Even Death

by Midtnight

Raising his head ever so slightly, his mismatched eyes gazed up at her lazily through the lifeless strands of his unruly mane. Sitting there as if he was nowhere he had not expected to be, as if kneeling half naked and bloody on the floor of a college dorm room was nothing out of the ordinary for the Goblin King, Jareth smiled softly. Now fully betaed Please read warnings !

52. Eternally Bound

AN.

huh, the sex scene was written while I was a exams supervisor at my former work, disturbing I know, Lol, but your thoughts can really wander sometimes.

And there are mentions off rape at the very end off the chapter,

And now...

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Chapter 52: Eternally Bound.

Two god damn days, that was how long they had been out there, running through the ruinous Labyrinth in a horrifying game of cat and mouse. Pressing the sharp edges of her pendant harshly into her newly calloused hand Lilly stared out at the deceptively beautiful dawn that heralded the third day of Sarah and Jareth mission. And yeah Lilly understood the need to keep silent and use as little magic as possible yet it was so hard not knowing where they were or if they were even still alive.

Apparently all she could do was keep faith and wait for them to send a sign that they had arrived safely.

Turning away from the wide window, Lilly was met with the hard glare of her seven captains and none of them were Shiver. Sure Didymus was sitting at the opposite end of the table looking all strong and proud and Morgaine was as always during these meetings, prowling along the back wall like an ebony shadow ready to pounce on any captain who gave Lilly anything but his absolute best. It was perfectly normal and yet Lilly still couldn't shake the horribly feeling that something was wrong, and about to get even worse.

"My Lady, I really must protest this dawdling! The Unseelie gate has been opened and the dark army has passed through swelling our ranks. We ought to attack now!"

Slamming his fist down on the marble table, Sir Thurlestone looked from one captain to another obviously seeking their support for his plan. And to her dismay Lilly saw five of the captains nodding their agreement, leaving only Sir Garuf to support her and Didymus.

"Well my lady, there you have it. We all desire to act rather than languish here in inglorious shame. What will you do?"

Yes what would she do? Licking her lips hesitantly Lilly paused just long enough for Didymus to surge to his feet, towering over the no longer smug looking captain and snarling darkly: "She intends to do as she pleases and you will do well to heed her orders! Our queen does nothing but strive to ensure the safety of all her subjects and I would have you push aside your petty notions of personal glory and remember that."

He was a terrifying figure as he levelled a single burning eye on the pot bellied offender and continued harshly: "You will soon have your fill of battle, I can promise you that. "

"Yes, You can my lord, for the Seelie's forces are amassing as we speak. I believe that they will attack us in the next day or so. "

Passing through the jagged opening that served as the entrance way to the war council Shiver pulled off his blood stained gauntlets and bowed deeply in front of Lilly.

"My queen the enemy is stirring. Our scouts report that every remaining prisoner have been slain and their bones used to craft storm ladders and other siege equipment. The orc troops are amassing barely an hours march away and the seelie have begun weaving webs of both offence and defence. I believe that they will attack us before noon.."

"Noon? Oh god really what are we gonna do?" : The thought of the cruel looking creatures that milled about below the course walls, overrunning them, killing all in their wake until they reached the unseelie gate and spilled into the realm of air and shadows. Had terror rising in her chest, constricting her heart with cruel claws of frigid ice, and making her voice sound pale and shaky.

Yes she had known that this could happen and her trio of helpers and her had discussed every possible and impossible plan of action, making sure that she would be as ready to act in a decisively Sarah like manner as possible. And yet as she sat in the situation she felt utterly paralyzed by fear.

What was she doing here trying to run a war! She was going to get them all killed, she...

Hands still cold from gauntlets gripped her shoulders and forced her to face his burning green eyes and the soul deep calm that lived in them: "Sarah my queen Now is no time for panic! What would you have us do? "

His eyes glowed with faith strong enough to rival the fire of his darkflame, strong enough to burn the fear and panic straight out of her soul and mind. And strong enough to fill her with a steely determination, that had all the plans they had laid rushing to the forefront of her mind and spilling out of her lips: "The walls we gotta make them stronger, and we have to rush the last of the civilians through the unseelie gate! "

Gifting Shiver with a look of utter gratitude Lilly placed her unfamiliar hand on his wrist, yet it was his tantalizing lips that she truly yearned to touch before slipping gracefully from his grip to face the captains with a newfound strength.

"Did you hear me? We have work to do! Well gentlemen get off of your asses... Now! "

The last word seemed to be a whip cracking over their heads as each captain leapt to their feet to obey her command as if they had never doubted her ability to rule them. And there was no hesitation as they all raced from the room barking orders at their waiting adjutants. Turning to Shiver, Lilly held out her much larger hand as a small softly scared smile played along her too full lips, tempered only by the gleam of steely determination that lit her bicoloured eyes: "It's really happening isn't it? "

"It is ": Keeping his own terror from showing was nearly unmanageable as he answered her, but he did manage to sound reasonable confident: "But we knew that it would, and we are ready for them, we can hold them off for days if needs be."

"Yeah, in theory, assuming that they stick to the plan that we hope they will..."

Looking far more confident than he felt, Shiver smiled: "Trust me Lilly, I have fought the whiteblade more times than I cared to, and he will not deviate from the plan he has laid. They will attack us head on breaking their necks on our walls for a few hours then they will retreat and try to find an alternative route through. Routes that we have carefully staged to our advantage. "

Resting her forehead against his still cold chest plate Lilly whispered: "But what if? "

"There is no what if love, Whiteblade is like a bull as long as we wave the red rag in front of him he will attack it. His army is large enough for him to overrun us and he knows this, all he needs do is find a way through our defences. No, the only variant in this equation is Oberon. .He is cunning beyond belief and if he takes full command of the seelie forces then I have no idea what will happen. But no matter what it is all a matter of timing now. Sarah and Jareth have been traversing the Labyrinth for four days now, and if they have succeeded then we should know it soon. Conversely if they have failed, then that too should soon be apparent to us..."

Falling silent he stood gazing down at her with all the desperate love he held for her, trying his best to squash the rising need to carry her into the deepest part of this iron mountain and lock her in, just to keep her safe.

"Yeah, that's real comforting. But hey the shit hasn't hit the fan yet, so that's good. So that leaves me where?"

"It leaves you here to inspect the troops and make sure that we are prepared for battle."

Nodding curtly Lilly stepped back from him and smoothly into the role of Sarah. Nothing had changed outwardly. Only her demeanour had shifted as she laid her hand on his wrist and winked up at him: "Then let us see to the preparations."

The stairs were long and dark, but at least they weren't narrow or awkwardly steep. Each one step for Shiver were two steps for Lilly, even with the added height, yet she didn't feel like she was running, it felt more like gliding. A fast elegant glide. In a way it was rather serene, as if they were merely enjoying a leisurely walk. It was too serene and she shouldn't have been surprised when a short lean goblin came racing up the stairs to land gasping and winded on his knees before them.

