to continue training Darren. The elderly prince stood at the start of the bridge with Elena, Larten, and a variety of other vampires who had come to watch the trial.
"Are you ready?" He asked.
"As I'll ever be." Elena replied, staring over the side of the cliff into the pit of stakes below. They were much lower than the spears that Vanez had set up for her.
Vanez pulled her aside, "Now, remember not to panic, and get as high as you can as quickly as possible, the further up you get, the less likely you are to hit a stake when the rope breaks."
"You got it chief." She said, giving him a mock salute.
"Let the trial begin!" Paris shouted when they returned to the start.
Elena quickly made her way across the bridge, hoping to get as far across as possible before the guards cut it away. She made sure to hold onto both ropes in case one snapped with the tension. She held tightly as the bridge gave way, drawing her legs up to her chest to avoid the stakes. She lost her grip a when the bridge slammed into the other side of the cliff, and gritted her teeth as the tip of a stake dragged across her right calf, resulting in a deep cut that began bleeding profusely. Grimacing in pain, she began climbing the ropes. Just a few meters left to go, the ropes she was holding on to fell away, and she fell, hands sliding down the wooden planks, embedding a few splinters into her hands and arms. She groaned slightly as she managed to catch one of the planks and hoisted herself up. She hurried to the top as quickly as she dared, slowed by the pain in her leg and the small spaces between the planks she had to work with. Eventually, she managed to make her way to the top, pulling herself up over the side of the cliff with a grunt. Panting, she accepted Paris' hand as the vampires around them erupted in cheers. They had evidently made their way to the other side of the cliff during the trial. Seba approached her with a small pile of bandages, treating the nasty gash in her leg while she picked splinters out of her hand.
"Well done Elena." Paris said approvingly.
"Thank you sire." She said.
Paris let out a sad sigh, casting a worried glance at Larten as he said, "Now, I believe it is on to the Hall of Flames."
The vampires arrived at the Hall of Flames as a large group, Darren was sitting along the sidelines with Arra, drinking a large tankard of water. Elena and Larten joined him as the vampires filed into the stands.
"How did it go?" Darren asked.
"Not bad." Elena said, "I'm not dead anyways."
"She did well." Larten said, "Though not without injury."
"Well it would be a miracle if they got through all of the Trials without a scratch." Arra said affectionately. Her expression became more stoic as she turned to Darren, "Remember what I told you?"
"Listen for the flames, don't use spite for my feet too soon or too late, and don't get roasted." Darren said.
She glared at him, "I don't recall the last one."
"I read between the lines." Darren said cheekily.
Larten sighed as Arra rolled her eyes. "We shall see you afterwards." He said to Darren.
Paris and Kurda approached the group, "Are you ready to start your trial Darren?" The prince questioned.
"Yes." Darren said. Paris nodded and then walked away.
"Elena, go with Kurda to the stands, your mother and I will be watching the trial from the sides." Larten ordered.
"Why can't I-"
"Trust me," Kurda said, "You want to listen to your father on this one. Come on, Gavner and Vanez are saving spots for us."
Elena threw her arms around Darren, hugging him tightly. "Just in case." She whispered in his ear, letting go, she let Kurda lead her to the stands.
Larten and Arra stared sadly after her as she made her way to the stands. Darren threw caution to the wind and threw an arm around each of them. "I'm proud," He said, "To have been your son."
He felt his parents arms tighten around him, "Enough of that," Arra said shakily, "We will see you after."
"Just in case." Darren echoed his sister, watching his mother brush a tear from her cheek.
Larten gripped his shoulder and lead him to the entrance, "Remember your mother's advice."
"I will." Darren promised.
"And Darren," Larten called before he stepped into the Hall.
"Yes?"
"I am proud," He said gruffly, "To have been your father."
Darren smiled softly, "Love you too Dad."
Then he stepped into the Hall of Flames and waited. He heard a gurgle to his right and watched as a column of flame erupted from the same place. The trial had officially started. The first few bursts were easy, they were sparse and far away, but that was about to change. He dodged to the right, hearing the pipe behind him fire up, successfully avoiding the flames. The next time, he wasn't so lucky, the flames erupted on either side of him and right underneath him all at once; the bottom of his feet were burned as he dashed to move forward. Grimacing from the pain, he struggled not to apply spit to his feet to quell the pain. The flames continued erupting behind him, and he made his way across the hall, ending up in the one place in the hall he should've avoided, one of the corners. He shook his head, trying to clear it so he could think, but it was difficult. The smoke from the flames seemed to have made its way into his brain. He searched for an opening, but the flames were steady all over the hall. He heard the pipe underneath him gurgle, and, throwing caution to the wind, he leapt through two columns of flame, to avoid going up in smoke. He couldn't feel the burns, he knew that meant they must be awful. He tried to rub spit on them, but his mouth had dried up entirely. He watched, muscles tensed, as a few more columns of flame burst forth, far away from him. And then the door opened.
"What are you doing?" He roared at the vampires who had entered, "Get out of here! Out!"
A familiar figure in a red cloak approached him slowly, "Darren," his father said, "It is over. The trial is finished."
"Dad? What are you doing? You can't be here while I'm doing my trial!"
"He's completely out of it." Vanez remarked.
The figures before him grew more and more hazy, his vision failing him as he fainted. Larten caught him before he hit the ground.
"We need to get him to the infirmary." Arra said sharply. She turned to Vanez, "Make sure Elena stays away until they get his wounds tended."
"I can do that," Vanez said, exiting the hall ahead of Larten and Arra to head off the young vampiress.
Larten and Arra rushed to the infirmary with Darren, barely sparing a glance at any of their peers.
