Number ten: Happiness.
Pairing: Arra Sails/Larten Crepsley.
A/N: I loved this scene in the book, so I thought I'd re-write it slightly: It's where Darren and Streak are eavesdropping on Kurda, Larten and Arra. I'm going to change it so it has more A/L in it :P It's written in Darren's POV. (And yes, some of the text is from the book.)
Disclaimer: See chapter one.
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I wanted nothing more than to run out and greet my mentor, but a low growl from Streak stopped me. I glanced at the wolf – he was low on the ground, his hackles raised, eyes pinned on something behind Mr. Crepsley. I followed his gaze curiously, and immediately realised why he was acting so strange: walking just behind Mr. Crepsley were five other vampires.
I held my breath and studied them carefully. I recognised two of them – Arra and the murderer himself, Kurda – but the other three were unfamiliar. Like Kurda, they were edgy, glancing around nervously, and they carried very sharp and dangerous looking swords. From this, I assumed that they were his assistants – true vampires wouldn't possibly agree with Kurda's actions.
I watched them carefully, trying to think of a way for me to get their attention. I would have simply run out and shouted at them, but the problem with that were the sword-carrying vampires: I was positive if they found me, then they wouldn't hesitate to kill not only me, but Mr. Crepsley and Arra too. So I kept to the ground, seething with hatred for Kurda.
They moved past us, and I tapped Streak on the shoulder, "Follow them?" The wolf put his nose to the air, sniffed, and then took off through the bushes. I followed him, trusting his more acute senses, and soon we had fallen in behind the vampires. They continued walking, completely unaware of our presence. I committed the features of Kurda's assistants to memory so that if I did ever make it back to the mountain, I could reveal them for the traitors they were.
I noted with a smile that Kurda was the edgiest of the lot: he kept glancing fearfully around, and jumped at every sound that the forest made. I also realised that Arra had noticed this too, because she kept kicking the leaves and twigs of the path that they were walking on and smirking every time Kurda jumped. My smile grew wider.
"Will you stop doing that!" Kurda whined after a while, spinning around and glaring at Arra.
She laughed slightly, "It's not my fault I keep catching the ground."
"You're doing it on purpose." Kurda hissed, and even I sensed the strained tone in his voice, as if he would snap at any moment. Me and Streak stopped, as did the group of vampires, "You've been doing it since we entered the forest."
Arra grinned slyly, "That's because as soon as we did, you suddenly became very edgy." Kurda's glare flickered, "Hiding something?" Arra asked innocently.
"No!" Kurda almost shouted, "I'm just worried about Darren." His tone became hushed, "I really want to find him." He sounded truly worried and concerned, and this only made me angrier: he was a complete hypocrite.
"We all do, Kurda." Mr. Crepsley said a little defensively, coming to stand next to Arra, "We are all worried."
Kurda sighed, "I'm sorry, everything has just gotten so crazy lately. I want some answers."
I almost shouted out but managed to restrain myself. How could he possibly act like that? He has all the answers: he killed Gavner, he brought the vampaneze to the mountain, and he will kill the Princes. Not if I stop him...
Kurda's assistants came to stand behind him, their swords raised as if they expected a fight. Kurda sighed again, "I'm just upset about Gavner. I mean, why would anyone kill him? He was such a good person..." He trailed off, as if deeply depressed. This was killing me: I hated that I had to hide in the shadows while he spun his lies. The mention of Gavner seemed to have thrown Mr. Crepsley and Arra: I knew that the three of them had been very close friends. Gavner had often told me stories about their first council and the journeys they had gone on together.
"We're all upset about that, Kurda." Arra snapped, "And you aren't the only one who wants answers. We all do, so stop making this just about you." Kurda bristled, and his assistants took half a step forward. Seeing this, Mr. Crepsley also took half a step forward, moving so he was standing slightly in front of Arra, "Kurda, please, let us all calm down. Talk with your assistants. I need to speak with Arra."
Kurda nodded in agreement and turned to the three vampires behind him, ushering them away to the other side of the copse that they had stopped in. They crowded around once they had stopped, muttering and making quite violent hand gestures. I was going to go and listen to their conversation, but I realised that Mr. Crepsley and Arra had come to stand right near me: if I moved, they'd notice me. I crouched down behind a fallen log, peering out over the top of it so I could keep an eye on Kurda and his assistants. Streak sat down beside me, his big golden eyes flashing from one side of the copse to the other.
"Will you please stop aggravating him?" Mr. Crepsley asked, and my eyes flicked back to the pair: they were standing close together under a tree, sheltering from the never ending snow. Arra looked away stubbornly, and Mr. Crepsley sighed, laying his hands on her shoulders, "Look, any other time and I would let you annoy him." He said this with a small smile, "But I do not trust his assistants. You saw how they behaved just then...I do not know what is going on with them, but please try to keep them in a good mood."
"They know something." Arra muttered, casting a suspicious glare over to the other side of the copse, "Why else would they bring weapons?"
Mr. Crepsley nodded slowly, "I know. But they could just be anxious about Kurda's investure tomorrow."
"That doesn't give them a reason to-" Arra started, her voice rising angrily but Mr. Crepsley stopped her before the others heard: he quickly kissed her, and I grinned. I knew he still loved her.
"Please, I just want to find Darren, and tonight is the last night we will have for a while."
"What about tomorrow?" Arra asked, calmer now.
"Kurda's investure is tomorrow. No vampire can leave the mountain." Mr. Crepsley explained, glancing over his shoulder at the others: they were still muttering angrily, arguing amongst each other. I watched as Kurda tried to take control of the situation, but one of his assistants kept making threatening gestures over at Mr. Crepsley and Arra. Streak now had his gaze fully trained on the traitors, and I knew he'd alert me before anything got too out of hand.
"I don't care if I miss his stupid investure," Arra was saying as I turned back to them, "I can still come and look."
Mr. Crepsley smiled warmly but shook his head, "No, you will get into trouble with the Princes."
"It wouldn't be the first time." Arra half laughed and Mr. Crepsley's smile grew wider. I smiled too, though I had no idea what they were talking about: just the sight of Mr. Crepsley happy made me happy. It was nice to know that even though he had lost one of his best friends, and was worried for my safety, there was still someone who could take his mind off of that, if only for a few minutes.
"Still," Mr. Crepsley grew serious again, letting go of Arra's shoulder and taking her hands instead, "it would make me feel better if you were sat beside me during his investure, and not out here alone when there are vampaneze about."
Arra looked like she was about to argue, but Mr. Crepsley gave her a pleading look, and she sighed, "Fine. You win." She grinned, kissed him quickly and then called over to Kurda, "Can we continue looking for Darren now?"
Kurda half turned, regarded her for a moment, and nodded, "We're done here, let's go."
I sat still as the six of them continued up the path, Mr. Crepsley and Arra in front, walking very close together, their hands occasionally brushing, with the traitors further behind, still edgy but carrying their swords at their sides instead. Streak stood up, as if to follow them but I patted his head and he sat back down, leaning against me slightly. But I didn't need any comforting right then: because I was suddenly feeling happier then I had felt for a very long while.
...
A/N: That wasn't really 'Happiness', was it? And does that last line sound right to you guys? It sounds weird to me...but whatever. I hope you liked it!