"My lady, the Night... realm... They... "

Stepping forward Lilly reached down and offered the young squire her hand: "Relax, breath deep and take your time, then tell me what the Nightrealm has done."

The youth's eyes seemed impossible big as he met the soft patient gaze of the one he thought to be his queen: "But my queen..."

"Yes have you caught your breath? "

The youth nodded eagerly, even though his flanks were still moving like a blacksmith's bellows. Deciding that denying him any longer would be downright evil, Lilly nodded her permission, inwardly cursing when Sarah's unruly hair fell into her face, momentarily blinding her just as the youth blurted out: "The Nightrealm! They have found a way to break through the seal on their gate and have attacked the Seelie flank! It's a miracle! They, they..."

She had been waiting for this news yet it still released a knot of tension in her gut, as the words registered: "Wait what are they helping us!? But why, how did this happen? "

"Don't know my queen but there is more. "

Drawing in a deep breath he all but jumped up and down as he said: "They have sent a representative, and she claims that she is here to pledge their allegiance and arms to you and the Labyrinth. She awaits you in the war chamber."

"Really? Wow then we can't let her wait. Lord Shiver will you go with me ? "

The look of surprise on Shiver's face seemed genuine, yet Lilly knew that he was no more surprised than she was at the news, only relieved.

"It would be my privilege my queen."

The armour of the goblin queen was a cold creamy carapace enclosing her borrowed body, and infusing her with a sense of power. Smiling quietly as that feeling caused her to sit just a little taller on her borrowed throne. She had been terrified as Shiver escorted her through the rough corridors of their temporary home, the thought of pretending to be Sarah the goblin queen, the saviour of them all had seemed incomprehensibly daunting. And yet as she sat there watching the tiny teenage like woman walking towards the throne dais at the head of her contingent of enormous warriors, it felt utterly natural to inhabit the chair. And the smile that lit her borrowed face was real.

"Lady Gweyr. I'm happy to see you, I hope your journey here went smoothly. "

Bright blue eyes shone up at Lilly as the small woman came to a halt in front of the throne and turned her childishly innocent face to Lilly. And for a brief second Lilly found herself enthralled by the strangely sensual purity of the tiny woman child, then the spell broke as Gweyr released the glamour surrounding her miniscule figure allowing Lilly to see the true being who hid beneath. The change was startlingly slight yet the impact was huge. The eyes were still large and expressive blue, but they were no longer innocent, now the expression was one of cruel mischief and dark desires that had nothing to do with sensuality and everything to do with death and blood.

It was unnerving to say the least and that feeling intensified tenfold as Gweyr flashed wickedly sharp shark teeth in a cruel yet respectful smile, and dropped into a deep curtsy revealing the gaping pitch black hole in her back.

"My queen, as you have called so have we come. I bring word from my sovereigns. They send their greeting and great gratitude for your opening of the gate between our realms."

Licking her full rosy lips as she rose Gweyr didn't seem to notice the shrivelled grey hand that reached out of the hole in her back as if trying to escape before being pulled back in accompanied by a loud haunting cry.

"My sovereigns are only too happy to carry out your wishes and are even as we speak, moving troops into this realm preparing to attack the seelie traitors. We are ready to fight for our survival my queen, we are ready to fight for us all."

Forcing herself not to shiver at the sight of the grasping hand Lilly nodded as calmly as she could and said: "Excellent! When you return to your rulers then tell them that I'm thrilled by their actions and that I trust them to do what they feel needs to be done. Tell them that... tell them that if we win this war then I will make certain that they will have a say in the punishment of the seelie bastards. "

The evil gleam in the elf maid's eyes flared turning the pristine white, an ebony black so that the azure of her iris floated like a burning star in twin caves of utter darkness. Falling to her knees Gweyr extended sharp clawed hands towards the throne: "My queen we are yours to command and reward as you see fit. And I shall take your gracious words with me as I return to my sovereigns. With your permission I shall go with all haste."

Repressing a shudder at the sight of the unearthly eyes, Lilly nodded her acceptance: "Yes go, hurry and let's meet again in the halls of the castle beyond the goblin city. "

. ... .

Stalking along the irregularly spaced parapets Lilly traced her fingers through the loose snow crowning each, in a vain attempt of squashing her desire to lace her fingers with Shiver's as he walked beside her, a powerful shadow clad in his intimidating crimson armour. The colour of the steel gleaming like fresh blood as the dying light washed it in it's last ray's.

Stopping Lilly dug both hands into the snow and stared out at the vast army stretching out below them. Everything seemed so calm, like a trap just before it sprung cutting off your hands, so much underlying tension just waiting to be released.

Keeping her back on Shiver Lilly sighed: "Do you feel it too? "

"What? The strain of war and the promise of violence to come? Yes I feel it..."

Turning to face him, Lilly inwardly cursed the spell hiding her true face, as she said: "Do you think they'll make it? In time I mean before the Seelie attacks?"

Shrugging Shiver looked grim as he replied: "I do not know, I hope that they will with my entire being , but truly.. I have no idea"

"If they do not then we will resist the attack with all the might that we possess": Gliding from the shadows of the parapet Morgaine greeted her false Queen with an elegant curtsy before rising and linking their arm's in a very motherly fashion: "I come from the unseelie realm, we are as prepared as we may be, all that remains are the last few stones to be removed and then we shall join your forces here. But my queen... If I may steal you away from the captain there are matters that I should like to discuss with you..."

Giving Lilly a meaningful look Morgaine said: "In private."

Wondering what the hell the unseelie queen could want that Shiver obviously couldn't hear Lilly nodded slightly: "Sure."

And to Shiver she said: "Thank you my lord you may leave us."

Bowing with a confused and more than a little worried look on his face Shiver had no other recourse but to accept his dismissal and leave the two women.

Patting Lilly's hand through the heavy mittens Morgaine said softly: "You love him very much do you not?"

Taken completely aback by the unexpected words Lilly couldn't do anything but nod slightly: "Yeah, I do..."

"Well it is obvious to those who know the signs of true fated love.": Leading Lilly to a section of the parapet that overlooked the inner courtyard to which Shiver had retreated and was now barking orders at a group of squires: "He is a good man and he too loves you... Before he left Jareth bade me to speak to you about the goblin mating, and all it entails."

"The goblin...Mating?!.." Arhm... Oookay?" : The sheer awkwardness of the situation almost left Lilly speechless, licking her lips nervously she ventured: "Soooo you do know that Shiver and I have been you know... intimate... right?"

The look of amused exasperation that Morgaine shot at Lilly had Lilly wanting to curl up and die, this was undoubtedly the most excruciatingly embarrassing conversation she had ever had, and standing on the parapet as she did she had no escape as Morgaine chuckled: "Yes child I do remember the passions of youth, but I do not speak of sex, I speak of the joining of more than flesh but your very lives. Because a goblin does not marry, they mate and once they do only death may sever that bond."