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Up in the stands, Elena was fighting to get down to the main hall. "Elena wait!" Kurda said, grabbing her wrist, "You don't know how bad it is yet."
"Well I won't find out unless I go down." She said, struggling against him.
"Kurda's right, Elena." Gavner said, serious for once, "You should wait until they assess the damage."
Vanez joined the group after telling Paris that Darren was indeed alive and had successfully completed the trial. "What's going on here?" He demanded.
"These two idiots won't let me see my brother." Elena seethed, her wrist still tightly gripped in Kurda's hand.
"They're right not to," Vanez said, "Don't worry he's alive, but your parents asked me specifically not to let you see him until he was all patched up."
"Why?" She cried.
"Because they wanted to spare you the gory details I expect. I'll take you to the infirmary to see him afterwards, I swear."
"Promise?" Elena said softly, tears in her eyes.
"On my honour." Vanez swore.
"Come on," Gavner said, "We'll go have an ale, they might come and get you afterwards."
"Okay." She said, following her godfather to the Hall of Khledon Lurt.
She barely touched the tankard of ale Gavner had poured for her, staring blankly at the rough wooden surface in front of her. Vanez approached their table slowly. "Lena?" She turned, "They're ready for you now." She leapt to her feet and followed Vanez to the infirmary.
"I should warn you," He said, "He's in a bad way."
She nodded, but still let out a gasp when she saw her brother, head cleanly shaven, and bandaged head to toe. She stood silently next to her mother, hand stretched out toward her brother. "He'll be okay." Arra said, "He's even already woken up once."
"But will he be able to do his next trial?" Elena asked worriedly.
Larten and Arra glanced at eachother, "We do not know." Larten said honestly, "Kurda and the Princes are doing the best that they can, but it is unlikely."
Elena nodded sadly, and Arra reached up to give her a tight hug, "Hopefully, they will think of something."
"I hope so." Elena said.
"Me…too."
Elena whipped around and faced her brother, whose eyes were open. "Hey…Lena."
She laughed, "You sound like Harkat."
Darren frowned and coughed, "Yeah… I…guess…I do."
Kurda burst into the room suddenly, "Larten, Arra, we have a way to give Darren some extra time."
"But how?" Larten asked, "Without breaking any rules?"
"No time to explain, Darren do you think you can stand long enough to pick your next trial?" Kurda asked.
"Maybe." Darren said, "As…long as…I don't have…to walk… all the …way...to...the…Hall of….Princes."
"Kurda he's in no state to-" Arra began to protest.
"He has to be," Kurda snapped, "You'll thank me later, now help me lift this cot to the Hall of Princes."
Glancing at one another, but willing to try anything, Larten, Arra, and Elena each gripped a corner of the cot and helped Kurda carry it to the Hall of princes. Once outside Kurda turned to Darren, "Now remember, you need to act as though you are perfectly fit to take your next trial."
The group carried the cot into the Hall, which fell silent. "Are the children ready to choose their next trials?" Arrow asked, peering at Darren on the cot.
"Yes," Elena replied, "Darren can go first."
"He certainly doesn't look fit." Mika commented.
"He's just playing sire," Kurda said, "He likes to pretend he's a king and have people tote him around all day."
"Indeed," Mika said, suppressing a grin, "Step forward Darren, and choose your next trial."
Darren strode forward, trying not to let on how much pain he was in, and chose a stone from the bag and handed it to Mika. "Trial 62!" The Prince announced, "The Blooded Boars! Unfortunately, I will not be able to be present at your trial, Arrow can take my place."
Arrow shook his head, "Alas I cannot spare my time either, Paris will have to do it."
"Unfortunately I cannot be spared either," Paris sighed, mouth twitching as he suppressed a smile, "This Vampaneze Lord business is claiming far too much of my time."
"Sires." Kurda gasped, "You have already been absent from one of the boy's trials, surely missing two is an insult not only to him, but also to his parents, two vampires who you claim to hold in high regards. I cannot stand for this."
Darren tried had not to grin, finally understanding Kurda's plan, instead putting on a face of annoyance. "Kurda is right Sires."
"Well we do not seek to do you such a disservice," Paris said, "I am afraid, Darren, that we will have to postpone your trial until for 72 hours if one of us is to attend, if that is acceptable to you."
"Well, if that's the best you can do." Darren sighed, "I accept."
"Elena, step forward," Paris called, and Darren walked slowly back and sank back on the cot. She did, picking a stone out of the pile, handing it to Paris. "Trial 54! The Trapeze Joust!"
"Would you also like to wait for one of the Princes to attend your trial?" Arrow asked her.
Elena shook her head, "You've missed one of my brother's trials already, it's only fair that you are allowed to miss one of mine as well."
Arrow nodded approvingly at her, "Very well, you are dismissed."
Elena returned to the group and helped carry Darren back to the infirmary. "That was brilliant Kurda!" She said.
"Yes," Larten agreed, "Quite brilliant."
Kurda shrugged, "I've always had more of a knack for brains than brawn. In any case, I need to return to the Hall of Princes for discussions about the Vampaneze Lord. Bye Darren, Elena." The blond vampire strode back into the Hall.
Larten and Arra resumed their seats next to their son's bedside, "Shouldn't you be getting to bed?" Larten asked Elena.
"Can't I stay here?" She pleaded, "I won't sleep not knowing if Darren's okay. "
"He's fine Lena. You need rest." Larten argued.
"Oh just let her stay Larten," Arra said, "Besides, you and I can make sure she gets some rest this way."
"Fine." He relented, "Come here," He said, pulling his daughter into his lap, and holding her tightly. She tucked her head underneath his chin, closing her eyes and snuggling into his chest.
Arra smiled at the sight. She and Larten stayed awake all night, watching over their son, talking about old times well into the next evening.