Disclaimer: I do not own the Fable universe. Characters you do not recognize were created by me for the purposes of this story. Balverine culture, beliefs and characteristics have mostly been made up by me, as there is not a lot of information out there. Most of what I describe are wolf characteristics, but not all as I have taken some creative liberties. Story contains scenes of a very mature nature, do not continue if anything of that nature could offend you (sex, violence, sub/dom, non-con).

The song sung in the flashback in this chapter by Seraphina McMaster is "Que Sera Sera" by Doris Day. Lovely song, sorry I corrupted it for the purpose of this tale!

Any and all feedback is always appreciated! Thank you for taking the time to read! All the best! - Fallon.

Chapter Sixteen

"Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea

between the shores of your souls." - Khalil Gibran

Maya awoke to the gentle rocking of the sea.

She forced her eyes open and found herself laying on a bed with rich, navy linens. There were drapes tacked to the walls, and paintings on the support beams, though her head hurt to much to tell what they were of.

She rolled over and tried to push herself up, only to be pushed back down.

Her dry lips parted, "What -"

"Lay back down, Princess..."

"Huh..."

"You're fine," Von said calmly, leaning forward in his chair, "we're on our way to Aurora."

She wiggled her legs, "I'm not dead?"

He smirked, "No, no you're not."

Maya stretched under the covers and groaned, "Then why to I feel like it?"

He chuckled and shook his head, "I'll make sure the next time I save your ass that I do so delicately."

"See to it that you do..."

Von rubbed his temples as he fought to keep his eyes open, he had not slept for fear she wouldn't wake, "I suppose that is as close as I'll get to a proper thank you..."

The ship hit a large wave, startling both of them.

"Thank you," she said as she closed her eyes, "but consider what I said should you ever find yourself playing the role of hero again."

"I'll take it into consideration."

"Good," she opened one tired eye, "is Ben alright? I couldn't see him through all the chaos."

Von soured, of course she would ask about the Captain!

"He's fine," he crossed his arms, "I'm fine too, by the way."

"Calm down, I have you here," she finally forced herself to sit up, "I haven't seen or heard Ben."

He lowered his arms but kept his frown, "Well, he's helping Walter with the ship."

His anger towards the Captain was not lost to her, "Why don't you like him?"

"Why do you like him?" Von countered, "Everything he is repulses me. If he were a member of the Family, he would have been chased away a long time ago."

Maya didn't want to hear it, "You're just jealous."

"Of what?" He demanded.

"That I kissed him," she spat boldly, "and not you!"

It was like a slap to the face, and it hurt like one too, as the scar on his cheek stung with her words. He looked away from her, though he wanted nothing more than to show her what a real kiss was.

Maya caught her breath and looked down at the sheets. She had done it again, hurt him by not keeping her mouth shut, "I'm sorry, that was wrong of me to say -"

"Yes, it was." He still didn't look at her, "You have a rather high opinion of yourself."

She fumbled with the trim on the sheets, "I suppose I deserved that..."

Von sighed and glanced back at her, only to quickly look away as he met her eyes, "No, no you don't."

He wanted to tell her that he didn't blame her for liking Finn, that even though it hurt him he understood, but he didn't want to appear weak. He knew what he was, and knew that he was a fool for thinking she could ever look past that enough to have him as more than a friend.

"Von?"

He forced himself to look at her, "Hmm?"

"What's it like...being a balverine?"

"Excuse me?" He had to have heard her wrong. Perhaps she had been hit on the head while they were making their escape from the docks?

"I want to know," she shrugged. In the time she had known him, much of what she thought she knew about balverines had been tossed out the window. She hoped he would be willing to share, but she knew that what he had to say was probably not all sunshine and rainbows. He was a balverine after all, and it went without saying that many hated him. Maya took some pride in being one of the few that no longer did.

He sighed, "Not everything you want to know I want to talk about, kid."

"Please, Von? Just a few questions?" She gave a small smile, "Start with why you call me 'kid'."

"Because you are one."

"But you can't be much older than me," she looked at him hard, "how old are you?"

"Thirty-two." He said abruptly.

Her eyes opened wide, "Seriously? You don't look more than twenty-four!" She remembered when she first entered the Pine and met Loki. He looked like he was eighteen, certainly no older, but had confessed to her that he was twenty-five. She doubted it was magic, but had no idea what else it could be.

He chuckled, finding her wide eyes rather amusing, "I've aged gracefully."

"Will you always look younger than your years?" She didn't know how to phrase it, "I mean, do older balverines look old?"

"Eventually, yes," he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "when my father died he was fifty-six but he looked like he was in his late forties. He was starting to get wrinkles, though they were very faint. The oldest balverine I've met was eighty-two, to others he looked like he was seventy though. We're not immortal, Princess, we age...though it certainly takes it's time catching up to us."

"How old is Shiloh then?" Sometimes Maya was startled by how much the girl knew, but other times she spoke like she was a child.

"Twelve."

She quirked an eyebrow and was about to question him, but just shook her head.

"Any other questions you're dying to ask?" He eyed the stairs expecting to see Walter standing there, "I may not feel like answering them later."

"I've got one..." But she was hesitant to ask it. It had been eating at her since they spoke near the cemetery, but she feared he would hate her for asking it.

"I can't read your mind." He reminded her.

"When we spoke in the cemetery, and you told me about your family..."

His chest tightened, "What about it?"

"I felt like you weren't telling me the whole story," she eyed him nervously, "were you?"

He looked away from her, "Not juicy enough was it? Did you hear better stories whispered around court?" He hoped his taunts would halt her tongue long enough for him to escape, but they didn't.

"No, I..." she shrugged, "I'm just trying to understand you."