"Umh okay sooo, umh yeah Shiver has told me a little about it but, I'm getting the feeling that there is more to it than just me and him exchanging vows."

Looking both pensive and highly amused Morgaine nodded as she too watched Shiver be the lord commander they needed.: "In a sense that is all there is to it, but only if you wish for a connection where the most powerful of the pair is the grounding partner who is to use a rather crude human expression, both the generator and battery of the couples power. It is a somewhat parasitic type of bonding and usually one borne of need."

Confusion was clear in both her voice and body language as Lilly asked: "But why would he want that? Wouldn't it be better for us both if we bonded fully?"

"Yes indeed it would, but I fear that he is reluctant to cause you the pain needed to invoke the ancient blood magic, seeing as you are human and have no access to the magic in your soul."

"Okay so, you are telling me that I have magic I just can't access it until: A) I change into something here in the Labyrinth or B) get married to Shiver through some ancient dark blood ritual where I will be in a world of pain, but end up with not just my own magic but Shivers as well?": Frowning as she struggled at the very edge of understanding, Lilly pushed on before Morgaine had a chance to answer: "So what is the ritual? How does he have to cause me pain? Is it like some permanent thing? Like an eye or I don't know a finger? "

"Yes it is permanent but not in that way. It is a sacrifice that is needed, you must make a gift of your flesh to him, and in return you will receive power over him."

"Love me, fear me do as I say and I will be your slave...": Repeating the words that Sarah had told her Jareth had once offered her Lilly licked her suddenly dry lips: "Is that what you mean?"

"Well yes, But only you will know what must be done to invoke the magic, all I can tell you now is that there will be pain, but the gain will be worth it. If you see it through then you will ground each other and in time your core will be as strong as his. If not then you will have to share his, forever leeching off of him."

Images of bloody sacrifices flashed through Lilly's mind, chilling her to the bone as she envisioned Shivers teeth and claws ripping her flesh apart, only that kind of pain was nothing she feared, nothing that terrified her. It was physical and would heal. No total surrender, that terrified her beyond reason and finding a physical manifestation for her to offer Shiver seemed almost impossible... Almost.

. ... .

The wall rose before him like a tall wave of stone and iron about to crest and sweep them from this dying and pitiful collection of rocks and dirt that was the Labyrinth. A cold sneer curled around his lipless mouth as a silver armoured fey warrior approached him with respectfully down cast eyes, Llagain, the Whiteblade, Captain of the Queens white hunt and commander of the seelie army smiled.

Not a warm approachable smile, but a cold predatory one that sent shivers of fear down the back of the warrior, as he knelt before his commander holding up the missive he had been sent to deliver.

"And what is this? ": The voice of the Whiteblade was as everything about him coarse and powerful, more roar that speech. But then did it truly matter what his voice sounded like, as his enormous hand closed upon the missive nearly crushing the hand offering it: "Who sends this?"

"King Oberon... my lord... he... hmm... askes that you join him once ...you have read this..."

Snatching the folded paper from the messenger with enough force to send the messenger to the ground, Llagain rumbled: "Very well then": As he unrolled the neat parchment.

The time to attack is now!

"Yess finally.": The words were dark and sibilant, causing the nearby warriors to snap to attention and watch with hungry eyes as their commander tossed the parchment casually into the face of the cowering messenger as he strode past him.

Time to attack. The very words filled him with a need that burned. A need to rip that wall down. And that stone wall would not hold him from his intended prey. He was too experienced a commander to allow a mere wall to keep him out. No he would taste the fear of the goblins as he ripped their paltry lives from their puny bodies. And he would stand triumphant as his king and queen seized the usurper and forced that feeble girl to reopen the gates before the mist reclaimed the obnoxious labyrinth and it's inane inhabitants. That was the last piece of the puzzle. Sarah.

That pretentious little harlot! Well he would show her just what orc-strength was once she was brought to him bound and subdued. But first he had a score to settle with that upstart runt who fancied himself lord commander of that mottled travesty that called itself the goblin army. Shiver.

That wished away bastard, if it hadn't been for his interference the spell would have been completed four centuries ago during the hobgoblin revolt. But no the goddess damned wishling had just had to go and save the mongrel. Forcing the lady Titania to redo much of the spell. But not this time. No the mongrel was dead and the wishling not long in joining him.

The dirty snow and ice crunched underneath his massive boots and in his dark mind he imagined that it was the bones of his enemies that made the sharp cracking noises. "Soon" the tiny cold voice in the back of his head whispered,"soon. "

Yes soon he would stamp on the bones of his enemies, but first he had urgent business to attend to.

Pausing only long enough to stamp off the filthy snow, Llagain pushed the deceptively flimsy curtain aside before he entered the domain of his sovereigns.

Oberon stood with his back towards the door his golden hair brushed out until it gleamed like a golden fleece, as he seemed to be reading a large scroll.

Letting the curtain fall closed behind him, Llagain stood silently, waiting patiently for his king to take notice and speak to him. It took some minutes, but that was Oberon's way, and finally the imposing king laid down the scroll and turned to face his general.

"Aah Llagain the time has come, by dawn you shall throw your forces against the stubborn bitch's encampment. For all intents and purposes you shall seem to break yourself on the iron."

A cold calculating grin spread on the forest lords face as he pointed to the scroll: "But as you seem to follow your usual brute tactics I shall send two groups into the tunnels below, to blow up the wall from beneath exposing their soft underbelly to our blades. Once the wall is toppled, you will swamp that sorry excuse for an army, and ensure that our access to the unseelie realm is unhindered. Because once we have won this war we will decimate that foul realm turning it into a forgotten shadow, only remembered in children's tales!"

Bowing with more grace than should be possible for such a crude creature, Llagain rumbled: "I exist only to please you my lord. And I shall see your plan set in motion before the hour is out..."

. ... .

The evening had turned to night before Shiver had finally managed to shake off the shackles of his duty and find a moment to rest. Fatigue flooded his lean frame clouding his vision, making his movements slow and sluggish as he conjured a dull green crystal, creating a huge round wooden tub filled with steaming water and heavily fragrant herbs, mostly pine and sage. Snapping his fingers he banished the thick leathers he had worn as protection against the biting winds and knifelike cold, leaving himself naked in front the roaring fireplace.

The room was fairly sized with enough room to comfortably accept a full-sized bed, a medium desk and two overstuffed leather chairs sitting in front of the fireplace, as well as the massive tub and Shiver felt at ease here despite the army camped not two hundred yards away.

Sliding into the steaming water, he sighed as the heat washed through him instantly causing his tired and cramped muscles to relax. This was just what he needed, silence and a hot bath. Or at least that was what he was willing himself to believe as he let his eyes fall shut. Because what he truly honestly needed wasn't silence but the soft voice of Lilly chattering on about her herb garden, or the latest flower or critter she had found or some other mundane thing. But that time had ended and if they were to uphold this charade then they had to keep a certain distance between them.

Growling harshly, he ran his wet fingers through his dreads before sinking below the glittering surface to rest in the silence of water.

Here in this waterlogged world he heard nothing but his thoughts, as they screamed at him that this was impossible, that he should take Lilly and run, run to the human world and hide there snatching a few precious moments of happiness before the world ended. Goddess above was that so wrong? All he wanted was to call Lilly his wife and see her safe, just once... Just...

A loud knocking rudely invaded his peaceful world, sending him upright in the tub: "I hope that this is a matter of life or death. If not, then may the forgotten gods..."

"What? ": The heavy door creaked open just enough to allow a slight figure to enter and pause with her back against it's smooth stone, as she cocked her head: "Are you going to bend me over your knee? Or perhaps you have a more severe punishment in mind? "

His large eyes seemed to fill his entire face as he took in the scantily clad vision who looked at him with her mesmerizing starburst eyes. She shouldn't be here especially not without her amulet and the slim protection it's illusion offered. Yet as she bared a creamy white shoulder and fluttered her wing like lashes at him, Shiver couldn't think of a single reason to tell her to leave.

"Lilly. .."

"Yes? I couldn't sleep and I wanted to... talk... To you. Hmm that looks relaxing, you mind if I join you?" : Her eyes twinkled like stars as the sheer camisole dropped off her shoulders revealing her slender beauty to be caressed by the warm candlelight. Her muscles honed by months of sword practice moved beneath her velvet skin, as she sauntered up to the tub and crawled into it with all the grace of a cat. A sinful shudder passed through her as she sank into hot water, causing her lips to part and grow red with lust.

Watching her with eyes that smouldered with the power of his desire and the first stirrings of his darkflame, Shiver licked his lips as she glided towards him in a ripple of iridescent water. The tub was large, easily large enough to fit them both and leave room to spare. And the sheer size of it gave him ample room to settle back and allow her to straddle his lap, as she purred: "Hmm I missed this, the way you look at me like I am the only thing that matters to you... Never change"

"Never! ": His powerful arms wrapped around her holding her firmly in place as he ground up against her reveling in the added friction caused by the water: "I will never cease to see you as my guiding star, my heart and my life."

Leaning in so close that their lips brushed as she spoke, Lilly whispered: "I want to freeze this moment, and let tomorrow take care of itself. "

" I know, so do I.."

Their lips met in a kiss that was soft and filled with the fear and love that warred inside of them both. Strong hands held her, running up and down her back imparting his strength to her, while she let her hands explore his torso.

They had done this countless times, their hands moving with a will of their own as they sought out places that caused the other to writhe and moan with pleasure. They had done it before, yet this time it was different, so very, very different. Tears rolled down Lilly's rose kissed cheeks as her lips fought to draw Shivers soul out. In this kiss there was a soul searing desperation born by the knowledge that nothing was certain and that their next breath might very well be their last. And that nothing they did could truly change that mind blowing fact. And so they clung to each other so tightly that it was nearly impossible to see where one started and the other ended.

Grinding down hard Lilly moaned as his throbbing erection rubbed against her sensitive folds causing sweet pleasure to build in her still virginal centre. Running her fingers through his hair, she hissed as the delicately carved leaves of her engagement ring caught in his hair, reminding them both of its existence and the promise it symbolized.

"I'm sorry ": He mumbled softly as she untangled the ring from the dread holding it prisoner.

"Sorry, Why? It was me who yanked your hair".: She said confusion thick in her voice.

"Because I may have given you a promise that I may not be able to keep. I know that it is out of my hands but I still feel utterly guilty at having promised something that I may not have in my power to give..."

"Oooh ": At first her eyes darkened with the shared pain of his longing to fulfil the promise they had given. But then a sudden light chased the shadow away as a stray thought took root and filled her with a renewed hope:" But why don't we do it now? Why don't we exchange vows and do our own ceremony right now? And yes I know what I'm asking, I think at least ...And I wanna do it the right way. I want to be yours in every way possible I... I want us to be utterly and truly bonded. And yes I am ready to bear you child. I ..."

Stopping mid rant, Lilly looked deep into his stunned eyes searching for any signs of the rejection that she half feared, half wanted. And it was there, it had been the first thought to be easily read in his luminescent green eyes. But it had been swiftly followed and overtaken by a strange unreadable look that for some reason made Lilly feel slightly fearful, as he ran his hands up her back and licked his lips hesitantly, before saying.

"Are you certain that you want this? To bond in the old way? There will be pain, you know that right? No matter how gentle we are you will experience pain, there is no way to avoid that."

"Yeah I know that, Morgaine didn't leave out anything sorta, and yeah I admit that I'm scared of that kind of pain but... I want this bond more, I want it not just on my body but in it! I want our souls to be bound together and if this is the way to evoke the bloodmagic required then I am more than just willing, I am eager.": Cupping his face gently Lilly leaned forward and rested their foreheads together, whispering softly: "I love you."

"Oh sweet goddess ": Tears burned behind his eyes as he held her tightly against him, trying his very best to find a reason to deny her, and coming up with nothing but more reasons for them to bond themselves without delay. And yet to evoke such power, on a whim just seemed wrong. Only it wasn't a whim, was it. No it wasn't. Gazing into her starburst eyes Shiver saw nothing but true love. A love as strong as the love shared between Sarah and Jareth. Love and trust enough to thaw even the coldest heart, and his was not a cold heart. So how could he refuse her when he himself wanted nothing but to be only hers. Nothing but to belong to her, and for her to be his. Thus he could do nothing but nod softly murmuring: " Yes, Sweet goddess forgive us. Yes for the Love I bear you yes, let us bond now, before tomorrow comes to rip asunder our dreams."

"Ssch": Placing a gentle finger across his lips Lilly chastised him softly: "Don't talk like that, we don't have to invite tomorrow in before time..."

The room was warm yet goose bumps covered Lilly's skin as Shiver rose from the tub with her held securely in his arms. The tub vanished in a plume of green smoke, replaced by a massive pile of thick blankets and plump pillows, all in rich jewel coloured hues. Kneeling he set her down, so that she too knelt before him naked as the day she had been born.

Holding out his hand Shiver smile hesitantly as Lilly laid her delicate hand in his and whispered: "I bind myself to you, to the heart that beats within, to the blood that courses through you and the flesh that gives you form. I bind myself to your mind and will and forever shall we be one..."

The words flowed effortlessly from her lips as she held his hand and gazed lovingly into his eyes, letting him see every single thought that passed through her eyes as she began to evoke the ancient magic that would forever bind them. Magic that caused a soft warmth to build in their cores, or rather in Lilly's case in the spot in her chest where her core should have rested had she been born in the underground. Magic that filled them until it felt as if their skin ought to glow with the power of it as Shiver spoke the same words: "I bind myself to you, to the heart that beats within, to the blood that courses through you and the flesh that gives you form. I bind myself to your mind and will and forever shall we be one..."