Von sunk into his chair and slowly shook his head as the awful memories came flooding back, "Truth is, I wanted to tell you all of it then..."

"Why didn't you?" She asked gently, aware that the subject was a tender one.

"Because it doesn't end well," he said with a shrug, "and it...it was a dark time for me."

She eased her legs off the edge of the bed and faced him, "I won't judge you for it, Von."

"Then why do you really want to know?" He locked onto her eyes, "If not to judge me?"

"Because a man I once loathed with every fiber of my being has saved my life more than once now," Maya swallowed hard, "and I have come to call him friend."

Her words warmed his heart, and he proceeded with the hope she wouldn't think less of him, "Alright..."

Von tore through the woods, desperate to reach the village, and Seraphina, before it was too late.

He had been a fool to think he could keep his secret from her forever, and now his worst fears were becoming reality. He zig-zagged through the tombstones of the cemetery and to the top of the hill overlooking the village.

Her house just below him, he tried to leap over the wall.

Silver nitrate fumes hit him and knocked him back, baring him from going into the village. His flesh was seared with the vapors, but it was the pain in his heart that hurt far more.

"Damn," he cursed under his breath.

He went as close to the wall as he could and looked down into her window.

Seraphina was rocking in her chair near the fireplace, staring down into her son's strange eyes. He knew she could see him, and had a sick feeling she had been waiting for him to arrive.

She stood, still rocking Nathaniel in her arms. Her hair was mussed and her eyes were red, like she had been crying for some time. She looked mad.

"Que sera, sera...whatever will be, will be," she sung in a low voice, "the future's not our's to see...que sera, sera."

Von knew the song she sung, as it was the same one she was humming when they first met.

Seraphina continued, rocking the child as she went, "When I was young, I fell in love..."

His heart was in his throat.

"...I asked my sweetheart, what lies ahead, will we have rainbows, day after day," she kissed Nathaniel's head, "here's what my sweetheart said. Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be! The future's not our's to see, que sera sera."

He tried to reach out for her, "Serah!"

She looked out at him, but her usually warm eyes were cold, "Now I have children of my own, they ask their mother, what will I be..." She choked on a sob, "I tell him tenderly...you will be a monster!"

Hot tears cascaded down his cheeks and he tried again to get past the barrier.

"Leave me, beast! Haven't you done enough?" She spat, the babe held tightly in her arms.

Von ignored the sting of the fumes, "I love you -"

"You do not!" She shook with fury, "You are incapable of love, Von Kaiser!"

"That is not true, Serah!" His head spun, "I'd do anything for you!"

She trembled, "Then leave me alone..."

"I'm sorry, but I can't. I can't, sweetheart -"

"Don't you dare!" she screamed, "No more lies!"

Seraphina blocked out his voice and sat her son before the fire place.

Von gasped in horror, for his sweet son's face was blue. He remembered how tightly she had held him to her breast, "Y-You...you..."

"I killed the spawn of evil you made me carry for nine months!" She revealed a dagger from a fold of her skirt, "I've tried...tried to wash your touch from my flesh...but you've tainted me beyond repair."

Von charged the barrier, and was brought to his knees. Broken down and beaten, he looked down into his son's lifeless face, "You didn't have to, Serah..." He sobbed, "I'd have taken him!"

"Avo has him now," she sneered, "and you'll never see him again!"

She grasped the knife, and plunged it into her stomach.

Von growled and clawed at the barrier, "No!"

Again and again she brought it down and into her flesh. Von wept harder with every blow, and did not stop trying to get through the fumes. She did not stop until pain and blood loss overcame her, and brought her to her knees.

"I hate you," she muttered as death neared, "I hate you...I hate you...I...hate...you...hate...you..."

Frantic banging sounded from the door to her home, "Seraphina! Seraphina! Love, open up!"

Von pulled at his hair and screamed.

"Seraphina!"

It was her husband.

Von howled and clawed at his chest. Never had he thought such pain could be felt without a dagger sticking out of his chest.

He wanted to die, he wanted her husband to find him and shoot him were he stood.

Avo knew he deserved as much.

The door was kicked down and her husband screamed shrilly at the sight he was greeted with. He ran to her side and grabbed her lifeless form. He pressed her to his chest and wailed when he saw the bundle sitting motionlessly near the fireplace.

Von did the only thing he could - he ran.

Von held his head in his hands, his fingers pulling at his hair until his scalp burned. It was the first time he had told the whole story, and he was certain he never wanted to do it again. The nightmares were bad enough, but there was no need to share it with anyone else.

Maya sat silently on the bed, not sure what to do with the knowledge she had just been given. She tentatively reached out to touch him, "Von..."

He sat up and swatted her hand away, "Please...don't touch me."

She pulled her hand back and nodded quickly, "What do you want me to do?"

He didn't bother brushing aside his tears, "Do you know a spell that could turn back time?"

Sadly, she shook her head.

"Then there is nothing you can do." He hung his head, "You've already done much by listening..."

She looked around the room, "Do you want me to leave you alone for a while?"

"No, no..." he stood, "I'll leave, you should get some rest."

"I can't rest after...after what you just told me," she tried to stand, "and I can't just let you wander off on your own -"

"I'm not a child," he snapped.

"Von, I didn't mean it like that..." she lightly touched his arm, "what I meant was that I don't think you should be alone after sharing something like that."

He thought about it and, determining she was right, looked away from her, sorely embarrassed by his reaction, "Fine."

Maya sat back down on the bed and quickly tucked herself back under the covers, "Sit on the edge of the bed...please."

He did as she asked, and jumped when she grabbed his hand.

"Calm down," she muttered sleepily, "I just want to make sure you don't leave."

She held his hand firmly, and he allowed himself to squeeze back, "I won't."