The heat of the power left them both breathless and burning with the first stirrings of desire. A desire that drove them to complete what they had begun, laying his slightly trembling hand firmly over her heart Shiver spoke the words that would define his role in their relationship: "To you I gift my strength and will, my body and soul. To you I bind my life, every beat of my heart from this to the last. "

Mirroring his hand Lilly moaned softly as the desire grew, nearly stealing the breath she needed to speak her vows: "To you I gift my body and soul, my strength and will, to you I give all that I am and ever will be. I will be the vessel that carries our love and our vows, from this day to my last, I will carry our power in my heart and body."

Words held power Lilly knew that, probably better than most her age, yet nothing she had ever experienced could possibly prepare her for the deluge of raw magic that was released as Shivers core poured into her rending the core of her soul ripping a hole large enough to fit an ocean of power into. The sensation floored her stealing her breath away and setting her world ablaze with flames of green. Flames that warmed and caressed rather than burned. The flames covered everything blinding her to all but the gasping pained pants that sounded like they were coming from Shiver.

Oh god, Shiver! The thought was sudden and merciless as it struck her, because if she was feeling this overwhelmed then how did it feel from his end, had his core been ripped in two or had it been stretched through some metaphysical infinity, causing him pain? The one thing that she couldn't live with was him being in pain.

"Shiver?, Oh god answer me Shiver..."

The green conflagration retreated leaving behind a faint glow that served only to enhance the colour of Shivers skin as he knelt on the floor with one hand pressed against his heart panting and gasping unable to draw a full breath. Her hand reached out cupping his chin as a matter of pure reflex. Her mind had not even caught up to the fact that she was cradling him when the heat of the newly forged bond flared flooding their bodies with a need so strong that neither could have resisted even if they had wanted to.

But with the need came relief as cool air filled their lungs, and eager hands caressed equally eager flesh. Pushing him onto his back, Lilly smiled lovingly down at him, her eyes burning with a newly formed dark flame ember, as she murmured huskily: "I will be a vessel for your power."

Running her splayed fingers up his taut abdomen she moaned as she dropped her head to suck his straining need into her scalding hot mouth, drawing a stuttered: "I..I sha...shall be your... fountain! ": From him as his back bowed and a dark groan of utter pleasure escaped his parted lips. The feeling of her lips as she enveloped the crown of his member running the very tip of her tongue along the raised cartilage beads gently flicking over each bead. It felt like lightning striking as she lapped at the sensitive nubs. She had given him pleasure like this before and she was supremely skilled at it but now with the magic of pleasure and sacrifice coursing through their bodies, the merest flicker of her tongue caused him to writhe and whimper, as pleasure bordering agony ignited within him.

His clawed hands gripped her hair scoring her scalp with long crimson gashes that stained her hair the same red, but she didn't care, hell she barely realised that blood trickled down her face as she gripped his hips urging him to thrust upwards, deeper into her mouth and into her throat cutting off her air. His skin tasted of salty musk and the bitter tang of pre-cum, a taste she hated. Yet in this moment as the magic of sacrifice and pleasure rode her, Lilly found that that distinct taste, which was so very him, only served to spur her on. It filled her with a desire to have him fill her to the brim, to fully and utterly submit her body and soul to his pleasure. It should have scared her, considering that what Morgaine had told her had to be complete the ritual. The pain she would have to endure to bind them both within the threads of this magic. This web of sacrifice and acceptance of surrender and love.

Pulling back just enough that she could breath around his impressive girth, Lilly smirked as the sudden rush of cold air caused Shiver to arch up again groaning as his eyes fluttered shut and his claws gripped her hair once more, forcing tears to spring from her eyes. This was part of her sacrifice to him, the price she paid to share his power and his years. Because this was no pale human ceremony where nothing but words were given. No this was the invoking of ancient powers, powers that would bind them together from this day to their last.

That was the thought that filled the back of Lilly's mind as she drove forward again swallowing him down until her lips were nothing but thin white lines stretched tight around the girth of his base, and her tongue moved lazily along the beads embedded on the underside of his length. Holding his hooded pleasure fogged gaze she watched his expression shift at the stimulation her experienced mouth and throat gave him. Her throat burned fiercely as the foreign object invading it spasmed and shuddered, but she ignored it and continued stubbornly. Lilly had taken him deeply before but never this deeply, never choked herself on his impressive length, this long and this completely. And choking she was. Her lungs burned and her mind screamed at her to release him and breathe, yet the soft voice of the magic guided her, urging her to keep at it just a little longer, just a few more seconds as his hands flexed scoring her scalp and drawing more blood. Blood that rolled through the thick fall of her hair to cover the burning skin of Shiver, covering his hands in a scalding silken caress. The scent of blood filled his nostrils and mind, awakening the primitive emotions that always coiled just beneath the surface of his skin, breaking the chains that held them in check. His back arched thrusting him even deeper into her clenching throat as delicate tissue milked him.

He knew that the pulsing muscles was a result of her choking on his length, but he was too wrapped up in the magic to stop.

All that mattered in that isolated moment was the power that her fear and pain were giving birth to as she sacrifice herself to bind them, and their love with bonds older than the Labyrinth himself. Power filled them both, coiling tightly in their chests and creating an ever expanding ball of heat and pressure in their abdomens, as Lilly's hot lips and throat forced him closer and closer to the first shining abyss. The power grew, arching his back as he came in a shuddering full body orgasm. This orgasm that was so much more than just the release of the genetic material that he pumped down her pulsating throat in jet of thick pungent seed. It was a release from the thin veneer of civility that he hid behind, it was a release into a far more primitive and pure state of being. One where the desire to take, to conquer and to protect that which was his was all that mattered. To claim the other half of his being and make them one for as long as they both should live...

A roar, a defiant challenge for any other male to defy his claim on this woman escaped him, charging the already electric atmosphere of the room with even more energy as he pulled her up by her hair, forcing her to release him as he rolled them both until he was on top of her, his much larger frame covering her completely.

He was hot to the touch, hotter than he had been during the worst bouts of fever, hot enough that touching him was almost painful as if the fire of his darkflame lay just below his skin ready to envelope and devour her.

And oh great goddess she wanted to be devoured. She wanted to be marked by him, to belong only to and with him. And she wanted to be taken as she gave herself to him.

In short she wanted, and that want spilled from her lips in a soft surrendering whisper: "I will open myself to you and you alone..."

The magic flared as she spoke, reaching a new terrifying level, a level that drew the answer to her vow from Shiver with a tortured groan: "I will fill you and only you..."

Lilly had never been the most avid reader of romance and or smut literature. And the few female friends that she had had, had never spoken about the very first penetration. But she had seen him fully erect and ready many times before, and she had often imagined just how it would feel once he finally took her virginity. She had tried to imagine how it would feel when he pushed into her, forcing untouched muscles to stretch to accommodate him. She did have a very fertile imagination and it had often enough proved accurate. But even that could not even begin to picture the, spine bowing toe curling agonisingly torturous pleasure that speared up her spine as he slowly pushed into her. The slowly strengthening burn as her virgin lips both inner and outer stretched to allow him entrance to her yearning body. It felt as if she would rip, as if her body would not be able to stretch far enough to allow him in, as if... Then suddenly he burst through, sliding through the tight resistance of the first one or two inches of her barely explored canal, before the merciless grip of her clenching walls stopped him.

It hurt, her body struggling to accommodate the foreign intruder that strained her inner muscles to expand, and yet it also filled her with an utter sense of completeness. As if he was a missing piece of her soul slotting back into place. It was a strange sensation to realize that the member that slowly and painfully pushed further and further into her, belonged just there, inside her. His heat and strength what she had been missing. Her vulnerability and loving nature the lost piece of his puzzle.

Fitting though he did, nothing could ever have prepared her for the burn of overly stretched membranes or the slow torturous scrape of the cartilage beads as they dragged against the sensitive flesh, igniting not just pain but an arching pleasure, that drenched her skin in cold sweat, and arched her back forcing more of him into her.

The pain was sharp, and caused stars to burst in front of her eyes as tears of anguish wet her flushed cheeks. It was worse than she had ever imagined it would be and it was far more wonderful. Clinging to him with arms and legs Lilly keened as the massive weight that had been forced inside of her rocked further into her accompanied by the strained groans of Shiver.

"Oooh god Shiver, Please... I please... oh god.."

The words spilled readily from her lips as she pleaded even though she had no idea what she was pleading for, or even who she was pleading with. She didn't understand until Shiver finally got enough room to move inside of her, letting her feel the entire bead studded length of him as he plunged into her again and again. It was a glorious hell as her body stretched and moved in symphony with him. The magic ebbing and flowing in time with his thrusts, unsteadily at first, then faster and stronger as his thrusts became smoother and more powerful. More urgent

a gasp escaped her as she wrapped her legs wantonly around him, pushing up, urging him further, deeper. She needed more, she needed all of him, and he was more than willing to give her everything she asked for.

Time didn't hold any meaning as they moved with one another, separating and joining again and again, until their hearts pounded in unison to the same furious rhythm and their bodies ceased to be their own. It could have been an hour or a few minutes neither of them knew as their world suddenly erupted in a blaze of fire and pleasure.

One second he was thrusting as hard and fast as he was able, the next her moans of pleasure turned into a gasping cry as that pleasure grew without warning until it pushed at the borders of pain as her body gripped Shiver in an iron grasp that had him arching his back, throwing back his head with his lips parted in a silent cry as he spilled himself deep inside of her in a torrent of heat.

It burned but not in an unpleasant way. Reaching up Lilly rested one slender hand between her breasts as she pressed the other against Shiver's sternum staring in open mouthed wonder as she watched a tiny tendril of bright green light connect them as his power filled her core feeding the fire inside of her. It was beautiful, beautiful but not perfect, not yet...

A soft smile played along Shiver's lips as he leaned down to whisper across her lips: "From my soul to thine we are bound."

She could feel it, the choice, the point of this ceremony that would forever define the type of relationship that this would be. And she realized, as Morgaine had so rightly foreseen, that she could never be satisfied simply leeching off of Shiver's life-force, like some parasite. How could she. She may not have much to give, but it would be his until the end of time.

The strength she used to flip them both left Shiver gaping in surprise, only holding back his exclamation because Lilly pressed her finger across his lips, frowning down at him as she spoke: "No this rite is not over, not yet."

The need still rode them, but it had retreated just enough for them to make their own decisions on how far to go. But even so, while Shiver still felt it coiling in his loins like a scalding serpent seeking a way out, he still didn't want Lilly to sacrifice anymore. Not that he didn't want her to contribute with the power that he knew that she possessed, he didn't want to be the cause of her pain.: "You don't have to do this... the bond is already strong. I can easily ground us both."

Nodding in acknowledgement as she straddled him Lilly cupped his chin and flashed him a fearful but determined smile: "Yeah but I want it to perfect, I want it to be us, not just you and who knows there may come a time where we will need me to ground us, in any case this is my sacrifice and I give it willingly "

"But": He had a whole host of arguments as to why it was too dangerous for her, why this was a bad idea, why ... But they were all cut short by the magic of the ritual as it slammed into him like a runaway freight train on the heels of her softly spoken words: "I surrender my all to you."

And no matter how he fought he couldn't keep the magic that guided them from spilling from his own lips: "And in return I shall love you, fear you and obey you... We are one..."

And with those words she pushed backwards forcefully breaching a her own tight sphincter with the massive head of his member, driving a good two inches into her own tight orifice before the pain spearing up her back and exploding in her brain forced her to freeze in place.

PAIN!

That was what her body screamed, as she sat caught by her own decision, he was barely in her and yet her rear passage felt as if it would rip in two if he as much as twitched inside of her. She had been prepared for it to hurt, but not this raw horrid agony that rippled up and throughout of her body.

"Oh goddess, it hurts... aaarh gawd.. please... I I need help, Please Shiver, Help me! "

His hands had encircled her waist and was about to raise her up, pulling her from herself impalement, before she had a chance to explain what she needed, and only her hands on his wrists and her gasped "No" stopped him.

"No? What do you mean no? "

Her body shook, and every fibre of her body screamed at her to just let him lift her up, and stop this madness. But, no, her mind screamed, no if you do that then this will have been in vain the whole ritual lost and your bond forever beyond your reach. Forever!

She couldn't do that she couldn't allow her weakness to keep her from carrying out what need to be done. Gritting her teeth Lilly exhaled and groaned: "Down, Push me down. Fill me and trust the magic that guides us. Trust our love."

The look in his wide open and very green eyes left no doubt about his thoughts on this, but they also spoke of utter trust in her and gratitude for the sacrifice that she was making. And Lilly couldn't love him anymore than she did in just that moment, because he understood, he knew why completing this ritual was so all important, why this pain was so necessary. And hate it he might but he would trust her and see this through by her side.

His hands large and calloused gripped her hips tightly, as he leaned up nearly folding in half as he claimed her lips in a deep passionate kiss that felt as if he was trying to draw her soul out with it. It was so warm and it burned her so deeply that she could barely breathe, and in it she forgot that her tight little ass was impaled on the massive shaft of her perfect knight. At least until his arms flexed, pushing her down as she had asked breaking the kiss as a loud torture gasp escaped her swollen lips and her entire body which had begun to relax tightened up once more, trapping her with him all the way inside of her. A sword of fire lodged in her belly almost like a premonition of some distant future pain.

His nasal voice was soft as he gripped her chin and forced her to look at him: "Lilly you have to relax, can you do that for me? Relax, let the magic take the pain, please Lilly you have to do this, for us."

Relax he said, well he wasn't the one with a studded iron rod shoved up next to his spine. But he was right, she had to and she had to trust both him and the magic.

Her arms locked around his chest as she wrapped her legs around his back, utterly surrendering all control to him, trusting him utterly and completely, trusting that he would strive to ease her pain.

There were no words between them as he slowly leaned forward laying her down on her back giving him the freedom to move and control the angle. Slowly he rocked into her creating room where there was none, coaxing her body into relaxing and accepting that he was invading it. Because if he was to judge by the way her muscles were fighting him, threatening to cut off his circulation that was what it considered him to be doing. But he had lain with her enough times to be certain that he knew just how to distract her. Snaking a hand down between them he smiled as the first gentle strokes of her still aroused and swollen sex caused her to moan and move slightly against him. Emboldened by that early success he stroked deeper more insistently watching as her painfilled frown loosened and her lips parted allowing a startled moan of not pain but beginning pleasure to escape, as she moved ever so slightly into his slow rocking movement. It was all it took that slight hesitant movement enough to bring the powerful and all consuming NEED roaring back.

Gone was the pain, the fear, the hesitation, and in its wake was the dark flames of pleasure as they drove her to meet his soft rocking with a strong determinate thrust. And that was all he needed gripping her hips in a grip that would no doubt leave deep bruises. But he didn't care as her legs gripped his waist urging him to go deeper and faster, no longer just rocking into her, but full out thrusting. Losing himself in her, until the world drowned in a new and final conflagration of verdant green fire and scoring nails. And again it was more than an orgasm, it was a sundering of not only their bodies, but their worlds and souls as the magic driving them reordered their lives making them one where once there had been two.

. ... .

The softly flickering light of the fireplace washed over their sweaty naked bodies, as they lay in each others arms, silently listening to their synchronized heartbeats. It was still night outside, the darkness thick enough that it felt almost like a physical weight pushing in on them. But the entwined couple didn't care.

Running her fingers slowly through the tangle mess that was his dreads, she smiled softly. They were married, or well not married. No that word did not even begin to cover what they had done. No marriage was a purely social institution, that had nothing to do with the warm knot of magic that rested in the centre of her body. No they were not Married, they were bound. Eternally and irrevocable. Their cores, his old and her new connected through a thin filament of green light made even brighter by the silvery purple thread that entwined it as they pulsed to the serene beat of their twin hearts. If anyone had told her that she would be bound to a fairy tale knight eight or nine months ago, she would have laughed in their faces and told them that they were insane. Hell she would quite possibly have told them to either stop doing whatever crap they were doing or start sharing. Because it would obviously have been some grade A shit.

But no matter how insane it might seem it did not change the fact that she now lay naked and tired in the safe haven of her perfect knights embrace. And that this was where she belonged.

"What are you thinking about my love?": His nasal voice was soft as he spoke, almost as if he was afraid to startle her: "You look... troubled."

She hadn't even realized that she was frowning before he spoke, but she made it a conscious effort to let her answer be followed by yet another soft smile: "I was just think about how insane this all is. I have just bound myself to a creature whom I wouldn't even have believed existed just a week ago. And more than that You are a knight and a prince! Hell you should have bonded with a perfect little goblin princess, not..."

Her final words was cut off by his finger as he pressed it to her lips and spoke fiercely: "No! Never say that again! Because that is exactly what I have done, don't you see? YOU, Lilly are my princess. You are what I need, what I want. And I will never allow anyone, not even you to say anything to the contrary. Never! Do you hear me! No one!"

Nodding meekly as she found her arguments swept away by the sudden flare of crimson fire in his eyes, Lilly could only listen as he continued: "You are far more worthy to be a princess than I am to be a prince, you are kind and wise, you strive to ease suffering rather than cause it, and... You are far more beautiful than any woman I have ever seen. And I will never meet another woman half as perfect as you, my mate... My beautiful perfect mate, who would not let even pain stop her from a perfect union."

"Mate ": The word rolled easily off of her tongue, as she let the reality of it's meaning fill her mind. Mate she was someone's mate, someone's other half. The anchor to another life just as she was now anchored in him, no longer alone. And that was the thing that caused her to catch her breath. Because she was no longer Alone. She belonged now and for all eternity to him, to Shiver. And after a lifetime, albeit a short lifetime of being alone, it should scare her. But strangely it didn't, instead it gave her a deep settled calm. A calm that she allowed to engulf her as she settled down on his chest once more to let her weary body rest.

. ... .

Dawn cast it's soft rosy light across the seemingly unassailable wall that separated the teeming masses at his command from the cowering goblins beyond. Licking his nearly non-existent lips Llagain growled low and deep in his throat. Soon. Soon he would quench this ever burning thirst in the thick molasses of Shivers pewter blood, but first he would hunt down that little imposter who dared to rally that rabble against the glory of the Seelie court. And once he had her in his possession he would make her regret her misguided attempt at valour.

Yes, a slow lazy smile curved his lipless mouth as his crimson tongue licked them in anticipation, he would take his time and he would make her his whimpering mindless slave. A broken husk. Just as he would Jareth.

A low cruel laughter rolled up from the depths of his belly and out his mouth, causing every soldier within earshot to shudder and move minutely away from him. It was a well known fact that the Whiteblade never laughed unless pain or death was the cause, and considering that he was standing still, no one wanted to unwittingly draw the dreaded Orcs attention.

And if Llagain noticed he gave no outward sign, and why would he, no the tortures he was imaging in the cold cruel depths of his hellish mind was more than enough to keep his attention captured.

But all good things had to end, even this. Pushing the pleasing thoughts to the back of his mind, Llagain turned his attention back to the milling throng, and raising his great milky white blade he bellowed: "Attack, and show no mercy..."

. ... .

The vast cavernous room was filled to bursting with quiet wild-eyed civilians of every possible size and shape. Goblins, gnomes, gnolls. Some clutched bags of prized possessions while others clung to their equally silent children.

Standing tall beside the hunched over figure of Morgaine Lilly wanted nothing as much as she wanted Shivers arms around her, his soft nasal voice telling her that it would all be alright and that no one else would have to die. But it was a child's fantasy and Lilly was old enough to know that, as she watched the final two boulders be shoved aside by the massive black furred creatures whose names she had no hope of pronouncing. It was time, this was her only duty as Sarah, to get as many of the huddled creatures through the shimmering portal and into the relative safety of the Unseelie court.

Turning from the hypnotically patterned portal Lilly pulled her borrowed body up to it's full height, calling out in an authoritative voice that was not her own: "Hear me now, it is time to pass through the portal and into the unseelie realm. There the army of Morgaine awaits to protect you and once you are all through they will pass to our side and fight to defeat the Seelie betrayers. They are waiting and we must move quickly."

Stepping aside Lilly, gestured towards the swirling gate: "Go now ..."

The goblin warriors holding the anxious civilians back parted to create a path as wide as the portal itself, as the first and bravest, or perhaps the most desperate, and terrified, neither Lilly nor Morgaine could truly tell, moved forward, drawing the more timid ones with them.

Good god, but they all looked terrified as they filed past the silent Queens. Mother's clinging to their children, husbands to their wives. 0ld and young with sunken haunted eyes. Lilly had seen her share of traumatized people, but never any as broken as these. Never children with eyes so dark that they resembled black mirrors more than anything else.

And as she watched them now, Lilly understood the need to protect that had driven Sarah and Jareth out on a mission that appeared utterly impossible. Theses creatures, big and small were all innocent, they had done nothing but go through their daily lives, and now those life were threatened by a war they had no part of and no hope of ending, or winning.

No Sarah and Jareth had had no choice in the matter, the only thing they could do, was exactly what they had done, no matter how dangerous, and now Lilly could do no less. She would see these terrified masses safe through the portal and then she would join Shiver on the battlefield, to...

The first tremors rippled through the solid bedrock as a loud banging erupted from the east wall causing the already terrified crowd to surge forward and crush those in front. Panicked screams reverberated through the cave, mixing with the loud staccato shouts of the guards as they struggled to keep the masses from crushing the weakest among them.

"Stop, you are crushing them."

"Halt there are children being hurt."

"Stop or we will stop you! Do you hear! Please! Stop"

The voices of the guards carried clearly but no one seemed to hear them. And the sight of children clinging to their parents as others tried to push past them was too much for Lilly, and she had no choice but to act.

Stepping forward she raised her hand and called out: "Stop all of you, you are just hurting each other and delaying your own salvation, now quickly but calmly go through the gate."

It felt completely incomprehensible to her that something as simple as that could calm down so many panicked creatures, and restore order, but it did. And now the crowd moved smoothly through the portal leaving everything that didn't breath behind.

It worked, it really worked. Keeping a hold on her desire to cry with relief to herself as she gave hasty orders for the two hundred or so warriors to split into two groups Lilly watched as a full third of the civilians vanished through the shimmering portal like divers through the mirror surface of a lake. In scant minutes the group had gone from terrified horde ready to trample anyone in their path young or old, to a civilized line where parents and children were pushed forward allowing those who carried the future of their world to live over those who had already lived long live or had yet to set their mark. And as those brave citizens did their best to get as many through as possible, Lilly did her part by sending the largest group of warriors to the back of the cave ready to buy the fleeing masses time with their lives.

Casting a quick glance at Morgaine Lilly felt her jaw drop as the formerly old crone stroked back her thick mane of glistening midnight hair revealing the face and figure of a goddess, with flawless ivory skin and eyes ablaze with black fire. Mirror like armour of the same shadowsteel as Shiver's curved blades, encased her perfect form, underlining her strength, as she met Lilly's surprised gaze.

"Morgaine? Wow what happened?"

A faint smile curled Morgaine's full pale lips as her dusky voice seemed to fill the entire cave: "This is my form too, I am Morgaine she who gathers the dead to most I am the crone but to the warriors who will die this night I am the soft embrace that carries them to their eternal rest, I am the gentle night that calls the dying home, the soothing kiss that covers pain. And I am she who revels in death, I am death and this..."

Spreading out her arms Morgaine sighed sensuously: "Is my home... Here where blood is spilled and offered to me. Where warriors plead for favour or relief. And ultimately no matter what I am she who parts the veil and carries them home.."

Power, pure and terrifying rolled off the dark goddess as she turned her midnight gaze from Lilly's borrowed form to level the full force of that ancient power on the slowly cracking back wall, speaking in a deep elemental voice: "Those soon to die calls me I cannot delay much longer."

Turning her terrifying gaze back onto Lilly Morgaine whispered: "He comes.. Run!"

Shock rooted Lilly to the spot as Morgaine's figure exploded into a thousand silent ravens which flew in as many different directions vanishing as they went.

"Morgaine?" : Lilly's head swivelled on her neck like a paranoid drunkards, as she called for Morgaine with an increasing sense of dread in the pit of her stomach.: "Morgaine? What just happened? Where'd you... "

The world exploded as the back wall suddenly exploded in a cloud of flying stones, dust and cloying black smoke. Screams filled the air as bodies were hurled through the smoke and dust laden air or ripped into unrecognizable lumps of flesh by the razor-edged stones.

The power of the explosion slung her onto her back, leaving her dazed and confused on the ground as wave after wave of black armoured warriors poured through the gaping maw of a hole left by the explosion. Fighting to dispel the ringing that stole all other sounds away Lilly pushed herself up into a halfway sitting position just in time to see a huge black skinned creature stride through the opening with a cruel smirk on his lipless mouth. She didn't know who or what he was, and yet she instinctively knew that this was a creature filled with cold malice. And she need to protect the panicking innocent from the dark evil that seemed to envelope his massive form like an invisible cloud. And she knew that she had to keep him away from the now panicking civilians, she had to...

But she never got the chance. The loud scream of rock buckling under its own weight, as a massive fissure ripped open above her and sent an avalanche of stone tumbling down onto everyone in the cave. Pain bloomed in the back of her head and the last thought to fill her as darkness swallowed her, was: "Shiver! I failed them all.. I failed. ... You..."

. ... .

Pain harsh and made infinitely worse by the Arctic wind whipping about her hanging body. The armour she had worn lay in a buckled heap next to the charred black throne like chair which dominated the large thoroughly drafty tent where she had woken up just an hour ago. A long terrible hour ago.

Shuddering even though the movement caused pain to race up her arms to her wrists where rough shackles held her suspended above the ground. Llagain he had called himself, WhiteBlade. And that name had sent chills of terror down her spine as Shivers tortured words had rung through her mind: "I saw you... I saw you die... Lilly... never... never come between me and the white blade... please...promise me."

Closing her eyes against the harsh sting of tears Lilly tried not to feel the knife edged pain ripping at her heart. It was not fear of her own death that caused the pain it was the thought of what it would do to Shiver when he felt her die. Because she might be able to keep him from feeling her pain, but her death, no he would feel that and his heart would never recover. He...

A rough hand shoved unceremoniously up between her dangling legs, forcing her to spread them as a coarse finger with a broken sharp claw ripped along her outer lips, tearing a helpless scream from her.

"Hmm such delicate flesh. Such a shame that you will rip and be useless once I am done with you."

"No": Shaking her head as if it were actually possible to reason with the monstrous creature: "Please... Oh god No.. Please don't, don't do that... don't. ... Rape me.. Please...": Lilly had always prided herself with being a strong woman who had never broken no matter what was thrown at her. No matter how cruel life had been. And yet as she felt that vile creature's fingers invade her most private area, plunging into her in the most painful way possible. Lilly found that she could not hold back neither tears nor pleading sobs for him to stop. And how she hated herself as her helpless tears drew a harsh delighted laugher from his deep chest as his enormous hand pressed her backwards until his terrifying member nestled between her taut buttocks and he chuckled darkly: "Yes I shall enjoy this..."